WHAT'S BREWING
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A WILDFIRE MEETS A PANDEMIC Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, a question has hung heavy over Californians: What happens if a bad wildfire season hits and we’re still in the throes of COVID-19? With about two dozen major fires burning across hundreds of thousands of acres, forcing people to evacuate across Northern California, they’re about to find out. “California’s firefighting resources are depleted as new fires continue to ignite,” Cal Fire public information officer Jeremy Rahn said of this week’s historic lightning siege, which set off more than 360 new fires across the state. Oh -- and on top of everything else, there's a heat wave and widespread power blackouts. [HuffPost]
THE VACCINE RACE HAS BECOME A HIGH STAKES GEOPOLITICAL GAMBLE In the global race for a COVID-19 vaccine, countries are making huge gambles in the hopes of an eventual payoff. With Russia announcing its approval of a coronavirus vaccine this month, national governments are working harder than ever to ensure that their citizens will be among the first to receive a dose. It’s a chaotic geopolitical scramble with extremely high stakes. In total, more than 5 billion vaccine doses have been preordered around the world, according to slightly different strategies. [HuffPost]
TRUMP IS LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR REJECTING ELECTION RESULTS Trump wants the 2020 election to be a total mess. Voters will encounter long lines at the polls and struggle getting ballots through the mail. If Trump loses reelection, any whiff of problems will allow him to question the legitimacy of the results. He has even held up the specter of chaos around mail-in voting to call for delaying the Nov. 3 election. But these problems aren't inevitable, though Trump has done all he can to make it harder for people to vote during the coronavirus pandemic. [HuffPost]
RECORDED CHILD ABUSE CASES PLUMMET DURING COVID, CONFIRMING WORST FEARS A nationwide network of centers that care for victims of child abuse has served roughly 40,000 fewer children this year compared with last, suggesting abuse is going underreported amid the coronavirus pandemic. The centers, which investigate instances of child abuse and provide resources for the victims and affected families, have seen a 21% drop in cases this year, with 152,016 children served between January and June. The centers served 192,367 children during the same time period last year. [HuffPost]
PROGRESSIVE MAYORS MISSED THE CHANCE TO REMAKE CITIES DURING LOCKDOWN In Europe, policymakers have seized on the coronavirus pandemic to re-envision how cities should look, feel and function. Milan has lowered speed limits, converted intersections into public space and declared the explicit goal of reducing car usage. The British government has committed to investing $2.6 billion in sustainable transportation infrastructure. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced a plan to install more than 400 miles of new bicycle lanes, many on the city’s busiest thoroughfares. So far, American policymakers have shown noticeably less ambition. [HuffPost]
THE PANDEMIC IS NOW BEING DRIVEN BY THESE AGE GROUPS The COVID-19 pandemic is now being driven by people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, the World Health Organization said. WHO’s Western Pacific regional director, Takeshi Kasai, said at a virtual briefing: “People in their 20s, 30s and 40s are increasingly driving the spread. Many are unaware they are infected.” As more cases rise among people in their 20s to 40s, “this increases the risk of spillovers to the more vulnerable,” said Kasai. This includes elderly relatives and those with underlying health conditions. The number of COVID-19 cases reported in Europe has gradually increased in recent weeks. [HuffPost] |
