News Wrap: Wildfires threaten homes in southern Georgia

[0:00] We start the day's other headlines in Georgia, where hundreds of people have fled their homes [0:04] and more than 80 homes have now been destroyed, as raging wildfires continue to threaten areas [0:10] in the south of the state. [0:13] Come on. [0:14] Today, distraught residents returned to their properties, reduced to ash and ember. [0:19] Georgia's biggest blaze broke out over the weekend, and at last check, it was only 10% contained. [0:25] Officials say that dry, windy conditions are to blame, but also fallen tree limbs still [0:31] scattered from Hurricane Helene, which devastated the area more than a year and a half ago. [0:37] What we're finding out here, what's driving this somewhat, is there's just a ton of old [0:41] Hurricane Helene debris down in the woods, right? [0:43] It's just still just laying around, and it's just a timber box out there. [0:46] So we're definitely seeing some of those flare-ups. [0:48] Hundreds of fires have also spread this week in neighboring Florida. [0:52] Officials have called it the state's worst fire season in decades. [0:56] Warner Brothers shareholders voted today to approve the company's $81 billion sale [1:01] to Paramount. [1:03] It's a major step in a deal that could dramatically reshape Hollywood and the broader media landscape. [1:08] The combined company would bring the likes of CNN, HBO Max, and Harry Potter under the [1:14] same umbrella as CBS and the Paramount Plus streaming service, but it still requires regulatory [1:19] approval. [1:20] And critics, including some big names in Hollywood, have said the deal would lead to job losses [1:25] and fewer options for filmmakers and moviegoers. [1:28] Overseas, the European Union formally approved a loan package for Ukraine today valued at [1:35] more than $100 billion. [1:36] The much-needed funds were announced during a meeting in Cyprus attended by Ukrainian President [1:41] Volodymyr Zelensky. [1:43] The loan comes as Russian oil began flowing again to Hungary and Slovakia through a pipeline [1:48] in Ukraine that had been damaged during the fighting. [1:51] Hungary had previously blocked the loan. [1:53] The money will help Ukraine meet its economic and military needs for the next two years. [1:59] Without it, economists had warned the country would start running out of cash in June. [2:04] The U.S. Senate took a pivotal first step toward funding ICE and Border Patrol and potentially [2:09] finding a way to end the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security in the coming weeks. [2:14] On this vote, the yeas are 50, the nays are 48, and the concurrent resolution, as amended, [2:20] is agreed to. [2:22] DHS as a whole remains unfunded, but the measure voted on early this morning would allow Republicans [2:27] to get around a Democratic filibuster of ICE and Border Patrol. [2:31] It still has several more steps to go before it could take effect. [2:35] And it comes amid a push by Democrats for policy changes to the agency after two protesters were [2:41] killed by federal agents earlier this year. [2:43] In the meantime, Republicans accuse Democrats of wanting to defund crucial immigration operations. [2:49] To prevent Democrats from deciding that they want to defund law enforcement again in September, [2:53] we're going to fund these critical functions for the next three years. [2:57] Republicans hold a slim majority in the House, so even a few objections within the party could [3:02] derail the budget plan. [3:04] DHS has been shut since mid-February, making this the longest partial government shutdown in [3:10] U.S. history. [3:10] Round one of the NFL draft kicks off in Pittsburgh tonight, with the city expecting hundreds of [3:17] thousands of visitors for the three-day event. [3:19] Officials are advising residents to use public transportation instead of driving to avoid [3:24] the crowds, and city schools have moved to remote learning. [3:27] Authorities pledged a, quote, significant law enforcement presence both on the main draft [3:32] campus and around the city. [3:33] The NFL draft has become a blockbuster event in its own right, as top prospects hope to [3:39] hear their name called to join one of the NFL's 32 teams. [3:44] Meta is cutting 10 percent of its workforce, or about 8,000 jobs, as the company pushes deeper [3:50] into AI. [3:51] The owner of Facebook and Instagram is just the latest tech firm to announce layoffs as part [3:56] of a broader effort to embrace the possibilities of AI. [3:59] Separately, Microsoft is reportedly planning to offer voluntary buyouts to thousands of [4:05] U.S. employees. [4:06] It's the first time the software giant has ever offered buyouts to employees, as it looks [4:11] to cut costs. [4:12] In the meantime, on Wall Street, stocks fell following the latest spike in oil prices. [4:17] The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost nearly 200 points on the day. [4:21] The Nasdaq handed back more than 200 points, or nearly 1 percent. [4:24] The S&P 500 fell back from its latest all-time high. [4:29] And conductor and composer Michael Tilson Thomas has died. [4:34] Born and raised in California, Tilson Thomas was a gifted pianist from a young age. [4:39] He later committed himself to conducting and led orchestras in Buffalo, Miami, London, and [4:44] eventually San Francisco, where he stayed for 25 years. [5:00] Tilson Thomas told the American Master's program that a conductor's job is to, quote, [5:04] get 100 or so people to agree where now really is. [5:09] He was also a devoted teacher of classical music, in the tradition of Leonard Bernstein. [5:14] In 2015, Tilson Thomas explained the importance of mentorship to the NewsHour's Jeffrey Brown. [5:20] It's essential for me, the sense of contact with a new, brilliant spirit of another generation [5:28] with whom I feel so much in common. [5:30] But why is it essential? [5:31] Because it reminds me, too, of the relationship I had with mentors of mine who were 50 years [5:39] older than I. [5:40] My major piano teacher was a pupil of a guy called Moritz Rosenthal, who had been a pupil [5:46] of Liszt, who was a pupil of Czerny, who was a pupil of Beethoven. [5:50] Among his recognitions, a staggering 12 Grammy Awards, the National Medal of the Arts, presented [5:56] by then-President Barack Obama, and a Kennedy Center Honor in 2019. [6:00] His publicist said Tilson Thomas died at his home after years of battling an aggressive [6:05] form of brain cancer. [6:07] Michael Tilson Thomas was 81 years old. [6:10] Still to come on the NewsHour. [6:12] The State Department proposes sending Afghans who helped the U.S. war effort to Congo. [6:17] A DACA recipient speaks out about her deportation and return to the U.S. [6:23] And an art exhibit shines a light on the lesser-known persecution of Romani people during the Holocaust. [6:30] This is the PBS NewsHour from the David M. Rubenstein Studio at WETA in Washington, headquarters [6:39] of PBS News. [6:40] Support journalism you trust. [6:46] Support PBS News. [6:49] Donate now, or even better, start a monthly contribution today.