"The National Weather Service issued timely alerts, meteorologists say, but few were listening in the hours before the early morning flash floods."  "The catastrophic floods that struck central Texas on Friday show that accurate weather forecasts alone aren’t enough to save lives."

"The three scientists joined the administration after it dismissed hundreds of experts who were assessing how global warming is affecting the country." 

"America’s treeless, isolated expanse put early European settlers to the test. Drought, loneliness, and debt drove many to failure, forcing the homesteaders to retreat East. But those who stayed unwittingly launched one of history’s largest terraforming projects, rewiring the land, the climate, and the future of the continent."