🥑 Avocados & cocaine

Good morning. This is Shades of the Day, the daily newsletter that summarizes and organizes the different shades of perspective in news and culture so that you can see the big picture quickly.

Here at Shades we believe that seeing multiple points of view is the best way to stay informed. The easiest (and most fun!) way to do that is with the Shades mobile app, where this newsletter’s content is pulled from.

It’s Wednesday, March 27 — here’s what you’ll find in today’s newsletter:

• The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore

• The Colombian avocado-cocaine drug bust

• 4 quick hits of news from the last 24 hours

- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)

⚫ Baltimore bridge collapse

A container ship collision caused the Francis Scott Key Bridge to collapse.

⚫ A ship collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse. The WSJ says the collapse sparked a search for missing people and disrupted one of the busiest ports in the US.

⚫ NY Post notes that the container ship, M/V Dali, crashed in 2016. Past inspections raised alarm about “deficiencies” of the ship's hardware.

⚫ And Gcaptain.com pointed to mechanical failure as the cause of the tragedy: Stopping a ship this big is “nearly impossible” without power.

⚫ The NYT offered a different take: The collapse tests Biden's crisis management skills — the political fallout of the event could be huge.

🥑 Avocados & cocaine

An avocado shipment from Colombia to Portugal had $50M worth of cocaine hidden inside.

🥑 Newsmax: A Colombian cartel hid $50M of cocaine in an avocado shipment. But Colombian police busted the scheme during a routine inspection.

🥑 Here is a TikTok video detailing how the authorities found the drugs.

🥑 Daily Mail: Officials found 1.7 tons of the stuff. They suspect it's the work of the “Gulf Clan”, one of the most powerful cartels in Colombia.

🥑 By the way, USA Today says this isn't the first time drug smugglers have used fruits — $570m worth of drugs were once found in a banana shipment.

Quick hits

🏛️ A federal appeals court ruled against Texas's law to arrest and deport migrants, upholding an injunction.

⚾️ ESPN's MLB experts make their picks for the 2024 season, with the Orioles and Braves among top contenders.

🎉 Mega Millions jackpot of $1.13 billion won with a ticket from New Jersey; winner yet to be identified.

🤝 Xi Jinping meets with American CEOs to encourage investment and strengthen China-US economic ties.

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