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Russia strikes Kyiv, Beryl hits Houston and Biden saw neurologist

 
Today's INTERNATIONAL story

Russia bombs Kyiv children's hospital

What happened
Russia struck cities across Ukraine on Monday in a daytime barrage of rockets that killed at least 41 civilians and destroyed part of the country's largest children's hospital in Kyiv. World leaders condemned the attack, as NATO leaders gather in Washington today to celebrate the alliance's 75th birthday. Ukraine declared Tuesday a day of mourning. 

Who said what
Ukraine's military said it shot down 30 of 38 missiles during the attack, but Russia is getting more adept at evading air defenses. The Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital was struck by a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile, according to Ukraine's Security Service. The attack "caused debris to fall into heart patients' open chests in the middle of surgery," The Associated Press said. "Cancer patients had their beds wheeled into parks and onto the streets."

"Among the victims were Ukraine's sickest children," said Volker Türk, the U.N. human rights commissioner. "This is abominable." British Prime Minister Kier Starmer said "attacking innocent children" was "depraved." President Joe Biden called the strikes a "horrific reminder of Russia's brutality."

Russia claimed it struck only military targets. Ukraine's Health Ministry said Russia has damaged more than 1,600 medical facilities and destroyed 214 since invading in February 2022. Attacking hospitals with no military value is a war crime.

What next?
The White House said NATO leaders will announce new measures to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses during their summit. The U.N. Security Council is also holding an emergency meeting on Tuesday at the request of France and Ecuador.

 
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Today's NATIONAL story

Beryl kills 4, knocks out power to 2.7M in Texas

What happened
Hurricane Beryl made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast as a Category 1 storm early Monday then tore through Houston as a tropical storm, killing at least six people and leaving 2.7 million customers without power — or air conditioning. Flooding and high winds submerged roads, shut oil ports and canceled hundreds of flights.

Who said what
Houston was in the "dirty side of a dirty hurricane," Mayor John Whitmire said as the storm passed just west of downtown, heading toward Louisiana and Arkansas.

By the time it hit Texas, The Associated Press said, Beryl "was far less powerful than the Category 5 behemoth that tore a deadly path of destruction through parts of Mexico and the Caribbean," leaving 11 people dead and several islands in ruins. But its "relatively modest official strength undersold its power," The New York Times said. And this was the second "unexpectedly strong storm" to batter the Houston area this year, following a tempest in May that left at least seven people dead. 

What next?
Beryl, the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record, was an "ill omen" for the coming hurricane season, the Times said. It was expected to "move through the Lower Mississippi Valley and into the Ohio Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday," USA Today said.

 
 
Today's POLITICS Story

Biden saw neurologist during physicals

What happened
President Joe Biden has seen a neurologist three times during his presidency, but not "outside of his annual physical," presidential physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor said in a letter the White House released Monday night.

Who said what
Visitor logs show that Dr. Kevin Cannard, a longtime neurologist at Walter Reed who has researched Parkinson's disease, visited the White House eight times since July 2023. Weekend reports about those visits, in the aftermath of Biden's bad debate performance, prompted aggressive questioning about the president's health during Monday's White House press briefing. 

O'Connor said Cannard's most recent "extremely detailed neurological exam" of Biden in January showed no findings consistent with a "stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's," or any other cerebellar or central neurological disorders. He said Cannard, the on-call White House neurologist since 2012, mostly visits the building to care for staff, not the president. 

Cannard visited the White House more than a dozen times during the Obama and Trump administrations, The Associated Press said. "As the unit's neurology consultant, Cannard often administered Botox shots to treat migraines, particularly to high-level Trump officials," The Washington Post said.

What next?
The White House said there has been "no reason to conduct further examination" since Biden's annual check-up in February, The New York Times said.

 
 

It's not all bad

A once-in-a-lifetime event — light from a thermonuclear explosion on T Coronae Borealis (T CrB), a binary star system 3,000 light years away — will soon be visible from Earth. Known as a recurrent nova, T CrB lights up every 80 years and is predicted to be visible any time before September. Experts say it could be as bright as the North Star in the Northern Hemisphere and Orion's right foot in the Southern Hemisphere.

 
 
Under the radar

Cows, sheep and pigs emit a surprising amount of greenhouse gases, making livestock farming one of the more polluting areas of agriculture. To account for this, Denmark has issued a tax on the emissions from livestock beginning in 2030. It will be the first country to institute this type of tax. 

Methane is the primary greenhouse gas produced by livestock. While released in less quantity than carbon dioxide, methane is 80 times more potent in trapping heat in the atmosphere. Denmark will tax those emissions as part of its goal to fight global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% from 1990s levels,. 

Livestock account for approximately 6.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent emissions per year, or around 12% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and 40% of total emissions from agriculture systems, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization. About 90% of the methane from livestock "comes from the way they digest, through fermentation, and is released as burps through their mouths," said The Associated Press. 

New Zealand had passed a similar law, but it was scrapped before it took effect following criticism from farmers and a rightward shift in government. Denmark faced and mitigated similar criticism before sealing the current agreement. "Danish farmers had expressed concerns that the country's climate goals could force them to lower production and cut jobs," said Reuters. A 60% tax break will therefore apply for farmers, so they can "maintain their business."

 
 
On this day

July 9, 1877

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club held its first lawn tennis tournament in Wimbledon, then an outer suburb of London. Twenty-two men competed in the Gentlemen's Singles tournament, the only event at the first Wimbledon Championships. Spencer Gore was the first person to win the tournament.

 
 
TODAY’S newspaperS

"Beryl pummels region," the Houston Chronicle says on Tuesday's front page. "Millions left powerless" after the storm, The Dallas Morning News adds. USA Today says the Justice Department "sets targets on corrupt landlords," with levied fines going to tenants "sexually harassed, intimidated." President Joe Biden "shoves back at 'elites'" amid calls for him to drop his reelection bid, the Los Angeles Times says. As he "denounces critics" in his party "in a letter and on TV," The New York Times says, "Biden slows tide of dissent," The Washington Post adds. But "buoyed by crowds, Biden misses party's pessimism."

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
Tall tale

High dudgeon

A brawl broke out on Mount Everest last month as two couples allegedly fought for pole position at the peak's best selfie spot. The fight started after a guide asked the climbers to stand next to the Everest Elevation Measurement Monument for a photo together, The Independent reported, and they disagreed on who should stand where. A video of the incident, shared on Chinese media, showed two men punching one another and wrestling on the ground before border police came to break up the melee.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Harold Maass, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Alice Martins / For The Washington Post via Getty Images; Brandon Bell / Getty Images; Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images