Clouds of smoke illuminated by flames from the Bootleg fire on Friday night near Bly, Ore.Payton Bruni/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
“Extreme weather over the past week drove home a harsh reality: Climate disasters can hit wealthy nations, too.
Once-in-a-millennium floods swept Germany, and fires and heat waves suffocated the American West. The events ravaged some of the world’s wealthiest nations, whose affluence has been enabled by the very activities that pump the planet-warming greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
‘I say this as a German: The idea that you could possibly die from weather is completely alien, ‘a climate scientist said.
The big question is whether the mounting disasters in the developed world will have a bearing on what the world’s most influential countries and companies will do to reduce their own emissions.
The floods have killed at least 165 people, most of them in Germany, and hundreds are still missing across Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. With floodwaters receding in parts of the region, firefighters and soldiers began clearing debris and assessing the damage. These images show the extent of the devastation.” Read more at New York Times
Fans flee for cover after a shooting outside Nationals Park on Saturday. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)
“Saturday night’s game between the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres was suspended after multiple gunshots were fired outside Nationals Park in a chaotic scene that ended with fans on the field and in the dugouts. The shooting happened on South Capitol Street, near an entrance to the stadium.
Police said there were three victims: a woman who was found wounded outside the stadium and two others who showed up at a hospital a short time later and were taken into custody. Ashan Benedict, the D.C. police executive assistant chief, said police believe the incident was gunfire from at least one car toward another; they recovered one of the vehicles believed involved and are seeking another. One of the people shot was a woman who was attending the game, Benedict said. All of the victims’ wounds were believed to be non-life-threatening, police said.” Read more at Washington Post
Mountain Home, Ark., is experiencing rising coronavirus infections and hospitalizations.Erin Schaff/The New York Times
“While much of the nation tiptoes toward normalcy, coronavirus cases are again overloading hospitals in areas with low vaccination rates.
Infections rose in every state last week, but counties with low vaccination rates were far more likely to have bigger jumps. Among the 25 counties with the sharpest increases in cases, all but one had vaccinated fewer than 40 percent of their residents, and 16 had vaccinated fewer than 30 percent, a Times analysis found. The new divide in America is particularly stark in Mountain Home, Ark., where fewer than a third of the residents are vaccinated.
The global outlook for the pandemic remains grim as vaccinations lag and the Delta variant takes hold. Indonesia has become the new hot spot of the pandemic, passing India and Brazil to become the country with the world’s highest count of new infections. Africa is in its deadliest stage of the pandemic. Only about 1 percent of Africans are fully vaccinated, and there’s no relief in sight because rich nations are hoarding shots.” Read more at New York Times
“CNN)If the health misinformation currently spreading regarding coronavirus vaccines existed during the days of polio, it would have never been eradicated, Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, said Saturday.
Asked by CNN's Jim Acosta about the misinformation spread by Fox News regarding the Covid-19 vaccines, Fauci said, ‘We probably would still have polio in this country if we had the kind of false information that's being spread now.’
He added, ‘If we had that back decades ago, I would be certain that we'd still have polio in this country.’
The statement comes as dangerous falsehoods about Covid-19 vaccines are swirling and as health experts warn of the more transmissible Delta variant's increasing spread among unvaccinated Americans.” Read more at New York Times
Supporters of President Jovenel Moïse attend a symbolic funeral for the assassinated Haitian leader.Federico Rios for The New York Times
“Under President Donald Trump, and then under President Biden, the U.S.stood by President Jovenel Moïse as democracy was unraveling in Haiti.
Critics say U.S. backing for the Haitian president’s increasingly autocratic rule contributed to the chaos that erupted with his assassination. The resulting leadership void and scramble for power were predictable, current and former officials said, because Washington had paid little attention to clear warnings of mayhem and had possibly made things worse by publicly supporting Moïse.
It’s a playbook the U.S. has used around the world for decades: siding with or tolerating leaders accused of authoritarian rule because they serve U.S. interests, or because of fear of instability.” Read more at New York Times
Chuck Schumer, right, the Senate majority leader, on Capitol Hill this week.Sarahbeth Maney/The New York Times
“One by one, pandemic relief programs that financially supported millions of Americans are going away.
The eviction moratorium expires at the end of the month.Unemployment enhancements after that. Then the student loan pause, food stamp provisions and more. If you rely on any of the programs that are going away, this is an anxious time. Fortunately, there’s still help out there — and here’s how you can find it.
Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, gave Democrats until Wednesday to work out the details of a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint that could yield transformative change in social and environmental programs. The blueprint will unlock use of the fast-track reconciliation process, which will allow Democrats to pass a broad economic package without Republican votes.” Read more at New York Times
A rally at the Supreme Court in 2019 in support of protection for young immigrants.Jose Luis Magana/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
“Two developments underscore the pressure facing President Biden on immigration, an issue that could shape his legacy.
Border officials encountered a total of 188,829 migrants at the southern border in June, the largest monthly number in recent history, according to new federal data. And a federal judge ruled DACA unlawful, jeopardizing the legal status of hundreds of thousands of immigrants, most of whom came to the U.S. as children.
Biden faces criticism from all sides. If the president expands detention facilities to hold border crossers for long periods of time, he risks accusations that he is embracing his predecessor’s anti-immigrant policies. If he allows tens of thousands of migrants to wait in the U.S. for their court hearings, he will be accused of allowing a ‘catch and release ‘policy with a pandemic still raging.” Read more at New York Times
Recovery crews continued their work this week at the site of the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, Fla.Scott McIntyre for The New York Times
“The Surfside collapse is causing new turmoil in Florida’s troubled insurance market.
Insurers were already skittish after repeated losses from hurricanes. But after the recent condo collapse, which killed at least 97 people, insurance companies in Florida are scrutinizing the buildings they are covering, raising rates that are already among the highest in the nation, or canceling coverage altogether.
The shift also presents a new issue in the climate crisis: whether parts of the U.S. are too risky to insure.
Cuban protests this week denouncing the Communist government re-energized the hopes of exiles in Florida for change on the island. But the giddy anticipation is tempered by wariness, especially from older exiles, that this might be one more disappointment.” Read more at New York Times
“The Olympics represent a pinnacle of athletic achievement. But are they worth it anymore?
Each Olympic cycle sparks bidding scandals, human rights outrages, overburdened host cities, rampant cheating — and, to be sure, thrilling competitions. In many ways, critics argue, the Olympics are stuck in time, a 19th-century construct floating through a 21st-century world.
A year after being delayed because of the pandemic, the Tokyo Summer Olympics get underway on Friday. Here’s a schedule of some of the major events.
Skateboarding will make its Olympic debut in Tokyo. Professional skateboarders are finally embracing an otherwise ubiquitous practice among elite athletes: physical therapy.” Read more at New York Times
“PHOENIX — Just one more victory.
That’s how close the Milwaukee Bucks are to their first NBA championship since 1971 and the first title for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee overcame a 16-point first-quarter deficit and clobbered the Phoenix Suns with an offensive firestorm in the final three quarters for a 123-119 victory in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
It was another heart-thumping finish. Down 11 midway through the fourth quarter, Phoenix made it a one-point game in the final minute.
Jrue Holiday’s steal on Devin Booker led to an alley-oop to Antetokounmpo for a 122-119 Milwaukee lead, and Khris Middleton’s free throw with 9.8 seconds left following an offensive rebound made it 123-119.”
The game featured tremendous shotmaking, especially from Holiday, Middleton and Booker. Holiday’s scorching offense and hounding defense led the Bucks to a 3-2 series lead. He had 27 points, 13 assists, three steals and a block.
It was the first time a road team has a won a game in this series.
The Bucks have been on the right street in recent seasons, losing in the Eastern Conference finals in 2019 and second round last season. They are not only knocking on the championship door this season, they have opened it and are trying to walk in.” Read more at USA Today