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June 21 was the summer solstice (for the northern hemisphere, winter solstice for the southern hemisphere), the longest day of the year (shortest for southern hemisphere), and it also marks the official start to summer (or winter, for the southern hemisphere)! However, many areas across the northern hemisphere are already experiencing severe summer heat, with areas like Texas, United States getting into highs of over 104ºF (40ºC). The town of Laredo, in southern Texas, even hit a high of 115ºF (46ºC)! Also, cities like New Delhi, India are hitting highs of over 100ºF (38ºC), but it feels much hotter there due to the humidity and thick haze. Hundreds of people have already died across the northern hemisphere due to extreme heat this summer, so stay inside if temperatures are too hot. Now, let's get into today's news. People are losing hope in the search for the Titanic touring submersible owned by OceanGate that went missing three days ago in the Atlantic only 1 hour and 45 minutes into its dive, carrying five passengers. The sub's air will only last for today, so if it is not found, all hope is lost. However, a Canadian aircraft reported hearing banging sounds, but all searches by the US Coast Guard in the area have been negative. Then, the next day, banging sounds were heard again, so rescue efforts are ramping up in that area of the Atlantic. The OceanGate touring submersible named Titan was carrying five people: British billionaire and adventurer Hamish Harding, a 77-year-old French diver and Titanic expert named Paul-Henri Nargeolet, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, a Pakistani businessman named Shahzada Dawood, and his son Suleman.

June 20 was World Refugee Day, which the United Nations created in 2001 to honor the 35 million refugees around the world who have been driven out of their homes and into different countries. However, things are getting better for them, with companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks, and 38 others pledging to provide over 250,000 jobs and other opportunities to refugees around the world. Now, let's get into today's news. The search is still underway for Titanic tourist submersible which went missing two days ago, with five people inside. There were five people inside (pilot, Titanic expert, and three paying customers), and the tickets cost over $250,000 for customers. The dives are run by tourist company OceanGate, and people are now getting worried as the sub runs out of air. The carbon-fiber submarine is named the Titan and holds oxygen for everyone onboard to survive for about three days, so hope of finding the crew alive is fading fast. Among the customers on this trip was British billionaire Hamish Harding, who is a well-known businessman across the world. Planes continue to search the surface while boats scan the ocean below. On another note, watch out if you live in the Lesser Antilles. A tropical storm named Bret has just formed in the east Atlantic, and it is expected to become a hurricane before it hits islands like Grenada, Dominica, Guadeloupe, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, and Montserrat. It could also hit islands like Antigua and Barbuda, the Virgin Islands, and St Martin, but the impacts will be less severe there.

June 19 is the newest US federal holiday, called Juneteenth. Juneteenth celebrates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States in 1862, and it became a holiday in 1865 starting in Texas. However, it wasn't made a federal holiday until current president Joe Biden came up with the concept in 2021. Unfortunately, as with most US holidays, multiple mass shootings took place over the weekend, with dozens of people injured and at least five dead. Anyway, let's get into today's news. A Titanic tourist submersible has just gone missing, with five people inside. The tickets cost over $250,000, and the dives are run by tourist company OceanGate. The carbon-fiber submarine is named the Titan and holds oxygen for everyone onboard to survive for about four days. The Titanic tours normally contain a pilot, a Titanic expert, and three paying OceanGate customers. Among the customers on this trip was British billionaire Hamish Harding, who is a well-known businessman across the world. The Titan leaves from St John's, Canada every time it makes its journey, and goes on an eight-day trip across the western Atlantic to the Titanic wreckage. However, the rescue team operations are now kicking into high gear, with most of the team being based in Boston, Massachusetts. Planes are intensely searching the surface of the water to see if the sub might have come up, and ships are scanning the areas below the water to see if it may have sunk. On another note, an absurd axe-wielding maniac has struck multiple Chinese restaurants in a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, with four people injured. Officials say that the man was carrying an axe when he rampaged through three different restaurants, smashing tables and slashing chairs. The attacker has been captured, but he is still being identified.

We hope all of our family readers had a great Father's Day and just know that we appreciate all you fathers have done for us! Go Dads! Now, let's get into today's news. Heat waves continue to plague the southern US and eastern India, with temperatures reaching the high 90s (35-37ºC) and even going up to 107ºF (41ºC) in some places. In the US, Texas is especially getting hit, but northern Mexico and the states of New Mexico and Oklahoma are also suffering with severe heat. Excessive Heat Warnings have been issued all over Texas, with temperatures hovering around 101ºF (38ºC) across big cities like Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston. In southern Texas, the temperatures in cities are Laredo are even hitting around 111ºF (44ºC). Meanwhile, in India, over 100 people are dead as blazing heat burns the region, with temperatures across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand reaching 101ºF (38ºC), and some areas even hitting highs of 106ºF (41ºC). If you live in these areas, stay inside with air conditioning cranked up, because there is a very high chance of heat stroke.

Today, we have some great news for people who live in the Philadelphia area. The Pennsylvania governor has just announced that the fixes to the I-95 collapsed bridge are set to reopen in two weeks, which is much earlier than the months they had originally thought. Then, Philly traffic can finally somewhat ease up and many residents will be back to their regular morning routines. On another note, an extra-tropical cyclone has just hit southern Brazil, with the town of Caraa being the worst hit. 11 people are dead and 20 others are missing as flooded towns struggle to recover in the wake of this storm. The cyclone made landfall in the most southern state of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, and came quite close to the state's capital of just over 4.2 million people. Some areas received over a foot of rain, and strong winds also knocked down power lines and blew away furniture. A risk of landslides is also there, with officials warning people to stay in their homes or any shelters as rescue efforts commence. Lastly, severe weather has struck the southern US again, with multiple tornadoes and heavy rain hitting many states. After some strong tornadoes plagued the region on Friday, more came with a new system, knocking down power lines and flooding towns with rain. Also, over 320,000 people are still out of power as teams work tirelessly to restore power and rescue anyone who is trapped or in need. However, the bad weather is not over yet. Right after these storms move through, a heatwave is coming in, with dry weather and temperatures soaring into the high 90s and even 100s as the jet stream pattern continues to heavily fluctuate.

An update on the US tornadoes this week: two tornadoes were reported in Texas, four in Oklahoma, and one in Michigan. However, the most destructive one was a massive tornado that hit Perrytown, Texas. It killed three people and injured hundreds of others as it rolled through the town, destroying everything in its path with winds over 100 mph. The entire area is still out of power, and officials are now surveying the damage to see how long it might take for the necessities to be repaired, while the town still remains in a state of emergency. On another note, we have some big news for Mercedes-Benz fans! They have just announced that they are officially bringing ChatGPT into their cars, with the AI system being used to make voice commands more fluid in the cars. Mercedes already uses features like Siri or Google where you can talk to it and ask it to do something, and the ChatGPT would help with making those commands more natural. It could also create something where the driver can have a conversation with the car, which could be very helpful for asking questions about the weather, latest news, etc.

Severe weather has been pummeling the southeastern US lately, with over 45 million people in the storms' path. Ten reported tornadoes also struck Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, but only Kansas, Oklahoma, and the Texas Panhandle are still under threat. Over 135,000 people were left without power yesterday, and over 76,000 people are still in outages as the storms continue. Also, the Midwestern US is receiving a new round of wildfire smoke from Canada, as fires rage in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. Orange skies are expected soon in states such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. On another note about Canada, a massive crash recently killed 15 people in the province of Manitoba when a truck hit a bus that was carrying senior citizens on a highway just west of Winnipeg. 10 others have been hospitalized, after ambulances on the ground and air were immediately dispatched when they saw the crash. However, officials say that they are still investigating to find more details about the mass casualty incident. Lastly, Cyclone Biparjoy has just made landfall in western Gujarat, India, with winds of over 70 mph and severe rain with it. The storm has been brewing in the Arabian Sea for quite some time, having formed on June 6, and reached winds of over 120 mph at its peak. The cyclone made landfall between the towns of Narayan Sarovar and Naliya, and over 170,000 people have been evacuated as severe rain and winds hit eastern Pakistan and western Gujarat. Trees have been uprooted and power lines are down across the area, but the storm has now slowed down and weakened as it passes through the other western Indian state of Rajasthan. (Fun Fact: 'Biparjoy' means 'disaster' in Bengali.)

Today we have some interesting news. Let's dive in. Firstly, NATO seems torn on letting Ukraine join its ranks, in light of the recent conflict. Some members, especially the ones that border either Russia or Ukraine, are pushing for acceptance of Ukraine. Others, such as the U.S. and Germany, are more hesitant to allow. Also, on Sunday, four orcas were caught on camera as scientists were conducting aerial surveys in waters near Nantucket, Massachusetts. This was a very unusual event, but it wasn't the first one. A whopping 30 orcas were also spotted in Monterrey Bay, California. It is not yet known why there were so many orcas found this week.

Today’s only news is half good, half bad. Firstly, congratulations to Denver, Colorado, because the Denver Nuggets just won the NBA Championship! In the first game, Denver beat the Miami Heat, 104-93, but lost to Miami in the second game, 111-108. In the third game, Denver won, 109-94, and then defeated them again in the fourth round, 108-95. Then, in the final game, the Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat by 5 points (94-89) to win the NBA Championship! Woohoo! This is their first title in the team’s history, so this was a big win for them. Unfortunately, at a post-game party in downtown Denver, there was a shooting where 10 people were injured, 5 of which were hospitalized. 2 people have been arrested so far, but the police are still investigating the situation.

The 76th annual Tony awards took place yesterday, with ‘Kimberly Akimbo’ taking home ‘Best Musical’ and ‘Best Original Score.’ Actors and actresses from the musical also took home ‘Best Lead Actress in a Musical’ (Victoria Clark), ‘Best Book of a Musical’ (David Lindsay-Abaire), and ‘Best Featured Actress- Musical’ (Bonnie Milligan). J. Harrison Ghee also won ‘Best Lead Actor in a Musical’ for ‘Some Like It Hot’ and Leopoldstadt won ‘Best Play.’ Congratulations to all the winners! On another note, as construction crews vigilantly work to repair the I-95 bridge in Philadelphia as fast as possible, it could take months to fully fix it. The section of Philly’s biggest highway collapsed a few days ago when a tanker carrying gasoline lit on fire under it, causing the bridge to catch fire. The burnt section of I-95 has now been destroyed by crews, and they have discovered the body of the truck driver whose tanker crashed. Philadelphia traffic is now peaking heavily as residents crowd into alternate routes. Lastly, Mount Mayon has erupted once again, sparking thousands of evacuations on the main Philippine island of Luzon. The stratovolcano is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is located about 205 mi (330 km) southeast of the Philippine capital, Manila. Mount Mayon started erupting lava, ash, and sulfuric acid today and hundreds of communities are in danger. More to come on the eruption soon.