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Also — women are joining the “We Do Not Care” club. All of that is below.
A shock in New York
It was a major upset: Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic Socialist who campaigned against New York’s affordability crisis, stunned the former governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. Mamdani’s victory is not yet official — the city uses ranked-choice ballots, and those votes are not yet tabulated. But experts say it would be exceedingly difficult for Cuomo to overcome Mamdani’s seven-point lead. Mamdani claimed victory and Cuomo conceded the race last night. The result has created a new star for the party: Mamdani is a state assemblyman who ran on a progressive platform that promised to make buses free and raise taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers. It is also a rebuke for Cuomo, who spent millions more than his opponents. He had the support of establishment Democrats, like Bill Clinton, but he struggled to overcome the scandals that ended his governorship. Cuomo told The Times last night that he was still considering whether to run in the general election as an independent. With Mayor Eric Adams also running as an independent, and Curtis Sliwa on the Republican ticket, New York may have a crowded race for mayor in November. Here are takeaways on the results and five things to know about Mamdani.
Mercury risingFor much of the country, yesterday was a scorcher — in a week of scorchers. Sidewalks baked, windows shone, surplus clothing came off. New York City’s official thermometer notched a 13-year high of 99 degrees. Scores of other cities beat or tied heat records as a “heat dome” trapped hot air in the South, the Northeast and the Midwest. (Check out these maps and charts.) Alerts warned people to exercise caution or, better, to stay inside. “This is the deadliest weather threat we face,” New York City’s emergency management agency wrote on social media. “Don’t wait until you feel sick. Heat builds. It compounds. It kills quietly.” Two phenomena explain why heat waves are so horrid. One is about how we experience temperature; the other is about how we exacerbate it. Today’s newsletter covers both — and how to protect yourself from the weather. How humidity worksA thermometer tells only part of the story. Nazaneen Ghaffar, a reporter with The Times’s weather team, explains. A dry 99 degrees Fahrenheit in Phoenix might feel harsh but bearable. The same temperature in New York or Philadelphia this week is oppressive, partly because of how much water vapor is in the air. Normally, when your body gets too hot, it perspires to cool down. The evaporation of sweat carries heat away, acting like a natural air-conditioner. But when humidity surges, the air is already saturated with moisture, slowing that evaporation process. To capture that effect, the National Weather Service uses something called the heat index — that’s when the meteorologist says, “It’s 85 degrees outside but feels like 97.” Greenville, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, reached only 92 degrees on Tuesday. But with a 64 percent humidity, the heat index was 107 degrees. And that was in the shade. The service says that standing in full sun can make the temperature feel as much as 15 degrees hotter. PollutionThe twin health hazards of extreme heat and pollution can amplify each other, and the frequency of days that are both hot and polluted is rising, as Claire Brown and Christina Kelso report. After a few years of brutal wildfires, we know there’s often more junk in the air. Climate change is making the fires more frequent and intense, pumping smoke into the atmosphere. Meanwhile, the Trump administration wants to ease restrictions on emissions from power plants and cars, which could increase carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and other pollutants. It is also encouraging more mining and burning of coal, the dirtiest of the fossil fuels.
Two main air pollutants affect our health, and heat can worsen both. Ozone: Summer days tend to see higher concentrations of this gas, which is harmful when it forms near the ground. Hot and sunny conditions accelerate that process. Ground-level ozone irritates the lungs and can cause coughing and shortness of breath. Particulate matter: This refers to tiny pieces of solids and liquids in the air, all smaller than a grain of sand or thinner than a strand of hair. Particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers are the most dangerous. When inhaled, they can reach the deepest part of the lungs and pass into the bloodstream, hurting your heart, lungs and brain. Extreme heat also makes wildfires more severe, and the resulting smoke (full of particulate matter) can travel thousands of miles. What’s the effect? A 2023 analysis of more than 20 million deaths across the world found that hot days and days with bad air quality both resulted in higher than normal mortality rates. But periods in which heat and pollution were combined were even more deadly. Try thisWhat should you do when it’s this hot? Simar Bajaj, who covers personal health, compiled several ideas from experts. Here are three of them. 1. Check your meds. Some drugs — including those for allergies, high blood pressure, kidney disease, hypothyroidism and various mental illnesses — make it harder for people to cool down. Others, like diuretics and certain antidepressants, can repress your thirst and cause more frequent urination and sweating. But don’t skip your doses without talking to your doctor. 2. Eat to hydrate. Your body gets about 20 percent of its water from food. Raw fruits and vegetables, including cucumbers, lettuce, celery, tomatoes, strawberries and melons, are among the most hydrating foods. Avoid alcohol and limit coffee; they are dehydrating. 3. Cool down before you lie down. Temperature is one of the most important factors for getting a good night’s rest, and experts recommend keeping your bedroom at 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. If air-conditioners and fans aren’t doing the trick, you can also take a cold shower, spray your sheets with cold water or put your pillow case in the freezer before bed.
Iran-Israel Conflict
NATO Summit
Politics
The Courts
Other Big Stories
U.S. officials have been asking countries around the world to take deportees who are not their citizens. The countries, shown in the map below, include places shattered by war, like Libya or Ukraine, and some known for human rights abuses, like Turkmenistan. So far, seven countries have agreed to take deportees. Read our investigation into the negotiations.
Democrats should embrace the energy Mamdani brings to the party, Rebecca Kirszner Katz writes. America’s birthrate will fall toward South Korea’s if it continues to ignore the financial stress of motherhood, Jessica Grose writes. Here are columns by M. Gessen on false accusations of antisemitism and Thomas Friedman on questions for Israel, Iran and Hamas. The Times Sale: Our best rate for readers of The Morning. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year.
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