Wildfire smoke, settlement against Hampton landlord, Trump's primetime speech: Sunrise Brief

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Top stories: Wildfire smoke, settlement against Hampton landlord, Trump's primetime speech

1. For many at Pickleball Virginia Beach, this week’s combination of heat, high humidity and smoky air has forced some to rethink how long they stay on the court.

   Heat, humidity and wildfire smoke force Virginia Beach pickleball players to adapt their game

   "It's miserable right now. It's just so hot but it's good to get out and sweat and just enjoy the game," Ben Ellingsworth said. Others are adjusting their schedules, choosing cooler parts of the day to avoid both the heat and the worst of the haze. "It's a little thick sometimes, but again we play early in the morning. It's not as bad," John Precise said.

   Doctors say while many people may only notice the haze, what's in the air is more concerning than what they can see. "It's a mixture of toxic, invisible particles and gases," Dr. Xian Qiao said. Qiao says those particles can be especially dangerous for people with asthma, COPD and other breathing conditions, particularly when combined with extreme heat and humidity that already put added stress on the body. Doctors say if you plan to be outside, drink plenty of water, take frequent breaks, and pay attention to the Air Quality Index before heading out.
   

2. A multi-million-dollar settlement was secured against a landlord who was sentenced for racially harassing and evicting tenants from his homes, according to a press release sent by Attorney General Jay Jones' office on Thursday.

   David Merryman was sentenced to 17 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and race-based interference with housing and employment back in 2024. The settlement includes a monetary settlement of $2,250,000 to compensate tenants that were victims of Merryman's discriminatory behavior. Additionally, he will be forced to sell his rental properties in Virginia, help former tenants erase eviction records from their past, and he is permanently banned from being a landlord in Virginia.

   The 62 properties owned by Merryman were located in low-income neighborhoods in Hampton and Newport News. He primarily rented to Black tenants who prosecutors describe as underprivileged with limited credit and housing options.

   "The court found that for years, Merryman harassed and abused his tenants by calling them racist, sexist, and homophobic epithets, refusing to complete basic repairs to make their homes habitable, evicting tenants who requested those basic repairs, and, in some cases, even threatening violence to tenants who simply requested that Merryman fulfill his legal duties as a landlord," a press release from Jones' office reads.

   Prosecutors previously outlined how Merryman forged tenants’ signatures to apply for rent relief from 2019 until at least Jan. 2024. He would pocket the relief money, and in many cases would evict or threaten to evict the tenants whose identities he used to commit fraud.
   

3. In a Thursday address, President Donald Trump announced he would declassify intelligence that purported to show "shocking" vulnerabilities in U.S. election infrastructure.

   President Donald Trump claims new documents show widespread vulnerabilities in US election security

   President Trump alleged that during the 2020 election cycle, China illegally acquired hundreds of millions of U.S. voter files, which included names, addresses, and political affiliations. He claimed members of the U.S. intelligence agency worked to obscure the extent of the compromised data.

   Trump further alleged the documents also show China took other steps to infiltrate and influence U.S. companies, and sought to influence media reporting and even briefings to President Trump that related to election security. During his address, President Trump did not provide concrete evidence or proof that any of China's actions caused material changes to the U.S. election process or outcomes.

   President Trump concluded his speech by calling on Congress to pass a major election reform bill that is currently stalled in the legislature. The SAVE America Act would require all voters nationwide to show voter ID at the ballot box. It would also require Americans registering to vote to show documents in person proving their U.S. citizenship. The bill would sharply limit voting by mail, allowing only a short list of excuses for not voting in person — including illness, disability, military deployment, or travel on Election Day.

This morning's weather: Smoky sunshine today, heat & storms this weekend

Meteorologist Myles Henderson says another hazy day as wildfire smoke covers most of the Great Lakes, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic. Air Quality will be reduced to “Code Orange”, unhealthy for sensitive groups. Highs will top out near 90 with an afternoon heat index near 100.

A typical summer weekend with heat, humidity, and storms. Highs will warm to the mid 90s on Saturday with a heat index near 110. Scattered showers/storms are possible Saturday night. Strong to severe storms are possible.

For the latest weather updates, watch Myles live on News 3 This Morning here.

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