Dangerous smoke is spreading across the U.S. How to stay safe.

Summary

---

Apple News Today – July 17, 2026

Episode Title: Dangerous Smoke is Spreading Across the U.S. How to Stay Safe.

Host: Gideon Resnick (in for Shumita Basu)
Guests: Shelby Holiday (Wall Street Journal), Lindsey Barr (Associated Press), various local interviewees

---

Episode Overview

This episode unpacks the alarming spread of hazardous wildfire smoke across much of the U.S., particularly the Northeast, as a result of Canadian wildfires. It also covers the ongoing U.S.–Iran conflict in the Gulf, the release of an American from Iran, the release of director Christopher Nolan’s film “The Odyssey,” and quick updates on major news stories including President Trump’s new claims on election security, catastrophic Texas floods, and a parasitic illness outbreak.

---

Dangerous Smoke from Canadian Wildfires

(00:45–03:19)

• Scope & Impact:

  • Over 115 million people are facing unhealthy air due to Canadian wildfire smoke, especially in major cities like New York and Chicago.
  • Detroit had the worst air quality in the world at one point.
  • Disruptions include closed outdoor facilities, pools, summer camps, and rescheduled major league baseball games.
  • Distribution of KN95 masks in cities like New York; residents are advised to stay indoors.

• Personal Voices:

  • [01:09] Detroit resident:
    • "Smoke everywhere, man. And I'm trying to figure out, is it gonna be safe for my kids to be outside tomorrow? You know, I'm okay. I worry more about my wife. You know, she got a lung disease and asthma and stuff. And so I got the house sealed up tight, hoping that's enough."
  • [01:44] NYC Mayor Zoran Mamdani:
    • "We pride ourselves on being resilient. Today is not a day to say in spite of the air quality, I'm going to do everything I was going to do yesterday. This is very serious. We are reaching into a level of air quality that is dangerous for every single New Yorker."

• Cause & Exacerbating Factors (with expert insight):

  • Over 800 wildfires are burning in Canada, increasingly frequent due to climate change.
  • Dry fuels and frequent lightning due to heat domes make conditions ripe for multiple simultaneous fires.
  • [02:34] Patrick James, University of Toronto:
    • "This amount of heat dries out fuels...You get this blocking pattern...numerous lightning strikes in forest fuels that are incredibly dry...not just 1 or 2, but 100 fires that are all occurring at the same time."

• Political Fallout:

  • U.S. lawmakers (Ohio Senator Bernie Marino and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin) criticize Canada’s wildfire management; threat of sanctions.
  • Canadian PM Mark Carney argues both countries must address climate change.

• Health & Safety Advice:

  • Air Quality Index above 150 (unhealthy); children, elderly, pregnant women advised to limit outdoor activity.
  • KN95 masks and sealing homes are recommended for all.
  • [03:19] "Experts suggest masks to help filter out particles from the smoke and sealing off your home as much as possible."

---

Escalating U.S.–Iran Conflict

(03:20–07:03)

• Developments:

  • Week of increased U.S. and Iranian attacks in the Gulf.
  • U.S. expands attacks near Tehran, targets ships breaking a naval blockade.
  • Noted shift: focus on the highly strategic Strait of Hormuz.
  • Iranian anti-ship cruise missile attacks on commercial crafts increase risk and psychological strain on international shipping.

• Expert Analysis – Shelby Holiday (WSJ):

  • [04:18] "While it is not necessarily a full scale war...it's certainly ramped up and the ceasefire is very clearly over."
  • U.S. focus is now on Iran's militarized coastal areas/islands.
  • [05:00] "The use of those missiles is significant because they are fired at very close range, they travel very quickly, and there is essentially no time for the ship to react...It's very difficult for the U.S. Military to shoot any of these missiles down."

• Consequences:

  • Oil prices spike; shipping faces risk calculations for using the Strait.
  • Both sides are strained—U.S. with interceptor shortages, Iran with economic distress due to war and embargo.

• Stalemate & Political Pressure:

  • [06:08] "Right now, President Trump is looking at midterms in just a few months. He's under a great deal of political pressure to wrap this war up."
  • Despite high costs, Iranian forces (IRGC) seem committed to a drawn-out standoff, betting on endurance.
  • [06:44] "The IRGC...is focused on playing the long game, which is just hang tight in the Strait of Hormuz..."

---

Diplomatic Breakthrough: Release of American Citizen

(07:03–07:25)

• Positive Development:
  • Iran released American citizen Dina Karari, whose passport was seized in 2024.
  • President Trump publicly commended Iran for her release.

---

Entertainment Spotlight: Nolan’s “The Odyssey”

(07:45–10:45)

• Event Film Release:

  • Christopher Nolan’s epic “The Odyssey” finally premieres to massive anticipation, shot in six countries with a reported $250 million budget.
  • Tickets in high demand, with only 32 theaters able to project in full IMAX 70mm.

• Production Details:

  • [08:27] Lindsey Barr, AP:
    • "It was this epic production. I think you really feel the scope that they actually used a reconstruction of a Viking ship for the ship. They're actually out on seas, they're actually up on top of a mountain. They're not just in sound stages in Los Angeles."
  • Technical challenges:
    • IMAX cameras are loud and heavy (~300 lbs), special measures taken for sound and actor visibility.
    • Innovation: muffler system ("the blimp") around the camera.

• Artistic Motivation:

  • [09:43] Nolan (via interview):
    • "This is a human process, an analog process, this strip of film. That's the highest quality imaging format that's ever been devised. There's nothing that competes with it."

• Critical Reaction:

  • [10:13] Lindsey Barr:
    • "You think maybe it's going to be redundant and then it's not. It just feels like something that we really haven't seen before, which is quite astounding. So, I mean, honestly, I was a little speechless after the first time I saw it."

---

Other Major News Briefs

(10:45–13:46)

• Trump’s National Address on Election Security:

  • [10:54] Trump:
    • "For many years, I've called for bold, swift and decisive action to protect the integrity of America's elections."
  • Declassifies documents claiming Chinese interference in 2020—contradicted by U.S. intelligence.
  • Calls for ‘Save America Act’ (voter ID, limit vote by mail)—unlikely to pass.

• Texas Floods:

  • Catastrophic floods in Texas hill country; at least two dead, rivers rising rapidly.

• Parasitic Illness Outbreak:

  • CDC investigation links outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms, supplied to Taco Bell in Michigan and other affected states.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [01:09] Detroit resident:

  • “Smoke everywhere, man. And I'm trying to figure out, is it gonna be safe for my kids to be outside tomorrow?”

• [02:34] Prof. Patrick James:

  • “You get numerous lightning strikes in forest fuels that are incredibly dry...you get these not just 1, 2, but 100 fires that are all occurring at the same time.”

• [04:18] Shelby Holiday:

  • “While it is not necessarily a full scale war...it's certainly ramped up and the ceasefire is very clearly over.”

• [09:43] Christopher Nolan (via interview):

  • “This is a human process, an analog process, this strip of film. That's the highest quality imaging format that's ever been devised. There's nothing that competes with it.”

• [10:13] Lindsey Barr:

  • “It just feels like something that we really haven't seen before, which is quite astounding. So, I mean, honestly, I was a little speechless after the first time I saw it.”

---

Key Timestamps

• 00:45 – Overview of wildfire smoke impacts
• 01:09 – Residents & officials react to air quality
• 02:34 – Scientific/meteorological explanation of wildfires
• 03:19 – Health advice for hazardous air
• 03:20–07:03 – U.S.–Iran Gulf conflict escalation
• 07:03 – Diplomatic news: prisoner release
• 07:45–10:45 – Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” release & behind the scenes
• 10:45 – Briefs: Trump’s election security claims, Texas floods, parasitic illness outbreak

---

Tone & Language

The episode maintains a clear, factual, and urgent tone on the dangers of air quality and conflict, tempered with moments of hope and excitement surrounding the film release. The language balances concise explanations with first-person perspectives to bring immediacy and credibility.

---

This summary captures all major segments, insights, and voices from the episode, offering a thorough guide to anyone who missed the podcast.

Transcript

[Gideon Resnick]

Good morning. Dense, dangerous smoke fills the sky. For millions across the country, it's been a week of escalating attacks in the Gulf between the US And Iran. The Wall Street Journal explains this new stage of conflict.

[Shelby Holiday]

The pace of combat operations has picked up so much that it almost feels like the two sides are back to war. But there are some differences.

[Gideon Resnick]

And President Trump uses a primetime address to make claims about electoral security and pressures Congress to. It's Friday, July 17th. I'm Gideon Resnick in Force. Shmit to Basu. This is Apple News.

[Lindsey Barr]

Today,

[Gideon Resnick]

Canadian wildfire smoke has engulfed the skies of much of the northeastern US with dangerous air quality readings for some of the most populous cities in the country, including New York City and Chicago. Today, more than 115 million people are expected to be exposed to unhealthy air. At one point yesterday, Detroit, Michigan, had the worst air quality in the world. A local ABC affiliate went into the city to see how people were managing it.

[Various Interviewees]

Smoke everywhere, man. And I'm trying to figure out, is it gonna be safe for my kids to be outside tomorrow? You know, I'm okay. I worry more about my wife. You know, she got a lung disease and asthma and stuff. And so I got the house sealed up tight, hoping that's enough.

[Gideon Resnick]

The air has caused major disruptions to everyday life. As skyscrapers disappeared from view, outdoor facilities like pools were closed, summer camps sent kids home, and major league baseball games were rescheduled. Some cities, like New York, have started distributing KN95 masks for commuters. Yesterday, the city's mayor, Zoran Mamdani, urged residents to stay indoors.

[Various Interviewees]

In our city, we pride ourselves on being resilient. Today is not a day to say in spite of the air quality, I'm going to do everything I was going to do yesterday. This is very serious. We are reaching into a level of air quality that is dangerous for every single New Yorker.

[Gideon Resnick]

More than 800 wildfires are burning across mostly remote stretches of Canada. They're a part of the natural life cycle of the country's forests, but they've become more frequent in recent years, which scientists attribute to climate change. The overwhelming majority of ignitions are contained quickly, but once they reach a certain size, putting them out can be extremely difficult. And Canada's emergency services primarily focus on protecting residential areas. Patrick James from the University of Toronto told a New York CBS affiliate how the heat dome affecting parts of Canada and the US had made things worse.

[Various Interviewees]

And so this amount of heat dries out fuels. It also brings in large amounts of thunderstorms. You get this blocking pattern and then cold weather systems are abutting it brings in these lightning storms. You get numerous lightning strikes in forest fuels that are incredibly dry as a result of that sustained period of really hot weather. And with that, you get these not just 1 2, but 100 fires that are all occurring at the same time.

[Gideon Resnick]

But yesterday, Republican lawmakers took aim at Canada for their strategy. Ohio Senator Bernie Marino pledged to introduce legislation that would, quote, sanction Canada and its officials. Lee Zeldin, the EPA administrator, also criticized Canada yesterday.

[Various Interviewees]

For us here in the U.S. there are a lot of concerned Americans who believe that this is not the right practice. They should be preventing these fires as best as they can. And when they start, they should be putting them out as fast as they can.

[Gideon Resnick]

In response, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that both countries had a responsibility to fight climate change. The smoke in the US Is expected to clear by the end of the week, depending on where you are. But if the air quality index hits unhealthy, that's above 150. The American Lung association advises children, older adults and pregnant women to limit physical outdoor activity when it hits hazardous. That advice extends to everyone. Experts suggest masks to help filter out particles from the smoke and sealing off your home as much as possible. It has been a week of ups and downs, escalation and de escalation between the US And Iran. Yesterday, the US Expanded its attacks, hitting areas near Iran's capital, Tehran, and targeting a ship that it accused of trying to break its recently imposed naval blockade. This back and forth appears to mark a new, though familiar stage of the conflict.

[Shelby Holiday]

While it is not necessarily a full scale war with the same level of bombs being dropped and combat operations being flown, it's certainly ramped up and the ceasefire is very clearly over.

[Gideon Resnick]

Shelby Holiday is a reporter with the Wall Street Journal.

[Shelby Holiday]

The US Is not striking deep inside Iran regularly like it was during Epic Fury, and instead it's really focusing on Iran's coastal areas, islands that Iran has militarized.

[Gideon Resnick]

Holiday told us the fighting had become squarely focused on the fate of the Strait of Hormuz.

[Shelby Holiday]

One thing that has changed in the past week is we've seen Iran fire anti ship cruise missiles at commercial vessels.

[Gideon Resnick]

She said renewed vessel attacks like these have hindered the U.S. s ability to protect the ships passing in the strait.

[Shelby Holiday]

US CENTCOM has been pointing this out because they're killing innocent civilians aboard these ships. But the use of those missiles is significant because they are fired at very close range, they travel very quickly, and there is essentially no time for the ship to react. And it's very difficult for the US Military to shoot any of these missiles down. And that's what Iran is using right now to control traffic.

[Gideon Resnick]

This resumed fighting has sent oil prices back up globally. And shipping companies are back in a position of having to weigh the risks of passage.

[Shelby Holiday]

Even though the US Continues to say, these routes are open, you can transit here. We'll protect you as best we can. Those cruise missiles are having a psychological impact on shipping.

[Gideon Resnick]

Holiday told us the US And Iran are running out of time and resources. The US doesn't have an unlimited stockpile of missile interceptors, and Iran's economy is buckling under the strain of war.

[Shelby Holiday]

I think what we're seeing right now is just a bombing of Iran's coastal facilities to try to prevent them from firing on commercial ships to exert some pressure. The blockade is back on. That's economic pressure. See if Iran will come back to the table.

[Gideon Resnick]

She thinks both sides believe that continuing the fighting at a low level and waiting for the other to concede is the best path forward.

[Shelby Holiday]

Right now, President Trump is looking at midterms in just a few months. He's under a great deal of political pressure to wrap this war up. If you remember, at the very beginning of the war, the administration said it would just be a couple weeks long, it won't be a prolonged Middle east conflict, and we'll be out of there. And so that has hurt him politically.

[Gideon Resnick]

A poll recently released by the Washington Post and Ipsos found that Americans are dissatisfied with the cost of living and how Trump has handled the war with Iran. His overall approval rating stands at 37%. And though the conflict has severely strained Iran's economy, they've demonstrated that it's a cost they're willing to pay for.

[Shelby Holiday]

Now, the irgc, which is Iran's paramilitary arm, does not seem to care and seems to be focused on playing the long game, which is just hang tight in the Strait of Hormuz, try to control traffic as much as possible and see how much pressure that puts on the US to sort of come to an agreement or get out of the conflict and go home.

[Gideon Resnick]

Amid the fighting, there was one moment of diplomatic good news. Tehran released an American citizen named Dina Karari, who'd been unable to return to the US after Iranian authorities seized her passport in 2024. President Trump commended Iran yesterday on her release. Tickets went on sale for it than a year ago. Some people are flying across the country. Others are planning to watch it at 2am and one woman told Variety that she might have even delayed having a second kid in order to make sure she could be there for it. It's Christopher Nolan's the Odyssey and it's finally in theaters today.

[Various Interviewees]

No one could stand between me and

[Shelby Holiday]

home,

[Various Interviewees]

not even the gods.

[Gideon Resnick]

Nolan, the director of the Oscar winning Oppenheimer Inception, the Batman series and more, is certainly known for making big and loud movies. But the Odyssey has become such a phenomenon in part because of its incredible scale. It was shot across six different countries. More than one gigantic 35 foot Trojan horse was built for it. And the reported production budget was $250 million. Lindsey Barr, a film writer for the Associated Press, told us that One set, a 15th century castle near Sicily, required the crew to hike 45 minutes uphill to about 1,000ft of elevation.

[Lindsey Barr]

It was this epic production. I think you really feel the scope that they actually used a reconstruction of a Viking ship for the ship. They're actually out on seas, they're actually up on top of a mountain. They're not just in sound stages in Los Angeles.

[Gideon Resnick]

And to capture all of these locations and environments and monsters that are featured in Homer's epic, Nolan shot the movie entirely on IMAX film, which has never happened before. The problem with using IMAX cameras is that they're incredibly loud. Matt Damon, the star of the film, likened it to a blender in the

[Lindsey Barr]

face, so it would be impossible for dialogue heavy scenes. But they've been inching towards innovations and finally they created this sort of muffler system called the blimp, which they put around the camera and it was enough that they could record audio.

[Gideon Resnick]

It may have solved a sound issue, but didn't make it any easier on the crew in other respects. The camera weighed around 300 pounds. Film had to be reloaded around every two and a half to three minutes. And they built a mirror system to allow actors to see each other around the hulking machine while they were shooting. Nolan has described going to these great lengths in order to offer moviegoers something new and exciting. And he said in a recent 60 Minutes interview that the IMAX 70 millimeter presentations are the best way to see

[Various Interviewees]

it in this age of digitization. AI, all the rest. This is a human process, an analog process, this strip of film. That's the highest quality imaging format that's ever been devised. There's nothing that competes with it.

[Gideon Resnick]

The trouble is There are only 32 theaters in the US and Canada capable of playing the Odyssey in this format, which is leading to the crazy demand and some fevered hunts for tickets in group texts, however you see it and wherever you see it, Barr says, it's worth the price of admission.

[Lindsey Barr]

This is a story that even Nolan has said it's in all of his movies. The Man Trying to Come Home and Shifting Time, and all of these themes have been in so many of his films. So you think maybe it's going to be redundant and then it's not. It just feels like something that we really haven't seen before, which is quite astounding. So, I mean, honestly, I was a little speechless after the first time I saw it.

[Gideon Resnick]

Here are a few other stories we're following today. President Trump delivered a national address last night renewing his attacks on US Election security.

[Various Interviewees]

For many years, I've called for bold, swift and decisive action to protect the integrity of America's elections. Every American deserves to know that when they cast their vote, that vote will be counted accurately in a system, and that is to make that system secure.

[Gideon Resnick]

Trump declassified documents he said demonstrated Chinese interference in the 2020 election and suggested there was an internal effort to downplay the extent of their involvement. The claims contradict a US Intelligence report which found no evidence Beijing successfully altered the 2020 election that Trump lost. He also renewed other unsubstantiated claims regarding electoral fraud and raised previously known reports and intelligence investigations. He ended his address again, pushing Congress to pass the Save America Act, a bill that would bring in voter ID requirements and curtail the use of voting by mail. A number of Republicans have said that they do not have the votes to pass it. Trump said that he would help states, quote, fix and patch known technical vulnerabilities before the midterm elections and that the Secretary of Homeland Security would brief state leaders today on recent work confirming cyber vulnerabilities. The Chinese Embassy in Washington said it, quote, has never and will never interfere in the presidential elections. Catastrophic floods hit Texas hill country, the same region where floods killed more than 130 people, including children, at Camp Mystic a year ago. At least two people have died in these floods as the Guadalupe river rose 25ft in one hour when slow moving storms dropped several inches of rain. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that first responders had conducted hundreds of rescues and that the state was better prepared this time. But he also said the hardest hit areas are expecting more rain today and are not out of danger yet, with some rivers expected to reach historic levels. And finally, investigators are getting closer to finding a source for the outbreak of a parasitic illness that has infected thousands of people across the country. The Washington Post reports that officials at the CDC believe that shredded iceberg lettuce from the company Taylor Farms might have been the link. In at least four states, including Michigan, which has been the hardest hit there, the lettuce was supplied to Taco Bell, which led to a high percentage of the sicknesses. Taco Bell said earlier this week that it would continue to monitor the situation after reportedly pulling lettuce from some locations. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening to the news app right now, stick around for the latest episode of Apple News in Conversation this week, guest host David Greene talks to health journalist Julia Bellooz about the fast evolving landscape of GLP1 drugs in America and the different reasons people are taking them for this multitude of other uses.

[Lindsey Barr]

This is where this is a population wide experiment on a scale we've never seen before.

[Gideon Resnick]

If you're listening in the podcast app, you can follow Apple News in Conversation to find that episode or come back to the Apple News Today feed tomorrow. Enjoy the weekend and I'll be back with the news on Monday.