Trump shooting: The latest update

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Aakriti Anand & Raghav Bikhchandani

Trump shooting: The latest update

Here’s what we know about the ‘assassination attempt’ at a Florida golf course on Sunday.

One: There were no shots fired—and Trump was never in the sight line of the suspect.

Two: Secret Service shot at the suspect first—and caught him soon after at a traffic stop. But the incident still represents a red flag:

The Secret Service significantly bolstered Mr. Trump’s protective detail after coming under intense criticism following an attempt on his life in Butler, Pa., on July 13. That beefed-up detail, which includes additional agents and enhanced on-the-ground intelligence, might have played a role in the outcome this weekend… [Yet] a gunman was able to get a semiautomatic rifle with a telescopic sight so close to the former president, roughly 300 to 500 yards away.

One reason it is difficult to secure a perimeter with a smaller Secret Service force—accorded to a former president. FWIW, Trump thanked the agents protecting him for their “outstanding” work.

Three: The suspect—Ryan Wesley Routh—is a 58-year-old man who was passionate about defending Ukraine—“trying to muster a ragtag army.” He also self-published a book (screed)—positioning himself as “an expert on world events”:

The book credited to the suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh — “Ukraine’s Unwinnable War” — aligns closely with Mr. Routh’s social media posts and public statements reflecting his desire to fight and possibly die for Ukraine, and his searing hatred for President Vladimir V Putin of Russia. Many of the book’s 291 pages contain graphic and bloody images of soldiers and civilians from conflicts around the world.

His hatred for Trump is rooted in this devotion to the Ukrainian cause—since Trump is widely viewed as soft on Vladimir Putin.

Reading list: For more on Routh check out the Washington Post (login required) or Vox—and New York Times via The Telegraph on security lapses.

The RG Kar case: Mamata gives in

After a month of playing chicken with the protesters, the Bengal CM was the first to blink—giving in to a number of key demands. After a five-hour meeting with junior doctors, she has agreed to remove the Kolkata Commissioner of Police Vineet Kumar Goyal—and a number of senior health and police officials.

But, but, but: The doctors are still refusing to go back to work. It is not clear why. Some reports suggest that they want to first hold internal meetings. Others say they are waiting for the changes to first be implemented. Indian Express and The Telegraph have more.

Manipur violence: An emerging arms race

According to an Indian Express report, both sides of the ethnic violence are bulking up their armouries. Both Kukis and Meiteis have sophisticated weapons such as M16s, M18s, and M4A1 Carbines. Of the 2,600 weapons recovered from extremists so far, only 1,200 have been looted from the Indian military. The other 800 have been funnelled from “elsewhere.”

Wait, there’s more: Even homegrown arms are becoming more potent. Example, rockets with a longer range.

The Kukis have improvised ‘pumpis’, which are basically mortars. It is a barrel into which they can put anything. You put a propellant at the bottom and light a match. These can be made with easily accessible materials, and making a bomb is no rocket science. But to make a round reach 5 km away is not easy.

In fact, the fighters claim these ‘pumpis’ have a range of up to 15 km. One of them recently hit the Chief Minister’s home—located in what was considered a ‘safe zone’. Also in the mix now: crude bomb-carrying drones Reminder: at least 225 people have died to date due to the escalating violence in the state. This Big Story has everything you need to know about the roots of the Kuki-Meitei conflict. (Indian Express)

India is rock-bottom in gendered learning

A recent study has revealed that South Asia—especially India—is the “worst region in the English-speaking world for stereotypes and low representation of women and girls in schoolbooks.” The research of textbooks at both state and national level reveal this:

In South Asia there is a high female bias around the words “home” and “appearance”, “meaning female-gendered words like ‘she’ and ‘her’ are closely linked to appearance words like ‘ugly’ and ‘beautiful’,” the researchers said, explaining a figure with the parameters ‘achievement’, ‘home’, ‘appearance’ and ‘work’...male words are more closely linked to achievement words like ‘success’ and ‘powerful’.

The chart below shows a global comparison with books from the UK, US, Australia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. (The Telegraph, The Wire)

Meanwhile, in Afghanistan: The Taliban government has suspended its polio vaccination campaign—without offering any reason. Why this is frightening: Afghanistan is one of only two countries in the world—alongside Pakistan—where the spread of polio is “potentially fatal”, since the disease can cause permanent paralysis, and “up to 10% die when their breathing muscles are paralyzed”. (Associated Press)

Coca-Cola wars in Colombia

The context: Coca Nasa—a company run by indigenous people—makes energy drinks, beers, and liquors with coca leaves. It has been embroiled in a decades-long fight with Coca Cola over using the word “coca”. Coke has sued Coca Nasa twice—in 2007 over the energy drink Coca Sek and again in 2021 for beer called Coca Pola.

What happened now: Coca Nasa wants the Colombian government to “revoke” Coke’s trademark of the word “coca”—“in defense of the coca leaf.” At the heart of the demand is this law:

A 1961 treaty, now enforced by the International Narcotics Control Board, requires the “uprooting of all coca bushes which grow wild” and bans the distribution of products with even trace amounts of the plant. But a loophole allows the leaves to be sold internationally if they are distilled of their cocaine alkaloid to produce a “flavoring agent” — the one Coca-Cola uses in its product.

That loophole has allowed Coke to use a de-cocainized extract of the coca leaves in the flavouring for its soda.

In sum: Coca Nasa folks are furious that a multinational—which has long used the name of a Colombian plant in its name—has the gall to sue an indigenous company for doing the same. It remains to be seen if Colombian authorities will enforce a trademark ban—but it is sweet retribution for Coke’s bullying tactics around the world. It recently sued a Norwegian company selling a product called Jallasprite—which was too close to Sprite. (Washington Post, splainer gift link)

what caught our eye

business & tech

An update on the SEBI uprising—the regulatory body has withdrawn its contentious press release, in which it had blamed “external elements” on the employees’ protests.
Quick commerce platforms’ grocery market share is expected to rise from 0.2% now to 5% by 2030, according to analysis by brokerage firm Bernstein.
Sticking with quick commerce, Myntra is betting on a new four-hour delivery service.
The Print has a good read on MTNL’s major financial crisis—featuring Non-Performing Assets (NPAs), defaulting on debt, and erosion of value.
Good news for Apple Watch users—the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the watch’s sleep apnea detection feature.
BBC News has a must-read on the Internet Archive’s battle to preserve digital history.
Say hello to the “next wave” of Microsoft’s Copilot AI, in which human and AI-generated data can be edited, added to, and shared between work teams.
Grist has a must-read on how Shein has become the biggest polluter in fast fashion after embracing AI—its emissions doubled in 2023.

sports & entertainment

India are in the hockey Asian Champions Trophy final, after thrashing South Korea 4-1 in the semifinals. The final opponents: hosts China.
Say hello to Anmol Kharb—the 17-year-old badminton prodigy won her first individual world title in Leuven on Saturday.
Remember playing Flappy Bird? An organisation has announced plans to officially bring back the viral game, but the original founder Dong Nguyen has disavowed them.
Kanye’s in China?!?!?! You better believe it, as the controversial rapper performed in Haikou on Sunday, in a rare approval by the state-run censors.
MasterChef: Australia fans, get excited for the return of past beloved contestants in ‘Back to Win’—slated for release in 2025.
The fallout of the Hema Committee report in Kerala’s film industry continues—a group of Malayalam directors dissatisfied with the state of the industry will soon launch the Progressive Filmmakers’ Association. Check out our Big Story for more on Mollywood’s MeToo moment.

as for the rest

Tamil Nadu police have arrested over 100 Samsung workers who have been on strike since September 9 and were protesting for higher wages, better working hours and recognition of their union.
Bengaluru airport has started mandatory MPox testing for international passengers. Check out our Big Story on the deadly virus.
An update on the troubled Project Cheetah—an audit report has flagged a lack of coordination between the Madhya Pradesh and central governments.
What caught our tongue: a Maharashtra MLA belonging to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has announced a reward of Rs 11 lakh (1.1 million) to…chop off Rahul Gandhi’s tongue.
PUBG as a terrorism primer? That’s what Pakistani militants adapted to carry out an attack on a police station in Swat.
Over 1,000 people have died in devastating floods across West and Central Africa—with at least a million losing their homes.
In distressing news, Florida hospitals have started asking immigrant patients about their legal status, and Texas is set to do the same.
Germany has reintroduced temporary checks at its land borders, much to the praise of the far-right.
Mexico’s controversial judiciary bill is formally in effect—a major legislative win for outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Shanghai has been shut down by Typhoon Bebinca, the strongest storm the city has faced since 1949.
Central Europe is bracing for its worst floods in over 20 years—at least 15 people have been killed so far.
If you’ve ever stared into your dog’s eyes and felt a connection, your brains may have actually synced up, according to a new study.
In light of recent inflammatory rhetoric about Haitian immigrants by Donald Trump and JD Vance, Vox has a good read on the history of anti-Haitian racism in the US.
The New York Times polling average shows that Kamala Harris’ standing has improved by a point. She now leads by three percentage points across the country—but by barely a single point in battleground states.

Three things to see

One: Vidya Balan and costume designer Anu Parthasarathy paid a lovely tribute to MS Subbulakshmi—recreating her iconic look to mark her 108th birthday. Fun fact: MS was known for wearing a specially woven blue saree—referred to as MS Blue. The Hindu has more on the photoshoot.

Two: Ed Sheeran & Arijit Singh hooked up for a duet on ‘Perfect’. They took the stage in London—which is part of Singh’s UK tour. (The Telegraph)

Three: Sarah Gillis performed ‘Rey’s Theme’ from the Star Wars franchise on the violin during the recent Polaris Dawn mission: “[H]er concert hall was a space capsule orbiting hundreds of miles above Earth. And it’s a performance that has made history, as the first violin solo in outer space.” (ClassicalFM)