Nancy Higginbotham wasn’t worried when her 20-year-old son got on a train by himself during their family vacation in Japan. James, who goes by “Weston,” is an experienced traveler and often goes exploring alone. But when his phone’s location turned off, she knew something was wrong. The Alabama family had been traveling in Japan for a week by then. But travel frictions arose: Weston, a passionate naturalist, argued with his mother over her use of ChatGPT for navigating. Needing some space, he decided to explore Kyoto on his own while the rest of the family visited a nearby temple, Higginbotham said. That was May 29. They haven’t seen Weston since, sparking a frantic search by authorities in a mountainous, forested part of Japan – during a typhoon.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/04/us/weston-missing-american-student-japan-hnk
At the top of the Obama Presidential Center, in its sunlit Sky Room is where you’re meant to take it all in. The panoramic views are impressive: Surrounding the campus is Chicago’s South and West Sides, as well as the ultramarine of Lake Michigan. But, more than that, it’s a moment to pause after scaling several floors of history and Barack Obama’s political legacy — not-too-distant memories for many. Overhead, a monumental artwork by the artist Idris Khan gives the illusion of continued ascent. Words from President Obama’s famed remarks in Selma, Alabama, are stamped and overlapping, sloping upwards as a swath of blue until they reach a rim of light. In Selma, and elsewhere, the former president often spoke about collectively shaping destiny. And that seems to be the final note as you climb up through the museum: the unwritten, wide-open future. On June 19, coinciding with Juneteenth, the highly anticipated center will finally open to the public. It’s been in the works for more than a decade, and cost $850 million to build — a number that kept growing, becoming by far the most expensive presidential library in history.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/04/style/obama-presidential-center-first-look-inside
A case of flesh-eating New World screwworm has been detected in South Texas, the US Department of Agriculture said Wednesday. It is the first time this parasitic fly – whose larvae feed exclusively on the tissue of warm-blooded animals – has been detected in US livestock in decades. Although it is not a food safety issue, an infestation can be a food production issue. It could cost the economy billions and raise the price of beef a time when Americans are already paying record high prices. The USDA says its National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, tested a sample from the case in a 3-week-old calf in La Pryor, Texas, and confirmed Wednesday that it was New World screwworm. The agency has activated personnel on the ground in Texas to contain and eradicate the parasite, including a 20-kilometer infested zone and implementation of quarantines, movement controls and surveillance in the area. It’s also expediting targeted release of sterile flies, which are used to overwhelm fertile flies in the area to limit spread.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/03/health/new-world-screwworm-case-texas
Russia’s air attacks have grown in sheer volume in recent months, hammering Ukraine with more drones and high-speed missiles than ever before, as Moscow’s forces struggle to make meaningful progress on the ground. The massive strikes are designed to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses, with huge waves of cheap drones, then fast-moving ballistic missiles, then cruise missiles, coming in carefully planned succession to inflict maximum damage. Experts say that “overwhelm” approach allows more missiles to make it through. The latest assault on Tuesday also included eight high-speed “Zircon” missiles – almost impossible to shoot down and powerful enough to take out aircraft carriers – the most ever used in a single attack, according to Ukrainian authorities. None of those eight hypersonic missiles were intercepted.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/04/europe/russia-air-attacks-ukraine-missile-defense-intl