Botched Ohio police raid and world's oldest dog title in doubt: Morning Rundown

The Supreme Court will hear arguments aimed at curbing the power of federal agencies. Colon cancer is killing more young people than ever. And doubts emerge over the true age of the “world's oldest dog.” 

Here’s what to know today.

Supreme Court considers conservative plea to weaken federal agencies

When the Supreme Court hears arguments today in two cases involving a fisheries regulation, justices will really be considering a larger question: Should a 40-year-old Supreme Court precedent bolstering the power of federal agencies be consigned to history?

Conservatives wary of what they call the “administrative state” hope the answer is yes, and the court’s conservative majority will overturn the 1984 Chevon v. Natural Resources Defense Council ruling. In today’s cases, the Supreme Court will consider a challenge to a less far-reaching government regulation that would require fishing vessels to help fund the collection of scientific data to assist with fishery conservation and management — but the stakes are much more far-reaching.

40 years ago, the Chevron decision was seen as a win for the deregulatory efforts of the Reagan administration. The ruling said judges should defer to federal agencies in interpreting the law when the language of the statute is ambiguous, allowing the Environmental Protection Agency to move forward with a Clean Air Act regulation that was favorable to polluting facilities.

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But decades later, with business interests and conservatives more hostile than what they see as federal overreach, the precedent came to be seen at least on the right as being more beneficial to progressives, who want to make aggressive use of federal agency power.

Supreme Court reporter Lawrence Hurley explains how today’s cases fit into the larger push to curb the power of federal agencies. Read the full story here.

E. Jean Carroll to testify; Trump expected to attend

Writer E. Jean Carroll is expected to testify today in her damages trial against Donald Trump, where she’s seeking at least $10 million from the former president.

Trump is expected to attend the second day of Carroll’s trial, after already being found liable of sexually abusing and defaming Carroll. Trump has maintained the case is “fiction.” Carroll’s attorney said he has continued his defamatory attacks, even as he was in court yesterday.

Colon cancer is killing more young people than ever

Even as overall cancer deaths are falling in the U.S., deaths among younger adults from colon and rectal cancers on the rise, according to the American Cancer Society. The finding, published today, also points out that colorectal cancer has become the deadliest form of cancer among men under the age of 50. For women of the same age group, it’s the second-deadliest cancer, behind breast cancer.

Doctors say the results confirm what they’ve observed for years. But why the cancer is becoming more common in younger adults is a more elusive question.

Civilians flee as IDF advances near key hospital in southern Gaza 

Civilians already displaced by the war in Gaza have been rushing to flee as Israeli forces advance behind intense bombardment on the area around Al Nasser, the main hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to NBC News’ team in Gaza and videos posted to social media by local reporters.

Much-needed medicine will be delivered to Gaza today for Israeli hostages in exchange for more humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians. The agreement brokered by Qatar and France is the first diplomatic breakthrough since the collapse of a truce, but the White House says “serious and intensive discussions” are ongoing for a new hostage deal. Follow live updates.

Audio of Ohio police raid that injured baby comes under fire

The mayor of Elyria, Ohio, has ordered an investigation after a woman alleged that police officers who raided her home and deployed flash-bang devices that sent her 1-year-old with special needs to the hospital had the wrong address.

Police have offered a conflicting account of what happened Jan. 10, saying in a statement Friday that they had executed a search warrant at the correct address and the child did not “sustain any apparent, visible injuries.” But in newly-released audio from a Ring camera clip, someone can be heard saying, “It’s the wrong house.”

China’s population declines for a second year

The population of mainland China has declined for the second year in a row, deepening worries in the world’s second-largest economy. The National Statistics Bureau’s figures show China’s population was down more than 2 million from 2022. To incentivize having children, local governments have introduced tax breaks and child care subsidies. But young people say factors like a lack of work-life balance, the high cost of living and the stress of caring for aging parents have made them reluctant to start families. China’s declining population also has some questioning whether it can overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest economy.

Today’s Talker: Guinness World Records isn’t so sure about...

…the age of the dog it named the oldest living dog and oldest dog ever. A Portuguese pup named Bobi was 31 when he received the accolades last February, before he died. Now, Bobi’s age is under formal review after veterinarians raised concerns, the Associated Press reported. Until there’s an answer, applications for both categories are suspended.

Politics in Brief

Looming funding deadline: The four top congressional leaders are expected to attend a meeting with President Joe Biden today to discuss aid for Ukraine and Israel, as well as border security. Congress has until Friday night to pass a short-term funding bill to avert a government shutdown.

Lloyd Austin: Audio of the 911 call that led to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization revealed a desire for secrecy. “Can the ambulance not show up with lights and sirens?” the caller asked. “We’re trying to remain a little subtle.”

Hunter Biden: House Republicans stopped moving forward with a resolution to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress amid renewed conversations about scheduling a date for the president’s son to testify.

2024 election: After Iowa, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is, at best, in full-on survival mode. At worst, our reporters say, he’s living in fantasy land as his team rallies around the idea that he still has a path to the Republican presidential nomination.

Staff Pick: Climate denialism takes a turn

Researchers used artificial intelligence to sift through more 12,000 climate-denying YouTube videos and found a fascinating shift in their messaging. Over the past five years, videos increasingly steered away from arguing the world is not warming. Instead, they’re calling out a different aspect of the climate change fight. — Evan Bush, science reporter

In Case You Missed It

• Coachella’s 2024 festival lineup includes Lana Del Rey, Tyler the Creator and Doja Cat — and a No Doubt reunion.

• Billionaire Bill Ackman, an integral figure in the campaign to oust Harvard University president Claudine Gay, recently said Martin Luther King Jr. would have “opposed” diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, efforts. Experts said his comments were “insulting.”

• Jurors from Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial will have to testify at a hearing to determine whether a court clerk was motivated to tamper with the jury to boost book sales.

• A federal judge blocked JetBlue Airways’ purchase of budget rival Spirit Airlines after the Justice Department sued to stop the merger.

• A Mississippi slaughterhouse is directly responsible for the death of a 16-year-old migrant who was sucked into the machinery, OSHA said.

• A California man died after he was struck by three different vehicles and none of them stopped to help.

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