WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The nation’s triple digit heat wave — which hit its 34th day on Friday — could last until the end of August, while extensive drought in and around Texas may last into October, forecasters said.

The deadly heat event that has broken numerous records has left the southern plains and Mississippi Valley struggling to meet demand for power and water and has cost billions in impact on crops and livestock.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Record-breaking heat continued to broil central and southern states on Tuesday as Tropical Storm Emily threatened to dampen the Southeast, forecasters said.

The National Weather Service has issued excessive heat warnings for Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa and Arizona.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Record breaking heat continues to broil central and southern states as Tropical Storm Emily threatened to dampen the Southeast, forecasters said on Tuesday.

The National Weather Service has issued excessive heat warnings for Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa and Arizona.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Muslim Americans are now more optimistic about their lives than any other major American faith group as their economic well-being improves and they feel more politically enfranchised.

A Gallup study released on Tuesday found 60 percent of Muslim Americans surveyed reported they were “thriving”, slightly higher than for Americans of any other religion except for Jews, who edged them out of the top spot by one percentage point.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Army’s chief medical facility, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, retired its ceremonial flags on Wednesday, as it closes its historic facility after more than a century of treating wounded American fighters and presidents.

The complex in northwest Washington near the Maryland border shifts most of its operations in August and finally shuts its doors on September 15 as a part of a consolidation with the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Army’s chief medical facility, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, retired its ceremonial flags on Wednesday, as it closes its historic facility after more than a century of treating wounded American fighters and presidents.

The complex in northwest Washington near the Maryland border shifts most of its operations in August and finally shuts its doors on September 15 as a part of a consolidation with the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The massive heat wave that baked half the country in triple digit heat indexes last week may have caused as many as 64 deaths in 15 states, the National Weather Service said late on Tuesday.

Forecasters said the area still suffering from the excessive heat has diminished significantly, but some regions could suffer from a return next week.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – About a quarter of U.S. students are proficient in geography, according to a report released on Tuesday.

Twenty-one percent of fourth-graders, 27 percent of eighth graders, and 20 percent of 12th graders performed at or above the proficient level on the 2010 geography assessment conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The heat wave that has embroiled half of the continental United States in triple digit temperatures this week still had southern areas sizzling on Wednesday but spared much of the Northeast.

The National Weather Service said dangerously hot and humid weather would continue across much of the South and the south-central region, and issued heat advisories for 11 states.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Fewer Americans will hit the road during the Independence day weekend, consistently one of the heaviest travel periods of the year, but more are expected to fly to their holiday destinations.

Between Thursday June 30 and Monday July 4, 39 million people will travel 50 miles (80 kms) or more from home, according to AAA Independence Day forecast. That is a 2.5 percent decrease from last year.