FEMA has started releasing disaster declarations in batches. All 35 this year came on seven days
FEMA approved five major disaster declarations at once on Monday. Every one of 2026's 35 has landed on one of seven days, and the median wait from a state's request is now 47 days.
Spokane fires: an arson arrest over Old Trails, and the engines are moving to Autumn Lane
Spokane County detectives booked a man for first-degree arson over the Old Trails fire. All three fires are still uncontained, and Autumn Lane took most of Monday's reinforcements.
Avista told investors about the Spokane fires in an 8-K. The 10-Q it filed the same day does not mention them
The Spokane utility filed three documents on Monday. One describes fires burning through its service territory; the quarterly report filed alongside it lists a different incident as its only subsequent event.
Spokane’s Old Trails fire destroyed a building for every 6.6 acres. No other fire in the country is close
Three fires that started within three and a half hours of each other on Saturday have taken 660 structures — 38% of everything the national fire report records as lost, on 0.31% of its acreage. All three were still at zero containment on Monday morning.
Cyclospora’s first two deaths, and Michigan alone reports six times the national outbreak count
Michigan attributes the deaths to its own 11,234-case outbreak, not to the nine-state outbreak the CDC has been counting at 1,947. One state is reporting 67% more cases than the CDC records for the whole country.
Altria’s cigarette profit rose $12m last quarter. Customs refunds contributed $27m of it
The number is in the 10-Q, not the press release. It is the second quarter running that Altria has quantified its duty-drawback benefit only in the filing — $51m in the first quarter, $27m in the second.
Tariff refunds have reached $119bn, and the trade court is taking cases at a pace it has seen once before
Treasury’s daily ledger shows $118.9bn paid out through the Customs and Border Protection account in the first ten months of this fiscal year, against $10.8bn in all of the last one. The money started moving in May.
The FDA’s drug shortage database holds 1,181 open records. They are 73 drugs
The agency writes one shortage record per package, per manufacturer, so the same drug can appear ninety times. Counted properly, half the list has been in shortage for more than four and a half years, and four entries date from early 2012.
The lettuce outbreak now accounts for under a third of confirmed cyclospora cases, down from about half
The CDC’s named outbreak has been frozen at 1,947 cases since 24 July, while its national surveillance page — updated on the 28th — moved from 4,173 laboratory-confirmed cases to 6,707 across 45 states.
The national wildfire scoreboard says this year is 130% of normal. In the Northwest it is missing more acres than it counts
The federal situation report’s year-to-date table credits the Northwest with 776,014 acres burned. Its own active-incident table, on the same page, puts the fires currently assigned there at 1,835,823 — a gap of more than a million acres, and the report footnotes why.
UPS earnings: the US parcel business made one cent per package last quarter, down from 85 cents
UPS charged 9.3% more per US parcel in the second quarter and still cleared a single cent on each one, because its cost per piece rose 16.8%. The entire gap is one restructuring line — and on the company’s own adjusted numbers, profits went up.
Colorado’s Aspen Acres fire was due to be contained on Wednesday. That morning the federal report moved the date to 15 August
The estimated containment date for the fire southwest of Pueblo had read 29 July in every daily federal situation report since 30 June, when it was 2,476 acres. On the morning of the 29th it changed to 15 August — on a day when the fire itself did not move at all.
Federal agencies now get three days to patch. CISA’s own catalogue shows the deadline started tightening months before the rule that set it
A binding directive issued on 10 June replaced a patch clock that had been almost exactly 21 days for four years. Recomputing every entry in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue shows the collapse happened in two steps, and the first one came three months early.
COVID emergency-room visits hit their lowest level on record in June, and the summer rise is starting from there
CDC’s emergency-department surveillance recorded COVID at 0.09% of visits in mid-June, the lowest in the series’ 1,400-day history. Late July is running at 0.21% — a rise, but 71% below the same week last year.
West Virginia and Kentucky are waiting on three disaster declarations. FEMA’s own records show the median wait this year is 53 days
Two governors have three pending requests between them, one of them expedited. The federal register of declarations shows what usually happens next — and that emergency declarations arrive in a day while the ones that pay households take months.
Boeing has now booked about $2.7bn of losses on a $4bn contract to build two Air Force One jets
The company disclosed another $280m charge on the presidential aircraft in its second quarter. Boeing reports the increments one at a time and never adds them up; totalled, they come to roughly two-thirds of the contract.
Oregon wildfires: 37 large fires, 1.3 million acres and a 10th Conflagration Act invocation
Oregon wildfires span 37 large incidents and 1.32 million acres in Monday’s federal tally, with 68 structures destroyed and the Northwest holding two-thirds of the country’s fire acreage.
Pacific Power’s Oregon rate case: residential bills rise 10.8%, not the 8.6% in the coverage
Pacific Power wants $170.7 million more from Oregon customers. Its own filing puts the residential increase at 10.8% and $15.61 a month — figures the local coverage left out.
Boundary Waters reopens for day use after a closure that voided about 53,000 permit slots
The Boundary Waters reopened select Cook County entry points for day use on Monday after wildfires closed the wilderness on 14 July. Overnight camping stays barred until 29 July.
CDC figures show the lettuce recall accounts for under half of this year’s confirmed cyclospora cases
The Taco Bell-linked outbreak has grown to 1,947 cases across nine states. But the CDC has logged 4,173 laboratory-confirmed cyclosporiasis cases nationally since 1 May, plus more than 7,400 awaiting confirmation — which resolves the case-count gap this site reported last week.
Cyclospora: Michigan alone reports 7,171 cases as FDA retracts its only positive test
Michigan’s state count of 7,171 is more than four times the federal outbreak figure, and the FDA has withdrawn the one lettuce sample that tested positive.
Cyclospora outbreak tied to Taco Bell lettuce reaches 1,644 cases in five states
Cyclospora infections linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell have reached 1,644 reported cases across five states, with 94 hospitalisations. The FDA traced the lettuce to a single Mexican supplier.
Minnesota air quality hits worst levels on record as Boundary Waters fires burn
Minnesota recorded the most intense smoke pollution in its history this week, with readings in Ely and Duluth far above anything previously measured. The Twin Cities reached a "hazardous" air rating for the first time on record.
Andrew and Tristan Tate arrested in Miami as UK seeks extradition on 38 new charges
US Marshals arrested the Tate brothers in Miami on Saturday on a sealed warrant. British prosecutors have brought 38 further charges including rape and sex trafficking, taking the total to 59.
New York becomes the first state to hit pause on big new data centers
Governor Kathy Hochul ordered a pause of up to a year on state permits for large data centers — those drawing 50 megawatts or more — making New York the first US state to brake the AI-driven buildout over energy and cost concerns.
Chip stocks tumble as DeepSeek in-house silicon and Samsung results spark AI-valuation jitters
Semiconductor shares sank on July 7 after reports China's DeepSeek is building its own AI chip and weak Samsung results reignited doubts about AI spending. A gauge of chipmakers fell over 4.5%; Micron dropped 4.7% and the SMH ETF slid nearly 4%.
Heat Dome's Record Tally Comes Into Focus as Relief Nears for the East
As the Fourth of July heat dome that put more than 185 million Americans under alerts begins to break down, the record tally is coming into focus — from Newark's 105°F to Atlantic City's 105°F — with cooler air set to reach the East by midweek.
Sail250 Fills New York Harbor With Tall Ships for America's 250th Fourth of July
The Sail250 parade sent 45 tall ships and more than 40 warships up the Hudson on the Fourth of July — organizers' pick for the largest maritime gathering in U.S. history, and the biggest tall-ship fleet New York has seen since the 1976 Bicentennial.
AI Screen Turns Up New Weapons Against Drug-Resistant Gonorrhea
A machine-learning search through millions of molecules has identified two experimental antibiotics that kill drug-resistant gonorrhea in new ways — including one that disables a bacterial enzyme no existing drug targets, a lab at Harvard, MIT and the Broad reports.
Heat dome peaks for July Fourth with 185 million under alerts and 300-plus records in reach
The heat dome The Fold tracked building in late June crested over the holiday weekend, with more than 185 million Americans under heat alerts and over 300 daily records expected to fall from the Plains to the East Coast by Saturday.
Hiring cooled to 57,000 in June even as the Dow closed at a record
June payrolls rose just 57,000, about half of what economists expected, and prior months were revised down by 74,000 — yet the Dow finished July 2 at a record 52,900 as investors bet a softening labor market keeps the Fed on hold.
A study of 720,000 patients finds most referred for a kidney transplant never reach the waitlist
Analyzing records from 720,348 adults referred for kidney transplantation, researchers found nearly half never began the evaluation and only about 19 percent made the waitlist — a bottleneck the authors say the usual referral count conceals.
US declines to renew USMCA, pushing North American trade pact into a decade of annual reviews
The Trump administration refused to renew the USMCA at its July 1 deadline, triggering yearly reviews of a pact covering $1.6 trillion in trade. Without a deal, it expires in 2036.
Meta plans cloud business to sell excess AI compute, taking on AWS, Azure and Google
Meta is building a cloud service to sell spare AI computing power and access to models like Muse Spark, Bloomberg reported. Shares jumped over 10%; CoreWeave and Nebius sank.
USMNT beats Bosnia 2-0 for first World Cup knockout win since 2002, loses Balogun to red card
Folarin Balogun scored then saw red as ten-man USA beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 at Levi's Stadium. Malik Tillman's free kick sealed a Round of 16 date with Belgium.
Beshear 'confident' Kentucky will get FEMA aid after floods that killed three in Madison County
At a Richmond news conference, Gov. Andy Beshear said flood damage to roads and bridges makes federal public assistance 'a slam dunk' and that 40 damaged homes may qualify for individual aid.
Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship 6-3, voids Trump order
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to nearly all children born on U.S. soil, striking down President Trump’s order to deny it to babies of unauthorized and temporary-visa parents.
Supreme Court upholds state bans on transgender athletes in girls' and women's sports
In a 6-3 decision on the final day of its term, the Supreme Court upheld West Virginia and Idaho laws barring transgender girls from female school sports, ruling states may set eligibility by biological sex without violating Title IX or the Constitution.
Dow tops 52,000 for the first time as Alphabet debuts in the index
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 52,000 for the first time, rising 306 points to 52,182.74 on June 29 as Alphabet made its debut in the blue-chip index, replacing Verizon after 22 years.
FDA peptide panel stacked with industry insiders as RFK Jr. pushes to widen access
The FDA's advisory panel set to review controversial peptide drugs next month includes more than a half-dozen members with financial ties to the peptide industry, even as career scientists question whether the evidence supports the expansion Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants.
Extreme heat warnings cover 47 million from Midwest to East Coast into July 4 week
About 47 million Americans across the Midwest and Ohio Valley were under extreme heat warnings Tuesday, with heat indexes near 105 in Chicago and Minneapolis as the dangerous dome of heat spreads east and threatens records through the July 4 holiday.
Three firefighters killed in burnover on Colorado’s Snyder Fire
Three federal wildland firefighters—Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson and Sydney Watson—died in a burnover near the Colorado-Utah border as the Gore and Knowles fires merged into the 28,000-acre Snyder Fire, with two others injured.
Supreme Court lets Trump fire independent agency heads, overturning Humphrey's Executor
In a 6-3 ruling in Trump v. Slaughter, the Supreme Court overruled the 1935 precedent that shielded officials at the FTC and dozens of independent agencies from at-will removal, vastly expanding presidential control of the bureaucracy.
Supreme Court upholds mail-ballot grace periods, rejecting RNC challenge
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Watson v. RNC that states may count mail ballots postmarked by Election Day but received afterward, preserving grace-period laws in 14 states and D.C. ahead of the midterms.
Cottonwood Fire tops 92,000 acres, poised to be Utah's most destructive
Utah's Cottonwood Fire has burned more than 92,000 acres at 0% containment, the largest active wildfire in the US, prompting Gov. Spencer Cox to declare an emergency and restrict fireworks through July 5 as 12 fires scorch the state.
Cottonwood Fire becomes the largest burning in the US as rare 'particularly dangerous' warning issued
The human-caused Cottonwood Fire in Utah's Fishlake National Forest grew past 70,000 acres with zero containment, prompting the Salt Lake City weather office's first-ever Particularly Dangerous Red Flag Warning and evacuations in Beaver County.
USMNT clinches World Cup Group D, its best group-stage start in 96 years
The United States won Group D at its home World Cup after back-to-back wins, the team's first time opening with two victories in 96 years. The Americans closed group play against Turkiye at SoFi Stadium with a knockout berth already secured.
Earlier coverage
- 'No Kings' rallies sweep the US on Trump's 80th birthday as he hosts a UFC card at the White House
- Skydiving plane crash near Butler, Missouri kills all 12 aboard
- Knicks win first NBA title since 1973; 63 arrested as MSG celebration turns destructive
- Knicks erase 29-point deficit, largest comeback in NBA Finals history, to lead Spurs 3-1
- Alabama appeals ruling that nitrogen gas executions are unconstitutionally cruel
- Platner wins Maine Senate primary despite eleventh-hour campaign turmoil
- Lombardo and Ford win Nevada governor primaries, setting up marquee fall contest
- Federal judge strikes down Trump's $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas
- Houston enters final stretch of World Cup prep as first match nears
- Atlanta readies Mercedes-Benz Stadium for eight World Cup matches
- Bass and Raman head to November runoff for Los Angeles mayor
- Supreme Court enters final month with Trump cases on birthright, firings unresolved
- California pre-positions crews as fire weather and heat build across the south
- Flash flood threat soaks Houston as storms stall over the region
- Senate passes $70 billion ICE and Border Patrol funding bill
- House passes Iran war powers resolution in rare rebuke of Trump
- USDA confirms New World screwworm in South Texas calf, triggering quarantine
- South Florida ramps up security with World Cup days away
- Hilton and Becerra lead California governor primary as Steyer trails
- Karen Bass advances to November runoff in Los Angeles mayor's race
- Arizona reports first death from Sin Nombre hantavirus
- Supreme Court lets Alabama use Republican-favored map for midterms
- New Jersey police take over Delaney Hall as ICE protest curfew holds
- Wembanyama's Spurs oust Thunder in Game 7 to set 1999 Finals rematch with Knicks
- Amarillo approves $14.3m Lawrence Lake flood-protection project
- NASA confirms meteor fireball caused loud boom felt across New England
- Charter bus driver charged after I-95 crash in Virginia kills five
- Chicago approves $23m mixed-use development for Auburn Gresham
- Simi Valley's Sandy Fire reaches 61% containment as some evacuation warnings remain
- Seattle council weighs moratorium on new data centers
- Eight confirmed dead and three missing after chemical-tank implosion at Washington paper mill
- CBS fires two ’60 Minutes’ correspondents and its executive producer in Weiss-led overhaul
- Phoenix bars needle exchange and syringe-delivered naloxone in city parks in 6-3 vote
- Explosion and fire at Dallas apartment building kill at least three
- Ex-CIA official David Rush charged with stealing 303 gold bars worth more than $40 million
- New York and New Jersey subpoena FIFA over World Cup dynamic pricing and zone-switching complaints
- Longview pulp mill death toll reaches two with nine missing as governor warns of "deadliest industrial tragedy" in state
- Minneapolis police chief Brian O'Hara resigns after probe finds he interfered with internal investigation
- Mamdani launches Commission on Government Efficiency as Patrick Gaspard takes chair
- Mayor Brandon Johnson to meet Pope Leo XIV at Vatican as Chicago marks three years of his term
- Santa Fe council passes $521m budget with 8% spending rise
- Texas Senate runoff pits Paxton against Cornyn after Trump endorsement
- Knicks sweep Cavaliers 130-93 to reach first NBA Finals since 1999
- Mamdani names Bronx site for second public grocery store as city braces for holiday-weekend storms
- Garden Grove chemical tank stabilises but 50,000 remain displaced into Memorial Day
- Trump administration to force temporary visa holders to apply for green cards from abroad
- Trump indefinitely postpones AI executive order after tech-CEO lobbying
- Chicago council approves $16.5m in police misconduct settlements
- Trump-endorsed Ed Gallrein ousts Thomas Massie in $32m Kentucky GOP primary
- Philadelphia hits 98°F, breaking 1991 all-time May high
- Three killed in shooting at San Diego mosque investigated as hate crime
- First American infected with Ebola as US tightens travel screening
- Three young people arrested over string of shootings across Austin
- Wind-driven Sandy Fire forces thousands to flee in Simi Valley
- Long Island Rail Road strike ends after three days as deal is reached
- Rare high-end tornado threat builds over central Plains after destructive weekend
- Lansing council to vote on $182m budget for the coming year
- Aaron Rai wins PGA Championship, first English champion in more than a century
- Panzarella leads Hellyar in early returns in Houston City Council runoff
- Cassidy ousted in Louisiana Senate primary as Letlow and Fleming head to runoff
- Severe storms sweep the central US as a multi-day outbreak threatens millions
- Providence council fails to override mayor’s veto of rent stabilization
- House deadlocks 212-212 on Iran war powers resolution
- LA Mayor Bass faces backlash over report she softened Palisades fire findings
- US passengers from hantavirus-hit cruise ship quarantine in Nebraska as toll reaches three
- Texas Panhandle wildfire burns homes and a rail bridge near Canyon
- Kevin Warsh set to take over Federal Reserve as Powell’s term ends
- New York lawmakers pass 12th budget extender as spending deal stalls
- Crews halt 30-acre Grand Fire in Chino Hills after vehicle crash
- FDA chief Marty Makary resigns after fight over flavoured-vape approvals
- April CPI hits 3.8%, highest since 2023 as Iran war pushes gasoline up 28.4%
- Dallas hotel rates jump 39% as World Cup approaches one-month countdown
- Trump tells CBS he intends to suspend federal gas tax "for a period of time"
- Newsom asks for 12-month FEMA extension for LA wildfire survivors
- Mamdani names Griffin penthouse in pitch for $500m pied-à-terre tax
- Houston ISD spins up backup site as Canvas outage hits Texas school finals
- Oklahoma braces for tornadoes as Mississippi tallies 500-home toll from Wednesday outbreak
- Bogue Chitto trailer-park residents pick through wreckage of all but one home flattened by tornado
- Thunder take 2-0 lead over Lakers as Holmgren posts 22 in second-quarter blowout
- California commits $70m to wildfire prevention as drought and heat raise risk
- Tennessee enacts new House map carving up state's lone Black-majority district
- Blue Cross Blue Shield begins paying out $2.67bn antitrust settlement
- Protesters fill Tennessee Capitol galleries as House map clears Senate
- Chicago launches e-scooter safety push ahead of summer riding season