Gooood morning. Today will be very hot and could top out at 97 degrees, according to Seattle Weather Blog,  though National Weather Service predicts closer to 88 degrees. I'm writing this at 4:50 am, and it's already 70 degrees. Monday tied with the hottest July 8 on record. The heat has killed at least four people in Oregon so far. The only thing driving me to return to in person work is the AC. 

Smith speaks: Washington's longest-serving Congressman, Adam Smith, called the White House after Biden's disastrous debate and told them he needed to step aside, according to the Seattle Times. He also said Biden has seemed "'frail and struggled' to communicate." Other Washington Democrats continue to back Biden's run, including US Senator Patty Murray and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, though Murray acknowledged that the President needed to make a comeback soon.  Congressional Democrats plan to meet in Washington Tuesday to discuss Biden's future, according to the BBC.

Meanwhile, in an obvious effort to grab a headline after the Seattle Times endorsed Bob Ferguson for governor, State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Mark Mullet has thrown his inconsequential weight behind Vice President Kamala Harris.

ICYMI: The Washington Department of Corrections (DOC) transferred a transgender woman to a men's prison after a single infraction. The woman, Amber Kim launched a hunger strike in protest of the transfer and said she fears for her safety in a men's prison. Vivian has more on Kim's transfer.  

Two Washington youth detention centers suspend intakes: Echo Glen Children's Center in Snoqualmie and Green Hill School in Chehalis plan to stop accepting new kids from county facilities due to overcrowding, according to KOMO. The Department of Children, Youth, and Families said kids expected to go to the state institutions will instead remain at county facilities. 

Cherries flood the market: A delayed cherry crop in California and an early crop in Washington has resulted in cheaper cherries this summer, costing Washington farmers millions, according to the Seattle Times. Weird harvest glitches like this, driven by climate change, combined with other market pressures have started to squeeze smaller farmers out of the market. Meanwhile, the farmers that remain have to struggle with unpredictable harvest seasons for their sensitive little cherries. 

Fire breaks out at Odesza concert: During a performance at the Gorge Amphitheatre, a fire broke out not far from the stage where Odesza had started performing their last song. Some people on TikTok and Reddit pointed to the fireworks that had exploded from the stage earlier in the performance and said the Gorge should maybe ban fireworks during summer shows around dry, grassy areas. The Gorge released a statement on Twitter about the fire but did not speculate as to the cause. 

Biden heads to NATO summit: Washington DC hosts NATO's 75th anniversary summit this week, which CNBC and other outlets have called a "crucial test" for Biden's mental fitness. Because the debate performance, combined with his canned statement after the US Supreme Court decision about Trump's criminal liability, followed by the George Stephanopoulos interview, where Biden said it didn't matter if he won so long as he tried his best, all weren't enough to tell us that we've got a sundowning old fool in office who won't release his grip on power until he's literally dead or constitutionally forced to let go. 

New York enters the 19th century: New York City has discovered a groundbreaking and dare I say bold, new technology: trash cans. Instead of dumping trash in bags on the curb, New Yorkers can now place their loads of refuse into trash cans like the rest of the US, according to the New York Daily News. The rats of New York did not immediately return a request for comment, but I'm sure they're cooking up a retaliatory plague in response to the city making it harder to access food scraps. Also, Mayor Eric Adams loves a demonstration. 

Hurricane Beryl kills seven in the South: Beryl swept through Texas and Louisiana Monday, killing six in Texas and one in Louisiana. While the storm has downgraded to a Tropical Depression, 21 million remain under a flood watch, according to NBC News. 

Meanwhile, France's left has a moment: As Nathalie mentioned yesterday, France's newly formed left-wing party, the New Popular Front (NFP), managed to win the majority of seats in parliament, beating back Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) party, according to CNN. Macron and his neoliberal backers must now work with the left wing of the country to govern and to stave off France's RN, which has continued to gain in popularity.

Julia Fox comes out: According to Page Six, Fox said her ex-boyfriends weren't wrong for "'calling me a lesbian and complaining that I never wanted to have sex with them.'" Fox most recently joined Charli XCX in her 360 music video. IDK. Lesbians also having a moment. 

Alright, stay cool out there: In the words of the cat psychologist who has started popping up in my TikTok algorithm, do something to make your cat's life a little different today. Also, check out Towa Bird's new album American Hero.

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