A Data Visualization Newsletter

Americans are using Google to prep for the 2022 midterms. To identify the most decisive issues for this year’s voters, Axios has dug through Google Trends search data in each Congressional district. Issues like jobs, taxes, and Ukraine are searched widely across the board; but Axios’s interactive map also allows you to find topics that are more prominent in certain pockets of the country.

In light of recent mass shootings in Buffalo, Uvalde, and Tulsa, recent polling data finds increased support for stricter gun control laws among Americans. But an analysis by FiveThirtyEight also suggests that support is likely to erode in the months ahead. Back in 2018, mass shootings in Parkland and Santa Fe led to a similar outcry for reform, but eventually Americans’ opinions on guns reverted back to the mean.

The latest video in Vox’s acclaimed Earworm series breaks down the aftermath of a viral TikTok smash. Using data from 125 up-and-coming artists, they investigate how often a viral hit translates into something bigger — from streaming royalties, to record deals, to other opportunities. It’s a story about indie artists in the age of social media, streaming platforms, and the music industry’s old guard.

Post-pandemic demand, extreme weather, high energy prices, and a supply chain crunch were already pushing global food prices higher. Then came Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Since the outbreak of the conflict, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index — which tracks international prices on the most globally traded food commodities — reached its highest point in March since record-keeping began in 1990.

As Americans hit the road this summer, they’ll be met with an unwelcome surprise: sky-high prices at the pump. A Washington Post analysis of data from AAA found that gas prices on Memorial Day weekend were up more than 60% compared to 2019. That means for the price it used to cost to drive from Chicago to Los Angeles ($230), you’d only get to Grants, New Mexico today.