🐤 The amazing race

⚡ Power play: The demand for electricity continues to surge nationwide, and that has presented officials with a new environmental challenge since most of that power originates from sources like coal and natural gas. This week, the White House announced new restrictions aimed at limiting pollution — specifically carbon, mercury, wastewater, and coal ash — created from these plants. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan described the plan as one that “follows the latest science and enables our economy to grow and thrive.”

🧙‍♂️ ‘Rings’ returns: It’s been more than two decades since the theatrical release of the final installment in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, but fans of the Middle Earth saga can once again experience it on the big screen … but only for one weekend. According to reports, the remastered 4K versions of all three films will be playing at theaters far and wide between June 8 and 10. But only one film is playing each day, so be sure to plan your schedule accordingly. Oh, and tickets are already being sold online, so you might want to go ahead and grab yours.

🍅 Food fears: On one hand, recalls of food products are a sign that regulators are doing their job to keep consumers safe. On the other, each one is a troubling reminder that sometimes potentially harmful contaminants are making their way into the food supply. A new report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund found that recalls in 2023 reached a level higher than any time since the outbreak of COVID-19. Most related to allergens, but the biggest involved applesauce containing lead and cantaloupe tainted with Salmonella.

🚢 Changing channels: As cleanup continues and engineers develop a plan to rebuild the Baltimore bridge that collapsed last week after a cargo ship collided with it, crews have completed a deep-water channel that has allowed the first ship — the Balsa 94 from Panama — to navigate the area. The ship is expected to arrive at its destination in Canada early next week. It was one of five vessels stranded in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge came crashing down, with the others expected to follow the same route to the port.

🏦 Markets: It was a tale of two economic reports on Thursday, and the net result was a reversal of the stock market gains seen earlier in the week.

For starters, America’s gross domestic product grew by a paltry 1.6% during the first quarter of 2024, nearly a point down from expectations and the slowest rate measured in nearly two years. That news was compounded by the personal consumption expenditures price index, which showed a 3.7% annual inflation rate … nearly twice the 2% target set by the Federal Reserve.

Driving fast for a living might sound like fun — but for those who do it at the highest level, it’s serious business.

And if you’re one of those folks who have described NASCAR racing as a job that basically just involves making left turns, you’re not alone.

But you’d be very, very wrong.

Drivers offer context

The concept of driving 200+ miles an hour around an oval track seems almost too simple. Crashes are possible, but they can happen anywhere.

So what makes NASCAR racing so difficult? ESPN went to the source — Texas Motor Speedway — to find out.

Driver Parker Kligerman said success is the result of constant re-evaluations throughout the course of a white-knuckle event.

“Oval racing is managing tiny, minute differences that have huge effects,” he said. “You’re always changing. You’re always thinking about doing something different.”

And since “the difference from first to 30th might be three-tenths of a second,” even the slightest error can be disqualifying.

Former driver and current team owner Tommy Joe Martins agreed, noting that the environment makes it difficult to focus on strategy — particularly for newbies.

“You’re racing really fast, you’re racing really close to a whole lot of cars, and you’re put in a lot of situations where everyone around you is going to be really aggressive,” he added.

A look at the track

And while the track might look like a basic oval on TV, there are some big slopes to consider. Texas Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile loop with:

• 20-degree banking in the first two turns
• 24-degree banking in the final two turns
• 5-degree banking on all straightaways

With mechanical issues, tires, and countless other things to worry about, it’s clear that this sport requires a lot more than driving fast and turning left.

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U.S. special forces have been stationed in the African nation of Chad for some time, but that appears to be coming to an end.

No other choice

The sentiment across much of the African continent is shifting against the U.S., specifically regarding America’s longstanding security operations in Western and Central Africa where tensions have remained high for years.

According to insiders, the U.S. Defense Department’s hand was forced in both Chad and Niger when the governments of those nations demanded a renegotiation of existing agreements with the American military. As a result, 75 service members are expected to be pulled out of Chad in addition to the withdrawal of more than 1,000 military personnel from Niger over the next few months.

There’s apparently still some hope for talks with leaders in Chad for a renewed agreement, but the rift between the U.S. and Niger seems to be beyond repair … at least in the short term.

Other nations in the region, most notably Mali and Burkina Faso, have adopted similarly contrarian stances on the issue of U.S. security operations recently as they express a willingness to cozy up to Russia.

What it all means

American officials say U.S. troops have helped maintain peace across the region and they see any increased Russian influence as a detriment to that goal. Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Pete Nguyen described the Chad pullout as a “temporary step” and suggested security operations “will resume after the May 6 presidential election.”

For his part, head of Africa Command Gen. Michael E. Langley asserted that the force “remains dedicated to building enduring partnerships with Chad and other African nations in the Sahel to address mutual security concerns and to help promote a peaceful and prosperous future in the region.”

To paraphrase Shakespeare, when it comes to one protein option at Chipotle, “a meat by any other name would taste as beefy.”

According to CEO Brian Niccol, a new name (or more accurately, an elaboration on the existing name) was needed since many would-be fans of the meat simply didn’t know what the heck it was.

Re-introducing barbacoa

If you’ve ever been to Chipotle, you’ve probably seen barbacoa listed as one of the protein choices … but if you’re like a lot of customers, you weren’t entirely sure what it was. Some adventurous guests give it a try out of curiosity while many others simply opt for something that they’re more familiar with.

“Many of our guests did not know that barbacoa was braised beef,” Niccol explained recently. “So we renamed it braised beef barbacoa.”

Fans of both clarity and alliteration rejoiced.

A few more beefy deets

While advertisements will refer to the meat as “braised beef barbacoa,” in-store menus will drop the word “braised.”

Regardless of what it’s called, the company’s website explains that the beef is “braised for hours, then shredded” and comes loaded with flavor from the addition of black pepper, chipotle chili, cloves, cumin, garlic, and oregano.

Of course, barbacoa wasn’t invented by Chipotle, which is why folks from various cultural backgrounds are already quite familiar with the meat. Tradition indicates that it was first developed in the Caribbean, though variations on its preparation have been implemented elsewhere … particularly in Mexico.

And with its new, more descriptive name, Niccol says Chipotle aims to introduce barbacoa to an even wider range of fans, explaining: “It was Chipotle’s best-kept secret and is now growing in popularity.”

Part of the company’s first-quarter marketing plan included “spotlighting” the option, he said.