Meanwhile. . .

As a part of a bill critics have dubbed the ‘Death Star’ bill — an expansive law that preempts legislation in eight key areas of local government — the [Texas] Legislature has overridden local ordinances that require giving workers water breaks. Otherwise known as House Bill 2127, it was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 6. Since then … at least four workers have died after collapsing while laboring in triple-digit heat. . . . While the precise nature of the worker deaths is being investigated, hyperthermia is the likely cause. Climate scientists have projected that Texas summers will get increasingly hot if climate change continues, exacerbating the public health risk.

Japan Airlines is taking the term “packing light” to a new level with its new clothing rental service, “Any Wear, Anywhere.” The service provides international travelers with the option to rent sets of clothing from a range of choices, starting at a little over $27 for two bottoms and three tops, reported Travel + Leisure. “With more and more people flying again after the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the recent emphasis in sustainability, there is a growing movement around the world to promote sustainable tourism,” a press release from JAL said.

 

TSA sees record number of travelers screened in one day, with 2,883,595 people entering checkpoints across the US June 30, breaking a previous high set in 2019.

 Another developing heat dome, this one setting up across the Southwest, looks to yield one of the longest, hottest heat waves on record in Arizona during the next two weeks. That includes Phoenix, the National Weather Service warns. It's possible Phoenix will tie or exceed its all-time temperature record of 122°F, which would be an acute public health risk.

The most inflated items at the grocery store are no longer the eggs, meat and produce. Instead, other essentials for your summer cookout — like ketchup, mayonnaise and potato chips — will cost you, The Wall Street Journal reports.. . .Key items like paper towels and dish soap are also getting pricier. The average price for a bag of potato chips is $3.05 — up 17% over the last year, The Journal reports from NielsenIQ data. Mayonnaise is up 23% to $4.93 per jar.

Postdoctoral scholar Jessica Ng, graduate student William Schneider, and another graduate student at the University of California, San Diego, were arrested by campus police on charges of felony vandalism over $400 and conspiracy to commit a crime. They were arrested at their homes (where their personal items were confiscated including keys, phones and at least one computer), taken to San Diego county jails, and held overnight on $20,000 bail each. Their crime? Allegedly writing slogans like ?“Living Wage Now” on a concrete campus building — in washable markers and chalk — during a peaceful protest almost a month earlier.