Amna Nawaz:
Biden also pushed back on members of his own party, who’ve questioned his mental and physical faculties while in office and whether he should have run for president. He said he has — quote — “no regrets” and that he would — quote — “put my record as president against any president at all.”
Dozens of wildfires are raging in Canada’s Manitoba Province, forcing thousands to evacuate and threatening the air quality for millions in the Upper Midwest of the U.S. Massive plumes of smoke could be seen from space and they’re forecast to travel south to Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
Meanwhile, the Western U.S. is dealing with its first major heat wave of the year. More than 18 million people are under heat alerts with the potential for temperatures to top 100 degrees in some areas and even break records. That is, as scientists say in a new study, that half the world’s population, about four billion people, suffered at least one extra month of extreme heat last year due to climate change.
Nigeria’s government has expressed its profound sorrow after flooding killed at least 111 people. Rescue efforts are under way in the market town of Mokwa, which is a major meeting point for farmers from the north of Nigeria and traders from the south. Torrential rains overnight caused the flooding that washed away homes and parts of a bridge. The region has been experiencing more severe flooding in recent years, which scientists blame in part on climate change.
Officials expect the death toll to rise as the search continues.
In the Middle East, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 27 people in Gaza today, as Hamas weighs a cease-fire proposal approved by Israel. Hospital officials in Northern Gaza counted 12 bodies, including three women, after they — were received after airstrikes pounded the city of Jabalia.
Hamas has so far given a cool response to the latest U.S.-proposed true steal, which would not permanently end the war. In the meantime, the U.S.-backed agency that’s largely in charge of aid distribution in Gaza says today it’s delivered more than two million meals in its first four days of operation. But the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has faced criticism after chaotic scenes this week of desperate Palestinians scrambling for aid.
In the U.K., prosecutors accused a British man of deliberately using his car as a weapon when he drove into a crowd of Liverpool soccer fans earlier this week. Paul Doyle did not enter a plea during his first court hearing earlier today. He’s charged with seven counts, including dangerous driving and intentionally causing grievous bodily harm.
The 53-year-old allegedly injured 79 people earlier this week during a celebration for Liverpool’s Premier League championship. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
PBS filed a lawsuit today in us district court suing the president to block his executive order that would cut all of its federal funding. It follows a similar complaint filed by NPR earlier this week. The lawsuit, filed by PBS and Minnesota public TV station Lakeland PBS, says President Trump’s order violates laws that — quote — “forbid the president from serving as the arbiter of the content of PBS’ programming.”
It also claims the order would — quote — “upend” public television, which airs everything from children’s programming like “Sesame Street” to news like “Frontline” and this broadcast.
Mr. Trump’s executive order issued earlier this month demanded that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting cut funding to NPR and PBS, arguing they are politically biased.
Wall Street ended the month of May on a quiet note following a hectic week dominated by headlines about tariffs. The Dow Jones industrial average added about 50 points on the day. The Nasdaq slipped around 60 points, or about a third of 1 percent. The S&P 500 ended the week virtually unchanged.
And Taylor Swift is taking control of her entire body of work. The pop superstar said today she’s bought her back catalog of recordings from their most recent owner, private equity firm Shamrock Capital. She did not say for how much. Swift has been rerecording many of her first albums since they were sold in 2019 as part of a larger acquisition of Nashville record company Big Machine.
In a post announcing the news today, she said — quote — “The best things that have ever been mine finally actually are.”
And the Scripps National Spelling Bee has a new champ after a roller-coaster night where the winner almost lost.
Faizan Zaki, Scripps National Spelling Bee winner: E-C-L-A-I-R-C-I-S-S-E-M-E-N-T. Eclaircissement.
