Jobs, NASA, World Cup: Your Friday Evening Briefing

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/07/briefing/jobs-nasa-world-cup.html

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Good evening. Here’s the latest.

1. The U.S. jobs report for May showed a sharp decline in the pace of hiring, adding to concern that the economy is slowing.

The report said 75,000 jobs were created last month; analysts had expected a gain of about 175,000 jobs. It also revised previous months’ numbers down by 75,000, meaning that the blockbuster spring job creation rates were considerably more modest.

Jobs in manufacturing and construction, like that above in Miami, were among the industries that slowed to a crawl.

This is the clearest evidence yet of an economic slowdown, our economics correspondent writes. The Federal Reserve has signaled that it would consider an interest-rate cut in the event of economic weakness, and May’s data is likely to be an important factor in its decisions.

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2. A Russian destroyer and a U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser narrowly avoided a collision in the Philippine Sea. Each side blamed the other for the episode.

The ships came within 50 to 100 feet of each other, the U.S. Navy said. It was the first potentially catastrophic near miss involving Russian and American naval vessels so far from Russian shores since the end of the Cold War.

Separately, tucked into a White House push to sell arms to Saudi Arabia is a provision to take closely guarded U.S. technology there to build bomb parts. It raises concerns about the Saudis’ ability to produce their own versions of American precision-guided bombs.

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3. The Hyde Amendment, a 1976 measure banning federal funding for abortion, has drawn new scrutiny in the 2020 race.

On Wednesday, former Vice President Joe Biden became the only candidate in the Democratic primary race to say he supported it; by Thursday, almost all of the other 22 candidates were on the record calling for the amendment’s repeal. Less than 48 hours after his initial statement, and intense criticism, Mr. Biden changed his mind.

His abrupt about-face illustrates the intense pressure he faces to run as a moderate.

Opposition to the amendment has also gained steam in Congress. Here’s what the amendment is and how it’s viewed by Americans.

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4. Want to buy a ticket to the International Space Station? Soon, you can.

NASA said it would open the space station to tourism, allowing ordinary people (with millions of dollars to spend) to go to orbit. For roughly $35,000 a night, up to two private citizens per year could visit the space station. The fee includes use of the station’s facilities, air and water.

One person wasn’t a fan of the news: President Trump suggested in an afternoon tweet that NASA was focusing on the wrong goal.

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5. Overuse of antibiotics in livestock has given rise to drug-resistant germs. Farmers tend to be scrutinized for their livestock practices, but what role do drugmakers play?

We examined a recent campaign by the drugmaker Elanco, called “Pig Zero,” which encouraged farmers to administer the drugs to healthy animals daily. The message flew in the face of the World Health Organization, which urged farmers to stop feeding so many antibiotics to healthy livestock.

Separately, the chef and activist Dan Barber writes in our Opinion section about how large agrochemical companies, four of which control more than 60 percent of the world’s seed sales, are affecting the future of food.

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6. Officials say that Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., has remained “a source of inspiration” for potential gun violence. Should they tear it down and start anew?

It’s a question the school district posed to residents there, 20 years after a massacre left 15 people dead.

The idea has divided the tight-knit community of Columbine and stirred debate about whether places devastated by mass shootings can ever exorcise their legacy by demolishing the buildings where the violence occurred.

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7. Last month we published an investigative report on New York City’s taxi medallion system. Now, we’re taking it to the small screen.

On this week’s episode of “The Weekly,” dozens of drivers share their anger over an engineered system that has left many of them in emotional and financial despair. The episode airs on FX on Sunday at 10 p.m. and is available on Hulu on Monday. Here’s a preview.

We also went back into the archives to look at the life of the youngest American killed in the Vietnam War. Dan Bullock, a boy from Brooklyn, was just 15 years old.

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8. France dominated South Korea in its home opener of the Women’s World Cup. The score was 4-0.

We wanted to know what it’s like to be an elite women’s soccer player in this moment, so we sent a survey and heard back from more than 100 players. Above, the opening ceremony.

Looking down the road, the women’s final is the same day as two major men’s title matches. An American star called the scheduling “ridiculous.”

And on the tennis court: Rafael Nadal will play for his 12th French Open title after defeating his longtime rival, Roger Federer, in three sets. Here’s how he did it. Ashleigh Barty and Marketa Vondrousova booked spots on the women’s final court.

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9. James Corden has come a long way on stage. He had one line in his first West End role: “Roast the meat!”

From a Paris crosswalk, above, to Radio City Music Hall, the TV funnyman and Tony Awards host reminds us that he started on the stage. We talked to him about his long love affair with theater.

We asked Tony voters about their preferences in anticipation of the award ceremony on Sunday night. Here’s what they said.

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10. And finally, savoring the last dance.

Dance Dance Revolution first hit American arcades in 1999 and home TV screens two years later. The game requires players to hit floor pads in sync with arrows to a relentless dance beat. Skilled players aim for “full combos” — not missing any of the steps.

At its peak, it was hard to go anywhere without D.D.R. not too far away. But that was 20 years ago. We visited the last two machines in Manhattan and the players who still can’t get enough.

“I wish everyone could feel what I feel like when I play,” one regular said.

Shake the week off, and have great weekend.

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