Good morning. We're covering wildfire smoke in the U.S., a Trump investigation and Lionel Messi. |
 | | Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge yesterday.Dave Sanders for The New York Times |
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Residents of the western U.S. and Canada have become grimly accustomed to smoke-clogged air from wildfires during the summer months. This week, the problem has spread to the Midwest and the East Coast. |
New York City was filled with reddish haze yesterday, with its worst air quality on record. A Broadway matinee was interrupted when its star had difficulty breathing, and some nighttime shows were canceled. Pro sports teams in both New York and Philadelphia postponed their games. In Binghamton, N.Y., a meteorologist said that the area around him "looks like Mars" and "smells like cigars." In Toronto, residents awoke this week to find a thick layer of ash near open windows. |
The immediate cause is a series of wildfires in Quebec and Ontario, which began burning weeks ago. The larger cause is the same one damaging the air quality in the West: a sharp increase in wildfires during the 21st century, caused partly by the hotter temperatures and drier conditions created by climate change. |
 | | Source: Canadian Forest Service | Data is estimated from satellite-derived hotspots. | By The New York Times |
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Bill McKibben, the writer and environmental activist, lives in Vermont and argued that the Canadian fires have given millions of North Americans a sense of what other people already know. "Today is our chance to understand what it really feels like every day on a fossil-fueled planet, for the billions of people unlucky enough to really bear the brunt," McKibben wrote on Substack. "My eyes are stinging a bit from the smoke, but I've never seen more clearly." |
My personal version of McKibben's point is that I had a headache much of yesterday while working in downtown Washington. It reminded me of a similar headache when I first visited Beijing, in 2010, and inhaled the pollution there. (Here is advice from The Times about pollution-related headaches.) |
The rest of today's newsletter is broken into three parts: a selection of the best coverage about what's happening, from The Times and elsewhere; a forecast for the next few days; and advice about how to deal with the poor air quality. |
 | | Jersey City seen from Lower Manhattan.Dave Sanders for The New York Times |
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- The effects of climate change are apparent across the U.S.: Oceans are warmer than they have been in decades, and in Puerto Rico, the heat index reached 125 degrees.
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The hazy, unhealthy air in New York City is expected to spread south and west across the U.S. today, enveloping millions more Americans. |
As of this morning, Philadelphia had the largest concentrations of fine particulate matter. The authorities issued a "code red" air quality alert. Washington's air — officially "unhealthy" — was only slightly better. |
"The weather pattern may finally break down this weekend, and by Sunday the winds may shift, providing relief from the smoke," Judson Jones, a meteorologist and Times reporter, wrote. "Relief could come even earlier if progress is made on putting out the wildfires." But Judson added that wildfire season had only just started, which means haze could return this summer. |
 | | The view from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.Earl Wilson/The New York Times |
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- Wildfire smoke is "like tobacco smoke without the nicotine," one expert said. Here's a guide to keep yourself and your family healthy.
- The pollution can worsen asthma, lung disease and heart conditions, New York officials warned. N95 masks, worn snugly, can help.
- Air purifiers are the best way to keep your home clean. If you don't have one, turn on your air-conditioner — and keep your windows closed.
- Kevin Yamamura, a Times editor in Sacramento, where such smoky conditions often persist for weeks, recommends keeping an air quality app handy, like this one from the E.P.A. When the gauge is above 150, it's a sign that you should not exercise outside. (It exceeded 400 in New York yesterday.)
- Pets are also vulnerable. Jerry Klein, a veterinarian, advised dog owners to keep the bathroom walks brief: "You want to be in and out."
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- Mike Pence criticized Trump over the Jan. 6 attack. "President Trump's reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol," he said at a campaign event.
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- Doug Burgum, the Republican governor of North Dakota and one of the richest men in the state, announced a campaign for president.
- Gov. Ron DeSantis's decision to fly migrants to California proves he's betting provocation will help him win in 2024, Shane Goldmacher writes.
- A rebellion among far-right Republicans over Speaker Kevin McCarthy's debt deal has paralyzed the House. Representatives are barring their own party from voting on bills.
- House Republicans canceled a vote to hold the F.B.I. director in contempt after he agreed to share a document containing an old, unsubstantiated bribery allegation against President Biden.
- Louisiana lawmakers passed a bill banning transition care for transgender children.
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 | | Thousands of people have been displaced in southern Ukraine.Mauricio Lima for The New York Times |
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Biden lacked rhetorical presence during the debt negotiations. He made up for it with potent results, Matthew Yglesias writes. |
A new offer for readers of The Morning. |
 | | Cliff divers performing at Casa Bonita. David Williams for The New York Times |
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Lives Lived: The pianist George Winston helped define new age music, but he liked to call his style "rural folk piano." He died at 74. |
 | | Lionel MessiFranck Fife/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
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N.B.A. history: Nikola Jokic became the first player to record 30 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a Finals game. He achieved the feat during Denver's Game 3 win last night, The Athletic writes. |
 | | Dancing inmates.Michael Tyrone Delaney for The New York Times |
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Over the past decade, California has been expanding arts programs in its state prisons. Visual arts and music are popular, but an unexpected art form is taking off at a few prisons: dance. "We were going against a whole culture that defines dance as weak," said Dimitri Gales, a former inmate who started a dance class at a prison in Los Angeles County. |
 | | Mediterranean chicken with creamy feta salad.Bobbi Lin for The New York Times |
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Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David |
 | Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Amy Fiscus News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Lyna Bentahar, Lauren Jackson, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Claire Moses, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lauren Hard Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch |
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