Lunchables' Dark Secret, Screwworms, & Retirement Costs

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Adam Rogers
June 05, 2026

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Philip Morris used cigarette science to design Lunchables, according to a UCSF study. After acquiring General Foods in 1985 and merging it with Kraft, the tobacco giant became the largest food company in North America and began applying its proprietary research to children's food.
Corporate memos show Lunchables were engineered to appeal to children by giving them "permission to play with their food" and greater control over their meals. When designers struggled to make low-fat versions taste good, they turned to tobacco neuroscientists. The scientists applied the same flavor engineering used to make nicotine compulsive, conducting EEG brain wave tests on consumers to identify what drove cravings at the deepest level.
Ultra-processed foods now make up nearly two-thirds of calories consumed by US children, contributing to epidemics of childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease. Tobacco companies divested their food holdings by 2007, but the playbook they developed continues to shape how processed foods are designed and marketed.

A flesh-eating parasite not seen in Texas since 1966 has been detected in a calf near the US-Mexico border. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins confirmed the New World screwworm case Wednesday in La Pryor, Texas, the only confirmed US case so far.
The US cattle herd is already at its lowest level in 75 years, and a major outbreak could cost the industry billions while pushing beef prices higher. The parasitic fly's larvae burrow into the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, potentially killing livestock if untreated. The USDA has established a 12-mile quarantine zone and begun releasing sterile male flies, a decades-old eradication technique, while investing in new production facilities in Texas.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller accused the USDA of moving "too slowly" as the parasite advanced steadily through Mexico for months despite existing containment efforts. The USDA pushed back, saying it is confident there is "no threat of mass infestation."

The public got its first look at the Obama Presidential Center this week ahead of its Juneteenth opening. The $850 million campus sits on 20 acres on Chicago's South Side near where Barack Obama began his political career. It is expected to draw 1 million visitors annually.
The museum tower is the first fully digital presidential museum, with hands-on exhibits including a life-sized Oval Office replica where anyone can sit behind the Resolute Desk. Michelle Obama's gowns are on display, including the black and red dress she wore on Election Night 2008, with fabric swatches available to touch. A new Chicago Public Library branch on campus features a 70-foot mural depicting literary figures with a young Obama at its center.
Admission to the museum tower is $30, the highest of any US presidential museum, but the campus itself is free. Obama requested a professional basketball court for community programs, Michelle Obama designed a garden, and the tower's top floor offers panoramic views of Chicago at no charge.

Senate Republicans narrowly blocked a Democratic effort to kill Trump's $1.78 billion settlement fund for allies who claim government persecution, but face more amendment battles before an immigration funding bill can pass. (More)

Four people, including two Ohio state employees, were indicted for allegedly stealing $30 million from Medicaid by billing for children's mental health services that were never provided. (More)

John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser, agreed to plead guilty to illegally retaining classified information and pay $2.25 million. (More)

China blocked victims' families from visiting graves Thursday, the 37th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, when troops killed hundreds, possibly thousands, of pro-democracy protesters (More)

A Nepali Everest guide missing for a week and presumed dead was found alive, crawling toward base camp Thursday after his family had already begun funeral rites. (More)

Thousands of Albanians protested for a third straight day against Jared Kushner's $1.6 billion resort planned inside a protected marine park. (More)

US stock markets closed mixed on Thursday (S&P +0.43%, Nasdaq -0.09%, Dow +1.73%). A chip stock selloff drove the Nasdaq loss, while the Dow closed at an all-time high. (More)

American Airlines is cutting some August and September flights as jet fuel hits $142 a barrel amid the US-Israel war with Iran, up from $99 before the conflict began. (More)

Quantum computing firm Quantinuum debuted on Nasdaq Thursday at a $17.6 billion valuation despite losing $136 million last quarter and seeing revenue drop 73%. (More)

Texas won back-to-back Women's College World Series titles Thursday, beating Texas Tech 2-1 after a throwing error in the fifth inning broke open a scoreless game. (More)

A fan who rushed the court during the Knicks' Game 1 NBA Finals win to selfie with Victor Wembanyama was arrested and banned from all NBA arenas for life. (More)

Marjane Satrapi, the Iranian-French author behind the acclaimed graphic novel and film "Persepolis," died at 56. Her family said she died of grief after losing her husband last year. (More)

A rare form of Lyme disease, previously found only in Minnesota and Wisconsin, was detected in upstate New York, raising concerns that the tick-borne strain may be spreading geographically. (More)

Researchers identified a crow-sized Velociraptor cousin that likely glided like a flying squirrel and preyed on birds in China 120 million years ago. (More)

Scientists discovered a massive fan-shaped network of ancient basins hidden beneath East Antarctica's ice sheet, which could affect the stability of glaciers. (More)

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