Good morning. The mayors of Houston and Austin have warned that hospitals in the two Texas cities are in danger of being “overwhelmed” by coronavirus patients in the coming weeks, even as Donald Trump continues to play down the exponential increase in Covid-19 cases across multiple US states.
Two months ago, America’s most severe outbreaks were in Democratic-led regions such as New York. But the country’s coronavirus map is very different now, and badly-hit states such as Texas, Florida, Arizona and Georgia – which all voted for Trump in 2016 – look set to be 2020 election battlegrounds amid the pandemic, as Joan E Greve reports.
Speaking at the White House over the weekend, Trump said his administration’s Covid-19 strategy was “moving along well” and claimed, without evidence, that 99% of cases of the disease – which has now killed almost 130,000 Americans – were “totally harmless”. But, as Adrienne Matei writes, even “mild” cases of Covid-19 can lead to long-term health problems:
Emerging medical research as well as anecdotal evidence from recovery support groups suggest that many survivors of ‘mild’ Covid-19 are not so lucky. They experience lasting side-effects, and doctors are still trying to understand the ramifications.
Broadway star Nick Cordero has died aged 41, 90 days after he was admitted to hospital due to severe medical complications associated with coronavirus.
India has surpassed Russia’s case count to become the country with the third highest number of coronavirus infections, behind the US and Brazil.
Trump marked Independence Day by fomenting a culture war
Trump spent the 4 July weekend stoking America’s cultural divisions, dismissing the threat of the coronavirus pandemic, and playing golf at one of his own private properties. But as he ramps up the belligerent rhetoric for his re-election campaign, there are fresh rumblings of dissent from within the Republican party.
Several anti-Trump groups have sprung up within the wider GOP. Some are openly supporting Joe Biden, reports Daniel Strauss, and almost all are better organised than the so-called “Never Trump” movement of 2016. Meanwhile, the president’s former national security adviser John Bolton has called into question Trump’s claim never to have been briefed on the “Russian bounties” controversy, telling CBS that was “just not the way the system works”.
The Libertarian party’s presidential candidate, Jo Jorgensen, has appeared on a podcast associated with the anti-government “boogaloo” movement, which has been linked to at least five killings.
Kanye West faces major obstacles to a presidential campaign, if the rapper and designer is really serious about getting his name on the ballot in November.
Why this financial crisis will hit generation Z the hardest
The coronavirus pandemic has struck the oldest generation most severely, but the impact of the economic fallout will likely be felt most deeply by young people – particularly the so-called generation Z: those born between 1997 and 2012. Lauren Aratani spoke to several young Americans about entering the economy just as it goes into freefall.
In other news …
The ice in some Italian glaciers is turning pink, raising concerns among scientists who say it is caused by a kind of algae that accelerates the melting fuelled by the climate crisis.
An incident at one of Iran’s main nuclear sites last week caused major damage, Tehran has admitted, suggesting it may slow down the country’s production of centrifuges – and raising the possibility that it may have been a deliberate attack.
Floods in Japan have left at least 40 people dead and another 11 missing on the southern island of Kyushu, where further torrential rain is forecast for the coming days.
The celebrated Italian composer Ennio Morricone, best known for writing the soundtracks to Sergio Leone’s spaghetti westerns, has died in Rome aged 91.
Great reads
Tom Hanks on surviving coronavirus
Back in March, Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, became, he tells Hadley Freeman, “the celebrity canaries in the coalmine of all things Covid-19”. But now he’s recovered and promoting his new film, albeit via Zoom. “I’m not one who wakes up in the morning wondering if I’m going to see the end of the day or not.”
Choosing to be childfree
RO Kwon never felt the urge to have children. With the world on the brink of environmental collapse, she writes, many women have joined her in choosing to be childfree. Two childfree Guardian editors introduce a new series on opting out of parenting, while Kristin Brownell says she refuses to pass on her addiction gene.
Why we need sharks
They get a bad rap from Hollywood, but the “monstrous villains” of the ocean are in fact a majestic, diverse bunch who help to bring balance to the underwater ecosystem. Helen Scales explains why sharks matter to humanity.
Opinion: Trump wants a rightwing zealot running public lands
Trump nominated William Perry Pendley, a conservative activist with close links to anti-government forces, to oversee America’s public lands. His elevation, argues Cas Mudde, is a reminder that the true far-right threat to US democracy does not come from neo-Nazis.
It is this coalition of disaffected, illiberal and self-interested forces that holds Trump and the Republican leadership together and which is slowly but steadily dismantling the federal government from within.
Last Thing: the Dukes of Hazzard car is staying parked
The Dodge Charger from the TV show Dukes of Hazzard, named after General Lee and emblazoned with the Confederate flag, will not be removed from display at the Volo Auto Museum near Chicago amid the national debate over Confederate monuments. The museum’s director said its collection also includes Nazi artefacts: “If were going to get complaints about the General Lee being here, we’ve got much worse items over in our military building.”
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