The Guardian

• Scorching US heatwave to hit 70 million people with third ‘heat dome’ in month

  Temperatures of 95-105F (35-40C) are expected, spanning Gulf of Mexico coast to the Great Plains and the midwest

  About 70 million people in the US are set to face excessive heat advisories as dangerously hot temperatures scorch much of the country’s southern and central states.

  The third major “heat dome” event to hit the US in the past month is gathering strength over the weekend, spanning a vast swathe of the country, from the Gulf of Mexico coast to the Great Plains and the midwest.

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• This desert oasis is a biological wonderland. Trump’s border wall threatens to destroy it

  Environmental groups are sounding the alarm over plans that threaten a desert spring that’s home to rare fish and turtles and sacred to the O’odham people

  Quitobaquito Springs in south-west Arizona has been called a biological wonderland with few equals.

  The springs are an oasis in the vast Sonoran desert along the US-Mexico border, held sacred by the O’odham people, who call it A’al Vaipia. Here, water flows out of an aquifer at the bottom of a hill, runs along a short concrete channel and collects in a pond.

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• Scientists decry Trump’s ‘blame game’ after he claims Canada ‘poisoning’ US air

  Trump told Mark Carney ‘you got to stop these fires from coming in’ as experts say wildfires symptom of climate crisis

  Scientists have reacted with incredulity after Donald Trump accused Canada of “poisoning” the US’s air with smoke billowing from a slew of forest fires and threatened sanctions upon the country’s northern neighbor.

  The US president has said that he raised the issue of smoke wafting into the US from nearly 1,000 Canadian wildfires with Mark Carney, the country’s prime minister, at the weekend’s World Cup final.

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• Trump says nearly 200 firms have signed pledge to protect Americans from costs arising from datacenters

  ‘Ratepayer Protection Pledge’ president has touted is non-binding as people continue to struggle with rising bills

  Donald Trump has announced that about 200 entities have signed on to his non-binding “Ratepayer Protection Pledge”, expanding a voluntary commitment which claims to ensure US consumers will not bear the cost of the AI datacenter build-out.

  Trump delivered remarks on Thursday at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters, alongside Lee Zeldin, the agency’s administrator, and Chris Wright, the energy secretary. Other attenders included governors who signed on to the pledge, including Brian Kemp of Georgia, Mike DeWine of Ohio, Spencer Cox of Utah and Jeff Landry of Louisiana.

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• At least two people missing in West Virginia after torrential rain causes flash floods

  State’s governor had declared a state of emergency for all 55 counties, and deployed 500 national guard members

  Patrick Morrisey, the West Virginia governor, said at least two people were unaccounted for in Upshur county, after torrential rain caused flash floods in parts of the state.

  Speaking at a news conference, Morrisey said that during search-and-recovery operations state police found an overturned vehicle in Upshur county believed to be “connected to two individuals who were reported missing”.

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