In today's newspaper roundup, we will review opinion articles dealing with political and health issues. From Trump considering the midterm elections a “referendum on his performance” during his second presidential term, to the controversy over the “hidden goals” of Melania Trump’s mediation in a “humanitarian truce” in Oleshki, Ukraine, to the efforts of American health scientists to warn of the danger of contracting measles during pregnancy.
We begin our tour with “The Guardian” newspaper and an opinion article by David Smith entitled “How did Trump put himself at the heart of the midterm elections?” The writer begins by reviewing the controversy raised by US President Donald Trump during the recent period, after he praised the buttocks of a female senator, accused a Muslim candidate of terrorism, and bragged about the renovations he made to the White House.
The writer says that Trump held dozens of campaign rallies ahead of the midterm elections, and is still convinced of his ability to prove his doubters wrong and help Republicans maintain control of Congress. However, five words he uttered during the Republican Party General Convention in Dallas this summer may be decisive in determining the fate of his party: “Pretend that my name is on the ballot.”
Smith believes that these words pleased the Democrats, and contributed to turning the elections into a national judgment on Trump’s performance during his second presidential term, amid expectations that the results would be harsh on Republicans, and would dissipate the aura of political immunity that surrounded the president.
The writer quoted Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, as saying that Trump made the elections a national battle, and put himself at the center of the referendum, which means Republicans lost seats because of that, adding that Trump has political sense when it comes to his personal interest, but he lacks political sense when it comes to the party.
The writer adds that anger over Trump's failure to fulfill his promises worsened with the escalation of what he describes as suspicions of corruption and the impression that he was exploiting his position to enrich himself and his family. The writer mentions that Trump accepted a plane provided by Qatar for use as a presidential plane, decorated the Oval Office with gold, and demolished the East Wing of the White House to create a ballroom at a cost of $400 million, in addition to his plans to erect a triumphal arch in Washington.
With Republicans maintaining a slim majority in Congress, opinion polls indicate a lead for Democrats, as a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed their lead by 11 points, 47 percent versus 36 percent, while Trump’s support declined to 32 percent.
We turn to The Independent newspaper, and an article by Sam Kelly entitled “The humanitarian truce brokered by Melania Trump is in Putin’s interest.” The writer begins his article by considering that the agreement to evacuate the residents of the Ukrainian town of Oleshki does not represent a real peace initiative, as much as it represents a propaganda maneuver for the White House and an opportunity for the Russian forces to rearm and arrange their field conditions.
The writer believes that the agreement, brokered by Melania and celebrated by the White House, uses the suffering caused by Russia to present Russian President Vladimir Putin as a humanitarian leader, while his forces exploit the truce to restore supplies and enhance their military capabilities.
We conclude our tour with the Washington Post, and an article by Lena H. Sun, titled “Scientists seek to warn about measles during pregnancy,” and the author begins by pointing out that health scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States sought about a month ago to issue an urgent warning about the risk of measles during pregnancy, in light of the increasing cases of infection, but their efforts faltered due to internal and administrative disputes.
The author explains that measles infections among pregnant women have remained relatively rare since the elimination of ongoing transmission within the United States in 2000, which made many doctors lack sufficient experience to deal with these cases. However, the situation changed with the return of the outbreak, as the United States recorded 4,852 infections since the beginning of this year, the highest rate in 35 years.
