Good morning,
Masks
The Delta variant now accounts for 1 in 5 cases in the U.S., in the UK it’s 95 per cent of all cases and is spreading Globally.
Mask mandates that were dropped are now being reconsidered because the variant spreads easily and can be caught within seconds of contact with another person even passing by on the street.
Schools are confounded by Government guidance to stay open, but isolate children who test positive and the numbers of children getting the virus is climbing quickly. At my sons high school in the London, in the last two weeks 3 classes have been ordered home for ten days, and many teenagers have someone in their household who has caught Covid recently.
The U.S. and Britain cannot agree on a travel corridor for the summer now because of the spread of Delta and because Astra Zeneca, which was the main vaccine in England, has not been approved in America.
Canada Heat
For a third straight day Lytton British Columbia, has broken the all time hottest temperature record in Canada. Lytton recorded a searing 49.5 Celcius or 121 F.
On Tuesday five other locations in B.C. exceeded 45 C with meteorologists saying they have never seen a heat wave like this and are issuing heat wave warnings for the Prairie Provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan as forecasts say the heat wave is not going away, but will linger for another week.
Several dozen sudden deaths are being attributed to the heat, with temperatures 25 degrees above normal.
Meteorologists watching the extreme weather event have overwhelmingly linked its cause to climate change and a warming planet.
Miami Collapse
The frantic search through the rubble of a building collapse in Miami continues with little good news. No one has been found alive in the Champlain Towers since after the first few hours of the disaster with the official death toll still only at 12 but 149 are missing.
Now the National Hurricane Centre is warning two storms forming in the waters of the Atlantic could hamper the rescue, as they will become tropical storms and possibly hurricanes.
The possibility that severe weather in coming days could further stretch Florida’s search and rescue resources prompted state officials to ask the federal government for the additional team, Kevin Guthrie of the Florida Division of Emergency Management said on Tuesday.
Afghan Civil War
American forces have not even fully withdrawn yet, but Afghanistan appears to be quickly heading towards civil war as the Taliban has taken more than a third of the Country form Afghan troops which are abandoning their posts.
“Civil war is certainly a path that can be visualized if it continues on the trajectory it’s on,” the commander, Gen. Austin S. Miller, told reporters during the news conference. “That should be a concern for the world.”
What he’s not saying is U.S. President should be concerned too, because President Biden needs to slow down troop withdrawals and stabilize the situation.
On our recent Back Story podcast a former American Commander talked of his time in Afghanistan and what is at stake;
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1016881/8376339
English Football
Great game if you like football, as England beat Germany 2-0 last night in the European football league. England will now play Ukraine Saturday night. It’s the first time England has beaten Germany in a final since 1966.
Let’s not talk about hockey and the Montreal Canadiens losing another game last night to Tampa Bay.
That’s a quick news summary today. Please sign up for the news letter if you have not do so already.
Have a great day!
Dana
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/severe-weather-could-hinder-miami-condo-collapse-rescue-effort-40597079.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/29/world/asia/afghanistan-civil-war-miller.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/canada-bc-alberta-heat-wave-heat-dome-temperature-records-1.6084203
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1455781/Delta-variant-Britons-travel-US-vaccine-ont
Thanks Steve. He was a very nice guy and i think smart General. Thanks for listening!!!!
Just finished listening to your interview with Retired Major General Jeffrey Schloesser. Direct and forthright answers to direct questions I got a better understanding of what it was like over there and the challenges they faced. More importantly though, I was disappointed to hear why he retired. An organization that is unable to keep a quality person like Major General Schloesser has to look at itself. In times of trouble we need people of character to be able to step up and do the right thing - I believe that is the only way to build trust with, in this case, the Afghan people. I would be very interested in hearing further about the strategic importance of Afghanistan to gain a further understanding of the complex relationships and what the future might hold in the absence of the US presence. Excellent piece Dana.