Short Takes – 2-5-25

Dairy cows infected with second version of bird flu. WashingtonPost.com article (free). Pull quote: “The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a division of the Agriculture Department, said [link added] the detection of this version of the virus was confirmed Jan. 31 after it was found in raw milk collected from a silo [for dairy herd in Nevada] as part of a national milk testing strategy begun last year by the USDA. Lakdawala, the Emory virologist, said more enhanced testing of raw milk collected from dairy farms and processors nationwide could determine if this second version of the virus is in cattle in other states, given how widespread the virus is in birds.”

The heist of 100,000 eggs in Pennsylvania becomes a whodunit that police have yet to crack. APNews.com article. Pull quote: “Four days after the theft that law enforcement say could be tied to the sky-high cost of eggs, no leads have come in, Trooper First Class Megan Frazer, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania State Police, said Wednesday.”

Ukraine Needs U.S. Weapons. Trump Wants Its Rare Earth Minerals In Return. RFERL.org article. Pull quote: “It also has less-rare, more abundant minerals that are also coveted for use in technology and cutting-edge industries: lithium, for example, which is used widely in batteries of all sorts, and titanium, which is used in airplane manufacturing. Some estimates say the country's lithium deposits could be valued at billions of dollars.”

EO 14192 – Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation. Federal Register.