The Indicator from Planet Money Chicken meat, Gulf of Mexico lawsuit and Social Security beyond the grave
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Feb 21, 2025 Discover the surprising stability of chicken meat prices amid rising egg costs due to bird flu. Dive into a contentious legal challenge regarding a proposed name change for the Gulf of Mexico and its implications for various industries. Unravel the humorous yet flawed claims from the Trump administration about deceased centenarians receiving Social Security checks, shedding light on the outdated systems at play. Finally, explore the Social Security Administration's struggles with significant overpayments and necessary reforms in a constrained budget environment.
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Stable Chicken Prices
- Chicken meat prices have only risen 1% in the last year, unlike egg prices.
- This is due to different chicken breeds, farming practices, and farm locations.
Gulf of Mexico/America Dispute
- Mexico's president, Claudia Scheinbaum, disputes the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico.
- She argues that the name change, per a UN convention, applies only to 12 nautical miles from the coastline.
Social Security and the Deceased
- The Trump administration claimed tens of millions of dead people over 100 receive Social Security.
- This is due to outdated software that doesn't properly record deaths, not actual payments.