Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Here we go again with the heat

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The Short List

Tue Jul 28 2026

Phaedra Trethan | National Correspondent

@wordsbyphaedra

👋🏼 Hello! I'm Phaedra Trethan, and I never thought I'd want a ketchup portrait... but now I kinda do. 👩🏼‍🎨

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In Tuesday's news:

•	A heat dome and wildfire smoke are blanketing much of the United States ‒ again. 🥵 🔥
•	Senator Lindsey Graham was remembered at a funeral ceremony at Washington National Cathedral.
•	More retailers are offering sensory-friendly hours and stores. What's behind the trend? 🤫

But first: TSA agents made an unusual discovery during a baggage screening at an Alabama airport. (Weren't the bags really heavy?) 🧳

Heat dome descending 🔥

Here we go again... Dangerous heat will move across the country this week, with triple-digit temps and increased wildfire risks, forecasters are warning. A heat dome over the Texas Panhandle is going to push further into the Southwest later this week, bringing high temperatures from Oklahoma to California. Here's what we know.

•	Wildfires continue to burn in the Pacific Northwest. Here's how that's impacting air quality. 💨
•	The Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy group, says century-old trees were felled to build sections of a border wall in Arizona. 🌳

A heat wave is expected to impact much of the United States this week.

Windy.com/Photo illustration/USA TODAY

Lindsey Graham's goodbye

President Donald Trump called Lindsey Graham a "true American original," "a tough cookie" and a "force of nature" as national and international VIPs bid farewell in an invitation-only funeral service for the senator who died suddenly on July 11. Trump remembered the critic-turned-staunch ally for his decades of public service in his eulogy, delivered to dignitaries that included a Supreme Court justice, Cabinet secretaries, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Graham's congressional colleagues and his sister, Darline Graham, who is serving out the remainder of his term.

•	Watch: Graham is remembered in the Capitol Rotunda.
•	Photos: Images from Lindsey Graham's funeral in Washington, DC.
•	Sen. Mitch McConnell is still absent. His office's release of another photo is fueling more questions about when (or if) he will return.
•	Here's what could happen to McConnell's Senate seat if he doesn't return.

U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and other officials attend the funeral service for late U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 28, 2026.

Evelyn Hockstein, REUTERS

Real quick

•	Dr. Anthony Fauci, who will testify tomorrow before a Senate committee, let loose about President Trump in a personal diary. ✍🏻
•	The ex-husband of a Massachusetts woman accused of killing their three young children in 2023 testified about her mental health at her trial.
•	A TikToker spoke about allegations her estranged husband was a pedophile. Days later they were both dead.
•	A major earthquake rocked Japan, injuring dozens and causing buildings to collapse.

Retail for everyone 🏬

Beauty retailer Sephora recently launched "Quiet Hours," an initiative it says is "aimed at anyone who enjoys a more peaceful and calmer shopping environment." What does that mean? For Sephora, it's lowering the volume on music in the store and minimizing distractions during specific times at its locations. They're the latest retailer to make accommodations for shoppers who are neurodivergent ‒ or just seeking a more sedate buying experience.

Jimmy Fallon's still 'putting on a fun thing' 📺

Late-night TV has had a tough year: Stephen Colbert's been canceled, Jimmy Kimmel was briefly forced off the air for comments he made about Charlie Kirk, and ABC is facing FCC pressure.

Now "Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon tells USA TODAY in an exclusive interview he feels some responsibility to carry late night into the next generation. "The idea of it is that it's just someone that you can talk to that's there for you, that you can laugh, and you can know what's going on in pop culture in the world," Fallon says. "I think that's just needed."

Jimmy Fallon, host of "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," on his set in New York.

Todd Owyoung/NBC

A break from the news

•	More than 100 retired astronauts are hitting the road to encourage young people to vote. 🗳️ 🚀
•	Are you a Buc-ee's newbie? What to know before you go.
•	Some travelers seek the beach. Others, historic or cultural destinations. But others are putting wellness on the itinerary. 🧘🏻‍♀️

Phaedra Trethan is a national correspondent at USA TODAY. I'd love to hear from readers about The Short List, story ideas from across the nation and your preferred convenience store. (It's Wawa all the way for me.) Email her at ptrethan@usatoday.com.