El Nino arrives; scientists fear it

will be big, bad and very costly

WASHINGTON — U.S. meteorologists say an El Nino has formed. That’s the natural warming of parts of the Pacific that changes weather around the globe.

It is likely to a major factor in extreme and deadly weather across the planet for the next year or so. The one announced Thursday is expected to rival the record and costly 1997-1998 El Nino.

It is usually strongest in the wintertime, and it makes it incredibly likely that 2027 will set a record for the hottest year globally. The United Nations secretary-general says El Niño conditions will pour fuel on the fire of a warming world.

US puts up $750K to evacuate

American aboard hantavirus ship

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has put up $750,000 to charter a private yacht to evacuate a single American citizen from a remote South Pacific island after she had been aboard a cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak.

That’s according to two U.S. officials and an internal government document obtained by The Associated Press. The woman, who may have been exposed to the virus while aboard the cruise liner in April, had gotten off the ship and flown to San Francisco before traveling to isolated Pitcairn Island through Tahiti. The costly evacuation has added strain to the State Department budget for unforeseen emergencies.

Its balance is at the lowest level in seven years.

Man pleads guilty to killing

Minnesota official, her husband

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota man who assassinated the top Democrat in the Minnesota House and her husband has pleaded guilty so that federal prosecutors would not seek the death penalty. Vance Boelter fatally shot Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman. He is also charged in the nonfatal shootings of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman. He came to their doors in the early hours of June 14, 2025, disguised as a police officer and driving a police-style vehicle. The attacks reverberated far beyond Minnesota, as elected officials across the country feared that escalating threats and polarization could lead to more violence.

Ukraine creates fuel crisis in Russia

In a new blow to the Kremlin’s narrative that Moscow is winning the 4-year-old war in Ukraine, Kyiv’s forces have targeted fuel supplies to the Crimean Peninsula.

That has triggered the worst fuel crisis on the Black Sea peninsula since it was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

The persistent attacks reflect Ukraine’s growing ability to carry out drone strikes and have caught Russia off-guard and struggling for a response. The gas shortages are threatening to cause further disruptions to the tourism-dependent region with its beaches and resorts, just as the summer holiday season is getting under way.

Ukraine’s successes have highlighted its ability to inflict painful damage to Russia and change the course of the war.

Huge tax hikes set to offset oil prices

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — The Dominican government says it plans to increase or implement new taxes to generate some $800 million in additional revenue a year to offset a surge in oil prices blamed on the Iran war.

The proposals unveiled Thursday include a 30% income tax hike for three years on companies in the Caribbean country that earn more than $17 million a year. Other proposals include a $10 increase on airline tickets and additional taxes on casinos, gambling and electronic cigarettes. The Dominican Congress, which is dominated by the president’s party, is scheduled to debate the proposals but is expected to approve them.

Producer price index surges 6.5%

U.S. producer prices climbed last month at the fastest pace since November 2022, fueled by surging energy prices.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that its producer price index — which captures inflation before it reaches consumers — jumped 6.5% from May 2025. It also rose 1.1% from April, same as it did the previous month. Inflationary pressures, intensified by the energy shock caused by the Iran war, are frustrating Americans five months before midterm elections that will determine whether President Donald Trump’s Republicans keep full control of Congress.

Applications for jobless aid stay low

U.S. applications for jobless aid rose modestly last week, but remain at a historically low level despite economic headwinds brought on by the war in Iran. The number of Americans filing for unemployment aid for the week ending June 6 rose by 4,000 to 229,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the most since early February, before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran, but still considered a healthy level. It’s also more than the 216,000 new applications forecast by analysts. Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.

The Associated Press