Bad Weather

Bloomberg - The US declared a power emergency in the southeast as forecasters warned of dangerous heat that’s likely to stress power grids. Chicago was placed under a tornado warning on Thursday night, and disruptions to air travel and power supply persisted after the storm moved through. As of 11 p.m. ET, 1,474 flights were canceled and nearly 600,000 homes and businesses were without power.

NPR - The Trump administration is trying to downsize the U.S. Forest Service and eliminate wildfire and smoke research, just as the American West faces a potentially epic summer fire season. The administration has identified 90 research stations for closure as part of its Forest Service reorganization plan, which includes relocating its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Utah and consolidating regional offices into individual state facilities. U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz has defended the proposed reorganization, noting it has been considered by previous administrations since 2006. If Congress approves Trump's proposed budget for the agency, the U.S. Forest Service would be a skeleton of its former self, just as climate change is accelerating the frequency and severity of wildfires.