Scorching temperatures, humidity making life miserable for millions from Midwest to Maine
BOSTON (AP) — A blistering heat wave stretching from the Midwest to the tip of Maine is leaving millions of people sweltering through the Juneteenth holiday. Many cities have issued heat warnings and several places canceled activities planned for the holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Some places closed cooling centers due to the holiday, forcing those who rely on them find other places to seek relief. The dangerous temperatures are expected to peak in the eastern Great Lakes and New England on Wednesday and Thursday, and in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic on Friday and Saturday.
What’s known, and not known, about the partnership agreement signed by Russia and North Korea
Both Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un say the strategic partnership they have signed is a breakthrough. But neither side has released the text of the agreement that resulted from Putin’s visit to Pyongyang, and its consequences for the near and long terms are uncertain. Relations between sprawling Russia and small, isolated North Korea — both of them nuclear powers — have warmed significantly in recent years amid Russia’s growing acrimony with the West over the invasion of Ukraine and suppression of all domestic opposition. The new agreements could bring them even closer, and pose new challenges to the international community.
Cooler temps and rain could help corral blazes that forced thousands to flee New Mexico village
ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — Cooler weather and the chance of rain could bring some relief to firefighters battling a pair of wildfires in southern New Mexico. More than 1,400 structures have been damaged or destroyed in the mountain village of Ruidoso, and at least one person has died as a result of fire. Thousands of people fled with little notice as wind drove flames into the community of about 7,000 that expands with tourists in the warmer months. The National Weather Service says moisture from a tropical wave in the Gulf could bring rain to the area by Wednesday afternoon.
Tropical Storm Alberto forms in southwest Gulf, 1st named storm of the hurricane season
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Alberto has formed in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, the first named storm of what is forecast to be a busy hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center said early Wednesday afternoon that Alberto was located about 180 miles east of Tampico, Mexico, and about 295 miles south-southeast of Brownsville, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. A tropical storm is defined by sustained winds of between 39 and 73 mph, and one with stronger winds is a hurricane. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts the hurricane season from June 1 to Nov. 30 is likely to be well above average, with between 17 and 25 named storms.
The Ten Commandments must be displayed in Louisiana classrooms under requirement signed into law
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed the bill mandating the display on Wednesday. The GOP-drafted legislation mandates that a poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in “large, easily readable font” be required in all public classrooms, from kindergarten to state-funded universities. Opponents question the law’s constitutionality. Several civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union promised a lawsuit. Proponents say the purpose of the measure is not solely religious, but that it has historical significance. Classrooms must display the Ten Commandments by the start of 2025.
Immigrant families rejoice over Biden’s expansive move toward citizenship, while some are left out
HOUSTON (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of immigrants had reason to rejoice when President Joe Biden unveiled a highly expansive plan to extend legal status to spouses of U.S. citizens but, inevitably, some were left out. Biden says his administration will allow spouses without legal status to apply for permanent residency without having to first depart the country. To qualify, they must have lived in the United States for 10 years and be married to a U.S. citizen, both as of Monday. Every immigration benefit — even those as sweeping as Biden’s election-year offer — have cutoff dates and other eligibility requirements.
A US aircraft carrier and its crew have fought Houthi attacks for months. How long can it last?
ABOARD THE USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER IN THE RED SEA (AP) — Fatigue is setting in as a U.S. aircraft carrier nears its ninth month waging the most intense running sea battle since World War II. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, its strike group and about 7,000 sailors have been protecting commercial shipping in the Red Sea from months of attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The length of the campaign has raised difficult questions as U.S. defense leaders wrangle over how to replicate the carrier’s combat power if the ship returns home to Norfolk, Virginia. Already the carrier’s deployment has been extended twice. A decision on what’s next is expected soon.
Hundreds died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia amid intense heat, officials say
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Hundreds of people have died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as the faithful faced intense high temperatures at Islamic holy sites in the desert kingdom. Saudi Arabia has not commented on the death toll amid the heat during the pilgrimage, required of every able Muslim once in their life. However, hundreds of people lined up Wednesday at the Emergency Complex in Al-Muaisem neighborhood in Mecca, trying to get information about their missing family members. One list circulating online suggested at least 550 people died during the Hajj. The list offered no cause of death.
Rickwood Field, Willie Mays’ first pro park and monument of opportunity and oppression, welcomes MLB
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Rickwood Field will host an MLB game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants on Thursday. It’s the oldest professional ballpark in the U.S. and former home to baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays and the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues. It’s a time capsule of opportunity and oppression, a site for social gatherings and political events, as well as baseball achievements in the 20th century. The game meant to honor Mays and many other Negro Leaguers will be both somber and reminiscent. Mays, the electrifying center fielder who left an enduring mark on baseball, died Tuesday afternoon.
On Juneteenth, a journalist honors ancestor at ceremony for Black soldiers who served in Civil War
WASHINGTON (AP) — Darren Sands, now a reporter for The Associated Press, was researching his family history three years ago when he found a riveting missing piece. He learned that his great-great-great-great grandfather _ Hewlett Sands _ was one of the more than 200,000 names listed on the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C. He was a soldier from New York who served in a United States Colored Troops regiment that fought for the Union – and for the freedom that American Americans still celebrate today. Darren Sands is attending a Juneteenth commemoration at the memorial to honor those troops, including his ancestor.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
