Climate

Biden announces heat wave “hazard alert” for workers

President Biden announced on Thursday that the Department of Labor will boost its efforts to protect workers from extreme heat as temperatures continue to set records in the Southwest.

Driving the news: The White House instructed the DOP to issue a “hazard alert” that will "reaffirm that workers have heat-related protections under federal law,” officials said.

• It will provide employers information to help protect employees and make sure workers are aware of those rights.

• The department will also increase inspections of heat-safety violations in “high risk” sectors like agriculture and construction.

Why it matters: The new protection initiative comes as 180 million Americans - over half the U.S. population - are under heat alerts.

Big picture: Biden noted that 600 people die from extreme heat each year, “more than from floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes in America combined.”

Zoom out: Heat-related fatalities are trending higher over the past few years, especially in Europe where more than 61,000 people died from extreme heat last summer.

Looking ahead: Scientists have declared July the world’s hottest month ever, and many of the heatwaves are expected to continue into next month. Whether you’re working or playing, stay hydrated and avoid the sun during the hottest part of the day.

Business & Economy

U.S. stock markets closed lower across the board on Thursday (S&P -0.64%, Nasdaq -0.55%, Dow -0.67%).

Anheuser-Busch will lay off hundreds of corporate employees as the Bud Light boycott continues to hammer sales.

American Airlines was forced to sweeten its labor deal with the pilot’s union after a richer deal at United Airlines halted voting. The new agreement includes pay matching with United and Delta.

World

Singapore is scheduled to execute a woman by hanging this week. Saridewi Djamani was found guilty of trafficking 30 grams of heroin, which is punishable by death in the country.

Vladimir Putin has promised to supply free grain to 6 African nations after reneging on the Black Sea deal earlier this month.

Ghana abolished the death penalty this week and joined 26 other African countries that have already done away with capital punishment.

US News, Politics, & Government

Arizona Teen Alicia Navarro showed up safely at a Montana police station nearly four years after she went missing.

The U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the 303-mile Mountain Valley Gas Pipelines after a lower court blocked construction earlier this month.

Special counsel brought new accusations against Donald Trump alleging that he and his aides asked a staffer to delete camera footage at his Florida estate in an effort to obstruct the classified documents investigations.

Sports & Entertainment

A Norwegian woman and a Nepali guide set the record on Thursday for the fastest summit of all 14 of the world’s highest peaks in 92 days.

Russia, after being disqualified from many international sports events, will organize a competition for the BRICS alliance. Athletes from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa will be invited to participate at the event next June.

Actors and writers are furious with Netflix for posting an AI job that pays up to $900k amid industry wide shutdowns over pay and protections related to AI technology.

Science, Health, & Tech

The CDC found that 42% of 1,500 doctors surveyed didn’t know what alpha-gal syndrome was: a tick-borne illness that can sometimes cause life-threatening allergies to red meat and dairy. The agency suspects that 450,000 may be infected.

Scientists revived an extinct animal that had been frozen for 46,000 years in Siberia.

Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon are teaming up on a maps project in hopes of dethroning current leaders Apple and Google.

Police arrested an 11-year-old for falsely reporting her friend’s abduction while creating a “YouTube Challenge” video.

Watch: Three whales perform perfect synchronized swimming jumps.

Senator Feinstein got confused and had to be reminded to vote during a hearing on Thursday.

Someone forgot to tell the Ohio State Fair that dessert deviled eggs are not a good idea.