Daily Briefing: Egg thieves strike again
An estimated 540 eggs and other breakfast items were stolen from a Seattle café. President Donald Trump’s fast and furious efforts to remake and downsize the federal government have hit a bit of a speed bump. Trump has issued an ultimatum in the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Need a last-minute Valentine's gift idea?
Egg thieves strike Seattle café amid ongoing shortages
Surveillance video from a west Seattle restaurant shows two men racing back and forth in the snow, packing hundreds of dollars worth of stolen eggs into a white van. The heist is the latest egg-related crime in the U.S., coming days after 100,000 organic eggs worth more than $40,000 were stolen from a distribution trailer in south-central Pennsylvania in a case that remains unsolved. The robberies come as a bird flu outbreak exacerbates panic over rising egg prices and shortages.
- No eggs for breakfast? Trader Joe's and other retailers are now limiting how many eggs people can buy.
Judges pump the brakes on Trump’s efforts
The stunning number of executive orders and other actions taken by President Donald Trump in his first weeks in office have generated more than thirty lawsuits.
The first wave to hit the courts haven’t gone Trump’s way: With Republicans in control of both the House and the Senate, opponents of Trump’s policies have few avenues outside of the courts to fight back.
- Court countermoves so far this week: A federal judge in Boston extended his block on the Trump administration’s deadline for more than 2 million federal employees to accept a controversial buyout. Trump's order to stop birthright citizenship was blocked a third time and funding cuts on research were also challenged.
- But even if Trump gets some bad rulings in the district courts, experts say he will likely win more than he loses.
- Advocates are also fighting back: Several U.S. refugee resettlement organizations asked a federal judge on Monday to restore the U.S. refugee program.
More news to know now
- Trump pardoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who served 8 years in prison.
- The first of multiple winter storms is poised to slam into a dozen states.
- Plastic may have defeated paper in the straw debate.
- Americans say it's "time to move on" from the penny.
What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.
1 dead and 4 injured after jets collide at Arizona airport
At least one person is dead and multiple people were injured Monday after private jets collided at an Arizona airport, authorities said, the latest incident at a time of heightened scrutiny of U.S. air safety. According to records reviewed by The Arizona Republic, part of the Paste BN Network, the jet was listed as owned by Mötley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil. The singer's legal representative confirmed to Paste BN that Neil was not on board the plane when it crashed. Read more
Could the Israel-Hamas ceasefire be canceled?
President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to Hamas on Monday, saying Israel should cancel its ceasefire with the Palestinian group unless every hostage it holds is released by Saturday at noon. If the hostages aren't released, "all hell is going to break out," Trump said, noting he is speaking for himself and "Israel can override it." The ceasefire deal reached last month has held for three weeks, but Hamas announced Monday it would stop releasing hostages after accusing Israel of violating the agreement. Read more
Today's talkers
- Was "The Bachelorette" canceled?
- Lakers fans rallied behind Luka Dončić in his All-Star's debut.
- Selena Gomez broke her silence on her "Emilia Pérez" co-star's offensive posts.
- We would have loved an invite to the king's celebrity-studded dinner.
- A Paste BN reporter conducted a national search for a Valentine and found her date.
Still catching up from the Super Bowl halftime show?
There's a lot to take in after Kendrick Lamar's theatrical Super Bowl halftime performance. The Compton, California, native and Pulitzer prize-winning rapper was the headline performer at Super Bowl 59, with special guest SZA, and his performance included plenty of nods that some non-rap fans may be hard-pressed to figure out — including his 2024 feud with Drake. If you've missed what all the fuss is about, don't worry, here's a (comparatively) quick summary of the references in his performance.
Photo of the day: Beauty sleep
After a four-year absence, the Westminster Dog Show is back at its longtime home, Madison Square Garden in Midtown Manhattan, for its 149th edition. The three-day competition involving more than 2,500 dogs from every state in the union culminates Tuesday night with the Best in Show event. And these pups are putting their best paws forward.
Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.