Extra, Extra
European Staycation: Last summer, my family and I argued our way through Venice and Rome. I blame the extreme heat. But it could have been worse. We could have gone this summer. Tourists and residents are being warned to stay inside as deadly heat hits Europe during peak travel season. Of course, Europe is cool compared to some places. “Death Valley hit 128 degrees, two shy of the highest reliably measured temperature on Earth. Phoenix was expected to observe a record-breaking 19th consecutive day at or above 110 degrees Tuesday. And in the Middle East, the heat index reached 152 degrees.” WaPo (Gift Article): In Earth’s hottest spots, heat is testing the limits of human survival. Even pigs are overheating. (Yes, there’s an app for that.)
+ Over the Borderline: “‘I believe we have stepped over a line into the inhumane.’ The trooper also said that “traps” of razor wire-wrapped barrels have been deployed in the river in Eagle Pass to keep migrants from reaching land.” Razor wire-wrapped barrels among ‘inhumane’ things waiting for migrant families. (The migration story and the climate story are becoming more and more related, and that trend will continue.)
+ Tough Joint: It’s called football, but the winner of the upcoming Women’s World Cup could come down to knees. “Studies show female athletes are two to eight times as likely as male athletes to tear an ACL, one of the bands of tissue that connect the femur and tibia at the knee. Since 2021, at least 87 players from eight of the world’s top women’s soccer leagues have torn their ACLs.” WaPo: Team ACL: The growing women’s soccer club that no player wants to join.
+ Things Go South: “Nelson Mandela is revered worldwide and celebrated on July 18, his birthday. But at home, a younger generation is disillusioned with the country, his party and the anti-apartheid leader, too.” NYT (Gift Article) with a story that will be pretty shocking to people outside of South Africa: Mandela Goes From Hero to Scapegoat as South Africa Struggles.
+ RFK Pop: “There is an argument that it is ethnically targeted. Covid-19 attacks certain races disproportionately. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.” Even his family members are joining condemnation of Robert Kennedy Jr’s latest Covid remarks. (Which means he’s just crazy enough to gain support among a huge number of Americans.) Of course, RFK Jr said he didn’t say what he said, but lordy, there are tapes.
+ Do North? “A person who said they witnessed the event and was part of the same tour group told CBS News they had just visited one of the buildings at the site when ‘this man gives out a loud ‘ha ha ha,’ and just runs in between some buildings.'” U.S. soldier believed to be in North Korean custody after unauthorized border crossing.
