| Severe droughts inthe American West have experts on guard for wildfires; Taiwan accuses China of "flexing its muscles" with the vaccine supply. Tonight's Sentences was written by Greg Svirnovskiy. | | | | | | | Dangerous wildfires expected as drought conditions persist in the American West | | | | | Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images | | - Regions across 11 western states are currently experiencing severe droughts. This means the upcoming fire season is likely to be especially deadly and destructive. [Wildfire Today / Bill Gabbert]
- It's already started. As of last Friday, 1,800 firefighters were battling 19 fires throughout the American West. None were controlled burns. The National Interagency Fire Center reported more fires than expected in March, rates that will likely continue to surprise in April and May. [NBC News / Alicia Victoria Lozano]
- Wisconsin, not among the 11 states experiencing severe drought conditions, is also grappling with increased wildfire risk. Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency Monday. More than 300 fires have burned 1,400 acres in Wisconsin, owing to weather conditions made possible by earlier-than-expected snowmelt. [NBC News / Doha Madani]
- Right now, almost half of the country is in a drought. And while states such as Arizona, Utah, and Nevada are bearing the brunt of the dry weather, warm spring temperatures, decreased precipitation, and low soil moisture may expand drought conditions even further, all the way down into Southern Florida. [NASA / Earth Observatory]
- A government study released Tuesday showed that droughts across the American Southwest have grown stronger and more prevalent in the past 50 years, largely as a result of climate change. Settlers in the American Southwest used to see rainstorms every 30 days; they now have to wait an average of 45 days for rainfall. Wildfires thrive in dry, drought-like conditions, so experts think they'll only grow in number. [AP / Matthew Brown]
- Last year, a series of wildfires pummelled the West Coast. California has tried to adapt, with rolling blackouts set for certain areas in times of high fire danger aimed at stopping blazes caused by electrical equipment. But with soil moisture levels at critical low points, the future of the American Southwest looks set to be an overwhelmingly dry one. [Axios / Andrew Freedman]
| | | Paraguay flirts with abandoning recognition of Taiwan's sovereignty for access to Chinese vaccines | | - Chinese brokers have offered millions of Covid-19 vaccines to Paraguay, putting pressure on the South American nation to rescind its recognition of Taiwan's sovereignty, according to Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. Paraguay is one of just 15 nations across the world that extend such status to Taiwan. [BBC]
- Wu accused China of "flexing its muscles" with its vaccine supply, especially in South America, which has forced Taiwan to help allied nations acquire vaccines and enlist the help of foreign powers, such as India and the United States, to commit to global vaccine donations. India recently shipped 100,000 vaccine doses to Paraguay. [Reuters]
- Paraguay has flirted with shifting its allegiance in East Asia toward Beijing, drawing the ire of the Biden administration. In response, Foreign Minister Euclides Acevedo was candid in describing his country's need for vaccines. "But we ask these strategic allies for proof of their love," Acevedo said last week. "Before holding hands, you have to at least take us to the movies." [Bloomberg / Ken Parks]
- This comes as Paraguay struggles to deal with yet another Covid-19 surge, leading to large-scale frustration at the government's corruption. On Wednesday, Wu told Agence France-Presse that China was seeking to use the domestic turmoil in Paraguay to turn the country against Taiwan. [Insider / Bill Bostock]
- On Wednesday, China's armed forces sent military jets through Taiwanese airspace to conduct military exercises, antagonizing the island and its diplomatic partner in Washington. Wu said Taiwan will continue to spend more on upgrading its defense capabilities and will in the next month hold simulations to test its war-making and war-casualty capabilities. [Reuters / Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee]
- In March, Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised alarm at China's recent internationally disruptive and domestically subversive actions in Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong, warning that "we will push back if necessary when China uses coercion or aggression to get its way." [CNN / Brad Lendon]
| | | | | | | The Biden administration is looking to coordinate its approach to the Beijing Olympics with allied countries, but has been weighing the merits of boycotting the Olympics over China's well-documented human rights abuses in Xinjiang and political crackdown over Hong Kong. | | | [VOA / Rob Garver] - Mike Pence alert: The former vice president is launching a 501(c)(4) dedicated to "promoting traditional conservative values and promoting the successful policies of the Trump administration." A plethora of Trump allies sit on its board, such as Kellyanne Conway, Newt and Callista Gingrich, Robert Lighthizer, and Heritage Foundation president Kay James. Pence, viewed as a Republican frontrunner for 2024, will make his first open press speech since leaving the White House on April 29. [Forbes / Jack Brewster]
- Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson's endorsement deal with Nike has been suspended, the company announced. Watson is the target of a series of sexual assault and sexual harassment accusations. Twenty-two women have filed lawsuits. [ESPN]
- Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz reportedly sought a blanket preemptive pardon for himself and congressional allies from President Donald Trump in the final weeks of Trump's term. He was rebuffed. [NYT / Michael S. Schmidt, Maggie Haberman, and Nicholas Fandos]
- Iran broke past 20,000 Covid-19 cases for the first time Wednesday as the country struggles through its worst Covid-19 wave yet. [AP]
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