The giant flying spiders are here to stay
Huge flying arachnids are spreading across the Eastern U.S. Rapper Flavor Flav is trying to save Red Lobster. And Earth has had 12 months in a row of record heat. Yuck.
👋 Hey, there! Laura Davis here. Check the clock: It’s time for Wednesday’s news.
But first: Where is Cherrie? 🔎 A woman is claiming to be a Pennsylvania girl who's been missing since 1985. But the girl's mother knows better.
Web of Joro spiders expands
They're creepy. They're crawly. They are kind of a nightmare – and they're here to stay.
What are they? They're giant, venomous, flying spiders – known as Joro spiders – with 4-inch legs, and they're probably going to invade the New York area sometime this year after initially infiltrating the Southeastern U.S. from Japan. Georgia served as the "ground zero" for the arachnids in 2021 as residents saw the spiders in urban and rural areas.
Yes, I said flying: What makes the Joro spider different from many other spiders is its ability to fly by using a technique called "ballooning." Shudder. 🕷️ Here's what to know about the arachnids.
From the Space Coast to space
There they go! Two veteran NASA astronauts, Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams, are finally headed for the International Space Station aboard Boeing's Starliner space capsule nearly a month after its initial launch was scrubbed at the last minute.
Why it's a big deal: Launching Wednesday from Florida, the first crewed flight of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner is a critical demonstration for the aerospace company, which hopes to join Elon Musk's SpaceX as one of two companies making routine trips to orbit on NASA’s behalf. The mission is the first crewed orbital test flight for Boeing after two previous demonstrations with no astronauts on board. 🚀 What to know about the mission.
📸 Out-of-this-world images: See stunning photos of space.
Real quick
Sturgill Simpson's got a new name and a new album.
Pro rock climber gets life in prison for sexual assaults in Yosemite.
'Incredible' teenage T-rex fossil discovered by boys on a hike.
Millie Bobby Brown, Sofia Richie and the truth about marrying young.
Gen Z's not mad if you ask for a tip but less likely to give one.
After public outcry, Florida adjusts school library book removal training.
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A perfect storm of heat
Is everybody staying hydrated out there? I just cranked my AC up and got a fresh glass of iced tea. Here's the deal, it's a new month – and we've got another climate record: May 2024 was the 12th straight month of record-warm temperatures for the planet, scientists announced Wednesday. That's the second-longest such streak on record. Unfortunately, Earth being hot is nothing new. But this uninterrupted run of all-time temperature records is unprecedented, to say the least. So why has our planet been so dang hot recently? 🥵 See the breakdown.
Severe weather, storms target Midwest as heat bakes the West.
One of everything, please 🦞🍴
Flavor Flav is out there fighting the power – and Red Lobster isn't going under if he has anything to say about it. The Public Enemy rapper, 65, posted on X that he recently went to a Red Lobster location, pulled up a chair, and ordered every single item on the menu. He was following through on his earlier promise to "help save one of America's greatest dining dynasties." The restaurant chain filed for bankruptcy last month and closed dozens of locations. After making waves on social media, Flavor Flav clarified his massive order was not comped – and suggested he plans to pull the same stunt at other locations. 👀🦞 See more from Flav's visit.
Ya boy meant it when I said I was gonna do anything and everything to help @redlobster and save the cheddar bay biscuits,,, ordered the whole menu,!!! 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾 pic.twitter.com/MVBcgHe6VT
— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) June 3, 2024
A break from the news
🛑 Sorry, you probably didn't win a free vacation or concert tickets.
🍿 Hit play on the 10 best new movies of the year so far.
⏰ Game break! Play today’s USA TODAY Crossword. Our expert, Sally, breaks it down.
Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hi: laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joro spiders, Flavor Flav at Red Lobster, heat records: Wednesday's news
