Daily Briefing: Panic! At the grocery story

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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.

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

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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

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

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.

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.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: E. Coli recall, bird flu, campus protests, Israel, Trump trial, Arizona abortion ban, Kentucky Derby: Daily Briefing