+ confronting hard histories in national parks US Edition - Today's top story: COVID-19 messes with Texas: What went wrong, and what other states can learn as younger people get sick [View in browser](
US Edition | 30 June 2020
[The Conversation](
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
The weekend Texas started lifting its coronavirus precautions, the beaches here were mobbed. It looked like spring break â and there wasnât a face mask in sight. Bars reopened. Restaurants went to half and then 75% capacity. And then the hospitalization rate for COVID-19 took a swift upward turn.
Until mid-June, Texasâ infection rates were manageable. Now, several hospitals are filled to near capacity, and many of the COVID-19 patients are younger adults. What went wrong and what can the state do to turn this crisis around? Texas A&M health policy professors Tiffany Radcliff and Murray Côté [analyzed Texasâ COVID-19 breakdown and what other states can learn from it to save lives](.
Also today:
- [Itâs too early to declare a second wave](
- [Why so many people are shooting off fireworks](
- [How small towns are responding to the pandemic](
Stacy Morford
General Assignments Editor
On June 26, Texasâ governor ordered bars to close as COVID-19 case numbers spiked, particularly among younger adults. This Houston bar, photographed in late May, [voluntarily shut down]( shortly before the order after two staff members tested positive for the coronavirus. Mark Felix/AFP/Getty Images
[COVID-19 messes with Texas: What went wrong, and what other states can learn as younger people get sick](
Murray J. Côté, Texas A&M University ; Tiffany A. Radcliff, Texas A&M University
Texas hospitals are filling up with new COVID-19 cases, and many of the people falling ill are young.
Health + Medicine
-
[The US isnât in a second wave of coronavirus â the first wave never ended](
Melissa Hawkins, American University
The recent spike in new coronavirus cases in the US is not due to a second wave, but simply the virus moving into new populations or surging in places that opened up too soon.
-
[As Arizona coronavirus cases surge from early reopening, Indigenous nations suffer not only more COVID-19 but also the blame](
Lisa Hardy, Northern Arizona University; Gwendolyn Saul, Northern Arizona University; Sonja Michal Smith, Northern Arizona University
Tribal lands are hot spots for COVID-19 infections and deaths. Racism is one of the reasons.
Economy + Business
-
[Why are so many people lighting off fireworks?](
Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University
An economist puzzles over why fireworks have been going off nightly across the country for so many weeks in a row.
Ethics + Religion
-
[Muslim Americans assert solidarity with Black Lives Matter, finding unity within a diverse faith group](
Amir Hussain, Loyola Marymount University
Race, class and national identity mean that views within the American Muslim community vary when it comes to such hot-button issues as policing, protests and discrimination.
-
[Why soldiers canât claim conscientious objection if ordered to suppress protests](
Dwight Stirling, University of Southern California
The US military can exempt from service those who are religiously or morally opposed to violence. But conscientious objector status won't help soldiers who disagree with specific lawful orders.
Arts + Culture
-
[When France extorted Haiti â the greatest heist in history](
Marlene Daut, University of Virginia
After enduring decades of exploitation at the hands of the French, Haiti somehow ended up paying reparations â to the tune of nearly $30 billion in today's money.
Politics + Society
-
[How small towns are responding to the global pandemic](
Leah Kemp, Mississippi State University
Local leaders and business owners have had to get creative to help their residents stay healthy and keep community economies going.
-
[Chakwera has his work cut out restoring democratic rule that delivers for Malawians](
Adem K Abebe, University of Pretoria
The success of Malawiâs democratic dispensation will be measured on the extent to which it delivers public goods â opportunities, development, accountability â for the people.
Environment + Energy
-
[National parks â even Mount Rushmore â show that thereâs more than one kind of patriotism](
Jennifer Ladino, University of Idaho
President Trump is scheduled to appear at an Independence Day celebration at Mount Rushmore on July 3. For some, this event will symbolize love of country. Others will see it very differently.
From our international editions
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[Think vitamin D deficiency is not common in Africa? Think again](
Reagan Mogire, KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme
Vitamin D has been shown to regulate the function of 229 genes in humans, suggesting that it plays many roles in maintaining health.
-
[Was coronavirus really in Europe in March 2019?](
Claire Crossan, Glasgow Caledonian University
Scientists in Spain have reported finding traces of the novel coronavirus in wastewater dating back to March 12, 2019.
-
[How to build a better Canada after COVID-19: Transform CERB into a basic annual income program](
Gregory C Mason, University of Manitoba
The relative success of the CERB during the pandemic shows the time is finally right for a permanent basic annual income program.
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