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16 Feb 2025 — 5 min read

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In recent weeks, the United States has witnessed a sharp escalation in egg prices, with the national average reaching around $5 per dozen in February 2025. However, prices vary significantly by state, with some regions seeing costs surge as high as $10 per dozen. More organic and pasture-raised options are experiencing even higher price spikes due to their already limited supply and increasing demand. This surge is primarily attributed to a severe avian influenza outbreak, which has necessitated the culling of millions of egg-laying hens, drastically reducing the egg supply.
Additionally, rising production costs, including higher feed and energy prices, have further strained the industry. Regulatory changes in several states mandating cage-free egg production have also played a role in shifting supply dynamics and pushing prices higher. These challenges have led to significant supply chain disruptions nationwide. Grocery stores are imposing purchase limits to manage the scarcity, and consumers are encountering empty shelves, particularly in the organic and pasture-raised egg sections. With supply failing to keep up with demand, these shortages have intensified, affecting both retailers and consumers across the country.

Economics & Markets:

Geopolitics & Military Activity:

Yesterday, February 15, 2025, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), with support from CENTCOM, conducted an airstrike near Rawa, Iraq, on February 12, killing five ISIS operatives. The post-strike assessment confirmed the presence of various weapons, including small and medium-caliber firearms, grenades, suicide explosive belts, and ammunition. This operation is part of the ongoing Defeat-ISIS campaign, aimed at disrupting the group’s networks and reducing its ability to conduct attacks.

The airstrike was enabled by Coalition Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), a multinational mission focused on advising, assisting, and providing intelligence to partner forces to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS. This latest strike follows an increase in counterterrorism airstrikes targeting ISIS assets and personnel in the region. CENTCOM and its coalition partners continue to conduct operations aimed at degrading ISIS’s operational capacity and limiting its ability to regain influence in Iraq and Syria.

Environment & Weather:

A significant winter storm is currently impacting the south-central United States, bringing heavy rainfall and causing substantial flooding across several states. The National Weather Service has issued flash flood warnings for regions including Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee, where intense downpours have led to submerged vehicles, inundated buildings, and mudslides obstructing roadways. In Kentucky, at least one fatality has been reported due to the severe flooding. Concurrently, a state of emergency has been declared in both West Virginia and Kentucky to address the escalating crisis.

The storm’s trajectory has directed a plume of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico into the affected areas, resulting in prolonged periods of heavy rain. This influx of moisture, combined with existing saturated grounds from previous precipitation, has exacerbated the flooding situation. The National Weather Service forecasts that the heavy rainfall will continue in these regions until late Monday, February 17, 2025, after which the storm is expected to move northeastward, bringing snow and frigid temperatures to the Northeast and Plains.

Residents in the impacted areas are advised to remain vigilant, adhere to local advisories, and avoid travel in flooded zones to ensure safety.

Privacy & Security:

Palo Alto Networks recently released a security patch to address a high-severity vulnerability (CVE-2025-0108) in its PAN-OS firewall software. This vulnerability affects the PAN-OS management web interface, allowing an unauthenticated attacker with network access to bypass authentication and execute specific PHP scripts. If successfully exploited, attackers could gain unauthorized access, potentially leading to data breaches, system manipulation, and overall compromise of the firewall’s integrity and confidentiality. Given the critical role of firewalls in protecting enterprise networks, this flaw posed a significant security risk before the patch was released.

Following the announcement of the patch on February 12, 2025, hackers quickly began targeting unpatched Palo Alto firewalls, attempting to exploit this vulnerability. Security researchers have observed attacks originating from various regions, targeting organizations that have not yet applied the necessary updates. Palo Alto Networks, as one of the largest cybersecurity companies in the world, secures thousands of businesses globally. If your organization uses Palo Alto products, it is crucial to apply updates as soon as they become available and regularly check for security patches. Cybersecurity firms constantly release updates to address vulnerabilities, and failing to implement them in a timely manner can leave networks exposed to significant threats.

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