House looks at weapons bill, US heat wave, Biden's climate actions: 5 things to know Wednesday

Editors
·5 min read
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House Judiciary panel takes up bill to ban assault weapons

The House Judiciary Committee is expected to consider a bill that would ban assault weapons during a hearing scheduled Wednesday. The news comes following a series of mass shootings across the country in recent weeks. It also comes on the heels of President Joe Biden signing a bipartisan gun safety bill – the most significant move on guns by Congress in decades – that enhances background checks on gun buyers 18 to 21 years old and encourages states to develop "red-flag" laws that deny guns to people deemed to dangerous. If this bill becomes law, it would forbid the "sale, import, manufacture or transfer of certain semi-automatic weapons." The ban would not include those who already own firearms.

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100 million Americans under heat warnings as extreme weather continues

The "extreme heat" in the U.S. will expand across the Northeast Wednesday and continue through the week, according to the National Weather Service. Overall, a majority of the excessive heat warnings mostly cover the southern Plains and lower Mississippi River Valley. Several heat advisories have also been placed in portions of the Northeast, ranging from Philadelphia to Boston. In those areas, the heat index is expected to approach 100 degrees. In addition to high temperatures, several states are also seeing heightened fire danger. The Weather Service placed portions of Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas under red flag warnings. These warnings mean weather conditions, such as high heat, low humidity and strong winds – along with dry vegetation – are providing the perfect mix for wildfires that could rapidly grow out of control.

Biden visits New England, will hold off on climate emergency declaration

President Joe Biden will travel to Somerset, Massachusetts, on Wednesday to promote new efforts to combat climate change, although he will not declare an emergency that would unlock federal resources to deal with the issue, despite increasing pressure from climate activists and Democratic lawmakers. The White House said Tuesday it has not ruled out issuing such a declaration later, which would allow the president to reroute funds to climate efforts without congressional approval. On Wednesday, Biden will announce other new climate actions when he visits Massachusetts' Brayton Point, a coal-fired power plant that shuttered in 2017 and is now poised to be integral to the production and distribution of wind energy. But since Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., hit pause on negotiations over climate spending and taxes last week, the public attention has shifted to a presidential emergency declaration and what the Biden administration could do with the newfound powers.

Ukraine forces strike key bridge ahead of first lady's address to Congress

Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska will deliver remarks to Congress on Wednesday as she presses her husband's campaign for more military support from the West. Zelenska met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Blinken emphasized the U.S. commitment to support Ukraine and help it recover from Russian attacks. The remarks will come after Ukrainian forces on Wednesday struck and seriously damaged a bridge that is key for supplying Russian troops in southern Ukraine. Kirill Stremousov, an official with the Moscow-backed temporary administration for the Russia-controlled southern Kherson region, said the Ukrainian military struck the Antonivskyi Bridge with missiles, scoring 11 hits. The 0.9-mile bridge is the main crossing across the Dnieper River in the Kherson region, and if it's made unusable it would be hard for the Russian military to keep supplying its forces in the region amid repeated Ukrainian attacks.

Steph Curry hosts the ESPYs; Vitali Klitschko, Dick Vitale to be honored

Fresh off winning his fourth NBA title with the Golden State Warriors, Steph Curry will host the 30th ESPYS Wednesday at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre, the home of the Academy Awards (8 ET/PT, ABC). The sports awards show is back to full capacity for the first time since 2019 after the COVID-19 pandemic led to a virtual show in 2020 and a scaled-down show in 2021. In addition to hosting, Curry is nominated for three trophies: best men's athlete, best record-breaking performance and best NBA player. Vitali Klitschko, the former heavyweight boxing champion and current mayor of Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv, will receive the 2022 Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Klitschko has been Kyiv's mayor since 2014 and many consider him Ukraine's most visible citizen next to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. ESPN also previously said broadcasting icon Dick Vitale, who recently faced cancer, will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, nearly 30 years after his friend Jim Valvano captivated an ESPYS crowd with a riveting speech.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Assault weapons bill, Biden on climate: 5 things to know Wednesday