Today in one sentence: July 4th was Earth's hottest day on record; at least 17 mass shootings were recorded across the country over the Fourth of July holiday weekend; Special Counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed the Arizona Secretary of State's Office as part of his investigation into Jan. 6 insurrection; Federal Reserve officials signaled that they’re not done raising interest rates; and the Secret Service is investigating how a small baggie of cocaine ended up in the White House.

1/ July 4th was Earth’s hottest day on record, with the global average temperature reaching 62.92 degrees Fahrenheit. Although it was the highest temperature since records began in 1979, some scientists believe July 4 may have been one of the hottest days on Earth in around 125,000 years. “It’s a death sentence for people and ecosystems,” Friederike Otto said, a senior lecturer at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment. The World Meteorological Organization added that “The onset of El Niño will greatly increase the likelihood of breaking temperature records and triggering more extreme heat in many parts of the world and in the ocean.” El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern associated with warming of the ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, June 2023 appears to have been the hottest June on record since the late 1800s, according to preliminary global data. (Associated Press / Washington Post / USA Today / Bloomberg / NPR / Axios)

2/ At least 17 mass shootings were recorded across the country over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. At least 18 people were killed, with at least 102 others injured. Meanwhile, a Trump supporter was arrested last week near Obama’s home with two guns, 400 rounds of ammunition, and a machete in his van. Taylor Taranto showed up at Obama’s home after Trump posted what he claimed was Obama’s address on his personal social network. “We got these losers surrounded!” Taranto wrote on Telegram. “See you in hell, Podesta’s and Obama’s!” (NBC News / Associated Press / NBC News / CNN)

3/ Special Counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office as part of his investigation into Jan. 6 insurrection. Smith’s office requested information related to two lawsuits that alleged errors and fraud in the 2020 presidential results. Although Smith subpoenaed the secretary of state, he hasn’t reached out to former Gov. Doug Ducey, who played a central role in certifying Biden’s win in Arizona. Trump reportedly called Ducey to pressure him to find alleged voter fraud in the Arizona election that would help him overturn his loss in the state. Trump also repeatedly asked Pence to pressure Ducey to find the evidence to substantiate his claims of fraud. (AZ Central / Washington Post / CNN)

  • Trump once said a president under felony indictment would grind the government to a halt and create a constitutional crisis. “Trump said in 2016 that a president under indictment would “cripple the operations of our government” and create an “unprecedented constitutional crisis” – years before he himself was indicted on federal charges while running for a second term as president.” (CNN)

  • Judge orders release of more Mar-a-Lago search warrant information in Trump classified docs case. “Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered that more be unsealed from the affidavit used to justify the search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida property that uncovered classified documents.” (NBC News)

4/ Federal Reserve officials signaled that they’re not done raising interest rates. Although the Fed held the federal funds rate steady at a range of 5-5.25% in June, which snapped a streak of 10 consecutive rate hikes since March 2022, officials noted that they might need to make two more increases this year to bring inflation down to their 2% target. Officials said they felt that “leaving the target range unchanged at this meeting would allow them more time to assess the economy’s progress toward the Committee’s goals of maximum employment and price stability.“ (CNN / CNBC / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / New York Times)

5/ The Secret Service is investigating how a small baggie of cocaine ended up in the White House. The white powder in a small plastic envelope, which lab testing confirmed was cocaine, was found during a routine search in an area of the West Wing where guests and staff members are screened for security. Biden was not at the White House when the cocaine was discovered, but reportedly “thinks it’s very important to get to the bottom of this.” (Washington Post / New York Times / ABC News / Politico / NBC News)