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Climate Change: World’s Hottest Day Since Records Began (Maria)

The author writes, “The world’s average temperature reached a new high on Monday 3 July, topping 17 degrees Celsius for the first time. Scientists say the reading was the highest in any instrumental record dating back to the end of the 19th century. The high heat is due to a combination of the El Niño weather event and ongoing emissions of carbon dioxide. Researchers believe there will be more records in the coming months as El Niño strengthens.”

Behind the Scenes of Justice Alito’s Unprecedented Wall Street Journal Pre-buttal (Al)

From ProPublica: “The Journal editorial page accused ProPublica of misleading readers in a story that hadn’t yet been published.”

Malpractice Lawsuits Over Denied Abortion Care May Be on the Horizon (Dana)

From KFF Health News: “Physicians and attorneys say it’s a question of when — not if — a pregnant person dies from lack of care in a state with an abortion ban, potentially setting the stage for a malpractice lawsuit that could pressure providers to reconsider delaying or denying care.”

Why Are Tensions Escalating at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant — And How Dangerous Would an Explosion Be? (Sean)

From Sky News: “The specter of an incident at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has once again reared its head, as Russia stands accused of placing ‘explosive devices’ on the roof. So why are tensions over the nuclear facility escalating again? And if an explosion occurred at one or more of the reactors, how dangerous would it be?”

Tony Evers Uses Veto Powers to Extend Annual Increases for Public Schools for the Next Four Centuries (Laura)

The authors write, “Gov. Tony Evers, a former public school educator, used his broad partial veto authority this week to sign into law a new state budget that increases funding for public schools for the next four centuries. The surprise move will ensure districts’ state-imposed limits on how much revenue they are allowed to raise will be increased by $325 per student each year until 2425, creating a permanent annual stream of new revenue for public schools and potentially curbing a key debate between Democrats and Republicans during each state budget-writing cycle.”

Mayor for Hire: Francis Suarez’s Wealth Boomed While He Promoted Miami as Tech Capital (Reader Steve)

The author writes, “In his first term as mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez increased his personal net worth five-fold as he used his public office to court technology and real estate companies eyeing business opportunities in the Magic City.”

Using a Detector the Size of a Galaxy, Astronomers Detect Gravitational Waves From Supermassive Black Hole Pairs (Sean)

From The Conversation: “When black holes and other enormously massive, dense objects whirl around one another, they send out ripples in space and time called gravitational waves. These waves are one of the few ways we have to study the enigmatic cosmic giants that create them.”

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