Early dismissal, cold towels, water handouts – how Americans are coping in scorching heatwave
Thousands of wilting Americans were scrambling to keep themselves cool on Tuesday as an oppressive heatwave blanketed swathes of the Midwest.
The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings and advisories across large swathes of Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and into Mid-Atlantic states including Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
A woman in Chicago uses an umbrella to shield herself from the sun. Pic: Reuters
The weather service was warning of “dangerously hot conditions” and forecast heat index values – which take into account the humidity and how hot it feels – of up to 110 to 115F (43-46C) in some locations, including Chicago.
But relief was expected soon in some areas of the US, with cooler temperatures expected starting Wednesday.
“The heat still persists across the middle part of the country, but there is some much cooler air working in by the end of the month,” Josh Weiss, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Darrell Taylor, 61, has no air-conditioning in his flat in Chicago, where it reached a record-breaking 98F (36C). He likened the conditions to an oven, and said even running two fans did not help.
“I put a cold towel on my face. It’s only working a little bit,” he said before taking cover at a relative’s home with air conditioning.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Is the UK getting hotter?
Chicago is among those cities that have opened cooling centres to protect people from heat stress, which can exacerbate health conditions and is particularly dangerous for the elderly and vulnerable.
The St. Sabina Catholic Church on Chicago’s South Side collected over 4,000 bottles of water to give away as temperatures climbed.
“We’re blessing people with water because it is a very hot day,” Meryle Davie-Hawthorne said as she handed out bottles chilled in boxes of ice. “We just want to help out.”
Two teenagers plunge into Lake Michigan. Pic: Reuters
Meanwhile, some schools planned to close early or cancelled classes because of the heat, and zoos are cutting hours or giving animals iced treats.
While heatwaves are a natural phenomenon, they are being made worse by climate change because it is increasing baseline temperatures, according to scientists from the World Weather Attribution group.
Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump he “will not back down” from Russia’s goals in Ukraine during a phone call today, the Kremlin has said.
The Russian president spoke to his US counterpart for almost an hour, and Mr Trump “again raised the issue of an early end to military action” in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
In response, Mr Putin said “Russia will not back down” from its aims there, which include “the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs,” Mr Ushakov said.
The phrase “root causes” is shorthand for Moscow’s argument that it was compelled to invade Ukraine in order to prevent the country from joining NATO.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Trump and Putin’s latest call on Ukraine
Ukraine and its European allies say this is a pretext to justify what they call an imperial-style war, but Mr Trump has previously shown sympathy with Russia.
At the same time, Mr Putin told the US president that Russia is ready to continue negotiating, the aide said.
The Russian president said any prospective peace deal must see Ukraine give up its NATO bid and recognise his country’s territorial gains.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, seen with Mr Trump in June, is pushing for Ukraine to join NATO. Pic: Reuters
He also briefed Mr Trump on agreements made last month, which saw Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners of war and dead soldiers.
Specific dates for the third round of peace talks in Istanbul were not discussed – nor was the US decision to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s call came after the Pentagon confirmed some weapons due to be sent to Ukraine have been held as it reviews military stockpiles.
The paused shipments include air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery, two people familiar with the situation have said.
Read more:
Putin threatens nuclear strike
Western brands on Russian shelves despite sanctions
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
The decision led to Ukraine calling in the acting US envoy to Kyiv on Wednesday to underline the importance of military aid from Washington.
Kyiv also cautioned that the move would weaken Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against intensifying Russian airstrikes and battlefield advances.
Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s phone call was the sixth they have publicly disclosed since the US president returned to the White House in January.
Donald Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ has been passed by the US congress, sending it to the president to sign into law.
The controversial tax breaks and spending cuts package cleared its final hurdle as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the bill with a 218-214 vote.
The bill delivers tax breaks Mr Trump promised in his 2024 election campaign, cuts health and food safety programmes, and zeroes out dozens of green energy incentives.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), it will lower tax revenues by $4.5trn over 10 years and add $3.4trn to the US’s $36.2trn debt.
But despite concerns over the 869-page bill’s price tag – and its hit to healthcare programmes – Republicans largely lined up in support, with just two rebelling on the vote.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is congratulated following the vote. Pic: Reuters
Every Democrat in Congress voted against the bill, blasting it as a giveaway to the wealthy that will leave millions of Americans uninsured.
House Speaker Mike Johnson made the Republicans’ closing argument for the bill, telling Congress: “For everyday Americans, this means real, positive change that they can feel.”
Earlier, the House’s Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries gave a record-breaking eight-hour and 44-minute speech against it.
“The focus of this bill, the justification for all of the cuts that will hurt everyday Americans, is to provide massive tax breaks for billionaires,” he said.
👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈
The bill’s spending cuts largely target Medicaid, the health programme that covers 71 million Americans on low incomes.
It will tighten enrolment standards, institute a work requirement and clamp down on a funding mechanism used by states to boost federal payments.
The changes could leave nearly 12 million people without health insurance, according to the CBO.
On the other side of the ledger, it will stave off tax increases that were due to hit most Americans at the end of the year, when tax cuts from President Trump’s first term were due to expire.
It also sets up new tax breaks for overtime pay, seniors and tipped income.
Read more:
Why the bill sparked an ugly debate
Kremlin shares details of Putin-Trump call
The bill narrowly passed the US Senate on Tuesday after vice president JD Vance cast the deciding vote to break a 50-50 tie.
Mr Trump will sign it into law on Friday at 5pm local time (10pm in the UK), the White House said.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike