The Graphic Truth: Two narrowing pandemics – EU vs US

Two narrowing pandemics – EU vs US. Seven-day rolling average of new coronavirus deaths, 1 Jan 2021 to 6 Jan 2022
GZERO Media

As COVID vaccines started being widely rolled out in much of the developed world a little under a year ago, we documented how the EU was outpacing the US in new deaths and cases, in large part due to Brussels’ bungling of the vaccine rollout for much of the first half of 2021. But in the age of omicron, where medical systems are buckling under the weight of exploding caseloads, that gap has narrowed significantly: the US and EU are now reporting eerily similar new daily death tolls per 1 million people. We compare new COVID deaths in both places over the past year.

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

Tensions in the Middle East escalate as Israel launches a surprise military strike against Iran, prompting international concern and speculation about broader conflict. In his latest Quick Take, Ian Bremmer calls Israel’s strike on Iran “a huge success for the Israelis” and a significant blow to Iran’s regional influence.

Iranian policemen monitor an area near a residential complex that is damaged in Israeli attacks in Tehran, Iran, on June 13, 2025.
Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto

Israel bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities Thursday night, causing “significant damage” at the country’s main enrichment plant, killing leading Iranian military figures and nuclear scientists, and sparking fears that the Middle East is on the verge of a wider war.

A tank on display at a park in Washington, D.C., on June 12, 2025, two days ahead of a military parade commemorating the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary and coinciding with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday.

Kyodo via Reuters Connect

The official reason for this weekend’s military parade in Washington DC is to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the US Army – but the occasion also just happens to fall on President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.