Perhaps it is fitting that legendary Beach Boy and California native son Brian Wilson would pass away in the same year that a New York Times headline would ask, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/us/california-turmoil-resilience.html">“Is the California Dream a Mirage?”</a>
The social, environmental and economic disaster that is California has been mushrooming for decades now, with any improvements in the near term looking about as likely as a working bullet train from the north to the south in that state. The litany of negative facts emerging for the state is accompanied by descriptors such as “worst,” “first,” “record,” “ballooning,” “unsustainable,” “disaster,” and “mismanagement.” These ills are detailed in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-assemblyman-explains-how-state-has-mismanaged-fire-prevention-policies-as-wildfires-rage">myriad</a> <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/bad-policy-served-as-kindling-for-californias-wildfires-forest-water-management-social-justice-c5b94a4f?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAif-IufnKaxHOP49zFGTHPZhQuqrXUEi-2TLq3CTiNpkYvlSDqNxFWNzK60iAw%3D&amp;gaa_ts=685d8562&amp;gaa_sig=3-LfR_GHU3tLPG-o-YsVjgoRNU1-opiK9zrnQzURPOZIBNcm7OIKeIV5kTdTHBKbOeKnRJ-BbcIcuJq-0ipu3Q%3D%3D">articles</a> <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/01/11/opinion/catastrophic-wildfires-left-la-in-ashes-due-to-californias-failing-liberal-leadership/">pointing</a> to California’s failed leadership.
Consider the overall economic situation. California went from a state budget surplus of <a href="https://www.hoover.org/research/after-100-billion-surplus-california-now-faces-73-billion-budget-deficit">$100b to a deficit of $73b</a> in just three years. This was driven in part from its decision in February of 2020 to escalate spending significantly while it was <a href="https://www.ppic.org/publication/whats-behind-californias-recent-population-decline-and-why-it-matters/">losing jobs</a>, and for the first time since receiving statehood in 1850, population. Between 2010 and 2023, the state saw 9.3 million people leave while only 6.7 million arrived — with a disproportionate number of the “leavers” in the high-income, high-tax-paying category.
California had the distinction of being rated as the very worst state in which to do business by <a href="https://chiefexecutive.net/california-is-the-worst-state-for-business-2014/">Chief Executive</a> magazine — for ten years in a row. Others were more positive with The <a href="https://sbecouncil.org/2019/05/06/new-report-sbe-council-ranks-50-states-according-to-public-policy-and-tax-climates-for-small-business/">Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council</a> seeing them as only the second worst state, and the <a href="https://www.cato.org/blog/best-worse-states-entrepreneurs">Cato Institute</a> placing them at 48th out of 50 for entrepreneurs.
<a href="https://californiapolicycenter.org/reports/worsttobest/">The California Policy Center</a> concludes: 
“For anyone operating a business in California – small, medium or large – the experiences of the last twenty years have been challenging, and it gets worse every year. California’s regulatory environment, its high taxes and exorbitant fees, and the overall cost of doing business are the toughest in the nation. Many businesses have voted with their feet, moving their operations to more welcoming business environments.” 
According to WalletHub.com’s report “<a href="https://wallethub.com/edu/best-places-to-retire/6165">Best &amp; Worst Places to Retire (2025)</a>,” which examined 182 cities across the U.S., four out five of the worst cities in which to retire are in California.
The story is equally daunting in a host of other arenas for the state — education, illegal immigration, water, violent crime, theft, housing, insurance, energy, environment, assorted taxes and fees, cost of living, state employee pensions, healthcare, and more. <a href="https://www.consumeraffairs.com/movers/%23editorial">ConsumerAffairs</a>, a consumer news and advocacy organization, compared all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. across five categories: affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life, and safety. California ranked as the single least desirable state to move to. Their conclusion might have been influenced by seeing that, compared to all other 49 states in the nation, California has the:
<ul>
<li>Highest <a href="https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2023/demo/p60-280.html">poverty rate</a></li>
<li>Highest top marginal <a href="https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates/">state income tax rate</a></li>
<li>Highest <a href="https://www.redfin.com/blog/most-expensive-states-to-buy-a-house/">median home price</a></li>
<li>Highest <a href="https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-gas-tax-rates-2024/">gasoline tax</a></li>
<li>Highest number of federal <a href="https://www.datapandas.org/ranking/welfare-recipients-by-state">welfare recipients</a></li>
<li>Highest amount of <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-states-blame-most-nearly-400-million-unemployment-fraud">unemployment benefit fraud</a></li>
<li>Highest number of <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/07/22/what-we-know-about-unauthorized-immigrants-living-in-the-us/">illegal immigrants</a></li>
<li>Highest percentage of <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/map-states-most-high-school-dropouts-1872310">high school dropouts</a></li>
<li>Highest rates of <a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/human-trafficking-statistics-by-state">human trafficking</a></li>
<li>Highest <a href="https://247wallst.com/special-report/2024/02/13/this-is-the-state-with-the-most-homeless-people-every-state-ranked/">homeless population</a></li>
<li>Highest level of <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/z1/dataviz/pension/comparative_view/table/">state pension shortfall</a></li>
<li>Highest level of <a href="https://www.consumeraffairs.com/movers/states-people-are-moving-to-and-from.html">net exodus</a> from the state</li>
<li>Highest <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/630090/states-with-the-average-electricity-price-for-the-residential-sector-in-the-us/">cost for kilowatt hours</a> in the continental U.S.</li>
</ul>
While many folks have wryly referred to California as, “the most expensive weather in the world,” an increasing number of people are rethinking that cost — especially when the weather itself is now regularly accompanied by wildfires, mudslides, and earthquakes.
The <a href="https://hgbr.org/californias-economic-challenges-a-growing-exodus-and-policy-concerns/">Hampton Global Business Review</a> concludes, “The allure of California’s beaches and innovation hubs might not be enough to counteract the growing disenchantment among its residents and business leaders.”
While all of this is more than sobering, contrary to the popular narrative, the untenable situation in which the state now finds itself cannot be blamed solely or even largely on the handful of people who have occupied the top leadership roles or even the few thousand in mid-tier management/political roles for the state. To be sure, many of those people have largely been far worse than feckless; they have been actively counterproductive — perhaps even maleficent. But blaming leadership is like blaming guns for shooting homicides. They could not have performed this disservice without the active support of the California voters.
Time and time again, California voters continue to check the box for more of the same people who continue to inflict damage on them for decades now. But more importantly, they knowingly do so. No objective observer can credibly argue that Californians have been fooled or misled by their leaders or the outrageous decisions they have made, or failed to make.
The great scholar, author, and life-long California resident Dr. Victor Davis Hanson has for years <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/28121811-the-decline-and-fall-of-california">detailed</a> the disastrous results of many of these decisions — from eliminating fire-preventing forest management, to not only failing to build appropriate dams but blowing up existing dams and eliminating reservoirs, to promoting unchecked and mass illegal immigration.
There was likely no more clarifying moment of truth on this point than when Governor Gavin Newsom faced a recall. His record was damning. There was the bungled and hypocritical mismanagement of the COVID virus response — complete with vaccine shortages, maskless French Laundry dinners with friends, and arbitrary business closure guidelines, a budget deficit that was more than double his own projection, and most importantly, the ignoring or exacerbation of most of the long list of the aforementioned maladies destroying the state.
Not only did the recall effort fail miserably, with Newsom receiving a convincing approval mandate of 62% of the vote, but he was then solidly re-elected in 2022 with nearly that same margin. California voters, no doubt painfully aware of all of these issues essentially said, “Yes, yes, yes! Give us more of this!”
But suppose for just a moment that Newsom had been recalled, that perhaps he had skewered one of the sacred cows big enough to motivate his ouster. Perhaps he drove a diesel car, or contended that there is something wrong about allowing a 250lb biological male athlete to compete with women, or suggested that maybe the unpunished shoplifting limit should be reduced from $950 to say $500, or publicly stated that illegal immigrants are not entitled to the same rights as U.S. citizens. Who would voters have suggested take his place? It almost certainly would have been another entity not dissimilar to Newsom in any significant way.
All of this is exacerbated by the fact that so many logically thinking, hard-working, patriotic Americans are leaving California if they can. With each passing year, the state is left with an increasingly left-leaning voter base — and they like it that way.  Thus, it is folly to believe that California’s ills can be solved as simply as replacing a few, key incompetent leaders. California’s failed leadership is not nearly as problematic as its failed follower-ship. And that is a far harder nut to crack.
Brian Wilson made a career writing songs about the abundant fun, fun, fun available in the Golden State. Were he with us today, begrudgingly or not, he would have to admit that clearly, daddy took the T-Bird away.
* * *
Greg Salsbury, Ph.D. is former president of Western Colorado University and Board of Advisor member for <a href="https://starrs.us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">STARRS.US</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Vogue World: Hollywood Press Announcement

California Had Fun, Fun, Fun — Until Voters Took The T-Bird Away

Business

California

Gavin Newsom

Immigration

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Opinion

Small Businesses

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BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) &#8211; China&#8217;s auto industry has inflated car sales for years through a burgeoning government-backed grey market that registers new cars right off the assembly line and then ships them overseas as &#8220;used&#8221; vehicles.
These so-called &#8220;zero-mileage&#8221; cars have never been driven but they are being exported as used to markets like Russia, Central Asia and the Middle East, allowing Chinese automakers to show growth and to dispose of cars that it would be difficult to sell domestically, according to a Reuters review of government documents and interviews with five auto dealers and car traders.
&#8220;This is the outcome of an almost-four-year price war that has made companies desperate to book any sales possible,&#8221; said Tu Le, Michigan-based founder of consultancy Sino Auto Insights.
The practice only gained national attention after the boss of Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor criticized the sale of zero-mileage used cars within China in May. On June 10 the People&#8217;s Daily newspaper condemned the sale of zero-mileage used cars domestically.
The paper, which often signals the positions of China&#8217;s top Communist Party leaders, blamed these fake used cars for driving down prices amid a withering domestic price war and called for &#8220;tough regulatory action&#8221; to restore order.
But the export and sale of fake used cars is actively encouraged by regional governments in China, according to a Reuters review of state media reports and government documents.
Local governments have embraced the practice as vital to meeting ambitious targets for economic growth set by Beijing, according to a Reuters review of local policy documents and state media articles.
Reuters has identified 20 local governments in China &#8211; including major export hubs like Guangdong and Sichuan &#8211; that have described their support for the export of zero-mileage used cars in publicly available government documents.
The tactics include creating extra licenses for the export of zero-mileage used cars, fast-tracking tax rebate claims, investing in export infrastructure, and funding networking events to encourage zero-mileage used-car exports, the government documents showed.
The zero-mileage used car export market works like this: as a fresh car emerges from the assembly line, an exporter buys the car either directly from the automaker or from a dealer, registers it with a Chinese license plate, and then immediately marks it as a second-hand car for shipping abroad. Along the way, the automaker books the car as sold and logs the revenue.
The support for the practice from local governments would make little sense anywhere outside China&#8217;s centrally planned economy. But here, showing rapid growth in sales and employment can bring about promotion or unlock new funding while missing economic targets that trickle down from Beijing can lead to demotions of local officials.
Because these export firms both purchase and sell a single car, the transaction value is double that of new or used-car purchases, so local governments court them to set up shop on their turf to quickly and artificially boost their GDP statistics, two Chinese auto industry executives said.
The tactic is only one sign that China&#8217;s car industry – the world&#8217;s largest – is allowing production to outpace demand, driving a protracted domestic price war and spurring accusations of automotive &#8220;dumping&#8221; abroad.
Cui Dongshu, the secretary general of the China Passenger Car Association, praised the practice earlier this month during an online panel discussion hosted by Tencent’s news portal, saying it was an alternative channel for automakers in China to access certain markets overseas that they may not be able to access due to rising trade barriers globally.
He added that it also helped to satisfy overseas demand for China-made cars in countries where Chinese brands had yet to enter.
Reuters contacted all the local governments mentioned in this article for comment but none responded. China&#8217;s State Council and commerce ministry did not respond to a request for comment. China&#8217;s foreign ministry referred queries on the practice to &#8220;the department in charge,&#8221; without elaborating.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
Local government support has taken various forms, from simplifying paperwork, to allocating extra quotas for local vehicle registrations, to setting up free warehouses for zero-mileage used cars close to China&#8217;s land and maritime borders, the Chinese documents showed.
In February 2024, the planning commission of the southern city of Shenzhen, one of China&#8217;s richest cities and a tech hub that is home to Huawei and Tencent, pledged to expand the export of zero-mileage used cars as part of efforts to reach an annual target to export 400,000 vehicles of all kinds.
Nearby, the southern Chinese metropolis Guangzhou announced earlier this year it had created a mechanism to support and accelerate the export of zero-mileage gasoline vehicles by allocating extra quotas for local registrations that are otherwise capped to mitigate traffic congestion and air pollution in the city.
Xinmi, a district of Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of China&#8217;s third-most populous province of Henan, said in February that it helped local firm Xinjiasheng Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd to &#8220;promote zero-mileage used car exports, in order to use exports to drive domestic sales.&#8221;
Reuters found a dozen local governments were boosting the export of zero-mileage used cars as part of their strategy or core to their plans for growth.
Sichuan province, one of China&#8217;s most important economic engines, said in October in a policy document it had supported the creation of an &#8220;online export ecosystem for zero-mileage used NEVs&#8221; by promoting e-commerce platforms like Alibaba International, where 100 Sichuan-based used-car sellers are now active.
Xinjiasheng Supply Chain Management and Alibaba did not respond to requests for comment.
MARKET SHIFTS
The practice began sometime after 2019 when China allowed used cars to be exported to other countries. Now thousands of traders are involved in passing off new cars as used to qualify for the channel, according to Wang Meng, a consultant for the China Automobile Dealers Association.
Of the 436,000 used passenger and commercial vehicles exported by China in 2024, 90% are estimated to be &#8220;zero-mileage,&#8221; Wang said.
China overtook Japan to become the world&#8217;s largest exporter of new cars in 2023 and exported 6.41 million vehicles last year, according to the China Passenger Car Association. Of these, about 6% would have actually been zero-mileage used cars, according to Wang&#8217;s estimates.
Two dealers and two industry experts said the majority of zero-mileage used cars are gasoline powered and thus less desirable in the Chinese market. But electric vehicles, which are subject to generous government-funded purchase subsidies, also make up a significant portion.
Huanyu Auto, a used-car seller in China&#8217;s west metropolis of Chongqing, expanded to the zero-mileage used-car business in 2022.
The returns were so good in 2022 and 2023 that they were able to earn 10,000 yuan ($1,400) in profit off an electric sedan that they had purchased in China for 40,000 yuan by selling it in Central Asia, said William Ng, director of the firm&#8217;s international market division.
Criticism has started to mount. On June 7, Zhu Huarong, chairman of Chinese automaker Changan called for a crackdown on exports of zero-mileage used cars at a Chinese auto conference, saying the practice could &#8220;enormously damage Chinese brands&#8217; image&#8221; abroad. Changan did not respond to a request for further comment.
Xing Lei, the Massachusetts-based founder of consultancy AutoXing which provides insights on Chinese EV companies to foreign investors, said the practice could cause foreign investors to assess Chinese automakers&#8217; sales skeptically.
&#8220;How many are real or inflated? No one knows,&#8221; he said.
&#8216;DUMPING&#8217; CONCERNS
The proliferation of new cars being shipped for sale with &#8220;used&#8221; tags is reinforcing fears that China is dumping subsidized vehicles overseas, at a time when Beijing is scrambling to find export markets outside the United States, now heavily protected by tariffs.
Some countries, concerned that the influx of cars will crowd out local dealers and confuse consumers, are starting to push back.
&#8220;We&#8217;re definitely seeing friction and tension in markets where there are already manufacturers on the ground there,&#8221; said Michael Dunne, a consultant who closely follows the China auto industry.
Russia in 2023 issued a government decree effectively banning zero-mileage used cars from brands that already had official distributors in the country. The commerce bureau of Heihe, a Chinese city that sits on the China-Russia border, said last November on its website that this applied to Chinese brands such as Chery, Changan, and Geely.
Geely declined to comment while Chery and Changan did not respond to requests for comment.
Other countries&#8217; market regulators, including Jordan, are finetuning their definition of used cars by mandating a longer period after a vehicle&#8217;s licensing or production before it is classified as used.
Ng, of Huanyu Auto, said growing competition from new entrants such as mom-and-pop stores and even TikTokers selling zero-mileage used cars was causing the trade to become less lucrative.
&#8220;They used to sell vases, wine and are now selling cars in the same way,&#8221; he said of the new entrants. &#8220;This is chaos.&#8221;
(Reporting by Beijing and Shanghai newsrooms; Additional reporting by Gleb Stolyarov in Tbilisi; Editing by Mike Colias and Michael Learmonth)

Employee repairs a second hand car at a used car market in Beijing

Smoke & Mirrors In China’s Auto Industry: New Cars Exported As ‘Zero-Mileage Used’ To Inflate Sales

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China

Communist China

Economy

Riley Gaines, the former collegiate swimmer who rose to fame advocating to protect women&#8217;s sports and spaces from transgender-identifying males, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DLPoOftgYJx/?hl=en">dropped</a> the first installment of her new clothing collection on Monday, the 53rd anniversary of Title IX. 
Gaines teamed up with XX-XY Athletics for a &#8220;Be Bold&#8221; collaboration intended to &#8220;honor the past and defend the future,&#8221; featuring clothing emblazoned with &#8220;Title IX,&#8221; along with messages like &#8220;Save Women&#8217;s Sports.&#8221;
According to XX-XY’s <a href="https://www.xx-xyathletics.com/pages/riley-collaboration">webpage</a>, &#8220;The collaboration with Riley Gaines and Title IX represents a powerful stand for protecting women’s sports as they were meant to be—fair, female and grounded in truth.&#8221;
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Gaines marked the collaboration&#8217;s launch and the anniversary of Title IX with an <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/riley-gaines-title-ix-meant-protect-women-not-erase-us">opinion piece</a> for Fox News, writing, &#8220;Title IX was written to protect women based on biological sex—not self-identified gender. To lose that foundational truth is to lose the heart of the law itself.&#8221;
&#8220;And why does that matter?&#8221; she went on to ask. &#8220;Because growth in sports is about more than medals. It’s about pushing ourselves mentally and physically, developing character, working hard, failing with grace, and winning with integrity. Sports are the training ground for life. And if we allow Title IX to be redefined, we risk losing not just championships—but the next generation of women leaders.&#8221;
Gaines noted how public opinion on transgender athletes has shifted recently and believes the new clothing collection will encourage people to proudly express their principles. 
&#8220;Three years ago it was not popular to say that men and women are different,&#8221; she said. &#8220;But now, having a brand that proclaims it proudly just gives people the courage, the boldness, the bravery to say what everyone already knows to be true.&#8221;
Gaines began collaborating with XX-XY Athletics when it launched in March 2024. The company was founded by Jennifer Sey, an ex-gymnast opposed to transgender-identifying men competing in women’s sports. 
Sey, who got into the textile and brand management business working for Levi Strauss &amp; Co., <a href="https://jennifersey.substack.com/p/the-why-behind-xx-xy-athletics">decided to found XX-XY</a> in response to clothing companies like Nike and Lululemon embracing pro-transgender marketing collaborations with social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney, a biological male who identifies as a woman, and Nikki Hiltz, a biological female who identifies as &#8220;non-binary.&#8221;
Gaines noted that, under the leadership of President Donald Trump, &#8220;The Department of Justice and the Department of Education have taken bold steps to restore Title IX to its original intent.&#8221;
She has expressed her dissatisfaction with previous <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/grotesque-betrayal-of-students-critics-blast-bidens-new-title-ix-regulations-championing-gender-identity?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=85&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98Grotesque+%E2%80%A6+Betrayal+Of+Students%E2%80%99%3A+Critics+Blast+Biden%E2%80%99s+New+Title+IX+Regulations+Championing+%E2%80%98Gender+Identity%E2%80%99">administrations&#8217; reinterpretation</a> of the legislation.
&#8220;Under the Obama and Biden administrations, this landmark civil rights law was gutted in the name of &#8220;inclusion,&#8221; Gaines said. &#8220;Democrats redefined Title IX to accommodate radical gender ideology, allowing men who identify as women to compete in women’s sports, access women’s locker rooms and displace the very people Title IX was meant to protect.&#8221;
Gaines hopes her new clothing collab will inspire others to protect women&#8217;s sports.
&#8220;Title IX opened the doors for women in sport—and we’re not giving that up. Be bold, wear your values, and have faith and courage for the girls who need us to be strong for them. This collection is for real athletes who love America.&#8221;

Riley Gaines

Riley Gaines Unveils ‘Be Bold’ Clothing Collab To Defend Women’s Sports, Honor Title IX Legacy

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Social Issues

Transgender Athletes

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A spokesperson for the group Heritage of Pride confirmed that about 25% of their corporate sponsors had either pulled out of sponsoring New York City’s Pride parade or reduced contributions, leaving organizers scrambling to replace those funds.
“The vast majority of what we have heard is that folks are treading carefully from an economic perspective,” Kevin Kilbride <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/21/nyregion/nyc-pride-sponsors-trump-tariffs.html">told</a> The New York Times during an interview published in late May. He asserted that companies are distancing themselves from the Pride movement for political reasons.
“&#8230;Some folks have definitely mentioned the fear of potential blowback from the Trump administration if you are a big corporation and you are publicly supporting D.E.I. initiatives,” Kilbride told the outlet.
Now the event is happening in ten days. A few weeks ago, Heritage of Pride organizers had been focusing on community funded donations after big corporate spenders pulled back. They were facing a shortage of about $750,000.
“That gap we’re trying to fill with a community fundraising campaign. So in the middle of May, we launched a peer-to-peer campaign so folks can start their own fundraiser online, share it with their friends, and then have folks donate to that,” he told NYT.
Kilbride confirmed the organization planned to “lean a little bit more into individual giving and support from the community.”
Per NYT, four of the five companies that were Platinum sponsors last year either scaled back contributions or canceled. Those include Garnier, Skyy Vodka, Target, and Mastercard. Pepsi and Nissan are also <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/08/pride-month-sponsorship-decline-2025">not contributing</a> funds this year.
Several other cities have reported similar results, with corporate and individual sponsorships being reduced this year compared to others. This has led to some Pride events in large cities being <a href="https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/boise-pride-cancels-june-kickoff-event-due-to-low-attendance-despite-strong-online-support-idaho/277-85507887-f32c-4bae-ae4b-366f10d9eda3">canceled</a>.
This pulling back from Pride has become a trend with major retailers. Target shoppers noticed that the retailer has moved their Pride messaging to the back burner. Social media is buzzing with photos of patriotic apparel displays in Target stores during the month of June. Just two years ago, these same displays would have been decked out in rainbow flag glory.
In 2023, Target was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/target-to-offer-pride-merchandise-in-fewer-stores-after-backlash-against-tuck-friendly-swimsuit-sale-last-year">blasted</a> for offering “tuck-friendly” female swimsuits, which led to boycotts and sinking sales. After the backlash, Target scaled back its “Pride” displays in June 2024, only offering “Pride” merchandise at a limited number of stores. Now, almost all have been <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/target-swaps-out-rainbow-flags-stars-stripes-shoppers-notice-shift-during-pride-month">replaced</a> with red, white, and blue.

NYC Pride

NYC Pride Parade Loses Corporate Sponsors, Begs For Individual Donations

LGBTQ

New York City

Pride

Pride Month

U.S.

Food giant Kraft Heinz announced on Tuesday that it will remove all artificial dyes from its foods and beverages by the end of 2027, following pressure from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kraft Heinz said effectively immediately, no new products will contain such dyes, and all products for U.S. consumers will be synthetic dye-free in a couple years.
&#8220;The vast majority of our products use natural or no colors, and we’ve been on a journey to reduce our use of FD&amp;C colors across the remainder of our portfolio,&#8221; Kraft Heinz&#8217;s president of North America operations Pedro Navio <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/kraft-heinz-removing-all-artificial-dyes-from-us-products-end-2027">said</a> in a statement.
About 10% of Kraft Heinz products still contain artificial dyes, according to the company. Flagship products like Heinz Ketchup never had synthetic dyes, and artificial dyes were removed from the ever-popular Mac &amp; Cheese about a decade ago.
The shakeup will mostly affect products from some Kraft Heinz brands, including Crystal Light, Kool-Aid, and Jell-O brands.
Kennedy applauded the move on X, writing, &#8220;Just months after [HHS] and the [FDA] announced it will phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply, [Kraft Heinz] has committed to remove all artificial dyes from its foods by the end of 2027.&#8221;
&#8220;This voluntary step—phasing out harmful dyes in brands like Kool-Aid, Jell‑O, and Crystal Light—proves that when the government sets clear, science-based standards, the food industry listens and acts,&#8221; RFK added. &#8220;I urge more companies to follow this lead and put the well-being of American families first. Together, we will Make America Healthy Again.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Just months after <a href="https://twitter.com/HHSGov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HHSgov</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/US_FDA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@US_FDA</a> announced it will phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supply, <a href="https://twitter.com/KraftHeinzCo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KraftHeinzCo</a> has committed to remove all artificial dyes from its foods by the end of 2027.
This voluntary step—phasing out harmful dyes in brands… <a href="https://t.co/SxRNh76QJB">pic.twitter.com/SxRNh76QJB</a>
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1935011928403071168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/major-food-companies-accelerate-maha-changes-to-recipes">Major food brands</a> have been adjusting their recipes to nix artificial dyes and preservatives since Kennedy was sworn in as HHS secretary. The momentum to implement &#8220;Make America Healthy Again&#8221; changes only hastened after RFK announced in April that he&#8217;s working with businesses to phase out all petroleum-based food dyes.
In May, for example, the CEOs of both PepsiCo and Tyson Foods said they&#8217;ll be ahead of schedule on ridding their products of such dyes. Ramon Laguarta, the head of PepsiCo, for example, said brands like Lay’s and Tostitos will be rid of artificial colors by the end of 2025.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/major-food-companies-accelerate-maha-changes-to-recipes">Major Food Companies Accelerate MAHA Changes To Recipes</a>

USA Grocery Products

Another MAHA Win: Kraft Heinz To Nix All Artificial Dyes In Two Years

Food

Health

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

President Donald Trump signaled on Thursday that &#8220;changes are coming&#8221; to his immigration policy, noting that farmers as well as hotel and leisure businesses have complained about his &#8220;very aggressive&#8221; crackdown on illegal immigrants.
In a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114670684664650262">post</a> on Truth Social, the president said that he&#8217;s heard from farmers and people in the hotel industry who are concerned about the administration&#8217;s immigration crackdown &#8220;taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace.&#8221; Trump added that the United States must deport criminals while also protecting farmers.
&#8220;In many cases the Criminals allowed into our Country by the VERY Stupid Biden Open Borders Policy are applying for those jobs. This is not good. We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!&#8221; Trump added.
Later on Thursday, Trump <a href="https://x.com/Breaking911/status/1933211435032600896">told</a> reporters at the White House that a new order on certain immigration enforcement will be issued &#8220;pretty soon.&#8221;
&#8220;Farmers are being hurt badly. You know, they have very good workers who have worked for them for 20 years. They&#8217;re not citizens, but they&#8217;ve turned out to be great, and we&#8217;re going to have to do something about that,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We can&#8217;t take farmers and take all their people and send them back &#8230; and you know what&#8217;s going to happen, what is happening, they get rid of some of their people &#8230; and they end up hiring the criminals that have come in, the murderers from prisons and everything else.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s shift comes as his administration has ramped up immigration enforcement operations in the Los Angeles area, including detaining suspected illegal immigrants on the street, at businesses, and on farms. ICE agents were spotted chasing down and detaining farm workers in Ventura County, California, earlier this week.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
ICE agents arrived at produce farms in Ventura County at 6am Tuesday and were seen chasing workers to detain them. Full story: <a href="https://t.co/7lofZTlbj8">https://t.co/7lofZTlbj8</a> <a href="https://t.co/Sh5WTud7lc">pic.twitter.com/Sh5WTud7lc</a>
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC7/status/1932860010897264966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The White House said on Wednesday that since last week, 330 suspected illegal immigrants in the Los Angeles area have been detained, 113 of whom had past criminal convictions.
As immigration agents carried out the president&#8217;s deportation agenda in California, anti-ICE protests and riots broke out in Los Angeles last weekend. Joining the demonstrations were members of Unite Here Local 11, a local labor union that represents workers in the hotel, food, and casino industries. The organization, which is part of a local leftist coalition that has pushed anti-police talking points and given tips for how to respond to ICE agents, condemned the law enforcement response to the riots.
Trump&#8217;s mass deportation operation has been celebrated by most Republicans and conservatives, but has concerned some farmers and business owners who work in industries that have relied on hiring illegal immigrant workers. In January, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau <a href="https://www.weau.com/2025/01/24/farmers-advocacy-groups-speak-concerns-over-workforce-president-trump-continues-with-plans-immigration-crackdowns/">urged</a> Trump to pursue a secure border without going after illegal immigrants who have worked on the state&#8217;s many dairy farms &#8220;for years.&#8221;
In April, Trump addressed some of these concerns during a Cabinet meeting, <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/1910382262610526486">saying</a>, “We are also going to work with farmers. If they have strong recommendations for their farms for certain people, we’re going to let them stay in for a while. &#8230; We have to take care of our farmers, our hotels and, you know, the various places where they need the people.”
The president added that employers could lobby the government for their illegal immigrant workers to be allowed to remain in the country.
“So a farmer will come in with a letter concerning certain people, saying they’re great, they’re working hard,” Trump said. “We’re going to slow it down a little bit for them, and then we’re going to ultimately bring them back. They’ll go out. They’re going to come back as legal workers.”
Trump&#8217;s post on Thursday was met with backlash among some conservatives who argued that it would be a step back from what the president initially promised to do on the campaign trail. Daily Wire host Matt Walsh <a href="https://x.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1933168224507662529">wrote</a> on X, &#8220;Hell no. We can’t tolerate this.&#8221;
&#8220;Employers who knowingly rely on illegal immigrant labor should be in prison,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Instead we’re going to back off of immigration enforcement for their sake?&#8221;
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on Trump&#8217;s post.

Donald Trump/Immigration

Trump Signals ‘Changes Are Coming’ To Immigration Enforcement As Farmers, Businesses Complain

Donald Trump

Farmers

Illegal Immigation

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Matt Walsh

Unions

The American autonomous driving technology company Waymo has suspended service in downtown Los Angeles after several of its robotaxis were set on fire by anti-ICE activists over the weekend.
At least five Waymo vehicles were set ablaze on Sunday, prompting the company to remove its vehicles from the downtown Los Angeles area and suspend service, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/06/09/los-angeles-protests-live-updates--27-people-arrested-as-lapd-declares-unlawful-assembly-in-some-areas/">Forbes</a> reported.
“To our media partners, demonstrators and others who may enter the area of Los Angeles St, North of Arcadia and South of Alameda: Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby. Please avoid the area,” the LAPD warned on X on Sunday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
⚠️ Traffic Advisory⚠️ To our media partners, demonstrators and others who may enter the area of Los Angeles St, North of Arcadia and South of Alameda:
Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby.…
— LAPD Central Division (@LAPDCentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/LAPDCentral/status/1931885681326096414?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
After anti-ICE activists blocked the 101 Freeway on Sunday afternoon, some approached “five Waymo taxis lined up on Los Angeles Street between Arcadia and Alameda streets around 5 p.m.,” the Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-06-08/waymo-vehicles-set-on-fire-protesters-police-clash">reported</a>. “Tires were slashed, windows smashed, and anti-ICE messages spray-painted over the self-driving taxis &#8230; Protesters swarmed around the vehicles, tearing the doors off and stomping on the windshields. One man with a mask over his face smashed car windows with a skateboard. Another appeared to use a makeshift flamethrower to set the interior of a car ablaze.”
“According to <a style="font-style: inherit;" href="https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/robotaxis-cant-be-a-solo-act-9a787252?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAjuoaQrWW8nwZGwCoTU9l6rOqZdMNUqTEYkUCF_BHsnaK3jpRovTyPsT6EkpLI%3D&amp;gaa_ts=68463fc6&amp;gaa_sig=U8VRq9FIl_UyCzWx6Oru3QSJgOVrorrtFHQFQMYQ4AjzdK-h5HtxGswjcR14lzanswGlbTlsmWCRzUGOJVuoTg%3D%3D">a 2024 report by the Wall Street Journal</a>, analysts estimated Waymo’s driverless cars cost between $150,000 and $200,000 apiece,” KTLA <a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/waymos-lit-on-fire-ktla-van-defaced-as-los-angeles-protests-spin-out-of-control/">noted</a>. “With the five burning robotaxis, the cost of damages would amount to roughly between $750,000 to $1 million, based on WSJ’s estimate.”
Waymo was originally the Google Self-Driving Project, a research and development effort within Google X.  In 2016, the project was rebranded as Waymo and moved under Alphabet, Google&#8217;s parent company. 
Waymo states on its <a href="https://waymo.com/waymo-one-los-angeles/">website</a> for its Los Angeles operation: “From Santa Monica Pier to Downtown, Waymo One is your new favorite way to get around. With millions of miles of driving experience, we’re excited to offer a safe way to get around the City of Angels. Download the Waymo One app and take a fully autonomous ride today.”

Anti-ICE-Protests-in-Los-Angeles

Waymo Suspends Service In Downtown L.A. After Rioters Burn 5 Of Its Self-Driving Vehicles

Los Angeles

Los Angeles County

Riots

Technology

Waymo

Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is not backing down after pharmacy giant CVS has threatened to leave the state over a new state law targeting drug middlemen called pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs.
In an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqAe_rGGNek">interview with The Daily Wire</a>, Sanders said she would not allow CVS, which owns one of the &#8220;Big Three&#8221; PBMs called Caremark, to &#8220;manipulate and control the market simply so that they keep a few stores in our state open.&#8221; 
“It shows where their priorities are,&#8221; the governor said over CVS&#8217;s response to the law. &#8220;They would rather own the PBM than keep their pharmacy open and provide care to the patients they claim to care about. I think it tells us everything that we need to know, that they care more about their bottom line.&#8221;
&#8220;Look, I&#8217;m all for private industry making money, but not on the backs of the people who really need access to care, really need access to some of these specialty drugs that they&#8217;re inflating the market on,&#8221; Sanders continued. 
The Republican told The Daily Wire that other pharmacies are willing to take CVS&#8217;s place if need be.
&#8220;We have a number of other pharmacies that I know will be happy to step up and take CVS’s place if they decide to take their ball and go home,&#8221; Sanders blasted. 
As highlighted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/every-cvs-pharmacy-in-red-state-might-close-after-crackdown-on-drug-middlemen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> last month, CVS said it might have to close all 23 of its pharmacies in Arkansas over the new policy. The company issued similar threats before Sanders signed the bill into law in April.
The law in question is a first-in-the-nation targeting of PBMs, and is set to go into effect in January 2026. It bans PBMs from holding permits for prescription drug sales in Arkansas.
PBMs are supposed to lower drug prices for Americans. They act as middlemen between drug manufacturers, insurance companies, and pharmacies, and negotiate prices. 
However, over the last decade, PBMs have consolidated, and now there are just three companies overseeing prescriptions for more than <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/21/business/prescription-drug-costs-pbm.html">270 million Americans</a>. They’ve been accused by both Republicans and Democrats of inflating prices for their own benefit and driving small pharmacies out of business. 
“What was happening is you have these pharmaceutical companies, they’re supposed to use PBMs to negotiate better drug prices between the insurance companies and the pharmacies,&#8221; Sanders explained. &#8220;But what was actually happening is the pharmacies were buying the PBMs and completely controlling and monopolizing the market. We call &#8217;em drug middlemen, because that’s exactly what they are.&#8221;
&#8220;They’re over-inflating prices and passing that inflation down to the consumer,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;You had three of the largest PBMs in the country controlling 80% of the pharmaceutical market – complete control allows them to charge more.” 
Sanders also stressed that this law in Arkansas is intended to help small pharmacies keep their doors open. PMBs reportedly pay lowball prices to small independent pharmacies, forcing many to close their doors. 
“We&#8217;re optimistic that prices will come down not only in our state, but also that our local pharmacies will be able to keep their doors open, which was another big priority for us, so that people in rural communities don&#8217;t lose that access to care,&#8221; Sanders said. 
In a statement sent to The Daily Wire on Wednesday, CVS called the law in question &#8220;harmful&#8221; and &#8220;unconstitutional.&#8221;
&#8220;We’ve filed a lawsuit to block Act 624, a harmful law that will shut down 23 CVS Pharmacy locations, eliminate hundreds of jobs, and drive-up costs for Arkansans,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;This unconstitutional law puts local politics ahead of patients, restricting their access to life-saving medications and undermining fair competition.&#8221;
The company notes its PBM reimbursing small independent pharmacies in the state more than it does CVS pharmacies.
About a month after Sanders signed the Arkansas bill, President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting PBMs. The EO encourages direct consumer purchases, cutting out PBMs, and mandates more pricing transparency. 
Sanders said momentum is building across the country to tackle this issue. 
&#8220;I think the big thing here is that this isn&#8217;t just going to be something that takes place in Arkansas,&#8221; she said. &#8220;You&#8217;re seeing Louisiana look at passing similar legislation, New York, Texas, other states all over the country. It&#8217;s not even a Republican or Democrat issue. This is something that I think a lot of governors, as well as this president, are recognizing and actually taking action on something that&#8217;s been needed for a long time.” 
Sanders said she&#8217;s optimistic that consumers will have more access to prescription drugs and lower prices soon after this law goes into effect in 2026. 
WATCH the Morning Wire interview with Governor Sanders:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Illegal Immigrant Terror &amp; Lowering Drug Prices" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tqAe_rGGNek?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This post has been updated to include comment from CVS. 
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/every-cvs-pharmacy-in-red-state-might-close-after-crackdown-on-drug-middlemen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Every CVS Pharmacy In Red State Might Close After Crackdown On Drug Middlemen</a>

Conservatives Gather For Annual CPAC Conference In Washington DC

Sarah Sanders Won’t Back Down After CVS Threatens To Leave Arkansas

Sarah Sanders Won’t Back Down After CVS Threatens To Leave State

Arkansas

Morning Wire

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

According to a Reuters <a href="https://archive.is/lUgfe">report</a>, Disney is preparing to conduct mass layoffs that will affect hundreds of employees across various departments, including film and TV, publicity, casting, development, and corporate finance.
Reps for the entertainment company have declined to comment, and no exact numbers have been released yet.
This is just the latest in a series of layoffs over recent years. Disney laid off nearly 200 television and ABC News operations employees earlier this year after cutting ABC News and local station staff in October. In September 2024, an additional 300 people were let go, per <a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/disney-mass-layoffs-tv-film-finance-departments-1236415786/">Variety</a>.
Disney cut 7,000 jobs in 2023 alone as it tried to save $5.5 billion in costs, Reuters reported.
During layoffs in 2023, company CEO Bob Iger said, “There will no doubt be challenges ahead as we continue building the structures and functions that will enable us to be successful moving forward.”
“In tough moments, we must always do what is required to ensure Disney can continue delivering exceptional entertainment to audiences and guests around the world, now, and long into the future,” he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-will-begin-mass-layoffs-this-week-ceo-announces">continued</a>.
Critics are quick to point out that Disney has had several big-budget flops recently, including the latest disaster, “Snow White.” The live-action remake is estimated to have cost the company approximately $115 million, based on a $410 million budget, including marketing, but it only earned a worldwide box office gross of $194.7 million. 
The film had multiple controversies, including a total change to the storyline and controversial statements made by Rachel Zegler, the actress playing the titular role. 
Many fans blame Disney’s downfall on increasingly leftist messaging, which Iger addressed during a shareholder meeting last April. When asked about Disney&#8217;s &#8220;wokeness,&#8221; the exec <a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/disney-bob-iger-slams-ron-desantis-disney-florida-1235571743/">replied</a>, &#8220;I&#8217;m sensitive to that.&#8221;
&#8220;Our primary mission needs to be to entertain and then through our entertainment to continue to have a positive impact on the world. And I&#8217;m very serious about that. It should not be agenda-driven,&#8221; Iger added.

Disney

Disney Layoffs Will Affect Hundreds Of Employees In TV, Film, Corporate Finance: Report

Entertainment

layoffs

Mars Inc.’s Skittles candies are no longer being made with a popular food additive called titanium dioxide.
The chemical, which whitens foods and brightens colors, was recently targeted in the MAHA Commission report, which was headed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Others in the MAHA movement have identified the ingredient as a &#8220;toxin.&#8221;
&#8220;The momentum is unreal,&#8221; MAHA influencer Vani Hari, aka &#8220;Food Babe,&#8221; wrote in a post online. &#8220;Mars Inc. Skittles dropping titanium dioxide in the U.S. Already banned in Europe due to DNA damage and cancer risk. Let’s go!!!!!&#8221;
&#8220;I just heard some amazing news,&#8221; Hari said in a video attached to the post. &#8220;Titanium dioxide is getting removed from Skittles. This is one less toxin in the &#8216;taste of rainbows.'&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The momentum is unreal. Mars inc Skittles dropping titanium dioxide in US. Already banned in Europe due to DNA damage and cancer risk. Let’s go!!!!!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FoodBabeArmy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FoodBabeArmy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MAHA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MAHA</a> <a href="https://t.co/XX3b2g9BYZ">pic.twitter.com/XX3b2g9BYZ</a>
— Vani Hari (@thefoodbabe) <a href="https://twitter.com/thefoodbabe/status/1927479542974742903?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
A spokesperson for the candy <a href="https://torontosun.com/life/food/skittles-removes-controversial-additive-targeted-by-rfk-jr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a> to Bloomberg News on Tuesday that titanium dioxide was removed from all Skittles production at the end of last year.
In the MAHA report, the chemical was identified as a potentially concerning food additive, possibly having &#8220;carcinogenic effects.&#8221;
&#8220;Over 2,500 food additives — including emulsifiers, binders, sweeteners, colorings, and preservatives — may be used to mimic the taste and texture of conventional food and increase its shelf life,&#8221; the report highlighted. &#8220;Studies have linked certain food additives to increased risks of mental disorders, ADHD, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndromes and even carcinogenic effects.&#8221;
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&#8220;Titanium Dioxide, widely used in a range of candies and sauces, may cause cellular and DNA damage,&#8221; the report said.
As highlighted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rfk-jr-to-ban-petroleum-based-food-dyes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a>, Kennedy has already targeted food dyes, another controversial food additive.
RFK Jr. announced in April that he&#8217;s directing food manufacturers to phase out eight petroleum-based food dyes from candy, cereals, sports drinks, and other grocery staples by the end of 2026.
The dyes targeted <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/dining/rfk-jr-food-dyes.html">include</a> Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1, Blue No. 2, Green No. 3, Red No. 3, and Orange B. Skittles candies still contain some of these dyes.
&#8220;Certain food colorings, such as red 40, which is present in widely-consumed products have been associated with behavioral issues in children, such as increased hyperactivity and symptoms consistent with ADHD,&#8221; the MAHA Commission report said of the additives. &#8220;Additionally, preliminary evidence suggests a possible association between the consumption of food colorings and autism, although further long-term research is necessary to establish a definitive link.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-looming-gop-food-fight-over-pesticides?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=The+Looming+GOP+Food+Fight+Over+Pesticides" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Looming GOP Food Fight Over Pesticides</a>

Skittles  Candy  At Costco Wholesale

Skittles No Longer Uses Controversial Ingredient Eyed By RFK Jr.

Skittles Removes Controversial Ingredient Eyed By RFK Jr.

Department of Health and Human Services

Health and Human Services

Consumer confidence, which helps measure economic growth, spiked by more than 12 points in May, far outpacing experts&#8217; predictions as Americans grow optimistic about President Donald Trump&#8217;s potential trade deals.
A <a href="https://www.conference-board.org/topics/consumer-confidence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> released Tuesday showed the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index standing at 98.0, which was up 12.3 points from April and much higher than the Dow Jones estimate of 86.0. The surge ended five straight months of declines in consumer confidence.
Even before President Trump agreed to a 90-day truce with China on May 12, which significantly reduced tariffs, consumer confidence was already rising, according to Stephanie Guichard, the Conference Board’s senior economist for global indicators.
“The rebound was already visible before the May 12 US-China trade deal but gained momentum afterwards,” Guichard said.
The May spike was celebrated by the White House with Communications Director Steven Cheung, crediting &#8220;THE TRUMP EFFECT!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
THE TRUMP EFFECT!
Consumer confidence rose 12.3 points this month to a reading of 98.
That’s higher than economists’ expectations for a reading of 88. <a href="https://t.co/yTJndbONkB">https://t.co/yTJndbONkB</a>
&mdash; Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenCheung47/status/1927373749780713844?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Along with consumer confidence spiking, the Present Situation Index — which is &#8220;based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions&#8221; — was up 4.8 points. The Expectations Index, which looks at consumers&#8217; short-term economic outlook, also jumped &#8220;17.4 points to 72.8,&#8221; but remains under the threshold of 80, which the U.S. Consumer Conference Board said &#8220;typically signals a recession ahead.&#8221;
&#8220;Consumers were less pessimistic about business conditions and job availability over the next six months and regained optimism about future income prospects. Consumers’ assessments of the present situation also improved,&#8221; Guichard added. &#8220;However, while consumers were more positive about current business conditions than last month, their appraisal of current job availability weakened for the fifth consecutive month.”
The positive consumer confidence report for the U.S. economy comes after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/inflation-hits-lowest-point-in-over-4-years-as-april-report-better-than-expected" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inflation</a> hit its lowest point in over four years in April.
Trump announced his first trade deal with the United Kingdom earlier this month and is continuing trade negotiations with China and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-delays-50-tariffs-eu-leader-blinks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Union</a>. The president said on Sunday that he will delay 50% tariffs on the European Union after a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The Trump administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sorry-china-bessent-says-deal-with-massive-trade-partner-very-close" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promises</a> that more trade deals are currently in the works with Japan and South Korea, making significant headway.

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Last month, Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill banning drug middlemen from holding permits for prescription drug sales in the state. Now, CVS might have to close its pharmacies there.
The new law, which will go into effect on January 1, 2026, revokes permits for pharmacies affiliated with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The drug middlemen have been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-little-known-health-care-middleman-is-becoming-more-powerful-independent-pharmacies-say-that-spells-disaster-for-patients" target="_blank" rel="noopener">scrutinized</a> by multiple states and even the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pharmacy-benefit-managers-marked-up-specialty-drugs-by-over-1000-ftc-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">federal government</a> in recent years, as locally owned independent pharmacies say they are subject to the dictates of PBMs, which give an unfair advantage to large pharmacy corporations such as CVS.
CVS — which owns pharmacy benefits manager, Caremark Rx — said over the weekend that it is &#8220;looking at all available options to stay open and continue to serve Arkansans&#8221; after Gov. Sanders signed the crackdown on PBMs. Beginning in 2026, CVS must either close all of its 23 locations in Arkansas or change its PBM business model, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette <a href="https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2025/may/24/cvs-says-its-looking-at-ways-to-keep-arkansas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;For far too long, drug middlemen called PBMs have taken advantage of lax regulations to abuse customers, inflate drug prices, and cut off access to critical medications. Not anymore,” <a href="https://www.medben.com/pbm-owned-pharmacies/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CFor%20far%20too%20long%2C%20drug,House%20Bill%201150%20into%20law." target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Sanders after signing House Bill 1150 into law.
The three largest PBMs in the country —  which are owned by CVS Health, Cigna, and UnitedHealth Group — manage nearly 80% of prescription drug claims for all Americans, according to the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/pharmacy-benefit-managers-staff-report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federal Trade Commission</a>. An FTC <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/01/ftc-releases-second-interim-staff-report-prescription-drug-middlemen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> published in January found that &#8220;the three major pharmacy benefit managers hiked costs for a wide range of lifesaving drugs, including medications to treat heart disease and cancer.&#8221;
CVS ripped the new Arkansas legislation after it was signed by the governor, calling it &#8220;bad policy&#8221; that &#8220;forces the closures&#8221; of its pharmacies.
&#8220;The Governor and legislature have chosen to pass HB 1150 which forces the closure of all CVS pharmacy operations by 1/1/26 &#8212; this includes CVS Pharmacy, CVS Specialty, and Omnicare,&#8221; a company spokesman said. &#8220;Our stores and pharmacies remain open, and our teams are continuing to serve patients and customers.&#8221;
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Arkansas Pharmacy Association Chief Executive Officer John Vinson, who supported the legislation, told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette that there are steps for CVS to take to continue operating its pharmacies in Arkansas, such as giving up its PBM license in the state.
&#8220;There are ways to do it &#8230; if they don&#8217;t, they&#8217;re choosing the conflict and the business model over customers,&#8221; Vinson said.
Independent pharmacy owners told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-little-known-health-care-middleman-is-becoming-more-powerful-independent-pharmacies-say-that-spells-disaster-for-patients" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> last year that PBMs have a direct negative effect on local pharmacies, often paying them lowball prices for filling prescriptions. With PBMs putting their hands on the scales of the prescription drug industry, patients are also directed toward pricier options and charged steep markups, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/21/business/prescription-drug-costs-pbm.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times</a>.
Other states, such as Oklahoma, Tennessee, and North Carolina, have moved to regulate PBMs and reel in their control over the prescription drug industry. At the federal level, President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/lowering-drug-prices-by-once-again-putting-americans-first/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> an executive order in April to improve transparency of &#8220;the direct and indirect compensation received by pharmacy benefit managers.&#8221;
Two bipartisan bills were <a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-cantwell-reintroduce-bills-to-lower-prescription-drug-prices-drive-pbm-accountability#:~:text=Pharmacy%20Benefit%20Manager%20(PBM)%20Transparency,spread%20pricing%20and%20pharmacy%20fees." target="_blank" rel="noopener">reintroduced</a> in Congress earlier this year to &#8220;combat the high cost of prescription drugs and provide greater transparency of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).&#8221;
This article has been updated to remove a mention of Walgreens since Walgreens does not own a PBM and is not affected by the new law. We regret the error.

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Every CVS Pharmacy In Red State Might Close After Crackdown On Drug Middlemen

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