Tuesday morning news drop
The Anti-vaccine Right Brought Human Sacrifice to America: Since last summer, the conservative campaign against vaccination has claimed thousands of lives for no ethically justifiable purpose. (The Atlantic)
Do vaccine mandates actually work? The Canadian and European experiences suggest they do. They found that requiring evidence of vaccination in France, Germany and Italy not only increased jab uptake but also prevented 46,000 hospital admissions, and €9.5bn ($11.2bn USD) in economic losses and 6,400 deaths. (The Economist)
The Dark History of Medicare Privatization Medicare Advantage was supposed to be a money-saver. It’s now become a costly, unaccountable cash cow for private insurance companies that is swallowing traditional Medicare. (American Prospect)
On Abortion Law, the U.S. Is Unusual. Without Roe, It Would Be, Too. Many rich democracies have earlier cutoffs for abortion — but allow it later for a variety of reasons. And around the world, it has been much more common to expand access than restrict it. (New York Times)
Despite Decades of Hacking Attacks, Companies Leave Vast Amounts of Sensitive Data Unprotected A surge in identity theft during the pandemic underscores how easy it has become to obtain people’s private data. As hackers are all too happy to explain, many of them are cashing in on it. (ProPublica)
‘The biggest task is to combat indifference’: Auschwitz Museum turns visitors’ eyes to current events Director wants visit to former Nazi concentration camp to spark reflection on ‘silence of bystanders’ (The Guardian)
What will climate change actually look like on the Prairies? Expect changes to water supply and ecosystems as we continue to warm. (CBC)
Energy Efficiency Ratings Aren’t Actually Predicting Energy Efficiency Buildings with the highest U.K. performance ratings are using far more energy than those with the lowest ratings, according to recent data. It’s a disparity that shows the limitations of current green building standards. (CityLab + Green)
3 Little Words to Send a Lamborghini on Its Way A novel navigation system, What3words, will be standard on new Huracán models. It divides the globe into 57 trillion 10-foot squares, and leads you to one. (New York Times)
Inside Jerry Falwell Jr.’s Unlikely Rise and Precipitous Fall at Liberty University: Jerry Falwell Jr. was the Trump-anointing dark prince of the Christian right. Then a sex scandal rocked his marriage and ended his lucrative stewardship of the evangelical education empire founded by his father. In a series of exclusive interviews, Falwell—accompanied by his wife, Becki—describes the events that led to his ouster, their fallout, and why he’s finally ready to admit he never had much use for his father’s church anyway. (Vanity Fair)