In our news wrap Tuesday, a heatwave is peaking in some parts of the Northeast with more than 160 million people enduring brutal conditions, RFK Jr. told lawmakers that he’s hired back nearly 1,000 staffers who had been laid off from the CDC and the National Institutes of Health and the NTSB said failures at several levels led a door plug panel to come off during an Alaska Airlines flight.

Geoff Bennett: In the day’s other headlines: This week’s life-threatening heat wave is peaking in some parts of the Northeast, with more than 160 million people enduring brutal conditions.

The purple you see represents extreme heat warnings that cover much of the Eastern Seaboard, including major cities like New York, Philadelphia and Boston. All three have declared heat emergencies with temperatures hitting triple digits.

Meantime, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season has formed. Tropical Storm Andrea is not expected to hit land and is set to dissipate by tomorrow night.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told lawmakers today that he’s hired back nearly 1,000 staff who’d been laid off from the CDC and the National Institutes of Health. Kennedy had vowed to cut 10,000 jobs across those agencies, plus the Food and Drug Administration. He acknowledged today that some who were let go are needed, after all, even as he maintained that shrinking his department remains a priority.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary: Throwing money at this agency has not worked. We need to realign the agency. We need to recalibrate its trajectory, so that it transforms our health care system from a sick care system into a health care system.

Geoff Bennett: Also on Capitol Hill, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told a House committee that the Fed is, in his words, well-positioned to wait and see how the economy plays out before making any adjustments to interest rates. That’s despite intense pressure from President Trump, who often criticizes Powell personally for not cutting rates immediately.

The National Transportation Safety Board says failures at several levels led to a door plug panel to come off during an Alaska Airlines flight last year.

Jennifer Homendy, Chair, National Transportation Safety Board: An accident like this only happens when there are multiple system failures.

Geoff Bennett: In a hearing today, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy blamed Boeing, its supplier, and the Federal Aviation Administration for the incident.

She credited the heroic actions of the crew for preventing any fatalities. An investigation had already found that several bolts securing the door plug were removed and never replaced. The NTSB said inadequate oversight by the FAA let that error go unnoticed.

In the Gaza Strip, witnesses and hospital official say Israeli fire killed at least 44 people today near aid distribution sites in Central and Southern Gaza. Relatives of those killed wept outside of a morgue in Khan Yunis where many of the bodies were taken. Survivors say they were trying to feed their families when Israeli tanks and drones opened fire.

Abdallah Al – Najjar, Injured Palestinian (through interpreter): I was going to bring food to my siblings, my brother. We got injured. There was a lot of fire. It’s difficult, difficult. It is food with a taste of blood.

Geoff Bennett: Gaza’s new food distribution locations have seen almost daily violence and chaos since opening last month. Witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on crowds near the sites. Israel has said it’s fired warning shots at suspects who approach its forces.

Today’s attacks came as Gaza’s health authorities announced the total number of Palestinians killed in the war so far has surpassed 56,000.

On Wall Street today, stocks near their all-time highs amid those easing tensions in the Middle East. The Dow Jones industrial average added more than 500 points on the day. The Nasdaq jumped nearly 300 points. The S&P 500 also ended sharply higher.

And Oklahoma City celebrated its first ever NBA championship today with a parade through downtown. Thunder team members rode atop double-decker buses as thousands of fans cheered their first title since the team moved there from Seattle back in 2008. Before that, they were known as the SuperSonics.

Before the parade, the team kicked off the day’s festivities by hoisting the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy at a ceremony in the city’s Paycom Center. The Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers in game seven of their series on Sunday night. It was the most watched NBA Finals game in six years.