New record heat index set Thursday

Dayrestan, Iran, sits on an island just inside the Strait of Hormuz directly across the Persian Gulf from the UAE. At 9:30 am local time Thursday, the airport weather station reported a temperature of 40°C with a dewpoint of 36°C, which makes a heat index of 83.2°C (181.8°F). AccuWeather says it was likely an instrument error, though the next station over, in Bandar Abbass, reported a temperature of 39°C with a 27°C dewpoint for a heat index of 52.3°C (126.1°F) at the same time—hardly an improvement. Bandar Abbass got up to 42°C with a 56.3°C (133.3°F) heat index later in the day, so I will not plan any summer vacations there in the near future. (Well, that and US citizens aren't allowed to visit Iran, but still.)

Elsewhere:

• Both Michael Tomasky and former Pro Publica president Richard Tofel argue that news outlets need to stop both-sidesing the OAFPOTUS and call him out on his lies more directly.
• Nobel-winning economist George Akerlof likens the OAFPOTUS's tantrum over the Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report to a 5-year-old playing a board game.
• A group of Democratic legislators from Texas have decided to vacation in Chicago this week to deny Texas Republicans a quorum in the state's House of Representatives in an effort to stop the anti-democratic redistricting plan the OAFPOTUS wants them to pass.

Finally, one of the three endangered piping plovers that hatched at Montrose Beach six weeks ago got eaten by a hawk over the weekend. RIP Ferris.