Friends, the time has come for us to bring Extra! Extra! to a close. I know Natalie, Rachel and I have really valued the space this column has afforded us over the last eighteen months to share our thoughts and ruminations, our hopes and frustrations about everything that’s happening in the world. More than that, I’ve learned so much from so many of you, who have thoughtfully and kindly shared your knowledge about the news and politics of what’s happening where you live and the work you do.

Even though this chapter of our news and politics coverage is drawing to a close, I know that Natalie and I will be back here in other ways, in other forums and venues to discuss these issues with you. I imagine it would be impossible for either of us not to. And so, on that note, I leave you with one final round up of some of the news from the last month.

Science Confirms: the Climate Catastrophe Is Upon Us

Five key excerpts from the United Nations’ climate change report

IPCC report’s verdict on climate crimes of humanity: guilty as hell

Island nations react to devastating U.N. climate change report: “We are on the edge of extinction”

How climate change fueled the devastating floods in Germany and northwest Europe

Environmental Activists in Cambodia Are Resorting to Disguises to Avoid Arrests

Big Tech, Destroying Lives Globally and Personally

Private Israeli spyware used to hack cellphones of journalists, activists worldwide

The Pegasus Project was a massive uncovering of how governments around the world are using an app called Pegasus to surveil civilians, political opponents, activists, journalists — you name it. In addition to this piece by the Washington Post that provides the overall context, the deep dives from the Guardian about how specific countries have used the app have been incredibly horrifying. This is probably among the most unsettling things I’ve read in a while and sadly, it seems, that after the news broke media and political coverage have largely moved on.

Amazon Denied a Worker Pregnancy Accommodations. Then She Miscarried.

Op-Ed: End the City’s ShotSpotter Contract

Gun Violence

‘Blackpilled’ Gunman Kills 5 in UK’s Worst Mass Shooting in 11 Years

At Least 430 People Killed in 915 Shootings Across U.S. in a Single Week in July

The Fall of American Democracy

‘All This Stuff About “We Believe Women” … It’s Lies’: The Dangers of Being a Woman in New York Politics

America is full of ‘democracy deserts’. Wisconsin rivals Congo on some metrics

Texas Senate outlasts 15-hour filibuster by Sen. Carol Alvarado to pass GOP voting-restrictions bill

Delta COVID Ravages

How Ron DeSantis’s Covid response became the model of what not to do

Oops. Canadian Province That Acted Like COVID Was Over Just Realized It Isn’t

Thousands In Germany Thought They Had Their Vaccine. It May Have Been Saline Instead

WHO calls for halting COVID-19 vaccine boosters in favor of unvaccinated

Chaos and confusion: Back to school turns ugly as Delta rages

States cutting unemployment benefits didn’t get people back to work, study finds

An estimated 4 million people died of COVID in India, and while that count is from the beginning of pandemic, I don’t think it’s false to presume that a staggering majority of those deaths probably happened in spring 2021 when the Delta variant first appeared and ravaged India. I cannot even begin to put in words how incredibly maddening it has been to watch the rampant spread of Delta in America and in the West because, simply put, too many people refuse to get vaccinated. The Western world has had the audacity to hoard vaccines (and is now even talking of issuing booster shots) and then not use them, while the rest of the world dies en masse. Shameful is really the only word that comes to mind.

And Other Recent International News

China sentences Canadian to 11 years in case tied to Huawei

Belarusian Sprinter Is Granted Polish Humanitarian Visa After Refusing A Flight Home

US deserves big share of blame for Afghanistan military disaster

As Taliban Forces Close In, Women Journalists Fear For Their Lives

A Little Bit of Good News

NYC’s Non-Police Mental Health Pilot Increasing Rate of Those Getting Aid, Data Show

LA County officials will return a beach property worth millions nearly 100 years after it was seized from a Black family

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