5 things to know for June 28: Russia, Heat wave, 2020 election, Gulf Coast, Trans study

By Faith Karimi, CNN

(CNN) — South Koreans became a year or two younger overnight as the nation scrapped its traditional way of counting age and replaced it with the international method.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day

1. Russia

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has arrived in Belarus, the country’s president announced, days after the mercenaries’ military insurrection posed an unprecedented challenge to the Russian leadership. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he stopped Russian leader Vladimir Putin from “destroying” the Wagner group and its chief after the armed revolt over the weekend. “I suggested Putin not to hurry. Let’s talk with Prigozhin, with his commanders,” Lukashenko said. The longtime Putin ally said he warned Prigozhin that he would be “crushed like a bug” if his troops continued their advance toward the Russian capital. Planes linked to Prigozhin were seen at a Belarusian airbase in satellite images, but his specific location is unknown. Meanwhile, a Russian strike killed nine in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, officials said.

2. Heat wave

A brutal heat wave is spreading across the South, leaving millions of Americans sweltering under triple-digit temperatures and extreme humidity. Forecasters are warning that such heat waves are becoming more common because of the climate crisis. Overnight temperatures, meanwhile, are not cooling down enough, offering little reprieve for people who don’t have access to air conditioning. Those temperatures remain abnormally high, with potentially 180 nighttime records being broken over the next few days. In more incidents of extreme weather, thousands of US flights have been delayed or canceled in recent days after powerful storms ripped through the parts of the country, including in the Mid-Atlantic and sections of the Northeast, where many busy hubs are located.

3. 2020 election

Federal investigators interviewed Rudy Giuliani as part of the special counsel’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, multiple sources familiar with the meeting told CNN. The meeting between Giuliani, his attorney Robert Costello, and investigators took place in recent weeks. The sources declined to say what investigators’ questions focused on during the meeting, which has not been previously reported. Special counsel Jack Smith has not announced any charges from his investigation into efforts to block the certification of the 2020 presidential election, but prosecutors appear to be nearing charging decisions, sources familiar with the case have said. Giuliani was a former attorney for Donald Trump.

4. Gulf Coast

Former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett died yesterday in an apparent drowning off a Florida beach, authorities said, adding to the grim toll along the Gulf Coast in recent weeks. Rip currents have killed 11 people within two weeks along the Gulf Coast, preliminary data show, leading to warnings from officials about the dangerous water conditions. The deaths have spanned the Gulf of Mexico between Fort Morgan, Alabama, and Panama City Beach, Florida. In the US, the 10-year average for rip current fatalities is 71, according to weather service data. Rip currents were the third-leading cause of weather-related fatalities from 2013 to 2023, killing on average more people than lightning, tornadoes or hurricanes.

5. Transgender study

People who identify as transgender have significantly higher rates of suicide and suicide attempts compared with the rest of the population, a study in Denmark shows. The study of more than 6.6 million people found that those who identified as trans had 7.7 times the rate of suicide attempts and 3.5 times the rate of suicide deaths than the broader Danish population. Among the 3,759 survey participants who identified as transgender, there were 92 suicide attempts and 12 suicides between 1980 and 2021. Recent studies in the US show that 82% of people who identify as transgender said they considered killing themselves, and 40% have attempted suicide – with the highest number of suicides among trans youth.

If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. You can also reach a crisis counselor by messaging the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Pack your bags, Barbie fans!
The iconic doll’s pink Malibu DreamHouse is available to rent ahead of the movie’s release. And yes, it comes with big Ken energy.

Bones reveal our ancestors’ morbid past. 
Ancient human relatives butchered and possibly ate one another about 1.45 million years ago, a new study shows.

That’s one costly science tragedy. 
A New York janitor heard ‘annoying alarms’ and turned off a freezer, ruining 20 years of school research worth $1 million, a lawsuit says.

A toast to a spirit you’ve never heard of. 
Arak, the Middle Eastern drink, is having a revival across the globe. A new generation of distilleries is bringing the classic drink to fresh audiences

The world’s biggest cruise ship is almost ready to set sail. 
Icon of the Seas made its maiden voyage in preparation for its highly anticipated debut in January.

THIS JUST IN

Thai protesters escape life in prison
In a landmark judgment, a Thai court today acquitted five activists accused of obstructing the queen’s motorcade at a protest in 2020, ending the prospect of severe punishment.

IN MEMORIAM

British actor Julian Sands, known for his work in movies like “A Room with a View” and “The Killing Fields,” has been found dead after going missing while hiking in California in January. He was 65.

TODAY’S NUMBER

80 million
That’s the number of people who are under air quality alerts as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts into the US.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“Orcas are a very matriarchal society and all juveniles look up to these very important females in the pod; the juveniles are copying their behaviors because they believe that if these very important individuals do something, they have to do the same to ensure their own survival.”

— Mónica González, a marine biologist, on why killer whales won’t stop ramming boats in Spain.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY…

The accidental invention of potato chips 
An angry chef’s revenge on a customer backfired in the 1800s. The result? One of today’s most-beloved snacks. (Click here to view)

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