Dispatches

July 14

The United States and five other powers reached a deal with Iran in hopes of curbing that nation’s drive for nuclear weapons. The deal gives Iran more than $100 billion in sanctions relief, in return for a 10-year pause in Iranian development of nuclear weapons. Critics, including Israeli and Saudi officials, said terms of the deal make it easy for Iran to cheat. They also worried that sanctions relief will give Iran the resources to increase its support for Shiite terrorist groups throughout the region. Less than a week after the deal, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a speech said Iranian policy toward the United States would not change, a message Secretary of State John Kerry called “very disturbing.” Congress has 60 days to consider the deal.

Terrorism in Tennessee

July 16

Gunman Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez attacked a military recruiting center and a naval reserve facility in Chattanooga, Tenn., murdering four Marines and a sailor. Abdulazeez, a Muslim immigrant from Kuwait who grew up in the Chattanooga area, made a trip to Jordan last year, and friends said his behavior changed after his return. Abdulazeez died in a shoot-out with police during the attack.

The service members Abdulazeez attacked were unarmed due to rules dating back to the 1990s that restrict military personnel from carrying weapons at military facilities. In the days following the attacks Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., introduced legislation to revise those rules, and governors in six states authorized National Guard troops to carry arms. Armed citizens in many states, meanwhile, stood guard as volunteers at military recruitment centers.

Atticus revisited

July 14

Go Set a Watchman became the fastest-selling book in publisher HarperCollins’ history, selling 1.1 million copies in print, e-book, and audio formats by July 21, a week after its release. Controversy propelled sales of the Harper Lee novel: It depicts Atticus Finch, the heroic lawyer in Lee’s 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, as a bigot. Watchman topped bestseller lists and was reportedly the top seller at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble, which reported the novel set a record for first-day sales. Mockingbird, Lee’s only other novel, also saw a surge in sales.

Greek fire

July 17

Greek protests over a $96 billion bailout by Greece’s European creditors turned violent as more than 50 fires blazed throughout the country. Officials suspect the fires were the result of arson and were related to the protests over the bailout terms, which require higher taxes and spending restraint by the Greek government. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras won election in January on promises to resist such “austerity” demands. The bailout was the third for Greece in the last five years.

Jumping in

July 13

Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin made it official: He will join the field of candidates seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2016. Walker has goodwill among many conservative voters for having defeated public sector unions in a pitched budget battle and then surviving a recall effort and winning reelection in a traditionally liberal state. A July 19 Monmouth poll gave Walker the lead in Iowa, with 22 percent support. Donald Trump was second with 13 percent, and Dr. Ben Carson was third with 8 percent. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a former congressman, on July 21 also entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination.