A powerful earthquake that struck the northern Philippines on Wednesday morning killed at least four people and wounded dozens of others as it triggered small landslides and destroyed homes, per Al Jazeera.
The big picture: The 7-magnitude quake hit the northwestern part of Luzon, the country's most populous island, at 8:43am local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It sent tremors to the capital Manila, about 250 miles away, forcing residents and workers to evacuate buildings and rush into streets, CNN notes.
Why it matters: During times of high tension on Earth — like during Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and today's ongoing war in Ukraine — space has often been one of the only open avenues of communication between the two nations.
The Biden administration launched Heat.gov on Tuesday, an interagency website that coordinates information on extreme heat.
Why it matters: Excessive heat events are the leading weather-related killer in the U.S. and disproportionately affect low-income communities. They are also expected to become more severe, frequent and longer-lasting as a result of climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
Record rainfall caused flash flooding across St. Louis metropolitan area, prompting multiple rescues and closing several roads.
The latest: City fire officials reported at least one death after a vehicle was submerged in water around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Why it matters: The ISS has tied Russia and the U.S. together in space for decades, and the end of the space station program could mean the end of that relationship.
The massive wildfire near California's Yosemite National Park forced thousands more people to evacuate on Monday and had burned across more than 17,200 acres at 16% containment in the evening, per Cal Fire.
The big picture: The Oak Fire in Mariposa County, where a state of emergency has been declared, is now California's biggest blaze this wildfire season despite only igniting on Friday amid face hot, dry conditions.
