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A sweltering heat wave, Biden campaigns and a French left-wing comeback

 
Today's Weather story

Sweltering heat wave hits much of the United States

What happened
Large portions of the West and East coasts were enveloped by extreme heat over the weekend, with deadly temperatures recorded in several cities. California's Death Valley, consistently one of the hottest areas on Earth, set a new record on Saturday, reaching 128 degrees Fahrenheit, while Las Vegas and Arizona saw similar highs. On the other side of the country, heat indexes reached 110 degrees in Maryland and Washington D.C., and in areas throughout the South, including Florida, Georgia and Alabama. 

An excessive heat warning — the National Weather Service's highest alert — was in effect on Sunday for about 36 million people, or about 10% of the population.

Who said what
Climate change caused by humans is "fueling longer and more intensive heat waves, and making dangerously high temperatures more common," NPR said. These types of conditions are "potentially deadly if not taken seriously," said the National Weather Service. 

What next?
The "persistent" heat wave is expected to "shatter new records" as temperatures keep climbing in the coming days, NBC News said. In parts of the Pacific Northwest, including Oregon, temperatures are "forecast to stay between 100 to 105 degrees through Tuesday night," said NPR. Nationwide, a total of 40 million people are expected to swelter in temperatures of more than 100 degrees over the next week. 

 
 
Today's Politics story

Biden on campaign trail as Democratic concern grows

What happened
President Joe Biden hit the campaign trail over the weekend as concerns about his ability to run for a second term continued to permeate the Democratic Party. Attending a service at a Black church in Philadelphia on Sunday, Biden described his reliance on faith "in good times and tough times," in a speech delivered without a teleprompter. But while he departed to chants of "four more years," doubts continue in Congress, with four more Democrats reportedly calling for him not to run for reelection.

Who said what
According to "multiple" insiders, said NBC News, the four additional Democrats "told their lawmaker colleagues during a phone call Sunday" that they believed Biden should step aside. All four "hold top positions on key House committees and bring the total number of Democrats in Congress who have called for the president to reconsider his bid" to nearly a dozen.

During his speech in the key swing state of Philadelphia, Biden "didn't directly address the critical phase of his campaign that he is entering," said CBS News.  

What next?
Biden has brushed aside calls for him to step down, saying that he feels strong enough to go up against Donald Trump in November. During a recent ABC News interview, the president acknowledged his poor debate performance but attributed it to having been sick days earlier.

 
 
Today's International Story

Surprise win for French left alliance

What happened
A loose alliance of left-wing parties is on course to become France's biggest parliamentary bloc, beating both the far-right and President Emmanuel Macron's coalition in the most momentous election in recent memory.

The left-green New Popular Front took 182 seats in a shock win. Macron's centrist Together alliance won 163 seats, while Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally and allies were relegated to third with 143 seats.

Who said what
France is facing a hung parliament after the "surprising surge" from the new left-wing coalition helped "hold back" the National Rally's "push to power," said The New York Times.

National Rally was defeated by what is known in France as "the Front républicain," said France 24, which is "when voters turn out in force to defeat the far-right."

What next?
The result "plunges France into political limbo," said Al Jazeera. If no working majority can be cobbled together, Macron can ask the largest party to lead a minority government. Given that fresh parliamentary elections cannot be called for another year, said the BBC, "instability could ensue."

 
 

It's not all bad

Inspired by his father and a game of blind hockey, a man from the Calgary Region plans on tackling the 700-mile Great Divide Trail through the Canadian Rockies. Zach Rusk's trek is expected to take several weeks and will double as a fundraiser for the Alberta Sports & Recreation Association for the Blind, which supports visually impaired athletes of all ages. Rusk, whose father lost his sight in 2020 after being accidentally shot, and a friend will set off on July 12, with the goal of raising $50,000.

 
 
Under the radar

The precipitous fall of the Japanese yen 

Japan's economy has not had a good 2024, to say the least. It entered a short recession in February and now is dealing with a crisis surrounding the nation's currency, the yen.

There are several reasons why the yen is losing value, but it is mainly a "product of divergent monetary policy between the Bank of Japan and its developed-market peers, particularly the Federal Reserve," said Barron's. This is the result of a wide difference in interest rates between the U.S. and Japan. The Bank of Japan has "only just begun to ease off intense monetary stimulus, while the Fed and other central banks are years into tightening cycles."

The Bank of Japan has attempted to "normalize monetary policy" by "lifting its benchmark interest rate out of negative territory," said Barron's. But these efforts have been "dwarfed by the Fed's interest-rate hikes starting in 2022."

The "grim reality" is that the "slide won't stop until the Federal Reserve relents on its higher-for-longer policy path," and Japanese officials have "no control over that," said Bloomberg. Beyond this, all "efforts by officials in Tokyo to prop up the yen so far have fallen flat."

Japan has said it will take the required actions to stop the yen's bleeding. And if inflation continues falling in the U.S., it "could very quickly change the outlook for the interest rate gap between the dollar and the yen," said The Japan Times. "The Japanese currency could make a dramatic comeback."

 
 
On this day

July 8, 1947

A flying saucer was incorrectly reported to have been captured near Roswell, New Mexico, by the town's local newspaper. Though the event did not generate much press coverage at the time, interest in the Roswell incident reemerged in the 1970s, and today the town remains a thriving tourist destination for amateur and professional ufologists. 

 
 
TODAY'S newspaperS

At least six "top" Democrats are "privately saying Biden should go," says The New York Times, as the president's "base of support" begins to "crumble." "Time to go Joe," says the New York Post. Looking to France, The Wall Street Journal focuses on the "stunning reversal" of fortunes for Marine Le Pen in Sunday's election, a week after her far-right party "notched an unprecedented victory" in the first-round vote. The Washington Post reports on the findings of a reporter who was "embedded" with Michigan prosecutors for two years as they "pursued homicide charges" against a school shooter's parents.

► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
Tall tale

One of these is not like the other

A Northern California couple whose pet donkey escaped five years ago say he has been found living with a herd of wild elk. In June, a hiker near Clear Lake filmed a donkey that Terrie and Dave Drewry believe was their pet, Diesel. "It was amazing," Terrie said to CBS News. "Finally, we knew he's good. He's living his best life." They are relieved Diesel looks "happy and healthy" and made friends in an area that does not have wild donkeys.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Harold Maass, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Robyn Beck / AFP / Getty Images; Mustafa Hussain / Bloomberg / Getty Images; Jeff Pachoud /AFP / Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images