Today’s Big Story

Last-Chance Tourism

Travelers race against climate to complete their bucket lists, but should they?

It’s the end of the world as we know it … so you’d better go see it while you can. That’s the thinking for many world travelers, anyway. Do you want to see Venice before it sinks entirely into the sea? Experience the Amazonian rainforest or see the Great Barrier Reef? Would you like to climb a glacier before they’ve all melted?

Dubbed “last-chance tourism”, the trend has travelers racing against climate change to tick off boxes on their bucket lists. But the ethics around these trips are still up for debate. It’s the promise of something good with a reminder of just how bad things are getting. In her 2024 book, The New Tourist, journalist and author Paige McClanahan described the phenomenon like this: “Through the eyes of a last-chance tourist,” she wrote, “the ephemeral nature of a melting, sinking, or otherwise disappearing place makes the site significantly more alluring.” We’re bombarded with headlines about how so much of the planet is in trouble, and, for some, that is precisely the reason to visit. These tourists, she writes, “want to get one last glimpse of the moribund patient—quick before he dies on the table.”

Of course, there’s a more optimistic view as well. The hope is that people who visit last-chance destinations will be so deeply moved that they’ll be jostled to action. But as Thrillist points out, the inherent irony of last-chance tourism: The increased foot traffic of tourists rushing to visit an already fragile place only makes the destination decline faster. There’s also the environmental impact of the trip itself: flights, cars, and boats all emit carbon. According to the UN World Tourism Organization, transport-related emissions will account for 5.3% of all man-made emissions by 2030.

Meanwhile, tour operators are working on adaptation strategies to keep locations open and tourism moving along. In Iceland, they’re increasing maintenance on the hiking paths, bridges, stairs, and handrails that provide access to glaciers. Insulating blankets are sometimes placed on a glacier’s surface to decrease the rate of melting, especially near ice caves. In the French Alps, people flock to the shrinking Mer de Glace, a glacier so popular that a new gondola was recently built to bring visitors closer to the retreating ice. And in the Galapagos Islands, where warming waters are upsetting the delicately balanced ecosystems Charles Darwin described, tourism has surged 50% in the past decade. What do you think? Should you stay or should you go?

Trump’s Epstein Backlash

The president defends Attorney General amid MAGA fallout over her handling of Epstein investigation

President Donald Trump defended Attorney General Pam Bondi over the weekend amid criticism from some in his base over a memo about accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, writing on Truth Social that Bondi is doing “a FANTASTIC JOB” in her role. The attacks from critics comes after a memo released by the Justice Department last week failed to deliver what many had hoped would be major revelations in the Epstein case.

Even Trump’s preferred cable network, Fox News, raised a warning Sunday morning, with “Fox & Friends” host Charles Hurt saying the White House needed to provide more answers. “There has to be some explanation,” Hurt said, “and I think that’s why you have a lot of people still ... with a lot a very valid questions.” However, Trump has been undeterred, doubling down in support of Bondi and issuing a rare rebuke to his base, calling on them to cease asking questions about a conspiracy theory that many in MAGA see as central to exposing the “deep state” and bringing transparency to Washington.

The Washington Post reports that his defiance has only further ignited anger among some of Trump’s most loyal supporters, raising questions about whether the fracture will do lasting damage to Trump’s coalition. And it marked the first time the Republican has been “ratioed” on his own social media platform. And if Trump thinks he can wait it out, retired Lt Gen Mike Flynn, who was U.S. national security adviser in Trump's first administration, warned the Epstein scandal was not going away.

Bald Eagles Are Thriving

Nearly 250 years after it was first used as a symbol of a newly founded nation, it’s the official bird of the U.S.

It’s been a long road for our American icon—from a symbol of elegance and strength to endangered species and back again—but the bald eagle is having a moment. Both ecologically, thanks to conservationists efforts, and culturally, thanks to newly established status.

The mighty birds of prey find themselves in an environmental updraft of sorts since the early 2000s, when the federal government took the thriving birds off its endangered species list with more states following suit. The U.S. is happily populated with them now. And culturally, too, the animals are soaring. Just before leaving office, Joe Biden signed legislation making the bald eagle the country’s national bird (thought that was already the case? Me too). Turns out, it was an oversight left undone in law because the bald eagle was already on the national seal and many thought it already had that status, said Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who sponsored legislation. She and colleagues worked with Native Americans and veterans groups to get buy-in, she said, and it passed the typically divisive House and Senate last year with no dissent. Maybe eagles are the only thing Democrats and Republicans can agree on these days.

“The eagle is finally getting the respect it deserves. Maybe when the nation looks at the eagle that way, maybe there will be less division,” said Jim Thunder Hawk. He’s the Dakota culture and language manager for the Prairie Island Indian Community. Native Americans have long bestowed bald eagle feathers at ceremonies to mark achievements, and as a form of reverence for the bird they hold sacred. And now, many are doing so with a newly elevated pride and hope.

Jannik Sinner Wins First Wimbledon Title

His victory divides tennis world after stunning moment never seen before at the championship

Jannik Sinner has become the first Italian to win the Wimbledon title, making tennis history in a stunning moment never seen before. But his triumph over Carlos Alcaraz hasn't come without controversy, with the tennis world heavily divided as to whether he should have been allowed to play the tournament in the first place.

The top-ranked Sinner defeated the two-time defending champ 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday, reversing the result of their epic French Open final last month. According to ESPN, when the game ended, he put both hands on his white hat. After embracing Alcaraz, Sinner crouched with his head bowed, then pounded his right palm on the grass.

Tennis fans and commentators have been quick to praise the World No.1, but for many it has left a sour taste in the mouth. Aussie star Nick Kyrgios posted an asterisk on social media, suggesting Sinner's triumph should carry the mark against his name. Yahoo! Sports reports that there's a large section of the tennis community who think Sinner was very lucky to be allowed to play Wimbledon after two positive doping tests. The Italian cut a deal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and walked away with a three-month ban after successfully arguing he unknowingly took the banned drug Clostebol.

The Long Read

Italians demand cheap espresso, but …

Dream big.