The U.S. and Iran establish a road map for reaching a final deal during negotiations in Switzerland. Keir Starmer says he will quit as U.K. prime minister. And extreme sports accidents renew calls for stricter regulations.
Subscribe to read this story ad-free
Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.
Here’s what to know today.
First round of U.S.-Iran negotiations ends after Trump threats shake up summit
The U.S. and Iran established a road map for reaching a final deal within 60 days during yesterday’s talks in Switzerland, according to a joint statement from the mediating countries.
This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
Sunday’s high-level talks were the first discussions under the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, with officials from the U.S. — including Vice President JD Vance — present alongside Iran and mediating nations Qatar and Pakistan.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on X that the meeting delivered “major progress to end [the] Lebanon War,” and noted progress on oil exports, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, frozen Iranian assets and major reconstruction plans for Iran.
Talks are scheduled to continue for the rest of the week, and came as Tehran protested U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments potentially threatening the days-old peace.
Earlier Sunday, Trump posted on Truth Social that “we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” unless it stops “their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon,” referring to Hezbollah.
And in a phone interview Sunday morning with Fox News, Trump said he spoke with the Iranians overnight, delivering a stark warning that if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. will “blow the s— out of them.”
Read more about negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.
Trump keeps bringing up the number 22
Donald Trump may be the 80-year-old who is both the 45th and 47th president of the United States, but lately, his favorite number seems to be 22.
The president’s penchant for the palindromic number stretches back months. Complaining about a theoretical trip to Asia, he’s bemoaned that the flight alone would take 22 hours. A story on prescription drug costs that he thought deserved more attention appeared, in his telling, on Page 22 of The New York Times. He met with 22 medical specialists during a recent checkup at Walter Reed Medical Center. And “22 Nobel Prize winners in economics said we would, right now, be in a recession,” he said in February. “All 22 were wrong.”
A senior White House official couldn’t explain why Trump has seized on the number.
Keir Starmer says he will quit as U.K. prime minister
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced today that he will resign, paving the way for the country’s seventh leader in a decade after facing an uprising within his center-left Labour Party.
The announcement clears the path to power for Starmer’s likely successor, Andy Burnham, the popular ex-mayor of Greater Manchester who secured a return to Parliament last week. Burnham confirmed shortly after Starmer’s announcement that he would seek to replace the departing leader. He is now the runaway favorite.
Starmer said he had spoken to King Charles III to inform him of the decision, but that he would remain in the job as caretaker until a new leader is chosen.
Starmer’s voice choked as he talked about the support of his wife, Victoria, and his two children — a rare public display of emotion for the prime minister.
“Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first,” Starmer said. “That is why I will resign.”
Starmer said that nominations to replace him as leader of the Labour Party, and thus prime minister, will open July 9 and close when Parliament breaks up for its summer recess July 16.
If no challenger emerges to Burnham he could be in office shortly after that. If there is a contest, Starmer said a new leader will be chosen by Sept. 1.
Read more about Starmer’s announcement here.
Extreme sport deaths expose a patchwork of safety regulations
The world of extreme sports and adventure travel has long courted thrill-seeking people looking for experiences that range from the hair-raising to the awe-inspiring. For some, a weekend camping trip doesn’t offer the same rush as whitewater rafting or zip-lining through a jungle.
But with a few exceptions, there are no universal regulations governing adventure tourism or extreme sports. Some established activities, like skydiving, mountain climbing, diving and rafting, have developed internal best practices over the years and formed trade associations after generations of trial and error.
Three fatal accidents within 24 hours last weekend have renewed calls for stricter regulations in an industry that is largely responsible for regulating itself.
Read more about adventure tourism here.
‘Part of our culture’: Iran defying obstacles at the World Cup
Among the many elements of Iranian society thrown into disarray in late February by joint strikes by the U.S. and Israel was the country’s soccer infrastructure.
Despite that lead-up to the tournament, visa issues and travel restrictions, Iran will enter its third and final game of group play this week with a chance to move into the knockout round — something it has never done in six previous World Cup appearances, dating to 1978.
“We’ve had two games without losing in the World Cup with the conditions that we’ve had,” coach Amir Ghalenoei said through an interpreter. “We had less than 16 hours to get to do training before the game. This is a great achievement, and it will be written about in the history of our football, and the future generations will talk about this and what we achieved.”
Read more about Iran defying obstacles in the tournament.
What you missed over the weekend
🇩🇪 vs. 🇨🇮 Germany defeated Ivory Coast 2-1 and clinched a spot in the knockout phase.
🇯🇵 vs. 🇹🇳 Japan moved one step closer to reaching the knockout stages of the World Cup for the fourth consecutive time after pummeling Tunisia 4-0, eliminating the North African country.
🇪🇬 vs. 🇳🇿 Egypt secured its first-ever World Cup win, defeating New Zealand 3-1.
🇨🇻 vs. 🇺🇾 Cape Verde notched its first-ever World Cup goals in 2-2 draw with Uruguay.
🗓 What to watch today: Argentina and Austria kick off the day’s action at 1 p.m. ET. France and Iraq face off at 5 p.m., followed by Norway vs. Senegal at 8 p.m. and Jordan vs. Algeria at 11 p.m. See the full schedule.
📩 Join the excitement: Sign up for The Sports Desk newsletter for more in-depth World Cup coverage.
Read All About It
- Meet the people who surprised their dad with the ultimate Father’s Day gift: tickets to the World Cup.
- Brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk are about to team up in Florida, after the Panthers pulled off another summertime blockbuster trade.
- The body of singer Oliver Tree was back in California after he was listed as a passenger on a helicopter that crashed above Rio de Janeiro one week ago.
- “Toy Story 5” debuted with $160 million in domestic ticket sales, according to studio estimates.
- Political outsider Abelardo de la Espriella held a razor-thin lead in Colombia’s presidential election with nearly all the votes counted Sunday.
Staff Pick: The cost of the war… to your pocketbook
As the war in Iran grinds down, gas prices are also down from their May peak. But what about the last 100-plus days of unusually high prices that are still 34% higher than those in February? The Data/Graphics team has been on top of the gas price story with this set of articles we update daily, but we wanted something fresh and personal.
Using our existing data (and some high-tech coding tools), we built a simple calculator that estimates what you’ve spent and how much of that can be chalked up to price increases after the war in Iran began. The topline finding: You’ve probably paid hundreds of dollars in added costs.
For many Americans, high gas prices are unavoidable. So while you may have noticed the higher prices adding up, this tool gives you the ability to see just how significantly gas has been biting into your budget.
See how your gas costs stack up with the NBC News gas price calculator.
— Ashley Mowreader, Data/Graphics intern
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Here’s everything new and notable that’s dropped in June so far. Plus, Amazon Prime Day starts tomorrow, but tons of brands are already offering steep discounts. Here’s what to shop right now, including big savings on products from Sony, Casper, Shark and more.
Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.
Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Amina Kilpatrick. If you’re a fan, please forward it to your family and friends. They can sign up here.
