Jeff Bezos and three other passengers are set to fly to space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard Tuesday.
Why it matters: It will be the company's first launch with people aboard and the start of a new stage for Blue Origin, which is trying to beef up its customer base for these suborbital flights.
The rapid succession of precedent-shattering extreme weather events in North America and Europe this summer is prompting some scientists to question whether climate extremes are worsening faster than expected.
Why it matters: Extreme weather events are the deadliest, most expensive and immediate manifestations of climate change. Any miscalculations in how severe these events may become, from wildfires to heat waves and heavy rainfall, could make communities more vulnerable.
Wildfires are growing across the western U.S., triggering evacuation orders, as the threat of "dry lightning" prompted red flag warnings and fire weather watches to be issued from central California to northwest South Dakota on Monday.
Of note: As temperatures again rise, 80 large wildfires were burning across nearly 1.2 million acres in the West Sunday — 10 more than the previous day, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Another heat wave is striking the U.S. — this time engulfing the northern Rockies and High Plains, where temperatures were set to soar into the triple digits this weekend. The heat won't relent for a week in some areas.
Why it matters: Extreme heat contributes to the potential for new wildfires to form, as well as extreme wildfire behavior.
President Biden's chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, told CNN Saturday he's "certain" smallpox and polio would still be in the U.S. if vaccine misinformation spread like it has over COVID-19.
Why it matters: Facebook doubled down in its defense Saturday against Biden's comments that social media platforms were "killing people" by allowing coronavirus vaccine misinformation on their sites.
