COVID, war in the Middle East, flash flooding, the White House taking a stand against the LGBTQ+ community—the summer of 2025 was eventful, to say the least!
Triggering: COVID cases are on the rise—more than half of US states have recorded waves this summer—but few (care to) understand the reasons behind this. This summer’s cases are especially important for kids to educate themselves on, because COVID has started to affect young children more than ever. This particular wave is also noteworthy because there are more than enough cases nationwide to categorize this rise as a “COVID surge.” Why now? It’s complicated, but most doctors agree it’s because the COVID-causing virus SARS-CoV-2 continues to mutate, and gives rise to new transmissible variants. As SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve, COVID becomes more challenging to combat.
Horrific: Texas’s July 4 flash floods killed more than 135 people. And flooding is on the rise. So far this year, there have been more than 3,600 flash flood warnings, a number predicted to climb, putting the US on track to exceed its yearly average. There is no one, singular reason why these floods keep happening. Meteorologists speculate that a change in jet stream and atmospheric temperature is causing excessive rainfall, but warmer-than-normal ocean temperatures stemming from climate change appear to be the main culprit in terms of extreme rainfall, because of the way it creates an abundance of water vapor. Confusing? Table the why and educate yourself what the future looks like with regard to them.
Concerning: President Trump, less than a year into his second term, has cut resources for LGBTQ+ youth. He abolished the option providing specialized support for queer youth on the national 988 suicide hotline. But since there are an estimated 1.8 million LGBTQ+ youth who seriously consider suicide every year, the Trevor Project, a non-profit focused on suicide prevention in queer kids, tried taking action against this abolition. Aside from verbally expressing their discontent with the situation, the Trevor Project launched petitions and campaigns to protect queer youth. Regardless of the Trevor Project’s work and despite much pushback, Trump still eliminated the program.
What a mess: Nearly three years in and costing many lives, the current Israeli war continues to dominate the news. Background: An armed attack on Israel by Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that runs Gaza, caused Israel to declare war on Gaza. Shortly after Israel’s attack on Gaza, fighting escalated, causing Israel and Hamas to agree to a cease fire. That cease fire, however, proved to be short-lived as fighting, deaths, and arguments continue to this day over the conflict. Although the conflict started with an attack on Israel by Hamas, it has turned into a broader conflict.
