The Red Folder

Archived from April 8, 2024.

Key stories for the week, brought to you by the distinguished newsman Sasha Morel.

Reading for the sake of reading sucks. Telling yourself to read to win a round is nice but ineffective. This condensed news brief helps you understand current domestic and international issues, analyze the news, and gives you opportunities to read more.

Domestic Stories

3 key domestic stories for the week:

1) What’s Up With the Price of Eggs? Lindsey Zhao

Guess the universe didn’t get the memo that Easter was coming around. The signature food marking Easter celebrations across the world and (more importantly) the little round oval-ish object we all know and love, eggs, saw its prices absolutely soar in March. Why? No, I have not been eating them all, thanks for asking.

It’s because of bird flu, or H5N1, a type of highly infectious influenza virus that has been causing massive outbreaks among aquatic birds for years. However, it's not just wild birds, like Antarctic penguins, that are affected- chickens and other poultry, especially those that are raised in concentrated animal-feeding operations, that put chickens, ducks, and turkeys in extremely close proximity and often in unsanitary conditions, also are seeing record-breaking levels of infection, which too often results in death. Already, over 50.54 million birds have died of the virus. Prices peaked last in January of 2023, rounding out at about $4.82 per dozen for eggs (for reference, the cost of a dozen is usually between $2-2.50). Now, an Axios report found that prices are rising again, by 8.4%, reaching $3.00 at the end of February.

The reason that bird flu is related to the jump in egg prices is simple. It is standard practice in the US to have farmers cull an entire population of poultry, even if only some of them are found to actually be infected, if they find infection anywhere on their farm. Because it is so contagious, they have to cull hundreds of thousands of birds at once to prevent a wider outbreak. Just on April 3rd, the nation’s largest supplier of eggs, Cal-Maine Foods, announced an outbreak at one of their facilities in Texas, resulting in the culling of nearly two million chickens- 3.6% of their entire flock nationwide. PETA’s gonna have a field day with this one.

But it seems as though PETA is far from the only thing these companies have to worry about. A few weeks ago, the USDA discovered slightly mutated strains of bird flu in dairy cattle herds- a dozen to be exact- in the country. Now amid exploding egg prices, consumers are now worrying about drinking potentially infected milk or consuming infected beef. Not to worry though- the process of pasteurization effectively kills all bacteria and dangerous viruses, and bird flu has only been detected in dairy producing cows thus far.

Some experts are shell shocked, though, at recent reports of a dairy worker being infected with the flu. While his only symptom was a slight case of pinkeye, and he quickly recovered with the medication Tamiflu, that prompted immediate worries that the virus had mutated enough to spread to humans and could spark a pandemic ‘100 times worse than COVID-19’.

Thankfully, that doesn’t seem like an issue for now. It doesn’t appear that the bird flu has mutated enough to spread efficiently among humans (especially those who aren’t regularly in close contact with these animals, so… 99.99% of the population), and in any case, we would have protection against the virus.

“The C.D.C. and other agencies in the United States and elsewhere have tracked H5N1 for years to monitor its evolution. Federal agencies have stockpiled vaccines and drugs to be used in a possible bird flu outbreak.”

Apoorva Mandivilli, 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service winner and writer for the New York Times

The CDC has already developed two candidates for vaccines, and because many pharmaceutical companies already have the building blocks necessary to make millions of doses in the matter of weeks, the production of them isn’t an issue.

Consumers might not be feeling too egg-cited about the price of eggs. But at the very least, they won’t have to worry about COVID part two.

Read more here:

2) Birds Aren’t Real: Neither are Conspiracy Theories Rohan Dash

America has been home to an excess of conspiracy theories. As early as the 1960s, allegations surfaced claiming that NASA had faked the moon landing, and instead had made a filmed version . Conspiracy theories continued into the present day, such as 9/11 being an inside job or even Barack Obama not being born in the US, but rather in Kenya. However, today, these hoaxes have been taken to a new level by far right extremists in the realm of politics.

In 2016, conspiracy theories experienced exponential growth as the mainstream media covered such beliefs and political polarization grew. Specifically, Politico explains back then that far right theories emerged, ranging from undocumented Mexican immigrants being part of a scheme to cause violence in the country, to the claims of rigged elections.

In addition to that, a variety of theories were spread on imageboard websites like 4chan, in what can be called a series of "anons". For example, in 2016, FBIAnon received a spotlight after claiming to have knowledge of the investigation into the Clinton Foundation. Other "anon" groups included HLIAnon, CIAAnon, and WHInsiderAnon, all with their own claims from anonymous users, ranging from Princess Diana being deliberately killed for having knowledge of 9/11 ahead of time to the Democratic National Committee "going down". From here on out, it only got worse.

One night in October of 2017, then-President Trump was hosting military commanders at the White House for dinner. During a picture with his guests, Trump made the statement, "You guys know what this represents? Maybe it’s the calm before the storm.", an eerily cryptic message that he offered no explanation for. Days later, an anonymous user made a post on 4chan, claiming that they held Q clearance, a high clearance level at the US Department of Energy. In the months following, QAnon gained a massive following, including hundreds of thousands of social media users promoting the theory.

Over the course of the next few years, QAnon grew, including releasing merchandise, having a book released that would reach near the top of Amazon's best selling books, and having a consistent presence at political rallies. This led to the general growth of far right conspiracy theories. When COVID 19 came to the US, claims surfaced that COVID was a hoax and vaccines were harmful, which ultimately led to ideas being turned into action. For example, AP News reports that conspiracy theorists raided vaccine clinics. And afterwards, when Trump lost the presidential elections to current President Joe Biden a state of chaos ensued, with the far right accusing the election of being stolen, that ultimately, led to one of the most famous examples of violence originating from false claims: the riots on January 6th at the Capitol.

Nearly any phenomenon occurring today is somehow being translated to a conspiracy theory. Take the total solar eclipse occuring on April 8th - Marjorie Taylor Green, a well known far right conspiracy theorist and US Representative claimed it was a “sign from God” and that the country must repent. In this claim, she also mentioned the earthquakes in New Jersey being a part of the sign. Other theories have been promoted on social media sites, including a claim that the eclipse is a sign of the world ending and some even tried to use the eclipse as evidence the Earth is flat. One theory even went to extremes, accusing the government of fabricating a lie of wearing eye protection, and instead saying it will be fine to stare at it without anything over the eye. Evidently, some of these claims are comically absurd.

During a year of big elections, fake theories have only become worse. Today, technology is becoming a major part of our lives, and artificial intelligence generated deep fakes are posing a major threat to the stability of politics. It’s important to stay informed without jumping to or supporting a ridiculous conclusion.

3) Trump’s Getting a “Small” Donation. Again… Sasha Morel

On April 6th, Donald Trump's campaign celebrated a significant achievement as a major fundraiser in Florida amassed a staggering $50.5 million. This fundraising triumph, held at billionaire John Paulson's Palm Beach residence, serves as a critical financial boost for Trump's reelection bid against Democrat Joe Biden, who has consistently outpaced Trump in fundraising efforts.

Facing financial strain due to mounting legal expenses from various court cases, Trump has eagerly sought support from both traditional Republican donors and prominent figures within his circle. Despite challenges in rallying some traditional backers, Trump has maintained support from influential figures such as hedge-fund investor Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah, as well as investor Scott Bessent and casino magnate Phil Ruffin.

Trump, accompanied by his wife Melania, emphasized the call for change ahead of the fundraiser, highlighting broad-based support for his campaign. Meanwhile, Biden's spokesperson, Ammar Moussa, suggested that the presence of billionaires at Trump's event was driven by concerns over Biden's tax policies.

Speculation arose regarding potential appointments within a Trump administration, with John Paulson and Scott Bessent being mentioned as potential candidates for Treasury Secretary. Paulson expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support shown at the dinner, interpreting it as a sign of enthusiasm for Trump's platform.

During the event, Trump addressed various issues including the economy and immigration, emphasizing the importance of party unity. The fundraising success was underscored by Trump's camp, highlighting it as double the amount raised by Biden during a recent star-studded fundraiser featuring Democratic luminaries.

However, the accuracy of fundraising claims will only be verified upon submission to the Federal Election Commission, with campaigns often inflating figures for momentum. Despite fundraising prowess, Trump's team acknowledged challenges in matching Biden's financial resources. Yet, strategists emphasize the need to sustain momentum through diverse fundraising efforts.

While financial resources are vital, Trump's victory in 2016 despite being outspent by Hillary Clinton underscores that success isn't solely determined by fundraising figures. With the Republican nomination secured, Trump can now leverage resources alongside the Republican National Committee for the upcoming election.

A newly formed fundraising collaboration, the Trump 47 Committee, prioritizes contributions to Trump's Save America leadership group before allocating funds to the RNC. High-profile donors are encouraged to contribute generously, with funds distributed strategically among various Republican entities.