Luigi Mangione Guilty Plea Expected; Record US Deficit; Dire Conditions Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln; Extreme Heat Threatens Parmigiano Reggiano

**Mosheh Oinounou** (0:04)
Hey, everybody, it is Friday, August 14th. You're listening to the Mo News podcast. I'm Moshe Oinounou here. As we head into a weekend, this is the place where we always bring you just the facts and we read all the news and read between the lines so you don't have to do that all by yourself. Speaking of being by themselves, I am by myself today. Jill is off today, she'll be back next week. Before we get started on today's headlines, a heads up that starting this weekend, new versions of M&M's, Skittles and Starbursts made available without artificial food dyes are now available to all of us over on Amazon. It has a special FD&C free label. This is an issue we've been covering for a while. Mars, the company behind those candies, talking about how it developed new versions of the candies using colors found in nature. So we're talking about blends of beet juice for red, turmeric for yellow, combinations of turmeric, beet juice and spirulina for green, beta-carotene for orange and so on and so forth, as there's been this big push from the FDA and from consumers, frankly, to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes and other artificial coloring. According to the company, Mars, they have tested this with more than 13,000 consumers over the past year, developing new formulas, new manufacturing capabilities. For the most part, they have found most of those colors because most colors are found in nature. They have had some challenges with the color blue, not that much blue in nature, but apparently they're using spirulina for that. Also, the purple skittles, they have had some trouble using grapes for purple and keeping it consistent. It has varied, but they think they have come to it. Remember that the way that our taste buds work and the way we take in things, oftentimes how we view things, the color of things is key there. Think about how they put dyes in some salmon, because we're used to a certain color of salmon, and so on and so forth. But they've done a whole bunch of blind tests here, and have found that consumers, for the most part, have said that the new candies with the natural coloring tastes just like the old ones. But we'll let you guys be the judge of that. Just a heads up as we head into this weekend, it's a preview of what we're eating this weekend, the new artificial dye-free candies from Mars.
Let's head into the more serious news of the day, our headlines, beginning now.
Food shortages, broken toilets, and sailors looking to jump overboard. We're talking about the concerning conditions aboard the aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln. Why the massive US ship supporting the war in Iran has lawmakers raising alarm bells. What is going on there with morale and the mental health of our sailors? Happening today, Luigi Mangione in court expected to plead guilty in his federal case. Remember, he is facing both state and federal charges.
In the killing of United Health Care CEO, Brian Thompson, we will tell you what this could mean if he moves ahead with a guilty plea. Another trial we are watching, that of Lindsay Clancy, the mother accused of killing her three small children. Week three is wrapped in the case. Clancy is claiming it was due to postpartum psychosis. We spoke to an expert about the condition and we will have the latest from the trial, including Clancy's personal notes from before the killings. Then to Washington and some massive deficit numbers, the federal budget deficit on track to suppress two trillion dollars this year, meaning the government is spending two trillion more than it's taking in, we'll tell you what's going on and where the money is going. The surveillance company Flock says it's now increasing oversight following reports of police misuse. These are the controversial cameras many of you have written in about. We'll explain what is changing and why some say it's not enough. To some new numbers about Gen Z and their financial strategy, specifically their investment strategy and how many of them are looking to sports betting as an investment strategy. We'll give you the numbers. Plus, the extreme heat in Europe is taking its toll on cheese. Very expensive cheese. The financial hit to Italy's industry after a record hot summer. And finally, we end as always on a Friday with cheers to the freaking weekend. What I'm watching, reading and eating this weekend.
All right, let's start in the Middle East now where the massive US aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, is coming under scrutiny after multiple reports of sailors trying to jump overboard. That's how bleak conditions are aboard the ship. 5,000 plus sailors are on board. They have spent now 200 consecutive days at sea without docking in order to support the Iran War. Military families and lawmakers are raising alarms over conditions aboard the ship, food and water shortages, plumbing issues, mail delays, and grueling work schedules. Crew members aboard the aircraft carrier left San Diego last November, expecting a typical seven-month voyage in the Pacific. But the ship was redirected to the Middle East in January, just ahead of the US launching the war on Iran. It has remained there ever since and has not docked. This week, two leading military publications, The Navy Times and The Stars and Stripes newspaper reported there have been multiple attempts by sailors to jump overboard. The wife of one crew member telling The Navy Times that she received a call after her husband tried to jump. He has now been put on a medical hold. In a separate incident, one woman recounted how her husband intervened and another crew member was preparing to jump overboard. There's also been a ship-wide announcement informing the whole crew about an incident where someone tried to jump a few months ago. It's according to separate interviews that The Stars and Stripes publication did. The wife of one of the crew members was on MS Now yesterday. He's the crew member who went overboard earlier this month. He was an aircraft mechanic on his first deployment and was in the water for roughly an hour before being rescued. She said she didn't find out about the attempted suicide until four days later, but that he had been expressing frustration and feeling overwhelmed weeks before. He had sent her a text message that read partially as follows. I'm really trying not to feel negative or hopeless, but between the Wi-Fi and not knowing when I will come home, and not knowing what is happening back home, it's really getting to me. I don't think I could do another deployment after this. I don't even know if I can finish this deployment. The ominous words from his text message just ahead of jumping overboard there. The wife saying that he was medically evacuated from the ship, and she is still waiting for him to arrive back in San Diego. The Navy has denied that there's been an increase in suicide attempts, and it does say that it takes service members' well-being seriously and has mental health professionals available. But prior to all this coming to light, family members were already raising concerns. Last Thursday, around 200 family members attended a town hall in San Diego, which was followed by a very tense virtual meeting later that night. They raised concerns about the physical conditions on the ship, saying their children or spouses reported issues aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, including broken toilets, moldy showers, dysfunctional laundry facilities, and periods with hot water. They're also talking about shortages of food and basic supplies here. One parent said her daughter believed she was going to die on the ship, and no one had any indication of when they would be sent home. Now, as for the Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, he said the reports of the bad conditions aboard the Lincoln were, quote, completely misrepresented. The Navy says that many of them have been resolved. NBC is reporting, and it's not just NBC, The Washington Post, CNN, and again, these military publications are reporting that some military leaders have been saying this privately. They are concerned about low morale, widespread fatigue as the war against Iran is near the half year mark.