This is an L.A. Times Studios podcast.

Hi, I'm Angelica Coronado here at L.A. Times Studios.

Here are today's headlines from the Los Angeles Times.

Egg prices are skyrocketing, and it's hitting Californians hard.

Reporter Caroline Petro-Cohen explains how this bird flu epidemic is impacting our wallets.

Nationwide, the average price of a dozen eggs has nearly doubled, hitting a record $4.95 in January.

But here in California, some stores are charging $9 or more.

Experts say prices will stay high until farmers can replenish chicken populations, but that could take months. The avian flu led to nearly 13 million chicken deaths in December alone.

In the meantime, grocers like Trader Joe's and Kroger are limiting how many cartons

shoppers can buy to prevent hoarding.

Freight trains loaded with Nike merchandise have become targets for thieves in California, and authorities

think it could be part of a bigger criminal operation.

Reporter Alex Wigglesworth explains how two separate train burglaries in the Mojave Desert

ghost town of Amboy could be linked to a case in Arizona, where 11 people were charged with stealing Nike sneakers from the same rail line.

In just five days, nearly half a million dollars in shoes were stolen.

Investigators believe transnational crime groups, mainly based in Mexico, could be behind it.

So far, four suspects have been arrested in California,

but police are still searching for others. Bad news for consumers. U.S. inflation is on the

rise again. Christopher Ruggabur reports on how the cost of things like groceries, gas, and used cars all climbed in January,

pushing inflation up to 3%. This is a setback for consumers and a challenge for the Federal Reserve,

which may now delay cutting interest rates. Meanwhile, analysts worry Trump's proposed tariffs

could drive prices even higher.

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