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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
<ul>
<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Afghanistan, Again, Becomes a Cradle for Jihadism—and Al Qaeda</strong> - The terrorist group has outlasted the trillion-dollar U.S. investment in Afghanistan since 9/11. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/afghanistan-again-becomes-a-cradle-for-jihadism-and-al-qaeda">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Have You Already Had a Breakthrough COVID Infection?</strong> - The question of what “infection” means is just one of the riddles posed by the late-stage pandemic. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/science/medical-dispatch/have-you-already-had-a-breakthrough-covid-infection">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Meeting “the Other Side”: Conversations with Men Accused of Sexual Assault</strong> - In 2011, I helped launch a movement to aid survivors on college campuses. That meant I also had to think hard about the rights of those under scrutiny. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-activism/meeting-the-other-side-conversations-with-men-accused-of-%20sexual-assault">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Veterans Struggling to Save Afghan Allies</strong> - For many who served in Afghanistan, the flawed evacuation efforts have brought feelings of shame and betrayal. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-veterans-struggling-to-save-afghan-allies">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>U.S. Retaliation for the Kabul Bombing Wont Stop ISIS or End Terrorism</strong> - The central flaw in U.S. strategy is the belief that military force can eradicate extremist groups or radical ideologies. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/us-retaliation-for-the-kabul-bombing-wont-stop-isis-or-end-%20terrorism">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
<ul>
<li><strong>Should vaccinated people worry about long Covid?</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="Health care workers wearing masks and sitting listening to a concert." src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/_eow3UaYZ5OMBoZdOyArSnM0oRU=/42x0:2709x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69792461/GettyImages_1210874758_copy.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
There is still a lot about long Covid we dont know, such as what causes it or why some people seem to develop long Covid symptoms while others dont. | Patrick Baz/AFP via Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Heres what we know about long Covid — with some hope for the future.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iENaRW">
Over the past few months, experts and officials have tried to prepare the world for a future in which Covid-19 is here to stay. They predict the vaccines <a href="https://www.vox.com/22621760/covid-19-risk-delta-vaccines-provincetown-study">will by and large defang the virus</a>. There will still be a few cases of serious illness and death, but the coronavirus will be reduced to the level of a seasonal flu — a disease wed be much better off without, but mild enough we wont shut down society to fight it.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OucVGr">
But this optimistic vision has always left open a big question: What about long Covid?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vrtfKb">
Covid-19 is most known for causing acute illness, from a cough and fever to hospitalization and death. But in some cases it seems to cause longer-term complications, including breathing difficulties, fatigue, and brain fog, though the effects vary from person to person. While Covid-19 typically resolves in the span of weeks, long Covid can last at least months after an infection.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qfb7Lq">
“Without treatment, weve seen individuals who got sick in February or March of 2020 and are still sick and still extremely debilitated,” David Putrino, whos treated long Covid patients at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York, told me.
</p>
<div class="c-float-right c-float-hang">
<div id="iROnCa">
<div>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8ljt1X">
These long-term complications arent unique to the coronavirus; other viruses, including seasonal flu, <a href="https://www.vox.com/22298751/long-term-side-effects-covid-19-hauler-
symptoms">cause long-term symptoms</a> too, sometimes even similar ones. But as more people have been infected by the coronavirus, and more have subsequently developed long Covid, the long-term problems have received more attention.
</p></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZhazOZ">
So even in the context of a post-vaccine world, does long Covid makes the coronavirus too dangerous to live with? Can the world really treat it like a flu-level illness if its causing debilitating long-term problems for many?
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NfvYWp">
The truth is theres still a lot about long Covid we simply dont know. We dont know what causes it, or why some people seem to develop long Covid symptoms while others dont. We dont know with much precision how often long Covid occurs. We dont know how variants of the virus, including <a href="https://www.vox.com/22547537/delta-coronavirus-variant-covid-19-vaccines-masks-lockdown">delta</a>, have altered the risk. We dont even know if all the cases believed to be long Covid are actually caused by the coronavirus.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ZgO7Cx">
Nor do we know much about breakthrough cases among vaccinated people leading to long Covid, though we know there have been some cases. The vaccines very likely help to prevent long Covid by reducing both the likelihood of infection and severity of illness, both of which are associated with long-term complications. “If youre not getting infected with Covid, youre not going to get long Covid,” Putrino said.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MWR1na">
All of this uncertainty makes it difficult to make any kind of sweeping declarations about long Covid. But based on my conversations with experts, the best we can say goes something like this: Long Covid is relatively rare, especially among vaccinated people. It will likely become rarer over time, especially as more people get vaccinated and the population in general develops stronger immune defenses against the coronavirus.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3THbuS">
“The hope is that over time as more variants emerge, as we keep getting more booster vaccinations, [and] as our body becomes more accustomed to producing antibodies to this virus type, were going to see cases of long Covid reducing — to the point where its not really a thing anymore,” Putrino said. But he cautioned, “This is conjecture. We dont know for sure.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="W3uhvJ">
Its helpful, then, to view long Covid through two lenses: what the outlook is right now, in August 2021, and what it might look like in a few months or years. How worried you should be today if youre vaccinated depends, like many things in the pandemic, on your own risk tolerance. But in the long term, there are some hopeful signs.
</p>
<h3 id="Dsdx7M">
What long Covid looks like now
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6dZ0z7">
There are some things about long Covid we do know. Its a real medical problem, although its symptoms, severity, and duration vary from person to person. These symptoms arent permanent in all cases — potentially not <em>any</em> of them — but they can last for a year or more. And <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/18/opinion/long-covid-treatment.html">some treatments</a>, part of a nascent and growing field of medicine, can potentially cut down the symptoms duration.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TZ5QHm">
Most cases of Covid-19 dont lead to long Covid. The <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/news/statementsandletters/theprevalenceoflongcovidsymptomsandcovid19complications">limited</a> <a href="https://www.fairhealth.org/press-release/nineteen-percent-of-asymptomatic-covid-19-patients-develop-long-haul-
covid">data</a> so far suggests 10 to 25 percent of adults infected with Covid-19 might develop long Covid (although experts advise a lot of caution in interpreting those numbers since the data here isnt of great quality).
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h0lM30">
While we dont know what causes long Covid, there are <a href="https://www.vox.com/22369734/long-hauler-
covid-vaccine">some theories</a> — all speculative for now. One possibility is that lingering reservoirs of the virus or fragments of it continue to wreak havoc in the body. Another is that long Covid is part of the bodys healing process after fighting off the coronavirus. Yet another is that, because the SARS-CoV-2 virus is novel to humans, it can lead to a long-lasting overreaction by the immune system.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EK8NcZ">
A major unknown is if all the detected long Covid cases are even caused by the coronavirus, given that some of the people who present long-term symptoms <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/18/opinion/long-covid-treatment.html">test negative for Covid-19 and related antibodies</a>. Experts dont deny that the symptoms are real, but its also possible that psychosocial circumstances or other pathogens could be behind some cases.
</p>
<div class="c-float-right c-float-hang">
<aside id="OKXymq">
<q>“The problem is that we know very little about how frequently breakthrough infections lead to long Covid” —Akiko Iwasaki</q>
</aside>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5ARj5W">
Many viruses, like seasonal flu, <a href="https://www.vox.com/22298751/long-
term-side-effects-covid-19-hauler-symptoms">can cause long-hauler symptoms</a>. One study in <em>Pathogens</em> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8233978/">suggested</a> some long Covid cases may be due to reactivations of the Epstein-Barr virus that causes mononucleosis. (When I was in high school, I lost months to fatigue due to recurring mono.) So some people showing up at the doctors office with long Covid could have “long flu,” mono, or another disease entirely. “Its hard to say,” Putrino acknowledged.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="S4MkKu">
Long Covid remains a unique threat right now for two reasons: Theres still a lot of coronavirus out there, as the country deals with a recent surge driven by the delta variant. And compared to pathogens like the flu, fewer people have immune defenses built up against the virus, likely boosting the chances of developing Covid-19 and then long Covid compared to the risk of suffering long-term complications from the flu.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="lnTuyT">
The good news: These risks can be mitigated with vaccines.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OIsPuI">
The vaccines cut the chances of getting infected by the coronavirus in the first place. To the extent long Covid cases are caused by the virus, that means fewer cases of long Covid. The delta variant and waning efficacy have complicated this, increasing the risk someone is infected with the virus even after vaccination — potentially necessitating booster shots. But the vaccines still offer some protection against the risk of any infection.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="zAGs46">
The vaccines also offer protection against severe disease. This protection has so far held up against the delta variant and despite concerns about waning efficacy: <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7034e1.htm">Multiple</a> <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7034e2.htm">studies</a> have found the vaccines are still around 90 percent effective against hospitalization or worse, both during deltas spread and months after the shots are administered. A <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7034e5.htm">recent study</a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found unvaccinated people are 29 times as likely to be hospitalized with Covid-19 than fully vaccinated people.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Zlqk83">
Thats especially important because long Covid also seems much more likely to develop in people who had severe cases of Covid-19. A <a href="https://www.fairhealth.org/press-release/nineteen-
percent-of-asymptomatic-covid-19-patients-develop-long-haul-covid">study</a> analyzing private health care claims, by the nonprofit FAIR Health, found that hospitalized Covid-19 patients were almost twice as likely as patients who werent hospitalized but were symptomatic to develop “post-Covid conditions.” Patients without symptoms were even less likely to develop longer-term conditions than those with symptoms, although it did happen in some cases.
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/2XykHfXXNiUKuyPt2U5jzHA6p1A=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22809498/GettyImages_1233213258_copy.jpg"/> <cite>NurPhoto via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
A woman waits outside a vaccination hub in Terlizzi, Italy. Long Covid risks can be mitigated with vaccines.
</figcaption>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wLC6pQ">
So to the extent that the vaccines make you less likely to get sick in the first place, and much less likely to get severely ill if you do get sick, they reduce your chance of getting long Covid. If you do get sick, though, theres a lot we dont know.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4eZIsh">
Some breakthrough infections can lead to long Covid, as one <em>New England Journal of Medicine</em> <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2109072">study</a> tracking Israeli health care workers found. But that study also found the overall prevalence was low: Among nearly 1,500 fully vaccinated health care workers who were exposed to the coronavirus or had related symptoms, just seven, of 39 breakthrough infections, reported persistent symptoms after more than six weeks.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vmFERZ">
Still, thats one estimate from a small study looking at a somewhat narrow time period. “The problem is that we know very little about how frequent breakthrough infections lead to long Covid,” Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at the Yale School of Medicine, told me.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ta3xbM">
Perhaps the best that can be said is the vaccines likely help, probably significantly, but its unclear just how much. Given that, and the spread of the delta variant, some experts say it makes sense for those worried about long Covid to remain cautious and mitigate exposure even after getting the vaccine, at least for now.
</p>
<h3 id="D8eBLz">
What long Covid might look like in the future
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YOQIZ3">
Moving forward, there are some reasons to be hopeful about long Covid.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="I5x6Nh">
For one, the Covid-19 pandemic will end. Through vaccination, natural infection, or both, the population will continue to build immunity against the coronavirus. Over time, this buildup will turn into a bulwark against SARS-CoV-2 — one that may not stop the virus from spreading entirely (experts expect the virus will instead become endemic, meaning it will still circulate as illnesses like colds and the flu do), but will at least reduce the number of infections and especially cut down on the most severe outcomes, like hospitalization and death.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="X9gaAJ">
Those population-level defenses will mean fewer infections and less severe illness, both of which will translate to fewer cases of long Covid over time.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YkIo9T">
Putrino offered an optimistic, albeit speculative, possibility: If long Covid is caused by an overreaction from an undeveloped immune system to a novel coronavirus, then the steady buildup of immunity and continued exposure to the virus over time could help reduce the risk of long Covid. In that case, the remaining incidents of Covid-19 as the virus turns endemic may be less likely to lead to long Covid.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PLYdFP">
“We need to focus on being a little more patient,” Putrino argued. “A year and a half feels like a long time. But in terms of how long it takes for our bodies to change and adapt to things, its a very short amount of time.”
</p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/EA1IIUD2dkG5RgouMa7O51oKyi0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22809529/GettyImages_1231789523_copy.jpg"/> <cite>Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
<figcaption>
A Covid-19 patient at the pneumology unit of a hospital in Paris, France.
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</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rQvAuM">
Well also hopefully learn much more about long Covid going forward. That may help with prevention, such as techniques or treatments to stop Covid-19 from leading to long Covid. It could also help with the treatment of long Covid, potentially reducing its severity or duration. (This will require taking long Covid seriously — something medical and research communities <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/08/long-
haulers-covid-19-recognition-support-groups-symptoms/615382/">havent</a> <a href="https://www.vox.com/22298751/long-
term-side-effects-covid-19-hauler-symptoms">done</a> in the past with “long haulers” dealing with other diseases.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="uKODpT">
Over time, a waning pandemic and the reduced risk of getting Covid-19 could help us live with the virus, including with the possibility of long Covid. Just like people have learned to live with the flu and the severe outcomes it can cause (including long-term health complications and tens of thousands of <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/index.html">deaths a year</a> in the US), so too will people learn to live with a Covid-19 thats weakened by the vaccines and natural immunity.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PbTEN7">
Just as is true with the flu, different individuals have different risk tolerances. Some people may choose to go out less during periods in which cases rise, continue to wear masks, or seek out booster shots. Others may decide the low chances of complications after they get a vaccine, if they even decide to get the shot, are tolerable enough to continue living as normal, even when cases rise within their community. Many will fall in between.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="M2nUvN">
“Some people will do everything possible to prevent their risk, and other people will not worry as much,” Céline Gounder, an epidemiologist at New York University, told me. “Its going to depend on the person.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="P1mgvP">
So the solution to long Covid may look a lot like the other scary, uncertain things about the pandemic, from variants to breakthrough cases: Theres no perfect option, but the best we can do is get as many people vaccinated as possible to defang the coronavirus — and greatly reduce the risk of long Covid — even if its never truly eliminated.
</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Pandemic unemployment insurance is about to end at maybe the worst possible time</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/XjeEauisVMMV7nMhGq5yLcBkcbY=/333x0:3000x2000/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69792387/GettyImages_1233598380_copy.0.jpg"/>
<figcaption>
Restaurant owners in California are facing a labor crisis unable to find enough workers amid reopening orders. | Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
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</figure>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
The dangerous delta variant is spreading. The future of schools is unclear. And millions of workers are about to be kicked off unemployment.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="upB5sK">
Sean thought hed be back to work by now. Over the summer, the cafe where he worked before the pandemic reached out, saying he could have his old job back by early September. The cafe was located on a tech companys campus in California, and his former boss wanted to staff up as office employees started coming in. (Sean spoke to Vox on the condition that his identity and that of his employer remain anonymous.)
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oYRJt0">
It looked like his return to work would coincide pretty nicely with the wind-down of the unemployment insurance hed been relying on to get by. “Everything was going fine,” he says — until it wasnt. In mid-August, the cafe told him they wouldnt need him back after all. “Due to the delta surge, the campus was completely closed again with no solid date for starting the process again,” he explains. “Theres a chance I get contacted in the fall, but my gut tells me its a done deal until next year.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ykSzy6">
Like many workers relying on unemployment, Sean is hoping Covid-related unemployment benefits will be extended through the end of the year so he can find some time to devise a plan B, especially given that the <a href="https://www.vox.com/coronavirus-
covid19/22630979/covid-19-vaccine-booster-shots-delta-variant">delta variant</a> is <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/05/where-big-companies-stand-on-delta-variant-and-return-to-office-
plans.html">changing so many businesses plans</a>. But that scenario is extremely unlikely. On Labor Day, expanded unemployment benefits put in place in response to the pandemic are set to expire, and theres virtually no political appetite in Washington to extend them.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nIpb3G">
“The Biden administration has not made it a priority, and outside of [Democratic Sen.] Ron Wyden, you havent heard too many people in the Senate be willing to push on that,” said Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, a liberal think tank. “It doesnt seem like right now there would even be 50 votes in the Senate.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4aAoyK">
That means that the extra $300 per week in federal employment benefits in place since December 2020 will end, as will programs aimed at people who wouldnt normally qualify for unemployment insurance, such as freelancers, gig workers, and the long-term unemployed, which were put in place in the spring of 2020. Stettner <a href="https://tcf.org/content/report/7-5-million-workers-face-devastating-
unemployment-benefits-cliff-labor-day/?agreed=1">estimates</a> 7.5 million workers will lose all their benefits. Those who still qualify will only get what comes from states.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="74TPIV">
In a <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0326">letter</a> to leaders in Congress last week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said they believe that cutting off the extra $300 is “appropriate.” They added that the White House thinks states can use remaining money from stimulus funds to help support some workers (namely, the workers who dont normally qualify). But its not clear how many states are going to take that up. More than half have already <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2021/6/3/22465160/states-ending-
unemployment-labor-shortage-texas">cut off expanded unemployment benefits</a> over the summer.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2JNwgh">
“There will be a few extended benefits programs, but for the most part, theres going to be nothing available,” Stettner said. He added that, gleaning from his early talks with states, most are not in a position to deliver anything with remaining stimulus dollars.
</p>
<div class="c-float-right">
<aside id="7pVTM8">
<q>Expanded unemployment programs have helped people avert economic disaster over the past 18 months, and its not clear what damage might be ahead</q>
</aside>
</div></li>
</ul>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="hxdwDF">
Americas jobs situation is certainly improving, with <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/11/weekly-
jobless-claims.html">20 million people receiving</a> some sort of unemployment compensation in February 2021 compared to <a href="https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf">around 12 million right now</a>. And according to <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm">data</a> from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 10 million job openings across the country as of June.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="5Slp0r">
Still, there are questions about what the impact of cutting off expanded benefits now will be. Expanded unemployment programs have helped people avert economic disaster over the past 18 months, and its not clear what damage might be ahead. The dangerous delta variant is spreading and hitting many parts of the country hard. Hopes that the fall would bring more of a return to normal are fading. <a href="https://time.com/6092595/schools-remote-learning/">Some schools</a> have already started to pause in-person learning or switch to hybrid models, and some parents still <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/08/parents-covid-schools-decisions/619755/">prefer to keep their kids home</a> instead of in the classroom or in child care centers out of safety concerns. Return-to-the-office plans for many businesses are still in flux. Come early September, the people still out of a job arent going to be able to snap their fingers and land back at work.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Lc8PjD">
Thats certainly the case for Sean, whose hospitality job was unavoidably altered by the pandemic. He acknowledges <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22602133/work-from-home-
jobs-new-york">this has happened to thousands of others as well</a>. “It seems the line of work I was in, as well as thousands of other hospitality cooks, chefs, etc., has completely ceased to exist with the transition to work from home,” he says.
</p>
<h3 id="25vag4">
7.5 million people is a lot of people to cut off from unemployment insurance all at once
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="oAtAN1">
When the pandemic hit in early 2020, shutdowns meant millions of workers were laid off or furloughed seemingly overnight, and by no fault of their own. Since then, unemployment insurance <a href="https://www.vox.com/22348364/united-states-stimulus-covid-coronavirus">has made a meaningful difference</a> in helping those people maintain some sort of economic stability, along with other stimulus programs. But expanded unemployment insurance has also been controversial: Many Republicans, business groups, and even some Democrats have argued that its too much and is keeping people out of work. And as the economy has recovered, that argument has <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/labor-shortage-draws-attention-of-u-s-lawmakers-11622712602">only gotten louder</a> as some contingents hold that generous benefits are causing a labor shortage.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="B3f5Wv">
It is true that some workers are staying on the sidelines — in many parts of the country, it feels like there are “Help Wanted” signs everywhere, and business owners are complaining about not being able to find employees. But <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22435400/economy-unemployment-inflation">whats not clear is exactly what is causing this</a>; its likely a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/05/07/jobs-report-labor-
shortage-analysis/">range of factors</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wr7ZCC">
Peter Ganong, a public policy professor at the University of Chicago who <a href="https://cpb-
us-w2.wpmucdn.com/voices.uchicago.edu/dist/1/801/files/2018/08/disincentive_effects_of_expanded_ui.pdf">has studied</a> the potential disincentive effects of expanded unemployment insurance through the spring of 2021, said that more benefits are having somewhat of an impact, but not a big one. “Only a very small fraction of the number of jobs we need to get back to the pre-pandemic level or trend reflect the unemployment insurance disincentive effect,” he said.
</p>
<div id="dic6lL">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" dir="ltr" lang="en">
new results on the effect of UI supplements on job-finding <br/><br/>2 designs x 2 policy changes yield consistent pattern: small, precisely estimated disincentive effects<br/><br/>Disincentive remains small even after job openings up <a href="https://t.co/SsUHCHQddj">pic.twitter.com/SsUHCHQddj</a>
</p>
— Peter Ganong (<span class="citation" data-cites="p_ganong">@p_ganong</span>) <a href="https://twitter.com/p_ganong/status/1420716432225144834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2021</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OlSqIc">
Among states that cut off expanded benefits early over the summer (26 in total, all but one Republican-led), the move <a href="https://twitter.com/JedKolko/status/1428723650383863813?s=20">doesnt appear to have significantly contributed to job growth</a>, though economists <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/05/business/july-unemployment-jobs-report.html">continue to debate</a> what will happen going forward. <a href="https://files.michaelstepner.com/pandemicUIexpiration-paper.pdf">New research</a> released in August, first reported on by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/20/business/economy/unemployment-
benefits-economy-states.html">the New York Times</a>, found that states ending benefits early didnt meaningfully boost employment but did slash spending — a sign that its detrimental to workers and, potentially, the broader economy. The study found that <a href="https://twitter.com/arindube/status/1428671561280720907?s=20">for every eight workers</a> who lost benefits, one found a new job. Meanwhile, it estimates that workers lost $278 a week in benefits on average but gained just $14 a week in earnings. Their spending fell by $145 a week. In the 19 states analyzed, that translates to a $2 billion drop in spending and a $270 million increase in earnings.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="jvW7o1">
More people are likely to reenter the workforce over the weeks and months to come, as they have in previous months and weeks. But the transition wont be guaranteed or easy. Some workers are struggling to find jobs that match their skills and arent positioned to take just any job, or theyre older, or they dont have the credentials required for certain positions, or, for whatever reason, theyre just not getting a call back.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gpjJft">
Sean, who has a degree in creative writing, has never been able to find a full-time position using that credential. Per Californias requirements, he has been applying for at least three jobs a week since July (even though he planned to go back to his prior employer until recently). He says he hasnt gotten a single reply. “I have done a dozen or so skill assessments along with the applications, and Im not hearing anything,” he says.
</p>
<h3 id="EGiXaM">
Workers really dont know what the fall will bring
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="ltVqlV">
When President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2021/3/10/22320350/biden-sign-
stimulus-bill-covid-19">signed the American Rescue Plan</a> in the spring, the White House and lawmakers rather arbitrarily anticipated that it would be appropriate for unemployment benefits to end on September 6. They didnt anticipate some of the current challenges workers are facing, including the delta variant and an uncertain scenario for schools, that might render this a bad time to push the unemployed off a cliff.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="R66SwH">
There are myriad reasons people may not be able to return to work right now, or may be more hesitant to go back. Covid-19 cases and deaths are on the rise again. While the vaccines are available, many people are still nervous to get back out there.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3AS09B">
Whether offices will reopen or businesses will close back down is uncertain. Some events are <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9616601/2021-concerts-canceled-festivals-covid-19-delta-variant">already being canceled</a>, and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/29/how-major-tech-companies-are-responding-to-rising-
delta-variant-cases.html">offices are extending remote work</a>, both of which have important implications for many jobs. Workers in the live events space expecting that work to come back might need to figure out if its time for them to change careers altogether instead of continuing to wait it out. Businesses in areas where there used to be a lot of office workers may not need to hire as many employees back soon, or ever.
</p>
<div class="c-float-right">
<aside id="oJVzSM">
<q>“We dont know what the fall is going to bring, but we do know its not going to bring a full recovery that suggests people dont still need support”</q>
</aside>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="wyrkzD">
Child care and <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22639674/elder-care-family-costs-nursing-home-health-care">elder care</a> remain a challenge for many families. Its not clear whether schools and day cares will go back to in-person learning and stay that way, meaning a parent may need to stay home. Families may also be hesitant about older parents staying in assisted living facilities and opt to move them home, another care burden.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="w7ULGi">
“For parents, and especially mothers, the ability to go back to work just isnt there right now. Schools at this point seem to be planning to open, but the minute we see things are bad and kids are getting sick, then things may change again,” said Julie Kashen, a senior fellow and director for womens economic justice at the Century Foundation. “We dont know what the fall is going to bring, but we do know its not going to bring a full recovery that suggests people dont still need support.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LWorcr">
Once benefits are cut off, and if people arent able to find work, that can do <a href="https://bfi.uchicago.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/BFI_WP_2021-19.pdf">significant harm</a> to their finances and their lives. As the aforementioned research shows, it may also be detrimental to the economy, because people who dont have money coming in also dont have money to spend.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GFihWN">
“If youre saying, Im just going to shut off your benefits, but I still dont have child care, and I still dont have a way to ensure my child is attending their digital school, how is that going to force me into the labor market?” Rebecca Dixon, executive director of the National Employment Law Project (NELP), <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2021/6/3/22465160/states-ending-
unemployment-labor-shortage-texas">told Vox earlier this year</a>. “It may force me into homelessness. It may force me to be hungry. Theres an enormous number of workers that are still behind on rent. This whole narrative is just completely wrong, and its incomplete.”
</p>
<h3 id="y3nmVc">
America needs to have a bigger conversation about unemployment insurance
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ue3pti">
“The anti-poverty response to the pandemic has been really dramatic, unlike anything weve ever done before. Weve done a much better job of ensuring income risk from unemployment,” Ganong said. What that will mean down the road — especially as benefits are shut off — is up in the air. The Labor Department is upping investments in grants to help train some workers, which could help more people find something new. But workers have also found it difficult to decipher whether they need to switch jobs or not.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NIvTov">
Apart from what happens in the immediate term, there is one bigger issue in play here: <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-
highlight/21430930/covid-unemployment-600-cares-act-the-great-rebuild">Americas unemployment insurance system needs to be reformed</a>. Its run as a federal-state program that leaves states with a lot of leeway as to how much assistance to provide workers, what parameters to put in place, and how easy or difficult to make accessing benefits. Many Americans <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/5/13/21255894/unemployment-insurance-system-problems-
florida-claims-pua-new-york">saw firsthand</a> when the pandemic hit just how hard the system is to navigate.
</p>
<div class="c-float-right">
<aside id="Xt6gKo">
<q>Congress has been guessing at how long expanded unemployment insurance will be needed from the outset of the Covid-19 outbreak</q>
</aside>
</div>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="PTIV7M">
Congress has been guessing at how long expanded unemployment insurance will be needed from the outset of the Covid-19 outbreak. At the outset of the pandemic, President Donald Trump signed a bill putting in place $600 a week in extra federal unemployment benefits, which expired in July 2020. Then lawmakers added an extra $300 in benefits in December, which were extended under Biden. Now both the extra money and the expanded programs are supposed to wrap on Labor Day.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="L6TTAK">
Given the current scenario, reasonable minds could question whether conditions are right to cut people off. Lawmakers could <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/22277339/covid-19-relief-bill-automatic-stabilizers">try to put in place conditions</a> to better automate unemployment benefits so that its based not on political whims but on the actual health and economic situation on the ground. They could also strengthen minimums required of states so that an unemployed worker in Mississippi isnt positioned much worse than someone in Massachusetts.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="T2diEg">
There have been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/aoc-progressives-renew-federal-unemployment-benefits-biden-spending-
plan-2021-8">some rumblings from progressives</a> about the possibility of pushing for another extension of pandemic unemployment benefits, but many on the Hill believe that at this point, its really a nonstarter. “We dont have the votes in the caucus for an extension,” one Democratic aide told Vox in an email.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9sCLmh">
Biden has urged Congress to take up unemployment insurance reforms as part of its upcoming budget reconciliation process, an agenda that he wants to include fraud prevention, equitable access, and adequate support. Those types of measures would make a real difference in the future, but they wont help workers like Sean, who are being harmed by the cutoff right now. “Safety is really important in all of this, and Im not mad at the company at all, no harsh feelings whatsoever,” Sean says. “Im just frustrated by the situation as a whole.”
</p>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>What do hurricane categories mean?</strong> -
<figure>
<img alt="A satellite image of Hurricane Ida." src="https://cdn.vox-
cdn.com/thumbor/idFzu9s2a6ZjD4nEFNzqOAFUWCI=/0x0:2133x1600/1310x983/cdn.vox-
cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69791087/20212411951_GOES16_ABI_smv_Sandwich_2400x2400_cropped.0.jpg"/></figure></li>
</ul>
<figcaption>
A satellite image of Hurricane Ida, on August 29, 2021. | Courtesy of NOAA/STAR
</figcaption>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
Hurricane Idas Category 4 designation is based on wind speeds and potential property damage.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WGGuu8">
<a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/8/28/22645870/hurricane-ida-gulf-coast-storm">Hurricane Ida</a> has begun pummeling the Gulf Coast, making landfall as a Category 4 storm on Sunday near Port Fourchon, Louisiana. The storm has already tied for the strongest recorded landfall in Louisiana, with winds at 150 miles per hour. Hurricane Laura in 2020 also had 150-mile-per-hour winds, as did an 1856 hurricane, according to <a href="https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2021-08-29-hurricane-ida-landfall-louisiana-breaking-news-
alert?cm_ven=dnt_social_twitter">the Weather Channel</a>.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="C3ZMFX">
Hurricane Idas rapid development made preparation more challenging, as the Gulf Coast already<strong> </strong><a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/8/28/22645870/hurricane-ida-gulf-coast-storm">grapples with Covid-19 hospitalizations</a>. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued an evacuation order for only part of the city, because there simply wasnt enough time to evacuate all of New Orleans.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="q692WO">
“Time is not on our side,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/28/us/time-is-not-on-our-side-new-orleans-mayor-warns.html">Cantrell</a> said in a press conference Saturday, noting that the hurricane was, “rapidly growing” and “intensifying.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="DQHuBy">
Hurricanes destructive potential is often correlated with a measurement system called the <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php">Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale</a>. Its a five-tier scale ranking hurricanes from least destructive (Category 1) to most destructive (Category 5), with categories 3, 4, and 5 ranking as major hurricanes with extremely high wind speeds that have the potential to uproot trees, knock out electricity, tear the roofs off homes, or destroy them completely.
</p>
<h3 id="mBzlVx">
How hurricanes change so fast
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Y7B2Gy">
Most hurricanes that impact the US start out as thunderstorms off the coast of Africa, according to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (<a href="https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/storms/how-hurricanes-
form">UCAR</a>) Center for Science Education. Occasionally, several thunderstorms form at once and encounter a point of low atmospheric pressure called a tropical depression. The clouds rotate around the tropical depression — creating the beginnings of a hurricanes characteristic swirl of clouds — and pick up speed as they draw energy from the warm water below.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="xsGVH4">
If this mass of swirling clouds reaches a windspeed of 39 miles per hour or above, its classified as a tropical storm, the precursor to a hurricane. If the storm keeps picking up speed and reaches wind speeds of at least 75 miles per hour, then its officially a hurricane.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="os7KoR">
The formation of these storms depends on humid air, warm waters, and a tropical depression. These enable the air and water, as they interact, to release more moisture, creating more clouds. Air rotates the mass of clouds as it rises; in the Northern Hemisphere, air pulled into the center, or eye of a hurricane, bends to the right due to the earths rotation. In the Southern Hemisphere, that air bends to the left in the same weather phenomenon, called the Coriolis effect. The Coriolis effect doesnt exist within 300 miles of the equator, so hurricanes (or tropical cyclones or typhoons, depending on the part of the world they hit) cant form in that region.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="S1kmG8">
Thunderstorms intensify into tropical storms and hurricanes when the atmosphere and water are warm enough to generate increased energy to keep the storms moving. Cooler water weakens a hurricane; they also weaken when they hit land, but by that point, the damage has already started.
</p>
<h3 id="D5IPo7">
What is happening with Ida
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1V03HD">
Hurricane Ida reached Category 3 status early on Sunday morning as it moved toward the Louisiana coast, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/27/us/ida-forecast.html">the New York Times</a> reported. A Category 3 hurricane can cause “devastating” damage, according to the <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php">National Hurricane Center</a>. With winds ranging from 111 to 129 miles per hour, Category 3 hurricanes can cause major damage, even on sturdy, well-built homes. These hurricanes can also damage trees and knock out electricity.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h6lzJA">
Hurricane Irma, a Category 3 storm that hit Florida in 2017, caused “widespread devastation,” even though it had weakened from a Category 4 when it hit land over the Florida Keys.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="L8VNCI">
According to a report from the <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL112017_Irma.pdf">National Hurricane Center</a>, Irma “was one of the strongest and costliest hurricanes on record in the Atlantic basin,” directly killing 47 people in Florida and the Caribbean, and causing a further 82 indirect deaths due to “a combination of falls during preparations for Irmas approach, vehicle accidents, carbon monoxide poisoning from generators, chainsaw accidents, and electrocutions,” as well 14 deaths due to overheating from lack of air conditioning at a nursing home. Irma caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, as well as a record 5 feet of flooding in Jacksonville.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3PIag0">
The <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCUAT4+shtml/290645.shtml">National Hurricane Service</a> upgraded Hurricane Ida to Category 4 Sunday, just an hour after it was designated a Category 3 hurricane.
</p>
<h3 id="L8mU0M">
How Ida compares to Katrina and other major hurricanes
</h3>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Qbm2qZ">
As Hurricane Ida approached the Gulf Coast, politicians and headlines invoked comparisons to <a href="https://www.weather.gov/mob/katrina">Hurricane Katrina</a>, another storm that caused devastation in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Hurricane Katrina approached the Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane and weakened to Category 3 as it made landfall.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WqqZ8k">
<a href="https://www.weather.gov/lch/rita_main">Hurricane Rita</a>, a Category 3 storm, hit less than a month later.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="EiFRZo">
Katrinas effects were widespread and long-term; the storm and its aftermath killed 1,833 people and caused <a href="https://www.weather.gov/mob/katrina">$108 billion</a> in damage.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Ch2GJ5">
Hurricane Katrina was also notable for the ways in which it exposed stark racial divides, both while it was active and in the US governments response to the storm.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="8K7gNi">
“Images of poor, mostly Black New Orleans residents stranded on rooftops and crowded amid fetid conditions in what was then the Louisiana Superdome” accompanied news stories, the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/08/27/remembering-katrina-wide-racial-divide-over-
governments-response/">Pew Research Center</a> wrote in a 10-year retrospective.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="Wq7YN9">
In a national poll conducted a week after the hurricane, 66 percent of Black respondents said they believed “the governments response to the situation would have been faster if most of the victims had been white,” according to Pew.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="FDjWX6">
And while New Orleans is still predominantly a Black city, there are 100,000 fewer Black citizens than there were before Katrina, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-race-and-ethnicity-ap-top-news-financial-markets-la-state-
wire-1ec467d7fd31cddb56d4797ef6101bf3">the AP</a> reported in 2020.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1oBZ74">
<a href="https://www.weather.gov/hgx/hurricaneharvey">Hurricane Harvey</a>, another Category 4 storm, hit Texas and Louisiana in August 2017; in two days, it was upgraded from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane. Hurricane Harvey slowed after it made landfall, causing torrents of rain to flood southeast Texas.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cXwyWn">
The rapidly intensifying nature of these storms is concerning, but scientists arent yet clear on whether its actually happening more often. In a piece in <a href="https://theconversation.com/hurricane-laura-was-another-storm-that-strengthened-fast-
but-is-rapid-intensification-really-becoming-more-common-145229">the Conversation</a> about Hurricane Laura — another storm that rapidly progressed from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane — Chris Slocum, a physical scientist at the NOAA and Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University, wrote, “The Atlantic has seen several hurricanes rapidly intensify like this in recent years.” However, storms that behave this way “are fairly rare,” so, he writes, “there isnt enough information yet to say if rapid intensification is happening more often.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eIqDng">
Still rarer are Category 5 hurricanes, but they do happen, and they render affected areas “uninhabitable for weeks or months,” according to the <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php">National Hurricane Center.</a>
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="w9Ff01">
Hurricane Maria, the 2017 storm that demolished Caribbean islands including Puerto Rico, hit the island of Dominica as a Category 5 storm.
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="v3gtG4">
A <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL152017_Maria.pdf">National Hurricane Center Tropical Cyclone report</a> sums up the devastation to Puerto Ricos infrastructure:
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YM5PwA">
“Maria knocked down 80 percent of Puerto Ricos utility poles and all transmission lines, resulting in the loss of power to essentially all of the islands 3.4 million residents. Practically all cell phone service was lost and municipal water supplies were knocked out. At … the end of 2017, nearly half of Puerto Ricos residents were still without power, and by the end of January 2018, electricity had been restored to about 65 percent of the island.”
</p>
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="mWYBkB">
A study from Harvard Universitys T.H. Chan School of Public Health estimated the death toll from Maria at <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/harvard-study-
estimates-thousands-died-in-puerto-rico-due-to-hurricane-
maria/2018/05/29/1a82503a-6070-11e8-a4a4-c070ef53f315_story.html">4,645</a>, although the numbers could be higher.
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Hurricane Ida will test the readiness of New Orleanss infrastructure to handle storms of this magnitude after Hurricane Katrina. Those who have fled the area now dont know when theyll be able to go back home, or if home will even exist once the storm subsides. People who must remain — for one reason or another — will be dealing with power outages, water and supply shortages, flooding, and devastation yet to be seen.
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Discus thrower Vinod loses Paralympics bronze, declared ineligible in classification reassessment</strong> - Indian discus thrower Vinod Kumar on Monday lost his F52 category bronze medal at the Paralympics here after being found ineligible in disability cla</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Born Queen, Mr Kool, Glorious Destiny, and Beauteous Maximus please</strong> - Born Queen, Mr Kool, Glorious Destiny, and Beauteous Maximus pleased when the horses were exercised here on Monday (Aug. 30).Outer sand: 600m: Wind S</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>President, PM lead nation in congratulating Indian Paralympic stars for their stellar show in Tokyo</strong> - Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi followed suit.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Sumit Antil clinches Indias second gold in Paralympics</strong> - The F64 category is for athletes with a leg amputation, who compete with prosthetics in a standing position.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Rajasthan govt announces cash rewards for Paralympic medal winners; shooter Avani Lekhara to get ₹3 cr</strong> - While Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic gold medal, Devendra Jhajharia and Sundar Singh Gurjar won silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the mens javelin throw F46 final</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>10 arrested, 76 stolen two-wheelers recovered</strong> - In some bikes, engine and chassis numbers were replaced with those of old vehicles, say police</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Lokame Tharavadu provides mental relaxation: UN official</strong> - People stressed by COVID-19 can benefit by seeing the art expo: Muralee Thummarukudy</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Union Education Minister seeks Odisha CM Naveen Patnaiks intervention for issuing marksheets to UG students</strong> - Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the late publication of provisional results or non-issuance of marksheets were causing great suffering and jeopardising the career prospects of the students.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ennakkad girl bags global scholarship for research on product developed by her father</strong> - Rinta Susan Mathew set to do research at University of Manchester</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>1993 trains blast case: SC irked as accused jailed for 11 years without framing of charges</strong> - During the hearing, advocate Shoeb Alam, appearing for Hameer said the petitioner has been in custody since 2010 but charges have not been framed and trial is yet to commence.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
<ul>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Europe migrant crisis: More than 500 people rescued off Italian island</strong> - Italian coastguards rescue 539 people from a small fishing boat believed to have set off from Libya.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Lionel Messi makes PSG debut in 2-0 win at Reims as Kylian Mbappe scores both goals</strong> - Lionel Messi makes his Paris St-Germain debut as a 66th-minute substitute in a 2-0 win at Reims in Ligue 1, with Kylian Mbappe getting both goals.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Turkey lockdown: Pigeon-keeping in Istanbul on the rise</strong> - The ancient art of pigeon fancying, popular across Asia, enjoyed resurgence during the pandemic.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Max Verstappen declared winner of aborted rain-hit Belgian Grand Prix</strong> - Red Bulls Max Verstappen declared the winner of a Belgian Grand Prix that lasted only two laps behind the safety car.</p></li>
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Milan fire: Flames engulf modern 20-storey block of flats</strong> - The tower is only 10 years old and questions are being asked about how the fire spread so dramatically.</p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
<ul>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Hurricane Ida slammed into Louisiana and then didnt really weaken. Why?</strong> - This slow weakening is in stark contrast to a typical hurricane. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1790500">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Linux/BSD command line wizardry: Learn to think in sed, awk, and grep</strong> - “Do people <em>really</em> write these long, convoluted commands?” In a word: yes. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1788916">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The modern challenge of gaming without a strong Internet connection</strong> - Massive patch downloads, online-focused game designs hinder millions of players. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1790312">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How game-makers are catering to disabled players</strong> - Hardware and software solutions open gaming to a wider audience than ever. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1790302">link</a></p></li>
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A bad solar storm could cause an “Internet apocalypse”</strong> - Undersea cables would be hit especially hard by a coronal mass ejection. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1790321">link</a></p></li>
</ul>
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
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<li><strong>My brother was murdered today</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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cop: do you mind identifying the body [puts hand on my shoulder] I have to warn you the body was hacked up.
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me: [tearing up] yes thats my brother Reese.
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cop: youre sure?
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me: [nodding] those are Reeses Pieces.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/MRChuckNorris"> /u/MRChuckNorris </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pe4t44/my_brother_was_murdered_today/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pe4t44/my_brother_was_murdered_today/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A man goes to Heaven and meets Jesus.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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While Jesus is showing him round, he spots a broken clock. “Whats that there for?” he asks. Jesus says “thats Mother Teresas clock it has never moved because she has never lied.” “Just over here is Abraham Lincolns clock. He lied twice, so it has moved twice.”
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“Where is Donald Trumps clock?” asks the man. Jesus answers: “Its in my office, Im using it as a ceiling fan.”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Public-Fail4505"> /u/Public-Fail4505 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pe6r86/a_man_goes_to_heaven_and_meets_jesus/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pe6r86/a_man_goes_to_heaven_and_meets_jesus/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>I absolutely HATE when people make a post subtly implying that its their cake day just so people can wish them a happy birthday.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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You wont catch me doing that today.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Delanretey"> /u/Delanretey </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pe8u6z/i_absolutely_hate_when_people_make_a_post_subtly/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pe8u6z/i_absolutely_hate_when_people_make_a_post_subtly/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>A Fleeing Taliban, desperate for water,</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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was plodding through the Afghan desert when he saw something far off in the distance. Hoping to find water, he hurried toward the oasis only to find a British soldier selling regimental ties. The Taliban asked, “Do you have water?” The soldier replied, “There is no water, the well is dry. Would you like to buy a tie instead? They are only £5.” The Taliban shouted, “You idiot infidel! I do not need an over-priced tie. I need water! I should kill you, but I must find water first!” “OK,” said the soldier, “It does not matter that you do not want to buy a tie and that you hate me. I will show you that I am bigger than that, and that I am a much better human being than you. If you continue over that hill to the east for about two miles, you will find our Sergeants Mess. It has all the ice cold water you need. Inshallah.” Cursing him, the Taliban staggered away over the hill. Several hours later he staggered back, collapsed with dehydration &amp; rasped: “They wont let me in without a fucking tie!”
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/snickerscowboy"> /u/snickerscowboy </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pedkkq/a_fleeing_taliban_desperate_for_water/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pedkkq/a_fleeing_taliban_desperate_for_water/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
<li><strong>I got fired from the sperm bank yesterday</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF -->
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Apparently youre not allowed to nudge the nearest co-worker and say, “get a load of this guy” every time someone walks in.
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/LeeDunn0"> /u/LeeDunn0 </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pe82r7/i_got_fired_from_the_sperm_bank_yesterday/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/pe82r7/i_got_fired_from_the_sperm_bank_yesterday/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
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