News Wrap: Wildfires trigger explosions in Greece as flames reach ammunitions depot

William Brangham:

In the day's other headlines: Climate scientists at the United Nations confirmed that July is on track to be the hottest month on record.

The incoming head of the U.N. climate agency faulted governments for not taking bolder actions to reduce heat-trapping emissions. And, in New York, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres sounded his own warning.

António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General:

The era of global warming has ended. The era of global boiling has arrived. The air is unbreathable. The heat is unbearable. And the level of fossil fuel profits and climate inaction is unacceptable. Leaders must lead. No more hesitancy, no more excuses.

William Brangham:

Those warnings came as the heat wave that's already scorched the Southwestern U.S. spread to the East. Some 180 million Americans spent the day under heat watches and warnings, with temperatures at or above 100 degrees.

Wildfires in Greece, fueled by heat waves, triggered a new disaster today. A series of explosions rocked an air force ammunitions dump at Volos when flames reached the site. Even before the blasts erupted, smoke billowed over the city. But the ammunition dump had been evacuated, and there were no reports of injuries.

In Ukraine, fighting has intensified in the Russian-occupied southeast amid reports that Kyiv is sending in thousands of troops. Ukrainian officials said today they're advancing on Melitopol in the Zaporizhzhia region. But Russian President Vladimir Putin denied that.

Meanwhile, Putin met with African leaders in St. Petersburg, and he insisted they will get grain, despite Russia's renewed blockade of Ukrainian shipments.

Vladimir Putin, Russian President (through interpreter):

We will be prepared to provide Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic, and Eritrea with 25,000 to 50,000 tons of grain, free of charge, in the next three or four months. We will also provide free delivery of these products to consumers.

William Brangham:

Also today, photographs circulated of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin apparently at that same summit in St. Petersburg. Prigozhin had agreed to go into exile after his mercenary group briefly mutinied last month. Since then, he's been seen in Russia several times.

Back in this country, the U.S. Justice Department has opened an investigation into the practices of the Memphis Police Department. The announcement comes nearly seven months after Tyre Nichols was fatally beaten by five officers. The probe will look at whether Memphis police too often use excessive force, among other things.

The U.S. economy is showing more signs of resilience, despite rising interest rates and inflation. The Commerce Department reports growth ran at an annual pace of 2.4 percent in the year's second quarter. That was up from 2 percent the previous quarter and was stronger than expected.

On Wall Street, those growth numbers weren't enough to keep the recent rally going. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 237 points to close at 35282. The Nasdaq fell 77 points. The S&P 500 slipped 29.

Bronny James, the 18-year-old son of NBA great LeBron James, is back home after suffering a cardiac arrest. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles said today he's been discharged. His heart stopped on Monday during basketball practice at the University of Southern California, where he will attend this fall.

And at the Women's World Cup, the U.S. is now preparing for its match with Portugal on Tuesday after escaping with a draw against the Netherlands. At the half, the U.S. trailed the Dutch in their rematch of the 2019 final. But then Lindsey Horan scored the equalizer in the 62nd minute, and the game ended in a 1-1 tie.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": a coup in Niger puts at risk U.S. efforts to thwart terrorism in the region; what a Syrian migrant-turned-mayor reveals about the political divides in Germany; and the American flag, what it symbolizes in an increasingly polarized America.