McDonald’s Revamps Meal Deal As QSRs Fight Over Cash-Strapped Consumers
About six months ago, McDonald’s launched a meal deal targeting working-class and middle-class customers who could no longer afford soaring Big Mac prices due to the inflation storm sparked by failed ‘Bidenomics.’ The meal deal ignited a value menu war with other major quick-service restaurants. Now, the burger chain is planning a complete overhaul of its value menu in early 2025.
A press release from MCD on Friday morning stated the new McValue menu, consisting of $5 meal deals, will launch on January 7.
The “highly anticipated new value platform” will unlock value for working poor customers nationwide by offering “current fan-favorites like the $5 Meal Deal, exclusive in-app offers, and local food and drink deals – plus, a brand new Buy One, Add One for $1 offer on popular items for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” MCD explained.
Joe Erlinger, President of MCD USA, wrote in a statement, “When it comes to value, we know there’s no one-size-fits-all. We’ve worked closely with our franchisees to create a new platform that will let our customers define value on their own terms,” adding, “From deals on their personal go-to order to universal favorites like the $5 Meal Deal, we’re excited to give fans more ways to save every time they visit one of our restaurants.”
Bloomberg noted, “McDonald’s new value format will replace another platform with items sold for $1 to $3 that launched in 2018. These days, items on the lower end of the range are hard to come by, following inflation-fueled price increases.”
In October, MCD Chief Executive Officer Chris Kempczinski told the audience at the Boston College Chief Executives Club that challenging macroeconomic headwinds will persist for low-income customers.
“We’re starting to talk about 2025, and my message to our teams has been: ‘We need to be preparing for another challenging year,'” Kempczinski told the audience, adding, “We need to be making sure that we’ve got a really strong value proposition in all of our markets.”
In markets, MCD shares have failed three times to break above $300 handle…
MCD’s reintroduction of the value menu earlier this year directly responded to sluggish US sales as cash-strapped consumers dialed back on pricey Big Macs.
Leaders of the University of Notre Dame’s hockey team have apologized for telling fans not to wear the color green, Shamrocks, the words “Fighting Irish,” and other imagery to its upcoming game abroad in Belfast, Ireland.
The advice was given despite the fact that the team had made special jerseys for the game next week that have the word “Irish” literally sprawled across the chest.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we posted guidelines on social media for fans wishing to express support for the team during its upcoming trip to Northern Ireland. The guidelines were not properly reviewed and should not have been posted,” reads the statement, posted Nov. 19.
“Our game in Belfast is meant to bring people together and build bridges through sport, we apologize to fans and to the people of Northern Ireland for any confusion or offense.”
The apology came after controversy and criticism over the advice in the now-deleted X post.
Notre Dame Hockey
November 6th
Special ‘Irish’ jerseys released ahead of Belfast tour.
In the original post on the Notre Dame Hockey account on X, the team offered guidelines and “a reminder to avoid our Irish symbolism, that may be deemed offensive to some, while out around town”.
In an accompanying graphic, the team advised fans not to wear green clothes or anything with shamrocks, leprechauns or the Irish flag.
It also said fans should not wear any clothes with the terms ‘Fighting Irish’ or ‘Irish’.
…Their ice hockey team will face Boston University, Harvard and Merrimack College in the Friendship Four tournament in Belfast next week.
The situation was widely mocked, including by an Outkickreporter who wrote: “If it’s such a problem, maybe don’t pick a team called the Irish who are wearing special jerseys for the tournament which say ‘IRISH’ right across the front.”
Russia Confirms It Hit Ukraine With New Hypersonic ‘Oreshnik’ Missile, Capable Of Reaching Any European Target
A day after Russia’s attack on Ukraine with what were clearly big, very fast and new intermediate-range missiles, which many outlets initially reported to be an ICBM, the Kremlin is touting that it launched a cutting-edge hypersonic missile for which there is no defensive intercept capability.
Russia says that Washington has now understood and been able to grasp Putin’s warnings and red lines more clearly following the missile strike a Ukrainian defense industry facility in Dnepropetrovsk Thursday morning. The new hypersonic weapon, dubbed ‘Oreshnik’ is capable of delivering a nuclear warhead.
“We have no doubt that the current administration in Washington has had the opportunity to familiarize itself with this announcement and understand it,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Putin had said the West’s escalation, seen this week in authorizing Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russia with US/UK-made weapons, makes Ukraine a “global” conflict.
He strongly hinted that this global aspect to the war means attacks on Western targets can’t be ruled out. The same day, the foreign ministry said a US missile base in Poland is a prime target.
Peskov further called Putin’s message following the hypersonic attack “comprehensive, clear and logical.” The Russian leader has authorized the new missile to enter mass production.
“The key message is that the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries — which produce missiles, supply them to Ukraine and subsequently take part in carrying out strikes on Russian territory — cannot go unanswered,” Peskov continued.
On Friday Russian state media sources have begun publishing specs for the Oreshnik missile, claiming it flies at Mach 10, and can reach 5,500km in distance, or 3,400+ miles (as a medium-range weapon).
Russia’s missile command has also informed Putin that the projectile is capable of reaching any European target…
❗️‘Oreshnik’ IRBM is capable of reaching any European target – Russian missile forces chief pic.twitter.com/v50HHAafIc
“The unique feature of the Oreshnik missile system is that, firstly, it is a medium-range missile – it flies to a distance of 1,000 km to 5,500 km – and secondly, it is hypersonic, flying at a speed of Mach 10,” a retired Russian Army colonel and military analyst, identified as Viktor Litovkin, told Sputnik.
“The West does not have missiles that fly at such a speed or hypersonic missiles at all,” he continued. “Although the US has repeatedly boasted that it has such missiles, it has never demonstrated a missile flight. They appeared to show missiles that flew at a supersonic speed of 5.5 times the speed of sound or Mach 5.5. However, hypersonic speed begins at Mach 6-7.”
Independent geopolitical site Moon of Alabama agrees, and calls it a huge game-changer [emphasis ZH]:
Launched from Russia the missile can reach any target in Europe in less than 20 minutes. On reentry into the atmosphere the warheads of the missile reach hypersonic speeds of 3-4 kilometer per second. There is no air defense system in the world that could stop them.
The surprising and successful demonstration of such an enormous capability is a wake-up call for European strategists.
Lulled in by neoconservative talk of western supremacy and presumed Russian inabilities the Europeans were eager to connect their fate to a proxy war against Russia. Having been defeated in the fight for the commodities of the Donbas region they have pushed for extending the reach of their weapons into Russia.
The results are now in. Europe is defenseless against new Russian weapons which can reach every political and industrial center of Europe with devastating power and with just minutes of notice.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Thursday’s strike against a weapons factory in Dnepropetrovsk was an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), dubbed Oreshnik (‘Hazel’). Oreshnik flies at Mach 10 and carries multiple warheads, making it impervious to air defenses. pic.twitter.com/awK9at6lwh
Egg Prices Surge Again As Grocers Face Shortages Amid Bird Flu Outbreak
Wholesale egg prices via the Urner Barry Egg Index are nearing record highs (again) as the highly pathogenic avian Influenza, also known as bird flu, hits egg production at commercial farms.
The Washington Post reports that consumers are growing increasingly frustrated with DC-area grocery stores, where signs read: “Temporarily out of eggs.”
It was frustrating to shoppers at a Trader Joe’s in the Union Market neighborhood of Washington, D.C., on Wednesday as they walked past an empty refrigerator case with a sign that read: “Temporarily out of eggs.” One customer, Donella Brockington, worried she wouldn’t have eggs to bake for Thanksgiving. “I hate going to grocery stores, so when I go and I can’t get what I want, it’s unpleasant,” she said.
Not too far away, at a Whole Foods Market in Logan Circle, only duck eggs, quail eggs and organic pasture-raised eggs were available. A sign informed shoppers that the store was limiting egg purchases to three cartons per customer. “We are currently experiencing difficulty sourcing eggs that meet our strict animal welfare standards,” it said.
The latest data from the US Department of Agriculture showed that US egg production in October dipped by 2.6% from one year ago and is forecasted to slide by 1% in 2024 compared to last year.
Bernt Nelson, an American Farm Bureau Federation economist, told WaPo, “Bird flu is by far the biggest factor involved with egg prices,” adding, “As bird flu comes and goes, our egg prices ride the wave.”
Internet searches on Google show “egg shortage” is steadily rising into the end of the year, reaching a one-year high.
Bloomberg data shows that news stories featuring “egg shortage” jumped to 56 in October, the highest number since June when the story count was 137. Previous spikes in mid-2022 and early 2023 were during the last bird flu outbreak.
The last major egg disruption occurred in the second half of 2022 and early 2023, sending retail prices of a dozen eggs to nearly $5.
“This is a virus that is very wily,” said Emily Metz, the chief executive and president of the American Egg Board, adding, “It affects farms regardless of production, style, shape, size, and whether it’s cage-free or conventional or pasture-raised.”
The egg shortage is hitting grocery stores ahead of Thanksgiving, with bird flu being blamed for empty shelves. @eschulze has more. pic.twitter.com/ckYeLzCskI
A Cambridge-based university has made a big decision to provide tuition-free education to approximately 80 percent of its incoming undergraduate students.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced on Wednesday that, beginning in the 2025–2026 academic year, undergraduates from families earning less than $200,000 annually with typical assets will be eligible to attend MIT tuition-free.
This initiative is part of MIT’s expanded financial aid program aimed at increasing accessibility for a broader range of students, according to the university, which says the new policy will increase current aid eligibility thresholds.
Additionally, families with total incomes below $100,000 with typical assets will not be expected to contribute toward their student’s MIT education, including tuition, housing, dining, fees, and an allowance for books and personal expenses.
Meanwhile, students are still expected to contribute toward their own expenses through summer savings and employment during the school year.
This $100,000 threshold is up from $75,000 this year, while next year’s $200,000 threshold for tuition-free attendance will increase from its current level of $140,000. School officials said these measures are designed to make an MIT education more affordable and accessible to a diverse student body.
“MIT’s distinctive model of education — intense, demanding, and rooted in science and engineering — has profound practical value to our students and to society,” MIT President Sally Kornbluth said in a press release.
“The cost of college is a real concern for families across the board, and we’re determined to make this transformative educational experience available to the most talented students, whatever their financial circumstances. So, to every student out there who dreams of coming to MIT: Don’t let concerns about cost stand in your way.”
MIT does not require students who are on financial aid to take out loans and does not offer preferential treatment to children of alumni or donors.
“We believe MIT should be the preeminent destination for the most talented students in the country interested in an education centered on science and technology, and accessible to the best students regardless of their financial circumstances,” said Stu Schmill, MIT’s dean of admissions and student financial services.
“With the need-based financial aid we provide today, our education is much more affordable now than at any point in the past,” Schmill, who graduated from MIT in 1986, “even though the ‘sticker price’ of MIT is higher now than it was when I was an undergraduate.”
MIT’s endowment is funded by contributions from individual alumni and supporters, according to school officials.
“Today’s announcement is a powerful expression of how much our graduates value their MIT experience … Our endowment is an inter-generational gift from past MIT students to the students of today and tomorrow.”
Several prestigious American universities have recently implemented initiatives to reduce or eliminate tuition costs for a substantial portion of their undergraduate students.
In 2024, Cooper Union announced that approximately 82 percent of undergraduate tuition costs would be covered by scholarships for the 2024–2025 academic year, with a goal of returning to full-tuition scholarships by the 2028–2029 academic year.
In July 2024, Johns Hopkins University received a $1 billion Bloomberg Philanthropies donation to provide free tuition for medical students from families earning under $300,000 and cover living expenses for those earning under $175,000.
A Texas lawmaker believes the state’s proposed gold-backed digital currency could play a key role in boosting cryptocurrency adoption.
Cody Harris, a Republican Party member of the Texas State House of Representatives, addressed the development of a gold-backed token in Texas at the North American Blockchain Summit on Nov. 21.
In a fireside chat with Coinbase’s David Duong, Harris argued that a state-issued gold-backed token could serve as a gateway for Texans to explore digital assets like Bitcoin BTC$97,519.
A “stepping stone” to Bitcoin
Two Texas lawmakers, Senator Bryan Hughes and Representative Mark Dorazi, introduced two separate bills for creating a state-issued digital currency backed by gold in April 2023.
Under the plan, each unit of the digital currency would represent a fraction of a troy ounce of gold held in trust.
Harris said the initiative could help skeptics become more comfortable with cryptocurrency by offering a government-issued digital alternative before transitioning to decentralized assets like Bitcoin.
Cody Harris (right) and Coinbase’s David Duong at the North American Blockchain Summit. Source: Cointelegraph
For those who are very reluctant to enter into owning Bitcoin or exploring cryptocurrency, a state-issued coin would give them somewhat of a “comfort level” compared to tokens issued by startups, Harris said, adding:
“This [state-issued digital currency backed by gold] is something safe that people can get their feet wet with. It’s more of a stepping stone to owning Bitcoin than competing with it or taking the place or something like that.”
“I think we would all agree that a CBDC is detrimental to the nation and the state of Texas,” the lawmaker said at the fireside chat, referring to many potential threats associated with CBDCs, including surveillance and privacy concerns.
Harris urged the community to make sure that the government properly addresses the goals of CBDCs before launching one. He stated:
“I think it makes it easier for us who are pro-bitcoin to have conversations about why someone should change their perspective on it. If we start at a CBDC, is it the goal of some parts of the US government? So let’s lock arms together and make sure that that doesn’t happen.”
NY ‘Hush Money’ Judge Grants Trump Request To File For Dismissal, Postpones Sentencing Indefinitely
Liberals will be tearing what’s left of their hair out even more this morning as Judge Juan Merchan just granted President-elect Trump’s request to file a motion to dismiss the charges in the Stormy Daniels’ ‘hush money’ case and removed the sentencing date for the president-elect from the schedule.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) is opposing that request. Instead, Bragg floated that Merchan could freeze the proceedings while Trump is in office, meaning the conviction would remain on the books but sentencing wouldn’t occur until 2029, at the earliest.
Merchan ordered Trump to file his formal motion asking for dismissal by Dec. 2 and Bragg to respond by Dec. 9.
Merchan also confirmed the stay in sentencing for Trump, which was requested by both Trump and Bragg attorneys.
The sentencing was scheduled for Nov. 26, but on Friday, Merchan said that date “is adjourned.”
The judge will then decide how to proceed.
In a letter to Merchan on Wednesday, Trump defense attorney and now-nominee for Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche demanded the case against President-elect Donald Trump be tossed.
“On November 5, 2024, the Nation’s People issued a mandate that supersedes the political motivations of DANY’s ‘People,’” Blanche wrote.
“This case must be immediately dismissed.”
Blanche said that “immediate dismissal of this case is mandated by the federal Constitution, the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, and the interests of justice, in order to facilitate the orderly transition of Executive power following President Trump’s overwhelming victory in the 2024 Presidential Election.”
Trump’s imminent return to the White House has already pumped the brakes on his other criminal prosecutions.
Germany Admits It’s Unlikely To Arrest Netanyahu On ICC Warrant
In the wake of Thursday’s International Criminal Court (ICC) decision to issue formal arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza, the White House says it “fundamentally rejects” the move and won’t recognize it (though the US has never been a member state of the ICC).
“Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security” President Joe Biden said in reaction, agreeing with Israel that it is “outrageous.”
But the reaction in Europe has been mixed. While all 27 member states of the EU are part of the ICC, Hungary has been most vocal in rejecting the warrants and The Hague court’s ruling, while Germany has said it is “examining” how to respond while signaling it’s unlikely to enforce it if PM Netanyahu visits the country.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Friday, “We are now of course examining exactly what that means for implementation in Germany.” According to more:
Whether German authorities would move to arrest Netanyahu or former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, who also had a warrant issued against him, is currently “theoretical”, Baerbock said.
Germany is “bound by” the court as a country which recognizes the body and respects international law, she said.
Clearly this has put Berlin, a staunch supporter of Israel, in an awkward position. This was acknowledged when government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit was pressed by reporters over whether Germany authorities would actually carry out an arrest on the Israeli prime minister.
He replied candidly, “It’s hard for me to imagine that we would carry out arrests in Germany on this basis.”
The UK has meanwhile said it would conform to the ICC ruling, theoretically at least, as well as the following EU countries:
Despite Hungary’s resistance, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands and France have signaled that they would respect the court’s decision and potentially arrest Netanyahu if he travelled to one of their countries.
Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said Thursday that although it was “wrong” to compare Netanyahu and Gallant to Hamas, if the pair were to enter Italy, “we would have to arrest them”.
This comparison to Hamas remark is in reference to the court having simultaneously issued an arrest warrant for Mohammed Deif, the already slain head of the military wing of Hamas.
The outrageous decision by the ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, to seek arrest warrants against the democratically elected leaders of Israel is a moral outrage of historic proportions.
Even though President-elect Donald Trump defeated former Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, many leftists still expressed their desire to see her run for president in 2028.
According to the newly released poll by Puck News/Echelon Insights, 41% of likely Democratic voters would vote for Harris to be on the Democratic ticket in 2028. The poll also revealed that Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., received a second place (8%), and Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa., who could’ve been Harris’s vice president this cycle, received a third place (7%).
However, the chances of Newsom or Shapiro winning the election in 2028 are almost nonexistent.
Californians no longer support Newsom because they have become more conservative after witnessing the Biden-Harris administration. Shapiro also recently became infamous for trying to defend the election officials in his state who attempted to steal the Senate seat for former Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.
Other Democrats who appeared in the survey results got even less support from the “vote blue no matter who” crowd. Both Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., Harris’s vice presidential pick, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who ran for president in 2020, got only 6%
Among other unpopular Democrats who appeared in the survey results were Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. (4%), Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich. (3%), and Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D-Ill., (2%).
Conservatives had a lot of fun after seeing the poll, mocking Harris and Democrats, generally speaking.
“I hope they do run her again, but the Democrats usually don’t renominate losers. That’s what Republicans usually do,” Jesse Watters of Fox News said.
He then questioned the idea Harris would even be able to win the Democratic primary.
“I don’t know if she could. If you were a donor, would you ever give money to the Harris campaign after they just gave it away to Oprah [Winfrey] and Al Sharpton and didn’t go on [Joe] Rogan? H-ll no!” Watters added.
Joel Gabriel Simonson of the Washington Free Beacon explained the reason why Democrats still support Harris for president in 2028.
“Kamala Harris leading the 2028 primary makes sense because there is a near consensus on here that she ran a virtually flawless, perfect campaign. So presumably, once Biden is long out of office, she’ll thrive,” he wrote.
Kamala Harris leading the 2028 primary makes sense because there is a near consensus on here that she ran a virtually flawless, perfect campaign. So presumably once Biden is long out of office, she’ll thrive https://t.co/UKXZnN2Vcy
Other conservatives stated that they are completely fine with Democrats “being dumb enough to run her” in 2028.
Wow. This Echelon poll asked Democrats who they’d vote for in the 2028 Presidential primary and 41% said Kamala Harris. If they’re dumb enough to run her again, I can’t wait. 😂 pic.twitter.com/LbAmhkv9la
UMich Inflation Expectations Jump To 16-Year-High, Democrats’ Confidence Crushed
Longer-term inflation jumped to their highest since June 2008, according to the latest UMich Sentiment survey, while short-term inflation expectations dropped to four year lows…
Source: Bloomberg
Interestingly, on the heels of a positive PMI surprise – based on Trump – UMich sentiment declined in November (from preliminary to final) but was higher overall (even though current conditions dipped)…
Source: Bloomberg
Post-election interviews were 1.3 points below the pre-election reading, moderating the improvement seen earlier in the month.
Overall, the stability of national sentiment this month obscures discordant partisan patterns.
In a mirror image of November 2020, the expectations index surged for Republicans and fell for Democrats this month, a reflection of the two groups’ incongruous views of how Trump’s policies will influence the economy.
But while the Dems are sad, overall Americans are positive on Trump’s policies…
Another UMich data series worth watching: The percentage of respondents offering unsolicited positive comments about government economic policies. Notice the shift in ’16 — expect a bigger spike in Dec’s release, which will fully reflect post-election responses. WSL ELECTIONpic.twitter.com/bKVjiOyK2V
