Yellowstone's floods and Montana’s governor

Unprecedented flooding in Yellowstone National Park causes a disaster in Montana; Ukraine gets a path to joining the EU.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

Yellowstone floods reach Montana

William Campbell/Getty Images

• This week, severe flooding wiped out roads, bridges, and infrastructure in Yellowstone National Park, threatening the livelihoods of nearby communities. [BBC]
• On Monday, intense rainfall and rapid snowmelt caused rivers to overflow, forcing the park — which spans Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana — to close for the first time in 34 years. [Reuters / Ruffin Prevost]
• As conditions worsened in Montana, Gov. Greg Gianforte’s office refused to disclose his whereabouts. Gianforte returned Thursday evening from a personal trip amid criticism for his absence. [NBC News / Corky Siemaszko]
• Parts of the park could remain closed for months. Local businesses that make most of their yearly income from millions of visitors during the summer are worried. [CBS News / Analisa Novak]
• Most of the park’s wolves, bears, and other wildlife can withstand severe flooding. However, climate change, which likely causes more frequent extreme rainfall events, is pushing animals’ limits. [Vox / Benji Jones]
• Thursday, President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Montana, providing federal funding to help the state recover. [Montana Free Press / Arren Kimbel-Sannit]

How Ukraine could join the EU

• The European Commission on Friday said Ukraine should become a candidate to join its 27 members. [CNN / Luke McGee]
• Gaining membership could take years, since Ukraine must first undergo political and economic reforms. Turkey has been a candidate since 1999. [Reuters / Robin Emmott and Max Hunder]
• The recommendation is likely to boost morale as Ukraine fights off Russia. The move is also a setback in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to curb Western influence in the country. [Associated Press / David Keyton, John Leicester, and Efrem Lukatsky]
• Next week, EU leaders will likely discuss making Ukraine an official candidate, the first step in becoming a member. Although many leaders have voiced support for Ukraine, it’s unclear whether all 27 states agree. [Washington Post / Emily Rauhala, Adela Suliman and Quentin Ariès]

Leaked audio from internal TikTok meetings reveals China had access to US user data. [BuzzFeed News / Emily Baker-White]

• Friday, a UK court approved WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition to the US over leaked documents. [BBC / Charley Adams]
• Senate gun reforms negotiations stalled Thursday over the “boyfriend loophole,” which currently allows certain domestic abusers access to guns. [CBS News]
• Airlines canceled or delayed 4,600 flights on Friday. An Americans Airlines spokesman said most disruptions were weather-related. [USA Today / Zach Wichter]

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“In a moment of unprecedented disaster and economic uncertainty, Gianforte purposefully kept Montanans in the dark about where he was, and who was actually in charge.” 

[Sheila Hogan, the executive director of the Montana Democratic Party / The Hill]

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