Rachel Feltman, science editor at PopSci, discusses the recent NASA report that found 2017 was the second warmest year on record, only behind 2016.
Feltman says the warming trend we've seen over the last several years has produced five of the warmest years on record since 2010. We dig into the absence of El Nino and the prevalence of La Nina that caused 2017 to be one of the warmest ever. El Nino is a weather pattern that tends to warm that climate and La Nina brings a pattern of cool air to parts of the globe. Because of this, Feltman says the overall temperature for the year should have been considerably cooler than it was.
We talk about the politics of climate, including President Trump's stance and the partisan nature of the topic. We dig into the climate initiatives spearheaded by various states and industries in the U.S., despite President Trump pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement.
President Biden's self-imposed deadline of making booster vaccines available for all Americans is today, but with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration only approving the boosters for senior citizens, it doesn't look like he can make that deadline. The nation's top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci defended both positions, saying that the deadline was more of a placeholder and that he also stands by the FDA's decision.
Dr. Jen Caudle, family physician and associate professor at Rowan University, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss more on the booster shot and Pfizer's vaccine for young kids.
26 states have now fully vaccinated more than half of their population with Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts fully vaccinating at least two-thirds of their residents. These three states are among the ones with the lowest new Covid-19 cases per capita, but in states with low vaccination rates, hospitals are filling up again.
Dr. Rob Davidson, ER doctor and executive director of Committee to Protect Health Care, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss more.
Gas prices are expected to rise ahead of Labor Day weekend, with millions of people hitting the road and Hurricane Ida disrupting the nation's oil and gas industries. Chris Williams, CEO of CW Petroleum Corp, joined Cheddar to discuss the rise and fall of gas prices, plus what his company plans to do to adapt to the uptick in electric vehicles.
