Monday Briefing | April 29
Former US vice president Joe Biden arrives at a rally organized by UFCW Union members to support Stop and Shop employees on strike throughout the region at the Stop and Shop in Dorchester, Massachusetts, on April 18, 2019. - The 76-year-old Biden has not yet officially thrown his hat in the ring for the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO / AFP) (Photo credit should read JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP/Getty Images)
Stories to Follow
1 dead, 3 injured in shooting at San Diego synagogue: On Saturday, a 19-year old identified as John Earnest entered a San Diego synagogue and opened fire during the last day of Passover. The shooter, who is now in custody, used an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. This attack falls exactly 6 months after a shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue killed 11 people. Earnest is also being investigated in connection to an arson attack on a mosquein Escondido, California last month.
Biden enters 2020 Democratic race: Former Vice President Joe Biden officially declared a presidential bidon Friday, joining 19 other Democratic hopefuls in the race for the party’s nomination. Biden has faced criticism for his role in the Anita Hill hearings, and for inappropriately invading the personal space of women. Still, the candidate reportedly raised $6.3 millionin the first 24 hours of his campaign — the most of any of the 2020 Democratic candidates.
Spain holds third general election in four years: On Sunday, voters in Spain went to the polls for a contentious snap electionthat is expected to reflect growing polarization and party fragmentation in the country. Among the key issues of the election are Spain’s national identity, gender equality, and the semi-autonomous region of Catalonia. Vox, a far-right movement that opposes multiculturalism and secessions to Catalonian secessionists, is expected to enter parliamentfor the first time since Spain’s democratic transition.
This Week in JPI
Notre Double Standard de Paris
Shea Thomas Cooper analyzes Paris’s Notre Dame cathedral in terms of the country’s strict—but ineffective—secularism laws. Cooper skillfully places iconic cathedral’s fire into the historical context of France’s “uneasy history with religious tensions.”
Happening This Week
Dance Party in Bryant Park
Do you like to dance? Free, weekly dance classes will be held every Wednesday eveningin Bryant Park, starting May 1! Experts will walk you through new styles of dance starting at 6pm. A different dance genre is featured every week, and a live band will accompany the party!
Homophobia as an Assault Against the State: Ongoing Russian Interference in Ukrainian Domestic Politics – Monday, April 29: 6:30pm, Great Room, 19 University Place.
During the Euromaidan protest, Russia deliberately stoked anti-LGBT bigotry in Ukraine as a part of a campaign to delegitimize Western values and keep Ukraine in the Russian sphere of influence. Join NYU’s Program in International Relations and Bogdan Globa, Ukrainian activist and the author of a recent op-ed in the Georgetown Public Policy Review titled “How Russia Exports Homophobia Into Ukraine” in a talk about the potential use of homophobia and anti-LGBT campaigns in hybrid warfare. RSVP here.
This week’s Monday Briefing was brought to you by Laura Salter.
