Shark Attacks, French Open, and airdropped worms.

Adam Rogers
June 10, 2024

Good morning! Today’s edition is 901 words, a 3 minute read.

First-time reader? Sign up here!

Big Stories

Authorities are patrolling Florida’s Gulf Coast with boats and warning swimmers about sharks after two separate attacks on Friday.

Both attacks happened in the Florida Panhandle and forced temporary closures of several beaches. By Saturday, beaches reopened with flags indicating high hazard conditions and dangerous marine life.
The first attack occurred Friday afternoon at WaterSound Beach, critically injuring a woman who was later flown to a trauma center. The second attack happened less than two hours later, about 4 miles east, injuring two teenage girls from Alabama. One teen’s hand and leg were seriously hurt and she was airlifted to a trauma center, while the other had some minor injuries to her foot.
Director of the Center for Shark Research Demian Chapman said the number of sharks in the Gulf of Mexico is increasing after many years of overfishing. However, Champman also said that “these incidents are very rare.” Last year, there were 69 unprovoked shark bites worldwide and 10 of those were fatal, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File.

Carlos Alcaraz claimed his first French Open title with a five-set victory over Alexander Zverev.

With the win, he became the youngest man to win Grand Slams on all three surfaces (clay, grass, and hard court). The 6-3 2-6 5-7 6-1 6-2 win added a third Grand Slam title to his resume, following his 2022 U.S. Open and 2023 Wimbledon victories. Alcaraz has now won all three Grand Slam finals he has played.
Despite bouts of nerves and physical challenges, Alcaraz kept his composure, especially during crucial moments in the match. After losing the third set where Zverev won 5 straight games, he rebounded strongly, dominating the fourth and fifth sets. Zverev has lost both Grand Slam finals he has reached, including a narrow miss at the 2020 U.S. Open.
Alcaraz's win was particularly notable as it was the first Roland Garros final in two decades without Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, or Roger Federer, signaling a potential new era in men's tennis. Djokovic withdrew from the quarterfinal after injuring his knee.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek won her third consecutive French Open with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Jasmine Paolini and became the youngest woman in the Open Era to win four titles at Roland Garros. This is her fifth Grand Slam trophy, making her the youngest player in the Open Era to achieve this. The match lasted just one hour and seven minutes.

Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz resigned from the country’s war cabinet.

Gantz believes Netanyahu is making a total victory impossible and said Israel needs to prioritize rescuing hostages over political survival. Gantz, who joined Netanyahu’s War Cabinet after Hamas’s attacks on October 7, has grown increasingly critical over the past eight months.
Gantz's resignation follows his ultimatum for the government to adopt a new plan for ending the war in Gaza by June 8. He referred to some members of Netanyahu’s coalition as "fanatics" and warned against leading the nation to disaster. His announcement came shortly after Israeli forces conducted their largest rescue mission since the war began, freeing four hostages.
The rescue mission also caught casualties in the crossfire. Gaza’s Health Ministry said that at least 274 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more were wounded during the operation.

Following Trump's 34 convictions in his hush-money trial, five national polls showed either no change or slight movement in Biden's favor. A New York Times/Siena College poll found the race narrowing from Trump leading by 3 points to leading by 1 point. While most Republicans still support Trump, 10% of Republicans and 25% of independents in a Reuters/Ipsos poll are now less likely to vote for him. (More)

British TV presenter Dr. Michael Mosley's body was found on a Greek island after a multi-day search. He went missing while hiking and his body was spotted from a boat. His wife believes he took a wrong turn and collapsed in a hard-to-see location. (More)

A landslide in Wyoming caused a critical mountain pass to collapse on Saturday. The road was initially closed Thursday due to large cracks, then patched and reopened. However, a mudslide on Friday caused the entire road to crumble. (More)

French President Emmanuel Macron caused a major stir by calling for legislative elections later this month after losing to Marine Le Pen's far-right party in the European Union vote. The move risks his political future, as a win by Le Pen's National Rally party could leave Macron powerless in domestic affairs. (More)

Caitlin Clark won't be part of the Paris Olympics. Despite her international experience with USA Basketball and her standout career at Iowa, she couldn't attend the national training camp due to her commitments with the Final Four. Now a rookie with the Indiana Fever, Clark has gained widespread popularity in women's basketball. Five-time gold medalist Diana Taurasi and her Phoenix Mercury teammate Brittney Griner are expected to represent the U.S. (More)

Nearly 1/5 of America’s billionaires went to just 5 colleges.

100-year-old U.S. vet marries bride, 96, at D-Day event in France.

The U.S. spends $15 million per year to airdrop worms on Central America.

Your feedback helps us provide the best newsletter possible.