And we have something for sports fans: here is your preview to the weekend ahead in sports from our Global Sports editor. Finally, this week's City Memo comes from Singapore.
A house is swept down the road by flash floods along the Guadalupe River, San Angelo. June 4, 2025, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. Patrick Keely/via REUTERS
Flash floods in Texas: Torrential rains triggered flash floods along the Guadalupe River, killing at least 24 people. Rescue teams scrambled to save dozens of victims trapped by high water or reported missing in the disaster. Among the missing were 23 to 25 people listed as unaccounted for at an all-girls summer camp.
Here there and everywhere: Gale-force wind gusts complicated efforts to contain wildfires on Crete that have razed forests and olive groves and forced thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate. Fires in Crete and in Athens come as much of Europe experiences searing temperatures in an early summer heatwave, while in China, sweltering heat enveloped the populous eastern seaboard.
Gaining an edge: The 2026 midterm elections became the focus of Republicans and Democrats in Congress even before the last vote on Donald Trump's tax-cut and spending bill was counted. Democrats are targeting Medicaid cuts as campaign ammunition, while Republicans argue they will boost the economy by 2026.
“Do we not bleed?”: Trump drew criticism for using the antisemitic term "Shylock" to describe some bankers during remarks on his signature tax-cut and spending legislation. He staged an outdoor ceremony on the Fourth of July holiday to sign it into law.
'A positive spirit': Hamas said it had responded to a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal and was prepared to enter into talks on implementing the deal, which envisages a release of hostages and negotiations on ending the conflict. Trump touted a "final proposal" for a 60-day ceasefire in the nearly 21-month-old war between Israel and Hamas.
On the West Bank: Thirty Palestinian families left their home in a remote area of the Israeli-occupied West Bank saying they were forced out after years of harassment and violence by Israeli settlers. The families are members of the Bedouin Mleihat tribe. Meanwhile, a five-meter-high metal fence slices across the eastern edge of Sinjil. There is only a single route in and out of the town, watched over by Israeli soldiers at guard posts.
Toeing the line: The court's three liberal justices exerted waning influence during its recently concluded term, and their frustrations with the conservative majority spilled into public view in major cases involving Trump and issues such as transgender rights.
July Fourth celebrations come as Americans grapple with air quality and wildfire concerns. Our graphics team took a look at some of the risks posed by fireworks.
Oasis reunited in Cardiff as the Gallagher brothers put more than 16 years of acrimony behind them to deliver a hit-packed set.
Matcha ado about nothing? Record temperatures in Japan have curbed matcha green tea production, straining supplies and driving prices to all-time highs amid booming global demand.
Opposition by environmental groups resulted in the U.S. Air Force suspending plans it had proposed with Elon Musk's SpaceX to test hypersonic rocket cargo deliveries from a remote Pacific atoll.
What's that smell? Trump is adding fragrances to the growing list of merchandise that bear his name, raising fresh questions about his use of the presidential bully pulpit to hawk products that enrich him and his family.
