With Maine and Michigan on the rocks, Democrats are increasingly focusing on the American plains as an alternative path to win Senate control. 
Democrats are hoping that an overwhelmingly favorable political environment will put solidly red states that once seemed like pipe dreams in play. And they&#8217;re hoping that a staunchly Republican constituency — American farmers — could help put them over the edge amid economic struggles exacerbated by the Trump administration&#8217;s tariff regime. 
As things currently stand, Republicans are still favorites to hold Senate seats in Iowa and Nebraska. But prediction markets put their odds in the 60-70% range in each, close enough to cause some anxiety for the GOP. Democrats are even beginning to talk about Kansas, though that remains a greater longshot. Cook Political Report has moved Iowa into the &#8220;tossup&#8221; category, while Nebraska and Kansas are &#8220;Likely R.&#8221;
Nebraska and Iowa rank among the top five soybean-producing states in the country, and have traditionally sold over 50% of their crop to China. China responded to Trump&#8217;s tariffs with a 13% import duty for soybeans, leading Brazil to overtake the United States as China’s top soybean supplier last fall.
Farmers are also seeing rising costs for fertilizer. The global fertilizer index shows the wholesale fertilizer price has increased <a href="https://ycharts.com/indicators/fertilizers_index_world_bank">84.1%</a> in the last two years, worsening since the start of the war in Iran. 
A May 2026 Fox poll showed Trump’s support across rural America <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-approval-rating-rural-americans-farmers-11982592">slipping</a> into negative territory, driven by farm struggles. 
The farm economy has been under pressure. The American Farm Bureau reported that Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies rose 46% in 2025. Costs for fertilizer, seeds, and equipment are up.
Yet despite these challenges, many farmers remain supportive of Trump.
“As farmers because of tariffs we are hurting, however, for the long term if something doesn&#8217;t happen the country is going to fall,&#8221; one Nebraskan farmer told The Daily Wire. “He’s trying to make changes for the better.&#8221;
A farmer from southern Illinois echoed that sentiment. “I don’t think farmers are going to start voting Democratic. Under both the Biden and Trump administrations, we&#8217;ve dealt with low grain prices alongside higher diesel costs. Farmers have been squeezed by lower commodity prices and rising input costs. The difference today is that fertilizer costs are higher than they were under the last administration, but we’ve also received some relief through the Big Beautiful Bill’s Farmer Bridge Assistance Program. It’s not a cure-all, but it does help offset some of the pressure farmers are facing.”
The farmers’ views highlight the challenge facing Democrats. Farmers across the Midwest are experiencing real economic strain, but while the frustration is real, it has not translated into a mass movement towards the other side of the aisle. 
<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/economics/farmers-iowa-struggling-trumps-economy-still-support-him-rcna345613">NBC interviewed</a> 13 Iowa farmers and found that while many were hurting from burdening rising costs, the majority said they don’t regret supporting Trump. 
“It’s going to get ugly for a while, but in the long run, it’s going to help us,” said one farmer. “Trump is the first president we’ve had in a long time that will stand up to China, because China just runs all over us.”
The tension between the tariffs and prices persists, though. Just last week, Trump announced he is allowing a massive increase of beef imports to try and bring prices down, upsetting some in the agricultural sector.
The White House argues that Trump&#8217;s policies are addressing the challenges farmers face. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said, “President Trump is helping our agriculture industry by negotiating new trade deals, lowering input costs, bolstering the farm safety net, doubling the death tax exemption, ending taxes on rural property loan interest, creating rural opportunity zones, and more.”
The administration has also sought to communicate those benefits directly to producers. It launched &#8220;OnlyFarms,&#8221; a federal platform featuring an interactive map that allows farmers and ranchers to calculate projected savings from Trump&#8217;s agricultural agenda. Trump also invited hundreds of farmers and ranchers to the White House in March. Speaking from a balcony overlooking a gold-painted tractor, he assured attendees that they &#8220;once again have a true friend and champion in the Oval Office.&#8221;
Still, Democrats seem determined to expand the map to America&#8217;s heartland. Chuck Schumer has staved off the DSA insurgency and gotten moderate-presenting nominees in Iowa and Kansas, and in Nebraska, the party is backing an independent candidate to try and shirk the horrific brand of the Democrats. 
More battlegrounds mean a need for more money though, and an inconvenient fact remains for Democrats: the DNC is broke, and the RNC is flush with cash.

Democrats Open New Midterm Front In America’s Heartland

2026 Midterms

Agriculture

Dan Osborn

Farmers

Iowa

Josh Turek

Kansas

Nebraska

Rob Sand

A Republican senator introduced a bill on Monday that would allow states to run visa programs to fill labor shortages.
Senator John Curtis (R-UT) announced the State Sponsored Visa Pilot Program Act of 2026 to empower states to expand the number of foreign workers given visas, <a href="https://www.deseret.com/politics/2026/08/03/senators-introduce-bipartisan-state-sponsored-migrant-worker-visa-program/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Deseret News. The proposed program would allow states to bring in up to 5,000 migrant workers per fiscal year, plus a proportional cut of a separate 245,000-visa pool based on population.
The bill also caps state-sponsored visas at three years.
Under the bill, visa holders who have been in the United States illegally since December 31, 2016, would have a path to legal residency. The illegal immigrants seeking residency would be required to pay a $1,000 &#8220;penalty,&#8221; according to the bill&#8217;s text.
Curtis, who introduced the proposal alongside Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), said his state is in desperate need of workers.
“I’ve heard time and again from small business owners, farmers, and ranchers across Utah how difficult it has become to hire enough workers to meet growing market demands,” Curtis said in a statement.
“Our legislation would help fill the gap by creating a pilot program allowing states to sponsor visas tailored to their unique economies, without sacrificing rigorous federal vetting or accountability,&#8221; he added.
The proposal comes after House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-republican-amnesty-bill-ignites-ire-of-immigration-hardliners?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=19&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=New+Republican+Amnesty+Bill+Ignites+Ire+Of+Immigration+Hardliners">introduced</a> a separate bill to provide illegal immigrant farmworkers with a path to temporary legal status. Thompson&#8217;s bill quickly faced an onslaught of criticism from immigration hawks.
Gregory Bovino, the former Border Patrol official who led the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration raids in Minneapolis and other major cities, <a href="https://x.com/GregoryKBovino/status/2079545595359092890" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the bill&#8217;s Republican backers “just stabbed Trump’s deportation promise in the back.”
“They’re only gonna get the message one way. Vote every single one of them out in a massive wave, and replace them with real immigration hawks. Anything less, and they’ll never take us seriously,” Bovino wrote in a recent X post.
For supporters of the bill like John Hollay, president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, the Visa plan is viewed as a necessary tool to address a yearslong farming “labor crisis.”
“They can’t get the help they need to harvest their crops and astronomical labor costs have pushed many lifelong farmers to the brink of bankruptcy,” Thompson <a href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/872828202078448" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
“This is happening because the very program that once kept farmers in business is sinking under the weight of bureaucratic costs. Without reform, the H-2A visa program may now be the reason these same farms cannot be passed on to the next generation,” he said.

President Trump Signs Two Executive Orders In The Oval Office

Republican Senator Wants New Migrant Worker Program, Citing Labor Shortage

Congress

Farming

illegal immigrants

Immigration

Migrants

Republican

Visa

A new Republican-backed bill that would grant amnesty to illegal immigrant agricultural workers is facing an onslaught of criticism from immigration hawks.
House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn &#8220;GT&#8221; Thompson (R-PA) recently introduced the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act to provide illegal immigrant farmworkers with a path to temporary legal status.
Gregory Bovino, who led the Trump administration&#8217;s aggressive deportation sweeps in Minneapolis and other major cities before his recent retirement from Border Patrol, <a href="https://x.com/GregoryKBovino/status/2079545595359092890">said</a> the Republican lawmakers backing the bill &#8220;just stabbed Trump’s deportation promise in the back.&#8221;
&#8220;They’re only gonna get the message one way. Vote every single one of them out in a massive wave, and replace them with real immigration hawks. Anything less, and they’ll never take us seriously,&#8221; Bovino wrote on X Tuesday.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Trump tells me he doesn&#8217;t know about Securing Agriculture&#8217;s Workforce Act of 2026, a bill that would allow illegals in farming, meat packing and lodging industries to gain legal status.
He says he will look into it. <a href="https://t.co/VJNiIujIhy">pic.twitter.com/VJNiIujIhy</a>
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) <a href="https://x.com/reaganreese_/status/2079595048665026660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
When asked about the bill Tuesday, President Donald Trump said he &#8220;didn&#8217;t know about it,&#8221; but would &#8220;take a look at it.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I will fight AGAINST any amnesty proposal in Congress.
Illegal aliens BROKE our laws, and they MUST go home.
AMNESTY is betraying the trust of the American people. <a href="https://t.co/aJJwwD4h6U">pic.twitter.com/aJJwwD4h6U</a>
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) <a href="https://x.com/RepOgles/status/2080007704966209633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In a recent Newsmax appearance, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) came out in opposition to the bill, saying it provides illegal immigrants with a &#8220;pathway to citizenship&#8221; without offering &#8220;comprehensive reform.&#8221;
&#8220;So we have a lot of work to do on immigration. Look, we know the immigration system is broken, that&#8217;s why I carry most of the legislation on immigration, fixing immigration. But as we have this conversation, there can be no amnesty as part of that conversation,&#8221; Ogles said.
&#8220;Look, if you want to get a work visa, that&#8217;s one thing, but you also have to understand that if you want to become a citizen, you need to go back to your country, and you need to apply the right way and you need to stand in line like everyone else,&#8221; he added.
Jeremy Beck, co-President of NumbersUSA, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/no-amnesty-calls-grow-over-bill-to-aid-immigrant-farm-workers-12223448">told</a> Newsweek that the bill is &#8220;an amnesty for employers engaged in illegal hiring,&#8221; adding that &#8220;It allows hundreds of thousands of illegal workers to stay as long as they indenture themselves to the agricultural industry.&#8221;
&#8220;Then the bill lowers workers&#8217; wages and deducts the cost of housing from their paychecks,&#8221; Beck said.
&#8220;No amnesty!&#8221; Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said in response to the bill. &#8220;Amnesty is NOT what people voted for in 2024!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
No amnesty. <a href="https://t.co/rgghloBMux">https://t.co/rgghloBMux</a> <a href="https://t.co/wHEjV8s3fu">pic.twitter.com/wHEjV8s3fu</a>
— House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) <a href="https://x.com/freedomcaucus/status/2079297177097027977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The bill would meet the demands of farm industry giants, including by allowing farms to employ H-2A migrant farmworkers for year-round labor, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/22/no-amnesty-migrant-farmworker-bill-opens-major-rift-within-gop-01007072" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Politico.
“[The bill] does acknowledge that dairy farmers have never had a workable ag-labor visa program, and it provides a short-term mechanism that will avoid massive disruptions to its workforce, which would in turn devastate family farms, create supply chain disruptions, and increase consumer costs,” Gregg Doud, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation, said in a statement.
John Hollay, president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, said the bill “follows through on President Trump’s promise from last Spring to protect American agriculture and seeks to codify a system that will ensure all of agriculture has access to a legal workforce when Americans won’t do the job,&#8221; according to Politico.
Thompson argues that the bill is needed to address a years-long farm &#8220;labor crisis.&#8221;
&#8220;They can&#8217;t get the help they need to harvest their crops and astronomical labor costs have pushed many lifelong farmers to the brink of bankruptcy,&#8221; Thompson <a href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/872828202078448">said</a>.
&#8220;This is happening because the very program that once kept farmers in business is sinking under the weight of bureaucratic costs. Without reform, the H-2A visa program may now be the reason these same farms cannot be passed on to the next generation,&#8221; he said.

Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson

New Republican Amnesty Bill Ignites Ire Of Immigration Hardliners

amnesty

Donald Trump

Illegal Immigration

Illegals

Republicans

Ron DeSantis

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration is targeting lawfare weaponized against farmers and ranchers, notably under President Joe Biden, The Daily Wire can first report.
The Department of Agriculture and the Small Business Administration will announce a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Thursday to combat weaponized regulatory and enforcement actions against American farmers, ranchers, and small businesses.
That MOU between the two agencies will fight the &#8220;abusive government overreach&#8221; and protect farmers, their families, private property, and small businesses. It builds on Pillar 4 of the Farmer and Rancher Freedom Framework, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins emphasized, &#8220;by building a government-wide shield against lawfare.&#8221;
Rollins and Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler argued Thursday that radical environmentalist NGOs, government agencies, and activist groups have targeted American ranchers and farmers, forced them to pay massive sums in fines, to give up their best grazing lands, and to sell generational properties.
&#8220;This is a really, really important issue, for our rural America, for farmers and ranchers, and what has taken place over a number of decades,&#8221; Rollins told The Daily Wire in a phone interview on Thursday morning, describing how &#8220;the government at all levels, federal, state, local,&#8221; under both Republicans and Democrats, has taken &#8220;our ranching, our farming land, even our small businesses.&#8221; 
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_1127553" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-trump-administration-targets-lawfare-against-farmers-ranchers/president-trump-speaks-to-farmers-at-the-white-house" rel="attachment wp-att-1127553"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1127553" class="wp-image-1127553 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2268649947-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2268649947-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2268649947-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2268649947-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2268649947.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>U.S. President Donald Trump speaks from the Truman balcony during an event with farmers on the South Lawn of the White House on March 27, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)</div>
Rollins pointed to numerous cases in which the government — spurred by environmental initiatives or corporate interests — took American homes and farmland. She specifically pointed to the Maude case, which involved fifth-generation ranchers from South Dakota whose property had been in their family for more than 100 years. President Joe Biden&#8217;s Justice Department targeted Charles and Heather Maude, indicting them both on felony charges of theft of government property over a fence dispute.
Both Charles and Heather Maude were horrified to find that they were indicted separately, Rollins explained, facing up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines each. A judge even restricted the couple from discussing the case with one another and required them to hire separate defense attorneys.
The case sparked national outcry, particularly among agricultural advocacy groups and lawmakers who understood the agricultural landscape, and under the Trump USDA and DOJ, the charges were dropped in April 2025.
&#8220;They were bankrupted, basically, because of their legal fees,&#8221; Rollins explained. The Trump administration quickly brought the Maudes to Washington and has helped them share their story. Rollins believes it is an example of how &#8220;at some point government has gotten too big and too weaponized,&#8221; and action must be taken to protect American liberty. 
In a Thursday morning phone interview with The Daily Wire, Loeffler explained that the MOU will formalize what she and Rollins have been doing informally for the last year and a half — &#8220;advocating for what is America&#8217;s original small business, which is farming.&#8221; 
Ninety-eight percent of Americans used to be farmers, Loeffler pointed out, and now that figure has plummeted to 2%. 
&#8220;I can only imagine how difficult it is now being there amid the radical environmental push that is playing out on our farmlands, our ranching lands across this country,&#8221; she shared.
The partnership between the SBA and USDA will seek to give farmers a voice on par with the federal government, Loeffler told The Daily Wire, &#8220;mobilizing an all-of-government approach behind farmers and ranchers and to stand up against the radical environmental movements and other movements that want to displace our farmers and ranchers, not just their operations, but their livelihoods.&#8221; 
Rollins and Loeffler will share the news during a presser Thursday morning with Special Envoy for American Ranchers John Rich, Director of the Bureau of Land Management Stevan Pearce, Representative Harriet Hageman, Representative Eli Crane, and producers and ranchers.

President Trump Holds Wildfire Briefing

EXCLUSIVE: Trump Administration Targets Lawfare Against Farmers, Ranchers

brooke rollins

Kelly Loeffler

Consumers are feeling the effects of rising beef prices every time they walk into the grocery store. What many don&#8217;t realize is that those prices are the result of pressures that have been building on American farmers for decades.
Today, the U.S. cattle herd is at its lowest level in roughly 75 years. It may sound like a simple supply-and-demand problem, but after more than 50 years in the cattle business, I can tell you it&#8217;s more complicated than that.
The cattle shortage we are experiencing today did not happen overnight. Years of rising operating costs, growing competition from imports, and industry consolidation have forced many ranchers to reduce their herd sizes or leave the business altogether. And while there are efforts underway to rebuild the nation&#8217;s cattle herd, it will take time. And the rebuild is not a certainty. A cow&#8217;s gestation period is nine months — then it takes another two years for that calf to reach slaughter. A herd rebuild is measured in years, not months.
But the cattle shortage itself is only part of the story.
Many consumers have little knowledge of where their beef actually comes from. Current labeling rules can allow imported beef to be processed domestically and marketed in ways that leave consumers with the impression it was entirely produced in the United States. At the same time, the modern American beef supply chain has become increasingly dependent on imported lean beef, which is frequently blended with domestic beef before reaching consumers.
As a result, consumers often have no clear way of knowing where the beef they purchase originated or how much of it was raised by American ranchers. The lack of transparency makes it difficult for consumers to make informed purchasing decisions and intentionally support domestic producers.
At the same time, four major meatpacking companies process the vast majority (about 80%) of America&#8217;s beef. This concentration has reduced competition, weakened the bargaining position of American ranchers, and placed significant influence over pricing and supply chains in the hands of a small number of companies.
When consumers see higher beef prices, they should understand that many ranchers are not the ones setting these prices. Most are simply trying to stay in business, while remaining largely at the mercy of a highly concentrated meatpacking industry.
I know this because I lived it.
For decades, my family&#8217;s farm in Bluffton, Georgia — White Oak Pastures — operated within the conventional industrial model that has come to dominate American agriculture. Over time, I began to see how an emphasis on scale, efficiency, and consolidation created unintended consequences for everyone involved.
That experience taught me an important lesson: there are factors beyond efficiency, such as how we steward the land, animal welfare, and resilience in the food supply chain.
If we continue down our current path, we risk fewer independent ranchers, fewer young people entering agriculture, and greater dependence on increasingly outsourced beef production.
One important step we can take today is Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL), which would provide consumers with greater transparency about where their meat originates, and allow them to make more informed purchasing decisions — and to specifically support American farmers. But labeling alone is not enough in the long run.
If we want affordable beef, a secure food supply, and a stronger agricultural future, we need policies that support independent producers, strengthen rural economies, and preserve America&#8217;s ability to produce its own food.
The current cattle shortage should be viewed as more than a temporary spike in beef prices — it is a warning sign.
For decades, shrinking cattle inventories, rising production costs, industry consolidation, and growing dependence on global supply chains have quietly reshaped the beef industry. Today&#8217;s higher prices are simply making those underlying pressures more visible to consumers.
Food security does not begin at the grocery store. It begins on farms and ranches across America. If we want affordable food tomorrow, we must ensure American farmers and ranchers can remain in business today.
***
Will Harris is the owner of White Oak Pastures and is a fourth-generation cattle rancher.

Average Price Per Pound Of Ground Beef Passes The Minimum Wage Benchmark

What A Cattle Rancher Knows About Beef Prices That Consumers Don’t

Beef

Beef prices

Cattle industry

DW Opinion

Meatpacking

Chinese purchasers have been buying up American farmland at an alarming rate.
In 1980, Chinese buyers owned 2,000 acres of American farmland, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6394719129112" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Department of Agriculture. Now, they own 300,000 acres.
&#8220;The consolidation of our farmland, the foreign adversarial ownership of farmland, especially from China and other places has really been creeping up on our country,&#8221; Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins recently <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6394719129112" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Fox News.
The House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI), along with a bipartisan group of lawmakers, plans to introduce the Protecting U.S. Farmland and Sensitive Sites from Foreign Adversaries Act on Thursday. The bill seeks to close the &#8220;dangerous loopholes&#8221; that have allowed foreign adversaries, like China, to make such purchases near critical infrastructure and military bases.
“Food security is national security, and we cannot allow foreign adversaries like China to buy up American farmland near our most sensitive military and critical infrastructure sites,” Moolenaar said.
The proposal mandates that any purchases involving farmland, ports, telecommunications infrastructure, and locations in proximity to military installations and intelligence facilities undergo a mandatory review. It also gives the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which is headed by the Department of the Treasury, the ability to provide oversight of such land purchases if they involve enemy nations such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
CFIUS <a href="https://knoxradio.com/2022/12/13/fufeng-looks-forward-to-building-gf-plant-after-cfius-says-it-has-no-jurisdiction/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> in 2022 that a Chinese food manufacturer&#8217;s purchase of farmland in Grand Forks, North Dakota, which was situated near Grand Forks Air Force Base and Cavalier Space Force Station, wasn&#8217;t a &#8220;covered transaction&#8221; in its jurisdiction.
If passed, the latest bill would ensure CFIUS would have oversight in such cases.
Adam Savit, director for China policy at the America First Policy Institute, said threats to the food supply have become a &#8220;national security&#8221; issue, adding that &#8220;the federal government needs the jurisdiction and the tools to stop these transactions before they happen, not to negotiate mitigation agreements after the fact. States have led on this issue for years, and federal law should reinforce their efforts.&#8221;
“Legislation is needed to close these loopholes and protect critical American infrastructure and American communities, and the provisions of this bill do just that,” Savit, a former senior adviser for national security at the Department of Agriculture, added.
The bill will be cosponsored by Reps. Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Zach Nunn (R-IA), Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Pat Harrigan (R-NC), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), and Mike Thompson (D-CA).

IMG_2583

EXCLUSIVE: Bipartisan Bill Aims To Keep China From Buying Up American Farmland

China

According to the Wall Street Journal, the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice is <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/justice-department-is-criminally-investigating-beef-companies-1f91a3c6">investigating</a> whether meatpackers engaged in criminal antitrust conduct. Last November, as consumer beef prices continued climbing, President Trump called upon the DOJ to investigate the practices of meatpackers.
Beef is among America’s most important protein sources, and understanding how beef makes its way to the grocery store reveals why consumers at the end of the beef supply chain and farmers and ranchers at its beginning are highly susceptible to foul play.
Think of the beef supply chain as a sand-filled hourglass. The sand-filled top represents the start of the beef supply chain, with the sand itself representing hundreds of thousands of widely dispersed, independent, family-scale cattle farmers and ranchers scattered across America. Now cattle grow slowly, and from the time they are born until they reach their optimal slaughter weight takes upwards of two years.
As the cattle grow, they flow downstream in the hourglass and are eventually transported from their distant, wide-open grassy birthplaces to large pens called feedlots, where they are congregated. Most feedlots are in the central and southern plains regions of the United States, and when cattle arrive, they are fed a highly concentrated diet that fattens them to slaughter weight.
<div id="attachment_1082193" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1082193" class="size-large wp-image-1082193" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1230785175-864x576.jpg" alt="A heifer and her calf in a field at the Barthle Brothers Ranch in Dade City, Florida, U.S. on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 12.0 million head on January 1, 2021. The inventory was slightly above January 1, 2020, The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported. Photographer: Ty Wright/Bloomberg via Getty Images" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1230785175-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1230785175-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1230785175-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-1230785175.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Ty Wright/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
When fed to their optimal weight, these slaughter-ready cattle are offered for sale to the beef packers at the choke point of the hourglass, as here there are just four dominant beef packers who purchase and control 80% of the 25 million or so slaughter cattle entering the choke point each year. Of course, these same dominant packers also control 80% of the resultant beef that passes on through the choke point, which they then sell to grocery stores scattered across America for ultimate purchase by consumers.
It is at this highly concentrated and centralized choke point — the point at which the dominant beef packers purchase cattle from the feedlots and convert them into consumable beef — that foul play can cause harm to the cattle farmers and ranchers above the pinch point and consumers below.
For example, if the concentrated beef packers unlawfully collude by agreeing to reduce the number of cattle they will collectively slaughter, cattle will back up in the supply chain above the choke point, effectively reducing demand for cattle and lowering their prices paid to cattle farmers and ranchers. Because slaughtering fewer cattle will result in less beef, reducing the number of cattle the beef packers will collectively slaughter will reduce the available beef supply below the choke point, causing beef prices to increase.
Now it could be argued that colluding to lower cattle prices could result in lower consumer beef prices if the dominant beef packers were to pass their cost savings on to retailers, and ultimately consumers. But history shows otherwise.
Going back for more than four decades, the spread between the prices that farmers and ranchers receive for their cattle and the retail prices that consumers pay for beef has grown increasingly wider. This suggests that firms standing between America’s cattle ranchers and America’s consumers are somehow capturing artificially high profits along the beef supply chain.
How these supra-competitive profits are being extracted from the beef supply chain and by whom is likely a central focus of the DOJ’s ongoing antitrust investigation.
<div id="attachment_1082197" style="width: 932px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1082197" class="size-large wp-image-1082197" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270117676-922x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 06: Beef ribeye steaks are displayed at a grocery store on April 06, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Amid persistently high food inflation, the price of a pound of ground beef has risen to between roughly $6.49 and $8.96, often exceeding the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, as supply shortages, drought, and disease affecting cattle herds drive costs higher while wages remain unchanged since 2009. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)" width="922" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270117676-922x576.jpg 922w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270117676-300x188.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270117676-768x480.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/04/GettyImages-2270117676.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 922px) 100vw, 922px" />Justin Sullivan/Getty Images</div>
During the past six years, several private class action antitrust lawsuits have been filed against the four largest beef packers operating in the United States – Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef Packing Company, alleging they had colluded to suppress cattle prices while simultaneously inflating beef prices. These civil antitrust lawsuits have alleged harm to virtually every segment of the beef supply chain, from cattle farmers and ranchers who sold cattle to the beef packers to consumers, distributors, and retailers who directly or indirectly purchased beef from the dominant beef packers. These private civil actions are still working their way through the court system and have so far resulted in settlements of over $170 million.
In at least one of these civil lawsuits, it is alleged that the dominant packers unlawfully colluded to suppress cattle prices from mid-2015 through early 2020. During that period, retail beef prices trended markedly upward while cattle prices trended downward, an anomaly signaling market failure in the beef supply chain, particularly since the only source of beef is cattle.
The question of whether beef packers engaged in unlawful antitrust conduct will be answered upon the completion of the numerous civil lawsuits pending against them and the result of the DOJ investigation. The outcome of the DOJ investigation alone will determine if principals representing the beef packers also engaged in criminal antitrust conduct.
* * *
Bill Bullard is the CEO of R-CALF USA in Billings, Montana.

Bloomberg Best Of The Year 2025

Who’s Taking The Prime Cut Of America’s Beef Prices?

Affordable

Economy

Food prices

grocery prices

meat

Price Gouging

President Donald Trump announced a $12 billion bailout for American farmers on Monday afternoon as many farmers have taken a blow due to the president’s tariffs.
Most of the $12 billion aid package will go toward one-time payments for farmers, especially soybean farmers, whose industry has taken a massive hit from Trump’s steep tariffs on China, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-08/trump-set-to-unveil-12-billion-aid-for-farmers-hit-by-trade-war">reported</a>. Up to $11 billion will be provided to farmers under the Department of Agriculture’s new Farmer Bridge Assistance program. Trump was joined by soybean, corn, cotton, sorghum, rice, cattle, wheat, and potato farmers at the White House for the announcement.
Trump <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1998115240983019905">said</a> that the $12 billion for American farmers will come from the &#8220;hundreds of billions of dollars&#8221; the United States has collected in tariff revenue. The United States has brought in around $260 billion in tariff revenue this year alone.
Trump blasted former President Joe Biden&#8217;s economic policies that he said hurt American farmers, adding that under the Trump administration, farmers would be &#8220;put first.&#8221;
&#8220;Farm bankruptcies under Joe Biden went up 55%. That&#8217;s not good,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;But now we&#8217;re once again in a position where a president is able to put farmers first. Unfortunately, I&#8217;m the only president that does that.&#8221;
Trump’s financial aid will help a farming industry that relies heavily on exports to foreign nations. Around 25% of soybeans grown in the United States are exported to China, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-to-unveil-12-billion-bailout-for-farmers-064eb1de?mod=hp_lead_pos4">The Wall Street Journal</a>.
After Trump rolled out his tariffs on China earlier this year, the communist country completely cut off its imports of American soybeans until it reached a deal with the Trump administration in late October. Soybean, wheat, and corn farmers have already lost an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/24/us/politics/farmers-aid-trade-war.html#:~:text=Trump%20cares%20about%20farmers%20and,that%20took%20years%20to%20win.">estimated</a> $13 billion due to the president’s trade war, according to a farm group study.
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/15/trump-economy-farmers-bailout">hinted</a> at the administration’s farm bailout in early October, calling the plan “clever and generous.” The farm aid rollout was delayed due to the record-long government shutdown that lasted from October 1 to November 12.
After the United States and China struck a deal to lower tariffs, China pledged to purchase 12 million tons of American soybeans by the end of the year. Since the end of October, China has purchased just over two million tons, according to Bloomberg. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Sunday that China is so far complying with its agreement.
“With China, it’s always we verify, and we monitor, and we watch the commitments. The commitments are quite specific,” Greer said during an appearance on “The Sunday Briefing” on Fox News. “So all of these things that we’ve agreed to with the Chinese recently are very concrete, we can monitor them with some ease, and so far, we’re seeing that they’re in compliance.”
Farmers have argued that they need government help to pay off debt and plan for next year’s crops. They make up a large part of Trump’s base and have continued to back the president. In the 2024 election, Trump’s support among farming communities <a href="https://investigatemidwest.org/2024/11/13/trump-election-farming-counties-trade-war/">increased</a> nationwide compared to 2020 and 2016. Trump won 78% of the vote from farming counties in 2024, two points better than he fared in 2020 and five points better than in 2016.
During his first term, the president allocated $28 billion to farmers affected by his administration’s tariffs on China.

Trump Farm Bailout

Trump Provides Billions In Relief To Farmers Impacted By Tariffs

Executive

Politics

Tariffs

Leftist activists and politicians claim that the Trump administration&#8217;s Thursday raids targeting cannabis farms in Southern California are proof that the president&#8217;s immigration enforcement operation is &#8220;self-sabotage,&#8221; ripping workers away from critical American food supply chains.
Federal agents conducted raids at two cannabis farms in Ventura County, where they were met by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/violent-leftists-attack-federal-agents-during-immigration-raids-at-california-pot-farms?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Violent+Leftists+Attack+Federal+Agents+During+Immigration+Raids+At+California+Pot+Farms">violent leftists</a> — some of whom attacked the agents by pelting their vehicles with rocks — and one man appeared to fire a handgun at authorities. After the attacks, some on the Left vilified the feds for detaining suspected illegal immigrants working on the marijuana farms, arguing that the workers are &#8220;the backbone of our food chain.&#8221;
&#8220;ICE just swarmed Ventura County fields, hauling away the very farm workers who keep America’s produce aisles stocked,&#8221; wrote leftist political commentator Brian Allen. &#8220;We’re arresting assets; treating the backbone of our food chain like a threat. That’s not &#8216;border security.&#8217; That’s self-sabotage in uniform.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
🚨BREAKING: ICE just swarmed Ventura County fields, hauling away the very farm workers who keep America’s produce aisles stocked. 
We’re arresting assets; treating the backbone of our food chain like a threat. That’s not “border security.” That’s self-sabotage in uniform. <a href="https://t.co/GgZvnXbVsd">pic.twitter.com/GgZvnXbVsd</a>
&mdash; Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) <a href="https://twitter.com/allenanalysis/status/1943436496926847452?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who represents parts of Los Angeles, reposted Allen on X, claiming that federal agents are targeting migrants picking strawberries.
&#8220;How many MS-13 gang members are waking up at 3 a.m. to pick strawberries? O’yeah, zero!&#8221; Gomez <a href="https://x.com/RepJimmyGomez/status/1943523801578508320">said</a>. &#8220;Trump said he’d go after &#8216;bad hombres,&#8217; but he’s targeting the immigrant farm workers who feed America. Either he lied — or he can’t tell the difference.&#8221;
Leftist social media influencer Harry Sisson, who gained a large following after making videos in support of former President Joe Biden&#8217;s 2024 campaign, <a href="https://x.com/harryjsisson/status/1943444361649492019">accused</a> the Trump administration of &#8220;arresting farmers.&#8221;
&#8220;My god… Trump’s goons are throwing tear gas at people and arresting farmers in California during an immigration raid. Trump has turned this country into a military state,&#8221; Sisson said. &#8220;This is what happens when a wannabe dictator gets elected.&#8221;
The White House ripped leftists for claiming that the Trump administration was threatening the food supply by going after suspected illegal immigrants working at cannabis farms.
&#8220;Marijuana is not the &#8216;backbone of our food chain,'&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/ATJackson47/status/1943488036324409469">wrote</a> White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson.
&#8220;It’s a marijuana facility. What will we do without illegals to pick our weed? Moron,&#8221; the official &#8220;Rapid Response&#8221; account for the White House <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1943493659271307398">said</a> in response to Allen&#8217;s post.
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom blasted President Donald Trump following the Thursday raids.
“Kids running from tear gas, crying on the phone because their mother was just taken from the fields,” Newsom wrote. “Trump calls me ‘Newscum’ — but he’s the real scum.”
According to Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott, agents at one of the Ventura County cannabis farm raids found 10 children at the marijuana facility, eight of whom were not accompanied by an adult. The farm is &#8220;now under investigation for child labor violations,&#8221; Scott said.
Multiple protesters who were &#8220;impeding&#8221; federal agents were arrested, according to Bill Essayli, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. A news helicopter <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WKRvYmtWOE&amp;t=159s">video</a> showed the moments when leftists slung rocks at federal vehicles, smashing the windows, as the agents attempted to leave the farm with detainees. Another video captured the moment a man appeared to open fire on federal agents. The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the suspected gunman.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
FBI has issued a $50,000 award for information leading to the conviction of an Unknown Subject who appeared to fire a pistol at Federal Law Enforcement Officers near Camarillo. The shooting occurred on 7/10/25 at approximately 2:26pm on Laguna Rd between Wood Rd and Las Posas Rd.… <a href="https://t.co/XG94sTQEVR">pic.twitter.com/XG94sTQEVR</a>
— U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAttyEssayli/status/1943522825194868753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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US-POLITICS-IMMIGRATION-ICE-PROTEST

Leftists Insist Raids On California Weed Farms Will Disrupt Food Supply Chain

California

Democrats

Gavin Newsom

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Leftism

Marijuana

Protesters

Trump Administration

Federal agents with a search warrant for suspected immigration and labor violations at cannabis farms in Ventura County, California, were met by hundreds of protesters on Thursday, including one man who appeared to fire a gun at them.
The feds conducted immigration raids at two Glass House Farms, a state-licensed marijuana facility that is allegedly employing illegal immigrants, including children, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/immigration-operation-california-cannabis-farms-leads-clash-federal-agents-protesters">Fox News</a>. After getting word of the immigration operations at a cannabis farm in Camarillo, approximately 60 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, around 500 protesters arrived to confront federal authorities, The Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-07-10/federal-immigration-sweep-ventura-county-farms">reported</a>. The other farm is located in Carpinteria, about 35 miles up the coast, where a smaller group of protesters gathered.
The standoff quickly turned violent as federal agents attempted to disperse the crowd with smoke canisters, and news helicopter video captured the moment when one man appeared to fire a handgun at authorities.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Protester appears to fire weapon at federal immigration agents near Camarillo" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HycOV4i0nzs?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>
As agents were leaving the farm with detainees, a group of protesters pelted their vehicles with rocks, smashing windows. Following the confrontation, four people were taken to the hospital, and three people were treated at the scene, FOX Los Angeles <a href="https://www.foxla.com/news/camarillo-ventura-county-farm-ice-raid">reported</a>. It&#8217;s unclear if any federal authorities were among the injured.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Protesters throw objects at a federal convoy leaving a farm in Camarillo" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5WKRvYmtWOE?start=159&#038;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>
&#8220;Federal agents are executing a search warrant at this marijuana farm,&#8221; said Bill Essayli, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. &#8220;Agents have already arrested multiple individuals for impeding this operation and will continue to make arrests. Don’t interfere. You will be arrested and charged with a federal offense.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Federal agents are executing a search warrant at this marijuana farm. Agents have already arrested multiple individuals for impeding this operation and will continue to make arrests. Don’t interfere. You will be arrested and charged with a federal offense. <a href="https://t.co/KMwZ5WToOc">https://t.co/KMwZ5WToOc</a>
— U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAttyEssayli/status/1943476954189172893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
In a later post on social media, Essayli said that the &#8220;FBI has issued a $50,000 award for information leading to the conviction of an Unknown Subject who appeared to fire a pistol at Federal Law Enforcement Officers near Camarillo.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
FBI has issued a $50,000 award for information leading to the conviction of an Unknown Subject who appeared to fire a pistol at Federal Law Enforcement Officers near Camarillo. The shooting occurred on 7/10/25 at approximately 2:26pm on Laguna Rd between Wood Rd and Las Posas Rd.… <a href="https://t.co/XG94sTQEVR">pic.twitter.com/XG94sTQEVR</a>
— U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAttyEssayli/status/1943522825194868753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Video of the immigration raid posted by California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared to show workers and protesters running away as federal agents fired tear gas into the crowd.
&#8220;Kids running from tear gas, crying on the phone because their mother was just taken from the fields,&#8221; Newsom wrote. &#8220;Trump calls me &#8216;Newscum&#8217; — but he’s the real scum.&#8221;
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott responded to Newsom&#8217;s post on X, writing, &#8220;Here’s some breaking news: 10 juveniles were found at this marijuana facility &#8211; all illegal aliens, 8 of them unaccompanied. It’s now under investigation for child labor violations. This is Newsom’s California.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Here’s some breaking news: 10 juveniles were found at this marijuana facility &#8211; all illegal aliens, 8 of them unaccompanied. It’s now under investigation for child labor violations.
This is Newsom’s California. <a href="https://t.co/Z1XoRMtBSN">https://t.co/Z1XoRMtBSN</a>
— CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott (@CBPCommissioner) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBPCommissioner/status/1943511972441391376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Other California Democrats also condemned the raid at the cannabis farm. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA), who represents the district where one of the raided farms is located, called the operation &#8220;disproportionate&#8221; and &#8220;overkill,&#8221; warning that the federal government&#8217;s &#8220;tactics&#8221; would lead to more violence.
“These tactics are creating an incendiary, hostile environment the way they are being deployed, which could lead to, regrettably, violence in the future,” he <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-07-10/federal-immigration-sweep-ventura-county-farms">said</a>.
Thursday&#8217;s attack on immigration agents comes as federal authorities face mounting threats. Earlier this week, a gunman in tactical gear <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-gunman-in-tactical-gear-killed-after-opening-fire-on-border-patrol-agents">opened fire</a> on Border Patrol agents in McAllen, Texas, wounding two police officers and a Border Patrol employee before he was killed. Ten people were also <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/10-suspects-charged-july-4-attack-texas-ice-detention-facility">arrested</a> this week after they attacked an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Alvarado, Texas, on July 4, shooting and wounding a law enforcement officer.
The Trump administration has blasted Democrats for using &#8220;dangerous, inflammatory rhetoric&#8221; aimed at ICE agents. Some Democrats have compared ICE&#8217;s operations to the Gestapo.
“ICE agents put their lives on the line every day to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off our streets and out of our communities,” <a href="https://x.com/PressSec/status/1942974206880207099">said</a> White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “They are making America safer, and Democrats are shamelessly attacking them for it.”

ICE Raid At Southern California Farm

Violent Leftists Attack Federal Agents During Immigration Raids At California Pot Farms

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>
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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

Business

Matt Walsh

Unions

Inflation and gross domestic product are both down while investment in the United States surges. And we talk to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum about how the Trump administration is unleashing energy development one hundred days into the term.
It’s Thursday, May 1, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/investment-up-gdp-down-drill-baby-drill?elementPosition=0&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">now available on video</a>! You can watch today’s episode below:
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<iframe loading="lazy" title="Investment Up, GDP Down &amp; Drill, Baby, Drill" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3HU1YLcWA0k?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>
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If you’d rather <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=News+%26+Commentary&amp;rowType=Square+Show+Carousel">listen to the show</a>, it&#8217;s still available in audio wherever you get your podcasts. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
&nbsp;
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/investment-up-gdp-down-drill-baby-drill-5-1-25/id1576594336?i=1000705667705" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
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<h2>Investments Surge, GDP Slips</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-914361" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/4302025-1Graphic.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/4302025-1Graphic.jpeg 640w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/04/4302025-1Graphic-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes=" (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /></div>
Topline: American investment is surging despite turmoil around Trump’s tariffs – and the GDP is slightly slipping.
The GDP shrank by 0.3% in the first quarter of 2025, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped about 200 points in response to that news. But if we dig into the numbers the data is mixed – and there are actually some significant positives. During a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Trump and other administration officials challenged the media’s narrative about the economy, arguing that they are turning Biden’s economy around and that “core GDP” is on the rise.
“I was very against everything Biden was doing in terms of the economy,” Trump <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-1xpqn6z2o">said</a>. “ But we took over his mess in so many different ways… despite what we were handed we turned them around.”
White House trade advisor Peter Navarro broke down how the administration crunched the numbers. He said that a surge in imports and DOGE slashing government waste make the GDP look much lower on paper. “The markets need to look below the surface of that,” Navarro said. “We had a 22% increase in domestic investments. That is off the charts.”
In that same cabinet meeting, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick laid out details about how another semiconductor company, which is the main chip supplier for Apple, is building a major manufacturing plant in Arizona. Trump also said he has gotten $8 trillion in new investments in the United States since taking office.
Inflation slowed to its lowest rate since September, and consumer spending increased by $135 billion, or 0.7%. Much of that was Americans buying cars and other big-ticket items, partly to get ahead of Trump’s tariffs. Meanwhile, prices were static in March, and personal incomes rose by $116.8 billion, or 0.5%.
<h2>Drill Baby Drill</h2>
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Topline: The Trump Administration is looking to break America’s reliance on Chinese natural resources by expanding domestic mining and drilling.
The Department of the Interior oversees billions of acres of federal lands and waters and has the power to open up new land for mining and drilling operations. Under the Trump administration, it’s doing just that.
This month, when China announced a ban on the export of several rare earth minerals, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced that he would reverse President Biden’s so-called “war on mining” to ensure the United States could begin producing those minerals on its own. 
“Obama, Biden, you know, their whole approach was we&#8217;re gonna shut down mining, we&#8217;re gonna shut down oil and gas development,” Burgum told The Daily Wire. “They really, I’m gonna say, crushed the mining industry, both the extraction of these resources, but also the processing of that…China was happy to have the rest of the Western world stop mining so that they could take control of the markets around these critical minerals, which we need for defense, for technology, for electronics, really for everything today in modern life depends on it. So now in the United States, we&#8217;ve gotta get back in the game.”
Because President Trump made an emergency energy declaration, Secretary Burgum, who’s also the Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council, was able to bypass regulations that typically result in years-long delays on new mining projects. Now, they’ll be approved within two weeks. Burgum told the Daily Wire that overregulation of the mining industry has driven business out of the U.S. — forcing us to be more reliant on countries like China. Burgum says that bringing mining back to the United States will be better for the global environment. 
“We do it cleaner, better, safer, smarter and healthier here in the U.S. because when we attack these resource-based industries, we don&#8217;t reduce the demand. We just shift the supply overseas and they shift it to China, who might be extracting this from in the DRC in the middle of Africa. And they&#8217;re doing it without reclamation. They&#8217;re doing it with, sometimes, slave labor, prisoner labor. They&#8217;re doing it with no emissions control on what they&#8217;re doing. So it&#8217;s worse for the global environment. It helps our adversaries, it hurts our economy, and it&#8217;s horrible for national security.”
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<h2>Trade War Hits U.S. Farmers</h2>
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Topline: President Trump continues to tout his trade policies as China makes quiet concessions, but also cancels significant U.S. agricultural orders.
A report from Reuters published Wednesday says that China has created a list of U.S.-made products that will be exempt from its retaliatory 125% tariffs, in addition to other exemptions it has already made on pharmaceuticals, microchips, and aircraft engines. Behind the scenes, Beijing is apparently privately notifying companies about these latest exemptions – that’s obviously to preserve this posture that China will fight Trump on tariffs to the end. 
Trump has said he’s <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/28/trump-xi-tariffs-china-bessent.html">in trade talks</a> with China and that President Xi recently called him. China has denied it and is publicly putting on a bold face. 
“Bowing to a bully is like drinking poison to quench thirst. It only deepens the crisis.” A widely disseminated Chinese propaganda video said earlier this week. “ Make no mistake, the U.S. will keep flip-flopping and playing hardball. But China will stand firm, no matter how hard the wind blows, no matter how clouds rage.”
Last week, China made its largest cancellation of pork orders in five years, halting about 12,000 tons of U.S. pork. The nation has also significantly reduced its soybean order by 97% compared to two weeks ago. For some context, U.S. farmers export more than $176 billion in agricultural products a year. Nearly 10% of that is soybeans and pork for China.

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