Good morning.
The Texas governor, Greg Abbott, announced yesterday that the more than 40 migrants to arrive at Los Angeles’ Union Station on Wednesday came from his state, the latest move by a rightwing governor to send people seeking help to a region run by Democrats.
“Small Texas border towns remain overrun and overwhelmed because [Joe] Biden refuses to secure the border,” Abbott tweeted. “LA is a city migrants seek to go to, particularly now its leaders approved its self-declared sanctuary status.”
LA’s mayor, Karen Bass, said the city had been preparing for a possible scenario in which LA “was on the receiving end of a despicable stunt that Republican governors have grown so fond of”.
The migrants were greeted by a human rights organization that took them to a nearby church, where they received medical care and were put in touch with legal advocates.
“It is abhorrent that an American elected official is using human beings as pawns in his cheap political games,” Bass said.
Texas to ban diversity offices in higher education
In more Texas news, Abbott signed into law a bill that will ban diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices and initiatives across higher education institutions in the state.
While Democratic lawmakers argue that DEI programs help reduce discrimination, Republican lawmakers have long championed the elimination of DEI initiatives and offices, arguing that they favor race over merit.
Google made $10m on ads misdirecting abortion seekers to ‘pregnancy crisis centers’
Google made $10m in the last two years from advertisements misdirecting users who were seeking abortion services to “pregnancy crisis centers” that do not actually provide care.
“This is fundamentally about Google permitting extremely deceptive behavior and doing very little to actually ensure that people are informed,” said Imran Ahmed, the co-founder and CEO of the The Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit group that conducts misinformation research.
In other news …
A New York grand jury voted to indict Daniel Penny, a former US Marine sergeant, in last month’s killing of Jordan Neely, a homeless man, with a chokehold on a Manhattan subway car.
Donald Trump turns 77 amid a slew of legal troubles, including federal charges over his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Sarah Palin denied – then seemed to confirm – that Trump supporters behave liked cult members.
High school graduations across the country are serving dual roles as rites of passage for teenagers entering adulthood and memorials for those who were killed, often by guns.
In a groundbreaking advance, scientists have created synthetic human embryos using stem cells, sidestepping the need for eggs or sperm.
The US Federal Reserve announced a pause in interest-rate hikes, but suggested that further increases may come depending on how close economy gets to 2% inflation target.
Stat of the day: Land burned in California wildfires has increased fivefold since the 1970s
Experts are warning that cities such as New York and Washington DC may need the sort of wildfire smoke hazard plans that cities in California and elsewhere have adopted, after last week’s worst ever day for toxic wildfire smoke in recent US history.
This comes after a study released this week predicted that the proportion of land burned in California wildfires will jump by as much as 50% by 2050.
Don’t miss this: An impending drought crisis
Almost 4 billion people – half of the global population – now live in areas with severe water scarcity for at least one month of the year. A billion people face water scarcity all year round. From China’s Yellow River to the Colorado River in the US, many rivers no longer reach the sea.
“If these trends continue, we will need 50% more water in 2050 compared with 20 years ago. And, of course, that is impossible, because water is a finite resource,” said Torgny Holmgren, the executive director at the Stockholm International Water Institute,
… or this: Death in the desert
Researchers and human rights organisations have raised concerns that an anti-people-smuggling law brought in by Niger’s government with the support of EU authorities is pushing people to make riskier migration journeys and putting an end to the region’s enshrined right to freedom of movement.
A convicted people smuggler told the Guardian that this law pushed him and others to drive deeper into the desert, avoiding watering holes where Nigerien soldiers patrol.
Climate check: Global temperatures spike
With global temperatures already accelerating to record-setting levels this month, climate scientists fear 2023 may become the hottest year ever recorded.
Preliminary global average temperatures taken so far in June, ahead of a gathering El Niño, are nearly 1C (1.8F) above levels previously recorded for the same month.
Last Thing: Turkish musicians are welcoming Syrian refugees
As anti-Syrian sentiment surges in Turkey, the Istanbul music scene is embracing cultural acceptance and cohesion, with Syrian musicians opening for Turkish bands and joining them on stage.
“Culture is a very powerful tool of connection. Music, especially, I think, really humanises people because it’s an art form that we can all connect to,” said Dunya Habash, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge who has carried out ethnographic research.
Sign up
First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you’re not already signed up, subscribe now.
Get in touch
If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com
