The US Just Had Its Hottest Month on Record

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The US Just Had Its Hottest Month on Record (Maria)

The author writes, “July was the hottest month on record for the contiguous U.S., per new federal data dating back to 1895. Last month’s average temperature was 76.89F, topping the 76.77F mark set in July 1936. That’s 3.3F warmer than the 1901-2000 average. ‘Above-average temperatures covered the entire [contiguous U.S.], with all states ranking in the warmest third of their July temperature records and none ranking near or below average,’ NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information said in its monthly report.”

Trump’s New CDC Head Said ‘Abortion Surveillance’ Will Be a Critical Focus (Sean)

The author writes, “Dr. Erica Schwartz, who [last] Wednesday became the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, made some alarming comments about abortion care during her confirmation hearings and signaled a potential increased surveillance of abortion patients. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) asked Schwartz if she would commit to collecting better data on abortions, pointing to the CDC’s annual report of how many abortions are done each year in the U.S. … ‘Abortion surveillance is absolutely a critical component of what the CDC is currently doing,’ Schwartz responded. ‘I also want to make sure that certain states are not conflating emergency services and hiding abortions in that emergency services case definition,’ she added. … There is no evidence that states are purposefully misclassifying abortion care when reporting statistics to the CDC.”   

ICE and Data Centers Aren’t New, But Face Growing Pushback as They Intertwine (Reader Jim)

From Truthout: “On July 13, residents of Neptune Township, New Jersey, voted to ban AI data centers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) jails from being built in their town. While protests against the construction of AI data centers and ICE facilities have increased since Donald Trump’s reelection, the Neptune Township ordinance is the first in the U.S. reflecting a connection between the deportation regime and Big Tech. Neptune residents’ move to oppose technofascism in their town also demonstrates the potential to form new coalitions, powered by grassroots organizing, for more democratic participation in local development.”  

My Maddening Quest to Find Out if Blueberries Come From Farms Where Workers Were Harmed (Dana)

From ProPublica: “Over the past year, I’ve reported at length about crimes against farmworkers who have come to the U.S. legally from Mexico and Central America. I haven’t stopped thinking about how they suffered. Their wages were stolen, guns were pointed in their faces, and one woman I met was held captive, raped and nearly killed. As I wrote those stories, there was something else I couldn’t stop thinking about — something I keep thinking about: Whenever I go to the grocery store, I have no easy way of knowing if the fruits and vegetables I put in my cart are part of the problem I’ve documented.”

From 2025: Fans Aren’t Actually Cooling You Down. Try This Instead. (Russ)

The author writes, “In hot weather like the kind we’ve seen this summer, fans are everywhere: They’re inexpensive tools that help us feel better in the heat. The key word here is ‘feel.’ In temperatures of around 90 degrees and higher, which much of the country has been experiencing this summer, fans do very little to help us beyond tricking our brains into believing we’re not entering heat exhaustion. In extreme heat, fans may paradoxically make you hotter. … So to make your fan more effective, try this: Wet your skin first.”

Photos of Free-Roaming Cats That Are Part of Daily Life in Istanbul (Reader Steve)

From the Associated Press: “Cats are an inseparable part of daily life in Istanbul, where thousands of free-roaming felines share the city’s streets, waterfronts, markets and historic neighborhoods with its more than 16 million residents.”