Tories Tossed, California Fires, and Fireworks Across America

Facts, without motives. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

View email in browser

In partnership with

Good morning. It's Friday, July 5, and we're covering a drubbing on Downing Street, the competitive eating crown, and much more. First time reading? Join over 3.5 million intellectually curious readers. Sign up here.

You share. We listen. As always, send us feedback at hello@join1440.com.

Need To Know

Brits Oust Tories

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was ousted from office yesterday after the center-left Labour Party won a parliamentary majority in the United Kingdom's first national elections in nearly five years. Sir Keir Starmer, Labour's leader, is expected to become the country's next prime minister.

Sunak, who heads the center-right Conservative Party, called for the early elections in May in a last-ditch effort to sway public support despite significantly trailing in opinion polls. Voters expressed dissatisfaction with a range of issues, including stagnant household income, the highest tax rates since the 1940s, and record immigration levels.

With 326 seats needed for a parliamentary majority, early results point to Labour winning 410 seats, Conservatives with 131, Liberal Democrats with 61, and the remainder split among a variety of parties (see tracker).

It would mark the lowest share of seats for the Conservatives—colloquially known as Tories—in the party's 200-year history and ends a 14-year run by the party.

California Fires

Almost 30,000 people were ordered to evacuate their Northern California homes in recent days as wildfires continued to spread near the city of Oroville. As of this writing, the Thompson Fire had consumed around 3,500 acres, having tripled in size during the day Wednesday. Officials say the blaze is 7% contained; no deaths have been reported, though at least seven firefighters were treated for injuries.

The fire comes as Northern California and the interior western US prepare for a heat wave expected to bring triple-digit temperatures in many spots. Oroville is slated to pass 110 degrees this weekend, along with much of the inland parts of the state, while Las Vegas to the southeast may reach 120 degrees (the all-time high is 117 degrees).

Meanwhile, forecasts suggest Death Valley may hit 130 degrees early next week—a mark that would be the hottest temperature ever reliably measured on the planet.

A New Top Dog

A new face hoisted the Mustard Belt at Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest yesterday after 39-year-old Patrick Bertoletti downed 58 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Florida's Miki Sudo chomped through 51 franks, setting a women's world record en route to her 10th title.

For Bertoletti, the win comes in the absence of all-time great Joey Chestnut who was banned from the contest after signing an endorsement deal with Impossible Foods, a maker of plant-based meats. Chestnut had won 16 of 17 previous contests and tossed back 62 hot dogs last year. The excommunicated champ instead held a charity event in El Paso, Texas, facing off against active-duty service members.

While the Coney Island event has been held since 1972, the history of the humble hot dog dates back much further. German immigrants began selling the food, which evolved from traditional sausages, from New York City pushcarts in the 1860s.

In partnership with Babbel

Start Speaking A New Language This Summer

Have you always wanted to learn a new language? Stop dreaming and start doing.

All you have to do is get Babbel, the language learning app for real conversation in any situation. But don’t just trust our word. More than 200 expert linguists teamed up to create award-winning lessons, immersive podcasts, addictive games, and more bonus content. It’s about time we ditched the vocab flashcards and tedious verb conjugations. With Babbel, you can start speaking a new language in as little as three weeks — just in time for a summer adventure.

Even better: Right now, Babbel is offering 60% off for their 4th of July Sale. Join over 15 million Babbel learners and start speaking a new language in no time.

Please support our sponsors!

In The Know

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> LeBron James signs two-year, $104M deal to remain with Los Angeles Lakers; James' son Bronny was selected by the Lakers at last week's NBA Draft (More)

> Robert Towne, Oscar-winning screenwriter best known for "Chinatown" and "Mission: Impossible," dies at 89 (More)

> Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Bryce Harper headline list of starters for 2024 MLB All-Star Game (July 16) (More) | British cyclist Mark Cavendish breaks Tour de France record with 35 career stage wins (More)

Science & Technology

> Three new species of plants related to cacao trees discovered in South American rainforests; scientists say finding sheds light on the species' biodiversity, may lead to climate-resilient chocolate (More)

> Mysterious Denisovan population—ancient human relatives whose remains have only been found in a few locations—subsisted by hunting animals on the Tibetan plateau (More) | Who were the Denisovans? (More)

> Researchers create most detailed map to date of the brain cells associated with language processing, identifying neurons that encode the meaning of individual words (More)

In partnership with Incogni

Your Personal Info Is Floating Around the Web

And it’s not just scammers who might be after it. Data brokers will sell your sensitive information to anyone willing to pay.

You could comb through their sites and remove your data bit by bit. Or you can kick back, relax, and have Incogni scrub your personal info for you, lowering the risk of identity theft. Reclaim your data with Incogni.

1440 readers: Use code 1440DAILY for 55% off.

Business & Markets

> US markets end Wednesday mixed (S&P 500 +0.5%, Dow -0.1%, Nasdaq +0.9%), with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq hitting new highs (More) | Monthly jobs report to be released today; 200,000 jobs expected to have been added in June (More)

> Saks Fifth Avenue parent company to acquire luxury retailer Neiman Marcus in nearly $2.7B deal (More)

> European Union raises tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, citing unfair subsidies by China; additional duties range from around 18% to almost 38% depending on manufacturer (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Israel reportedly approves largest land expansion in the West Bank in three decades; move opens roughly 5 square miles for Israeli settlements in the territory (More) | The West Bank explained (More)

> Hurricane Beryl to pass over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula today, on track to reach southern Texas early next week; hurricane left at least two people dead in Jamaica (More) | See trajectory (More)

> Runoff elections in Iran to be held today to replace former President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a May helicopter crash; reformist Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian faces hard-liner Saeed Jalili (More)

In-Depth

> What Happens Online When You Die?

Untangled | Charley Johnson. (Podcast) In an effort to deal with grief, some are using AI-powered chatbots to once again talk to their deceased loved ones. (Listen)

> The Endless Symbolism of 'Jaws'

Literary Hub | Olivia Rutigliano. (From 2020) The metaphors in "Jaws"—considered one of the best summer movies ever made—are always lurking just under the surface. (Read)

> The Last American Slave Ship

National Geographic | Staff. This documentary explores the history of the Clotilda, a ship smuggling enslaved people that crashed along the Alabama coast in 1860, giving rise to the community of Africatown. (Watch)

> 'Rent is Too Damn High'

Reuters Graphics | Staff. Rental prices across the US have jumped 35% over the past five years. See a visual breakdown on how the issue may affect the 2024 election. (Read)

In partnership with Babbel

Learn A Language Even with a Busy Schedule

Who said language learning had to be daunting or time-consuming? Whether you’re shuttling kids to summer camp, running from one meeting to another, or getting ready for a night with friends, Babbel’s lessons can fit right in.

Built by 200+ linguistics experts, their lessons only take 10 minutes a day. Researchers at Yale and Michigan State University have proven the Babbel Method is effective, because it’s more than just vocab and memorization — with Babbel, you’ll learn the skills to have conversations in the real world. Start speaking a new language in no time: Get 60% off today during Babbel’s 4th of July Sale.

Please support our sponsors!

Share 1440

•		Don’t keep us a secret: Share the email with friends (copy URL here)
•		Support our team by upgrading to our $10/mo ad-free newsletter

Etcetera

Fourth of July celebrations from across the country.

The long history of American summer camps.

NASA satellite reveals the country's hottest sidewalks.

Get lost in this archive of old maps.

Imagine a human shrinking to the size of an atom. (w/video)

Peru's longest bridge goes to nowhere.

Photo captures the space station crossing the sun.

A guessing game like Wordle, but for countries.

Clickbait: Miami fire crews help keep elephants cool.

Historybook: 26th Amendment signed, lowers voting age from 21 to 18 in the US (1971); Arthur Ashe becomes first Black man to win Wimbledon (1975); Dolly the Sheep becomes first cloned mammal (1996); Baseball great Ted Williams dies (2002).

"We must reach out our hand in friendship both to those who would befriend us and those who would be our enemy."

- Arthur Ashe

Why 1440? The printing press was invented around the year 1440, spreading knowledge to the masses and changing the course of history. More facts: In every day, there are 1,440 minutes. We’re here to make each one count.

Send us your feedback at hello@join1440.com and help us stay as unbiased as humanly possible. We’re ready to listen.

Interested in reaching smart readers like you? To become a 1440 partner, apply here.

1440 Media 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 1212 Chicago, IL 60654

J

Update your preferences or unsubscribe from this email.

Tories Tossed, California Fires, and Fireworks Across America

View email in browser

Older messages

Beryl, Independence Day, and Googly-Eyed Trains

Trump Immunity, Bionic Leg, and the Queen of Cups

French Elections, Hurricane Beryl, and Chicken-Sizing

Obstruction Ruling, Bolivia, and Sleeping Cuckoo Bees

Presidential Debate, Iranian Elections, and Best of June

You Might Also Like

The Automattic vs WP Engine WordPress wars are getting really annoying [Mon Dec 23 2024]

In Waning Senate Days, Kyrsten Sinema Screwed Workers and Spent Campaign Cash on Stay at French Castle

Monday Briefing: Al-Assad’s final days in power

Gift of the Day: For the (Battery) One-Percenters

GeekWire's Most-Read Stories of the Week

Speckled Curiosa

10 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: From Gap’s CashSoft to Airplane Footrests

LEVER WEEKLY: Nurses And Other Superheroes

The Sunday — December 22

What I give my 5 (!) siblings every year