Wednesday’s top story: White House U-turns on citizenship question. Plus, Alex Morgan leads the USA into another Women’s World Cup final

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This article is more than 1 year old

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Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.

Census forms to leave out question that could affect elections

The Trump administration has said it will print forms for the 2020 US census without a question on citizenship, after the supreme court blocked its inclusion last week. The commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, said he strongly disagreed with the court’s decision to block the question, which critics argued would dissuade immigrants from submitting their census forms, leading to an inaccurate survey with potentially major political ramifications.

Migrant detention. After this week’s controversial congressional visit to migrant detention facilities in Texas, a US government report has concluded customs and border protection facilities in the state are “dangerously overcrowded”.

Activist retrial. An activist who could face up to 20 years in prison for giving water, food and lodging to migrants in the Arizona desert will be retried, after a jury was unable to reach a verdict in his case last month.

Democrats sue administration for Trump’s tax returns

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The US treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, has refused to turn over the president’s tax returns to the House. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

The House ways and means committee has sued the Trump administration in federal court for access to Donald Trump’s tax returns, setting up a legal showdown over the documents between Democrats and the White House. The treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, has refused to turn over the president’s returns, which the Democrat-controlled committee said it needs for an investigation into Trump’s tax-law compliance. The White House described the lawsuit as a “sham”.

‘Narcissistic travesty’. Critics of the president have savaged his plans for a Fourth of July celebration in Washington DC, which they fear Trump will turn into a political campaign rally.

Union-busting. Workers at the Social Security Administration say a new contract limiting union activity could herald a crackdown by the Trump administration on labor organising among federal government employees.

Deep-sea mining boom threatens crucial ecosystems

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A bed of manganese nodules in the deep Pacific Ocean close to the Cook Islands. Photograph: USGS

Some of the Earth’s most important ecosystems could be threatened by a boom in deep-sea mining, as companies seeking new mineral and metal sources turn to the deep ocean as a “new industrial frontier”. While no mining has started on the ocean floor, a study by Greenpeace found 29 exploration licences had been issued by a UN body, for vast areas of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Climate implications. The industry claims deep-sea mining is essential to extract the minerals needed for the transition to a green economy. But environmentalists argue it could destroy important ecosystems and contribute to the climate crisis.

Fire kills 14 Russian sailors in top-secret submersible

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Vladimir Putin on a visit in 2014 to Severomorsk, the port to which the stricken craft has been taken. Photograph: Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP/Getty Images

Russia has admitted 14 of its sailors died due to a fire onboard a “deep-sea research vessel”, which is thought to have been part of a top-secret military project. While the Russian military did not name the navy submersible, media outlets identified the vessel as the Losharik, a spy submarine supposedly capable of diving to extreme depths, which may have been involved in the tapping and severing of underwater communications cables.

Naval accidents. The incident is the latest in a series of such disasters for the Russian navy, including the sinking of the Kursk submarine in 2000, which led to the deaths of all 118 crewmen.

Crib sheet

At least 40 people have been killed by an airstrike that hit a migrant detention centre in Tripoli, the capital of Libya , during an offensive on the city by the warlord Khalifa Haftar.

The US produces far more garbage and recycles far less of it than other developed countries, according to analysis that found Americans produce 12% of global municipal solid waste, despite making up 4% of the world’s population.

The co-founder of Uber has purchased a Beverly Hills mansion for a record-breaking $72.5m, highlighting the vast and growing wealth gap in California, where major cities are in the middle of a homelessness crisis.

Disney has deleted a fake blooper scene featuring a “casting couch” scenario between a bearded, male toy and two Barbie dolls from new home release versions of Toy Story 2, in response to the #MeToo movement.

Must-reads

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Rainbow 2 fire burns in Alaska last weekend. Photograph: Handout/Reuters

Baked Alaska: record heat fuels wildfires in the Last Frontier

Anchorage in Alaska experienced higher than average temperatures almost every day in June, with tourists taking to the beach as almost 120 wildfires burned across the state. The climate emergency implications are dire for both humans and animal life, Susie Cagle reports.

Trump’s unprecedented 2020 social media campaign

The Trump campaign, more than 500 days before the 2020 election, has already spent more than $11.1m on Facebook and Google ads alone. Experts tell Julia Carrie Wong the unprecedented online campaign puts the president “way ahead of the field” for 2020.

Bolsonaro’s first six months leave even the right dismayed

Jair Bolsonaro’s victory in last year’s Brazilian presidential election was a political earthquake. The far-right populist’s administration has been shaken repeatedly by its aftershocks: scandals, protests, corruption claims, allegations of mafia links. “It’s a marmalade of madness,” one high-profile former supporter tells Tom Phillips.

Great towers of the eastern bloc

For their new book, Eastern Blocks, David Navarro and Martyna Sobecka photographed the grey, monumental estates that sprung up across central and eastern Europe in the years after the second world war – and found a strange, stark beauty in the concrete monoliths of the Soviet era.

Opinion

If we want to help the migrant children being locked up in crowded, unsanitary cages, argues Francine Prose, it is not enough to post on Facebook. We must take a cue from history and engage in mass public protest.

We need activists and organizers to take this on, to shake us out of our paralysis and undo the spell of weird enchantment that allows us to look at the sweet faces of children who died under unspeakable conditions, on our watch.

Sport

The USA will compete in a third consecutive Women’s World Cup final, after defeating England 2-1 in a hard-fought semi at the Stade de Lyon. The USA captain, Alex Morgan, headed in the winner in the 31st minute, while the England captain, Steph Houghton, missed her chance to equalise with a penalty in the 83rd.

Brazil will face either Chile or Peru in the final of the Copa América after a 2-0 home win over their old rivals Argentina on Tuesday. Lionel Messi, who remains without a major title with his country, accused the game’s referee of bias.

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