(NEW YORK) — The Powerball is expected to climb to $975 million for Monday night’s drawing after no ticket won the jackpot in Saturday night’s drawing, the lottery said.
The numbers drawn for Saturday’s $935 million Powerball jackpot were: 12, 13, 33, 50, 52 and red Powerball 23. The power play was 3.
If the jackpot had a winner, that person could have choosen a one-time lump sum payment, the value is expected to be $452.3 million, Powerball said.
The estimated cash value for Monday’s drawing is expected to rise to $471.7 million, Powerball said.
Saturday’s estimated jackpot was the fifth-largest in Powerball’s history and Monday’s drawing is expected to climb closer to the fourth-largest, which was a $1.08 billion prize won in California in July 2023.
There have been 38 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner. The last winner was on Jan. 1, when a ticket in Michigan won an $842.4 million prize, according to the lottery.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball.
(NEW YORK) — The jackpot for Saturday’s Powerball drawing is expected to be $935 million, the lottery said.
If a jackpot winner chooses a one-time lump sum payment, the value is expected to be $452.3 million, Powerball said.
Saturday’s estimated jackpot is the fifth-largest in Powerball’s history.
There have been 37 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner. The last winner was on Jan. 1, when a ticket in Michigan won an $842.4 million prize, according to the lottery.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to Powerball.
(NEW YORK) — The law of supply and demand has shown for centuries that when the amount of a good in high demand dwindles, prices change relative to the availability.
When it comes to the U.S. food supply chain, environmental health impacts on livestock have prompted such price elasticity, most recently with a wave of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu and the result is has had on wholesale egg prices.
“Prices are impacted when there is more demand and less supply for the product. In the instance of egg prices, the avian flu which has been detected in birds since 2022 has impacted around 80 million birds across the country,” retail analyst Hitha Herzog told ABC News. “That type of exposure could severely hamper production which drives the prices up.”
Bird flu hits dairy cattle farms
As cases of bird flu have continued to sweep farms and producers across the U.S., officials have now launched investigations into an illness involving dairy cows.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced Tuesday that dairy cattle in Texas and Kansas have tested positive for HPAI, with symptoms including decreased lactation and low appetite.
“Additional testing was initiated on Friday, March 22, and over the weekend because farms have also reported finding deceased wild birds on their properties,” the agency stated. “Based on findings from Texas, the detections appear to have been introduced by wild birds. Initial testing by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories has not found changes to the virus that would make it more transmissible to humans, which would indicate that the current risk to the public remains low.”
Both federal and state agencies are “moving quickly to conduct additional testing” for the specific bird flu strains associated with the sick cows.
The USDA assured consumers that “there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health.”
“Dairies are required to send only milk from healthy animals into processing for human consumption; milk from impacted animals is being diverted or destroyed so that it does not enter the food supply,” the agency continued.
Plus, pasteurization is a requirement for milk sold in stores, which the agency reminded “has continually proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in milk.”
Could dairy prices, supply be impacted by bird flu?
At this time in “the rapidly evolving situation,” the USDA said that milk loss from sick cows “is too limited to have a major impact on supply,” with the hope and caveat that there “should be no impact on the price of milk or other dairy products.”
With the latest waves of bird flu wiping out entire flocks of egg-laying chickens, eventually causing shortages and some increased prices, this new impact on dairy cows begs the question, could impact milk and dairy prices eventually be an issue at the consumer leve, if at all?
“The main way this could impact the consumer is through the output of milk being produced. The pasteurization process is so rigorous it would kill the virus if it was present in milk from infected cows, however only 10% of the exposed herds have been infected,” Herzog said. “While there will be some milk loss, the panhandle area accounts for around 625,000 cows and about 1.3B gallons of milk produced annually. The affected milk will be small compared to the bigger picture of production.”
The chief research officer of H Squared Research, explained that at this point, she doesn’t believe the outbreak will impact commercial dairy prices, “because the scale is small.”
“However if more of the herd is infected, or if production slows because the herd has to recover, or worse they have to dump several millions of gallons of milk, that would have an impact on pricing,” Herzog said.
(NEW YORK) — Election denier Mike Lindell’s company MyPillow is facing a court-ordered eviction from a warehouse in Minnesota amid his ongoing legal battles related to his claims about the 2020 election and voting machines, Lindell confirmed to ABC News.
But Lindell claims the eviction does not stem from financial difficulties, and rather is just a formality related to a mutual agreement between himself and the owner of the warehouse to vacate the property, which he says has not been used by MyPillow since the spring of 2023.
Lindell said MyPillow had subleased the space to a candy company last year and was planning on subleasing it to a sugar beet company this year — but the sugar beet company backed out of the contract at the last minute, leaving himself and the warehouse owner “stranded.”
He said he considered finding another subleaser, but he and the warehouse’s owner, First Industrial, eventually decided to officially end their contract through the eviction process.
“And I said that’s fine,” Lindell told ABC News.
MyPillow does owe the owner of the warehouse $217,489 in past-due rent, according to court records.
“Plaintiff seeks to have Defendant evicted from the Premises for failing to pay Rent and other payments and charges due under the Lease Agreement in the amount of Two Hundred Seventeen Thousand, Four Hundred Eighty-Nine and 74/100 Dollars,” a complaint from First Industrial says.
But Lindell insisted that his pillow company is doing fine financially.
“MyPillow is in great shape,” Lindell said. “We have our best commercial out right now that launched on Monday, the most successful one in five years. It’s amazing.”
First International did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Over the years, MyPillow has lost numerous advertising opportunities due to Lindell’s pushing of false and unsubstantiated claims about the 2020 election and election systems around the country.
Last month, a federal judge in Minnesota affirmed a $5 million arbitration award against Lindell, siding with a software engineer who challenged data that Lindell said proves China interfered in the 2020 election in favor of President Joe Biden. Lindell had offered a $5 million reward to anyone who could prove that “packet captures” he provided were not valid data “from the November 2020 election,” leading software engineer Robert Zeidman to file for arbitration when a panel of contest judges failed to declare him the winner after he concluded the data contained no such information.
Lindell again said on Thursday that he’s appealing this decision, and that the case will “go into next year.”
Lindell says he has spent more than $45 million of his own money on claims about the security of voting machines and his push for the use of paper ballots in the 2024 election.
(NEW YORK) — As North America gears up for the total solar eclipse on April 8, Warby Parker, a New York City-based eyeglass retailer with over 200 stores across the United States and Canada, has announced it will distribute free ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses to ensure safe viewing for spectators.
This celestial event marks the last total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until 2044. Those hoping for a glimpse, however, will need to take precautions to avoid injury.
Starting April 1, individuals can visit any Warby Parker retail location to receive up to two pairs of solar eclipse glasses at no cost, subject to availability, according to the company. These glasses are ISO-certified and meet the stringent safety standards required for direct observation of the celestial phenomenon, according to Warby Parker’s website.
Viewing solar eclipses or the sun directly — whether through a camera lens or the naked eye — without proper protection can lead to serious eye injuries and potentially cause vision loss, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
The American Astronomical Society and the American Academy of Ophthalmology have emphasized the critical need for eye protection, cautioning that much like how a magnifying glass can use sunlight to ignite a fire, looking at the sun without proper safeguards can seriously harm our eyes.
The sun’s rays, when focused by the eye’s lens, which normally helps us see clearly, can burn the retina and lead to solar retinopathy, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. This condition may cause persistent vision issues or even irreversible sight loss.
Regular sunglasses do not offer the protection our eyes need during such an event, the American Academy of Ophthalmology states. The gold standard for safety is to use special-purpose solar filters. These are found in eclipse glasses adhering to the ISO 12312-2 standard.
Special viewers like pinhole projectors, which allow people to see the shadow of the eclipse without looking at it directly, can also shield eyes from harmful solar radiation.
More ways to find free glasses
If you do not live near a Warby Parker retail location, the American Astronomical Society’s Solar Eclipse Task Force spearheaded the Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries project to distribute 5 million solar viewing glasses to 13,000 libraries across the U.S. Availability may vary.
New York state is also offering free I LOVE NY ISO-certified eclipse glasses at Welcome Centers, select Thruway Rest Stops and other statewide locations, with a daily limit of two per person while supplies last.
(NEW YORK) — Shares of former President Donald Trump’s social media platform Truth Social have soared in its first couple days of public trading.
Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, climbed 16% on Tuesday, its first day on the market. By afternoon trading on Wednesday, the stock had jumped another 14%.
The rally grants Truth Social a valuation of more than $8 billion, even though the company has yet to turn a profit and generates quarterly revenue of barely $1 million.
The stock performance also holds significant financial implications for Trump, whose 60% stake in the company could ultimately deliver a multi-billion dollar windfall.
Experts who spoke to ABC News said the stock boom stands divorced from the financial condition of the company, instead reflecting a buying spree among Trump supporters as well as opportunistic traders capitalizing on the momentum.
“This is people voicing their political opinions through the markets,” Tom Essaye, president of financial data firm Sevens Report Research, told ABC News. “There’s nothing going on here that has anything to do with the financial fundamentals.”
A representative for Truth Social did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment. “Truth Social is doing very well. It’s hot as a pistol and doing great,” Trump told reporters in New York on Monday.
Analysts drew parallels to the emergence in recent years of so-called meme stocks such as GameStop and AMC.
In 2021, the price of GameStop climbed nearly 700%, driven in part by traders discussing the company on a Reddit chatroom called Wall Street Bets. The rally did not coincide with a major strategy shift or executive shakeup for the ailing chain of video game stores.
The success of Truth Social similarly reflects an upswell of sentiment rather than a demonstration of company performance, Kristi Marvin, chief executive of SPACInsider.com, told ABC News.
“This has all the DNA of a meme stock,” Marvin added.
Truth Social, listed as DJT, remains far smaller and less financially robust than its rivals in the crowded social media sector.
Research firm SimilarWeb estimates the company drew 5 million website visitors in February, which puts it well below the roughly 2 billion monthly active users reported by Instagram. TikTok boasts at least 1 billion monthly active users, the company said in 2021.
Truth Social generated roughly $3 million over the first 9 months of 2023, government filings show. Meanwhile, the company reported $49 million in net losses over that period. By comparison, Instagram-parent Meta delivered nearly $135 billion in revenue last year, company earnings showed.
“This is a tough business to become profitable in,” Marvin said.
The stock rally arrives as Trump weathers financial challenges. A New York appeals court said on Monday that Trump must secure a $175 million bond, albeit a smaller figure than the $454 million he was asked to provide by a lower court.
Trump can’t sell or leverage his stake in Truth Social for at least six months due to a lockup provision intended to prevent a rapid selloff that could shake investor confidence, but the company has already bolstered Trump’s net worth.
On the heels of Friday’s merger vote, Trump joined the Bloomberg Billionaires Index for the first time with a reported net worth of $6.5 billion. On Wednesday, it ticked up to more than $7 billion.
Essaye, of Sevens Report Research, cautioned that the price of Truth Social would ultimately fall, when the company’s financial reality overtakes Trump supporters’ fervor.
“At some point, this will return back to earth. The financial reality always wins,” Essaye said. “When? That is very hard to say.”
However, the company still retains a possible avenue for financial success, he added.
Truth Social faces steep odds in the social media business, but the company may function as a vehicle for additional Trump-led media ventures.
“If you think about DJT as a way to buy equity in Donald Trump’s brand, then I would never say it can’t work out,” Essaye added. “He’s very good at promoting his brand.”
ABC News’ Peter Charalambous contributed reporting.
(NEW YORK) — Krispy Kreme and McDonald’s are expanding their partnership to put three doughnut flavors on menus at the Golden Arches across the U.S.
Following a successful local test at 160 McDonald’s restaurants around Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky, the companies announced Tuesday that a phased market rollout will kick off later this year, with nationwide availability expected by the end of 2026.
The melt-in-your-mouth yeast doughnuts will be delivered fresh daily and available individually, or in boxes of six, starting at breakfast and lasting throughout the day, while supplies last.
Three of Krispy Kreme’s most popular doughnuts will be on the McDonald’s menu: the iconic Original Glazed Doughnut, the Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles Doughnut, and the Chocolate Iced Kreme Filled Doughnut.
“Since the launch of breakfast nearly 50 years ago, we’ve continued to offer new menu items, flavors and experiences that have made McDonald’s an irreplaceable part of fans’ morning routines,” McDonald’s USA CMO Tariq Hassan said in a statement. He added that this partnership is also “a chance to unlock new business opportunities in the breakfast category and throughout the day.”
Krispy Kreme President and CEO Josh Charlesworth echoed the excitement, adding that this partnership allows expanded reach for doughnut lovers.
“The top request we receive from consumers, every day, is, ‘Please bring Krispy Kreme to my town.’ Partnering with McDonald’s on a national scale will provide our fans and doughnut lovers unprecedented daily access to fresh doughnuts and the joy that is Krispy Kreme,” he said.
“Significantly, by making Kreme Krispy accessible to fans nationwide through this partnership, we expect to more than double our points of access by the end of 2026,” Charlesworth continued. “The partnership accelerates the development of our existing Delivered Fresh Daily channel, creating operating leverage through distribution density and production utilization.”
The companies plan to provide more details on the nationwide rollout in the coming months.
For approximately $70, you can now own a share of the company behind former President Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform.
Trading in Trump Media & Technology Group — which uses the ticker symbol DJT — began on the Nasdaq Tuesday morning after last week’s vote for a merger between Trump Media and special purpose acquisition company Digital World Acquisition Corporation.
The company’s market capitalization is approximately $2.7 billion.
Trump himself owns 58 percent of the shares in the company, placing his stake at more than $5 billion based on early trading Tuesday.
“Truth Social is doing very well. It’s hot as a pistol and doing great,” Trump told reporters in New York on Monday.
Trump can’t sell or leverage his stake in the company for at least six months due to a lockup provision intended to prevent a rapid selloff that could shake investor confidence, but the company has already bolstered Trump’s net worth. On the heels of Friday’s merger vote, Trump joined the Bloomberg Billionaires Index for the first time with a reported net worth of $6.5 billion.
In public statements, Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes has expressed confidence in the long-term success of the social media platform.
“As a public company, we will passionately pursue our vision to build a movement to reclaim the Internet from Big Tech censors,” Nunes said Monday. “We will continue to fulfill our commitment to Americans to serve as a safe harbor for free expression and to stand up to the ever-growing army of speech suppressors.”
Trump Media has a long road before it reaches profitability, according to a recent SEC filing, and most new social media companies face a low likelihood of success. In the first nine months of 2023, Trump Media brought in less than $3.4 million in revenue while losing $49 million.
Shares in the special purpose acquisition company Digital World Acquisition Corp have performed well in recent months ahead of the merger, partially due a support from smaller investors rallying the price.
Trump himself is intertwined with the fate of the company as not only its majority shareholder but also the platform’s most prominent user. If he were to stop using the platform, its share would likely suffer, a recent SEC filing acknowledged.
“If Truth Social fails to develop and maintain followers or a sufficient audience, if adverse trends develop in the social media platforms generally, or if President Trump were to cease to be able to devote substantial time to Truth Social, TMTG’s business would be adversely affected,” a recent filing said.
(NEW YORK) — Chick-fil-A is updating its commitment to customers about the quality and standards of its staple ingredient — chicken.
The fast food chain announced on its website that while “serving quality food has always been our priority,” effective this spring, the restaurant will “shift from No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) to No Antibiotics Important To Human Medicine (NAIHM).”
The key distinction between NAE and NAIHM, as outlined by Chick-fil-A, is that the first “means no antibiotics of any kind were used in raising the animal,” while “NAIHM restricts the use of those antibiotics that are important to human medicine and commonly used to treat people, and allows use of animal antibiotics only if the animal and those around it were to become sick.”
In the announcement, Chick-fil-A reiterated its dedication to high-quality chicken is rooted in three components: selectivity, high animal wellbeing standards, and evolving the brand’s approach.
On the first point, the restaurant laid out that it only serves “real, white breast meat with no added fillers, artificial preservatives, steroids — and no added hormones.”
“We established an Animal Wellbeing Council of outside experts, which provides feedback on our policies and practices,” the update stated. “With their input, we are constantly evaluating our approach to animal wellbeing to ensure it is consistent with or exceeds industry standards.”
Chick-fil-A first set a goal in 2014 to sell antibiotic-free chicken at its restaurants within five years and committed to sourcing only cage-free eggs for its breakfast menu items by 2026.
With increasing outbreaks at U.S. chicken farms of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), commonly referred to as bird flu, chicken supplies have dwindled prompting an uptick in prices.
A representative for Chick-fil-A did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for additional comment.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will step down at the end of the year, the company said in an announcement Monday.
The move comes amid fallout from a high-profile safety failure onboard an Alaska Airlines flight in January, when a door plug blew out of Boeing’s 737 Max 9 aircraft while the plane was in flight.
In a statement on Monday, Calhoun acknowledged the challenges facing Boeing.
“The eyes of the world are on us, and I know that we will come through this moment a better company,” Calhoun said. “We will remain squarely focused on completing the work we have done together to return our company to stability after the extraordinary challenges of the past five years, with safety and quality at the forefront of everything that we do.”
Board Chair Larry Kellner, a board member for nearly 15 years, plans to forgo nomination for an additional term at the company’s annual shareholder meeting this spring, Boeing said.
Steve Mollenkopf, former CEO of chipmaker Qualcomm, will immediately take over as Boeing board chair and lead the search for a new chief executive, Boeing added.
The leadership change will also impact Boeing’s board of directors, the company said.
Calhoun, who served as CEO for four years, began his tenure in the aftermath of a previous safety scandal.
In 2019, Boeing 737 Max aircraft were grounded worldwide following a pair of crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed a combined 346 people. The aircraft were permitted to again take to the skies in 2021, following a two-year ban.
The renewed scrutiny over the incident aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 128 on Jan. 5 includes an investigation undertaken by a federal safety regulator and a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice.
On Monday, in a letter to employees, Calhoun called on the embattled company to focus on openness as it weathers the difficult period.
“We must continue to respond to this accident with humility and complete transparency. We also must inculcate a total commitment to safety and quality at every level of our company,” Calhoun said.
“The eyes of the world are on us, and I know we will come through this moment a better company, building on all the learnings we accumulated as we worked together to rebuild Boeing over the last number of years,” he added.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
