When it comes to the world of politics, the news cycle is ongoing with headlines developing every day. To help you keep up with them, The Battalion compiles a few of the most compelling political stories from the past week.
Senator John Cornyn and challenger talk Texas Senator race for 2020
Texas Senator, John Cornyn, seeks to be elected a fourth time into Congress in 2020, running on the platform of keeping Texas “uniqueness” and preventing the state from becoming similar to California with higher taxes and more regulations. Facing off against Cornyn is Democratic challenger MJ Hegar. Hegar is combat veteran and said that she doesn’t want to concentrate on partisan politics.
Hegar is only one of many who seek to challenge Senator Cornyn in 2020. Democratic primaries will be held in Texas on March 3, 2020.
US and Russian warships avoid collision in latest of Russian close encounters
On June 7, U.S. and Russian warships nearly collided, each side blaming the other. The incident took place over the Philippine Sea in international waters. Based on footage captured by American sailors, it seemed that the Russians were purposely aiming for the US ship, with the American vessel narrowly avoided impact.
This is the latest of Russian encounters, with a Russian fighter jet flying in front of Navy patrol aircraft on June 4 and Russian aircraft flying close to the Alaskan coast in May.
Massive protest in Hong Kong springs against proposed Chinese bill
On June 9, hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Hong Kong in protest of a proposed Chinese bill. The bill would allow extradations to mainland China, where people would be judged under Chinese courts. The protesters fear this would lead to the targeting of political opponents by China in an effort to gain more control.
Previously, Hong Kong was a British colony and has only recently been given back to China in 1997. Since then, China has tried to increase its influence in the region, to assimilate it into the rest of the country. Hong Kong had a similar protest back in 2014, where protesters demanded universal suffrage from Beijing but ultimately failed.