TIME is reporting that a dangerous heat wave is expected to strike the United States this week, stretching from the Midwest across the East Coast and parts of the South. The National Weather Service has issued heat advisories for more than 200 million Americans, calling the incoming heat wave "potentially historic." New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., are projected to experience record high temperatures in the 100s, coupled with high humidity. Climate scientists warn that such extreme temperatures could become the new norm for millions of Americans, noting that global temperatures have risen almost 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. The World Meteorological Organization said the last 11 years were the hottest on record, and heat-related deaths in the U.S. have surged by more than 50% since 2000.
It said nearly 450,000 New Yorkers are losing health coverage today, July 1, as part of federal changes to Medicaid funding. Millions more are expected to become uninsured nationwide over the next year.
TIME also reported that President Donald Trump has announced the Republican Party will hold a convention in Dallas this September. Trump pitched the event as an opportunity to rally voters ahead of the midterms and showcase his administration's "achievements."
Separately, TIME highlighted an article making the case against fireworks for the Fourth of July, citing their high costs to the environment and public health.
In international news, TIME is reporting that more than 900 people were arrested amid nationwide anti-migrant protests in South Africa on Tuesday. Thousands took to the streets to mark a "deadline" by which organizers demanded undocumented immigrants leave the country.
On the sports front, TIME said the U.S. soccer team beat Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, displaying a "beautiful, pretty, full of flair" style that is fueling World Cup dreams.
Americans are on track to gamble away a record-high $246.7 billion this year, TIME reported, citing data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. It said gambling losses have increased by 67% since 2019, following the Supreme Court's removal of federal bans on sports gambling in 2018, which led to many states legalizing it.
Finally, TIME noted that two Russian climbers, Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, scaled the Empire State Building on Wednesday. They unfurled a banner about the "power of love" before one proposed to the other. The two were arrested shortly after.