Fatal shooting at Alderwood Mall: On Wednesday evening, a 13-year-old girl was fatally shot at the Alderwood Mall. A fight between two different groups of teens led to the shooting. During the fight, a 16-year-old boy allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired at one of the groups. His round struck Jayda Woods-Johnson, who was not involved in the fight. She died from her injuries. Meanwhile, the suspect's mom turned him into the police. Sorry to break you out of your sun-drunk, post-holiday stupor with news of a shooting, but this is part of the deal with being an American. You considered all of that while the fireworks shot off last night, right? 

A body in Elliott Bay: Early Thursday, people spotted the dead body of a man in his 30s or 40s floating in Elliott Bay near Pier 56. With no signs of trauma, it wasn't immediately clear what happened to the man. Police are investigating.

Jobs: The US added 206,000 jobs in June. That's a slight dip from May's 218,000 new jobs, but it's enough that economics think hiring remains strong and job growth is withstanding high-interest rates. Unemployment, however, ticked up slightly from 4% in May to 4.1% in June. 

Hot, hot, hot: The sun is back, and it's blistering, baby! We'll be kicking it in the high 80s and low 90s well into next week. Strip down to your skivvies and jump in a lake this weekend. And be grateful you're not in Portland, where temperatures will climb into the triple digits this weekend. Or, count your lucky stars that you aren't stuck in Death Valley, where it will be 130 degrees this week. 

Everything is expensive in Seattle: Even dying. The average cost of a burial with a funeral service in King County was $5,738 in 2022. For cremation or just a burial, costs ranged from $1,722 and $3,025. If you're going to spend that much on being dead, you might as well turn yourself into compost. 

Eastlake Bar & Grill burns: The building that once housed the Eastlake Bar & Grill, a restaurant that shuttered in 2022, caught fire at around 1 am Friday. Around 70 Seattle Fire Department personnel showed up to battle the blaze engulfing the abandoned building, which was scheduled to be demolished soon. It's unclear what sparked the fire. 

Good news for gas guzzlers: This July 4th saw the lowest gas prices—an average of $3.49 nationwide—since 2021. If you care about this, remember to kiss the feet of your oil overlords next time you get the chance, because, as we all know, they set the prices and pass down to consumers any costs they don't want to cover. <3 

Disney withholds Dem donations: Abigail Disney, the philanthropist and filmmaker, said she will turn off the cash spigot to the Democrats unless Joe Biden drops out of the presidential race. Disney, whose grandfather, Roy O. Disney, co-founded the Walt Disney Co. with his brother, Walt, is convinced Biden will lose the election if he stays on the ballot. If anything will get this party to listen, it's money. Here's what Disney said in a statement:

I intend to stop any contributions to the party unless and until they replace Biden at the top of the ticket. This is realism, not disrespect. Biden is a good man and has served his country admirably, but the stakes are far too high. If Biden does not step down the Democrats will lose. Of that I am absolutely certain. The consequences for the loss will be genuinely dire.

Biden's campaign continues: He'll sit for a TV interview with ABC News on Friday. Hopefully, he downs an energy drink and sucks on twelve Ricolas beforehand so we can all regain confidence in his candidacy. 

Oopsie: All the fireworks went off at once at a San Diego, California firework show. Busting early can happen to anyone, anything. 

Some Fourth of July drama: Actor Danny Trejo settled a matter with fisticuffs. Riding in an Independence Day Parade, a flung water bottle struck Trejo, 80. He exited his parade vehicle and threw a punch at the water bottle thrower. A scuffle ensued. 

Some Fourth of July tragedy: A suspected drunk driver plowed his Ford F-150 into a Lower East Side Park in New York City, killing three people. Nine people were injured. 

UK's Labour party wins majority: Labour, the center-left party in the United Kingdom, "in a landslide victory" has unseated the Conservative Party for the first time in 14 years. Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, who is "derided as dull," will take over as prime minister. He's the first Labour PM since Tony Blair, who won his first stint as PM in 1997. In his first speech as prime minister, Starmer said, "My government will make you believe again." He also vowed that "brick by brick we will rebuild the infrastructure of opportunity."

Let's hope we emulate England this fall: Or else we could be the next France, where the far-right is gaining momentum and could win a majority in the French Parliament after the second round of run-off elections concludes July 14. That could be a Bastille Day for the books. 

Palestine to host World Cup qualifier: Palestine's national soccer team is doing better than they ever have before in World Cup qualifying matches. In June, the team made it through the second round of continental qualifying. Now, Palestine wants to host a home game, a difficult thing to do when your country is under attack. Nevertheless, the team plans to hold a match in the West Bank, and its opponents have agreed. They'll face Jordan on Sept. 10 at Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium in the West Bank town of Al Ram. 

Is he single? Japan unveiled a new worker to help with railway maintenance. He's tall, he's a hard worker, and he seems gentle. Oh, also he's a humanoid robot. 

A song for your Friday: