States of Alert: The state of the nation depends on the state where you’re living (and dying). “The lowest average life expectancies are seen in the states of the Southeast, according to 2020 figures from the CDC: South Carolina, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Louisiana, West Virginia and Mississippi all had average life expectancies from birth of less than 75 years. (The lone state from outside the region in the bottom 10 was New Mexico.) The highest life expectancies were generally in states on the West Coast, the northern Midwest and the Northeast. Hawaii ranks first at 80.7.” America’s decline in life expectancy speaks volumes about our problems.

+ Lancing on the Ceiling: ” Democrats are intent on a “clean” debt ceiling increase that isn’t paired with any spending cuts. Republicans, meanwhile, are dedicated to using the must-pass debt ceiling bill as leverage for serious social spending cuts that have no chance of passing the Senate.” What everyone wants going into Tuesday’s big debt ceiling showdown.

+ Strong Man Theory: “In March 2022, he instituted what’s called a state of exception, which limited constitutional rights, enabling him to crack down on the country’s gangs. He’s jailed over 65,000 people over the past year, built a new mega-prison, and packed it with former gang members. He tweeted recently, ‘Strong men create good times.'” El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has enjoyed a sky-high approval rating of 91% for his crackdown on crime. But thousands of families say their sons and husbands have been unjustly imprisoned under his recent suspension of civil liberties.

+ You Want Prize With That? The 2023 Pulitzer Prizes have been announced for books and journalism. Many of the articles will be familiar to longtime NextDraft subscribers. Among this year’s Pulitzer winners are a father and son from Alabama. (My son just became the news editor of his school paper and I still can’t get him to subscribe!)

+ Dragged Away: Republican who called drag shows a threat to kids quits after having sex with a 19 year-old intoxicated intern.

+ Birds Catching: “The ongoing outbreak of avian flu has killed hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of wild birds, including endangered species like the California condor. It’s one of the worst wildlife disease outbreaks in history.” A frightening virus is killing a massive number of wild birds.

+ Khan Test: “Pakistan’s paramilitary forces arrested former Prime Minister Imran Khan inside a courthouse in the capital Islamabad on Tuesday. The move has escalated political tensions at a time of economic distress in the country.”

+ What We Do in the Shadows: “A Louisiana man faces aggravated assault and battery charges after firing a gun at children who were playing hide and seek outside his home, wounding a 14-year-old girl … Doyle told detectives that he got his gun when he saw shadows outside his home and shot at people he saw running away.”

+ Book Case: A mother who wrote a book with her children to help them deal with the grief over losing their father is now facing charges for his murder.