Birth Rate Crisis, Press Secretary Flips, and a Dog Bus

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Adam Rogers
June 05, 2025

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Vietnam has scrapped its two-child policy as the country faces a demographic crisis that will end its "golden population" period within 15 years.

The fertility rate dropped to 1.91 per woman in 2024, below the 2.1 needed to maintain population levels, prompting lawmakers to abandon the birth limits imposed in 2009 to prevent overpopulation. Vietnam's "golden population" period, when working-age people significantly outnumber dependents, will end in less than 15 years without demographic recovery.
Vietnam is already offering incentives, including tax rebates, social housing allowances, and priority school enrollment for families with two children. Lawmakers also tripled fines for prenatal sex selection to $3,800 to address a gender imbalance of 112 boys per 100 girls.
Despite incentives, families remain reluctant due to child-rearing costs of $380-760 per month, which exceeds the average monthly income of $339. The policy follows regional trends, with China abandoning its one-child policy in 2016, though economic barriers continue limiting birth rates across East Asia.

President Trump's tax bill would increase deficits by $2.4 trillion over the next decade, according to congressional budget analysts.

The Congressional Budget Office found that while Trump's legislation would cut taxes by $3.75 trillion and reduce spending by $1.3 trillion, it would still add $2.4 trillion to deficits through 2034. An estimated 10.9 million more people would also lose health insurance, largely due to new work requirements for Medicaid.
The package extends Trump's expiring 2017 tax cuts, eliminates taxes on tips, and allocates $350 billion for border security while ending Biden-era green energy tax breaks. Republicans control both chambers of Congress and are making this their top priority, with Trump demanding passage by July 4th.
Republican leaders preemptively attacked the CBO's credibility, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise calling the analysis "flat wrong" and suggesting the budget office should be eliminated. However, Elon Musk tore into the bill, calling it a “disgusting abomination that will increase the budget deficit and burden Americans with crushing debt.”

The NBA Finals tip off tonight from Oklahoma City at 8:30 pm ET.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the heavy favorites against the Indiana Pacers. OKC dominated the NBA regular season with a league-best record at 68-14, while Indiana is playing into the underdog role, beating the No. 1 Cavaliers on their way to the finals.
The series features elite defense against explosive offense, with the Thunder's All-Defensive players Lu Dort and Jalen Williams anchoring a unit that neutralized All-NBA players Nikola Jokić and Anthony Edwards. The Pacers counter with the league's best transition offense, led by pass-first point guard Tyrese Haliburton and Eastern Conference Finals MVP Pascal Siakam
Both teams are seeking their first championship in their current cities. Oklahoma City lost in the 2012 Finals, but the franchise won its only title in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics, while Indiana lost in its only Finals appearance in 2000.

Biden's former press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, became an independent after leaving the Democratic Party, citing 'betrayal' and planning to expose White House dysfunction in her upcoming book. (More)

Florida's Board of Governors rejected former University of Michigan president Santa Ono for UF presidency 10-6 over conservative criticism of his past DEI programs and liberal policies. (More)

AG Pam Bondi helped ensure the arrest of suspect Daniel Park in Poland for making a car bomb used in the anti-IVF attack on a California fertility clinic that killed the bomber. (More)

Putin told Trump he must respond to Ukraine's major drone strikes on Russian airbases during their hour-long call. Trump later warned on social media against expecting immediate peace. (More)

Eleven people died and dozens were injured in a crush outside Bengaluru cricket stadium during victory celebrations, as 200,000 fans overwhelmed authorities, expecting half that number. (More)

The European Union just gave Bulgaria the okay to adopt the euro currency starting in 2026. It is the 21st country to join the single currency region. (More)

US stock markets closed mixed on Wednesday (S&P +0.01%, Nasdaq +0.32%, Dow -0.22%). The Dow broke a four-day win streak after private sector hiring hit its lowest level in two years. (More)

Amazon is planning to spend $10 billion on new data centers in North Carolina to beef up its AI infrastructure. The initiative will add 500 jobs in the state. (More)

A struggling comedian and his friends launched Dave's Hot Chicken from a parking lot with $900 in 2017. Monday, they sold a majority stake to Roark Capital for nearly $1 billion. (More)

The Edmonton Oilers rallied from a two-goal deficit to force overtime, where they beat the Florida Panthers 4–3 in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. (More) | Texas beat Texas Tech 2-1 in the first game of the Women’s College World Series. (More)

Pioneering gay author Edmund White, 85, died Tuesday of natural causes in NYC after surviving HIV since 1985 while continuing his prolific writing career. (More) | Eminem sued Meta for alleged unauthorized use of his music. (More)

FanDuel banned a sports bettor who heckled Olympic champion sprinter Gabby Thomas during a Philadelphia race, boasting on social media that his harassment helped his betting parlay win. (More)

Boise State scientists developed a technique using electrical stimulation and 3D graphene foam to grow cartilage, improving cell growth and mechanical properties for potential osteoarthritis treatments. (More)

Tel Aviv researchers published a new theory: early humans controlled fire primarily to protect food from animals and preserve meat through smoking. (More)

Astronomers discovered a Saturn-sized gas giant orbiting a tiny red dwarf star just one-fifth the Sun's size, challenging theories that such small stars cannot produce giant planets. (More)

Ultramarathoner breastfeeds during a race and wins.

These 10 pennies could be worth big bucks someday.

These dogs ride a “bus” to and from school in Mexico City.

…and a hungry wild elephant raids a store for snacks in Thailand.

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