
Charles Dickens wakes up in 2021
CNN
On many fronts this week, news of progress was counter-balanced by new threats and concerns. The conviction of Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd was immediately followed by police shooting incidents that raised questions. With more than half of Americans having received at least one vaccination, there were alarming signs of Covid-19's spread internationally. And on climate change, discouraging data coincided with forward movement.
Perhaps there has never been a passage that so eloquently captures, in only a few words, the predicament of people trying to make sense of life while grappling with opposing forces, never knowing whether they are headed to heaven or the other way.
A remarkable scene is playing out in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday: In an effort to avoid votes on releasing files related to Jeffrey Epstein, Republicans are shutting it down early and heading out on a weekslong August recess. Nevermind that the Trump administration promised to release these files, and many Republicans want them to do so.