Today’s quick hits, Feb. 27, 2023

Exploitation of migrant children: In the “new economy of exploitation,” migrant children work in punishing jobs, including food processing and on the farm, in a shadow labor force across the country, “flouting child labor laws that have been in place for nearly a century.” (New York Times)

Bird flu kills girl: The WHO is investigating the death of an 11-year-old girl in Cambodia from the H5N1 avian influenza virus, and the infection of her father, illnesses that raised the possibility of human-to-human spread of the disease although no such cases have been found. (NBC News)

Loss for ag-gag law: A U.S. appeals court ruled that North Carolina violated the First Amendment with a state law that barred people from going undercover in jobs, such as farmworker, to conduct investigations. (News & Observer)

Tip of the iceberg: British supermarkets, already short of lettuce, tomatoes and other vegetables, ran low on turnips over the weekend in supply gaps blamed on bad weather in southern Europe and North Africa. (Washington Post)

Rural school funding crisis: The Secure Rural Schools program, which gave $238 million to support schools in areas where the federal government is a major landowner, is due to expire in October, the latest cliffhanger moment in a program that has seen nine short-term extensions. (Los Angeles Times)

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