Dreams and dread in Tokyo

The Olympics kick off even as cases are rising in the host city.

Attorney General Merrick Garland addresses gun trafficking; 100 American Olympians are unvaccinated for Covid-19.   Tonight's Sentences was written by Gregory Svirnovskiy. TOP NEWS Garland announces "strike forces" to combat gun violence in cities     Samuel Corum/Getty Images Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday that the Justice Department will employ new methods to crack down on gun trafficking corridors as shootings continue to surge in the country. [AP / Michael Balsamo]   The latest policy proposal from the administration aimed at curbing gun violence in major cities like Chicago: strike forces. The plan will connect law enforcement in five areas of the country (including Chicago) with their counterparts in the regions that make and transport the guns that end up in the hands of criminals. [Chicago Sun-Times / Jon Seidel]   Garland arrived in his hometown of Chicago Thursday and has spent the past 24 hours meeting with law enforcement and community leaders while explaining the strategy and intention behind the strike force program. [ABC7 / Jessica D'Onofrio]   The announcement comes on the heels of three separate mass shootings in Chicago that left a teenager dead and 17 people injured; the three shootings took place in the span of six hours. [NBC Chicago]   Despite a revolving door of White House plans to curb the gun violence epidemic (the Trump administration's Operation Legend last year surged law enforcement and resources to the city), 770 people were murdered there in 2020. This year already, 410 homicides have been reported. [Politico / Josh Gerstein] The 2020 Olympic Games kick off in Tokyo, despite Covid fears The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games took place today, with just 950 people in attendance at a brand new stadium that would have seated 70,000 were it not for the Covid-19 pandemic. But whenever the music was off, shouts of protest could be heard from outside the arena. [AP / Foster Klug]    A spike in new cases recently forced Japan's prime minister to declare a state of emergency in the country and led Olympic officials to bar most spectators from athletic events. Just 22 percent of Japanese adults now support holding the games as scheduled. [FiveThirtyEight / Nathaniel Rakich]   Only 23.2 percent of Japan's population is fully vaccinated, and an average of 3,834 new cases are being reported every day. Such conditions are making the hosting of a global Olympic Games hard to fathom for many in Tokyo. [Reuters]    Even the United States, where vaccines are readily available for any Olympic athlete, is bringing its share of unvaccinated people to Tokyo. 100 athletes, or 17 percent of the American delegation, have not yet been jabbed. [NBC / Corky Siemaszko]   An estimated 83 percent of the Olympic Village is vaccinated, according to officials, though there is no way for them to fully verify that number. Several athletes have already had to withdraw from the Games due to positive Covid tests, including two Americans. And Tokyo is getting sicker, breaking its six-month high for new Covid-19 cases two days in a row this week. [The Hill / Lexi Lonas] MISCELLANEOUS Supporters of slain Haitian President Jovenel Moïse have instigated violent demonstrations in the town of Cap-Haitien, promising more if justice is not served ahead of Moise's funeral. [AP / Danica Coto] The European Union announced Thursday that it will provide 200 million vaccine doses to needy countries. [AP]   Two people were shot Thursday amid a wave of gunfire on a bustling Washington, DC, city block. [NBC / Phil Hesel]   Lawyers for Mississippi are urging the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, claiming "the conclusion that abortion is a constitutional right has no basis in text, structure, history, or tradition." [NBC / Pete Williams]  China rejected a WHO proposal to audit labs in Wuhan to investigate the origins of the coronavirus, saying the plan showed "disrespect for common sense and arrogance to science." [BBC] Support our journalism Reader contributions help keep Vox and newsletters like Sentences free for all. Support our work from as little as $3. Contribute CROSSWORD OF THE DAY     What's a French term for "self-proclaimed"? Solve today's new Vox crossword puzzle, and stay tuned for more puzzles coming out Monday through Saturday. VERBATIM "We do know that in our ICUs, we are seeing younger people intubated who are very sick or who are on the floors and are very sick. That should be a gigantic wake-up call." [Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama Birmingham, on the delta variant's impact on increasing vaccination rates in parts of the country] LISTEN TO THIS     President Biden wants infrastructure spending to include child care, elder care, food assistance, even community college. Vox's Anna North explains how he might convince Republicans in Congress. [Spotify] Read more from Vox Prom, after a senior year interrupted   How Kevin McCarthy tried to sabotage the House January 6 investigation   Your location data is for sale, and it can be used against you   The ballad of the Chowchilla bus kidnapping   Democrats are going it alone on immigration reform     This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe. 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