A record 100.4-degree temperature was recorded in a remote Siberian town north of the Arctic Circle in mid-June. It was the highest air temperature ever recorded in the arctic. The average temperature for northeast Siberia for June is 68 degrees. The record breaking temperature was recorded in the village of Verkhoyansk, 3,000 miles northeast of Moscow. In recent years, temperatures in the Arctic have increased twice as fast as the rest of the planet.
(“Hottest Arctic Temperature Record of 100 Degrees Reading in Siberia,” Washington Post, June 23, 2020; “Historical Heat Wave Roasts Siberia,” New York Times, June 25, 2020)
Freedom of the press in the Philippines hit a new low when a court convicted prominent journalist Maria Ressa of cyber-libel. She is executive editor of the online newssite Rappler, known for hard-hitting investigations of authoritarian President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drug trafficking that has left thousands dead. Ressa and a former researcher were found guilty for a 2012 story linking businessman Wilfredo Keng to drug smuggling.
(“Conviction of Maria Ressa, Hard Hitting Philippine American Journalist,” Washington Post, June 15, 2020; “This Is How Democracy Dies,” Atlantic, June 16, 2020)
Inequality in homeownership is at the heart of America’s stark racial wealth gap. The 2008 mortgage crisis and the racist legacy of redlining has been a barrier to equal housing opportunities for millions of people of color. According to the American Prospect, the sub-prime crisis wiped out 53 percent of black wealth. Because homeownership determines where we live, the homeownership gap also contributes to social segregation, which undermines overall social equality.
(“How to Start Closing the Racial Wealth Gap,” American Prospect, June 17, 2020; “No Justice, No Peace,” American Prospect, June 17, 2020)
This week’s News Summary was narrated by Anna Manzo.
