Proposed US Ebola center in Kenya piles pressure on President Ruto
Hundreds protested in Kenya on Monday after the US announced it was establishing an Ebola quarantine center on the Laikipia Air Base, about 120 miles from the capital Nairobi. The facility will be exclusively used to house US citizens exposed to Ebola while traveling in other countries. The protests even turned fatal, with two people shot dead (the circumstances remain unclear). Kenyan President William Ruto defended the plan yesterday, insisting that the center would ultimately strengthen Kenya’s preparedness for future outbreaks, while also citing the US’s past support of health initiatives in the country. Protesters remain unconvinced, saying the facility increases the risk of introducing Ebola into a country that has not recorded any cases of the disease. The Kenyan High Court last week ordered construction on the facility to pause, but Ruto will still support the plan, putting him at odds with protesters ahead of next year’s election.
Millions of Americans head to the polls today
Today marks the single busiest primary day of the US midterms this year, as voters in six states – California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota – head to the polls to decide which candidates will advance to the general election. Two races, in particular, stand out. In Iowa, there’s a battle between the old and the new wing of the Democratic Party, as progressive state Sen. Zach Wahls will face leadership-backed state Rep. Josh Turek in the US Senate primary. Polls suggest the GOP-leaning seat could be competitive following the retirement of Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. Then there’s also the messy all-party primary for California governor, where billionaire Tom Steyer (D) and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra (D) are competing against the Donald Trump-backed, former Fox News pundit Steve Hilton (R) to lead the country’s largest state (outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s rising fame shows the clout that this role involves).
For something a little different, check out the Los Angeles mayoral race, where reality TV star Spencer Pratt is trying to oust incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. Pratt’s unconventional bid has drawn some comparisons to – and contrasts with – New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Trump and Netanyahu are starting to want different things
During a reportedly spicy phone call on Monday, US President Donald Trump stopped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from launching a wider assault on Hezbollah in Lebanon. In recent weeks Israel and Hezbollah have traded blows despite a fragile ceasefire, which Trump said he had renewed. In Israel, where the war against Hezbollah is popular, Netanyahu’s climbdown was assailed by allies and opponents from across the political spectrum, which could hurt him in elections due later this year. But Trump has his own voters to worry about: he’s seeking a face-saving deal to get out of the deeply unpopular Iran war ahead of the November midterms. And there’s the rub: Tehran insists that any deal include a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful regional proxy. That means Trump’s electoral objectives (end the war) are increasingly at odds with Netanyahu’s (continue it). How will this circle get squared?
