Geoff Bennett:

In the day's other headlines: A top official at the National Park Service says the liner of Washington, D.C.'s famous for collecting pool was cut with a knife or razor earlier this month.

In a court filing, the deputy director for operations, Frank Lands, says the cut damaged the foam sealant that was installed as part of the site's $16 million renovation. President Trump has blamed unidentified vandals for peeling paint found in the pool, but officials have not named anyone who may have been involved.

And one expert told the "PBS News Hour" that the type of sealant in question is usually puncture-resistant.

Turning now to the ongoing heat in Europe, the U.K. has set a record for the hottest day ever recorded for the month of June for a second day in a row. That's as people desperately wait for relief.

Emma Fitzsimmons, London Resident:

It's not good. It's awful. They're climbing -- climbed last month, record temperature, climbed yesterday, record temperature, climbing today, record temperature. They have extended the heat wave until Friday for the red warning. So it's not good.

Geoff Bennett:

Britain's Weather Service has issued its highest heat warning covering much of Southeastern England, including London, where temperatures could reach 100 degrees and break more records tomorrow.

More than a dozen countries are under heat alerts as forecasters predict the heat dome over the continent will shift the heat east to places like Austria, Croatia, and Serbia. In Spain, authorities estimate that more than 200 people may have died as a result of the high temperatures.

In Boston, a federal judge today halted President Trump's executive order which aimed to regulate mail-in voting and create a federal voter list. In her ruling, Judge Indira Talwani sided with nearly two dozen states in finding that -- quote -- "The Constitution does not grant the president any specific powers over elections."

Her decision would apply to the November midterms, though the White House plans to appeal.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says the detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz is closing, claiming that it has, in his words, served its purpose.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL):

It has helped remove many, many dangerous people from the street and get them out of not only the state of Florida, but the United States of America.

Geoff Bennett:

In a press conference today, DeSantis said at least 21,000 people were deported through the facility since it opened last year. It was seen as critical to the Trump administration's efforts to remove those here illegally, and the president himself visited last year.

But immigration advocates say the center was neither safe nor humane, and detainees described dire living conditions and poor access to lawyers.

The WNBA handed down a one-game suspension today to Alyssa Thomas after reviewing Wednesday night's game and issuing a flagrant foul penalty. The league said Thomas recklessly pressed her fist to the throat of Caitlin Clark during the second quarter of the Phoenix Mercury's win over the Indiana Fever.

No foul was called on the floor at the time. Thomas will serve the suspension during the team's next game Saturday against the Toronto Tempo. The decision comes after widespread criticism of the officiating, including from Indiana coach Stephanie White, who in comments after the game called it egregious.

Clark's supporters have criticized what they see as overly physical play against the Indiana Fever star since she entered the WNBA in 2024.

In economic news, an important measure of inflation spiked to its highest level in three years last month. The Commerce Department said consumer prices rose to 4.1 percent in May when compared to last year, due largely to a spike in gas prices. That's about twice the Fed's preferred level, meaning a possible interest rate hike this year remains on the table.

Meantime, on Wall Street today, stocks drifted to a mixed close. The Dow Jones industrial average added about 70 points, but the Nasdaq lost more than 100 points, or almost half-a-percent. The S&P 500 ended virtually unchanged.

And David Clayton-Thomas, the lead singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears, has died. On songs like "Spinning Wheel" and "When I Die" and others, Clayton-Thomas brought a bluesy tenor to a band known for its genre-bending sound. They played at Woodstock in 1969 and a year later won the Grammy for album of the year, beating out the Beatles "Abbey Road."

Clayton-Thomas split with the group in 1972 and went on to release more than a dozen solo albums. His publicist said he died Wednesday in Toronto. David Clayton-Thomas was 84.

Still to come on the "News Hour": the U.S. seeks to reassure Gulf allies, as the Strait of Hormuz is shut down again; a new national effort is under way to help workers make a successful transition to an A.I. economy; and the country's oldest hospital turns a historic building into a new museum to preserve its rich history.