Anthony Fauci repeatedly declined to answer questions before a Senate committee, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, as Republican senators pressed him on the pandemic and Democrats characterized the proceeding as politically driven.

The United States carried out a new wave of airstrikes on Iran and Iran-backed militias in Iraq, widening a conflict that has spread to neighboring countries and pushed up oil prices as both sides pledge to press on.

Federal immigration authorities have widened enforcement in recent weeks, extending arrests to airports and moving to open four new detention facilities, as related policy changes narrow access to asylum.

More than half of England has been placed under official drought status after a summer of low rainfall and repeated heatwaves, as officials estimate nearly 3,000 heat-related deaths across the UK over two months.

A summer heatwave fueled wildfires across Europe, from France and Spain to Greece and Scotland, as thousands of firefighters worked to contain the flames.