Missouri voters overwhelmingly voted to keep the state’s income tax on Tuesday, with <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Missouri_Amendment_5,_Income_Tax_Elimination_and_Sales_Tax_Changes_Amendment_(August_2026)">83%</a> voting &#8220;no&#8221; on the amendment that would have phased out the state’s income tax. The vote ended in a landslide even with Missouri Republican Governor Mike Kehoe supporting the amendment. 
“This is the first step in keeping our promise to make Missouri more competitive, attract jobs and investment, and let families keep more of what they earn from the start,” he <a href="https://governor.mo.gov/official-statements/hjr-173174s-final-passage">said</a> earlier this year, urging Missourians to vote &#8220;yes.&#8221; 
If the amendment had passed, it would have allowed the state legislature to expand the state’s sales tax to help make up the revenue difference. The amendment prohibited the state from reducing funding for public schools, but opponents of the amendment argued that school budgets would decrease if the income tax was phased out.
&#8220;Missourians expect strong public schools, reliable roads and bridges, and fully-funded, accessible services — and for everyone to pay their fair share,” said Executive Director of Progress Missouri Claire Cook-Callen. “Instead, this plan gives a tax break to the state’s eight billionaires and sticks each working family with a bill of about $500 more each year.” 
Democratic State Representative Ashley Aune added, “Where are we going to get that revenue? We&#8217;re going to get that revenue off the backs of Missourians who are living paycheck to paycheck, seniors who already can&#8217;t afford their medications or to stay in their homes.&#8221;
State Republican Senator Joe Nicola also opposed the amendment, arguing it would allow the state to start taxing services. “I don’t think it’s good for the state. We’re going to start taxing services now.” 
Supporters of eliminating the income tax drastically outspent those in opposition. Total contributions to support the passage of the amendment totaled $15.5 million, while contributions to the &#8220;no&#8221; campaign stood at around $5 million.
The Missouri Association of Realtors was one of the largest donors opposing the amendment, contributing about $2.8 million. Opponents of the amendment, like the Missouri Association of Realtors, worried that the state would have turned to taxing professional services — potentially including real estate commissions and other services connected to buying and selling homes. 
Supporters of the amendment, however, argue that other states have shown that taking away the income tax results in an economic boom. 
“Zero-income-tax states have consistently outperformed high-tax states over the past decade,” said conservative advocacy group Freedom Principle Missouri. “From 2012 to 2022, they saw stronger population growth (11.8% vs. 4.6%), net domestic in-migration, higher employment growth, and superior personal income and gross state product growth.”
Missouri currently has a graduated income tax with rates between 2 and 4.7%. Income taxes make up 28.2% of the state’s tax revenue, property taxes make up 27.8%, sales tax makes up 28.3%, with other taxes making up the rest.

Taxes

Red State’s Income Tax Showdown Ends In A Landslide

Ballot

Economy

Income tax

Missouri

Primary Election

Republicans

Mamdani’s Grocery Plan Takes Shape In Economic Policy Shift

The Hidden Reasons Grocery Prices Are Still Rising

Communism

Economics

grocery prices

grocery stores

Leftists

Matt Walsh

New York City

Socialism

Zohran Mamdani

Despite the many current challenges America is facing — and the propaganda media’s constant efforts to attack the administration and conservatives — Republicans have a tremendous opportunity before them in November.
The key to a Republican victory will be making the midterm elections about one question: Which party is better for you, your family, and America? This is the path to an historic victory for President Donald J. Trump and Republicans in 2026.
While the question is simple, convincing Americans to choose the GOP will be difficult. After all, the Left-wing media has spent 11 years emphasizing every negative story about President Trump and Republicans — and downplaying all positive ones. Similarly, the Democrats’ disdain for Trump has led them to stop him at all costs — even if that means undermining our security, weakening our economy, or disrupting our government’s ability to function.
Winning requires Republicans to understand and communicate four big ideas about the nature of reality and the facts and truth of the situation. The GOP should treat each as its own campaign.
The Socialists Are Taking Over
The greatest vulnerability of the 2026 Democrats is the degree to which they have become the party of big government socialism and weird values. The pattern of Democrats moving toward openly socialist, anti-American positions is building. Consider the spate of recent candidates in New York, including Darializa Avila Chevalier, who boasted about using the American flag as a napkin. This is creating an opportunity to brand the Democrats for a generation or more as unelectable.
Republicans have a simple case to make: Big government socialism does not create jobs, increase wages, train people for the future, make people healthier, or simply work at a practical level. It just runs out of other people’s money to spend. Of course, establishment Democrats and the media are trying to downplay this shift in the party. But when establishment Democrats get to Washington, they talk and vote like big government socialists to appease the activist fundraising apparatus.
Even those who are inoculated from the socialist strain would rather stop Trump than help Americans.
We Must Bring Down Costs
Republicans must have an intense, compelling, focused plan for affordability and jobs with good incomes. A recent Pew Poll found that 73% of Americans said healthcare costs were a major problem, 66% said food and consumer costs were a problem, 62% said housing affordability was a major problem. Ultimately, Republicans must go where the people are — not try to get people to come to where their campaign would be comfortable. A Republican Affordability and Jobs Plan is a major building block of victory. Part of it also must describe what Democrats are doing to kill jobs, raise prices, and undermine affordability — while outlining what President Trump and Republicans have done to help raise family incomes and create opportunity and jobs.
Be the America Party
President Trump’s focus on patriotic and foundational cultural issues and emphasis on America and the Freedom 250 project have set the stage for Republicans to become the American Party (much as Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party became the American Party, which marginalized the Federalists). A positive President Trump-Republican campaign emphasizing popular 70% to 90% issues that the Democrats demonstrably oppose — and appealing to everyone who cares about those issues — would strengthen the image of the Republican Party and isolate the Democrats.
The Healthcare Opportunity
New science, technology, and understanding of how to stay healthy are creating an opportunity for a health-oriented Republican program to create a totally new dialogue around healthcare. Efforts to make the healthcare system more transparent and understandable to everyday people will expose waste and abuse and bring down costs. Healthcare is a matter of life and death — and makes up about 18% of the national economy. It is the highest value for most Americans at a practical level. If Republicans can become the party of a healthy America, we would create an opportunity involving every life in our country.
Because this is the boldest and newest development, it will take more training for members, candidates, staffers, committees, and campaigns to talk about it comfortably. It offers an enormous opportunity to work with the American people in a positive program that dramatically broadens Republican appeal and shows us as the caring, compassionate, problem-solving party that we are. In the process of helping people lead healthier, better lives, we would also liberate several trillion dollars now tied up in wasteful, bureaucratic, bad policies, and obsolete approaches.
It has always been harder to govern than to campaign. This is why historically the party in the White House normally loses seats in the midterm elections. If the liberal media and the Democrats can make 2026 a referendum on the current state of things, they might be able to win a normal off-year victory.
However, if Republicans decisively win these four arguments, 2026 will be one of the most historic elections in our 250-year history.
***
This is republished with permission from the author. The original can be found <a href="https://www.gingrich360.net/p/the-republican-opportunity-in-2026">here</a>.
Newt Gingrich was the Republican Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. He is the creator of the <a href="https://www.gingrich360.net/">Gingrich360</a> newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @NewtGingrich.

United States Election

Newt Gingrich: The 2026 Strategy That Could Save Republicans From Total Disaster

2026 Midterms

affordability

DW Opinion

Healthcare

Republican Party

Trump Administration

New York City democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani unveiled perhaps one of his loftiest promises yet on Monday, vowing that his grocery stores will be 30% cheaper than competitors and will sell apple slices that stop toddler tantrums. 
“The savings will last for the entire month. That means no weekly fluctuations or sticker shock at the checkout line — not for our seniors living on fixed incomes, nor for the parents who rely on a regular supply of apple slices to keep toddler tantrums at bay,” he said. 
Mamdani <a href="https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/07/mayor-mamdani-unveils-30--discount---including-all-produce--all-">said</a> the stores will have a “core set of goods which will include all fresh produce, meat, and seafood, along with 20 other essential items like cheese, milk, and bread.” The stores will set prices at the beginning of each month and will not change until the next month. The markets will not sell hot food to avoid competing with local bodegas. 
“Mamdani’s policies — from state run groceries to government-provided babysitting for parents’ night out — perfectly demonstrate how much Leftists want the government to co-parent your kids. Ironically, Mamdani’s obsession with the City parenting your children stems from his own childlessness — and we parents will stick to our own apple slices, thanks,&#8221; Daily Wire host Isabel Brown said.
The first of the five grocery stores, one in each borough of New York City, will open by the end of 2027 in Hunts Point in the Bronx at the former Spofford Juvenile Detention Facility. Mamdani has committed that the other four will be open by the end of his term as mayor. Mamdani predicts that New Yorkers will save $90 a month, which could translate to $1,000 per year. Another store will open in 2029 at La Marqueta in East Harlem, where former New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia placed a public retail market 90 years ago. 
The city will own or lease the land at each of the grocery stores and will pay for needed construction or renovations, but a third-party operator will be in charge of running the store. Mamdani’s administration is requesting proposals from third-party operations to run the grocery stores that the mayor says have “no plans to turn a profit.” 
Mamdani has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/zohran-mamdani-quotes-ronald-reagan-as-he-rolls-out-socialist-campaign-promise?author=Brecca+Stoll&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Zohran+Mamdani+Quotes+Ronald+Reagan+As+He+Rolls+Out+Socialist+Campaign+Promise">argued</a> that the city-owned grocery stores are meant to serve as a proof of concept for a larger government role in providing essential services. While announcing the second location, he pushed back on President Ronald Reagan&#8217;s famous line that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are, &#8220;I&#8217;m from the government and I&#8217;m here to help.&#8221; Instead, Mamdani said the more frightening words are: &#8220;I worked all day and can&#8217;t feed my family.&#8221;
Critics cite failures of government-run grocery stores in places like Venezuela, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/10/29/452636462/the-nightmare-of-grocery-shopping-in-venezuela">where</a> stores suffered chronic shortages, empty shelves, spoiled food, and logistical breakdowns.

NYC Mayor Mamdani Holds News Conference On Municipal Grocery Store Announcement

Socialism’s Latest Fantasy: Apple Slices Stop Toddler Tantrums

Food

A 17-year pension dispute that could leave taxpayers on the hook for a $1 billion bill may take center stage during President Donald Trump’s visit to General Motors on Monday. 
In June, the president asked Congress to restore pensions for Delphi, a former part of General Motors, after over 5,000 employees lost retirement benefits following the company’s bankruptcy. Former Delphi salaried employees have spent nearly two decades lobbying lawmakers to restore their pensions through a proposal that would transfer roughly $1 billion from the U.S. Treasury to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which insures thousands of private pension plans across the country.
With Trump formally asking Congress on June 24 to restore the pensions, his visit to General Motors on Monday could add public pressure to revive the nearly two-decade effort. Trump will be speaking at General Motors in Milford, Michigan, at 3:00 p.m. 
Attorneys for the salaried workers argue that Delphi’s salaried retirees were unfairly singled out. Hourly union employees at Delphi received their full pensions because General Motors agreed to take on their liabilities under General Motors’ 2009 bankruptcy agreement with the government. However, most salaried employees didn’t have the same protection and they argue that employees who earned similar pensions at the same company should not receive drastically different retirements based on their union status. 
When Delphi spun off from General Motors in 1999, GM negotiated agreements with its unions promising to make up any pension benefits not covered by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation if Delphi&#8217;s pension plans were terminated. However, because GM was forced by law to negotiate with unions during the spinoff, salaried employees, who were non-union, did not receive those same benefits or negotiations. 
Attorneys for the salaried employees argue that when the Obama administration oversaw GM’s bankruptcy in 2009, it approved a restructuring plan that protected the union employees but left the non-union employees behind. Congressman Mike Turner (R-OH) argues that the federal government “picked winners and losers.” 
Opponents of the proposal argue that taxpayers should not be responsible for restoring benefits that exceeded the federal pension insurance program&#8217;s guarantees. During House debate on the legislation, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2022-07-27/html/CREC-2022-07-27-pt1-PgH7211.htm#:~:text=Another%20bailout%20of%20failing%20pension%20plans">warned</a> that &#8220;more pension bailouts set a damning precedent.&#8221; 
&#8220;By topping up one plan, Congress will be pressured and expected to top up the remaining 5,000 terminated plans and every future terminated plan.&#8221; Foxx said, &#8220;In case anyone has forgotten, we work for hardworking taxpayers in this country.&#8221; She compared topping off the pension plans to handing “out money like candy.” 
Rachel Greszler, a Senior Research Fellow from Advancing American Freedom, says many of the employees requesting the government to top off their pensions already receive six-figure annual retirement incomes. She warns a congressional bailout could set &#8220;an unjust and costly precedent at taxpayers&#8217; expense.&#8221;
Greszler noted <a href="https://advancingamericanfreedom.com/memos/myth-vs-fact-delphi-pension-bailout">in a recent memo</a> that there are thousands of similar pension plans out there that have been terminated, and a Delphi bailout could create a precedent that results in a hundred billion dollar snowball effect.
Congress requires private employers with defined-benefit pension plans, like Delphi, to pay annual insurance premiums to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in exchange for pension coverage. 
Because Congress designed the corporation to insure pensions up to statutory limits, it does not guarantee every pension promise an employer makes, such as the early-retirement supplements that Delphi promised a portion of its employees. As a result, about 5,700 of Delphi&#8217;s 20,000 salaried pension participants saw their benefits reduced because their pensions exceeded the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation&#8217;s maximum guarantee or included early-retirement supplements. 
Before Trump prompted Congress in June, Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-D) introduced legislation to restore the pensions. The legislation was not passed, leading to Michigan representatives coming together to author legislation to extend health care tax credits for Delphi salaried retirees.
“Through no fault of their own, thousands of Michigan Delphi retirees were robbed of the retirements they earned. They did everything right — worked hard, played by the rules, saved. Now that they are retired, they shouldn’t have to go back to work to afford to see a doctor,” said Rivet.
The legislation was co-authored by Rivet and Michigan Democratic Rep. and current Senate candidate Haley Stevens, Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Rep. Turner.

Trump’s Michigan Visit Could Shine Spotlight On A $1 Billion Pension Controversy

Donald Trump

Federal Government

Michigan

Pensions

A bipartisan Senate bill aimed at keeping Chinese-made vehicles and automotive technology off American roads moved one step closer to becoming law on Wednesday after clearing the Senate Commerce Committee with unanimous support.
The Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026, sponsored by Sens. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), would prohibit the import, sale, and operation of vehicles manufactured by China and other designated foreign adversaries while also banning Chinese-developed connected vehicle technology, including software and data systems, from American roads.
Supporters argue the bill is necessary not only to protect the American auto industry from heavily subsidized Chinese competition, but also to address national security concerns posed by increasingly software-driven vehicles capable of collecting vast amounts of data on their owners.
&#8220;Chinese cars are surveillance packages on wheels, with the ability to collect on American citizens and transmit that data back to Beijing,&#8221; Slotkin <a href="https://www.slotkin.senate.gov/2026/07/22/slotkin-moreno-bill-to-protect-national-economic-security-from-chinese-vehicles-advances-unanimously/">said</a> after the bill advanced. &#8220;The Chinese Communist Party&#8217;s playbook of heavily subsidizing their product and underselling the competition puts Michigan&#8217;s auto industry and millions of American workers at risk.&#8221;
Moreno <a href="https://www.moreno.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/moreno-bill-cracking-down-on-chinese-vehicles-passes-out-of-committee-unanimously/">echoed</a> those concerns, arguing that Beijing&#8217;s ambitions extend beyond simply competing in the global auto market. &#8220;China&#8217;s auto industry was not built to compete, it was built to destroy American manufacturing, gut the middle class, and undermine our national security,&#8221; Moreno said. &#8220;For decades, D.C. globalists propped up Chinese businesses — now it&#8217;s time for Congress to stop this cancer before it spreads through the American auto market.&#8221;
The legislation would significantly expand upon regulations adopted during the Biden administration that effectively blocked Chinese automakers from entering the U.S. passenger vehicle market. Rather than focusing solely on connected vehicle technology, the bill broadly prohibits Chinese-manufactured vehicles and connected components throughout the production, importation, and sales process.
Moreno has argued that modern automobiles function as &#8220;roving electronic devices&#8221; capable of collecting sensitive location, infrastructure, and behavioral data while also allowing remote access to critical vehicle functions such as steering, braking, and acceleration. The bill also seeks to protect domestic manufacturers from what lawmakers describe as China&#8217;s strategy of flooding global markets with heavily subsidized vehicles sold below market prices.
The measure received backing from major American automakers, labor unions, steel manufacturers, and industry groups. General Motors praised the legislation for protecting American manufacturing while maintaining that U.S. automakers &#8220;can compete with anyone in the world when we are given a level playing field.&#8221;
Ford likewise commended the bipartisan effort &#8220;to protect the U.S. industrial base,&#8221; while Stellantis said the legislation addresses &#8220;important issues related to connected vehicle security and fair competition.&#8221;
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain also endorsed the proposal, arguing that rebuilding American manufacturing requires preventing further offshoring of the domestic auto industry. &#8220;Our national and economic security relies on a strong U.S. auto industry,&#8221; Fain said. &#8220;We can&#8217;t keep selling out the U.S. working class to transnational corporations that have no respect for labor rights.&#8221;
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents major automakers, warned that Chinese manufacturers are already flooding overseas markets with low-cost vehicles and said the legislation sends &#8220;a clear message&#8221; that the United States will not allow the same strategy to undermine the domestic market.
The bill was not without debate during Wednesday&#8217;s committee markup. Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) expressed concerns over a provision barring automakers with more than 15% Chinese ownership from selling vehicles in the United States, warning the language could inadvertently affect companies such as Mercedes-Benz, which has substantial Chinese investment despite maintaining significant American manufacturing operations.
Moreno responded that the ownership provisions would not take effect until 2030 and include a waiver process to address companies caught by the threshold. He emphasized that lawmakers had no intention of preventing Mercedes-Benz from selling vehicles in the United States.
An amendment to soften the ownership requirements was ultimately withdrawn, while another amendment that would have narrowed the bill&#8217;s definition of connected vehicle hardware failed on a bipartisan vote.
The legislation now awaits consideration by the full Senate.

Ford Introduces new F-150 And Ranger Trucks At Their Dearborn Plant

A Chinese Car Ban Might Be Closer Than You Think

Auto Companies

Auto workers

Bernie Moreno

bipartisanship

Cars

China

Congress

Democratic Party

Elissa Slotkin

Politics

Senate

Ted Cruz

United States

Toyota announced Monday that it would invest $3.6 billion to expand production of its Tacoma pickup truck in Texas, moving most of the model&#8217;s manufacturing from Mexico to the United States over the next four years. 
Toyota said the investment will expand its San Antonio plant and shift most Tacoma production from its Tijuana, Mexico, facility.
The expansion will increase annual production capacity by 150,000 vehicles. The company will add a second assembly line to support the Tacoma truck. 
President Donald Trump celebrated the company&#8217;s plans in a post on Truth Social Tuesday morning.
Production will shift over four years, with the Tijuana plant continuing to manufacture Tacomas during the transition before Texas becomes the main production site. The San Antonio plant currently produces Tundra pickups and Sequoia SUVs.
The investment follows Toyota&#8217;s <a href="https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/corporate/43553969.html">announcement</a> in November 2025 that it planned to invest up to $10 billion in additional U.S. investment over five years.
“Toyota’s continued investment in North America is a testament to our confidence in the region’s workforce, innovation and long-term growth potential,” said Ted Ogawa, President and CEO of Toyota Motor North America, on Monday.
Toyota joins other automakers shifting production to the United States in response to tariffs on imported vehicles and auto parts.
The nearly $4 billion expansion is estimated to create nearly 2,000 more on-site jobs in Texas.
“By expanding our San Antonio plant, we are deepening our commitment to American manufacturing, creating meaningful and sustainable jobs, while advancing our mission to deliver high-quality vehicles that meet the changing needs of customers today and into the future,” Ogawa said.

GettyImages-1173365374

World’s Largest Automaker Is Making A Major Manufacturing Shift To America

Automobiles

Business

Tariffs

President Donald Trump took credit for Walmart cutting prices on summer staples like ground beef and corn on the cob as he continues to pitch his economic message ahead of the midterm elections. 
Trump said Monday that the price cuts were made at his administration’s request and praised the retail giant as a “truly patriotic company.” The cuts come as Trump has battled lingering inflation, including elevated gas prices. 
“Great news! I have just been informed that one of the biggest, best, and smartest Retailers in America, Walmart, will be lowering prices, by a lot, at my Administration&#8217;s request to celebrate our great Country&#8217;s 250th birthday,” the president posted on Truth Social. 
“Walmart will, in particular, be dropping the price for a pound of ground beef by almost 15%, among many other products. This is a huge deal for the many millions of Americans who, smartly, shop at Walmart, which is a truly patriotic Company who loves the U.S.A.,” Trump added. 
Walmart announced after Trump’s statement that the price per pound of beef would be cut by around 12%, from $6.74 to $5.94. The cost of a 2.25 pound bag of red cherries would go to $5.63 from $11.18, and corn on the cob would be $0.25 each instead of $0.68.
Walmart announced that prices on ice cream, potato chips, disposable plates, and soda would also be dropping.
“From backyard barbecues and family vacations to pool days and neighborhood gatherings, the savings are designed to help customers and members make the most of the season while spending less on the products they need, want and love most,” Walmart said. 
Sam’s Club also announced cuts to meat products like chicken wings, hot dogs, ground beef, and pork ribs. 
Trump has pinned inflation on the historic jump in prices during the Biden years. The latest inflation report from May 2026 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/inflation-passes-unfavorable-mark-for-first-time-since-2023">showed</a> prices rising 4.2% on the year, the largest jump since 2023. Those increases were largely driven by energy price increases driven by the war with Iran. Those prices have started to decline with the average price per gallon now under $4.00 nationally. 
“Just as I promised, Oil Prices are plummeting FAST, and Gas Prices at the pump are dropping too, just like egg and Prescription Drug prices which I am bringing down by historic levels,” Trump said. “Walmart is stepping up in a big and bold way, and other Retailers should follow the lead of these absolute Patriots.”

Trump/Summer cookout

Trump Takes Credit After ‘Truly Patriotic’ Retail Giant Slashes Prices On Summer Items

Inflation

Walmart

If you&#8217;re a waitress or a waiter, you’ve likely heard about no tax on tips and are already seeing benefits like Atlanta waitress Brenna Warrick, who told The Daily Wire she’s noticed a significant financial improvement. But other tax benefits included in the &#8220;Big Beautiful Bill&#8221; aren&#8217;t so obvious.
If you bought a car, had a child, adopted a child, are a senior citizen, started a business, passed down an estate to your child, or happen to be a manufacturer, you could be missing out on tax benefits included in the legislation. xfmi
If you bought a car that was manufactured in America between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, you can write off up to $10,000 a year in interest paid on your auto loan, assuming you make under $150,000 a year or $250,000 together with your spouse. 
And if you bought a new American-made minivan for your newborn, the benefits keep rolling in. If you had a child or adopted a child who was born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, the baby qualifies for a $1,000 seed investment from the federal government. 
Cordt Holub, a fourth-generation farmer from Iowa, told The Daily Wire, “I’ve got a 10-month-old girl. It’s truly a unique opportunity not only for myself and my daughter but for kids all over the country.&#8221; 
&#8220;Every kid born during that time will have the same opportunity to start investing at an early age and see the impact of compound investing,” Holub added. He said he plans to match the investment for his 3-year-old son who was born outside the window for the $1,000 seed investment from the Treasury Department. 
Holub also told The Daily Wire about the legislation’s impact on passing down his family farm and making it to the fifth generation. 
“In the last five to ten years, inflation has caused land prices to skyrocket and the average age of a farmer is over 60 years old now,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We are going to hit a turning point in the next couple years of massive amounts of land changing hands. Lowering the death tax keeps that land in the hands of families rather than outside corporations and investors.” 
The higher federal estate tax exemption affects more than just family farms and also applies to estates across the country, making it easier for families to pass assets to the next generation. Farms and other businesses also received benefits through 100% bonus depreciation. That means businesses can deduct 100% of equipment and manufacturing costs the second they are placed in service instead of over several years, helping businesses and manufacturers stay liquid. 
The legislation&#8217;s tax relief extends beyond businesses and farms and offers tax relief for many older Americans through a temporary federal tax deduction of up to $6,000 for qualifying seniors, in addition to the standard deduction. 
Barb Kuiper, a grandmother of two from Michigan, told The Daily Wire, “Now that my Social Security isn’t taxed, I can take my grandkids to the zoo without stressing over savings and planning for emergencies.” She added, “Retiring is hard enough and I’m grateful for Republicans like Mike Rogers and President Trump for making sure America’s seniors are well taken care of.” 
Waitress Brenna Warrick echoed Kuiper&#8217;s comment, telling The Daily Wire, “Before Republicans passed no tax on tips, I worried constantly about making ends meet, falling into credit card debt, and being unprepared for emergencies like an unexpected hospital visit. Now, thanks to Republicans delivering tax relief for tipped workers without Jon Ossoff’s support, I can pay my bills on time, buy presents for my son’s birthday, and even take my first family vacation in years.”

Cash

A Year Later, Americans Are Benefitting From The ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’ Are You?

Three of America’s largest egg producers agreed to settle allegations that they conspired to manipulate wholesale egg prices between 2022 and 2025. 
The companies, Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman&#8217;s Egg Ranch, had been investigated by the Department of Justice and New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James for more than a year. 
“When powerful corporations collude behind the scenes to raise prices, working families suffer the costs,” James <a href="https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-secures-more-50-million-eggs-and-33-million-after">said</a> on Monday.
The investigation found the companies “secretly communicated” through emails dating back to December 2022. Hickman’s CEO emailed executives at Cal-Maine and Versova, encouraging them to submit aggressive bids for eggs on a wholesale market exchange.
Their coordinated bidding raised price measures, influencing benchmark prices published by Urner Barry, now known as Expana. Higher benchmark prices can raise the prices paid by wholesalers, grocery stores, and ultimately consumers, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/inside-the-egg-price-fixing-scandal-that-spiked-american-grocery-bills-4a919c51?st=pbbC1G&amp;reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink">reported.</a> According to the complaint, the companies placed buy or sell orders intended to move prices, then canceled them before they were filled.  
“As a group we need to bid like they vote in Chicago, early and often,” said one alleged accomplice, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/atr/media/1450281/dl?inline">according</a> to a federal court complaint.
The executives&#8217; plan was executed when carton prices were at record highs and eggs were scarce, The Journal reported. 
In 2022, a widespread bird flu outbreak caused egg prices to skyrocket to $5.36 per dozen in the Midwest. In December 2022, the CEO of Hickman’s sent an Urner Barry report on the Midwest’s egg prices to fellow executives, according to the complaint. “Great job in the northwest today!” he said. 
In December 2024, egg prices increased again after another outbreak of the bird flu. “Let it rip,” said Cal-Maine’s former CEO in a text to the Hickman CEO. After this, their companies began casting aggressive bids to the Egg Clearinghouse, but the orders went unfilled.
The Department of Justice and attorneys general from 17 states <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-requires-egg-producers-end-coordinated-benchmark-manipulation">announced</a> a proposed settlement on June 30 calling for the three companies to end unlawful egg price manipulation, implement compliance measures, and cooperate fully with state oversight, <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/01/business/big-egg-producers-artificially-inflated-prices-as-americans-struggled-to-buy-groceries-must-now-pay-3-3m-doj/">according</a> to The New York Post.
Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman&#8217;s Egg Ranch agreed to the settlement, which also included donating more than 50 million eggs to food banks and paying $3.3 million to the DOJ and 17 states involved in the investigation. 
“Under the settlement, all three companies must end their illegal coordination to manipulate prices, adopt compliance measures to prevent future violations, and fully cooperate with oversight by the states,” James said.

GettyImages-1480060179

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The Department of Justice has approved Paramount Skydance’s proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing one of the biggest regulatory obstacles to a deal that would reshape the entertainment industry.
According to reports from <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/12/paramount-acquisition-warner-bros-approved-00960300?_sp_pass_consent=true">Politico</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/12/paramount-wbd-merger-approval-doj.html">CNBC</a>, the DOJ&#8217;s Antitrust Division concluded the transaction does not pose a threat to competition and declined to challenge the merger.
The decision paves the way for Paramount to merge with the media giant behind CNN, HBO Max, Warner Bros. Pictures, TBS, TNT, and other major entertainment brands, creating one of the world&#8217;s largest media companies.
The approval is expected to be formally announced on Friday.
Federal regulators reportedly approved the deal without requiring Paramount to divest any assets or accept behavioral remedies, conditions that often accompany major media mergers.
The merger has been among the most closely watched antitrust reviews of President Donald Trump&#8217;s second term because of its size and its potential impact on the media landscape.
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, son of Oracle founder and Trump ally Larry Ellison, reportedly met personally with DOJ officials multiple times during the review process. According to Politico, Ellison spent roughly two hours meeting with Antitrust Division officials and career attorneys several weeks ago to discuss the transaction and its competitive effects.
Throughout the review, Paramount argued that the merger would strengthen competition by creating a larger media company capable of competing against streaming giants and technology firms that increasingly dominate the entertainment business.
Earlier this year, Netflix briefly pursued its own acquisition proposal for Warner Bros. Discovery before dropping out of the bidding process. According to CNBC, Paramount&#8217;s offer values Warner Bros. Discovery at approximately $31 per share.
Despite the federal approval, the deal still faces additional scrutiny.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, continues to investigate the transaction and could attempt to challenge the merger in court. Attorneys general from several states, including California and New York, monitored portions of the federal review process.
&#8220;The Paramount acquisition of Warner Brothers remains an active investigation,&#8221; a spokesperson for Bonta&#8217;s office told Politico.
The merger must also receive approval from European regulators before it can be finalized. The European Union has opened its own review and set a July deadline for its initial assessment.
On Wednesday, Paramount announced that Australia&#8217;s competition regulator had <a href="https://deadline.com/2026/06/paramount-wbd-mergerl-clears-australia-1236952390/">approved the transaction</a>.
Critics of the merger have warned that it could lead to another round of consolidation-related layoffs across Hollywood. Industry unions and some entertainment advocates have argued that the combined company would likely pursue significant cost-cutting measures.
For Paramount and the Ellisons, the DOJ&#8217;s decision represents a major victory after months of regulatory scrutiny. The company has said it expects the transaction to close by September if all remaining approvals are secured.

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