The Delta variant and the “two Americas”
 THE BIG STORY
The Delta variant could create "two Americas" of COVID, experts warn
You've heard a lot about the Delta variant. That's the COVID-19 variant that has devastated India and forced the UK to delay lifting its remaining coronavirus restrictions. Data from Public Health England suggests the Delta variant, first identified in India, is 40-60% more transmissible than the Alpha variant, first identified in the UK.
The bad news is that the Delta variant is now on the rise in the US. What that means for you will depend on whether you are fully vaccinated and where you live.
Experts told us that the variant's arrival in the US in the middle of the vaccine rollout means we're about to see a split, or "two Americas." One with high rates of vaccination where the Delta variant poses little threat, and the other with low levels of vaccination that will be vulnerable to renewed deadly surges.
The even worse news: Wherever there are low rates of vaccination, the virus will continue to circulate and mutate, increasing the risk that new, more dangerous variants will emerge.  Mark Kerrison / In Pictures via Getty Images STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
Two Supreme Court decisions you need to know about
First: the Supreme Court saved Obamacare again by throwing out a Republican lawsuit. The 7–2 decision brought together the court's liberal wing and several of its more conservative members, including the new justices confirmed under Donald Trump, Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh.
And: the Supreme Court ruled against LGBTQ families in a big religious freedom case. The court sided with a Catholic agency that wouldn't place foster kids with same-sex couples, but rejected a request to issue a broader ruling on nondiscrimination policies. SNAPSHOTS
Nine children and an adult were killed in a fiery 15-car crash in Alabama. The multi-vehicle crash left 10 people dead Saturday, including eight children traveling together in a foster home's bus as Tropical Depression Claudette tore through the South.
A truck drove into a Pride parade in Fort Lauderdale, killing one person. The exact cause of the crash remained under investigation on Sunday, but the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men's Chorus described it as an accident. The driver is a member of the group, along with the victims, police said.
A British newspaper deleted a critical column about Kate Middleton. A Telegraph source denied to BuzzFeed News that the piece had been pulled as a result of pressure from the Palace, but the newspaper declined to comment on the record.
And just like that, Tati Westbrook is back on YouTube. With a video aptly titled "A Year Later …" Westbrook announced she will be getting "back to the makeup" and "back to the reviews."  YouTube A HIGH COST
This Louisiana town is a bleak forecast of America's climate crisis
Has the cost of the climate crisis started revealing itself in your life yet? If not: it undoubtedly will. And when it starts, it might not let up.
Just ask the people of Lake Charles, Louisiana how relentless it has been. Take Bridget Boudreaux, who put it this way: "Right when you think you're catching your breath, boom."
She's referring to the 1-2 (and 3 and 4 and 5) punches of last year's Hurricane Laura, the worst storm to hit the state in a century. Followed by Hurricane Delta ramming into Lake Charles as a Category 2 storm. Followed by a brutal ice storm that froze pipes and wrecked houses. In May, historic rains flooded the area with upwards of 19 inches of water in a single day.
Lake Charles exposes a grim, rarely discussed reality of climate change: Back-to-back or overlapping disasters, also known as compounding disasters, are becoming more frequent. And the US government's largely hands-off approach to disaster recovery means the most vulnerable cities — those already struggling with aging infrastructure, housing shortages, pollution problems, segregation, and poverty — can't cope. LET'S GET THIS BREAD This guy had to spend 24 hours at a Waffle House after losing his fantasy football league
I mean usually, if you lose in fantasy football, you might have to part with $20 or something. Not Lee Sanderlin.
Sanderlin's punishment for losing: he had to go to a Waffle House, and spend 24 hours there. But here's the twist: For each waffle he ate, he could take off one hour from his remaining time.
Because Sanderlin is a journalist, he documented his waffle-induced agony on Twitter. No one would describe it as a good time. But the internet absolutely loved it. Remember that your worth has nothing to do with your to-do list today, Elamin 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Elamin Abdelmahmoud and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
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