Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Friday.
Labor market shifts into reverseAmerican employers cut 23,000 jobs last month, according to a report from the Labor Department this morning. Job gains for previous months were also revised down by 103,000, indicating that the labor market is less robust than previously believed. The weaker-than-expected results came after what had appeared to be a surge in job creation this spring. Costs have since ticked up as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has remained stalled, and the Trump administration’s tariff threats have renewed global trade uncertainty. But our economics reporter Talmon Joseph Smith said the labor market could be fairly described either as impressively steady or as steadily unimpressive. On the plus side, the unemployment rate has been at 4.5 percent or below for 58 consecutive months. That’s the longest streak on record. Related: We went shopping with five Americans to see how they were adjusting to higher grocery prices.
U.S. spy agencies are searching for Cuba’s next leaderAs the Trump administration pressures Cuba to make political and economic changes, it is searching for a current or former Cuban official to take over the government. The goal is to find someone in the mold of Delcy Rodriguez, who took over Venezuela after U.S. forces seized its president, Nicolás Maduro, to face narco-trafficking charges in New York. As they see it: a pragmatist willing to work hand in hand with U.S. officials. But American spy agencies have warned that Cuba may be more like Iran than Venezuela. If the U.S. moves to overthrow Cuba’s current leadership, a more hard-line leader could emerge. In other Trump administration news:
Painful lessons helped Japan reduce earthquake deathsA powerful earthquake that jolted southwestern Japan last week had many similarities to the twin tremors that hit Venezuela the month before. But Venezuela’s killed more than 6,000 people; in Japan, the death toll is 38. Seismologists and Japanese officials say that is because of changes made in the decade since a devastating quake hit the same region. Local officials spent tens of billions of dollars on earthquake proofing, including underground rubber and steel shock absorbers that kept Uto’s City Hall standing. Watch: A team of doctors in Japan were performing a surgery when the quake hit. See the chaotic footage from inside the operating room. More top news
Some Fringe shows are already making wavesThousands of performers travel to Scotland every summer for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the eclectic, open-to-all event that has been a launchpad for hits like “Baby Reindeer” and “Fleabag.” The producer behind both of those shows is back this year with “Roleplay,” a one-woman show about a fame-seeking podcaster who reinvents herself as a sex influencer. Another of the buzziest shows comes from Amanda Knox, who was convicted and later acquitted of the 2007 murder of her housemate. Here’s what else our reporters recommend watching out for.
What happened to Talenti?Annemarie Conte, who writes the Ask Wirecutter advice column, used to consider herself a Talenti evangelist. She collected the company’s empty plastic pint containers and told all of her friends about the creamy gelato inside. But during a recent tasting, she was shocked to discover she couldn’t finish a single bite of Talenti’s vanilla. The flavor seemed to have changed — for the worse. Annemarie doesn’t just ponder such things. She investigates them (remember her dumpster-diving adventure?). She talked to Talenti’s founder, looked into the updated ingredients and tasted loads of gelato. Here’s what she found.
Dinner table topics
Cook these grilled za’atar shrimp for a quick and easy summer dinner. Listen to a podcast about the psychology of romance films. Our wellness reporter recommends it. Plan an African safari. Here’s where to start. Take design inspiration from this vibrant playroom. Get the stains out of your rug. Take this week’s news quiz. Play today’s Connections, Spelling Bee and Mini Crossword. For more, find all our games here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
