Screwworms Invade the U.S. & Good News For The Job Market

Hi readers, happy Tuesday! Today we’re covering the growing New World screwworm problem, the Middle East conflict, Xi Jinping’s visit to Pyongyang, a deadly earthquake in the Philippines, roadblocks for “UFC Freedom 250,” job data for May, and Apple’s AI announcements.

“What is behind me still remains ahead of me.” ― László Krasznahorkai, Satantango

The Screwworms Dig Deeper

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it had confirmed two more cases of the New World screwworm infecting animals in Texas. Those confirmations bring the total number of screwworm cases in the U.S. up to four, after the worm was found in two calves living miles apart late last week.

The New World screwworm is a type of fly larva that eats the flesh of living animals, causing life-threatening wounds in some cases. They’ve been found in cattle, wildlife, pets, and even (rarely) humans, though experts are mainly worried about their effects on U.S. cattle herds. A USDA report states that a screwworm infestation could cost the Texas economy a whopping $1.8 billion.

According to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, though, the U.S. cattle industry is “not at risk” from the larva. “This is not a virus, it’s not a disease, it’s just a little pest, a larva that lands in a calf’s wound, for example, and it can be treated,” she said. Meanwhile, the USDA is racing to set up a new facility for breeding and releasing sterile flies into the wild, which will curb the pest’s population in the U.S. by preventing future generations from being born – unfortunately, that operation will only reach full capacity in November 2027.The fly was originally eradicated from the U.S. in 1960s and was kept at bay thanks to eradication efforts across Central and South America, but Elon Musk’s DOGE cut U.S. funding for a screwworm monitoring and containment program last year, even as the parasite’s population was inching closer to the U.S.-Mexico border.

A Hot Summer Weekend

Tensions in the Middle East rose yet again as Israel and Iran traded tit-for-tat airstrikes over the weekend, marking the first direct clash between the two countries since April. Things kicked off when Israel launched strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday, prompting Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah to respond with attacks of its own the next day. Iran also joined in on those retaliatory strikes, launching missiles on targets in Israel, including Tel Aviv. 

After that attack, Trump told reporters that he was “going to call [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] right now and tell him not to retaliate.” Despite that, Israel got in the last word with strikes on central and western Iran early on Monday morning, after which Trump called on both sides to “immediately stop ‘shooting’” at each other. Later, he went on to claim that both sides were “looking to do an immediate ceasefire” as the dust settled.

At a political tele-rally in support of two candidates in South Carolina on Monday, Trump promised voters a quick victory over Iran. “You’re really gonna win this over the next two weeks when we declare total victory. It’ll be a total victory, it will happen very soon, and oil prices will come tumbling down,” he said, adding that Iran is supposedly “willing to give us everything.” We’ll have to see if his predictions about the war finally turn out to be right this time.

A Neighborly Visit To North Korea

• Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a rare visit to North Korea on Monday, meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the first time in over 7 years. The trip is expected to improve the neighboring countries’ bilateral ties, and is also meant to demonstrate their close relationship at a time when North Korea seems to be aligning itself closer to Russia. 

• Earlier this year, China-North Korea trade finally reached pre-pandemic levels, and the two countries also resumed direct flights and passenger train services. According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, the two leaders will work out a variety of cooperation agreements on issues including trade, agriculture, construction, and technology. China is also expected to commit to sending Pyongyang a variety of economic aid packages, including rice and fertilizer. 

• Last month, the White House claimed that President Xi had agreed with Trump that the denuclearization of North Korea was a shared U.S.-China goal. However, China’s government never issued a statement backing up that claim, instead saying that the two leaders had simply discussed the issue of nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula. According to pundits, Kim will likely push for Xi to remain silent on North Korea’s nuclear issue, which would essentially signal that China is fine with its neighbor expanding its nuclear arsenal.

A Shakeup In The South China Sea

• At least 35 people have died in the Philippines in the wake of a magnitude 7.8 earthquake. The quake struck at 7:37 a.m. local time just off the coast of Mindanao, the second-largest and second most-populous island in the country. At least 134 people were injured in the quake, which left over 10,000 families displaced and dozens of buildings collapsed.

• The massive earthquake led government officials in the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and Australia to issue tsunami warnings, but luckily no meaningfully large tsunamis actually occurred. What the quake did produce, though, were aftershocks – monitoring systems detected more than 130 aftershocks ranging from 1.3 to 6.7 in magnitude. “The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind,” said Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Additional World News

• US adds BYD to list of firms with alleged Chinese military ties (BBC)

• Congo says number of confirmed Ebola cases rises to 515 (Reuters)

• Ukraine targets St. Petersburg again after Putin rejects Zelenskyy's offer for direct talks (AP) 

• Strongest earthquake in nearly 150 years hits off Cuba, shakes Mexico, Florida (Reuters)

• Japanese city shuts down nearly 100 schools after unprecedented bear sighting (Guardian)

• Prosecute Orbán’s inner circle over ‘stolen’ billions, Hungary’s anti-corruption watchdog says (Politico)

A Stop Sign For Trump’s Octagon

• On Saturday, the Public Integrity Project (“a law firm suing to stop corruption in America”) filed a lawsuit aimed at blocking the UFC from hosting its upcoming “UFC Freedom 250” on the White House’s South Lawn. The MMA event is part of the U.S.’s 250th anniversary celebrations, and also happens to fall on Trump’s birthday, June 14.

• The lawsuit, filed by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents, alleges that the event violates National Park Service regulations which block sporting events from being hosted on federal parklands. “This is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain,” said one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers. “And that is what is motivating this lawsuit.”

• It’s not clear that the lawsuit is even necessary to stop UFC 250, though. Weather forecasts for this upcoming weekend show that sporadic thunderstorms are expected to take place up and down the East Coast on Sunday, meaning a random storm could ruin Trump’s big fight. “It’s like a flip of a coin at this point. Or maybe 40 (percent),” said one weather writer. “Hopefully they'll have a plan to get them to shelter if need be, because we do know that these thunderstorms can turn dangerous very quickly,” she added.

The Job Market Heats Up

• Last Friday, the federal government delivered some rare good news for American workers – according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the U.S. economy added 172,000 jobs in May. Over the past three months, unemployment has remained even at 4.3%, while job growth topped 100,000 each month – that’s the first time that the U.S. economy has seen such stable unemployment alongside job gains of 100,000+ over a three-month period since early 2024.

• “I think the job market, for the first time in a while, is moving in the right direction,” said one economist. “I wouldn’t call this a job market that’s quite ‘booming’ – it’s certainly not as hot as the job market in ’21 and ‘22 – but it’s warming.” Analysts had expected employers to add just 105,000 jobs last month, meaning actual job growth was 63% higher than projections. 

• Meanwhile, though, wages are still losing their value. Compared to last May, wages are up just 3.4%, and projections for May’s Consumer Price Index indicate that workers’ pay could be almost a full percentage point behind inflation. “It’s difficult to celebrate an acceleration (of job growth) when one knows that real wages are falling, and that the median worker is likely having a very difficult time keeping up with their own obligations,” said another economist.

Additional USA News

• How the Pentagon picked a fight with Mormons (Vox)

• Six people stabbed in attack at Penn Station in New York (Guardian)

• Republicans hope Trump retreats on Pulte to save spy law (Politico)

• Trump abruptly ends NBC interview after clash over 'rigged election' claim (BBC) 

• Trump Previews Fall Strategy With Baseless Claims of California Vote Fraud (NYT, $)

• Trump booed at Knicks-Spurs game as he became first US president at NBA Finals (BBC)

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Apple Bites On AI

• Apple held its annual software-focused Worldwide Developers Conference in Cupertino yesterday, marking the company’s last WWDC under the leadership of CEO Tim Cook, as senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus is set to succeed Cook in September.

• While Apple has been relatively slow to adopt AI features across its devices until now, it seems like the company is finally ready to invest more in the technology. In his final WWDC keynote as CEO, Cook announced “the next generation of Apple Intelligence” as well as Siri AI, an upgraded version of the Siri virtual assistant that’s been around for years. 

• The new and improved Siri was apparently developed in partnership with Google’s Gemini AI team, and will be able to respond to users “with detailed and engaging answers.” Besides being a better conversation partner, the new Siri will also be able to help with image editing and writing, can use your screen and camera to quickly gather context for questions, and can also pull information from your messages, calendars, and photos.

Additional Reads

• OpenAI files paperwork for an IPO (Axios) 

• Postpartum Depression Is Coming for Fathers (Cut) 

• Best and Worst Moments From the 2026 Tony Awards (NYT, $)

• With just days left, the U.S. opening match at the World Cup is still not sold out (NPR) 

• Meta Deletes Face-Recognition System From Its Smart Glasses App After WIRED Report (Wired, $)

• Get-a-Waymo: How a burglar used a robotaxi to flee the scene in a first-of-its kind S.F. case (SF Chronicle)

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