To All
Good Wednesday Morning July 5, 2023.
This Friday is Bubba Breakfast in San Diergo.
Regards,
Skip
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This Day in Navy and Marine Corps History:
July 5
1801 David G. Farragut is born near Knoxville, Tenn. Known for the quote, Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead during the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864, he is appointed vice admiral by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864 and is commissioned an admiral, the first-ever in the US Navy, by a Congressional Act in 1866.
1814 The sloop-of-war, USS Peacock, captures British vessels HMS Stranger, HMS Venus, HMS Adiona, and HMS Fortitude.
1859 Hawaiian bark Gambia, commanded by Capt. N.C. Brooks, discovers the Midway Islands. The islands are named "Middlebrook Islands." On Aug. 28, 1867, Capt. William Reynolds of the USS Lackawanna takes possession of the atoll for the U.S., making Midway the first offshore islands annexed by the U.S. government.
1862 The Navy Department is reorganized by act of Congress.
1942 USS Growler (SS 215) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese destroyer, Arare, in the Salmon Lagoon, off Kiska. In the attack, USS Growler damages destroyers Kasumi and Shiranui.
1944 USS Thomas (DE 102) and USS Baker (DE 190) from Task Group 22.5, sink German minelayer submarine (U 233) off Halifax, Nova Scotia.
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Today in World History July 5
1776 The Declaration of Independence is first printed by John Dunlop in Philadelphia.
1806 A Spanish army repels the British during their attempt to retake Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1814 U.S. troops under Jacob Brown defeat a superior British force at Chippewa, Canada.
1832 The German government begins curtailing freedom of the press after German Democrats advocate a revolt against Austrian rule.
1839 British naval forces bombard Dingai on Zhoushan Island in China and occupy it.
1863 Federal troops occupy Vicksburg, Mississippi and distribute supplies to the citizens.
1892 Andrew Beard is issued a patent for the rotary engine.
1940 Marshal Henri Petain's Vichy government breaks off diplomatic relations with Great Britain.
1941 German troops reach the Dnieper River in the Soviet Union.
1943 The Battle of Kursk, the largest tank battle in history, begins.
1944 The Japanese garrison on Numfoor, New Guinea, tries to counterattack but is soon beaten back by U.S. forces.
1950 American forces engage the North Koreans for the first time at Osan, South Korea.
Just a note from 4 July
1942 the 8th Air Force flies its first mission in Europe using borrowed British equipment. Only three of the six aircraft return to England. That was just the beginning. The 8th Air Force went on to lose more air crew than all the Marines lost in the Pacific campaign.
On July 5, 1946, French designer Louis Réard unveils a daring two-piece swimsuit at the Piscine Molitor, a popular swimming pool in Paris. Parisian showgirl Micheline Bernardini modeled the new fashion, which Réard dubbed "bikini," inspired by a news-making U.S. atomic test that took place off the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean earlier that week.
European women first began wearing two-piece bathing suits that consisted of a halter top and shorts in the 1930s, but only a sliver of the midriff was revealed and the navel was vigilantly covered. In the United States, the modest two-piece made its appearance during World War II, when wartime rationing of fabric saw the removal of the skirt panel and other superfluous material. Meanwhile, in Europe, fortified coastlines and Allied invasions curtailed beach life during the war, and swimsuit development, like everything else non-military, came to a standstill.
In 1946, Western Europeans joyously greeted the first war-free summer in years, and French designers came up with fashions to match the liberated mood of the people. Two French designers, Jacques Heim and Louis Réard, developed competing prototypes of the bikini. Heim called his the "atom" and advertised it as "the world's smallest bathing suit." Réard's swimsuit, which was basically a bra top and two inverted triangles of cloth connected by string, was in fact significantly smaller. Made out of a scant 30 inches of fabric, Réard promoted his creation as "smaller than the world's smallest bathing suit." Réard called his creation the bikini, named after the Bikini Atoll.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post
Skip… For The List for Wednesday, 5 July 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 5 February 1968…
"There but for the Grace of God, go I."…
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at
: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
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From the list archives
Thanks to Rich and Mud's Marines ….This was a last minute addition to today's list because when I opened it up and read it I laughed my a.. off Learning to Cuss And increased their vocabulary 10 fold.
14 years later they both enlisted in the Marines.
A 6 year old and a 4 year old are playing in the yard.
The 6 year old asks, "You know what? I think it's about time we started learning to cuss". The 4 year old nods his head in approval.
The 6 year old continues, "When we go in for breakfast, I'm gonna say something with hell and you say something with ass".
The 4 year old agrees with enthusiasm.
When the mother walks into the kitchen and asks the 6 year old what he wants for breakfast, he replies, "Aw, hell, Mom, I guess I'll have some Cheerios".
WHACK!
He flies out of his chair, tumbles across the kitchen floor, gets up, and runs upstairs crying his eyes out, with his mother in hot pursuit, slapping his rear with every step. His mom locks him in his room and shouts, "You can stay there until I let you out!"
She then comes back downstairs, looks at the 4 year old and asks with a stern voice, "And what do YOU want for breakfast, young man?"
"I don't know", he blubbers, "but you can bet your ass it won't be Cheerios"..
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From the Archives
Thanks to Wigs
Happy Fourth! Unexpected but very poignant address!
Julie Hartman, Harvard Class of 2022
Take 6 min, 12 secs and watch.
JULIE HARTMAN-HARVARD CLASS OF 2022....MUST SEE VIDEO
I hope you will take the time to watch a brief speech given at Harvard on May 3, 2022, by a young female graduate. It lasts for just about six minutes and is well worth your time.
At Harvard, as you may know, there are 12 'Houses', and this senior, Julie Hartman, Harvard Class of 2022, was chosen by the Headmaster of her House to give a commencement speech — each House Headmaster chooses someone to give a speech.
Julie delivered this address on May 3, 2022, at the Harvard Chapel. When she finished, she received NO applause or recognition of appreciation. The silence was deafening! But her words were refreshing and prescient…and gave me hope that the values this country stands for have not entirely vanished. You may click on the link below to hear this address in its entirety.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hk3A5SaIXA
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From the List archives and Al for his Monday morning humor
Thanks to Al
Monday Morning Humor--Independence Day Wrap-Up
Another July 4th, one of the hottest days of the year, so what did we do? We all sat outside of our air-conditioned homes and cooked over a fire?
Did you enjoy colorful fireworks last night? If so, don't forget to thank Aluminum, Barium, Calcium, Chlorine, Copper, Iron, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Sodium, and Strontium.
Have you ever thought that July 4th is to pyromaniacs what Thanksgiving is to overeaters?
The Fourth of July weekend was approaching, and Miss Pelham, the nursery school teacher, took the opportunity to tell her class about patriotism. "We live in a great country," she announced. "One of the things we should be happy is that, in this country, we are all free."
Trevor, who was a little boy in her class, came walking up to her from the back of the room. He stood with his hands on his hips and said loudly, "I'm not free. I'm four."
A Jewish Rabbi and a Catholic Priest met at Albuquerque's annual 4th of July picnic. Old friends, they began their usual banter. "This baked ham is really delicious," the priest teased the rabbi. "You really ought to try it. I know it's against your religion, but I can't understand why such a wonderful food should be forbidden. You don't know what you're missing. You just haven't lived until you've tried Mrs. Warren's prized Virginia Baked Ham. Tell me, Rabbi, when are you going to break down and try it?"
The rabbi looked at the priest with a big grin, and said, "At your wedding."
Mrs Whyte, his teacher advises the class that each school day starts with the "Pledge of Allegiance"*** and instructs them to put their right hand over their heart and repeat after her. As Mrs Whyte starts the recitation she looks around the room, "I pledge allegiance to the flag........", when her eyes are drawn to Andy who has his hand over the right cheek of his bottom.
"Andy, I cannot continue till you put your hand over your heart," she demands.
Andy looks up and replies, "It is over my heart."
After several more attempts to get Andy to put his hand over his heart, Mrs Whyte enquires, "Why do you think that is your heart, Andy?"
"Well Miss," answers Andy, "because every time my Grandma comes to visit she pats me there and says, "Bless your little heart," and my Grandma never lies."
Independence Day Groaners
Did you hear the one about the Liberty Bell?
It'll crack you up!
Why aren't there any Fourth of July knock-knock jokes?
Because freedom rings.
What do you say when leaving the Statue of Liberty?
"Keep in torch."
What's the difference between a duck and George Washington?
One has a bill on his face, and the other has his face on a bill.
Where did George Washington get the ax to cut down a cherry tree?
The chopping mall.
What did they call George Washington's home when he had mice?
Mount Vermin.
Which Founding Father is a dog's favorite?
Bone Franklin.
What was Thomas Jefferson's favorite dessert?
Monti-Jell-O.
Who was the funniest person in George Washington's army?
Laugh-ayette.
Which colonists told the best jokes?
Pun-sylvanians.
Why were early Americans like ants?
They lived in colonies.
What did King George III think of the colonists?
He thought they were revolting.
What ghost haunted King George III?
The spirit of '76.
Why doesn't fire get to enjoy a day off on the Fourth of July?
Because fire works.
What did the little firecracker say to the bigger firecracker?
"Hi, Pop."
What do you call eating pie on the Fourth of July?
Pastry-otic.
How did one flag greet another flag?
It waved.
What would you get if you crossed the first signer of the Declaration of Independence with a rooster?
John Han-cock-a-doodle-doo!
What quacks, has webbed feet, and betrays his country?
Beneduck Arnold!
What protest by a group of dogs occurred in 1773?
The Boston Flea Party!
What happened as a result of the Stamp Act?
The Americans licked the British!
What do you call a parade of German mercenaries?
A Hessian procession!
What would you get if you crossed a patriot with a small curly-haired dog?
Yankee Poodle!
What would you get if you crossed George Washington with cattle feed?
The Fodder of Our Country!
What's red, white, blue, and gross?
Uncle Spam!
How was the food at the Fourth of July picnic?
The hot dogs were bad and the brats were wurst!
Why did Washington chop down the cherry tree with his hatchet?
Because his mom wouldn't let him play with the chain saw!
The Declaration of Independence was written in Philadelphia. True or false?
False! It was written in ink!
What would you get if you crossed a monster with a redcoat?
A bigger target.
What has feathers, webbed feet, and certain inalienable rights?
The Ducklaration of Independence!
What would you get if you crossed the American national bird with Snoopy?
A bald beagle!
Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?
On the bottom!
Hope you had a great Fourth, enjoy your week and your freedom, Uncle Sam
"Oh beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountains majesty, above thy fruited plain. America, America, God shed his grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea."—Irving Berlin
"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal."--Thomas Jefferson
"I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death."--Patrick Henry
"Our flag is red, white and blue, but our nation is a rainbow -- red, yellow, brown, black and white--and we're all precious in God's sight."--Jesse Jackson
"Our flag is our national ensign, pure and simple, behold it! Listen to it! Every star has a tongue, every stripe is articulate."--Robert C. Winthrop (1809-1894), Senator from Massachusetts "You can't appreciate home till you've left it, money till it's spent, your wife until she's joined a woman's club, nor Old Glory till you see it hanging on a broomstick on a shanty of a consul in a foreign town."--O. Henry
"To live in the hearts of those you leave behind is never to die"--Robert Orr
"Soldier, rest! Thy warfare o'er, sleep the sleep that knows not breaking, dream of battled fields no more. days of danger, nights of waking."--Sir Walter Scott
"The greatest glory of a free-born people is to transmit that freedom to their children."--William Havard
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down his life for his friends."--John 15:13
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Thanks to Boris
The grandest "Dear John" letter in history:
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation …
And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honour."
Once retired, growing in years and firmly characterized in the "once weres" category, holidays and days off kinda loose something. But some things remain … taking a few minutes over morning coffee sitting out front with the dog and just reflecting on the focus of that particular holiday, be it Memorial Day, Veterans Day or Independence Day.
As a history reader and semi-writer, I have always been intrigued by the intersections of events that come from various sources some revealed years after the event or earlier histories. It's why I still pick up new books on the long past Vietnam War, But that's just a note in passing.
For today, the linked history and reflection concerns America's birthday and the events of Christmas of '76. Posted in 2010, some reflections:
We celebrate our country's birthday in the warmth of summer recalling the day we declared our right as free and independent states, the day the signers pledged their lives, fortune and sacred honor, but we would do well to also recall a bitter cold Christmas night, a general and an army that made it so.
Happy Birthday America
Boris
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Thanks to Brett
Geopolitical Futures:
Daily Memo: Thoughts on July 4th
George Friedman reflects on the founding of the United States.
By: George Friedman
Editor's note: The following column originally ran in 2016, but it is as timeless as ever. Happy Fourth of July from us at GPF to all who celebrate.
Two hundred and forty years ago today, the American people were declared to be a unique and independent nation, distinct from all others. This was the conception of the people, but the sovereign government of the United States was born in battle. The revolution lasted eight years and about 25,000 died – a higher percentage of the population than died in World War II. This led over time to the Constitution, which founded the regime that governed the American people.
It was a unique regime because it did not trust politicians. The founders feared the politicians' desire for power. To solve this problem, they founded a regime so unwieldy, so inefficient, that very little could get done. Their vision of America was a country of businesses and farms, churches and societies. They envisioned a nation whose heart was not in Washington – an artifice invented to hold politicians – but in private life. The life of farmers, businessmen, clergymen and eccentrics. Few other governments were founded with such fear of governance.
I recently told a foreign friend that his country has excellent relations with Washington, but it needs a better relationship with America. Many of our non-American friends live in countries where the political capital is the heart of the country. That isn't the case in the United States. The American revolution was fought to make certain the government was weak and society strong and free. Our founders feared strong presidents and contrived to cripple them before they took office by confronting them with two Congressional houses run on different rules and a Supreme Court. Very little can get done, yet America flourishes.
When you marvel at our candidates for president, bear in mind that the U.S. president is among the weakest heads of government in the world. The sacrifice of 25,000 was to make sure tyranny would not rule this country. If the price was political paralysis, it was a small price to pay.
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This Day in US Military History
JULY 5
1861 – The first large-scale engagement of the Civil War is fought in southwestern Missouri, signaling an escalation in the hostilities between the North and South. Missouri was the scene of some of the most bitter partisan fighting during the war. After the clash at Fort Sumter in April, the state was deeply divided. The Missouri State Guardsmen, a force of 6,000 men commanded by Confederate Governor Claiborne Jackson and Colonel Sterling Price, were poorly equipped and outfitted mostly in civilian clothing. Their Union counterpart was a force of 1,100, mostly German-Americans from St. Louis, commanded by General Franz Sigel. Sigel's force occupied Springfield in late June, and then collided with the Confederates at nearby Carthage on July 5. Outnumbered, Sigel eventually withdrew, but was able to hold off several small attacks. By nightfall, the Union troops had retreated through Carthage and escaped a dangerous trap. Both sides declared victory, and losses were light: 13 Union men were killed and 31 were wounded, while 40 Confederates were killed and 120 were wounded. The forces remained in the area of Springfield, gathering strength over the next month. They would fight again in August at Wilson's Creek, Missouri.
1943 – US invasion fleet (96 ships) sailed to Sicily.
1943 – On New Georgia, American force of regimental strength lands in the north at Rice Anchorage. Fighting on the Zanana-Munda track continues. During the night (July 5-6) Japanese destroyers bring nearly 3000 more troops to Vila. Admiral Ainsworth, with 3 cruisers and 4 destroyers, engages elements of the Japanese force and sinks one destroyer while losing the cruiser Helena.
1944 – The Japanese garrison on Numfoor, New Guinea, tried to counterattack but was soon beaten back by U.S. forces.
1944 – Elements of US 1st Army capture La Haye du Puits.
1945 – It is announced that General Spaatz will lead the US Strategic Air Force in the campaign against Japan.
1945 – Britain and the United States recognize a new Polish government of National Unity. Mikolajczyk, former leader of the London based Polish government in exile, is one of the deputy premiers.
1945 – US General Douglas MacArthur announced that the liberation of the Philippines from its Japanese occupiers was complete.
1946 – French designer Louis Reard unveils a daring two-piece swimsuit at the Piscine Molitor, a popular swimming pool in Paris. Parisian showgirl Micheline Bernardini modeled the new fashion, which Reard dubbed "bikini," inspired by a news-making U.S. atomic test that took place off the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean earlier that week. European women first began wearing two-piece bathing suits that consisted of a halter top and shorts in the 1930s, but only a sliver of the midriff was revealed and the navel was vigilantly covered. In the United States, the modest two-piece made its appearance during World War II, when wartime rationing of fabric saw the removal of the skirt panel and other superfluous material. Meanwhile, in Europe, fortified coastlines and Allied invasions curtailed beach life during the war, and swimsuit development, like everything else non-military, came to a standstill. In 1946, Western Europeans joyously greeted the first war-free summer in years, and French designers came up with fashions to match the liberated mood of the people. Two French designers, Jacques Heim and Louis Reard, developed competing prototypes of the bikini. Heim called his the "atom" and advertised it as "the world's smallest bathing suit." Reard's swimsuit, which was basically a bra top and two inverted triangles of cloth connected by string, was in fact significantly smaller. Made out of a scant 30 inches of fabric, Reard promoted his creation as "smaller than the world's smallest bathing suit." Reard called his creation the bikini, named after the Bikini Atoll. In planning the debut of his new swimsuit, Reard had trouble finding a professional model who would deign to wear the scandalously skimpy two-piece. So he turned to Micheline Bernardini, an exotic dancer at the Casino de Paris, who had no qualms about appearing nearly nude in public. As an allusion to the headlines that he knew his swimsuit would generate, he printed newspaper type across the suit that Bernardini modeled on July 5 at the Piscine Molitor. The bikini was a hit, especially among men, and Bernardini received some 50,000 fan letters. Before long, bold young women in bikinis were causing a sensation along the Mediterranean coast. Spain and Italy passed measures prohibiting bikinis on public beaches but later capitulated to the changing times when the swimsuit grew into a mainstay of European beaches in the 1950s. Reard's business soared, and in advertisements he kept the bikini mystique alive by declaring that a two-piece suit wasn't a genuine bikini "unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring." In prudish America, the bikini was successfully resisted until the early 1960s, when a new emphasis on youthful liberation brought the swimsuit en masse to U.S. beaches. It was immortalized by the pop singer Brian Hyland, who sang "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini" in 1960, by the teenage "beach blanket" movies of Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, and by the California surfing culture celebrated by rock groups like the Beach Boys. Since then, the popularity of the bikini has hardly diminished; though on beaches in Brazil and the Mediterranean today, many women favor the "monokini," a swimsuit style that consists solely of a bikini bottom.
1952 – Kentucky's 623rd Field Artillery Battalion, armed with eighteen 155mm towed howitzers, moves into this area in support of X Corps in holding operations against Communist Chinese assaults. During this period it will earn a Republic of Korea Unit Citation for its fire support of South Korea troops in repelling an enemy assault. In October the battalion, the last Guard artillery unit deployed to Korea, will see hard fighting and earns a Navy Unit Commendation embroidered PANMUNJOM for firing missions in support of the 1st Marine Division. The unit served again overseas in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
1954 – The B-52A bomber made its maiden flight.
2000 – Coast Guard HH-65A CGNR 6539 rescued 51 persons from a burning oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. The aircrew responded to the fire and safely airlifted 15 people to a nearby platform nine miles from the fire. They then evacuated another 36 people to awaiting boats. One of the 6539's crew had landed on the platform to coordinate the rescue. As the helicopter returned to retrieve him, the rig exploded and sent a fireball 100 feet into the air. Unsure whether he survived, the 6539 flew into the thick, black column of smoke and safely rescued him. All four aircrew were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day There were none awarded
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for July 5, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
5 July
1911: The Chief Signal Officer approved the first flight form (Form N.277). Subsequently, the Army's Aviation School at Augusta inaugurated its use. (24)
1912: Capt Charles DeForest Chandler, Lts Thomas DeWitt Milling, and Lt Henry H. Arnold became the first qualified "Military Aviators." They received their badges on 6 October. (11) (24)
1938: Richard C. DuPont set US glider altitude record of 6,806 feet at Elmira.
1943: The first turbo jet engine developed for the Navy, the Westinghouse 19A, completed its 100-hour endurance test. (24)
1944: Harry Crosby, company pilot, flew the Northrop MX-324, the first US rocket-powered aircraft, for the first time at Harper Dry Lake, Calif. (20)
1952: World record of 124 parachute jumps in one day set at Grand Prairie, Tx., by paratrooper Neal Stewart of Birmingham, Ala. (24)
1962: Flying from Hill AFB to Springfield, Minn., Capt Chester R. Radcliffe, Jr., piloted a H-43B Huskie to a world's distance records of 900 miles. (24)
1970: Boeing received the first contract for the new AWACS that would serve as a combat direction center for ADC. (16) (26)
1974: The 555 TFS moved without personnel or equipment from Udorn RTAFB to Luke AFB to become the first F-15 Eagle squadron in the USAF. (16) (26)
1993: Through 12 July, AMC moved 334 US Army soldiers and 850 short tons of equipment from Germany to Macedonia on 15 C-5, 2 C-141, and 3 C-130 missions to help the UN prevent the spread of fighting in the former Yugoslavia. (16) (26)
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Thanks to Brett
The Weekly Rundown: Riots Rage On in France, Brazil Assumes the Mercosur Presidency
Jul 3, 2023
What We're Tracking
Riots rage on across France. In France, nationwide riots related to the fatal police shooting of a teenager are set to continue over the weekend and into next week. The violence has been ongoing since police killed Nahel M., a 17-year-old French-Algerian delivery driver, in the western Parisian suburb of Nanterre in an incident that was caught on video. Over the past three days since his death, rioting, acts of vandalism, looting and intense clashes with police forces have been reported in several cities across the country. The unrest in Paris has been particularly acute, leading to the arrest of over 600 people in the city and the injury of more than 200 officers. As tensions remain high, French authorities' appeals for calm and attempts at enforcement appear unlikely to restore order in the coming days, portending further riots.
Brazil assumes the Mercosur presidency. The rotating presidency of the South American trade bloc will be transferred from Argentina to Brazil during a July 3-4 meeting. Brazilian President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva will likely use his country's six-month leadership over Mercosur — which is comprised of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay — to push for the finalization of the bloc's embattled EU trade deal. After 20 years of negotiations, the European Union and Mercosur reached a draft free trade agreement in 2019. But talks to ratify the deal have since stalled over EU concerns regarding the deforestation policies of Lula's predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro. Certain EU member states also remain hesitant to open their agricultural sectors to competitive South American food exports. To restart momentum on the agreement, Lula will highlight his more aggressive pro-environmental policies to Brussels, as well as also reach out to individual EU countries that remain key holdouts, such as France and Italy, to discuss agricultural exports pertaining to the deal. Lula will likely also be forced to reconcile any further attempts by Uruguay to unilaterally negotiate a free trade agreement with China, as Mercosur countries are required to negotiate any trade agreements through the bloc.
Thailand's new legislature takes office. Thailand's newly elected and certified 500-member House of Representatives and the military-appointed 250-member Senate will convene for their first bicameral legislative session on July 3. On July 4, the House will vote to elect a speaker, which will reveal fissures among the winning coalition, as the Move Forward Party (MFP) and the Pheu Thai Party (PTP) — which won the most and second-most votes in the country's May 14 election, respectively — vie for the post. The PTP has argued that its strong performance in last month's ballot earns it the right to the speakership under an MFP premiership. While each side has consistently vowed that they will not allow their dispute to break their alliance, there's still a chance the PTP and its 141 seats could leave the coalition if it deems it's being treated unfairly. If this happens, the MFP is almost certain to lack the number of seats needed to form a government when both chambers convene to elect a prime minister (which, per the constitution, must occur on or before July 13). The two parties will continue negotiating a power-sharing arrangement, likely up until the July 4 deadline, which could see cabinet positions traded for the speakership.
EU trade commissioner visits Washington. EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis will travel to Washington next week in a bid to accelerate EU-U.S. talks on a new carbon-based sectoral arrangement on steel and aluminum production. Brussels and the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden reached a preliminary agreement in 2021 to pause Trump-era tariffs on U.S. imports of European steel and aluminum, with the goal of finding a binding agreement by October 2023. However, the European Union reportedly rejected a U.S. proposal that would have created an international club to promote trade in metals produced with fewer carbon emissions, while imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum from third countries, due to concerns of violating World Trade Organization rules. The two sides are now pushing ahead to strike a compromise by the end of the truce period in October to prevent U.S. tariffs and EU retaliatory measures from automatically re-entering force.
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