This is an LA Times Studios podcast.

Hi, I'm Angelica Coronado at LA Times Studios.

Let's get into today's top headlines from the Los Angeles Times.

Egg prices are soaring again, and Democrats say it could be their ticket to winning back voters.

Steve Peoples reports that while some on the left are focused on Trump's power grabs,

others believe voters care more about their grocery bills.

A dozen eggs hit a record high of nearly $5 in January, and in some places they're selling

for over $10. The USDA expects prices to rise another 41% this year. The reason reportedly

being a major bird flu outbreak that wiped out millions of chickens. Some restaurants, like Waffle

House and Denny's, have even added surcharges for eggs.

But some question whether egg producers are using it as an excuse to hike prices.

Trump blames Biden, Democrats blame Trump, but Americans are stuck paying more,

and it's forcing both parties to rethink how they connect with frustrated voters.

An L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy was caught smuggling heroin using chips and a secret code. Matthew Ormseth reports Deputy Michael Meiser, whose job it was to investigate gang leaders,

has been arrested for smuggling drugs into the jail.

It was all uncovered after inmates recited a string of codes over the phone,

leading deputies to Pringle's cans filled with over a pound of heroin worth $226,000.

Authorities discovered a web of deep connections and a system of rules among the gangs.

Miser appears to have formed close relationships within the Mexican mafia and

reportedly received thousands in payments for doing so.

He has pleaded not guilty to these charges.

President Trump just signed an executive order creating a strategic Bitcoin reserve and a stockpile

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