This was jaw-dropping

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kDYqyU_Y7uI

 

Shortages of crucial HIV medicines due to aid cuts are a ‘warning’, say experts

More than half of organisations providing HIV care surveyed by International Planned Parenthood Federation said they had run out of stock at some point during past 12 months…

 https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/oct/05/shortages-of-crucial-hiv-medicines-due-to-aid-cuts-are-a-warning-say-experts 

‘We’re near a breaking point:’ firefighters say US government is failing them amid intense wildfire season

While the US continues to grapple with a critical shortage of federal firefighters – with especially large gaps in essential management positions – the Trump administration has increased pressure on firefighting forces to rapidly and aggressively contain the flames. 

Nine firefighters who spoke to the Guardian under the condition of anonymity because they are barred from disclosing the information, as well as several retired firefighters, described how spread-thin crews are being pushed to their limits amid an unrelenting and extreme year of fire…

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/16/wildfires-government-firefighter-shortage

 

Ukraine’s drone attacks have left Russia desperately scrambling for oil imports

The once world-leading producer of crude oil has plunged into an energy crisis as Kyiv targets its refineries…

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/27/ukraines-drone-attacks-have-left-russia-desperately-scrambling-for-oil-imports 

 

Wiped out: US faces surging toilet paper prices amid trade war with Canada

Paper products among hardest-hit sectors after trade negotiations broke down, with 25-50% tariffs estimated…

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/26/paper-product-toilet-paper-tariffs-us-canada 

 

Why does the U.S. military seem stymied in the war with Iran? (Dave Davies, Fresh Air podcast)

Defense analyst Stacie Pettyjohn says while the U.S. military is facing long-range missile shortages, prolonged deployments and vacated regional bases, Iran is building cheaper weapons quickly.

Interview: 

https://www.npr.org/2026/08/19/nx-s1-5937516/why-does-the-u-s-military-seem-stymied-in-the-war-with-iran

Florida’s Nursing Homes Are Bracing for Life Without Haitian TPS Workers – Mother Jones

“Florida is home to one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing older adult populations, and demand for long-term care services continues to increase each year,” the letter reads. It describes “an exceptionally competitive labor market,” meaning that finding qualified workers has been challenging. “Any significant reduction in the available workforce would make it more difficult to serve current and new residents, causing a ripple effect that could overwhelm our local hospitals and the entire healthcare system.”…

 https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/07/floridas-nursing-homes-are-bracing-for-life-without-haitian-tps-workers/

 

Lake Powell, a vital reservoir, plunges toward unprecedented low levels as water crisis deepens in US west

Experts say the critical reservoir system is careening toward a breaking point as the US west’s climate warms and dries…

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/07/lake-powell-water-crisis 

 

 

Social Security funds could run short by 2032 : NPR

"The Trustees recommend that lawmakers address the projected trust fund shortfalls in a timely way to phase in necessary changes gradually and give workers and beneficiaries time to adjust," the report says...

 https://www.npr.org/2026/06/09/nx-s1-5850279/social-security-funds-trustees-congress

Patriot missile shortage has created ‘window of vulnerability’ Russia is exploiting in Ukraine

Countries that rely on US-made air defence system feel increasingly exposed as interceptor supplies dwindle…

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/02/patriot-missile-shortage-window-vulnerability-russia-exploiting-ukraine

 

Patriot missile shortage has created ‘window of vulnerability’ Russia is exploiting in Ukraine

Countries that rely on US-made air defence system feel increasingly exposed as interceptor supplies dwindle…

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/02/patriot-missile-shortage-window-vulnerability-russia-exploiting-ukraine

 

U.S. Senate passes bill to try to prevent more infant formula deaths and shortages

"I'm very concerned about staffing cuts. We're seeing that in the FDA. We're seeing it across other vital agencies, particularly agencies that are entrusted with product safety and consumer safety. There have been significant cutbacks, and I'm fearful that that's going to lead to some other tragic incidents in the future because the resources necessary to safeguard these products are not sufficient," he said…

https://www.michiganpublic.org/health/2026-05-03/u-s-senate-passes-bill-to-try-to-prevent-more-infant-formula-deaths-and-shortages 

Falsely charged with a crime, no way to fight it: inside Oregon’s court crisis

An attorney shortage has left thousands trapped in criminal cases without lawyers. One wrongfully accused woman had no choice but to wait…

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/oregon-public-defender-crisis-courts

 

Why Trump wants to spend $1 billion on Great Salt Lake : NPR

The lake's primary water source comes from Utah's snowpack. During bad snow years – and 2026 was Utah's worst snowfall on record – the lake suffers more. Water from the three main tributaries that feed into Great Salt Lake is often diverted for other purposes before it ever makes its way to the lake…

 https://www.npr.org/2026/04/24/nx-s1-5746844/why-trump-wants-to-spend-1-billion-on-great-salt-lake 

CDC temporarily halts testing for several infectious diseases amid staffing shortages

Federal agency, which normally supports state and local public health labs, has been hobbled by staff departures…

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/02/cdc-infectious-diseases-testing

 

'The planting season is now,' but war in Iran has sparked a global fertilizer shortage | PBS News

The fertilizer shortage is putting the livelihood of farmers in developing countries — already troubled by rising temperatures and erratic weather systems — further at risk, and could lead to people everywhere paying more for food... 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/the-planting-season-is-now-but-war-in-iran-has-sparked-a-global-fertilizer-shortage

 

Oregon must dismiss more than 1,400 criminal cases due to attorney shortage, court rules

The problem has been years in the making and has become a significant constitutional crisis, as people charged with crimes are routinely unable to fight their cases as they wait weeks, months or sometimes years for the state to appoint them lawyers. The attorney shortage – due in part to the increasing difficulty of recruiting attorneys for the low-salary, high-caseload jobs – has meant that people have had cases hanging over them for extended periods of time, impacting their housing, employment and families, advocates say. 

Oregon's highest court ruled on Thursday that dismissals are required if the state failed to provide counsel within 60 days after arraignment for a misdemeanor and within 90 days for a felony...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/05/oregon-supreme-court-ruling-attorney-shortage

 

The U.S. relies on immigrant physicians. What if they no longer want to come? : Shots - Health News : NPR

Immigrants make up a significant proportion of all the country's doctors. New policies are making it harder and less appealing for foreign-born physicians to come to the U.S...

https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/11/24/nx-s1-5618291/immigrant-physicians-foreign-born-doctors-trump-h1b 

 

Justice Department struggles as thousands exit – and few are replaced - The Washington Post

"I was astonished. I have never seen anything like that. When I came to the U.S. attorney's office, I had won 13 state murder prosecutions, and I still thought I had such a slim chance of getting a job because it was such an ultracompetitive place," said Mark Rotert, a retired Chicago-based attorney who worked as a federal prosecutor there in the '80s and '90s and received the recruiting email from a friend. "Now it's like, 'If you ever threw a pass, do you want to be a quarterback?'"…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/11/10/justice-department-hiring-stalled/

Iowa has an OB-GYN shortage. Is the state's abortion ban partially to blame? : Shots - Health News : NPR

Iowa ranks last among states for the number of OB-GYNS per capita. State legislators are trying to recruit more, but some doctors say the state's strict abortion ban is partially to blame...

https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/11/05/nx-s1-5558169/iowa-obgyns-abortion-ban-maternity-care-desert-maternal-mortality-obstetrics