A Data Visualization Newsletter

The consumer price index (CPI) rose 8.3% in April compared to last year, continuing a trend of high inflation in the U.S. But even as prices rise across many goods and services, not all Americans’ experiences are the same; those who drive often or eat out frequently, for instance, may be feeling the effects of inflation more acutely. This calculator from The New York Times helps determine a more “personalized” inflation rate based on your purchasing habits.

We recently crossed another major milestone in the pandemic: over 1 million deaths in the United States due to the coronavirus. The magnitude of loss is hard to overstate; more Americans have now died from Covid than in two decades of car crashes. In this in-depth piece, The New York Times takes a look at how these deaths were distributed across different demographic groups, occupations, and communities.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had far-reaching implications for people all across the globe. For one thing, the war has triggered one of the fastest-growing refugee crises in recent memory, with over 5.8 million people having already fled Ukraine. But it’s also led to major shake-ups in our supply chain, geopolitics, energy markets, and more. NPR breaks it all down.

For millions of women across the U.S., the distance to the nearest abortion clinic could dramatically change. That’s because in twenty-two states, so-called “trigger laws” would quickly ban abortion should the Supreme Court overturn Roe vs. Wade. Right now, roughly 18,000 women live in counties more than 300 miles away from the nearest abortion clinic; if Roe vs. Wade is overturned, that number would likely jump to at least 14.5 million.