Donald Trump is charged with four federal counts connected to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. / NPR

Fitch downgrades the United States' credit rating partly due to a "steady deterioration" in fiscal governance—e.g., all the debt-ceiling standoffs. / Reuters

A good overview of China's technological momentum, especially its supply chains in solar energy and electric vehicle battery supplies. / Dan Wang

Cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo may be the "blood diamond of batteries," but most NGOs and researchers say we should continue using it, just with much better oversight. / Sustainability by the Numbers

Lindsey Ulin: I learned the hard way that US airlines are not currently required to have EpiPens. / STAT

At least seven hikers have died recently in the American Southwest from apparent heat-related causes. / The New York Times

What is #coffeeoutside? An outdoor-loving demographic "who take their coffee seriously." / Sprudge 

See also: How to become a modern bootlegger. / Lit Hub

Today marks Earth Overshoot Day, the day in the calendar when humans have used more resources than Earth's biocapacity can meet. / euronews.green

Some thoughts on the delights of growing your own carrots. "If I want boring carrots, I'll buy them." / oakland garden club 

Gen Zers begin to feel old, worried they don't understand Gen Alpha. And ICYMI, contemporary literature is full of smartphones. / Insider, The Guardian

Anne Trubek: To say that book publishing used to be better blatantly misreads history. / Notes from a Small Press

See also: Twelve literary plagiarism scandals, ranked. / Lit Hub

"The appetite grows by what it feeds on." Some suggestions on how to read well. / The Map Is Mostly Water