Our picksPolitics & Pandemic | Lockdowns & Child Soldiers | Flooded Dairies, and more

Pro-Trump Counties Now Have Far Higher COVID Death Rates. Misinformation Is to Blame  (Daniel Wood, NPR)
Since May 2021, people living in counties that voted heavily for Donald Trump during the last presidential election have been nearly three times as likely to die from COVID-19 as those who live in areas that went for now-President Biden. That’s according to a new analysis by NPR that examines how political polarization and misinformation are driving a significant share of the deaths in the pandemic.

The Increasing Importance of Partisanship in Predicting COVID-19 Vaccination Status  (Ashley Kirzinger et al., KFF)
The KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor and other surveys have consistently shown a strong relationship between partisan identification and how individuals view and experience the COVID-19 pandemic, on questions ranging from worries about getting infected, to self-reported behaviors like mask-wearing and social distancing, to views on vaccinations. This new analysis shows that although COVID-19 vaccination rates have increased over time with majorities across partisan groups reporting being vaccinated, Republicans make up an increasingly disproportionate share of those who remain unvaccinated and political partisanship is a stronger predictor of whether someone is vaccinated than demographic factors such as age, race, level of education, or insurance status. These results suggest substantial challenges for any efforts to further increase vaccine uptake among U.S. adults, which may also affect acceptance of booster shots and COVID-19 vaccines for children as eligibility expands.

Companies Linked to Russian Ransomware Hide in Plain Sight  (Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times)
Cybersecurity experts tracing money paid by American businesses to Russian ransomware gangs found it led to one of Moscow’s most prestigious addresses.

Former FARC Leader Killed in Venezuela: Colombian Media  (AFP / VOA News)
A dissident former leader of the FARC guerrillas was shot dead in Venezuela by other rebels, Colombian media reported Sunday.
Citing Colombian and Venezuelan intelligence sources, several newspapers said Hernan Dario Velasquez, nicknamed “El Paisa” (“The Peasant”), had been ambushed in the state of Apure, on the border with Colombia.

“Just Total Chaos”: Floods Bring Death and Devastation to Dairies  (Kirk Johnson, New York Times)
Near-record flooding in Washington State drowned cattle, demolished homes and damaged equipment. Broken supply chains are making it even harder to recover.

Lockdowns Produced a New Generation of Child Soldiers  (Elizabeth Dickinson, Foreign Policy)
In Colombia, armed groups have treated the pandemic as a recruitment opportunity.