Live from NPR news in Washington, I'm Louise Skivoni.
Fourth of July celebrations in some parts of the country are being canceled amid record-breaking
temperatures.
“NPR's Cat Lonstaur reports that the National Weather Service has issued extreme heat warnings”
in 23 states. The high temperatures are largely due to a heat dome, looming over the northeastern U.S. stretching from southern Maine to the mid-Atlantic and as far west as Missouri. Global governors issued warnings for residents to be mindful of the heat while celebrating, telling people to stay hydrated, take air-conditioned breaks.
Philadelphia canceled its fourth of July parade due to heat concerns. The event was supposed to be one of the largest in the country, several other cities also canceled their celebrations, including some in the DC area. But official events in Washington, including a massive fireworks display on the fourth, are
still proceeding as planned.
Cat Lonstaur, MPR News. Record-dry conditions in many areas have elevated fire risks this year, and that is going to mean restrictions on fireworks displays across the nation. Utah has banned personal fireworks due to extreme wildfire risk.
“In Colorado where several large wildfires continue to burn, there are also restrictions.”
Steena Siegg, from Colorado Public Radio, has more. The gold mountain fires, forest evacuations outside the picturesque mountain town of Yure. Equated local Belinda Willis, was horrified to see people lighting a bonfire on a recent night, and urges everyone to celebrate the fourth safely. Don't think of yourself, think of others.
We cannot go into this like, oh, is my fourth of July, and it should be wonderful, because it's not wonderful right now, where in the middle of a crisis to the east a huge blaze near Pueblo is destroyed homes and remains a top firefighting priority in the country. Over the weekend, three firefighters died in a fire near the Utah border. For MPR News, I'm Steena Siegg, in Grand Junction, Colorado.
The Iranian government is preparing for the days-long funeral of the Iranian Supreme Leader, who was killed in an Israeli air strike last February. Official ceremonies begin tomorrow, and PR's Hedil Al-Shalshi reports not all Iranians feel this is a moment to note.
“There will be memorial ceremonies and recessions for Ayatollah Ali-Hamenei in Tehran”
and the city of Khom, then the remains will be taken to Shia Holy Sites in Najiff and Karbala in Iraq. He will be buried next Thursday in his birthplace of Meshhad. Iranian authorities are expected to shut down streets on the airspace. Some Iranian say the funeral is a time to say good riddance to the authoritarian leader,
who led the country since 1989. A 38-year-old doctor who wants to remain anonymous for fear of government retaliation, says she hopes this funeral will mark the end of a dark chapter in Iranian history. "I'm going to guess I'm going to have a more hanging piece." "I don't care about which pit the body will be dumped in," she says.
"Hedil Al-Shalshi and PR news, Istanbul." This is NPR.
Health officials in France are reporting that deaths last week surged by 29 percent as the nation
battled its hottest week on record. Paris was hardest hit with a 63 percent increase in deaths. American troops deployed to Nigeria early this year to help fight Islamist militants have mostly returned to the US, senior military official says, and PR's dual-bright has details. The head of the US-Africa Command, General Diving Anderson, says some US soldiers returned home.
After carrying out joint military operations with Nigerian troops, that significantly degraded ISIS leadership in Nigeria. A spokesperson for Nigeria's military says despite the withdrawal, several US military personnel remain stationed in Nigeria to help with intelligence sharing. The Pentagon deployed more than 200 troops to Nigeria at a this year to help train the local
military in their fight against Islamist insurgents. But so just went on to conduct airstrikes and combat operations against ISIS targets. Jewel Brides, MP on newspapers More than 2,500 people in Venezuela are no dead after twin earthquake struck around Caracas last week. The search continues for tens of thousands of missing.
And now a center for not only the earthquake injured people, but also missing pets has emerged at a McDonald's restaurant in the seaside town of Carabayada. Veterinarian students, doctors, and civilian volunteers stumbled across the golden arches which still had air conditioning and now it's become a de facto care center for both humans and lost pets.
I'm Louise Kivone and PR News. Every episode of its Beniminate, MPR is what's happening in culture podcast. Starts by asking three questions. Who? How?
Why now? If the culture is asking it, we're talking about it. At MPR, we stand for your right to be curious and indulge your cultural curiosity. Follow its Beniminate wherever you get your podcasts. And we'll break down the zeitgeistie topics that are filling your feed.
