NPR is reporting that rescuers are continuing their search for thousands of people missing in Venezuela after two devastating earthquakes struck on Wednesday night. The Venezuelan government said at least 235 people are confirmed dead and thousands injured. The quakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, hit the capital city of Caracas and surrounding areas, causing widespread destruction and overwhelming local response efforts. Officials warned the death toll is likely to rise. Reporter Manuel Rueda told Up First that some areas of Caracas resemble a war zone, with thousands homeless and sleeping in parks. Venezuela has little experience dealing with major earthquakes, and humanitarian groups anticipate a lengthy process to provide food, shelter and medical assistance. Geologist William Barnhart noted the quakes were especially deadly due to striking on land near major population centers. Venezuelans in the U.S., including Texas, have organized donation drives to help their home country.
NPR is also reporting on several U.S. Supreme Court rulings. The high court gave the Trump administration a powerful tool to make it more challenging for asylum seekers to enter the United States, ruling 6-3 that federal law permits the government to prevent them from physically setting foot in the country, effectively blocking asylum applications. Another decision allows the administration to proceed with revoking temporary legal status for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, specifically Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients from Haiti and Syria. NPR’s Ximena Bustillo said the court agreed that TPS designation is at the discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security and not subject to legal review. Those enrolled must adjust their status or leave the country, risking arrest, detention and deportation. The Supreme Court also ruled that states cannot require gun owners to get permission from property owners before bringing guns onto their land and agreed to shield Monsanto from liability over its weed killer, Roundup.
President Donald J Trump hosted farmers in the White House Rose Garden, discussing policy proposals including an $11 billion request for farm aid, in addition to $12 billion provided earlier this year. NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben said this focus appears to be an effort to win over farmers ahead of upcoming midterm elections, following impacts from tariffs and the Iran war. The administration also put forward a plan that would require Iran to purchase U.S. agricultural products using unfrozen assets overseen by the U.S. and Qatar, a plan Iran quickly rejected. Kurtzleben noted many farmers prefer good profits over government checks.
In other news, NPR is reporting that former employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have launched a new website, Climate.us, to fill the void left when the Trump administration shut down the government-run Climate.gov last year. Rebecca Lindsey, a former Climate.gov program director, emphasized the importance of the information remaining in a protected place. Additionally, former national park rangers, calling themselves “Resistance Rangers,” are hosting teach-ins and sharing history that the Trump administration sought to erase from federal land, pushing back against an executive order aimed at “restoring truth and sanity to American history.” Elizabeth Kerwin, co-founder of America 433+, is organizing events to redefine the message of the country’s 250th anniversary by honoring the nation's diversity and complex history.
Separately, the “Great American State Fair” is underway in Washington, D.C., running through July 10. Norman Rockwell’s “So You Want to See The President!” is now on public display at The People’s House. Meta plans to launch a prediction market app called Arena, allowing users to wager on real-world events with “play money.”