Good morning. It's Tuesday, Aug. 10, and we're covering an updated climate report, a military vaccine mandate, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Climate Assessment Released

A climate report released yesterday from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts global temperatures will likely exceed the 1.5 degrees Celsius benchmark set by the Paris agreement within the next 20 years. The panel also strengthened its claims linking human-made greenhouse gases to rising temperatures over its previous 2013 report.

The assessment found average global surface temperatures over the past decade rose almost 1.1 degrees Celsius compared to the average between 1850 and 1900—only 2%-3% of which came from natural drivers. Similarly, the panel noted that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are at the highest point in 2 million years, including a 47% increase since 1750. See how the greenhouse effect works here. 

Ongoing extreme weather events—floods, droughts, wildfires, and more—around the country are more likely due to human influence, the panel found. While rising temperatures are not the primary cause, rising average temperatures increase the chances the weather events occur more frequently and at increased intensity and duration. 

The group suggested further rise in temperatures may be averted under net zero emissions scenarios achieved by 2050. Read the full report and see the predicted scenarios here (click on "summary for policymakers").

Debt Limit Showdown

Senate Democrats unveiled their outline for a $3.5T budget resolution yesterday, an expansive proposal containing antipoverty, climate, and other spending priorities. The bill is separate from a $1T bipartisan infrastructure deal currently being considered.

Notably, the outline did not include a raise in the debt limit. The ceiling—which caps how much the federal government may borrow to finance operations—can only be raised via legislation and currently sits above $22T. 

The omission foreshadows a potential showdown. Raising the limit on its own requires 60 votes in the evenly divided chamber; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has said Republicans are likely to uniformly oppose raising the ceiling, citing spending concerns over the new resolution's price tag.

A two-year suspension of the debt limit expired July 31. The US Treasury said it can take additional measures to meet obligations until sometime in October.

In related news, the bipartisan infrastructure deal appears set to pass the Senate today.

Military Mandate

The Pentagon will require active-duty members of the US military to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 15, according to reports yesterday. Officials estimate at least 1.2 million active- and reserve-duty troops are at least partially vaccinated. However, rates vary between branches, ranging from the Navy (74%) to the Army (50%). To date, Pentagon numbers suggest the military saw high caseloads but a relatively low number of COVID-19 deaths, reporting about 212,000 infections and 28 deaths. 

The federal government previously announced requirements that workers be either vaccinated or submit to weekly testing and wear masks. The military joins a number of other organizations implementing similar rules.  

The decision comes as the number of COVID-19 cases in the US sits near 116,000 per day, matching totals last seen in February. Explore data here.  

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5G IS HERE

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by The Ascent

> R. Kelly's trial begins, with jury selections yesterday in New York City; Kelly faces multiple charges of racketeering and sex trafficking (More)

> AMC and Warner Bros. ink deal for an exclusive 45-day theatrical window for the studio’s 2022 releases (More) | Britney Spears' request to expedite hearing to remove her father from conservatorship denied by judge (More)

> Fund to compensate victims of Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse pays out $125M to 150 people (More) | One of Epstein's alleged victims accuses the UK's Prince Andrew of sexual abuse in lawsuit (More)

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Science & Technology

> Fecal transplants show success in reversing brain aging in mice; study reinforces the link between gut health and chemical and physical processes in the brain (More)

> Physicists discover a new type of tetraquark, a subatomic particle made up of four smaller quarks (More) | More on quarks, one of the fundamental building blocks of matter (More)

> Scientists demonstrate CRISPR gene editing can fix genetic mutations linked to cystic fibrosis in cultured human stem cells (More)

Want to learn more about CRISPR without having to sift through the internet? Check out our expert-curated resource page here.

Business & Markets

> US job openings at record high 10.1 million in June, per Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) report (More)

> Cargill and Continental Grain to buy third-largest chicken producer Sanderson Farms for $4.5B (More)

> Crude oil prices fall 4% Monday on Delta variant concerns; prices last week fell the most since October (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Melissa DeRosa, top aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), steps down amid Cuomo's sexual misconduct scandal (More) | Roberta Kaplan, head of advocacy group Time's Up, resigns from the organization over reports she advised Cuomo as allegations emerged (More) 

> Three people dead, at least 20 injured as wildfires burn across Greece, with a large fire on the island of Evia entering its eighth day; blaze comes amid the region's worst heat wave in 30 years (More) | See photos (More) | California's Dixie Fire grows to 482,000 acres, with 22% containment (More) 

> Taliban militants capture the northern provincial capital city of Aybak, their sixth capital taken in the past four days (More)

IN-DEPTH

Falling Waters

The Associated Press | Sophia Eppolito. Lake Powell, the nation's second-largest human-made reservoir, has reached historically low capacity. Driven by drought and overuse, the falling waters now threaten a tourism industry that typically serves 2 million visitors per year. (Read)

'People Think You're an Idiot'

Guardian | Rory Carroll. Lord Randal Plunkett, the death metal-loving scion of the Baron of Dunsany and inhabitant of the ancient Dunsany Castle, is attempting Ireland's most ambitious rewilding of a private estate. (Read)

ONCE IN A DECADE

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ETCETERA

The best and worst states to have a baby.

Visualizing each planet's gravity.

Out with the cicadas, in with the oak mites.

UNESCO's newest world heritage sites, in photos.

... and the top contenders for the year's best astronomy shots.

Volunteer for a yearlong stay in a fake Martian habitat.

Crime historian begins a dig for the mysterious 1971 skyjacker.

Polar bears hunt walruses with rocks​.

Clickbait: Here come the robot lawyers.

Historybook: The Louvre opens in Paris (1793); HBD Smithsonian Institution (1846); Former President Herbert Hoover born (1874); HBD Kylie Jenner (1997); Jeffrey Epstein found dead in jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges (2019).

"Keep good company—that is, go to the Louvre."

- Artist Paul Cézanne

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