The US climate goes up in heat and smoke

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Millions in America face extreme heat and harmful air quality; explosions damage a critical bridge linking annexed Crimea to mainland Russia.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

Excessive heat and wildfire smoke blanket the US

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

• Monday, around 70 million people in major cities from Chicago to New York faced unhealthy air quality as smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires reached the US. [CNN / Caitlin Kaiser]
• Canada is battling unprecedented wildfires this year. Climate change has made fire seasons longer and more intense. The smoke contains tiny pollution particles linked to health problems, especially for the vulnerable. [Washington Post / Annabelle Timsit and Ian Livingston]
• Canada’s wildfires have destroyed record acreage since May; favorable fire conditions are forecasted to continue so the US could see effects for months. Residents can check local air conditions here. [Vox / Li Zhou]
• Aside from the smoke, roughly a quarter of the US population could face extreme heat warnings this week as the triple-digit heatwave baking the South spreads eastward. [New York Times / Claire Moses and Johnny Diaz]
• Heat, much of it fueled by climate change, causes more US deaths per year than any other weather hazard, in part because it is difficult for many to find relief. [NBC / Evan Bush]

📍 If you read just one story

Vox’s Keren Landman explains the risks from air pollution and when to seek help. [Vox / Keren Landman]

The (second) Crimea bridge attack

• Early Monday, explosions hit the only bridge linking mainland Russia and Crimea for the second time since Russia’s invasion. A couple was killed and their daughter was injured. [Guardian / Andrew Roth]
• Moscow uses the 12-mile Kerch Strait Bridge to send weapons and supplies for its war in Ukraine. It also holds symbolic importance for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. [CNN]
• Russia could react strongly; the Kremlin launched months of strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure after the bridge was damaged in October. [NYT / Matthew Mpoke Bigg]
• Meanwhile, Russia suspended its participation in a deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports from the Black Sea, increasing the threat of global food insecurity. [NPR / Emily Olson and Joe Hernandez]

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The US Supreme Court has increasingly used the “major questions” doctrine to effectively veto any Biden administration action the justices consider too consequential. [Vox / Ian Millhiser]

• Experts think a large metal cylinder that washed up on a Western Australia beach 155 miles north of Perth could be part of an Indian space rocket. [BBC / Antoinette Radford]
• Elton John and his husband testified for actor Kevin Spacey’s defense in a UK sexual assault trial. [Guardian / Emine Sinmaz]
• Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is cutting campaign staff amid financial struggles, raising questions about the future of his 2024 presidential bid. [NBC]

“Wear light-colored clothing. Loose fitting helps as well.”

Ken Graham, director of the National Weather Service on how to cope with extreme heat. [Twitter]

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