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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Fri May 3 2024

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Two recalls over food potentially contaminated by E. Coli are adding some stress to grocery store trips. President Joe Biden is walking a fine line in speaking out about campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war. The complex backdrop of this year's Kentucky Derby for the sport of horseracing.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month.

Check your pantry — but don't freak out

There's been a lot of news in recent days about food safety: Recalls of food thought to contain E. Coli currently affect 20 states and the District of Columbia, while experts are scrambling to closely monitor bird flu in people, livestock and food.

Americans are feeling a little anxious: Public health officials are doing the most to ensure more dangerous outbreaks don't affect the nation's food supply and personal health. But the news is adding unnecessary stress to trips to the grocery store.

•	Is your pantry safe? Check information on packaging, including expiration dates and codes from the producers. If you cannot tell if anything was part of the recall, it is safer not to eat them.
•	As concerns about bird flu grow in U.S., officials are increasing rates of tests of milk, cheese, meat and other foods.
•	Here's why you should be concerned (but not freak out) about bird flu: Public health officials made assurances this week America's food supply is safe, but experts are also racing to get ahead of a larger outbreak.

Biden breaks silence on campus unrest

President Joe Biden sought to strike a balance on Thursday when speaking about current protests on college campuses that in some cases have bred destruction and violence. The president called for peaceful protest "in the best tradition of how Americans respond to consequential issues" but made clear "violent protest is not protected." Biden's response to the unrest has been complicated by his reelection campaign as he looks to unify the Democratic coalition, of which young progressive voters decry his steadfast support of Israel. Read more

More news to know now

•	Nearly 300 ex-Obama-Biden staffers have called to suspend military assistance to Israel.
•	Why does Trump keep going to Wisconsin?
•	A New Jersey home was leveled by an explosion, killing 1 and injuring another.
•	An opioid "outbreak" in Austin, Texas, is linked to 9 deaths and 75 overdoses.
•	On today's The Excerpt podcast, why white job candidates are more likely to get hired through employee referrals. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

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

Arizona's governor signs abortion ban repeal. Now what?

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs on Thursday signed into law a repeal of the state's 160-year-old abortion ban, rescinding one of the nation's most restrictive abortion laws after weeks of hard-fought political negotiation at the state capitol. But neither the governor's signature, nor the Arizona Legislature's momentous decision Wednesday to repeal the ban, will bring stability right away to a policy area that has been in flux — and a subject of intense political debate — for nearly two years. Nor does the ban immediately go away.

Did hush money get Trump elected in 2016?

A lawyer who previously represented porn star Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal testified Thursday that he believed their hush money deals may have helped Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election. The message from Keith Davidson, the sixth witness to take the stand in Trump's hush money trial, could point to the prosecutors' central arguments that Trump authorized the payments issued through his former lawyer Michael Cohen to influence the election and covered the payments up in his business records. Read more

Keep scrolling

•	Star Wars Day is Saturday: Which movie is the best?
•	Peloton laid off around 15% of its workforce and its CEO stepped down.
•	Cinco de Mayo is centered around the Battle of Puebla.
•	From Caitlin Clark to the Olympics, these 10 things could define the WNBA season.
•	Review: Ryan Gosling brings his A game as a lovestruck stuntman in "The Fall Guy."

Kentucky Derby allure endures despite challenges

The 150th Kentucky Derby will be run on Saturday at Churchill Downs, where more than 100,000 people are expected to attend the grounds for a once-a-year spectacle. There will be glamorous hats and mint juleps galore, but these can't hide the complicated place horse racing finds itself in 2024. A lack of uniformity and organization in the sport's management across the national landscape comes against a backdrop of a desperate fear of horses dying on racing's most visible day. Read more

Endlessly runs on the track during the morning training for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 1, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Andy Lyons, Getty Images

Photo of the day: Sea lions swarm San Francisco pier

Some extra barking and splashing was heard this week in San Francisco Bay's Pier 39 as an unusually large swarm of sea lions is gathering at the iconic landmark. It's the most sea lions that have shown up there in 15 years.

SEA LIONS THUMB 3 ANADOOLU AGENCY_REUTERS.jpg

Sea lions pile up at massive gathering at Pier 39.

Anadolu Agency

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.