5 things to know for March 9: Federal budget, Storm, Ukraine, Food prices, Instagram

By Alexandra Meeks, CNN

Unruly passengers continue to be an issue on flights across the US, adding to a host of challenges impacting the aviation industry. In this week alone, punches were thrown on a Southwest Airlines plane, and a United Airlines flight attendant was attacked by a man wielding a broken metal utensil.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

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1. Federal budget

President Joe Biden is set to release his 2024 budget today, laying out his policy vision for the year ahead. The new budget will cut the deficit by nearly $3 trillion over the next 10 years, the White House announced on Wednesday. Advisers stress that the budget reflects his fiscal vision — with significant investments in manufacturing, climate, education, paid leave and health care, all paired with a menu of tax increases on corporations and wealthier Americans. It will also include cuts to “wasteful spending on special interests, like Big Oil and Big Pharma,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. The deficit reduction will be a central part of Biden’s budget proposal and a symbolic marker as the president approaches the showdown with House Republicans over the looming debt ceiling crisis.

2. Winter storm

Millions across central and Northern California are bracing for an alarming storm beginning today, with heavy rain threatening to cause widespread flooding in areas grappling with dayslong snowfall. More than 17 million people are under flood watches in California and slices of Nevada, with much of the Golden State under an especially significant risk of excessive rainfall that could swamp some of the same areas already devastated by severe flooding earlier this year. The most vulnerable areas for flooding are creeks and streams in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, the Weather Prediction Center said. A total of 34 of California’s 58 counties are now under a state of emergency issued by the governor’s office due to recent storms and this week’s severe weather.

3. Ukraine

At least 11 people were killed after Russia targeted critical infrastructure across Ukraine with more than 80 missile strikes today, officials said. Following the strikes, 15% of Kyiv went without electricity temporarily, according to an official in the region. As crews work to restore power, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian assault was “an attempt to intimidate Ukrainians again” and to “terrorize civilians.” Separately, Georgia’s ruling party has withdrawn a controversial “foreign influence” bill that sparked two nights of widespread protests in the capital Tbilisi. The bill had been compared to a draconian set of laws adopted in Russia and condemned by rights groups as a bid to curtail basic freedoms and crack down on dissent in the country.

4. Food prices

The cost of food ingredients is down, but grocery bills are still up. In part, this is because food producers, which started raising prices a few years ago, have other expenses that remain pricey — like labor and transportation. But critics and industry experts say the cost increases during the pandemic gave food makers cover to hike prices above what those increases called for, boosting profits and correcting what they saw as too-low prices in previous years. Between January 2022 and January 2023, groceries got 11.3% more expensive. Many food companies are forecasting that they might slow down or pause price increases — but not lower them. “Companies view these as occasional opportunities, and they don’t want to miss out,” said Jean-Pierre Dubé, a marketing professor at the University of Chicago.

5. Instagram outage

Instagram was back up for most users after a global outage, the photo-sharing platform said early today, adding that an hourslong technical issue has been resolved. “Earlier tonight, a technical issue caused people to have trouble accessing Instagram. We resolved this issue for everyone as quickly as possible,” Instagram said in a tweet. Downdetector, which tracks outages, reported more than 53,000 incidents of users being unable to access Instagram at the peak of the outage. As Instagram was coming back online, Downdetector said reports of outages had fallen below 1,000 in the US and under 100 reports in the UK, India, Japan and Australia.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

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Passenger hits luggage jackpot after airline destroys her bag

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TODAY’S NUMBER

6

That’s the age of a Virginia boy who allegedly shot his elementary school teacher earlier this year. He will not face charges, according to a report Wednesday. “After researching this issue thoroughly, we do not believe the law supports charging and convicting a 6-year-old with aggravated assault,” Newport News, Virginia, Commonwealth’s Attorney Howard Gwynn said. The teacher, was who critically injured by a bullet that struck her chest, was released from the hospital more than a week after the shooting.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“It’s just shameful.”

— White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, condemning Fox News host Tucker Carlson Wednesday for airing false depictions of the January 6, 2021, attack this week. Carlson, given access to about 40,000 hours of US Capitol security camera footage by Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, has aired carefully selected clips to portray the pro-Trump mob as peaceful patriots. The Fox News host was roundly lambasted by the Capitol Police, Democrats and some Republicans this week for misleading his audience about the attack.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY

This caviar will set you back $100,000

This luxurious delicacy has a huge price tag because it can take more than a decade to harvest. (Click here to view)

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