Associated Press

Exposure to small particulate matter from fires contributes to thousands of annual deaths in US, according to study

Wildfires driven by the climate crisis contribute to as many as thousands of annual deaths and billions of dollars in economic costs from wildfire smoke in the United States, according to a new study.

The paper, published on Friday in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment, found that from 2006 to 2020, the climate crisis contributed to about 15,000 deaths from exposure to small particulate matter from wildfires and cost about $160bn. The annual range of deaths was 130 to 5,100, the study showed, with the highest in states such as Oregon and California.

Cynthia Diekema and husband were paddling in mouth of river when startled animal thrashed and capsized canoe

An alligator killed a Florida woman after tipping over a canoe she and her husband were paddling, in what investigators say appeared to be an accidental encounter.

The attack happened on Tuesday afternoon near the mouth of Tiger Creek into Lake Kissimmee, south of Orlando, the Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC) said. It’s near the same location as a March alligator attack in which a woman was bitten on the elbow while kayaking.

• Guard picked up injury during Game 1 victory
• 37-year-old will miss at least three games of series

The Golden State Warriors are planning to play without Stephen Curry for at least the next three games of their playoff series against Minnesota, after an MRI exam on Wednesday confirmed the guard has a strained hamstring.

The Warriors said the 37-year-old will be sidelined at least a week after he picked up the injury during Tuesday night’s Game 1 victory over the Timberwolves. When he left the court, he had 13 points in 13 minutes to help Golden State build a comfortable lead and take home-court advantage away from the Timberwolves.

Homeland security secretary says people without ID yet can take domestic flights after additional identity checks

Most airports around the United States operated smoothly Wednesday as new Real ID requirements took effect because travelers without the updated document were still allowed to move through security easily.

Those without the IDs were given flyers informing them that going forward they would need to present Real ID or other federally accepted ID for air travel within the US.

• Steelers will receive third- and fifth-round draft picks
• Receiver has tested patience of Pittsburgh teammates

The Pittsburgh Steelers appear to have run out of patience with wide receiver George Pickens. The team have agreed a trade to send the talented but mercurial 24-year-old to Dallas.

According to ESPN, the deal, which the Cowboys confirmed on Wednesday morning, will send Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick to Dallas. In return, the Steelers will get a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.

Iranian leaders are already pushing back, saying renaming the gulf would be ‘indicative of hostile intent toward Iran’

• US politics live – latest updates

Donald Trump plans to announce while on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the United States will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the “Arabian Gulf” or the “Gulf of Arabia”, according to two US officials.

The move has prompted a push back from Iranian leaders.

Homeland security secretary says people without ID yet can take domestic flights after additional identity checks

Real ID requirements for those flying within the United States begin Wednesday after nearly 20 years of delays.

The day ahead of the deadline, people lined up at government offices across the country to secure their compliant IDs. In Chicago, officials established a Real ID Supercenter for walk-in appointments, while officials in California and elsewhere planned to continue offering extended hours for the crush of appointments.

Secretary of state says opponents of Maduro have left diplomatic compound in Caracas and are ‘safely on US soil’

Five members of Venezuela’s political opposition have left the Argentinian diplomatic compound in their country’s capital, Caracas, where they had sheltered for more than a year to avoid arrest, and were in the United States on Tuesday, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said.

Rubio did not provide details of the group’s movements to reach the US, but he described the event as a rescue operation.

Republican governor Spencer Cox signs law despite pleas of health experts, who warn that children will be most hurt

Utah on Wednesday will become the first state in the US to ban fluoride in public drinking water. Dentists who treat children and low-income patients say they’re bracing for an increase in tooth decay among the state’s most vulnerable people.

Utah’s Republican governor, Spencer Cox, signed the law against the recommendation of many dentists and national health experts who warned removing fluoride would harm tooth development, especially in young patients without regular access to dental care.

Republican Jefferson Griffin had sought to throw out votes for Democrat Allison Riggs in supreme court election

Disputed ballots in the still unresolved 2024 race for a North Carolina supreme court seat must remain in the final count, a federal judge ruled late on Monday, a decision that if upheld would result in an electoral victory for the Democratic incumbent, Allison Riggs.

US District Judge Richard Myers agreed with Riggs and others who argued it would be a violation of the US constitution to carry out recent decisions by state appeals courts that directed the removal of potentially thousands of voter ballots deemed ineligible. Myers wrote that votes could not be removed six months after election day without damaging due process and equal protection rights of the affected residents.