5 Views: Biden, COVID-19, Capitol Riot, Ethiopia, and US Drought

1. White House
G7 summit participants will be meeting in England today, including President Biden. Chinese leader Xi Jinping will also be looming over the weekend even though he’s not part of the club. Jill Biden plans to spend time with Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, during her own meeting with Queen Elizabeth II. Biden’s key priority is a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package, which a bipartisan group of senators reportedly reached a deal on. Senators from the left are worried that reaching out to Republicans could harm their own support if they try to secure GOP support.

2. Coronavirus
Covid-19 spreads incredibly easily among older people who are not vaccinated. Inoculating children younger than 12 against the virus is now being debated by the FDA’s vaccine advisers. In light of the possibility that the virus might reappear in the fall or winter, getting the vaccines approved soon for kids appears to be a good idea A few states notified the FDA that they had Johnson & Johnson vaccine that was set to expire, so FDA officials extended the shelf life. Moreover, some of the J&J doses are likely to be shipped overseas, according to a White House official. Another coronavirus variant first found in India, the Delta variant, is now spreading globally.

3. Capitol riot
The Justice Department has filed formal charges against six men in California who are alleged to have planned the attack on the Capitol on January 6. In the wake of the riot, prosecutors have prosecuted numerous far-right extremists. This is the first-time multiple people have been accused of having ties to the Three Percenters. According to the FBI chief, he knows of no investigation involving former President Trump, but says he expects more serious charges.

4. Ethiopia
According to a new report from the United Nations and other aid groups, more than 350,000 Ethiopians are suffering from chronic hunger, with millions more facing acute food insecurity. An Ethiopian government conflict with the former ruling party of the country’s Tigray region led to the famine in the country’s Tigray region. As a result of the fighting, “populations have been resettled, movement restrictions have been imposed, humanitarian access has been limited, harvests and livelihood assets have been destroyed, and markets have malfunctioned or no longer exist,” the report said. September is predicted to be a bad month for the economy.

5. Western US drought
The western United States has already been suffering from a severe drought, and this week’s dry conditions and above-average temperatures have made matters worse. Water shortages are affecting nearly 2 million people in the bay area due to the drought. There is a concern that these dry conditions may lead to an especially intense wildfire season, which has already begun in many states. Farmers and government agencies, as well as environmentalists, have taken sides in a water war underway in Oregon. In this context, it should not be surprising that climate change is man-made.

Photo by Matthew Hodgkins stock photo / Shutterstock.com