Новости за 29.07.2021

For most of this week, the right has raged about Simone Biles. By deciding to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental health—a wholly reasonable decision given that gymnastics is an extraordinarily dangerous sport even when participating athletes are at peak condition—the greatest gymnast of all time had instantly become a collection of all the worst thing a person can be: a quitter, weak, a victim, a millennial. She was, moreover, a symbol. Not of American greatness, despite her... Читать дальше...

This week, Pfizer released early results showing that a third dose of its Covid-19 vaccine with BioNTech can dramatically increase antibody levels several months after vaccination, particularly among older people. A third Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shot, in other words, could help some people fight off the delta variant, the pharmaceutical company told investors. Pfizer plans to file for an emergency use authorization for a third dose in “coming weeks,” a spokesperson told me.

In June, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill that prohibits “race scapegoating” and “race stereotyping” in K-12 education, as well as teaching “specific concepts” such as “the United States of America and the state of Iowa are fundamentally or systemically racist.” The law, which targets critical race theory without naming it, defines race scapegoating as “assigning fault, blame, or bias” to a race or sex “because of their race and sex,” or claiming members of that race or sex are “inherently racist”—consciously or unconsciously. Читать дальше...

“United States v. Reality Winner” is a principled, soulful documentary about the National Security Agency contractor who sent a document outlining Russian election hacking and influence efforts to The Intercept, only to be imprisoned for her efforts. Directed by Sonia Kennebeck, who previously made a film about drone-program whistleblowers, the 2021 movie provides a welcome introduction to the case, as well as an investigation into the nature of whistleblowing itself, its effects on one’s psyche and family... Читать дальше...

The prospect of a massive infrastructure bill that’s mutually agreeable to both parties has become somewhat of a last great hope for bipartisanship in an increasingly rancorous and divided Congress. For over a decade, presidents and Capitol Hill legislators have promised to strike such a deal, and their failure to do so has made them the butt of long-running jokes. But Infrastructure Week may possibly, maybe, arrive in earnest.