Trump to Ask Putin About Plague Lab Worker's Death in Irkutsk

The United States and the World Health Organization have demanded transparency from Russia following the death of a 28-year-old lab technician at a plague research institute in Irkutsk, with President Donald Trump announcing he will discuss the matter with Vladimir Putin. Russian authorities deny imposing health restrictions after the woman's death, which local media reported may have resulted from plague infection after a broken test tube. The CDC says it is monitoring the situation but sees no broader threat to the US, while the WHO has requested additional information from Russian health officials. The Kremlin maintains the situation is under control, with regional authorities attributing the death to pneumonia of undetermined origin. Russia has also offered its own assistance to Washington, citing recent US cases of measles and a fatal plague case in New Mexico.