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Data Vis Dispatch, July 28: Trump's crypto empire, tariffs, and tattoos

The best of last week’s big and small data visualizations
Portrait of Michelle Otiji
Michelle Otiji

Welcome back to the 255th edition of Data Vis Dispatch! Every week, we’ll be publishing a collection of the best small and large data visualizations we find, especially from news organizations — to celebrate data journalism, data visualization, simple charts, elaborate maps, and their creators.

Recurring topics this week include Trump's crypto empire, tariffs, and World Cup tattoo rankings.

Wildfires in Europe are still rapidly spreading, with large areas in France and Spain being burned. The spread and intensification are partly due to dry conditions.

El Correo: <a href="https://www.elcorreo.com/sociedad/50000-hectareas-incendio-navaluenga-avila-20260727180551-ntrc.html"><strong>Cuánto son 50.000 hectáreas: como quemar Madrid o cinco veces Barcelona</strong></a> [<em>How much is 50,000 hectares? It's like burning down Madrid or five times the area of ​​Barcelona</em>], July 27
El Correo: Cuánto son 50.000 hectáreas: como quemar Madrid o cinco veces Barcelona [How much is 50,000 hectares? It's like burning down Madrid or five times the area of ​​Barcelona], July 27
Borja Andrino Turón: "¿Cómo han ardido más de 60.000 hectáreas?
Los puntos de calor captados por los satélites nos permiten reconstruir la evolución de los incendios que han asolado Ávila y Madrid. El avance entre el sábado y el domingo es aterrador [How have more than 60,000 hectares burned? The hot spots captured by the satellites allow us to reconstruct the evolution of the fires that have devastated Ávila and Madrid. The advance between Saturday and Sunday is terrifying]," July 27 (LinkedIn)
EL PAÍS: <a href="https://elpais.com/espana/2026-07-26/mapas-lo-que-revelan-los-datos-e-imagenes-de-satelite-de-los-incendios-de-avila-y-madrid.html"><strong>Mapas | Lo que muestran los datos e imágenes de satélite de los incendios de Ávila y Madrid</strong></a> [<em>Chart title: Type of terrain scorched by fire</em>], July 26
EL PAÍS: Mapas | Lo que muestran los datos e imágenes de satélite de los incendios de Ávila y Madrid [Chart title: Type of terrain scorched by fire], July 26
BBC: <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj638jx0l53o"><strong>Devastating European wildfires in maps - and how they're being tackled</strong></a>, July 27
BBC: Devastating European wildfires in maps - and how they're being tackled, July 27
Reuters: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/EU-WILDFIRES/MAPS/xmpjxeejgpr/"><strong>Mapping the wildfires outside Bordeaux and Madrid</strong></a>, July 27
Reuters: Mapping the wildfires outside Bordeaux and Madrid, July 27
El Orden Mundial: <a href="https://elordenmundial.com/mapas-y-graficos/mapas-incendios-espana-pais-europa-mas-arde/"><strong>Cinco mapas y gráficos para entender los incendios en España, el país que más arde de Europa</strong> </a>[<em>Chart title: A decade of fires in Europe</em>], July 27
El Orden Mundial: Cinco mapas y gráficos para entender los incendios en España, el país que más arde de Europa [Chart title: A decade of fires in Europe], July 27

In U.S. politics, Trump has announced new tariffs, while mega-donors, including Cerberus co-founder Stephen Feinberg, play a significant role in the country's politics. While cuts to U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funding have led to severe flooding in Kenya, Trump's crypto network has added billions to his wealth.

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/trump-tariffs-trade.html"><strong>New Tariffs as Old Ones Expire: The Latest on Trump’s Trade War</strong></a>, July 24
The New York Times: New Tariffs as Old Ones Expire: The Latest on Trump’s Trade War, July 24
Bloomberg: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/trump-tariffs-tracker/"><strong>Tracking Trump’s Tariffs Across the Global Economy</strong></a>, July 24
Bloomberg: Tracking Trump’s Tariffs Across the Global Economy, July 24
The Washington Post: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/interactive/2026/06/25/these-are-biggest-individual-donors-2026-election-cycle/"><strong>Meet the megadonors pouring more than $1.6 billion into the 2026 elections</strong></a>, July 21
The Washington Post: Meet the megadonors pouring more than $1.6 billion into the 2026 elections, July 21
Bloomberg: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2026-usaid-water-projects-trump-cuts/?srnd=phx-graphics-v2"><strong>Trump's Chaotic USAID Cuts Unleashed Floods, Disease and Poverty</strong></a>, July 23
Bloomberg: Trump's Chaotic USAID Cuts Unleashed Floods, Disease and Poverty, July 23
Bloomberg: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2026-pentagon-private-equity-cerberus/?srnd=phx-graphics-v2"><strong>Department of Cerberus</strong></a>, July 27
Bloomberg: Department of Cerberus, July 27
The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/07/23/us/politics/president-trump-profits.html"><strong>How Trump Is Getting Richer in Office</strong></a>, July 23
The New York Times: How Trump Is Getting Richer in Office, July 23
FlowingData: <a href="https://flowingdata.com/2026/07/28/crypto-empire-of-the-president/"><strong>Crypto empire of the president</strong></a>, July 28 (<a href="https://map.citationneeded.news/"><strong>project website</strong></a>) <span class="badge">An incredible network revealing the tangled connections</span>
FlowingData: Crypto empire of the president, July 28 (project website) An incredible network revealing the tangled connections

Final World Cup visualizations cover Spain's winning goal, Messi's career, and player tattoos. Additionally, this year's World Cup saw a significant increase in generated data. As for the Tour de France, Tadej Pogačar became the youngest cyclist in history to win five races.

AS: <a href="https://as.com/futbol/reportajes/un-mensaje-para-el-mundo-f202607-n/"><strong>Un mensaje para el mundo</strong></a> [<em>A Message to the World</em>], July 21
AS: Un mensaje para el mundo [A Message to the World], July 21
La Nación: Messi vs. Messi Cómo hizo el Messi de 39 para ganarle a todos los Messi de la historia, [How did the 39-year-old Messi manage to beat all the Messis in history?] July 24
Reuters: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/SOCCER-WORLDCUP/zgvolqqoypd/#final-world-cup-stats"><strong>Messi walked, Mbappé sprinted: What World Cup tracking data reveals</strong></a>, July 21
Reuters: Messi walked, Mbappé sprinted: What World Cup tracking data reveals, July 21
Reuters: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/SOCCER-WORLDCUP/TATTOOS/dwvknjqejpm/"><strong>Who wore the most ink?</strong></a>, July 22 <span class="badge">A unique topic!</span>
Reuters: Who wore the most ink?, July 22 A unique topic!
Under The Number: <a href="https://underthenumber.substack.com/p/5-charts-that-capture-how-the-sports"><strong>5 Charts That Capture How the Sports Economy Is Changing</strong></a>, July 24
Under The Number: 5 Charts That Capture How the Sports Economy Is Changing, July 24
EL PAÍS: <a href="https://elpais.com/deportes/ciclismo/2026-07-26/la-fauna-de-los-quintuples-campeones-acoge-un-nuevo-animal-tadej-pogacar.html"><strong>La fauna de los quíntuples campeones acoge un nuevo animal: Tadej Pogacar</strong></a> [<em>Chart title: Evolution of the number of Tours</em>], July 26
EL PAÍS: La fauna de los quíntuples campeones acoge un nuevo animal: Tadej Pogacar [Chart title: Evolution of the number of Tours], July 26

On the topic of crime, the high number of ICE arrests has resulted in detainees being held in overcrowded holding rooms. Flight bookings reveal the scale of Epstein’s global trafficking operation. Additionally, deadly surveillance drones dominate the "kill zone" of Ukraine.

The Washington Post: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/interactive/2026/07/22/ice-officials-warned-dangerous-crowding-see-how-they-kept-packing-people/"><strong>ICE officials warned of dangerous crowding. See how they kept packing people in</strong></a>, July 22
The Washington Post: ICE officials warned of dangerous crowding. See how they kept packing people in, July 22
Bloomberg: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2026-jeffrey-epstein-trafficking/?srnd=phx-graphics-v2"><strong>The Flight Network Behind Jeffrey Epstein’s Trafficking Operation</strong></a>, July 24
Bloomberg: The Flight Network Behind Jeffrey Epstein’s Trafficking Operation, July 24
Reuters: Inside Ukraine’s Kill Zone, July 23

Although tourism in Spain has been booming, many locals perceive tourists as a burden. When it comes to travelling, the number of countries one can travel to is determined by a passport's mobility score.

El Orden Mundial: 100 millones de turistas El país que vendió su verano [100 Million Tourists: The Country That Sold Its Summer] , July 21 An amazing piece
The Guardian: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2026/jul/23/most-powerful-passports-ranked"><strong>How powerful is your passport? Explore the global rankings</strong></a>, July 23
The Guardian: How powerful is your passport? Explore the global rankings, July 23

The amount of pay varies depending on the location, with both monthly income and average wages being affected.

Our World in Data: "We have a new Economic Inequality topic page—<br>Public attention to economic inequality has grown a lot over the last twenty years. At the same time, the available data has greatly improved too: it now covers many more countries and longer time periods, and is more comparable and accessible than ever[...]," July 27 (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/we-have-a-new-economic-inequality-topic-page-share-7487495757256716288-qu9B/?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&amp;rcm=ACoAAEk-01sBCowJ89EcV5BWcY4FwVC0aeG9xj0"><strong>LinkedIn</strong></a>, <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/economic-inequality"><strong>project website</strong></a>)
Our World in Data: "We have a new Economic Inequality topic page—
Public attention to economic inequality has grown a lot over the last twenty years. At the same time, the available data has greatly improved too: it now covers many more countries and longer time periods, and is more comparable and accessible than ever[...]," July 27 (LinkedIn, project website)
The Economist: <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2026/07/21/where-should-you-move-for-higher-pay"><strong>Where should you move for higher pay?</strong></a>, July 21
The Economist: Where should you move for higher pay?, July 21

And finally, we end this Dispatch with a selection of other interesting visualizations: a travel map, surnames most likely to help you find an apartment, changes to English words, and the colors of IKEA sofas.

FlowingData:<a href="https://flowingdata.com/2026/07/21/mapping-what-is-close-to-you/"> <strong>Mapping what is close to you</strong></a>, July 21 (<a href="https://close.city/?x=-111.9937&amp;y=33.48284&amp;z=10.77033&amp;r=0&amp;l=1010100001101&amp;tt_208=1&amp;tt_28=1&amp;view=jobs&amp;jobs_mode=transit&amp;jobs_min=45"><strong>project website</strong></a>)
FlowingData: Mapping what is close to you, July 21 (project website)
Die Zeit: <a href="https://www.zeit.de/geld/2026-05/rassismus-wohnungsmarkt-diskriminierung-wohnraum-wohnungsnot"><strong>Mit welchen Nachnamen man leichter eine Wohnung findet</strong></a> [<em>Which surnames make it easier to find an apartment</em>], July 23
Die Zeit: Mit welchen Nachnamen man leichter eine Wohnung findet [Which surnames make it easier to find an apartment], July 23
Pudding: How the Words We Teach English Language Learners Changed, and What That Says About Us, July 25
The European Correspondent: <a href="https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/how-colour-drained-from-our-furniture"><strong>How colour drained from our furniture</strong></a>, July 28
The European Correspondent: How colour drained from our furniture, July 28

What else we found interesting

The Library of Lost Maps: <a href="https://libraryoflostmaps.com/2026/07/23/exploring-londons-nightlife-a-1947-map-of-the-west-end/"><strong>Exploring London’s Nightlife: A 1947 Map of the West End</strong></a>, July 23
The Library of Lost Maps: Exploring London’s Nightlife: A 1947 Map of the West End, July 23
Information is Beautiful: "Beautiful alternative to the periodic table created in 1975 by James Franklin Hyde," July 22 (<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/infobeautiful.bsky.social/post/3mraldja4l52c"><strong>Bluesky</strong></a>)
Information is Beautiful: "Beautiful alternative to the periodic table created in 1975 by James Franklin Hyde," July 22 (Bluesky)
Die Zeit: <a href="https://www.zeit.de/digital/internet/2026-07/digitale-gewalt-frauen-alltag-hass-internet"><strong>Dieser Hass zielt darauf ab, Frauen wieder leiser zu machen</strong></a> [<em>This hatred aims to make women quiet again</em>], July 25
Die Zeit: Dieser Hass zielt darauf ab, Frauen wieder leiser zu machen [This hatred aims to make women quiet again], July 25
ABC: Las mil vidas de la cibeles [The Thousand Lives of Cibeles], July 27

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Portrait of Michelle Otiji

Michelle Otiji (she/her) is a working student on Datawrapper’s communications team. She creates the Data Vis Dispatch to keep data visualization enthusiasts up to date on exciting new projects. Michelle studies interface design in Potsdam.

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