News Wrap: French firefighters battle massive wildfire

Geoff Bennett:

Shifting our focus overseas now, today, firefighters in Southwest France are battling a wildfire that's burned an area four times the size of Paris and forced more than 200,000 people to flee.

The country's interior minister said today the fire that's burning near the city of Bordeaux is no longer growing but remains dangerous. More than 100 homes in the small coastal town were burned. Meantime, Spain continues to battle its worst wildfire in recent history, including one that's burned an area five times the size of Barcelona.

Spain's prime minister says climate emergency has created the conditions for the fires.

Pedro Sanchez, Spanish Prime Minister (through translator):

What we are living is not a succession of isolated events. This is no longer an exception. It is the new reality. Summers are becoming increasingly difficult, destructive, and therefore deadly.

Geoff Bennett:

Around a dozen countries have sent planes, helicopters and other help to Spain and France so far. Firefighters in both countries are racing to combat the blaze ahead of a heat wave that's expected in the region later this week.

Meantime, nearly 100 million Americans are under active heat alerts as climbing temperatures and severe humidity grip much of the country for a third straight day. Extreme heat warnings were in effect today from California and Arizona in the West to Illinois and Kansas in the Midwest and Mississippi in the South.

The heat index in parts of the North and Southwestern U.S. is expected to exceed 105 degrees. The extreme conditions are the results of the latest heat dome that traps hot air, causing more extreme temperatures.

And, in Wisconsin, a tornado caused extensive damage today, leaving thousands there without power.

Man:

This is the Main Street in Menasha.

Geoff Bennett:

Video shows the wreckage left behind, with damaged homes and cars flipped over. The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado hit Winnebago County, about 90 miles northwest of Milwaukee, and described it as extremely dangerous. Weather officials are warning that damaging winds and hail could continue as storms move across the region.

Traffic began flowing over a new international bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada today, even as trade tensions between the two trading partners remain high. Footage of the first truck crossing the mile-and-a-half-long span was posted to social media. The Gordie Howe Bridge was named after the Canadian hockey icon and is meant to serve as a vital route for trade and tourism.

Last week, President Trump announced a plan to place 50 percent tariffs on a range of Canadian goods. Today, he was just south of the Canadian border in Michigan, making his economic case.

President Donald Trump:

Michigan finally has a president who stands up for Michigan autoworkers.

Geoff Bennett:

Mr. Trump told a crowd at a GM facility that his policies are good for their business, Michigan's economy, and especially the auto industry relies heavily on Canada.

In Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz is calling for tougher security laws after it emerged that the suspect from this weekend's Berlin Pride attack had tried to join ISIS. Flowers and candles marked the scene where one woman was killed and more than two dozen others were injured on Saturday, when the suspect allegedly drove a van into a crowd and then started attacking people with a machete.

The 21-year-old German citizen was shot and killed on Sunday following a 24-hour search. He had previously been sentenced to prison and had only been released two months ago. The mayor has called his actions an attack on our free society.

Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp is the newest U.S. location added to the list of UNESCO protected World Heritage Sites. Okefenokee is the largest blackwater swamp in North America and the largest freshwater ecosystem, making it an ideal sanctuary for wildlife.

Also added to the list:

Narrator:

On beaches called Utah and Omaha and Sword and Gold and Juno, they come ashore.

Geoff Bennett:

The famous D-Day landing beaches in Northern France, they were recognized for their central role in liberating Western Europe from Nazi occupation. And Mount Olympus in Greece was also selected. It's the country's highest peak and the mythical home of the 12 Olympian gods.

In business news, the CEO of Cracker Barrel is stepping down nearly a year after a rebranding effort sparked a nationwide backlash. Julie Masino was behind the move to replace the chain's longtime logo featuring an old man in overalls with a more streamlined image. Fans of the restaurant chain were outraged. Even President Trump weighed in.

The company quickly reversed course and returned to its original logo. Shares of Cracker Barrel fell more than 2 percent today.

Across the rest of Wall Street, stocks ended mixed. The Dow Jones industrial average gained around 260 points. The Nasdaq fell around 40 points. The S&P 500 ended roughly flat to start the week.