Too hot: The US National Centers for Environmental Prediction crunched the numbers and said Monday was the hottest day on record. A global average temperature reached 62.62 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking a record set in August 2016. The ever-ambitious Earth decided to break its own record again for America’s birthday, when global temperatures hit an average of 62.92 degrees. Scientists believe it was the hottest day in the last 125,000 years.

Dave Reichert is running for governor: The former King County Sheriff and longtime US Congressman who worked the Green River Killer case (and is given more credit than he deserves) is the likely Republican frontrunner. Reichert hasn’t officially announced, but on June 30 he filed the paperwork to run. [Eds note: Find our extensive Reichert archives here.]

Two more Mariner All-Stars: Outfielder Julio Rodriguez and pitcher George Kirby will play in the All-Star game alongside their teammate Luis Castillo. Rodriguez replaces the injured Houston Astro Yordan Álvarez. Kirby takes the place of Tampa Bay pitcher Shane McClanahan, who was benched for some mid-back stiffness (me too, buddy). It’ll be Rodriguez’s second All-Star game in a row.

Evacuation order for Shelton: The Mason County Sheriff’s Office issued Level 2 (prepare to leave) and Level 3 (go now) evacuation orders last night for a Shelton neighborhood threatened by a raging brush fire. Authorities aren’t sure what caused it (it’s July 5th, so I’ve got a pretty decent guess). The fire burned about 250 acres by 6:45 pm last night.

Fourteen mass shootings already this month? Gunmen carried out 14 mass shootings in America during the first four days of July. On Monday night, a gunman in Philadelphia wearing a bulletproof vest killed five people and injured two children. The same night, a man in Fort Worth, Texas shot and killed three people and wounded eight. A shooter also killed two people and wounded 28 at a block party in Baltimore. I had to update NPR’s total this morning after the three July 4th shootings in Lansing, Michigan; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Akron, Ohio.

Judge blocks US officials from talking to social media companies: A Trump-appointed Judge says key Biden administrative officials can’t meet with social media companies to talk about “protected speech” anymore. The injunction came after Republican attorneys in Missouri and Louisiana alleged that the federal government overstepped its authority by encouraging social media companies to address posts spurring rumors about election fraud and COVID-19 vaccination.

Parents of four murdered University of Idaho students object to house demolition: The University of Idaho plans to demolish the house where Bryan Kohberger is accused of stabbing four students to death. But the victims’ attorneys say the university is disregarding their request to wait until after the murder trial because the home is one of the most important pieces of evidence in the case. The University essentially said “okay, whatever” and wants it gone before the start of the fall semester. Kind of callous after four of your students died horribly.

Hot dog eating champions defend their titles: Competitive eaters Joey Chestnut and Miki Sodo defended their hot-dog-guzzling titles in the men’s and women's divisions of the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest. It was Chestnut’s 16th win and Sodo’s 9th. Chestnut ate 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes, which is 60 more than I ate yesterday. After the competition, he told CNN he felt great and had room for beer.

White stuff in the White House 😎: On Sunday, Secret Service agents discovered cocaine in the West Wing, which would have been a great episode of The West Wing. Officials temporarily closed the White House so law enforcement could investigate. After an on-site test, the DC Fire Department determined it was indeed coke. Tourists aren’t allowed in that area of the White House, soooooooo… who brought it in? The Secret Service says it's still figuring that out.

Fatal stabbing on Capitol Hill: Someone stabbed a man to death with a kitchen knife near the 76 gas station on Broadway and Pike on Capitol Hill early yesterday morning. Seattle Police Department officers pronounced the man dead at the scene at about 3:30 am. A suspect is in custody, and the police say he’ll be booked on murder charges.

Mountlake Terrace fire kills 2 and displaces 6: About 50 firefighters from the South County and Shoreline Fire Departments responded to multiple 911 calls about a fire at the Lake Village Condominiums. The fire damaged three townhouses and one firefighter suffered minor heat exhaustion. Officials don’t know what started it.