“I really thought it was over”
 NOVEMBER 8, 2021 THE BIG STORY
The climate crisis, by the numbers: Your guide to humanity's greatest challenge  Peter Aldhous / BuzzFeed News / Via Our World In Data/Global Carbon Project This probably isn't your first time reading about the looming climate crisis, and the supercharged storms, surging seas, deadly heat waves, and intense wildfires it's provoking with increasing frequency. This probably isn't even your first time hearing that we're set to blow past the 2015 Paris agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
I know, no one likes to read the same depressing headlines over and over again, especially when positive climate action often feels like too little too late. But it's not too late to turn things around for Earth's climate. We have the science-backed solutions to address climate change. And understanding how we got to this point is essential for steering humanity away from future catastrophe.
STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
What happened at Astroworld?  Erika Goldring / WireImage Eight people died at Travis Scott's Astroworld music festival in Houston on Friday night after the crowd of roughly 50,000 rushed the stage. At around 9 p.m. during Scott's set, the crowd "began to compress towards the front of the stage," Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said at a press conference late Friday.
Twenty-five people, 11 of them in cardiac arrest, were transported to hospitals. Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite, who was near the front of the crowd, said Friday that the mass casualty incident "seemed like it happened just over the course of a few minutes."
Video from the concert shows Scott stop his show as an ambulance makes its way through the crowd. "What the fuck is that?" he says, pointing at the ambulance. The rapper addressed the incident in a statement Saturday, saying he was "absolutely devastated" by what happened the night before.
SNAPSHOTS
A federal appeals court temporarily blocked Biden from requiring COVID vaccines for large employers. The rule, which would take effect Jan. 4, 2022, requires that employees at companies with more than 100 workers be fully vaccinated by January or get tested weekly and wear a mask at work.
Prosecutors say Ahmaud Arbery was killed "based on assumptions" that the three white men had made about him. All three have pleaded not guilty to charges of malice and felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and criminal attempt to commit a felony.
AMERICA IS AT A GRAND JUNCTION
"It's kind of a plain little town. But I have had people say, and I've even thought too, 'Holy cow, what is going on in our little area?'" This was supposed to be a nonpartisan and sleepy election for the three open spots on Mesa County Valley School District 51's board, which is in charge of establishing the district's educational "philosophy, policy and guidelines."
But this year is different for Grand Junction, Colorado, reports David Mack.
A trio of conservatives ran together as a bloc for the school board election. The candidates were quickly endorsed by local Republicans and a right-wing group fighting vaccine mandates, mask requirements, and critical race theory — none of which is actually present in the district's schools. In response, their three Democrat-endorsed opponents — a Democrat, a Republican, and an independent — decided in the last days of the race they may as well band together too.
ARIEL LISTEN TO ME / THE HUMAN WORLD, IT'S A MESS / LIFE UNDER THE SEA IS BETTER THAN ANYTHING THEY'VE GOT UP THERE
These gorgeous underwater photos show us what life is like under the sea Over the course of 50 years with National Geographic, underwater photographer David Doubilet has examined the connection between above and below the water. In an interview with BuzzFeed News, he discussed his iconic split-frame photos, and the startling impact that humans have on a realm we know little about:
"It's heartbreaking in a way how much has been lost. And in some ways the photos are all that's left, which is also a little crazy to think about."  Lions mane jellyfish drifting in the shallow bays of Bonne Bay Fjord located in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland Canada. David Doubilet
 A fisherman and his child in outrigger from a village on the Willaumez Peninsula on New Britain Island, Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. David Doubilet
 Gentoo and chinstrap penguins on an ice floe near Danko Island, Antarctica David Doubilet Be the person you wish had been there for you when you were younger, Alexa 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Alexa Lee and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
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