Tuesday's Assorted Links

Meat raffles, condoms, airline mergers, jet fuel prices, and Taylor Swift

Hi y’all! Here are five stories from this week that contained some neat applications of economic principles or are related to teaching:

1. Minnesota lawmakers have introduced new prize limits for its famed meat raffles to account for the increased price of meat [Associated Press]

2. The world’s largest condom producer plans to raise prices by 20–30% over the next few months due to supply chain disruptions from the war in Iran [Reuters]

3. United CEO says he floated merger idea to American chief [CNBC]

4. Budget airlines seek $2.5 billion in relief from the Trump administration [Travel Weekly]

5. Taylor Swift filed trademark applications for clips of her voice and a photograph of her holding a guitar in what looks like an effort to take legal steps against AI imitation [Variety]

---

When the pandemic sent millions of workers home, it quietly reshuffled who was doing the grocery shopping in households across the country. A team of researchers found that families paid 3 to 5 percent more for the same goods when a less experienced shopper took over.

If you haven’t had a chance to read this week’s article, it’s a quick one, and the economics behind it are more interesting than you’d expect.

---

Are you an educator looking for ways to introduce this week’s newsletter into your classroom? Sign up for the Classroom Edition of Monday Morning Economist to get assessments and lesson plans delivered straight to your inbox every week.