In terms of historic, Earth-changing potential, there is only one thing arriving this summer that could one-up the Barbie movie: El Niño.

If you don’t remember everything from your eighth-grade environmental science class, El Niño is the climate pattern that warms up water in the Pacific Ocean every two to seven years.

• It can simultaneously lead to excessive rainfall and severe drought in different regions, particularly the tropics.
• Climate change exacerbates its effects, so experts warn that this year’s El Niño could cause extreme heat with “far-reaching repercussions for health, food security, water management, and the environment,” according to the World Meteorological Organization.

It could also lead to trillions in economic losses

New research published in Science estimates that the next El Niño, which has a 90% chance of beginning this year, will cost the global economy $3 trillion through 2029. That astounding economic damage can come from immediate losses and longer-term knock-on effects.

Consider some of the ways El Niño has wreaked havoc in the past:

• A Nature study demonstrated a link between El Niño years and civil war in 93 tropical countries. It also found that since 1950, one out of five civil conflicts has been influenced by El Niño. Why? One hypothesis relates violent conflict to declining crop yields. Another is that people are more likely to engage in conflict when they’re hot—a theory you can directly confirm by going to Carowinds in July.
• A NASA study found that the 2015–2016 El Niño triggered disease outbreaks worldwide. Cholera spread in Tanzania due to contaminated water due to flooding, while dengue fever rates spiked in Brazil and Southeast Asia as warm, wet conditions amplified the presence of mosquitoes.

Looking ahead…your summer tan might be more St. Tropez than Saint-Tropez. As El Niño comes on the scene, it “could push global temperatures into uncharted territory,” the World Meteorological Organization said.—CC

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The Pentagon is buying Starlink terminals to use in Ukraine. The Defense Department announced it will purchase Starlink satellite internet terminals from Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bolster Ukraine’s defenses in its fight against Russia. The agreement is the latest curveball in an often contentious relationship between Musk and the US military over Starlink—the terminals have been crucial for preserving Ukraine’s communications infrastructure during the war, but Musk tweeted several months ago that he doesn’t want them used to escalate a “conflict that may lead to WW3.”

Get ready for more discounts at Target. The retailer warned that its sales and profits would be lower than anticipated this year due to slowing consumer demand. As a result, it’s planning to ramp up promotions on spring merch to clear out its bloated inventory (floral printed throw pillows for everyone!). But shoppers aren’t just avoiding Target: Costco and Dollar General have also said Americans are pulling back on spending. These reports are not a great sign for the economy…

Billy Joel will end his historic run at MSG. The Piano Man said he’ll close out his marathon residency at Madison Square Garden in July 2024. But what a run it’s been: Joel has performed monthly at MSG since January 2014, and by the time he drops the mic next year, he’ll have logged 150 concerts at the famous venue. No wonder his name is up in the Garden’s rafters alongside Mark Messier and Patrick Ewing.

After getting absolutely yolked from a Memorial Day workout and medaling in his first jujitsu tournament, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg found time yesterday to announce the company’s new Quest 3 virtual reality (VR) headset.

The specs: Compared to its predecessor, the Quest 2, the Quest 3 is advertised as having better graphics performance, being 40% slimmer, and boasting more powerful mixed reality capabilities. It will be available this fall and retail for around $500.

As for the content you’ll experience while wearing the device, Meta also released a bunch of new games for the Quest 3, including our favorite: a power-washing simulator.

But Apple looms

Meta’s hardware drop came just days before Apple is set to reveal its first-ever VR headset on Monday. While we don’t know much about the iPhone manufacturer’s swan dive into headgear—besides its reported $3,000 price tag—we do know it’s going to be Apple’s most consequential product launch since the Apple Watch in 2014.

Bottom line: While the hype over the metaverse has cooled significantly since 2021, Meta’s and Apple’s headsets show that tech companies are still investing major resources into creating virtual worlds.—MM

There’s a fight brewing in the dairy aisle: The viral Aubrey Plaza “Wood Milk” ad stands accused of breaking federal law by unfairly going after plant-based beverages.

The April ad drew criticism for promoting cow’s milk by satirizing plant-based alternatives through a product named Wood Milk and calling the fictional, eau-de-wood beverage “a slime that’s legal to sell,” nutritionless, and not “real milk.” The campaign was created by MilkPEP, the same group behind the “Got Milk?” commercials of the ’90s and 2000s.

But now, it’s got legal trouble. A public health nonprofit, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, filed a complaint last week asking the USDA to stop the “Wood Milk” campaign for violating two rules meant to prevent agricultural advertising from playing hardball.

1. The ad breaks a federal statute prohibiting statements that “may be false or misleading or disparaging to another agricultural commodity,” according to the complaint.
2. MilkPEP’s CEO said the campaign was created in response to a current FDA proposal to allow plant-based beverages to label themselves as “milk.” But trouble is, it uses USDA funding, which is illegal when the goal is to influence legislation.

Battle of the milks: Dairy milk consumption has fallen by 42% over the past five decades, while sales of plant-based alternatives grew 6% last year, per Euromonitor. The plant camp notes that their drinks have nutritional value and a smaller carbon footprint than cow’s milk and do not, in fact, taste like wood.—ML

Stat: Artificial intelligence’s impact on the job market will be profound—and it will cut both ways, new Bloomberg reports suggest. The technology was responsible for 3,900 job losses last month, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, in what appears to be the first time the firm has cited AI as a cause of layoffs. But AI can generate jobs, too: JPMorgan advertised 3,651 AI-related roles globally between February and April.

Quote: “I had the privilege of coaching the best player in the history of soccer.”

Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier confirmed that soccer GOAT Lionel Messi will leave the club after this season, which ends tomorrow. So, where will the Argentine wizard take his talents next? It’s one of the greatest questions of our time. Maybe Saudi Arabia, where Messi already has a deal to promote tourism, or perhaps Miami to play in the MLS. Wouldn’t hate that.

Read: How summer camp became such a hot mess for parents. (Bloomberg)

The feeling of getting a 5/5 on the Brew’s Weekly News Quiz has been compared to snagging the last open table on the bar’s patio.

It’s that satisfying. Ace the quiz.

Summer travel ideas: Six national parks you don’t know about (but should).

Summer book ideas: The 25 nonfiction books you need to read.

Transit art: A curated collection of images and documents from planes, trains, automobiles, and more.

It’s beach-and-pool season: Here’s how to know someone is in trouble in the water.

You’re invited: Join this webinar to learn how you can use predictive analytics to boost your forecasting accuracy and business outcomes. Reduce complexity and turn your data-driven strategy into actionable intelligence. Register now.*

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Picdoku: Our Picdoku game is similar to sudoku, but the numbers 1–9 are subbed out for more gratifying images. In today’s Picdoku, those images are gaming icons. Check it out here.

Friday puzzle

In honor of the Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals last night, we’re going to hold a spelling bee of our own. Can you pick out which of the two options is spelled correctly?

1. Marshmellow / marshmallow
2. Tomorrow / tommorow
3. Fuchsia / fuschia
4. Mispell / misspell (so meta)
5. Mischievious / mischievous
6. Fluorescent / flourescent
7. Questionnaire / questionaire

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