UK Shakeup, Iran Talks, and the World Cup Circus Comes to LA

Maya: Good morning, good morning, grab your coffee. We have got a packed show. David: Seriously packed. Like, where do we even start? Maya: Okay, so UK politics first. Keir Starmer is out. Two years in and Reuters is reporting he quit as Prime Minister. The guy who was supposed to bring stability, gone. David: The right, the no ideology thing that got him elected, turns out that's also what finished him. Maya: Right. And then we've got J.D. Vance in Switzerland doing peace talks with Iran. Ron, while Trump is simultaneously threatening military strikes. David: Yeah, that's a mixed message. Maya: That's wild, right? The Strait of Hormuz is literally on the table. David: And then domestically, LA is dealing with a warehouse fire in Boyle's Heights that's been burning for five days. Air quality is just wrecked. Maya: It's a lot. It's a lot. David: Oh, and the World Cup. Cape Verde pulled off a 2-2 draw against Uruguay. Maya: Cape Verde! I mean, come on! And Iran's players left a handwritten thank-you note in their LA dressing room, which is just kind of sweet, honestly. David: That's unexpected. All right, let's start with what's happening across the Atlantic. Maya: So, Keir Starmer is out. Two years as UK Prime Minister and he's done. David: Two years, that's it. Maya: Reuters is calling it this morning and the framing is pretty striking. The very thing that got him elected is what did him in. David: Which was what exactly? The not having a personality thing? Maya: Basically, he ran on pragmatism. After all the Boris Johnson chaos, the Liz Truss disaster, voters wanted someone... and boring and stable. David: And boring and stable turned out to be also just boring and directionless. Maya: Exactly. Reuters described him as unloved, and I think that's the right word. He never built a coalition that actually believed in him. He was the not-the-other-guy candidate. David: The problem with running on vibes instead of policies is that when things get hard, you've got nothing to hold on to. Maya: Right. Two years in, and the Labour Party essentially pushed him out the door. Or. David: Hmm. You know what that reminds me of? When a team fires the coach mid-season. The players stopped running his plays long before anyone made it official. Maya: That's a good way to put it. So now Britain's looking at yet another leadership transition, which, I mean, come on, that's a lot of instability for a country that was supposed to be getting back on track. David: Right. And this matters beyond UK politics. Britain's a key NATO voice, a key trading partner post-Brexit. Who steps in next matters. Maya: We don't have that answer yet. But OK, speaking of situations where the stakes are almost uncomfortably high, Iran. David: Iran. Maya: So J.D. Vance is in Switzerland doing peace talks with Iranian officials. The Washington Post had the story. Vance said he hoped the two sides would turn over a new leaf. David: Which is a very optimistic phrase for a negotiation that's simultaneously on fire. Maya: Yeah, because while Vance is doing the diplomatic. dramatic handshake thing, Trump is out there threatening military strikes over the Strait of Hormuz. David: And Iran's delegation, NBC News reported this, they formally Maya: Wow. David: protested Trump's comments through Iran's Tasnim news agency, called any threat a serious violation. Maya: So you've got Vance saying let's make peace and Trump saying essentially we might blow something up. Is that a strategy? David: I mean, it could be. Look, if you're trying to get a deal done, having a credible threat in the background isn't necessarily a bad thing. really a bad thing. The Iranians know Trump isn't bluffing the way some previous administrations might be. Maya: So the leverage is real. David: The leverage is real. That's what makes this different from a lot of past negotiations. Whether it produces a deal is another question entirely. But the pressure is genuine. Maya: NBC's reporting also says the Iranian side is now reviewing appropriate responses, which, depending on how you read that, is either diplomatic posturing or them... For them actually considering walking. David: Probably both. That's usually how these things work. You protest loudly so your domestic audience sees it, and then you stay at the table anyway. Maya: Right. And then, real quick, Colombia. Reuters is reporting that Trump-backed candidate De La Espriella is leading in the vote count over the leftist candidate Cepeda. David: Which is part of a wider rightward shift across Latin America. Reuters framed it exactly that way. Will Colombia stay on its leftist path or join that trend? Maya: We'll be watching those results. David: Yeah, file that one away. Maya: Okay, so we've got a government collapsing in London, a peace negotiation happening under a cloud of threats, political tides turning in Bogotá, and then there's this other category of story, the kind where the crisis isn't in a capital building, it's outside your window. David: Or in the air you're breathing. Maya: Exactly. Shifting gears from political fires to actual ones, the LA Times is reporting a warehouse fire in Boyle Heights that's now burning into its fifth day. David: Five days, a cold storage facility still going. Maya: Yeah, and the smoke is just blanketing huge parts of the city. Air quality hit very unhealthy levels, according to the LA Fire Department updates. Like if you're in LA right now, you're feeling this. David: And it's not a quick fix. Cold storage fires are notoriously hard to knock down because of the insulation and the refrigerants involved. You can't just douse it and walk away. Maya: The New York Times reported firefighters are saying they're making progress. But I mean, five days in, progress is doing a lot of work in that sentence. David: Really assuring. Yeah. Maya: Right. So if you're in the LA area, windows closed, limit outdoor time. That's just the reality right now. David: And LA is having quite a week, honestly. This fire, smoke over the city, and simultaneously hosting the World Cup. Maya: Yeah, soccer fans flying in from around the world breathing that air. Quite the welcome. David: Okay, and then across the Atlantic, Maya: What? David: Europe is baking. Reuters and DW are both reporting a heat dome settling in across the continent, with temperatures pushing toward 40 degrees Celsius in multiple countries. Maya: 40 degrees Celsius? That's over 100 Fahrenheit for us. Authorities have issued alerts across Spain, France, Germany. David: Germany is also dealing with the threat of extreme thunderstorms on top of the heat, which, that combination is rough. Heat stress, then sudden violent weather. Maya: DW reported temperatures exceeding 39 to 40 Celsius across multiple countries, with the heat dome just sitting there, not moving. David: And these events are getting less surprising, which is almost the more unsettling part. Maya: Right? Like the shock is wearing off, and that's not great. David: What's the practical side? People are being told to stay inside, check on elderly neighbors, that kind of thing. Maya: Yeah, the standard guidance. Hydrate, avoid peak afternoon heat, look out for vulnerable people in your area. Europe's infrastructure, older buildings especially, not built for sustained heat like this. David: No air conditioning at all. Maya: And a lot of those places either. It's a real public health problem when it gets to these levels. David: Two stories, same basic message. The physical environment is demanding attention right now, whether it's smoke over LA or a heat dome over Europe. Maya: And speaking of LA demanding attention, the city's been dealing with smoke and chaos, but it's also got the World Cup going on. And honestly, some of those games are worth talking about. David: Oh, the World Cup has been delivering. Cape Verde? I mean, Have you been watching? Maya: I have. And there's also a story about Iran's team that honestly kind of got me. David: Yeah, let's get into that. Okay, shifting gears entirely, because L.A. is having a week, right? Smoke in the air, diplomacy in Switzerland, and also the World Cup is happening. Speaker 3: Yeah, the city's doing a lot right now. David: So, Cape Verde, talk to me. Speaker 3: Okay, so Yahoo Sports reported this. Cape Verde holds Uruguay to a 2-2 draw in Miami. Uruguay. Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay. David: Wait, really? That's a massive result. Speaker 3: Huge. Cape Verde has been one of the best stories of the tournament. To the tournament, they came in as underdogs, and they keep refusing David: Yeah. Speaker 3: to lose. A late equalizer off a defensive mistake, and then their goalkeeper just shut the door after that. David: I mean, come on. That's the kind of result that makes you actually watch a group stage game at like 9 a.m. Speaker 3: Right, Exactly. And Egypt had a big day too. Yahoo Sports covered this, they stormed past New Zealand and basically took control of Group G, which matters because the winner of that group could face the U.S. in the Round of 16. David: Oh, so there's stakes for American viewers beyond just the vibes. Speaker 3: Both teams have to get there first, but yeah, file that away. David: Okay, but I have to get to this Iran story. And I don't mean the Vance and Switzerland one. Speaker 3: No? David: So Iran played Belgium at LA Stadium, drew 0-0, and when they left the dressing room, according to ESPN, they left a handwritten note thanking the people of Los Angeles for their hospitality. Speaker 3: A handwritten note. David: A handwritten note Speaker 3: Wow. David: in the dressing room from the Iranian national soccer team. Speaker 3: I mean, given everything going on diplomatically this week, that's kind of a remarkable image. David: Right? Like, the governments are negotiating in Switzerland, and over in L.A. the players are leaving thank-you notes. There's something human about that. Speaker 3: Athletes moving faster than diplomats. Wouldn't be the first time. David: Not even close. Alright, last one, and this is the one I needed today. Speaker 3: Please tell me it's good news. David: Two baby giraffes missing for a year just found safe. Speaker 3: Wait, missing giraffes? David: So Yahoo News reported this. These two giraffe calves disappeared from a Virginia zoo about a year ago after state officials seized roughly a hundred animals during an animal abuse investigation. Nobody knew where they ended up. Speaker 3: For a year? David: For a year. And now they're safe, both of them. Speaker 3: Okay, I don't know why, but that really does make me feel better. David: I know, like amid everything, the fires, the diplomacy, the heat in Europe, two little giraffes just wandered back into the good news column. Speaker 3: That tracks. Sometimes the news just gives you something small and good. David: And we will absolutely take it. World Cup upsets, a handwritten thank you from Iran, and two mystery giraffes accounted for. LA is having a week, but so is the rest of the world. All right, that's the rundown for today. Starmer out after two years, Vance in Switzerland, Switzerland, while Trump turns up the heat on Iran. Diplomacy with a side of pressure, which is apparently the strategy now. Speaker 3: Meanwhile, L.A. is literally under a smoke cloud while hosting the World Cup. Cape Verde drawing Uruguay? Still can't get over that one. David: Right? The giraffes being found safe was honestly the feel-good story we all needed. Speaker 3: Big thanks for spending your morning with us. David: If you're getting value out of this, subscribe and leave us a review. It actually helps more people find the show. Speaker 3: We'll see you tomorrow. David: And that's the rundown.