This Week in Explainers: How the assassination attempt on Donald Trump unfolded

It’s been a week of dread and chaos in American politics.

In an incident that has sent shockwaves across the world, an assassination attempt was made on Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He escaped but was left injured by a bullet which hit his right ear. We are tracking this story closely.

Earlier in the week, the headlines were dominated by Joe Biden. His candidacy continued to crater with a series of verbal gaffes including at the high-profile Nato summit.

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas is threatening to widen in West Asia with the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah launching its largest-ever air attack.

Meanwhile, a horrific human trafficking case in north Texas has come to light – which unfortunately has an Indian connection.

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Also, Rishi Sunak took up his place on the opposition benches this week. But are the now ousted ex-prime minister’s days in the UK numbered?

All this and much more in our weekly roundup of explainers.

1. A horror unfolds in the US. A picture that will stay with us for days to come is that of a bloody-faced Donald Trump with his fist in the air, as the Secret Service escort him off the stage in Butler, Pennsylvania.

So who attempted to kill Trump and why? Here’s everything we know so far .

2. Joe Biden has been a verbal gaffe machine throughout his decades in political office.

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From calling candidate Barrack Obama ‘bright, articulate and clean,’ to announcing that there would be a massive crisis to test Obama after he took office and then telling the then president the passing of Obamacare was a ‘big f$%$ing deal,’ there’s no shortage of times he’s put his foot in his mouth.

And those are just the times when it comes to Obama.

Time after time, year after year, Biden has made gaffe after gaffe.

But this week was seemingly a stumble too far for many.

Biden at the Nato conference introduced Ukraine’s Volodymr Zelenskyy as “President Putin.”

Worse, at a solo press conference, Biden said that Donald Trump was his vice-president – which we’re sure came to news to Kamala Harris.

But now many are asking if they ought to be seriously concerned about Biden’s cognitive powers.

After all, this is an 81-year-old man running to be most powerful person in the world.

This piece examines Biden’s flubs and the concerns over his candidacy.

3. From the start of the Israel-Hamas war, many have worried that it could widen into a larger conflagration that would engulf West Asia.

It has certainly seemed this way this past week – in fact these past few weeks – as Israel and Hezbollah seem to be inching ever closer to war.

Now, a report in the Washington Post says that Hezbollah has armed itself to the teeth.

The two countries previously went to war in 2006 – a 34-day conflict that ended in a stalemate much celebrated in the Muslim world.

But how big is Hezbollah’s arsenal? What weapons have they procured from their long-time backer Iran? And can Hezbollah’s stockpile of rockets and missiles overwhelm Israel’s many defences?

4. A horror story has come to light in Princeton, North Texas.

Four individuals of Indian-origin including a couple have been charged with human trafficking after authorities found over a dozen women living in dire conditions.

The women were lured under the guise of computer programming internships and forced into labour.

Authorities in Texas only stumbled onto the operation after the police department received a tip from a pest control worker.

But what do we know about the operation? And what about the individuals involved?

5. California Dreamin’ could very well be on Rishi Sunak’s playlist these days.

There are rumours that the former UK prime minister, who oversaw a historic Tory defeat to Labour, could soon leave the UK, for the warm embrace of California.

California just happens to be the place Sunak met his wife Akshata during their days at Stanford and where he ran a hedge fund before stepping into politics.

Indeed, Sunak has called it a ‘very special’ place.

Sunak and his wife also have a $7 million penthouse in Santa Monica – one of California’s most elite and upscale neighbourhoods.

So, what’s the truth?

6. Over in Malaysia, the death of a young woman has highlighted the growing problem of online harassment.

Rajeswary Appahu, 30, died by suicide allegedly after being cyberbullied.

Rajeswary, a social media personality, was found dead at her home on July 5.

She had approached the Kuala Lumpur police just a day before she was found dead.

Rajeswary said she was afraid of being raped and murdered.

Rajeswary’s father, P Appahu, a 62-year-old temple caretaker, told The Star, “She was a very strong person. I can’t understand why this happened.’’

Rajeswary’s death has sparked outrage in the Muslim-majority nation with many citizens taking to social media and demanding action from the authorities.

This article examines what happened to Rajeswary , how the authorities have reacted as well as Malaysia’s troubles with cyberbullying.

7. Barcelona’s locals are mad as hell – and they’re not going to take it anymore.

Thousands of people took to the streets in in the city.

Their complaint?  Too many tourists are ruining things for the locals.

Videos of the march showed protesters holding signs demanding that the visitors ‘go home.’ They also squirted them with water guns.

From crowding the streets to local businesses closing in favour of stores that cater to foreigners and a rise in the cost of living, the locals have a laundry list of complaints.

But who is to blame? Are authorities acting to curb overtourism? Have there been similar protests around Spain? And how are other nations handling it?

8. It sounds like the plot of a horror movie.

Sunita Williams has been stuck in space for more than a month.

Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stranded on the the International Space Station (ISS) since June 6 after the Boeing Starliner faced technical issues.

Though NASA has been trying to facilitate their return to the Earth, the efforts thus far have proved unsuccessful.

No official date has yet been set for Williams and Wilmore’s return.

Steve Stich, Nasa’s commercial crew program manager, said, “Some of the data suggests optimistically, maybe it’s by the end of July, but we’ll just follow the data each step at a time."

But what is Williams saying? And what’s the problem? Why can’t Nasa bring the astronauts back to earth?

You are all caught up for the week. If you like the way we explain, you can  bookmark this page .