'Climate breakdown has begun'

The Earth just sweltered through its hottest June-August on record. Also in the news: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says the state will appeal a federal ruling that orders the removal of floating barriers on the Rio Grande and Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kyiv to unveil a hefty aid package.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Here's my dispatch from inside The Rolling Stone's "Hackney Diamonds" launch event in London.

Now, here we go with hurday's news.

New data shows record-busting summer temps

The year so far is the second-warmest on record behind 2016, when there was a powerful El Niño, according to new data from global scientists at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

“Our planet has just endured a season of simmering – the hottest summer on record," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement. "Climate breakdown has begun."

• August had the warmest global monthly average ocean-surface temperatures on record, at nearly 70 degrees (F). Sea ice in Antarctica also was at a record low level for August, with a monthly value of 2% below average.

• Scorching temperatures are expected to linger through Friday in the U.S. mid-Atlantic and Northeast and through the weekend in Texas and adjacent states, the National Weather Service said.

• Unusually warm ocean water strengthens storms. Forecasts from experts have Tropical Storm Lee as likely to become a "very dangerous major hurricane" by the weekend.

More weather news: Maps show unhealthy air quality for states impacted by Canadian wildfire smoke.

Judge orders Texas to remove floating barriers aimed at discouraging migrants from entering US

Gov. Greg Abbott and the state of Texas must remove — at least temporarily — the buoys placed in the Rio Grande as part of the state's effort to control the border with Mexico, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, marking a win for the Biden administration. The governor ordered the 1,000-foot string of oversized orange floating devices placed in the international river near Eagle Pass ostensibly to help discourage migrants from entering Texas without legal authorization and to combat cross-border drug trafficking. In a statement Wednesday, Abbott said the state will appeal the ruling. Read more

• America’s state supreme courts are looking less and less like America.

More news to know now

• New data says the latest COVID variant is less worrisome than first imagined.

• A rare bacterial infection has claimed the lives of a dozen Americans.

• Idalia swamped their homes. They still dropped everything to try and put out a house fire.

• Jenni Hermoso has accused Luis Rubiales of sexual assault following a World Cup kiss.

• On today's 5 Things podcast, Biden cancels the remaining oil and gas leases in Alaska's Arctic Refuge. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

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

Escaped killer 'crab-walked' up prison wall

The convicted murderer still on the loose after escaping a Pennsylvania prison last week broke free by "crab-walking" up a wall, pushing through razor wire and running across a roof, officials said Wednesday. Danelo Cavalcante, 34, escaped the morning of Aug. 31 while his prisoner block was outside in the exercise yard and an officer in a tower didn't see him slip away, acting warden of Chester County Prison Howard Holland said at a news conference. It's the second escape from the facility in recent months and the local area has been swarmed with law enforcement amid the exhaustive search to find Cavalcante. Read more

October trial for two of Trump's Georgia co-defendants

A Georgia judge agreed Wednesday to start the trial Oct. 23 for two of Donald Trump’s co-defendants charged with racketeering for trying to overturn the 2020 election, but hasn't yet set a schedule for the other 17 co-defendants including the former president. Lawyer Kenneth Chesebro and lawyer Sidney Powell each asked to separate their trials from the others and to have them as fast as possible. Trump has already opposed trying all 19 defendants at the same time, with his lawyers saying they don't have enough time to prepare for such a complicated case. Read more

• Federal prosecutors intend to seek indictment of Hunter Biden by Sept. 29.

Five political parties?

A new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll takes a rare look at the views of unlikely voters. No surprise that these Americans want to have more choices. Only about 1 in 6, 17%, say the Democratic and Republican parties do a good job of representing the nation's political views. Twenty percent say a third party is necessary; even more, 44%, endorse the idea of multiple parties. Read more

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Is Putin getting desperate in Ukraine?

A potential high-stakes meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin is just one of several indications that the Russian president may be getting nervous − even desperate − as Moscow's war in Ukraine grinds on into its 18th month. Putin is trying to double down on his alliance with North Korea – a pariah state sanctioned and shunned by most of the world’s nations – in an apparent attempt to get more ammunition and weapons for use in Ukraine, U.S. national security officials said. Read more

• Deadly missiles slam Ukraine market while Blinken pledges $1 billion in aid on Kyiv visit.

Quick hits

• India's Chandrayaan-3 rover revelations may include a spectacular lunar sunrise.

• Saints rookie QB Jake Haener has been suspended 6 games for violating NFL's policy on PEDs.

• ''My tractor is calling me'': Jennifer Garner's favorite place is her Oklahoma farm.

• Five ''potentially hazardous'' asteroids will fly by Earth within days.

• 11,000 runners were disqualified from the Mexico City Marathon for cheating.

• It's self-care September.

Photo of the day: Naomi Campbell launches New York Fashion Week

Naomi Campbell kicked of New York Fashion Week 2023 with a runway show featuring her collaboration with fast fashion brand PrettyLittleThing. The show at Cipriani Broadway in lower Manhattan featured a cascade of models in figure-hugging designs embedded with crystals or made of sparkly metallic textures. Read more

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: Daily Briefing: