“People who once rejected the vaccine or simply waited too long are now grappling with the consequences, often in raw, public way,” The New York Times’ Jack Healy reports.
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‘Something needs to be fixed here’: Three Houston-area chemical leaks in one month raise calls for faster federal action
So much for don’t mess with Texas: “A slate of proposed revisions to federal chemical safety rules could have prevented the leaks, but the changes have been stalled for years,” Dominic Anthony Walsh reports.
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Enormous Bootleg Fire sends smoke entire length of Oregon
Via CBS: “There were about eighty active large fires and complexes of multiple blazes in the U.S., the National Interagency Fire Center tweeted late Sunday. The U.S. Forest Service said at least sixteen major fires were burning in the Pacific Northwest alone.”
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Without climate damage, record Pacific Northwest heat wave would have been near impossible, researchers say
“Climate scientists who were not involved in the research say the work holds up to scrutiny,” Seattle Times reporter Evan Bush writes. He interviewed the Washington State climatologist and assistant state climatalogist for his story.
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Appalachian COVID deniers anger nurses in Virginia
Jamie Swift, a registered nurse who oversees infection prevention at Johnston Memorial Hospital, a rural healthcare provider in The Old Dominion, is very familiar with covidiots. In her community, they’re everywhere.
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Trees are the key to reducing heat deaths in urban areas, scientists say
In the words of Brian Stone: “Trees are, quite simply, the most effective strategy, technology, we have to guard against heat in cities.”
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The newest Trump social networking play is tied to a Bannon-allied Chinese billionaire
“GETTR has existed as a Chinese language social media network linked to Guo Wengui,” Politico reports. “It was unveiled as a new platform by Jason Miller on Thursday.”
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The Beltway isn’t used to the left setting the agenda on Capitol Hill
“That’s why they freaked out over Democrats linking two separate infrastructure bills,” David Dayen writes. “But to succeed, the left must also erase privatization from the agenda.”
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Portland and Seattle shatter records amid historic heat wave
The Washington Post has taken note of the Pacific Northwest’s extreme weather, observing: “Portland hit 108, an all-time mark, and Seattle 102, a record for June. Loads of new records are anticipated Sunday in the Pacific Northwest as it turns even hotter.”
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Change the Ref tricks former NRA president into giving a graduation speech to thousands of empty chairs, representing gun violence victims
Change the Ref: “This year, 3,044 members of the high school class of 2021 aren’t graduating due to gun violence. They are The Lost Class. Though their futures were stolen, they still have the potential to change the future of our country so that we never lose another class to gun violence again.”
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Global approval of the United States has rebounded under Biden, survey finds
“The United States’ favorability rating grew at least 23 percentage points from last year in France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, and a majority of respondents in all four view the country positively,” The Washington Post reported, summarizing findings from a new survey by Pew Research.
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The secret IRS files: Trove of never-before-seen records reveal how the wealthiest avoid income tax
ProPublica reports it that has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, even nothing.
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How Benjamin Netanyahu created the new Israeli government that’s poised to replace him
“He’s now the biggest threat to it reaching the finish line in the confidence vote, but if it crosses the line, Netanyahu could also become its greatest asset in keeping it together for longer than most are now willing to predict,” Haaretz’s Anshel Pfeffer writes.
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Democratic Party successfully holds Deb Haaland’s New Mexico seat with Melanie Stansbury
Stansbury’s arrival in the House will soon give Speaker Nancy Pelosi one more vote to work with, bringing the House Democratic majority back up to two hundred and twenty, which will make moving legislation through the House easier.
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‘Bipartisanship’ is dead in our nation’s capital. That’s fine.
“Why the halo around an idea that barely worked when it existed? The best way to pass legislation is to win more seats. If you believe in majority rule, forget about making converts: Assemble a majority and start ruling with it,” Jack Shafer writes.
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Nevada Legislature advances bill to switch Silver State to a presidential primary
Assembly Bill 126 would “do away with Nevada’s caucus system that has been used to determine each major party’s presidential nominee in the state since 1981,” the Las Vegas Review-Journal explains.
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iTrapped: All the things Apple won’t let you do with your iPhone
Washington Post columnist Geoffrey A. Fowler makes the case for iOS Bill of Rights, allowing iPhone owners to break free of Apple’s “walled garden”.
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SNL concludes its forty-sixth season with a heartfelt look-back
Watch highlights from the twentieth episode of SNL’s forty-sixth season, hosted by Anya Taylor-Joy with Lil Nas X as the musical guest, including Cecily Strong’s possibly final bit as Jeanine Pirro.
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SNL must-see: Kate McKinnon gives us a dynamite Liz Cheney impression
Watch highlights from the nineteenth episode of SNL’s forty-sixth season, hosted by Keegan-Michael Key with Olivia Rodrigo as the musical guest, including Kate McKinnon’s appearance on Weekend Update as Liz Cheney.
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This is a map of America’s broadband problem
Check out this a county-by-county visualization of the exact percentage of households connected at broadband speed in the United States of America, based on anonymized data made available from Microsoft.
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NRA suffers massive defeat as federal judge dismisses its bankruptcy case
“The Court finds, based on the totality of the circumstances, that the NRA’s bankruptcy petition was not filed in good faith but instead was filed as an effort to gain an unfair litigation advantage in the New York Attorney General Enforcement Action and as an effort to avoid a regulatory scheme,” Judge Harlin Hale ruled.
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