New Mexico governor declares emergency as thousands flee wildfires that have damaged 500 structures
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Thousands of residents have fled their homes as a fast-moving wildfire burns into the mountain village of Ruidoso in southern New Mexico. More than 500 structures have been damaged. That includes an unknown number of homes. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham told reporters late Tuesday afternoon the swift-moving flames have made it too dangerous for authorities to get close enough to accurately assess. Earlier in the day she declared a county-wide state of emergency that extended to neighboring tribal lands. She also deployed National Guard troops as residents fled under evacuation orders with little time to rescue belongings. The governor said the magnitude of the fires is beyond local control and requires immediate state intervention.
Half a million immigrants could eventually get US citizenship under a sweeping new plan from Biden
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has ordered an expansive election year step to offer relief to potentially hundreds of thousands of immigrants without legal status in the U.S. It comes after the Democratic president’s own aggressive immigration crackdown at the southern border earlier this month. Tuesday’s new U.S. policy will allow certain U.S. citizens’ spouses who lack legal status to apply for permanent residency and eventually citizenship. Senior administration officials say the move could affect upwards of half a million immigrants. Biden spoke about his plans Tuesday at the White House, saying: “The Statue of Liberty is not some relic of American history.”
New York’s top court declines to hear Trump’s appeal of the gag order in his hush money case
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump plans to keep fighting a gag order in his New York hush money case even though the state’s top court has declined to hear his appeal of it. The gag order prevents the Republican ex-president from commenting on witnesses, jurors and others who were involved in the case following his felony conviction last month. The Court of Appeals decision Tuesday leaves the restrictions in place. The court found the gag order does not raise “substantial” constitutional issues. A Trump campaign spokesperson calls the order unconstitutional and says his legal team will “continue to fight.” The trial judge is expected to rule soon on a defense request to lift the gag order.
Israel’s Netanyahu blames Biden for withholding weapons. US officials say that’s not the whole story
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is claiming that the United States is withholding weapons needed for the war in Gaza. In a video released Tuesday, Netanyahu implied the holdup was slowing Israel’s offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. President Joe Biden has delayed delivering certain heavy bombs to Israel since May over concerns about killing civilians in Gaza. However, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that those 2,000-pound bombs are the only weapons under review. He told reporters that “Everything else is moving as it normally would.” The U.S. faces growing international criticism for its support of Israel’s war against Hamas, which according to Gaza’s Health Ministry has killed more than 37,100 people.
California governor wants to restrict smartphone usage in schools
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he wants to restrict students’ usage of smartphones during the school day. The announcement on Tuesday comes a day after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms regarding their effects on young people. Newsom’s office has not shared details of his proposal. A bill that has already been introduced in the Legislature would give school districts the explicit authority to limit students’ social media usage in schools. Newsom signed a law in 2019 that authorized school districts to limit the use of smartphones by students while at school.
Republicans block bill to outlaw bump stocks for rifles after Supreme Court lifts Trump-era ban
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans have blocked bipartisan legislation that would have outlawed bump stocks after the Supreme Court struck down a ban on the rapid-fire gun accessory. Democrats tried to force a voice vote on the bill Tuesday to ban bump stocks, a tactic often used by both parties when they don’t have the votes to pass legislation but want to bring an issue to the Senate floor. The bill would have banned the sale of the devices, similar to the rule issued by President Donald Trump’s administration in the wake of the 2017 shooting in Las Vegas, the deadliest in U.S. history.
US acknowledges Northwest dams have devastated the region’s Native tribes
SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. government has acknowledged for the first time the harms that the construction and operation of dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers in the Pacific Northwest have caused Native American tribes. It issued a report Tuesday that details how the unprecedented structures devastated salmon runs, inundated villages and burial grounds, and continue to severely curtail the tribes’ ability to exercise their treaty fishing rights. The Biden administration’s report comes amid a $1 billion effort announced earlier this year to restore the region’s salmon runs before more become extinct — and to better partner with the tribes on the actions necessary to make that happen.
Russia President Vladimir Putin makes a rare visit to North Korea, an old ally
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in North Korea early Wednesday, after he said the two countries want to cooperate closely to overcome U.S.-led sanctions in the face of intensifying confrontations with Washington. Putin was met at Pyongyang’s airport by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Putin, making his first trip to North Korea in 24 years, said in comments that appeared in North Korean state media hours before he landed that he appreciates the country’s firm support of his military action in Ukraine. The visit comes amid growing concerns about an arms arrangement in which Pyongyang provides Moscow with munitions for the war in Ukraine in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers.
What’s a heat dome? Here’s why so much of the US is broiling this week
FENTON, Mich. (AP) — Much of the Midwest and the Northeast is broiling — or set to broil — in extreme summer heat this week. Meteorologists are talking about heat waves and heat domes. Both terms mean it’s really hot. And people will hear them a lot more as the world heats up. What’s the difference? Ken Kunkel, a research professor of atmospheric sciences at North Carolina State University, says it’s helpful to think of a heat dome as what’s happening in the atmosphere. And a heat wave is how it affects people on the ground. As both a wave and a dome hit the US, the National Weather Service says that the most extreme heat is expected in the Ohio Valley and the Northeast.
The beginner’s guide to celebrating Juneteenth
Many Americans are celebrating Juneteenth, marking the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the U.S. learned they were free. For generations, Black Americans have recognized the end of one of history’s darkest chapters with joy, in the form of parades, street festivals, musical performances or cookouts. It was the day when a Union officer reached Galveston, Texas and announced their liberation. It would take another century and a half and lots of rallying for the U.S. government to recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday. There’s a push today for people to see beyond the revelry and learn about Juneteenth’s history.
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