TV News LIES

A deadly tornado that tore across North Dakota this summer has been upgraded to an EF-5, the strongest kind of tornado and the first one to attain that classification on US soil in 12 years.

The tornado on 20 June in Enderlin caused significant damage across the region and killed three people. The tornado touched down on the ground for just over 12 miles (19km), and at its largest, was 1.05 miles wide (1.69km).

Meteorologists from the National Weather Service (NWS) in Grand Forks estimated that the tornado had winds in excess of 210 miles per hour (338 kilometers per hour), according to an agency analysis released on Monday. An EF-5 tornado is one with winds greater than 200 miles per hour.

“In the last kind of 12 years, there’s been several strong tornadoes that have come close, but there haven’t been known damage indicators at that time to support the EF-5 rating,” said Melinda Beerends, meteorologist in charge at the NWS office in Grand Forks. “It’s hard sometimes to get tornadoes to hit something.”

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Dr Jane Goodall, who died today at 91, devoted her life to the study and conservation of chimpanzees and the other great apes.

Through her pioneering new ways to study them, Goodall discovered that chimps used tools, created complex societies and could be so aggressive they could even kill one another.

This suggested that chimps and humans are likely to have common ancestors - and was ground-breaking information.

Goodall’s work made waves amongst her fellow researchers, and the public enthusiastically responded to her revelations.

The idea that chimps and humans were related spurred debates about what it means to be human, inspiring a rethink on animal rights. Her books were so widely read that when one of Jane’s subjects Flo died in 1972, The Sunday Times ran an obituary.

Goodall remained active until the days before her death, engaged on a speaking tour of the US, and travelled the world widely to discuss her life and campaign to better understand the natural world.

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The Department of Energy has told employees to avoid using certain words, including "climate change," "green" and "sustainable," according to an internal email sent to staff and obtained by NPR.

The details of the email were first reported by Politico. It was sent to employees of the Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which is the largest federal funder of clean energy technology. The office supports research about how to build homes and cars more efficiently, and it helps fund research about renewable energy, including solar and wind power, hydrogen fuel cell technology and geothermal energy. It had a budget of $3.46 billion in fiscal year 2023.

The Energy Department denies that its employees were told to avoid using specific terms. "There is no directive at the Energy Department instructing employees to avoid using phrases such as 'climate change' or 'emissions.' President Trump and Secretary Wright remain committed to transparency and fostering an open, honest dialogue about climate science," Department of Energy press secretary Ben Dietderich wrote in response to questions from NPR.

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In the wake of the deadly flash floods in Texas on July 4, Texas leaders are betting on the lifesaving potential of flood warning sirens.

"What can we do better looking forward? We need sirens," said Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in an interview this week with NBC 5 in Dallas-Fort Worth. The floods killed at least 120 people.

Weather warning sirens are installed outside on tall poles and make a loud wailing sound to warn people in the area when water levels rise, signaling an imminent flood. Some also broadcast spoken warnings and directions about how to get to safety. These types of sirens are widely used in the United States to warn people about tornadoes and tsunamis but are much less common in areas that flood.

"If you had sirens blasting," Patrick said, "and if people had known 'if you hear a siren get to high ground,' maybe that would have saved some lives."

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A series of earthquakes struck the northern California coast on Thursday morning, rattling communities and activating emergency alerts for both shaking and tsunami risks just before 11am local time.

The largest, registered as a magnitude 7.0 and originating near the historic and picturesque town of Ferndale in Humboldt county, could be felt in San Francisco more than 260 miles (418km) away. Roughly 1.3 million people felt the shaking, according to initial estimates provided by the US Geological Survey (USGS), which also reported that risks to human life remained low.

Cellphones buzzed throughout the region, warning of the incoming shaking and offering ample time to brace and cover. Tsunami alerts also rang out for at least 5.3 million people on the California coast and into Oregon, warning of large waves, strong currents and coastal flooding that could persist through the afternoon.

Following the alert, Bay Area Rapid Transit trains were held as underground stations were cleared, as major delays were announced throughout the system, and the San Francisco fire department began clearing the beaches. The tsunami warning was withdrawn shortly after noon as officials announced the highest risks had subsided.

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