The Daily Digest

The Ebola outbreak in central Africa just got a WHO "public health emergency" declaration, with 500+ suspected cases and 130+ deaths — and Uganda has already banned handshakes. Meanwhile Wall Street is partying like it's 2023, with the Nasdaq up nearly 6% as US-China trade tensions ease. Two very different vibes to start your morning.

What Matters Today

• Ebola is spreading faster than health authorities can track. The WHO is "deeply concerned" about the scale and speed of the Bundibugyo strain outbreak in DRC and Uganda — 500+ suspected cases, 130+ dead, and experimental vaccines are now on the table. This one warrants close watching. Guardian AU
• Trump reportedly trading stocks one every 7 minutes while running the country. 3,700+ trades in Q1 2026 alone. The conflict-of-interest implications are staggering — and this thread is absolutely lighting up. r/stocks
• CISA left its digital keys exposed on GitHub. One security researcher called it "the worst leak I've witnessed." The US Cybersecurity Agency — whose entire job is not doing this — apparently did exactly this. r/technology
• CSIRO is cutting a third of its national climate modelling team. Scientists warn Australia will lose the capacity to contribute to global climate projections. Gutting the science agency during a climate crisis is a special kind of own goal. Guardian AU
• Xi reportedly told Trump that Putin may "regret" the Ukraine invasion. If accurate, it's a significant signal — China quietly distancing itself from Russia while Russian civilians are pulling money out of banks for the first time since the 2022 mobilisation panic. r/worldnews
• Triple murder in Campbelltown, Sydney. A woman and two boys (aged 4 and 12) were found dead in a home; a man has been charged. Horrific story that's dominating Australian news. SBS News
• Arsenal are Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years. Man City dropped points at Bournemouth and the Gunners finally did it. If you care even slightly about football, today is a big deal. ABC News

Markets

Wall Street had a monster session — Nasdaq up 5.73%, S&P up 3.19% — largely driven by US-China trade de-escalation optimism and renewed AI enthusiasm. The ASX 200, however, got smoked, down 3.82%, likely a lagged reaction to earlier risk-off sentiment and commodity pressure. Gold took a brutal 6.66% hit as safe-haven demand unwound, while Bitcoin clawed back to ~$77K. The AUD slipped to 0.711 against the USD, and the 30-year US Treasury yield topping 5.18% — an 18-year high — is quietly the most important macro signal in the room right now: bond markets are telling you something about US fiscal credibility that equities are choosing to ignore.

Worth a Read

• Data centres are raising Phoenix temps by up to 4°C nearby — The AI infrastructure boom has a very literal heat problem. With Sydney and Melbourne both fast-tracking data centre approvals, this is directly relevant to Australian planning decisions. 1,200+ comments with some sharp technical takes.
• Tesla's lithium refinery is discharging black liquid into a Texas drainage ditch — A routine inspection found an unrecognised pipe running from Tesla's $1B facility. The environmental and reputational story here is significant, especially as Australia courts EV battery investment.
• China's "dark factory" doubles J-20 fighter jet production efficiency — Fully automated, lights-off manufacturing for fifth-gen stealth fighters. From a defence and advanced manufacturing angle, this is a genuinely consequential development in the Indo-Pacific balance of power.
• Gen Z's AI backlash is getting louder — Interesting counter-narrative to the AI hype cycle dominating markets. Worth reading alongside the story of a short story prize winner now suspected of being AI-generated — the authenticity question is becoming mainstream fast.