Today’s Big Story

Heat Waves Are Dangerous

And they’re only getting worse. So why isn’t extreme heat considered a disaster in the U.S.?

Extreme weather is only getting more intense. While the impacts of climate change vary across the globe, scientists agree that overall, human-caused warming is supercharging these extreme events. Heat waves, especially, are costly and kill more people each year than hurricanes, tornadoes and floods combined, but because the Federal Emergency Management Agency doesn’t count them as disasters, communities miss out on important resources.

Heat also causes major infrastructure damage such as train derailments and road buckling. In fact, the Southern/Midwestern drought and heat wave was the costliest ($14.5 billion) weather event of 2023. Yet no heat event has ever been declared a disaster by FEMA.

Fourteen state attorneys general are pressing for extreme heat and wildfire smoke to be eligible for major disaster declarations, as dangerously high temperatures envelop eastern and central U.S. states. Currently, more than 130 million people are under a heat alert, as the National Weather Service warned of “widespread record high minimum temperatures” on Wednesday morning.

Last year was the hottest on record and NOAA data shows that 19 of the 20 warmest years on record have happened since 2000. Put another way, the heat is here to stay. So we’ll need our nation’s disaster agency to help out.

A petition filed last month could unlock FEMA funds to help localities prepare for heat waves and wildfire smoke by building cooling centers or installing air filtration systems in schools. The agency could also help during emergencies by paying for water distribution, health screenings for vulnerable people and increased electricity use. The support of major labor groups like the A.F.L.-CIO and the Service Employees International Union is part of a broader strategy from unions to create protection for the tens of millions of people working outside or without air-conditioning during heat waves. Unions want the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to require employers to protect workers from extreme temperatures.

An Early Nomination for Biden?

The DNC is aiming to formalize the nomination before the August convention

The Democratic National Committee is quietly steaming ahead with plans to technically nominate President Biden weeks before the party's convention next month, Axios reports. It’s the latest effort by Biden's team to stamp out the Democratic rebellion that's been pushing for the president to step aside since his bad performance in the June 27 debate.

But some congressional Democrats have begun circulating a letter to DNC members urging them to cancel plans to formalize the nomination in an early virtual roll call vote before the convention in August. That vote is expected to be held as soon as this weekend. According to the Associated Press, the early vote was originally planned to ensure Biden would qualify for the ballot in Ohio, which initially had an August 7 deadline—but the state has since changed its rules, making the issue no longer relevant.

Since Saturday’s assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, public calls for Biden to bow out of the race have quieted, but the concerns never went away, and this now-public attempt to stop the virtual roll call suggests uncertainty about the president's place on the ticket remains. Some Biden advisers think he can run out the clock on the uprising within the party, as long as he survives just a few more days.

Elon Musk Is Busy

He’s moving his business, going all in on Trump and fighting multiple battles in court

He’s the richest man in the world, overseeing Tesla, SpaceX and Twiter/X, but Elon Musk doesn’t seem to have much time to enjoy the spoils of his fortune. The guy is having one helluva a month.

On Tuesday, he announced that he’s moving his companies out of California. Musk said that the SAFETY Act, a law California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed that would prohibit school districts from requiring teachers to inform parents if a child wants to be identified by a different gender, was “the final straw.” Musk said in a follow-up post that he was tired of what he described as violent crime surrounding the building where X is located in San Francisco.

He’s also cozying up to someone who could soon become the world's most powerful person for a second time. Musk, who officially endorsed Trump after the assassination attempt, said he’ll be donating $45 million monthly to a super PAC supporting his campaign to return to the White House, the Wall Street Journal reports. Meanwhile, Musk has been in and out of court—fighting for his $56 billion Tesla pay package (which could net his legal team $7 billion for themselves), getting a severance case (for the thousands of Twitter employees he fired in mass layoffs) thrown out and fighting charges from the European Union over its new social media law. I’m exhausted just writing about it.

It’ll Get Easier to Recycle Batteries

A new program funded by the Department of Energy will prop up battery drop-off sites across the U.S.

Do you have a collection of old batteries and outdated electronics in a junk drawer somewhere because you don’t know what to do with them? A new initiative aims to make it easier for people to recycle phones, computers and other battery-powered electronics.

The U.S. Department of Energy just announced a $14 million program that will fund more than 1,000 consumer battery collection sites across the country at Staples and Battery Plus stores. It’s part of a larger $62 million effort announced by the White House in April to boost battery recycling. The collection points will serve as drop-off sites where people can safely dump their consumer tech batteries or devices containing them. These devices include rechargeable batteries, cell phones, laptops, vacuums and smartwatches. It specifically points out that EV batteries are not part of the list.

According to Gizmodo, these devices typically contain precious minerals like nickel, lithium, and graphite, generally sourced from China. This step aims to reuse those minerals, shift towards clean energy manufacturing and limit imports from China.

The Long Read

Maya Rudolph talks success, portraying famous women and studying the lives of billionaires

Focus on what you have, not what you lack.