Daily Briefing: America takes the heat

Nearly 200 million people in the United States are under either a heat advisory or flood warning of some kind, as high temperatures and severe storms are to continue blazing and battering the nation. Also in the news: A revised indictment said Donald Trump and others sought to erase security video of rooms at Mar-a-Lago in which boxes of classified documents were kept and what happened when Nicaragua lost press freedom.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Have you experienced post-concert sadness this summer?

Now here we go with Friday's news.

Biden says heat is the number one weather-related killer in the country

President Joe Biden has announced new steps to protect workers, improve weather forecasts and make drinking water more accessible. These actions come as as nearly 40% of the U.S. population faces heat advisories. He directed the Department of Labor to give employers information on how to protect workers during inclement heat and inform workers of their rights, as well as enhance enforcement for any heat-safety violations. Citing federal data, Biden called extreme heat the No. 1 weather-related killer in the United States. Biden faces pressure from fellow Democrats and environmental groups to declare a climate "emergency,'' a step he has so far resisted. Read more

• Video: Watch Biden's address on actions against extreme heat across the country.

• July 2023 temperatures will smash records — maybe 120,000-year-old ones.

New charges against Trump in classified documents case

Special counsel Jack Smith leveled new charges against Donald Trump on Thursday - including an allegation that he sought to delete surveillance video - and indicted a second Trump aide for obstruction of justice in the hoarding of classified information.

The background: In June, a federal grand jury indicted Trump and aid Walt Nauta on obstruction charges related to Trump's handling of classified material after he left office. Both pleaded innocent to the obstruction charges.

• Carlos De Oliveira, an employee of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, is also accused of lying about helping Nauta hide subpoenaed boxes of classified information around Trump's home.

• The new charges against the twice-indicted Trump include attempts to "alter, destroy, mutilate or conceal evidence," and inducing others to do so.

• The Trump campaign attacked the superseding indictment in a statement calling the new charges against the former president's an effort to "harass President Trump and those around him."

More news to know now

• The Senate set up a clash with House Republicans after passing a crucial bipartisan Defense bill.

• Kimberly Mata-Rubio, mother of a Uvalde school shooting victim, announced her run for city mayor.

• Disney criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' attempt to remove himself from a legal battle.

• ''Zelenskyy is in a box'': Some experts say Ukraine won't win the war.

• On today's 5 Things podcast, Bronny James, cardiac arrest and young athletes. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Tough debate in Congress on gender affirming care for minors

A debate on Capitol Hill Thursday drew attention as families across the nation navigate how to move around state laws banning or limiting transgender healthcare. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government's hearing "Dangers and Due Process Violations of ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ for Children" came at a time when several states are passing legislation to inhibit the rights of transgender youth. At the hearing Committee Chairman and Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) repeatedly attacked the safety and merits of gender-affirming care while Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pennsylvania) argued his remarks were "a cynical and dangerous political attack on transgender children and their families." Read more

Nicaragua lost press freedom. Other countries are too.

Today, Nicaraguan journalists-in-exile cover their home country from outside, often from across the border in Costa Rica. They've watched media repression increase in several Central American nations, which experts say reflects the region’s continuing slide toward authoritarianism. A USA TODAY investigation found that a slide of press freedoms in the region echoes a growing global concern as autocratic leaders increasingly label the press an “enemy” and embrace repressive laws that criminalize publishing what is deemed as “fake news.” In addition, journalists say, pro-government misinformation floods social media and state-controlled news outlets, leaving some unsure what to trust. Read more

Just for subscribers:

• Anti-vaxxer in chief? DeSantis elevates vaccine skepticism to a marquee campaign issue.

• ''Help! Help!'': How a Michigan school district allegedly covered up autistic boy's assault.

• Texas prison inmates are making the razor wire used by Operation Lone Star along the Rio Grande.

• The Big 12 was left for dead two years ago. Now, the conference has its swagger back.

These articles are for USA TODAY subscribers. You can sign up here. 

What's happening in the debate over African American studies?

The College Board rejected claims this week by Florida officials that some aspects of the state's new history standards align with an Advanced Placement African American Studies course that Florida officials banned earlier this year. Florida's state Board of Education approved new African American history standards last week that have been widely criticized for including language on how "slaves developed skills" that could ultimately be used for "personal benefit." College Board officials denied that the AP course echoes the new Florida standards, noting that while the course does not frame slavery in a positive light. Read more

• These school safety essentials give college students — and parents — peace of mind.

• ''If kids are dead, they don’t learn'': Lawmakers clash over COVID pandemic school closures.

• Education benefits: The emerging workplace perk employees expect and employers need.

Quick hits

• New movies this weekend: Ride Disney's ''Haunted Mansion,'' watch scare fest ''Talk to Me.''

• After a disappointing draw, here's what the USWNT needs to avoid World Cup embarrassment.

• AI, automation could kill your job sooner than you thought. Here's how COVID sped things up.

• Why are Americans less interested in owning an EV? Cost and charging still play a part.

• America Ferrera's ''Barbie'' speech said what women are thinking and quickly went viral.

Photo of the day:  England v. Denmark at the 2023 World Cup

The group stage of the 2023 World Cup continued Thursday night and early Friday as teams compete in their second games of the tournament. Friday's schedule features just two games: England takes on Denmark while China faces off against Haiti. Read our full rundown of all the games.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heat, weather, Trump charges, transgender healthcare, DeSantis, USWNT, World Cup: Daily Briefing