Daily Briefing: A great haze over the Great Lakes

Ongoing wildfires in Canada are causing blankets of haze and air quality concerns in the Great Lakes region and across the central and eastern portions of the United States. Also in the news: Three children are among the nine people dead after a Russian attack on a busy pizza restaurant in Ukraine and the Supreme Court has struck down a conservative theory about voting.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Why are TikTokers covered in the purple, berry-flavored Grimace shake?

Now, here we go with Wednesday's news.

Haze over Great Lakes region persists as Canadian wildfires blaze

Some residents in the Midwest will remain under an air-quality advisory through Wednesday, and air quality is expected to reach unhealthy levels in parts of western and central New York and eastern Lake Ontario.

That means anyone in a sensitive group should stay indoors for any physical activity, and everyone else should limit the amount of time they are active outdoors.

• Fires in northern Quebec and low pressure over the eastern Great Lakes are sending smoke to Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois, according to the National Weather Service.

• Detroit is under an air quality advisory until Wednesday night after the city and Chicago reached the top two rankings for air quality in the world Tuesday.

• Wildfire smoke contains noxious or poisonous gases and particulate matter, tiny particles that can be inhaled. Advisories in Wisconsin are expected to last through Thursday afternoon, with air quality expected to be most severe on Wednesday.

Death toll rises in Russian attack on restaurant in eastern Ukraine

Ukraine's State Emergency Service says the death toll from a Russian missile attack on a popular pizza restaurant in an eastern Ukrainian city has risen to nine, including three children. Officials said Wednesday that at least 56 people were wounded in Tuesday's attack as rescuers continue to search for survivors amid the smoky ruins. Russia’s latest assault on Ukrainian civilians came as the shock of the weekend’s failed insurrection by a mercenary outfit began to diminish and the horrors of war again took center stage. Read more

• Putin highlights unity against rebellion, blames Wagner leader Prigozhin.

More news to know now

• Donald Trump has braced supporters for more indictments.

• Four Mexican nationals were arrested in the 2022 deaths of migrants trapped in a hot tractor-trailer in Texas.

• More than $200 billion in COVID-19 relief may have been stolen, a federal watchdog says.

• Christine Dawood, whose son and husband died in the Titan sub implosion is speaking out.

• On today's 5 Things podcast, actor Julian Sands has been found dead, months after going missing while hiking. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

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

Dangerous heat forecast for Texas

An intense, record-breaking heat wave that's been scorching the south-central U.S. over the past couple of weeks continues as temperatures are forecast to approach or surpass 100 degrees from New Mexico to Mississippi on Wednesday. The heat will be "life-threatening" to those working or spending time outdoors Wednesday, the National Weather Service warned, due to the extremely high levels of humidity. The heat index, which is how hot it feels with humidity factored in, will be in the 110-120 degree range across the eastern third of Texas, along the Central Gulf Coast and north through the Lower Mississippi Valley and Lower Tennessee Valley, the weather service said. Read more

• Heat alerts for millions of Americans: Is climate change to blame?

A Supreme Court win for voting rights groups

The Supreme Court on Tuesday shot down a conservative theory that could have given state lawmakers extraordinary power to set election rules in their states with little oversight from courts, balking at an idea that voting rights groups worried could further erode trust in the nation's elections. The appeal took on added significance because of the 2020 election, during which several courts ruled on absentee ballot procedures amid lockdowns in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans felt that, in some of those cases, courts had overstepped their authority. Democrats, on the other hand, had framed those same decisions as protecting voters from disenfranchisement. Read more

• Stalking or free speech? Critics say the Supreme Court just made it harder to stop stalkers.

Just for subscribers:

• Artificial intelligence now being used in the Grandparent Scam.

• He spent a career helping others after shootings. This is what he thinks will stop them.

• ''Everything is on the table'': Panama City Beach records seven beach deaths in nine days.

• HIV/AIDS is still a health concern. So why are Republicans pulling critical resources?

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

Kevin Spacey's UK sexual assault trial to begin

Actor Kevin Spacey is going on trial in a London court on charges he sexually assaulted four men in Britain. The double-Oscar winner faces a dozen charges Wednesday at his trial in Southwark Crown Court. The actor has pleaded not guilty to all 12 counts, which relate to alleged incidents between 2001 and 2013. At an earlier hearing, Spacey’s lawyer said the actor "strenuously denies" the charges. The attorney said Spacey would face the court to establish his innocence and "proceed with his life." Read more

Quick hits

• Hundreds of dolphins, sea lions ill, dying due to California's red tide.

• The in-laws of NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson were found dead in a suspected murder-suicide.

• A fan threw a bag of ashes at Pink during her tour concert.

• All about Ryan Seacrest: What to know about Pat Sajak's "Wheel of Fortune" replacement.

• Barbie's Malibu dream house is back on Airbnb, but this time Ken is hosting for free.

Photo of the day: Would you live here for 378 days?

A group of four NASA volunteers have embarked on a 378-day mission in which they will be locked in a ground-based simulation of the planet Mars. The mission, which began this week, is the first of three year-long Mars surface simulations, according to NASA. 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: Air quality, Canadian wildfires, Russia, Ukraine, Texas heat, Supreme Court, NASA, Julian Sands: Daily Briefing