NPR News: 07-04-2026 1AM EDT
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What are the latest updates on wildfires in the U.S.?
Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes as a wildfire south of Denver continues to burn at this hour. The Aspen Acres fire has expanded to cover about 115 square miles and has destroyed more than 160 structures. It's one of about 40 uncontained wildfires still burning across the West, including the Cottonwood Fire in southwestern Utah, which has grown to about 147 square miles. The extreme heat that's broiled much of the eastern U.S. for the past several days is beginning to fade a bit, at least for now. It brought record temperatures to some areas and caused stress, particularly for those who live in cities. Ashley Ward of Duke University's Heat Policy Innovation Hub says that's because of something called the heat island effect.
Places that we live in our built environment hold on to heat that's absorbed during the day. So what happens is overnight, those things like pavement and buildings, they absorb that heat. I mean, they absorb it during the day and release it slowly at night. So this is one of the reasons why we see overnight temperatures remaining persistently high.
While the heat is dropping, it's still warm outside and humans aren't the only ones battling the dangerously high temperatures. From Ember Station WBHM in Birmingham, Alabama, Lauren Linehan reports on how staff at the zoo there are keeping animals cool.
Look around habitats at the Birmingham Zoo and you'll see misting fans and shady trees. Animals from cooler climates even get air conditioning. The flamingos don't mind the heat prancing around their pond, squawking as usual. While the elephants dip their trunks into a mud pit and sling water on themselves. Zoo CEO Chris Pfefferkorn says some animals have doors in their habitats that allow them to move inside. But it's up to them.
The choice and control we try to give our animals is very important to their well-being.
And just as animals enjoy sweet treats when it's hot, staff give animals frozen fruit and ice to help them stay cool. For NPR News, I'm Lauren Linehan in Birmingham, Alabama.
Pope Leo praised America's founding principles and its welcoming of immigrants during an awards ceremony Friday. Mayor Rindy with member station WHYY has our reports.
Pope Leo received the Liberty Medal from Philadelphia's National Constitution Center for his work defending religious liberty and freedom of conscience and expression. In a live speech from the Vatican, he said the principles of the Declaration of Independence had inspired people around the world.
It was the firm resolve to achieve the noble vision of the nation's founders that made America a byword for freedom. As the country opened its doors to successive waves of immigrants.
Leo is the first ever U.S.-born pope and is a graduate of Villanova University outside Philadelphia. For NPR News, I'm Mayor Rindy in Philadelphia.
And you're listening to NPR News. Health officials in France say that country experienced a major surge of deaths during last week's heat wave. They say the country had 2,000 more deaths than from the previous week. Paris was hit the hardest with a 63% increase in deaths. Last week, France saw its hottest ever days. America's 250th anniversary celebrations include a widely criticized state fair in Washington, D.C. But as NPR's Rachel Triesman reports, some of its past birthday parties have been controversial as well.
Philadelphia hosted an extravagant World's Fair in 1876. It was a hugely successful six-month showcase of American art, innovation, and industrial power.
How does the heat island effect impact urban areas?
The city hosted another for the sesquicentennial in 1926, but it didn't go as well.
It's as though there really was a curse going on.
Philadelphia-based historian Thomas Keels says a local political boss had the event moved to his district, which was swampy and expensive to build on. An especially wet summer, including major July 4th storms, damaged exhibits and dampened turnout.
The aftermath was basically Philadelphia was effectively insolvent.
He says it left the city basically bankrupt on the eve of the Great Depression.
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