promoearn: A plague scare raises new questions

Tuesday, October 6

Read in browser

The Daily Briefing

PLAY Shopping eNewspaper

Good morning! It’s Tuesday, Oct. 6, and today you should know: Vaccine changes are heading back to court. Forecasters are tracking a system in the Gulf. This Gatorade has been recalled. And it's National Taco Day!

I’m Mallorie Sullivan, and the return of McDonald's Monopoly suddenly has me craving a spicy Coke. Let's get to the news.

🦠 Let's talk about the plague

A laboratory worker’s death at a Russian anti-plague research center has recently raised concerns about a potential pneumonic plague outbreak. While U.S. officials are monitoring the situation and experts say the risk remains low, the news may have you wondering about the disease itself. Learn how the three types of plague differ and how to protect yourself.

•	Also: A study found these infections are behind 1 in 8 cancer cases worldwide.

📚 Schools kept banning books last year

Nearly 12,000, to be exact, according to a new PEN America report . The figure — the highest recorded since the organization started tracking in 2021 — includes more than 7,300 unique titles, 4,500 of which were added to the index for the first time. Think you can guess the author with the most bans (312) or the states that censored the most titles? See if you're right.

•	PEN America also found nonfiction book bans doubled during the 2024-25 school year.
•	In honor of Banned Books Week, these are the ones you should read.

👀 What else you should read today

•	'Brazen plot': A mansion-selling realtor was charged with spying for China.
•	Not a typo: Set-jetting is a new travel trend movie buffs will love.
•	From DCC to Broadway: We talked to Reece Weaver about her path to 'Chicago.'
•	Angel Reese predicted this moment. Then she made it happen.

☝️ One more thing

Amelia Earhart set out to fly round the world in 1937 with navigator Fred Noonan, but their plane was lost over the Pacific. Purdue University

•	A new search for Amelia Earhart's plane has begun. The researchers' expedition to a remote Pacific island centers around a visual anomaly discovered through satellite imagery in the island’s lagoon.

Keep scrolling for more news. Here’s your crossword! I’ll see you tomorrow 👋

Have feedback for me? Shoot me a message at msullivan@usatoday.com, I'd love to hear from you! Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here to get it in your inbox daily.

Sign up for Steel City TODAY: Come along with reporter Gabby Sartori as she brings you Pittsburgh’s latest each week.

DON'T MISS

Trump aims to reduce cost of diesel fuel but impact could be limited

President Donald Trump holds an executive order after signing it onstage during a rally at Pinnacle Bank Expo Center in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Oct. 5, 2026. Nathan Howard, REUTERS

Trump ordered broader access to tax-free diesel to cut costs for truckers, but experts said the impact could be limited.