First Thing: Surprise win for French leftwing alliance keeps far right from power

Crowds rejoice in Paris as New Popular Front pushes Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, who led the first round of voting, into third place. Plus, is rising at 5am really the secret to happiness?

Good morning,

The New Popular Front (NFP), a left-green alliance dominated by Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s radical left France Unbowed (LFI), has emerged as the shock winner of France’s snap election, with 182 MPs in the 577-seat assembly.

President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Together coalition will have 163 deputies, while Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) and its allies, who last week were eyeing a majority, have 143.

The Place de la République in central Paris was filled with crowds and a party atmosphere, with leftwing supporters playing drums, lighting flares, and chanting “We’ve won!” after beating back the far right.

How did people react internationally? Senator Bernie Sanders congratulated the French left for “taking on rightwing extremism and winning.” The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, hailed France’s “rejection of the far right” and welcomed the result alongside this week’s UK general election, where the centre-left Labour party achieved a landslide.

What does France’s hung parliament mean for governance? Due to no outright majority, France is probably heading for a lengthy spell of political uncertainty and instability, potentially characterised by at best a minimum of legislative progress, and at worst by parliamentary deadlock.

High-profile Democrats reportedly want Biden to quit race but president insists he can reunite the country

Joe Biden insisted he was the person to reunite America in a second term in the White House and was “up for the job” as he hit the trail in Pennsylvania on Sunday, even as the number of high-profile Democrats doubting his nominee position grew.

Pressure on the president has increased after his poor debate performance against Donald Trump last month. A group of Democratic representatives met online with the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, on Sunday, with congressmen Jerry Nadler of New York and Jamie Raskin of Maryland reportedly among a clutch of lawmakers who told Jeffries that Biden should leave the race.

Which Democrats are concerned about Biden’s candidacy? Reports began emerging after the virtual meeting with Jeffries on Sunday, via CBS and CNN, that as well as Nadler and Raskin, representatives Mark Takano of California, Adam Smith of Washington state, Jim Himes of Connecticut, Joe Morelle of New York and Susan Wild of Pennsylvania said they wanted Biden to quit the race. Many want Kamala Harris to take over as the nominee.

Israeli government accused of trying to sabotage Gaza ceasefire proposal

The Israeli government has been accused of attempting to sabotage a US-backed ceasefire proposal, according to Israeli media, by introducing new demands despite previously accepting the plan.

Hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza had risen in recent days following reports that Hamas had given initial approval for a new proposal for a phased deal. “Hamas has already agreed to the latest position presented by Israel,” a source close to negotiations told Haaretz. “But in Friday’s meeting, Israel presented some new points it demands that Hamas accept.”

Meanwhile, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, said on Friday that “famine in Gaza has spread from the north to the entire strip.” He added: “Every Palestinian in Gaza is now facing famine because of Israel’s intentional and targeted starvation campaign.”

What is the humanitarian impact of Israel’s assault on Gaza? After the invasion was sparked when Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took 250 hostage on 7 October, Israel has killed more than 38,500 people, decimated infrastructure and housing, displaced 90% of the population, and brought widespread malnutrition and famine to the coastal strip.

In other news …

At least five people were killed by Russian missile attacks in Kyiv, as the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said Russia fired more than 40 missiles at cities on Monday.

Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two deadly crashes of 737 Max jetliners, after the government determined the company violated an agreement that had protected it from prosecution for more than three years.

Hurricane Beryl came ashore early on Monday in the middle of the Texas coast around Matagorda Bay, south of Houston.

The daughter of the Nobel prize-winning writer Alice Munro, Andrea Robin Skinner, has alleged that her stepfather sexually abused her as a child, and that her mother stayed with him even after he admitted to the abuse.

Stat of the day: air pollution can decrease odds of live birth after IVF by 38%, study finds

Air pollution exposure can significantly decrease the chance of a live birth after IVF treatment, according to research from Dr Sebastian Leathersich, who is due to present the findings on Monday at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.

Don’t miss this: the cult of 5am – is rising at dawn the secret of health and happiness?

It has been called the morning miracle – getting up before everyone else and winning the day. But does it actually make you more productive and focused? Anita Chaudhuri sets her alarm to investigate.

Climate check: temperatures 1.5C above preindustrial era average for 12 months, data shows

Temperatures between July 2023 and June 2024 were the highest on record, scientists found, creating a year-long stretch in which the Earth was 1.64C hotter than in preindustrial times. Carlo Buontempo, the director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, which analysed the data, said the results were part of a “large and continuing shift”.

Last Thing: the Chicana butch lesbian who defied the LAPD and won – ‘I couldn’t be someone else’

Nancy Valverde, a proud Chicana butch lesbian, refused to conform to social norms, even in the 1940s and 50s, when Los Angeles’ racist and homophobic police force frequently arrested people under anti-“masquerading” laws that criminalized them for wearing clothes officers judged to be unsuited to their gender. “They wanted me to be someone else. I could not be someone else. This is me,” Valverde said. Now, LA is finally honoring her – with its first public monument to a lesbian.

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