Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🤖 The quest to make lazier robots
• 🟥 FDA bans Red No. 3
• 🥚 Why eggs are more expensive

… and more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.26-minute read (1,134 words).

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"Make failure your teacher, not your undertaker."

–Hilary 'Zig' Ziglar (1926-2012)

Researchers and companies are increasingly trying to figure out ways to make automatons – a catch-all term for AI algorithms, industrial robots, drones, self-driving cars, etc. – consume less energy. In human terms: these robots need to perform less house work and take more naps (don’t we all).

The issue: To put it simply, robots are energy guzzlers. ChatGPT, for example, uses ~500,000 kilowatt-hours/day responding to ~200 million queries – enough energy to power the average US household for 46 years.

And as adoption of robots continues to increase, it’s leading to higher energy prices for many US consumers, alongside the addition of more planet-warming pollution to the environment.

• In Oregon, electric utilities are warning regulators that consumers need protections from rising rates caused by data centers.
• In the Mid-Atlantic, local residents are expected to see energy rate increases up to 20% this year, in large part due to the proliferation of data centers.
• And from Virginia to Ohio to South Carolina, companies are battling over the extent of their responsibility for increases, while attempting to fend off anger from customers.

The solution could lie in “lazy robotics.” A growing number of researchers are attempting to reprogram complex machines into doing less and taking more shortcuts – essentially, behaving more like Peter from Office Space.

• As most robots function by constantly taking in and computing increasingly vast quantities of data, the idea behind lazy robotics is to filter that data to focus only on what’s important at any particular moment – rather than calculating everything, everywhere, all at once.

📝 Bottom line: Some experts say simplifying tasks in this way is necessary for robots to reach mass adoption, since many current products can’t scale successfully due to high energy usage.

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Fruit by the Foot and Ringpops have been put on notice. The FDA yesterday officially banned Red No. 3, aka erythrosine, an additive made from petroleum that’s used to give foods and drinks a bright, cherry-red color.

• Red No. 3 was banned from use in cosmetics in the US in 1990, due to evidence the dye is carcinogenic at high doses to lab rats. But it has remained one of nine synthetic dyes approved by the FDA for use in food products.

Behind the latest red alert: The FDA said yesterday’s move came in response to a 2022 petition filed by advocates, who cited a pair of studies that showed male lab rats developed cancer when exposed to high levels of Red No. 3.

• According to the FDA, the cancer found in the studies was caused by a rat specific hormonal mechanism and doesn’t occur in humans.
• But the agency was forced to ban Red No. 3 regardless, under a 1960 law prohibiting FDA authorization of a food additive found to cause cancer in humans or animals.

👀 Looking ahead…Manufacturers of the 9,000+ US products containing Red No. 3 – most commonly found in candy, cakes/cupcakes, frozen desserts, frostings, and certain supplements – will have until 2027 to reformulate their food products, and until 2028 to change their supplements.

After filing for bankruptcy in 2020, Chuck E. Cheese, birthday-and-pizza-party host extraordinaire, is mounting a comeback.

• CEC Entertainment, which owns Chuck E. Cheese, Pasqually’s Pizza & Wings, and Peter Piper Pizza, has experienced eight straight months of same-store sales growth, CEO Dave McKillips revealed in a recent CNBC interview.
• CEC has seen its annual revenue increase from $912 million in 2019 to roughly $1.2 billion in 2023. And that’s with fewer open Chuck E. Cheese locations.

Key to the turnaround: Chuck E. Cheese dipped into its fresh bucket of cheddar secured from raising bonds post-bankruptcy, spending $350 million to give its locations a new look for a new era.

Gone are the animatronic singing performances, SkyTube tunnels, and physical tickets of millennial childhoods. Instead, they’ve been replaced by trampolines, a mobile app, and floor-to-ceiling JumboTrons.

The company also unveiled a subscription (because why not?), which has turned into another arrow in its growth quiver. Last year, Chuck E. Cheese sold ~400,000 subscription passes, up from ~79,000 in 2023.

🐭 Bottom line: Mr. Cheese has come a long way since this infamous 2008 Wall Street Journal report about the unusual number of adult fights that took place at his establishment.

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BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 📊 US markets rose across the board (S&P: +1.8%; Dow: +1.7%; Nasdaq: +2.5%). | 📝 US inflation increased 2.9% in the 12 months ending in December; that's up from 2.7% in November but analysts say there are signs of underlying price pressures easing. | ✌️ Hindenburg Research, noted short-seller, is closing up shop.
• 🏦 Big bank earnings: JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup posted strong quarterly results.
• 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia is investing another $100 billion on a mineral investment project, as it seeks to expand exploration for lithium as well as other critical minerals and rare earth elements. | 🇨🇳 China's trade surplus reached a record ~$1 trillion last year.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with The Motley Fool

• ⚖️ Drake filed a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group regarding its promotion of Kendrick Lamar's diss track, "Not Like Us."
• 🍿 2024 Domestic Box Office: Ticket sales came in at $8.74 billion, down 3.4% from 2023; sales were trailing 27% at the year’s midway point.
• 💰 Women's basketball teams will now be paid for playing games in the NCAA tournament each March, just like the men have for years. | 🏈 Deion Sanders is being considered as the Dallas Cowboys’ next head coach. (*Cue: every reality TV exec rubbing their hands together in anticipation.*)

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SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🏥 The medical definition of obesity should rely less on BMI – the main screening tool – and instead use a more nuanced process focused on the amount of fat carried around the waist, per an international committee of scientists.
• 🌌 The European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft has successfully delivered on its mission to map the Milky Way galaxy using trillions of observations taken over 10 years.
• 🦟 Genetically engineered mosquitoes with toxic semen could help scientists fight against tropical disease, per a new trial of the novel pest-control method.

MISCELLANEOUS

in partnership with The Knowledge

• 🤝 Israel and Hamas reached a preliminary agreement on a ceasefire deal involving the return of all Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners; Israel’s security cabinet and government still need to approve the deal. (More details coming in tomorrow’s Dose of Discussion.) | 🇰🇷 South Korean authorities detained impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol after entering his compound early yesterday; Yoon, who faces insurrection charges over his recent surprise martial law declaration, is the country’s first sitting president to be detained.
• 🧑‍⚖️ The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case brought by the porn industry challenging a Texas law requiring users to submit proof of adulthood before accessing pornographic sites.
• 🗣️🏛️ President Biden delivered his farewell address last night; it came five days ahead of his transition out of office. (From the Left | From the Center | From the Right)

*From our partners: 🗞️🧠 Make the news manageable… The Knowledge is a London-based newsletter that brings you the sharpest commentary, and the funniest anecdotes daily via an enjoyable 5 minute read. Subscribe to The Knowledge and join 140k+ readers free.

The US egg supply is similar to a headbanging heavy metal fan – down with the sickness. Bird flu killed 17.2 million hens in November and December alone, a deficit that experts say will take six to nine months to replace.

In the meantime, this supply shortage is causing prices to rise like a sleepy dog mom who just heard vomiting noises. A dozen eggs cost an average of $4.33 at the end of December, up ~25% from early November, according to Nielsen IQ data. That’s on top of the 37.5% year-over-year rise in egg prices in November.

• The wholesale price for a carton of large eggs in New York sat at $6.06/ dozen for the week ending January 10, while the Midwest saw prices of ~$5.75 and California as high as $8.97. In many cases, eggs are missing from grocery shelves altogether.

☝️ A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a pair of private moon landers into space early yesterday alongside other payloads; if successful, they would become the second and third private spacecrafts to ever land on the Moon.

🤔 Did You Know? The 1982 horror flick Poltergeist used real human skeletons as props in its climactic scene, because it was cheaper than making fake skeletons out of rubber.

📰 Worth a Read: When everything in the universe changed.

🖱 Clickbait: How much is TikTok’s US business worth if ByteDance decides to sell?

Yesterday we covered the DOJ’s publication of a long-awaited report from special counsel Jack Smith laying out the details of his investigation into President-elect Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

❓ Our question to you: In general, how do you feel about the results of the recent legal prosecution of President-elect Trump?

• Approve: 41%
• Disapprove: 45%
• No strong opinion: 8%
• Unsure/other: 6%

Click here to read some of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 2,685 votes and 251 longform responses.

🏠 Toronto resident Ryan Donais has been working on his “tiny tiny homes” since the summer, constructing three itty-bitty mobile homes that can be pulled on the back of a bicycle. The homes – which cost ~$10,000 to build and provide electricity, heat, running water, and a bed – are part of his effort to combat homelessness across the city. 

🎨 Five-year-old Philip from Dublin may just be the second coming of Bob Ross. The little one has garnered thousands of online fans after his dad Joseph posted a few of his paintings – and it all started when Joseph began making art to unwind after work.

📸 Speaking of social media stars: Brodie is a 6-year-old rescue pup who has amassed over 1.6 million followers across platforms. It's not just because he's cute; Brodie has a crooked face from an attack he suffered as a puppy, and now looks like a living piece of Picasso art.

Mount Vesuvius, widely considered one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes, is located in which country?

Italy