Daily Briefing: Heat dome could smother millions

Jane Onyanga-Omara and Julius Lasin, USA TODAY
Updated ·5 min read

Sweltering heat isn't slowing anytime soon in swaths of the U.S. The Pentagon is set to announce millions more dollars in military aid for Ukraine. The kings of college baseball have been crowned.

👋 It's Jane Onyanga-Omara and Julius Lasin, Daily Briefing authors. Dying for a fancy coffee but don't have a milk frother? Reviewed is here to save the day.

Now, here's Tuesday's news.

Millions could face record-setting heat

Tens of millions of Americans across the south and central U.S. – many of them in Texas – have endured a brutal heat wave over the past couple of weeks as temperatures soared to record levels.

Forecasters expect the intense heat to continue in Texas for much of this week and expand north into the Plains and east into the Southeast. Relief is not expected before the Fourth of July holiday. Lea esta historia en español.

  • More than 45 million Americans live where some level of heat alert was in effect as of Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

  • Several Texas cities set or tied all-time record-high temperatures: Del Rio (115 degrees), Laredo (115 degrees) and San Angelo (114 degrees).

  • The cauldron of misery is courtesy of a sprawling heat dome that has parked itself over portions of Texas and Mexico, sending temperatures skyrocketing.

  • Meanwhile, strong weather moving through the Northeast, especially around New York, caused the cancellation of more than 1,600 U.S. flights Monday, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.

A couple shares their coconut water to cool off from the heat on 8th Street in Little Havana, Miami, Florida during a heat wave on June 26, 2023.
A couple shares their coconut water to cool off from the heat on 8th Street in Little Havana, Miami, Florida during a heat wave on June 26, 2023.

US to send $500 million in military aid to Ukraine, officials say

The Pentagon is expected to announce Tuesday that it is sending up to $500 million in military aid to Ukraine, including more than 50 heavily armored vehicles and missiles, U.S. officials said, following the brief weekend insurrection in Russia by Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner mercenary group that he has controlled. Russian authorities said Tuesday they have closed a criminal investigation into the armed rebellion, with no charges against Prigozhin or others. The aid is aimed at bolstering Ukraine's counteroffensive, which has been moving slowly. Read more

More news to know now

Judge to weigh whether Trump's New York criminal case should be moved

A judge is set to hear arguments Tuesday over former President Donald Trump's attempt to move his criminal case in New York out of the state court, where he was indicted, to a federal court where he could potentially try to get the case dismissed. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein isn’t expected to immediately rule. Trump’s lawyers sought to move the case to Manhattan federal court soon after Trump pleaded not guilty in April to charges that he falsified his company's business records to hide hush money payouts aimed at burying allegations of extramarital sexual encounters. Requests to move criminal cases from state to federal court are rarely granted.

Malaria cases in Texas and Florida are the first US spread in 20 years

The United States has seen five cases of malaria spread by mosquitos in the last two months — the first time there’s been local spread in 20 years — prompting officials to issue a public health alert. Four cases were identified in southwest Florida and one in southern Texas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Malaria is a serious disease transmitted through the bite of an infective female anopheline mosquito, according to the CDC. Although malaria can be fatal, the CDC said illness and death from the disease can usually be prevented. There is no evidence the five cases in the two states are related, the CDC said. Read more

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LSU wins Men's College World Series final

The kings of college baseball have been crowned. The LSU Tigers won the national championship after steamrolling Florida, 18-4, in the deciding game of the Men's College World Series final. The Tigers triumphed in the winner-take-all game on Monday night thanks to a dominant performance by pitcher Thatcher Hurd and offensive production up and down the lineup. The Tigers would out-hit the Gators 24 to 5. After claiming its seventh national championship Monday, LSU is now in sole position of the second most titles in Division I baseball. Read more.

LSU celebrates after defeating Florida in Game 3 of the College World Series.
LSU celebrates after defeating Florida in Game 3 of the College World Series.

Quick hits

Photo of the day: The 2023 World's Ugliest Dog

His tongue hangs seemingly limp from his mouth, he's bald except for wisps of scraggly white hair on his head, and a deformity causes him to use a cart to navigate the world. Scooter, a 7-year-old Chinese Crested pooch, won't be winning any "best in show" awards anytime soon. But his distinct features helped him capture the attention of the judges at the World's Ugliest Dog contest. Read more about Scooter and see more photos of his fellow contestants here.

Scooter, a Chinese Crested, owned by Linda Elmquist is awarded first place, on stage during the annual World's Ugliest Dog contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California, on June 23, 2023. Scooter was the winner of the 2023 World's Ugliest Dog Competition.
Scooter, a Chinese Crested, owned by Linda Elmquist is awarded first place, on stage during the annual World's Ugliest Dog contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California, on June 23, 2023. Scooter was the winner of the 2023 World's Ugliest Dog Competition.

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Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heat dome, Ukraine, Trump case, malaria, LSU: Daily Briefing

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