This
Week In Washington
Top 5 Stories
1.
Militants from the Islamic State
of Iraq and Syria released a video of apparent beheading of American journalist
James Foley—an act the group framed as a response to U.S. airstrikes against
ISIS fighters in Iraq, after seeking a multimillion ransom from the U.S. govt.
Look ahead: The military, which mounted
a failed rescue mission for Foley and other American hostages earlier this
summer, conducted new airstrikes following the release of the gruesome video;
it is unclear whether the administration will change tactics in the fight
against ISIS.
2.
Protests continued this week in
Ferguson, Mo., as police released the name of the officer who fatally shot
Michael Brown, as well as an incident report detailing the teenager's alleged
involvement in a robbery, but the violent clashes with law enforcement appeared
to decline as Attorney General Eric Holder arrived for meetings.
Look ahead: A St. Louis County grand
jury has begun hearing evidence in the case, as investigators sift through conflicting
accounts of the events of August 9.
3.
Long-term peace negotiations
between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed Tuesday, with Hamas restarting
its rocket barrages and Israel its aerial bombardment of Gaza.
Look ahead: Qatar, which provides
financial backing for Hamas and refuge for its exiled leader, has been accused
of helping to derail the talks; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans
to continue the military campaign "with all means and as is needed."
4.
Republican establishment
candidates prevailed in this week's primaries, as former Alaska Attorney
General Dan Sullivan defeated Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell and 2010 nominee Joe
Miller in the Senate race, and Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead held off a challenge from
physician Taylor Haynes and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Cindy
Hill.
Look ahead: Sullivan will face
Democratic Sen. Mark Begich, whose strategy relies heavily on his Alaskan roots
and independence from the national party; Mead squares off against pilot Pete
Gosar, who previously served as state Democratic Party chairman and ran
unsuccessfully for the gubernatorial nomination in 2010.
5.
Dr. Kent Brantly and aid worker
Nancy Writebol, who contracted Ebola while treating patients in Liberia, have
recovered from the virus, and have been discharged from Emory University
Hospital, even as authorities attempt to prevent an outbreak in a Monrovia slum
following a weekend raid on a quarantine facility.
Look ahead: While scientists'
immediate priority is to control the spread of the virus, their long-term
objectives depend on identifying the origin of Ebola.
