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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Fri Jul 5 2024

Jane Onyanga-Omara | Audience Editor

Temperatures in Death Valley could soon reach 130 degrees. Britain has a new government and leader after 14 years of Conservative rule. Who won the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest?

👋🏾 I'm Jane, Daily Briefing author. From "Ghostbusters" to "Gremlins," was 1984 the most epic summer for movies ever?

California's Death Valley may soon break world heat record

The temperature in California's Death Valley National Park could skyrocket to 130 degrees next week, according to the National Weather Service. If it does, it will set the record for the hottest temperature ever "reliably measured on earth," according to Scientific American. Chris Outler, a forecaster with the weather service's Las Vegas office, said there's a 20% chance the park will hit 130 degrees Monday and Tuesday. "The threshold is certainly not out of the realm of possibility," Outler told USA TODAY. Read more

UK voters punish Conservatives after 14-year rule, hand Labour landslide

Britain's center-left Labour Party comfortably won a historic general election, ousting the Conservative Party by a huge margin after 14 years of rule.

The vote means the staunch U.S. ally will get its sixth prime minister in eight politically turbulent years .

•	Labour's leader Keir Starmer, 61, a former lawyer, will take over as prime minister from Rishi Sunak after Labour passed the threshold to secure a majority.
•	Sunak resigned as prime minister on Friday in an audience with King Charles. Starmer was to then visit Buckingham Palace and ask the king for his permission to form a government.
•	Labour will replace a Conservative government whose reputation was deeply marred by Britain's exit from the European Union, known as Brexit.

Britain's Labour Party leader Keir Starmer delivers a speech during a victory rally in London early on July 5, 2024.

JUSTIN TALLIS, AFP via Getty Images

More news to know now

•	Ranger wounded, suspect dead in rare shooting at Yellowstone National Park.
•	Hurricane Beryl tears through Jamaica, prime minister declares it a "disaster area."
•	Argentina bails out Messi in shootout to advance past Ecuador in Copa América thriller.
•	Want to leave the U.S.? Here's how to move to Canada, Mexico and Europe as an American.
•	It's game time! Play the USA TODAY Crossword. Our expert Sally has the answers.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Patrick Bertoletti, Miki Sudo prevail in Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

The 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest kicked off in Coney Island, New York, on July 4. This year, icon Joey Chestnut wasn't part of the contest due to a contractual dispute with Major League Eating, leaving him on the sidelines and away from an opportunity at a 17th Mustard Belt. That opened the door (and the esophagus) for Patrick Bertoletti to claim the top prize. On the women's side, it was Miki Sudo: She is now a 10-time winner of the Ketchup Belt and has finished at the top of the heap in every contest she's performed in. Read more

Patrick Bertoletti wins the men's title with 58 hotdogs at Nathan's Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Adam Gray, Getty Images

Israel sends delegation to negotiate hostage release deal with Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told President Joe Biden on Thursday he will send a delegation to resume stalled negotiations on a hostage release deal with Hamas, their administrations said. "The proposal put forward by Hamas includes a very significant breakthrough," said a source in the Israeli negotiating team, speaking on condition of anonymity, after Hamas made a revised proposal. The Israeli response was in marked contrast to past instances during the nearly nine-month war in Gaza, where Israel has said the conditions attached by Hamas were not acceptable. Read more

Keep scrolling

•	Joey Chestnut nearly eclipses Nathan's contest winner during exhibition at Army base in Texas.
•	Next up for Eddie Murphy? Possibly another "Beverly Hills Cop" movie or perhaps Broadway.
•	This small town is home to one of USA's oldest Independence Day celebrations.
•	National Fried Chicken Day is Saturday: Here's where to find food deals and discounts.
•	Walmart's biggest sale ever starts Monday.

Who won Iran's election? Country moves into runoff

An ultraconservative, anti-Western hawk who routinely lectured U.S. officials during nuclear negotiations. Or a low-key lawmaker and heart surgeon who's signaled he favors a less-hostile foreign policy and easing some of Iran's social restrictions. Those are the two choices facing Iran's voters in an election Friday to determine the country's next president. Former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and moderate Masoud Pezeshkian were competing in a run-off after no candidate in an original field of four secured more than 50% of the vote on June 28. Preliminary results could come as early as Saturday. Read more