May 28, 2019

Mount Everest death toll rises: U.S. man dies on descent from summit

Mountaineers at Mount Everest in Nepal. Photo: Phunjo Lama/AFP/Getty Images

Colorado attorney Christopher Kulish, 62, died on the descent from Mount Everest's summit Monday, AP reports, bringing the death toll on the world's highest mountain to 11 for this climbing season.

The big picture: The last time 11 or more people died on Everest was during an avalanche in 2015, according to the New York Times. Nepal has issued a record number of permits amid good climbing weather. Overcrowding issues have exposed climbers to high altitudes, wind and cold for longer periods of time.

Go deeper: "Lord of the Flies" on Everest

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Felix Salmon, author of Capital
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A white-collar crime crackdown

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

America has waited a decade for an aggressive government crackdown on white-collar crime. Now, just before the election, and in the middle of a bull market, it has arrived.

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Ashley Gold
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Lawyers crystal-ball the Google antitrust case

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

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The big picture: Winning any antitrust case is a heavy lift. It's even more of a challenge to pull off victory in a future-looking case that seeks to make room for potential new competition to flourish.

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Sam Baker, Andrew Witherspoon
1 hour ago - Health

The pandemic is getting worse again

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Data: The COVID Tracking Project, state health departments; Note: Due to a database error, Missouri had a 3 day gap in reporting from Oct. 11-13; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Every available piece of data proves it: The coronavirus pandemic is getting worse again, all across America.

The big picture: As the death toll ticks past 212,000, at a moment when containing the virus ought to be easier and more urgent than ever, we are instead giving it a bigger foothold to grow from.

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