July Fourth heat and storms cause deaths and outages

Record-setting heat and severe thunderstorms disrupted July 4 celebrations across the eastern two-thirds of the U.S., with heat suspected in 22 deaths and nearly 156 million people under National Weather Service heat alerts. Storms from the Midwest to the Northeast downed trees and power lines, complicated transportation and left hundreds of thousands of utility customers without power. In Washington, D.C., thunderstorms and triple-digit heat forced the Great American State Fair to suspend events and evacuate attendees hours before President Donald Trump’s planned remarks and a record fireworks display.