Most frightening stories:

• The Trump administration is proposing to subsidize coal-burning power plants. Meanwhile the long-term economic damage expected from climate change appears to be substantial. For one thing, Hurricanes are slowing down, which  means they can do more damage in any one place. The rate of melting in Antarctic ice sheets is accelerating.
• The U.S. has slipped behind China in life expectancy.
• 60% of Syrians have been displaced by the war.

Most hopeful stories:

• The emerging understanding of cognitive bias could allow human beings to actually learn from our mistakes.
• A new estimate indicates that “stranded fossil fuel assets” could mount up to global wealth losses on the order of $1-4 trillion. Oil companies are starting to look ahead to a possible peak and decline in demand. In some states, natural gas companies are fighting the nuclear power industry, which is already in a tailspin. Elsewhere, offshore wind power may now be cost-competitive with natural gas. And in absolutely shockingly hopeful news, the U.S. Congress may have a realistic, bipartisan plan for a carbon tax.
• New York City is banning styrofoam.

Most interesting stories, that were not particularly frightening or hopeful, or perhaps were a mixture of both:

• Explicit taxes to fund wars were the norm in the U.S. right up to the Vietnam war.
• In technology news, Google and Airbus are considering teaming to build a space catapult. The Hyperloop might be a real thing between Chicago’s downtown and airport.
• Just under 0.1% of migrants crossing the U.S. border are members of criminal gang such as MS-13. About half of border crossers are from Mexico while the other half are mostly from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Some are fleeing violence or repression, while others are simply looking for economic opportunity.