U.S. and world news for June 8

Canada wildfires: Smoke from Canada’s wildfires continues to affect the United States, with the East Coast especially hard hit. New York City yesterday became the city with the world’s worst air pollution. Officials in numerous areas warned people to stay inside and avoid outdoor exercise. Canada has asked for aid from other countries in fighting the more than 400 fires. An estimated 100 million people in the U.S. are affected by the air pollution.

Trump targeted: Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office has declined to comment on reports that Donald Trump has been notified by letter that he is a target of Smith’s investigators. People who are targets of investigations and are likely to be indicted typically are given such notice before a grand jury is asked to vote on criminally indicting the person. Several reports suggest that charges in connection with the classified document investigation likely will be brought against Trump in both Washington, D.C., and in Florida. Trump has admitted to taking classified government documents from the White House to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Carlson’s contract: According to Axios, Fox News has notified its former prime-time host Tucker Carlson that he has breached his contract with Fox by starting a show on Twitter. Carlson’s Twitter show premiered this week. Carlson had been fired from his Fox show. The breach of contract notification could indicate that Fox News is setting the stage to file a lawsuit against Carlson.

The Iron Sheik dies: The former WWF World Heavyweight champion wrestler Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, whose stage name was The Iron Sheik, has died at age 81. He was an Iranian and many people knew him because he was defeated as world champion by Hulk Hogan in a contest at Madison Square Garden. Before he became a professional wrestler, he was a bodyguard for the former Shah of Iran.

Pat Cooper dead at 93: Comic Pat Cooper has died at age 93 at his home in Las Vegas. Cooper, whose real name was Pasquale Caputo, built his act around his Italian heritage and family. Cooper gained national recognition in 1963 when he appeared on Jackie Gleason’s TV variety show. Cooper’s career included performing in nightclubs and guest appearances on TV and radio.

Thomas’ financial disclosures: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has asked for more time to file required financial disclosures that were due this week. Thomas is expected to have up to 90 additional days to file the paperwork. He has come under criticism for failing to previously disclose that he received gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from conservative Texas billionaire Harlan Crow and that he also was involved in real estate dealings with him.

Cover photo by Mkshake3 / Wikimedia Commons