10 million Americans told to stay indoors TODAY as toxic chemicals in the air trigger health emergency
The alert is due to ground-level ozone, which forms when air pollution combines with warm temperatures. Temperatures are expected to surpass 80°F on Wednesday.
Ground-level ozone is a harmful pollutant that can irritate the lungs, causing coughing, throat irritation, and chest pain.
Officials warned that people with respiratory issues, young children, and the elderly should limit outdoor activities.
An Air Quality Health Advisory is in effect from 11 am to 11 pm ET for New York City, the Bronx, Kings, Queens, Rockland, and Westchester counties, as well as the Lower Hudson Valley, which includes Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan, and Ulster counties.
'When outdoor levels of ozone are elevated, going indoors will usually reduce exposure,' the alert reads.
'Individuals experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, or coughing should consider consulting their personal physician.'
The alert comes as the Midwest is also facing air quality emergencies due to wildfire smoke crossing the border from Canada.
Smoke forecast Canada and the US. Wildfire smoke wafts across the US as horrifying map reveals where hazed air quality may turn deadly
The National Weather Service reported Air Quality Index (AQI) levels will exceed 100 today, a range classified as 'unhealthy for sensitive groups.'
The AQI measures the amount of pollutants and particulates in the air on a scale of zero (good) to 500 (hazardous).
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) issued the warning this week, explaining that ground-level ozone forms when sunlight hits pollution from cars, trucks, and industrial facilities.
This isn't the 'good ozone' high up in the atmosphere that protects us from the sun's rays, this is a harmful gas that hangs close to the ground, contributing to hazy skies and breathing problems.
'People think of air pollution as smoke or smog you can see,' the DEC said.
'But ozone is different, it's a clear gas that you can't see, but you can definitely feel it when you're outside on a hot, muggy day.'
Ozone pollution is most dangerous in the afternoon and early evening when the sun is strongest.
In the New York metro area, including Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx, millions are at risk during these high ozone days, when ground-level ozone reaches unhealthy levels that can harm people's health and the environment.
Officials are urging residents to take simple steps to cut back on pollution and save energy.
These include using public transit, combining car trips, setting the air conditioner to 78 degrees, and limiting appliance use to after 7 pm The DEC also recommends turning off unused lights and avoiding outdoor burning.
'It doesn't take a science degree to help clear the air,' the agency said. 'Drive less, cool smart, and give your lungs and your neighbors a break.'
New Yorkers can check daily air quality updates through the state's online resources and are encouraged to make small changes that add up to cleaner air and safer summers for everyone.
Officials warned that alerts like this should be expected as the summer begins.
The health alert in New York comes as Canadian wildfire smoke is blowing over into the US, triggering air quality emergencies in several states.
As of Wednesday, parts of Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin are facing unhealthy air.
More than 200 fires are burning in Canada, with over 100 considered out of control.
While officials urge Americans to stay prepared, they note the current situation is less hazardous than in 2023, when Canadian wildfires turned skies across the Northeast a hazy orange.
Huge swaths of the US , from the north east to the Great Lakes, were blanked in smog for several days as a result.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams urged millions of residents to remain indoors as a sheet of smoke from the wildfires left hose in Manhattan unable to see the New Jersey skyline across the Hudson River.
Similar air quality alerts were also issued in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Illinois, Virginia and the Carolinas.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
Laura Loomer sets her sights on her next target to get the boot from the Trump administration
After playing an outsized role in pushing out roughly a dozen Trump administration officials for supposedly showing insufficient allegiance to the president, far-right extremist and self-appointed MAGA 'loyalty' enforcer Laura Loomer is now setting her sights on a new target. In an interview with Politico Playbook this week, Loomer said she is taking aim at Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his senior counselor Stefanie Spear over concerns that Kennedy is eyeing a 2028 presidential run. Loomer, who says she is running a tipline to purge 'disloyal' members from the administration, told Politico that while she is realistic about the unlikeliness of her running Kennedy out of Washington, she does feel she can knock out some of his deputies – with Spear being front and center on her list. 'I'm not naive enough to think that the president is going to get rid of RFK, but I will say that … there are concerns about some of the staffing decisions over at HHS,' Loomer said. Spear, who served as the principal communications adviser on Kennedy's long-shot 2024 presidential campaign, is now one of his closest aides at HHS and apparently tightly controls access to the secretary. According to Politico, even before Loomer began targeting her, Spear had begun to run members of the Trump administration the wrong way and had 'been a thorn in their side for months,' with many expressing concern about her influence on Kennedy. However, for Loomer, the main issue is that Spear is apparently steering the 71-year-old MAHA leader towards another presidential run. 'I think that there's a clear intention by Stefanie Spear to utilize her position to try to lay the groundwork for a 2028 RFK presidential run,' Loomer claimed, adding that she knew this through 'sources in HHS.' While Spear did not respond to Politico's story, a senior HHS leader did not deny that Kennedy is indeed weighing a presidential bid. A Trump administration official also said they 'would not be surprised if [Kennedy is] thinking about' running again, even though they 'don't think anyone thinks it's a real threat.' With the 79-year-old president constitutionally ineligible to run in 2028, though he has repeatedly quipped about campaigning for a third term, Trump has suggested that Vice President JD Vance will be the MAGA movement's heir apparent – though he has yet to officially crown Vance as his successor. In response to Loomer's campaign against Spear and Kennedy, HHS acting chief of staff Matt Buckham said Kennedy and his staff 'are laser-focused on delivering President Trump's promise to Make America Healthy Again' while ignoring 'Beltway gossip' and political speculation. 'Secretary Kennedy and the entire HHS team are doing a terrific job as they deliver on President Trump's mandate to Make America Healthy Again,' a White House official told Politico. 'Scores of prominent restaurant chains and food brands dropping artificial ingredients from our food supply and historic reforms at the FDA to fast track lifesaving drugs and treatments prove that the entire HHS team is delivering for the American people.' Spear helped kickstart speculation about a Kennedy 2028 run last month when she joined an organizing call for MAHA supporters and influencers that Kennedy's super PAC co-hosted, Axios reported. Meanwhile, Kennedy has long been in Loomer's crosshairs. Despite his vaccine skepticism and embrace of conspiracy theories, which generally align with Loomer's worldview, she has labeled Kennedy a 'Marxist' and 'very problematic person.' Also, after Loomer successfully launched a campaign to oust FDA vaccine chief Vinay Prasad for being a 'progressive leftist saboteur' last month, the agency brought him back two weeks later as its top vaccine regulator. Besides taking issue with Spear supposedly prepping a Kennedy presidential run, Loomer is also lobbing allegations of disloyalty at the HHS aide. 'There's been some things that have happened,' Loomer cryptically said. 'There's been several things that have happened at HHS that are contradictory to the initial promises made.' Outside of her role as 'Trump's Rasputin,' which has prompted the president's inner circle to grow tired of her influence, the 'proud Islamophobe' has also been busy with her defamation lawsuit against HBO late-night host Bill Maher for joking that she 'might be' sleeping with Trump. In an off-the-rails deposition with HBO lawyer Katherine Bolger late last month, Loomer not only claimed that she lost out on a White House job because of Maher's quip but also repeatedly tried to avoid admitting that she made her own wild accusations about prominent figures. At one point, after Loomer refused to explain what she meant when she tweeted an especially gross allegation about Kamala Harris, Bolger apparently had enough. 'God, you're a coward,' the attorney said. 'You're a coward, you won't even admit to what you did.'
The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
Experts fear Trump administration's use of ‘dehumanizing' memes is ‘a jump to actual violence'
An AI-generated image of an alligator in an ICE hat. A line of handcuffed immigrants being boarded onto a deportation flight, backed by the 'Jet2 Holiday' audio. A still from the movie E.T., encouraging immigrants to 'go home.' The Trump administration's use of social media jokes to promote the president's harsh and unpopular immigration policies is raising concerns among extremism experts that it dehumanizes immigrants by normalizing violence against them. The memes, along with artwork that alludes to nativist ideals and music that resonates with young people, are the latest move by the administration to promote its controversial policy of deporting millions of undocumented immigrants. Approximately 56,000 people have already been deported. The memes make light of aggressive ICE raids, some of which have turned violent. In one instance, a car was rammed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while a baby, toddler, and woman were sitting in the backseat. In July, DHS's official X page posted a meme tapping into the viral TikTok 'Jet2 Holiday' trend, which typically uses the ad's theme song to show a funny or awkward moment on vacation. DHS used it to show handcuffed immigrants lined up to board a deportation flight. In another post, the DHS communications team posted an AI-generated image of alligators wearing ICE hats, making light of the recently-opened detention facility called 'Alligator Alcatraz' in Florida. Detainees have alleged there is maggot-infested food, limited water to bathe, and overcrowding at the facility. DHS's Instagram account uses popular music in montages of gun-wielding officers conducting practice raids. One video, with more than five million views, uses the words 'epic takedown' to describe ICE agents storming what appears to be a day laborer pickup spot and throwing people to the ground. The DHS account also used an audio compilation of Trump saying 'bye-bye' to flash mugshots of immigrants on screen – bragging about the number of people detained. Experts in social media and extremism told WIRED that the messaging is meant to target young people, and also downplays the real-life impact of immigration raids. 'I don't think that this messaging is bad because it's mean, or because it's sloppy, or because it's unbecoming of the Office of the President, although all these things I do believe are true,' Kurt Braddock, an assistant professor at American University who studies persuasive strategies used by violent extremist groups, told WIRED. 'My biggest problem with it is that it normalizes aggression. With the normalization of aggression and the normalization of the dehumanization of others, immigrants or otherwise, it's not much of a jump to actual violence,' Braddock added. Trump has called immigrants 'criminals,' 'illegal monsters,' and a 'threat.' His language is echoed by senior immigration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has referred to immigrants as 'dirtbags.' However approximately 70 percent of those in detention centers do not have a criminal record, according to TRAC Reports, a nonprofit data-gathering organization at Syracuse University. It found that most of those convicted of crimes have committed minor offenses, such as traffic violations. Joan Donovan, an assistant professor at Boston University and co-author of a book about memes in politics, told WIRED that DHS, 'in particular,' is using its social media to recruit and promote ideals toward 'young men in their teenage years or twenties.' Government agencies are trying to appear relatable to Gen Z with memes and other social media tactics. Recent documents from ICE shows that the agency specifically wants to target 'Gen Z and early-career professionals,' to fill more than 14,000 immigration job posts. The strategy is to target the groups through ads on Hulu, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime in addition to making social media posts, according to the documents. Most recently, DHS's Instagram page has used nostalgic audio and visuals to appeal to young people to join ICE. In one video, with more than 1.5 million views, a group of immigrants board a deportation flight while Frank Sinatra's Come Fly With Me plays. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin has defended the use of memes in the past, telling NBC News that she was not concerned about the content being divisive because the administration was using social media to 'straighten out the facts.' In a statement to WIRED, McLaughlin said: 'What's 'cruel' is the media continuing to ignore victims of murder, rape, human trafficking, and gang violence as you continue to do the bidding of violent criminal illegal aliens.' Abigail Jackson, White House spokesperson, said: 'The White House social media account often highlights the deportations of heinous criminal illegal aliens who have terrorized American communities.' Jackson referred to an earlier statement issued to WIRED which slammed the magazine and 'so-called 'experts, that they refused to provide additional information on, should cover what's actually cruel—criminal illegal aliens murdering, raping, and assaulting innocent American citizens as a direct result of Joe Biden's open border and Democrat sanctuary city policies. And while WIRED runs cover for criminal illegal aliens, we won't apologize for posting banger memes.' Lately, DHS and ICE's Instagram and X pages have posted American artwork that espouses nativist ideals. That includes 'American Progress,' a 1872 painting by John Gast, of an ethereal Lady Liberty floating above a Western landscape as white settlers advance across the frame with stage coaches and rail lines while Native Americans and buffalo run to the margins. In July, DHS posted the image with the caption: 'A Heritage to be proud of, a Homeland worth Defending.' separate X post, captioned 'Remember your Homeland's Heritage', features the contemporary painting 'A Prayer for a New Life' by Morgan Weistling, a close-up of a white pioneer couple clutching a baby in the back of a covered wagon. Brian Levin, founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, told WIRED that 'short bursts of imagery and music appeal emotionally in ways that facts and data often don't.' He added, 'It functions as an emotionally familiar and comforting gift-wrap that here revolves around protection, preservation, fear, and tribalism.'
Reuters
27 minutes ago
- Reuters
From Wall Street to academia, who is in Trump's line of fire?
August 13 - U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated his criticism and actions against executives, corporations and institutions alike. His unprecedented actions, from novel export deals to frozen university grants, have upended the status quo between the government, law, academia and corporate America. Earlier this week, Trump questioned if Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon should remain at the helm, slamming him for the bank's prediction that tariffs would hurt the U.S. economy. Here are some influential figures and entities that Trump has publicly criticized: GOLDMAN SACHS (GS.N), opens new tab Goldman's economic research arm had published a note earlier that said U.S. consumers had absorbed 22% of tariff costs through June, and their share could rise to 67% if the recent levies follow the same pattern as the earliest ones. "David Solomon and Goldman Sachs refuse to give credit where credit is due," Trump said in a post on Truth Social, shortly thereafter. Trump said it was mostly "companies and governments, many of them foreign, picking up the tabs". He also took a dig at Solomon for his former DJ-ing hobby. INTEL (INTC.O), opens new tab Trump recently demanded Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan step down due to China ties. Reuters exclusively in April that Tan at least $200 million in hundreds of Chinese advanced manufacturing and chip firms, some of which were linked to the Chinese military. "The CEO of INTEL is highly CONFLICTED and must resign, immediately. There is no other solution to this problem," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. Tan responded to Trump, saying he shared the president's commitment to advancing U.S. national and economic security and that the Intel board was "fully supportive of the work we are doing to transform our company." After a meeting between the two earlier this week, Trump praised Tan. TESLA (TSLA.O), opens new tab The EV giant's billionaire tech CEO Elon Musk spent hundreds of millions of dollars supporting Trump's re-election, a move investors who bid up Tesla stock expected to benefit Musk's empire. Trump and Musk, however, had a falling out early in June after Musk criticized Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill, because it was projected to increase federal debt. Trump responded to Musk's attack on Truth Social, threatening to cut federal subsidies and contracts to Musk's companies and saying the billionaire "just went CRAZY" after losing the EV mandate in the bill. Trump criticized Jaguar's rebranding effort in August, calling the campaign "woke" and "stupid," and linking it to the departure of the company's CEO. The remarks from Trump came as the British carmaker, now owned by India's Tata Motors ( opens new tab, announced the retirement of CEO Adrian Mardell, who spent more than three decades at the company. Jaguar last year unveiled a new logo and visual identity as part of a broader brand refresh aimed at repositioning itself as an all-electric automaker, a move that drew sharp online backlash and criticism from brand loyalists. APPLE (AAPL.O), opens new tab Trump has repeatedly targeted Apple and its boss, Tim Cook, for making U.S.-sold iPhones outside the country and has threatened company-specific tariffs. In May, Trump recalled after a meeting in the Qatari capital Doha, that he had confronted Cook about shifting production to India, amid the company's plans to make most of its iPhones sold in the U.S. at factories in India by the end of 2026. Trump had said in a social media post that he told Cook "long ago" that "I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else." Earlier this week, though, Trump announced Apple would invest an additional $100 billion in the U.S., raising Apple's total domestic commitment to $600 billion over the next four years. Cook also gave Trump a U.S.-made souvenir with a 24-karat gold base. (AMZN.O), opens new tab Trump called Amazon's former CEO Jeff Bezos in April to complain about a news report that said the company planned to display prices showing tariffs' impact on ecommerce giant However, Amazon said it had only briefly considered listing import charges for some goods in April following Trump's tariff announcement but dropped the plan as the White House accused the company of a "hostile political act." Trump later told reporters that Bezos had solved the problem "very quickly" and was "very nice." BANK OF AMERICA (BAC.N), opens new tab AND JPMORGAN CHASE (JPM.N), opens new tab Trump alleged BofA CEO Brian Moynihan and JPMorgan chief Jamie Dimon discriminated against him and his supporters. Earlier he had said they did not provide banking services to conservatives. "What you're doing is wrong," Trump said, in a video address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump did not cite evidence or specifics of any wrongdoing, in a question-and-answer session with corporate leaders and CEOs assembled on stage. He also referenced JPMorgan's Dimon. "You and Jamie and everybody, I hope you're gonna open your bank to conservatives." Both lenders have denied the allegations of "debanking" on multiple occasions. WALMART (WMT.N), opens new tab Trump said in May that Walmart and China should "eat the tariffs" and not burden American shoppers, after Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said the retailer could not absorb all tariff-related costs because of narrow retail margins. "Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain. Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year, far more than expected," Trump said in a social media post. While Trump did not call out McMillon personally, he publicly criticized Walmart for attributing its price hikes in May to tariffs imposed by his administration. SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION: The White House has said it will lead an internal review of some Smithsonian museums and exhibitions ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. In an executive order in March, Trump said the institution had come under the influence of a "divisive, race-centered ideology" in recent years. Trump targeted the country's oldest and richest university, canceling about $2.5 billion federal grants and mounted efforts to cut off research funding to Harvard, as a part of a larger campaign to force change at U.S. universities, which Trump says are gripped by antisemitic and "radical left" ideologies. "We are going to be taking away Harvard's Tax Exempt Status. It's what they deserve!" Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform in May. In March, the Trump administration said it was penalizing Columbia over how it handled last year's protests by canceling $400 million in federal funding. "This is the first arrest of many to come. We know there are more students at Columbia and other Universities across the Country who have engaged in pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity, and the Trump Administration will not tolerate it." Trump had said in a social media post after the arrest of a Palestinian graduate student Mahmoud Khalil played a prominent role in the protests. Later in July, the university said it will pay over $200 million to the U.S. government in a settlement with Trump's administration. Trump targeted law firm Perkins Coie in March with an executive order that suspended security clearances for its employees and restricted their access to federal buildings over its ties to Hillary Clinton and DEI policies. Trump had said it was "an absolute honor to sign" the order. Trump also targeted New York law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in March with a similar order, which he later withdrew after striking a deal. Law firm Covington & Burling faced Trump's presidential memorandum in February, which suspended security clearances for Peter Koski and all Covington employees who assisted former special counsel Jack Smith, who prosecuted Trump. Covington had said it would continue representing Jack Smith despite these measures. "We're going to continue holding the people who were responsible for the weaponization of government - who supported it - accountable," Trump had said.
