The hottest July—in photos

Plus: Haitian migrants under pressure  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Ruairi Arrieta-Kenna | August 13, 2026   Greetings! Today’s The Brief kicks off with a photo essay of the U.S.’s hottest July on record. We also take a look at a Haitian community leader in Springfield, Ohio, as his community finds itself in the Trump Administration’s anti-immigrant crosshairs. Plus: Don’t miss today’s Linked! IN TODAY’S BRIEF Photos of a scorching summer Trump’s vaccine order Leavitt’s most memorable moments Trump’s top secret plane switch Haitian migrants under pressure The next eclipse Wolf obsession     READ THIS FIRST What living through the hottest July ever looked like across the U.S. Noah Berger—AP This July was the hottest month ever recorded in U.S. history. Last month’s average temperature was 3.3°F (1.8°C) higher than the 20th century average for the contiguous U.S., according to new data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The reality of this extreme heat was experienced through three separate heat dome events, with several states, including Idaho, Utah, and Montana setting all-time temperature records on July 12. Salt Lake City saw temperatures reach 109°F, while in Montana, Billings saw temperatures reach 111°F and Miles City 115°F. Wyoming recorded its warmest July and warmest month on record. Residents in Texas and Oregon saw their homes damaged or destroyed by flooding or fire, while those in the Midwest found themselves digging out N95 masks to walk their pets or commute to work while facing some of the worst particulate air quality the region has seen in over 25 years. Many others found creative ways to take respite from the heat—seeking shade in tree-lined streets or cooling off in fire hydrants and lakes alike.  Here’s what it was like, in photos, to live through the hottest month on record.—Simmone Shah     SPONSORED Tired of news that feels like noise? Every day, 4.5 million readers turn to 1440 for their factual news fix. We sift through 100+ sources to bring you a complete summary of politics, global events, business, and culture — all in a brief 5-minute email. No spin. No slant. Just clarity. Join for free today!     THE CONTEXT What Trump’s Executive Order could mean for childhood vaccines Jim Watson—AFP/Getty Images President Donald Trump has again taken aim at vaccines—this time in a new Executive Order. The directive, which Trump signed in the Oval Office on Aug. 10, calls for U.S. children to receive fewer vaccines and urges states to reconsider which vaccines they require for school attendance. It also directs the U.S. Department of Justice to sue states that fail to provide religious and medical exemptions for mandated vaccines and orders the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot—a combination vaccine that has been in use for more than 50 years—to be split into three separate jabs. Doctors and vaccine scientists have expressed dismay at the order, which they say is not backed by gold-standard science. “As measles cases reach a 35-year high in the U.S. and with cold and flu season quickly approaching, [the] executive order on vaccines is not only disheartening but dangerous,” Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), said in a statement. “There is no new evidence to justify significant changes to childhood immunization guidance.” But will the Executive Order actually change what vaccines are available to children? Probably not, legal scholars and medical experts say. Still, it could put pressure on states to change their vaccine recommendations and requirements. It could also have a chilling effect on vaccine uptake. —Dominique Mosbergen     VIEW FROM D.C. Karoline Leavitt’s most memorable moments as White House Press Secretary Li Yuanqing—Xinhua/Getty Images During her time behind the White House podium, departing Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has gained a reputation for her sharp retorts to reporters, an echo of President Donald Trump’s contentious relationship with the press. Leavitt will step down from her role at the White House at the end of the month to spend more time with her family, Trump announced on Wednesday. He added that she “will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party.” Here are some of the most notable moments of Leavitt going head-to-head with the press in the year and a half she has served in her role. —Chantelle Lee     IN THE NEWS Trump breaks silence on secret plane switch over Iranian threat Eric Lee—Getty Images President Donald Trump has confirmed he secretly switched planes when leaving the NATO summit in Turkey last month in an effort to evade a possible Iranian threat. “It's only up to the Secret Service. I just follow what they'd like to do, so I go by Secret Service and the military,” Trump told reporters late Tuesday. The Washington Post first reported Monday that when Trump left Ankara, Turkey, on July 8 and headed to England, he boarded Air Force One in front of the media, before being transferred to a military aircraft via a catering truck. Journalists, alongside some White House staffers, traveled on Air Force One and were reportedly unaware of the President no longer being onboard. The operation has come under scrutiny, sparking questions as to whether those left on the decoy plane presumed to still be carrying the President were at risk. "I think, actually, the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” Trump insisted, when asked about the mission. ”Because that would be the plane, I think, that they would be more likely to go for." —Tiago Ventura     SPONSORED Get 15% Off Coffee Pods Roasted Days Ago Angelino's roasts, grinds, and seals 50+ specialty coffees in-house at their LA roastery, then ships within days. Mix and match to unlock up to 34% off — and new customers get 15% off on top, applied automatically. No code, no subscription required. Get 15% Off Today     IN FOCUS A community leader fights for Haitians in Ohio, while worrying about his own fate Viles Dorsainvil, co-founder of Haitian Support Center, poses for a picture at his office in Springfield, Ohio, on July 29, 2026. JIM VONDRUSKA—REUTERS Viles Dorsainvil doesn’t have time to think about his own future. His days are filled with responding to increasingly frantic calls from fellow Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, where he is a community leader known for helping make sense of immigration issues. Then he spends his evenings working on his own schoolwork as he pursues dual master’s degrees in public administration and international relations at Wright State University near Dayton. Dorsainvil, 40, is grappling with the same situation as many of those around him. He came to the U.S. in 2020 under what’s known as Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. Last week, a federal court confirmed that the Trump Administration’s bid to end TPS for Dorsainvil and roughly 330,000 other Haitians had succeeded, setting the stage for scores of deportations in the coming months. Across the country, Haitian immigrants are receiving stark warnings from the Department of Homeland Security: accept $2,600 and return to Haiti, or refuse and be fitted with an ankle monitor. Since late July, at least 50 people in Springfield have received a DHS letter about their deportation status, according to a tally by the Haitian Support Center that Dorsainvil runs. Some are preparing to flee to another country. Others are resigned to returning to Haiti. Dorsainvil has yet to receive such a letter. He is trying to keep from becoming overcome by fear, but his precarious situation feels untenable. “I don’t know which plan I should have,” he says. The anxiety among Haitian immigrants isn’t confined to Ohio, where Gov. Mike DeWine has limited state cooperation with ICE and praised Haitians for helping revitalize Springfield’s economy. In Florida, home to the nation’s largest Haitian population, immigrants face intensified enforcement as the Republican-controlled state government closely aligns itself with Trump's mass-deportation agenda. —Philip Wang     ONE NUMBER 355 Europe got its first total solar eclipse in over 25 years on Wednesday, but the next is only 355 days, or less than a year, away, when a total solar eclipse will be visible in southern Spain as well as in North Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. SOURCE: NASA     A VIRAL MOMENT ‘His big priority’ Rep. Haley Stevens (D, Mich.), who narrowly lost a U.S. Senate primary earlier this month, was asked on CNN to comment on Wisconsin’s gubernatorial Democratic primary. During her response, she mentioned that the Republican nominee in that general election, her House colleague Rep. Tom Tiffany, is “a nice guy but…his big priority is wolves.” After moderator Pamela Brown followed up about the comment, Stevens doubled down, saying, “it’s all he talks about.”     SPONSORED     Linked In this addictive word-association game, find the steps that will unite two seemingly unrelated words in just four moves. PLAY NOW     ALSO WORTH YOUR TIME HEALTH Should You Let Your Dog Lick Your Face? 9 Animal Hygiene Questions, Answered IDEAS  Flirting Is a Lost Art   EMAIL US: thebrief@time.com   More Newsletters from Click to sign up. D.C. BRIEF +FUTURE PROOF +HEALTH MATTERS +INSIDE TIME +IN THE LOOP +WORTH YOUR TIME +   Connect with TIME PRIVACY POLICY   © 2026 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved. TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508 Boone, IA 50037-0508, United States Unsubscribe