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- America's Egg Crisis Gets Even Worse
Good Wednesday morning. Here are facts about every U.S. National Park. Have a great day!
In Today’s Brief
Texas: Lottery probe
Chile: Lights out
House: Budget vote
Unilever: CEO out
WNBA: Star retires
... and more
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Top Tips
1) Sticker shock
It is not what you want to hear.
The news: Egg prices in the U.S. are expected to increase 41% this year, according to the Agriculture Department. That is double the 20% hike the same agency forecast in January. Prices were up 53% YoY last month. It is a budding political issue for President Donald Trump, who vowed to reduce grocery prices and blamed high costs on predecessor Joe Biden’s policies.
The causes: Inflation is an issue, but the bird flu outbreak is more significant. The rise in cases has depressed supplies and placed stress on farms. Almost 19M commercial egg layers had flu-related disruptions in January; the virus has hit egg-laying hens hard.
Big picture: A bird flu vaccine is on the way for chickens, but experts say that alone is unlikely to knock prices down. Restaurants are also passing along egg surcharges to diners, exacerbating the issue. Turkey is expected to import 420M eggs to the U.S. this year in an effort to backfill supplies.
2) New trial
The Supreme Court handed an Oklahoma death row inmate a stunning victory.
What happened: The high court threw out Richard Glossip's murder conviction and death sentence yesterday, ordering he receive a new trial. The 6-3 decision found the man was denied a fair trial twice (he was convicted both times). Glossip has maintained his innocence for almost three decades.
Catch up: Glossip, who managed a motel, was accused of hiring the motel's handyman to kill its owner. The alleged motive was stealing money. Prosecutors never claimed Glossip committed the murder, but he received the death penalty after the handyman cut a plea deal to testify against him. A state appeals court found his rights were violated in the trial and tossed his original conviction. He was then re-convicted and sentenced to death again. Efforts to overturn that verdict, including past bids to the Supreme Court, failed until yesterday.
The claims: Glossip has argued prosecutors concealed information that would have assisted his defense, specifically that that handyman/star witness was addicted to drugs and suffered from mental health issues. The man also changed his testimony. There was also never any physical evidence against Glossip.
Big picture: Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond requested Glossip receive a new trial -- an extraordinary move -- after independent probes determined his trials saw prosecutorial misconduct. But the state appeals court refused to intervene. The Supreme Court now has, opening the door for a man who has received his last meal three times to potentially find freedom.
3) Try again
The search for an infamous missing airliner is back on, almost 11 years later.
Catch up: Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared in 2014, falling off radars about 40 minutes after leaving Kuala Lumpur en route for Beijing. Few traces of the aircraft have been found despite numerous search missions. There were 239 people on board.
The news: A British maritime exploration group has launched a new search effort. Ocean Infinity is searching the bottom of the Indian Ocean for the wreckage. The expedition has the Malaysian government's backing.
Big picture: Ocean Infinity will get $70M if it finds the plane. It gets paid nothing if its search is fruitless. The current search area was determined based on the flight's final radio transmissions and satellite signals. What happened to the flight remains a mystery, but it is widely believed it crashed into the ocean.
Quick Tips
U.S. News
Texas will investigate two lottery jackpots worth almost a combined $180M. The probe surrounds players buying tickets online through in-person courier services; critics argue the practice is vulnerable to money laundering and illegal buying (More)
A lawsuit alleges a Denver Police SWAT team traumatized two children after raiding the wrong apartment at gunpoint. The filing also alleges cops denied the incident ever occurred; they were targeting the next-door neighbor (More)
A sports reporter found dead while covering Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans had Xanax in his blood, but did not have a prescription. The anti-anxiety drug was also found in the home of a woman considered a person of interest in the death (More)
World News
A massive blackout hit Chile yesterday, leaving 90% of the country without electricity. President Gabriel Boric said power was restored for about half of the 8M impacted people around 9 p.m. ET; troops were deployed to enforce a national curfew (More)
A Trump Administration official denied he wanted Canada kicked out of Five Eyes. The Financial Times reported trade adviser Peter Navarro suggested leveraging Canadian membership in the intelligence-sharing network alongside the U.S., United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand (More)
Russia reaffirmed its opposition to European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine. The U.S. has reportedly struck a natural resources deal with Ukraine; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected at the White House later this week (More | More)
Political News
House Republicans advanced President Trump's preferred budget plan with a 217-215 vote. Speaker Mike Johnson initially pulled the bill, but it was reinstated and then passed after a last-second whip effort prevailed (More)
North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer suffered head injuries after falling on ice at his Bismarck home. The 64-year-old Republican has a severe concussion and suffered a seizure and slight brain bleed; he said he could travel to Washington if needed (More)
The Trump Administration said it will determine White House press pool participation. The group of journalists travels with the president and has access in close quarters; the White House Correspondents Association has controlled the process for decades (More)
Business & Markets
Major indexes closed mixed yesterday. The Nasdaq dropped over 250 points while the S&P 500 had its fourth straight losing session (Dow +0.37%, Nasdaq -1.35%, S&P 500 -0.47%).
Unilever CEO Hein Schumacher was surprisingly ousted by the consumer packaged goods giant's board. CFO Fernando Fernandez will take over atop the Lipton parent company, which had seen share prices rise 9% under Schumacher (More)
President Trump wants to replace a program granting U.S. residency to immigrant investors. He proposed a $5M "gold card" for wealthy foreigners with a path to citizenship; businesses may be able to buy residency for top employees (More)
Entertainment & Sports
Diana Taurasi, the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, has retired. The 42-year-old guard won six Olympic gold medals with Team USA; she also captured three NCAA titles at UConn and three WNBA crowns with the Phoenix Mercury (More)
The Bear star Ayo Edebiri will write the screenplay for a live-action Barney film. The actress and comedian is also reportedly in talks to star in the movie, which is being produced by A24 and Mattel Films (More)
Attorney General Pam Bondi threatened to sue three states over transgender sports policies. The Justice Department told officials in California, Maine and Minnesota it would "leverage every legal option necessary" to enforce President Trump's recent executive order impacting federally-funded schools and other laws (More)
Quick Hitters
Good News: Rest easy. NASA said an asteroid the size of a football field is officially no longer a threat to hit Earth in 2032.
Take Note: An early bedtime does not necessarily mean better health. Here is some advice on determining the best time to call it a night.
Deep Dive: There is only so much we can control in life. A bestselling author argues his "90-10 rule" accepts this reality and allows us to make the best of it.
Meet Cute: She was riding her bicycle in China. He was driving the car that hit her. And now they are ... happily married.
Life Hack: Try turning off your cell phone's wireless internet. Studies suggest that simple click can reverse age-related cognitive issues by a decade.
Watch This
How math can make you insanely rich.
Links
And you thought your worst travel story was bad 💀
Good people are logical and scientific 😊
The Netherlands' favorite sandwich is incredibly sweet 🍫
This guy really loves a Singaporean beer 🍺
How to motivate yourself to work out 🏋️♂️
The (failed) cave rescue that captivated a nation 🔦
When wild fish can tell humans apart 🐠
People have forgotten how to work in an office 🤪
Inside the effort to revive airships 🪽
Fruits and vegetables used to be more nutritious 🍇
Looking Ahead …
Fyre Festival -- the fraudulent 2017 luxury music event in the Bahamas that sent organizer Billy McFarlane to federal prison and sparked two documentaries -- is back. McFarlane is selling tickets for a second festival later this year in Mexico. Details remain a tad hazy, though.