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The Atlantic Daily: This Is Heat Season, Not Summer

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This week, a damning climate-change report from the United Nations warned of Earth’s catastrophic warming.

Will the U.S. Pass a Point of No Return?

This is the latest installment in a series that began back in 2019, with an article I did for the print magazine on Americans’ long-standing obsession with the decline-and-fall narrative of Rome.Many people wrote in to agree, disagree, or otherwise react. The online discussion begins here. But the most sustained line of response has been from my friend Eric Schnurer, a writer and long-time advisor to state and local governments.

“Not Going Quietly”: Paralyzed with ALS, Ady Barkan Continues Fighting for Medicare for All

We speak with healthcare activist Ady Barkan, the 37-year-old lawyer and father who, since his ALS diagnosis in 2016, has devoted his life to campaigning for universal healthcare. He has continued to speak out even after losing his voice and now uses a computerized system that converts his eye movements to speech. Barkan is the subject of “Not Going Quietly,” a new documentary following his cross-country activism.

Afghan Journalist: Only a Political Compromise Can Stop Taliban’s Military Takeover of Afghanistan

The Taliban claim to have seized 17 provincial capitals across Afghanistan, including Kandahar and Herat, the country’s second- and third-largest cities, as the group continues its sweep through the country. The Taliban now have almost full control of the south, west and north of Afghanistan and are advancing on the capital Kabul, where the United States is preparing to evacuate its embassy in case of a Taliban defeat of the Afghan government.

As Delta Variant Drives Surge in New Cases, History Shows It Could Get Worse Before It Gets Better

More than one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, over 3.5 million people have died around the world, including nearly 500,000 in the United States. Historian and writer John Barry says the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus was a predictable development based on how previous pandemics have developed. “This is not unusual, what we’re going through,” he says.

Biden extends vital lifeline to Florida schools, and a giant middle finger to Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has made it clear that, when it comes to COVID-19, he has one priority: Punishing anyone who gets in the way of spreading the virus. In particular, DeSantis has focused on making sure that school children and teachers are as exposed as possible by both mandating that schools have to hold in-person classes and declaring that schools cannot implement either mask mandates or vaccine requirements.

Study finds DeSantis and Abbott are responsible for at least 4,700 unnecessary deaths in FL and TX

What happens when Republican governors institute policies that are 100% about showing their Trumpism, and 0% about taking care of the people in their state? Here are two good examples.

In Texas, Greg Abbott has declared that no one can require proof of vaccination, As a direct result of this decision, the Texas Tribune reports that only half of workers at Texas nursing homes are vaccinated.

Why do Republicans want children to die?

As of Friday, Dallas County hospitals had zero ICU beds available for children, according to the county’s chief executive, Judge Clay Jenkins.

“That means if your child’s in a car wreck, if your child has a congenital heart defect or something and needs an ICU bed, or more likely if they have COVID and need an ICU bed, we don’t have one,” Jenkins explained. “Your child will wait for another child to die.

Community Spotlight: Climate Brief works for solutions to the climate crisis

Individually, the founders of one of Daily Kos’ newest groups, Climate Brief, have been working for years to bring news about the growing climate crisis and possible solutions and/or mitigations to global warming, but a few things made it seem almost tailor-made to launch the group at the same time that the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its Code-Red report. Things are going to change, and we can’t stop them.

The Little Indie Movie That Deserves All the Hype

Ruby Rossi, the titular “child of deaf adults” in Sian Heder’s new film, CODA, lives a bifurcated life. Early in the morning, she works on her family’s fishing boat, sorting fresh-caught haddock from the boots that get stuck in their net and, as the only hearing member of the Rossis, helping translate sign language to vendors onshore. Then she goes to school, often so tired that she’ll fall asleep at her desk, to the bemusement of her teachers.