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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Thu Apr 4 2024

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Are you eating eggs as you read this?

A bird flu outbreak in a facility from the largest supplier of eggs in the United States has people wondering if it's safe to eat runny eggs.

Avian flu outbreak hits a national egg supplier.

Officials say the risk of infection to consumers remains low, but avian flu poses a threat to the supply and affordability of America's eggs. Also in the news: Aftershocks have complicated efforts to rescue people under rubble in Taiwan and federal prosecutors argued this week that Texas' S.B. 4 interferes with federal border enforcement and harms America's relationship with Mexico.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Here's how to get wrapped up this National Burrito Day.

Here's the news to know Thursday.

Texas plant is the latest in spike of US bird flu cases

Nearly two million chickens were slaughtered after Cal-Maine Foods announced positive tests at its Texas plant for bird flu. The infections came less than 24 hours after the Centers for Disease Control reported a person in Texas had been infected with the virus after coming into close contact with dairy cattle, just over a week after sick dairy cattle in Texas and Kansas tested positive for the virus.

There's no reason to panic: Federal and state health authorities are investigating the outbreaks, and the USDA said the risk to the general public is low as the viruses have only rarely been transmitted from person to person. Cal-Maine Foods said it was working to minimize disruption to its customers.

•	The Texas case marks the the first human infection of the highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza in Texas and the second ever in the U.S.
•	The only symptom reported by the Texas patient was pink eye. Officials say the risk to public health remains low, but the infection in Texas raises future concerns about how the bird flu virus evolves.
•	A more direct impact might be to your wallet. Bird flu has cost the government roughly $660 million and in recent times raised the price of eggs and poultry. At least 58 million birds were slaughtered last year to limit the spread of the virus.

Why are eggs so expensive?: Prices have risen over the past six months, with the average cost of a dozen eggs hitting $3 in February.

Totality tourists are hoping for clear skies

Millions of Americans are awaiting a rare solar eclipse on April 8 — nearly the whole country will have a chance to look up and see at least a small portion of the moon clip the sun. But people from around the world who made plans to visit the narrow path of totality for the best show are confronting some fickle cloud forecasts that may put a damper on their plans. Read more

More news to know now

•	A major storm is expected to bring rain and snow to some parts of the Northeast early Thursday.
•	Donald Trump lost a presidential immunity delay effort for his upcoming New York criminal trial.
•	Lizelle Gonzalez is suing Texas prosecutors who charged her criminally after an abortion.
•	No contaminants were detected in the water after the Baltimore bridge collapse.
•	On today's The Excerpt podcast, the potential implications of a case centered on Antifa. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Rescue effort continues in massive Taiwan earthquake

Rescuers in Taiwan continue to comb through the rubble Thursday to find scores of people missing or trapped by a massive earthquake, while experts say a slew of aftershocks could make the search and rescue even more dangerous. Taiwan's National Fire Agency said at least 1,050 people were injured when the earthquake, measured as 7.4 magnitude by the U.S. Geological Survey, struck near the east coast city of Hualien. Officials say an investigation is underway to determine why not all Taiwanese received a nationwide alert issued following the quake. Read more

Members of a rescue team searching for survivors in a damaged building in Hualien on April 3, 2024.

TAIWAN'S NATIONAL FIRE AGENCY/AFP

Andrés decries hit on World Central Kitchen workers

Government leaders and family members of the seven World Central Kitchen members killed in an Israeli missile strike continue pressing Israel for answers as details of the attack began to emerge. The seven were killed Monday while traveling in a convoy from an aid warehouse in central Gaza. Celebrity chef José Andrés, founder of WCK, said the charity group had clear communication with the Israeli military, which knew the aid workers' movements. While Israel has contended the incident was a "tragic" accident, Andrés said the workers were targeted "systematically, car by car." Read more

•	The deaths of the WCK crew marks a new low in the Israel-Hamas war, aid workers say.
•	Here's why an Arab American doctor walked out of a meeting with Biden.

Keep scrolling

•	When the University of Texas cut DEI, it cost dozens of employees.
•	Do the NCAA's remaining NIL rules violate antitrust law?
•	A producer's death surrounds Netflix's "3 Body Problem."
•	Disney had a dramatic board meeting this week.
•	How did Japanese audiences receive "Oppenheimer"?
•	Andy Cohen is the latest to admit he regrets sharing Princess Kate conspiracy theories.

Did Texas 'go too far' with SB4 border bill?

A U.S. appeals court kept a sweeping Texas immigration policy on hold after hearing from both state and federal attorneys. During Wednesday's hour-long hearing, a three-judge panel listened to arguments on the law known as S.B. 4, which would authorize law enforcement officers in the state to arrest, detain and deport people suspected of entering the U.S. in Texas from Mexico without legal authorization. It's not clear when the appeals court will hand down a decision, though whatever it decides is likely to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Read our full recap of the hearing.

Photo of the day: Diplomats eat cake, too

Foreign ministers cut a cake Thursday morning in Brussels, Belgium, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The sweetness of the moment came against the backdrop of Russia's war in Ukraine, which has strained NATO and prompted its member countries to start planning for a greater role in coordinating military aid to Ukraine. Read more about what is NATO.

Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib (L) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, cut the cake at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels on April 4, 2024.

KENZO TRIBOUILLARD, AFP via Getty Images

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.