When I was in college, I passed the César Chávez statue every day on my walk to class at the University of Texas. Now, César Chávez is the name of the road I take to work. 
For years, Chávez was presented as the figurehead for Mexican Americans, a symbol we were expected to revere. But he represented a collectivist ideology that perpetuated ethnic tribalism. After the New York Times broke the story of his sexual abuse of young girls, this false idol is finally toppling. My only hope is that he is not replaced by another.
Chávez has long been celebrated as a symbol of the Civil Rights era and as a champion of labor unions in America. He co-founded the United Farm Workers (UFW) union to fight for better conditions for migrant laborers. But in truth, he exploited the very people he claimed to protect, while tying Mexican Americans to socialist ideology. He carefully crafted a public image as a family man devoted to Catholic social teaching, but the reality was much darker.
Chávez’s philosophy echoes Marxist rhetoric about the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. At a UFW convention in 1981, Chávez <a href="https://reason.com/2013/07/30/harvest-of-power/#:~:text=Some%20of%20these%20features%20include:%20*%20the,under%20the%20ALRA%20subject%20to%20ALRB%20regulations.">proclaimed:</a> 
<blockquote>I would not take one cup of coffee from a grower [farmer]… There&#8217;s not a good one. I hate them. A few presents, a little talk, then the noose. That’s how capitalism works.</blockquote>
It isn’t just his rhetoric that sounds alarm bells. Early in his career, he worked with Saul Alinsky (the community organizer who defined the modern leftist playbook in “Rules for Radicals”). Chávez and the UFW later implemented Alinsky’s tactics, fostering confrontational, divisive organizing.
Then, there is the recent revelation of his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/left-wing-icon-accused-of-serially-sexually-abusing-young-girls?author=Nathan+Gay&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=15&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Left-Wing+Icon+Accused+Of+Serially+Sexually+Abusing+Young+Girls">extensive sexual abuse</a> of minors. The behavior is not distinct from other far-Left figures. From Josef Stalin to Mao to Kim Jong-il, communist and socialist leaders often share a troubling connection to sexual predation. We should not be surprised that evil ideology attracts evil people.
If the warning signs around Chávez have existed for decades, why did he become the face of an entire ethnicity in America? Partly, because he was effective at mobilizing Mexican Americans in California, using rhetoric that created a lasting “us vs. them” mentality. But how did that ideology extend to Texas?
Chávez never belonged in Tejano heritage the same way he does in Chicano culture. The Chicano culture and movement are a direct outgrowth of the California Hispanic labor movement in the ‘60s and ‘70s. On the other hand, the Tejano culture traces back to the Mexican settlers of Texas prior to Texas Independence and is a component of what created the Texas identity. 
That history is also tied to farming and a cowboy ethos that is incompatible with Chávez’s ideology. Texas agriculture thrived because of ranchers like my ancestors, who embraced a free-market approach, not because of unions or collectivist movements.
Before the New York Times exposé, one could argue that Chávez fought for Mexican Americans and deserved gratitude. Yet his legacy has encouraged a troubling mindset: To be loyal to one’s Hispanic heritage, one must embrace left-wing ideology. On campus, I was often labeled a “race traitor” at conservative events, accused of “wanting white approval,” or dismissed as “too white-passing” to comment on border and immigration issues.
The type of tribalism promoted by Chávez is just like any other kind of identity politics, limiting and stereotyping the people it is intended to empower. In a political climate in which Texas Hispanics are considering Republicans on the ballot, it is clear why the Left is feeling threatened.
So why is a street in Austin named after César Chávez? Why did his statue watch me as I walked to class? The answer is clear: ethnic tokenism. It was fitting for Bill Clinton to award him a Presidential Medal of Freedom and for Joe Biden to display his bust in the Oval Office. Chávez represents the Hispanic worker the political Left wishes we all were: obedient to a union boss and beholden to collectivist ideology.
The UFW announced it will not be celebrating César Chávez Day this year amid the allegations. The idol all Hispanics were once expected to adore is finally falling from his pedestal. My hope is that we do not replace him with another.
* * *
Ariana Guajardo is the Video Production Manager at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. She is the creator and host of &#8220;The Sweet Tea Series&#8221; and co-host of &#8220;The Hard Country,&#8221; where she and Joshua Treviño examine the history and modern tensions shaping U.S.–Mexico relations.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

United Farmer Workers Union Distances Itself From Founder Cesar Chavez After “Troubling Allegations”

The Left Hid César Chávez’s Rapes And Turned Him Into A Saint

The Left Hid César Chávez's Rapes And Turned Him Into A Saint

California

Civil Rights

Farming

Hispanics

Labor Unions

Leftists

Mexico

Opinion

Rape

Texas

McDonald&#8217;s USA announced this week that it&#8217;s pouring $200 million into regenerative farm practices &#8212; the largest McDonald&#8217;s investment in regenerative agriculture to date.
The move has been hailed as a win for the &#8220;Make America Healthy Again&#8221; movement, since these practices enhance soil health and make synthetic chemicals and fertilizers far less necessary.
&#8220;Thank you, [McDonald&#8217;s], for committing a record $200 million investment into regenerative agriculture. This is a big win for regenerative grazing practices, habitat restoration, water and wildlife conservation,&#8221; Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on X.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Thank you, <a href="https://twitter.com/McDonalds?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@McDonalds</a>, for committing a record $200 million investment into regenerative agriculture. This is a big win for regenerative grazing practices, habitat restoration, water and wildlife conservation. 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/9f6mrFBV3Y">pic.twitter.com/9f6mrFBV3Y</a>
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1968317088361271783?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2025</a></blockquote>
McDonald’s, which is the largest fast food chain in the nation, is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and others to invest more than $200 million over the next seven years in regenerative grazing practices, habitat restoration, and water and wildlife conservation on cattle ranches spanning 4 million acres across up to 38 states, a press release from the company outlines.
The investment, McDonald&#8217;s said, shows the company&#8217;s &#8220;continued commitment to responsible beef sourcing and stewardship of natural resources.&#8221;
Calley Means, an advisor to Kennedy, said on X, &#8220;McDonald’s invests $200 million to shift supply chain to more regenerative practices. Soil Health and regenerative practices are a true win-win between MAHA advocates and large companies. These moves should be celebrated.&#8221;
&#8220;My takeaway from a lot of engagement with food companies FWIW &#8211; this commitment to soil health is real,&#8221; Means added. &#8220;These companies depend on their soil and have a major economic interest in evolving/improving practices. Soil healthy and regenerative principles are a key theme of the MAHA report. The actions of McDonald’s are significant here and represent a roadmap about how we can drive real change.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
My takeaway from a lot of engagement with food companies FWIW &#8211; this commitment to soil health is real. These companies depend on their soil and have a major economic interest in evolving/improving practices.
Soil healthy and regenerative principles are a key theme of the MAHA…
— Calley Means (@calleymeans) <a href="https://twitter.com/calleymeans/status/1968059901391073697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
HHS has already witnessed a number of major food companies voluntarily make MAHA changes, such as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-maha-win-kraft-heinz-to-nix-all-artificial-dyes-in-two-years">dropping synthetic food dyes</a>, or <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tyson-foods-will-stop-using-high-fructose-corn-syrup-by-end-of-year">halting the use of high fructose corn syrup</a>.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vax-panel-reviewing-childhood-vaccine-schedule-heres-what-theyll-vote-on?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Vax+Panel+Reviewing+Childhood+Vaccine+Schedule.+Here’s+What+They’ll+Vote+On.">Vax Panel Reviewing Childhood Vaccine Schedule. Here’s What They’ll Vote On.</a>

McDonald’s Same Store Sales Up 7.1 Percent In January

MAHA Changes Are Coming To McDonald’s

Fast-Food

Food

Health

McDonald’s

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

U.S.

President Donald Trump stands by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case, ICE raids intensify in scope and reaction, and California wages a multi-front legal war with the Trump administration.
It’s Monday, July 14, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Trump Backs Bondi &amp; ICE Raids CA Farm" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qhFNlfqdVAw?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 would rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trump-backs-bondi-ice-raids-ca-farm/id1576594336?i=1000717147993" 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>Tensions Escalate Within Trump World In The Fallout Of The Epstein Case</h2>
<div id="attachment_946289" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-946289" class="size-large wp-image-946289" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2197275225-864x576.jpg" alt="U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by newly sworn-in U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaks to member of the media in the Oval Office at the White House on February 05, 2025 in Washington, DC." width="864" height="576" />Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images</div>
Topline: President Trump is standing by his attorney general, even as MAGA loyalists call for Pam Bondi to be ousted over her handling of the Epstein files.
Ever since the White House declared the Epstein investigation closed, concluding that there was no evidence the billionaire sex criminal died by murder, blackmailed powerful individuals, or had a “client list,” we’ve seen unprecedented backlash from the president’s most diehard supporters. They are confident there’s more to this story and want to know why there hasn’t been more transparency – and more importantly, why Bondi went from saying the Epstein client list was on her desk awaiting release, to saying there was never a list to begin with. 
Now we appear to be seeing legitimate signs of fracture within the administration. 
On Friday, we learned that FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino got into a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/details-emerge-from-bonginos-reported-tense-meeting-with-bondi-trump-chief-of-staff">shouting match</a> with Bondi at the White House last week. Bongino reportedly accused her of misleading the public, while Bondi reportedly accused him of throwing her under the bus and planting negative stories about her in the press. A source close to Bongino told Daily Wire White House Reporter Mary Margaret Olohan that he is so incensed by the Epstein debacle that he’s threatening to resign if Bondi is allowed to remain the chief legal officer of the federal government.
According to officials at the DOJ, FBI Director Kash Patel is also considering resigning if more documents are not released, and he wants Bondi out as well. However, Patel broke his silence on Saturday, saying he&#8217;ll continue serving Trump &#8220;as long as he calls on me&#8221; and the Epstein &#8220;conspiracy theories just aren&#8217;t true.&#8221;
In a lengthy <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114842356238631061">Truth Social</a> post on Saturday, Trump defended Bondi, who he said is doing a “fantastic job&#8230;We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening… ‘selfish people’ are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein. For years, it’s Epstein, over and over again. Why are we giving publicity to Files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan, and the Losers and Criminals of the Biden Administration.” The President went on to say the FBI would be better suited focusing on investigating voter fraud and political corruption as opposed to Epstein, before ending with a line that drew perhaps the most outrage from his base: “Let’s not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.”
&nbsp;
<h2>ICE Raids &amp; Protesters</h2>
<div id="attachment_946103" style="width: 857px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-946103" class="size-large wp-image-946103" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224587665-847x576.jpg" alt="CAMARILLO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 10: Federal agents block people protesting an ICE immigration raid at a nearby cannabis farm on July 10, 2025 near Camarillo, California. Protestors stood off with federal agents for hours outside the farm in the farmworker community in Ventura County. A Los Angeles federal judge is set to rule Friday on a temporary restraining order which would restrict area immigration enforcement operations. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)" width="847" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224587665-847x576.jpg 847w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224587665-300x204.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224587665-768x522.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224587665.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 847px) 100vw, 847px" />Mario Tama/Getty Images</div>
Topline: More details are emerging about the ICE raid of a marijuana farm in Camarillo, California, last week that resulted in the arrest of hundreds of illegal aliens. Officials say at least 14 children were on the farm, most of them unaccompanied and potentially victims of forced labor.
During the raid, anti-ICE protesters attacked agents with rocks and bricks; one person seemingly shot at officers. The government is now offering a $50,000 reward for that suspect. Videos of the raid show protesters attacking federal vehicles as agents drive away. One protester appeared to use their bike to try to block the road. Authorities deployed tear gas and smoke bombs to disperse the estimated 500 people there to protest or impede federal agents. At the end of the day, ICE arrested more than 300 illegal aliens.
The chaotic clash caught special attention from President Trump, who on Friday authorized any ICE agent who is attacked to “stop their car, and arrest these SLIMEBALLS.”
Democrats have blamed violent anti-ICE demonstrations on the Trump administration and its immigration enforcement tactics and policies. In the aftermath of the Camarillo raid, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom <a href="https://abc7.com/post/federal-agents-conduct-immigration-raid-camarillo-farm/17056098/">singled out</a> Stephen Miller, Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff and an immigration hardliner. The governor called the raid “inhumane” and said Miller’s methods “evoke chaos, fear and terror within our communities at every turn.”
“Everywhere you look in California, you see industrial child exploitation on a massive scale,” Miller told <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=27&amp;v=kcXLXVy5HQQ&amp;feature=youtu.be">Fox News</a> in response to the governor’s remarks. “There are likely hundreds of thousands of children in California who are being exploited for their labor or sexually exploited as part of sex trafficking. This administration is liberating these children and helping reunify them with their parents back in their home country.”
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<h2>California vs Trump</h2>
<div id="attachment_940355" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-940355" class="size-large wp-image-940355" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Untitled-design-24-1024x536.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="536" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Untitled-design-24-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Untitled-design-24-300x157.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Untitled-design-24-768x402.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/06/Untitled-design-24.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Credit: Photo by Justin Sullivan via Getty Images</div>
Topline:  California is doubling down on its war with the Trump administration, over everything from ICE raids to women’s sports, while several of its cities face growing crises.
Key areas of contention include environmental policy, where California has sued over rollbacks of emissions standards and protections for endangered species. The state has also challenged federal immigration policies, including the construction of a border wall and the treatment of asylum seekers. 
Houman Hemmati, a California political commentator, highlighted the state&#8217;s internal crises. 
&#8220;We have the public safety issues and then we also have the affordability issues,” Hemmati said. “On the public safety front, we still have exceedingly high crime and homelessness&#8230; And on top of that on the affordability front we have energy prices – electricity, gasoline – that are sky high, highest in the nation, going through the roof and with no end in sight. Water rates that are very high. Insurance rates that are sky high&#8221;. Hemmati noted that &#8220;every one of these crises is something that&#8217;s either preventable, predictable, or manufactured.&#8221;
Hemmati commented on the response of city and state officials to the escalation of violence against ICE, stating that leaders like Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Newsom are &#8220;openly calling for people to resist ICE and they&#8217;re using vilifying terms, fighting terms&#8221;. He added that Cynthia Gonzalez, the vice mayor of Cudahy, &#8220;actually asked for gang members to come out and fight them in the streets in no uncertain terms. So they&#8217;ve declared open war on federal officers, who are really there enforcing federal law and doing their jobs.&#8220;

MRN 7.14.25 Thumbnail V1

Morning Brief: The Epstein Firestorm, ICE Raids & Riots, California Vs Trump

Donald Trump

Gavin Newsom

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Jeffrey Epstein

Marijuana

Media

Morning Wire

Pam Bondi

Politics

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>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

US-POLITICS-IMMIGRATION-ICE-PROTEST

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

Democrats

Farmers

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

Leftism

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>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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

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President Donald Trump fields questions on tariffs, Ukraine, and Jeffrey Epstein during his sixth cabinet meeting, fallout continues from the Central Texas floods, and the Trump administration rejects amnesty but hints at flexibility for some illegal immigrant workers.
It’s Wednesday, July 9, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
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If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2>Trump Convenes His Cabinet</h2>
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Topline:  President Trump provided new details on tariffs, support for Ukraine, and Jeffrey Epstein during a wide-ranging cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Cabinet meetings traditionally take place behind closed doors, but on Tuesday, President Trump spent nearly two hours taking questions from reporters. While many questions addressed the recent flash flooding in Texas, the president also spent a considerable amount of time discussing his plans for new tariffs.
In April, President Trump announced a 90-day pause on his ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs to offer countries a chance to negotiate lower rates — but warned that any country that didn’t come to the table would be hit with massive tariffs on July 9. However, despite early signs of optimism from our trading partners, the reality is that we have yet to see the “90 deals in 90 days” that the White House initially promised. 
To date, the only countries with formal, finalized trade agreements are the United Kingdom and Vietnam. 
The White House insists it is approaching the finish line with the European Union, India, and Cambodia, among others, but the administration clearly needs more time. On Monday, the president signed an executive order extending the tariff deadline to August 1. In an effort to expedite negotiations in the meantime, Trump sent letters to more than a dozen countries, stating that without a deal, they would face enormous tariffs on August 1, and if they raised rates in response, the United States would increase them even further. 
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also announced that the United States government had collected “about $100 billion in tariff income thus far this year” and projected that that figure could rise to well over $300 billion by the end of the year.&#8221;
Meanwhile, since taking office and that disastrous White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Trump administration has significantly cut its military and financial support for Ukraine. Trump said that he was worried Zelensky would avoid peace talks if he knew the United States would send an endless supply of weapons, and there were those in Washington who believed Russian President Vladimir Putin would be more willing to come to the table if support was cut off.
But with Moscow stepping up its attacks on population centers in Ukraine and Putin repeatedly backing out of peace talks, Trump has reversed himself and announced that the United States would resume weapons shipments to Ukraine. Trump later added that he’s seriously considering even harsher sanctions on Moscow.
“We want to put defensive weapons because Putin is not treating human beings right,” Trump told reporters. “We get a lot of bullsh** thrown at us by Putin — you want to know the truth. He&#8217;s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.&#8221;
President Trump also turned heads with his remarks on Jeffrey Epstein – the Trump administration essentially closed its case on Epstein this week, saying there is no evidence that he was murdered, had a client list, or blackmailed powerful individuals. 
That decision has dominated the headlines, but the president seemed irritated, even <a href="https://x.com/9mm_smg/status/1942628135263989932">exasperated</a>, when asked about it.“Are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable. Do you wanna waste the time… I can’t believe you’re asking a question about Epstein at a time like this.”
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<h2>Tensions High In Texas After Flash Floods Kill Over 100 People</h2>
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Topline: While rescue and recovery operations continue in Texas, some are already asking why communities were so unprepared for the natural disaster.
The tragedy that has killed more than 100 people, with many still missing, has left officials to face tough questions. Searches are underway throughout Central Texas. Rains and flash flood warnings have hindered progress, and officials have had to not only look for those missing, but also protect the emergency responders and volunteers that have joined the search crews.
“In the Kerr County area alone, there are 161 people who are known to be missing,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2yquWcGJ9g&amp;t=2938s">said</a> on Tuesday. “We will not stop until every missing person is accounted for. Know this also, there is very likely more to be added to that list.”
Press conferences have started to become testy, however, with local and national reporters pushing officials to answer increasingly pointed questions about their disaster response, including but not limited to, “Was the emergency manager awake?”
Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice defended the decision not to issue an evacuation order before the flooding, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgKRuDsTEyk&amp;t=1303s">arguing</a> that “evacuation is a delicate balance, because if you evacuate too late you then risk putting busses, or cars, or vehicles, or campers on roads into low water areas trying to get them out which then can make it even more challenging, because these flash floods happen very quickly.”
Critics have claimed that recent cuts to the National Weather Service led to the organization being understaffed and less prepared. Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz characterized those allegations as “partisan finger-pointing” and claimed that the local NWS office had surged “additional manpower” in anticipation of possible flooding. The NWS union, which has generally been very critical of the recent cuts, has also said that the reductions did not impact the response.
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<h2>To Deport, Or Not To Deport</h2>
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Topline: The Trump administration is again signaling a shift in how it is addressing illegal immigration in the farming industry. 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been authorized by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to continue worksite raids on farms to sweep for illegal immigrants. That directive was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/17/politics/homeland-security-immigration-raids-resume">issued</a> in June, shortly after the administration announced a pause on those raids, as well as raids at hotels and restaurants. Since then, the Trump administration has sent additional signals that it is attempting to balance its commitment to deporting all illegal aliens with more immediate economic concerns, including potential workforce shortages.
“We’re going to take care of our farmers and hotel workers, but we&#8217;re working on it right now,” President Trump said. “We have a lot of cases where ICE would go into the farm, and these are guys that are working there for 10 to 15 years, no problem. … The farmers know them. It’s called ‘farmer responsibility’ or ‘owner responsibility,’ but they&#8217;re going to be largely responsible for these people, and they know these people…They can be here legally. They can pay taxes and everything. They&#8217;re not getting citizenship, but they get other things. And the farmers need them to do the work.”
That approach has caused backlash among some of the president&#8217;s more ardent supporters, many of whom favor a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal aliens living and/or working in the United States.
In June, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins <a href="https://x.com/BrookeLRollins/status/1934240461717143696">expressed</a> her full commitment to the America First agenda, but said deportations were being “prioritized” in a way to avoid “severe disruptions to our food supply.” On Tuesday, after being questioned by Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan, Rollins elaborated that the Trump administration will offer illegal immigrants working on farms “no amnesty under any circumstances. Mass deportations continue, but in a strategic and intentional way as we move our workforce toward more automation and toward a 100% American workforce.”
Some reports, mostly out of California, said illegal immigrant farm laborers stopped showing up to work out of fear of deportation, and crops had gone unharvested. One <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/ice-raids-crops-california-farms">report</a> cited numerous farm supervisors who stated that the number of workers dropped dramatically since raids began in California; one supervisor claimed that only 80 of 300 people showed up to work, while another saw a drop from 80 workers to 17. Recent estimates by the Department of Agriculture suggest that about <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-economy/farm-labor#:~:text=Roughly%20Half%20of%20Hired%20Crop,unauthorized%20is%20highest%20in%20California.">40-50%</a> of crop farmworkers are either in the country illegally or lack proper work authorization.

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Morning Brief: Trump Says No Amnesty For Illegals & Texas Flood Fallout

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The US presidential <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/2024-election" target="_blank" rel="noopener">election</a> is shaping up to be one of the most “heartland” themed campaigns in recent history. Donald Trump’s VP selection of Ohio Senator JD Vance checked the Rust Belt box for Republicans, and Democrat Kamala Harris countered with her new running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. 
With camo hat always on hand, Walz’s political brand is tied to his <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/91168539/tim-walzs-first-job-was-working-on-a-farm">first job</a> working on the family farm in Nebraska. Farmers across Minnesota are <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/08/06/minnesota-farmers-union-president-stalled-farm-bill-weather-extremes-walz-veepstakes">abuzz</a> about Walz&#8217;s agriculture record both as a congressman and as governor, and it’s mixed. Walz speaks the language of Minnesota farmers but shares the sentiments of California and European progressives when it comes to food and environmental policy.
Environmentalist groups like Greenpeace and Pesticide Action Network have never had potential allies in the White House quite as aligned as Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Walz’s record indicates he would entertain the kind of utopian visions that have guided the European Union on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dutch-farmers-spread-manure-on-streets-as-new-emissions-rules-threaten-to-close-down-livestock-farms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">policies</a> such as gas taxes on farm equipment and sweeping pesticide bans. The same policies which sparked massive <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/here-s-why-farmers-are-protesting-in-europe/7494997.html">farmer protests across Europe and Canada</a>.
As recently as July, Walz announced $200 million from the EPA to flow into Minnesota for the advancement of “Climate-Smart Food Systems”, meaning the replacement of gas-powered farm vehicles, new standards around refrigerators, and soil practices. Several years back, Governor Walz <a href="https://www.farmforum.net/story/news/agriculture/2016/08/18/minnesota-rep-tim-walz-visits-organic-farm-listens-to-concerns-of-organic-farmers/49239667/">visited organic farms</a> in Minnesota to give voice to their concerns about pesticides, saying “There’s still more we can do to make things easier for organic farmers.”
What did those organic farmers want? Nothing related specifically to their operations, but instead a total ban on aerial pesticides used by conventional farms statewide, which they claim travels by air and impacts all farms. Walz’s position was, “We need to build coalitions with the public and fellow politicians and get them on board with this stuff.”
Americans have been fortunate, as these progressive experiments in rolling back high-yield farming have not hit the political mainstream. That could soon change. 
The European Union <a href="https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/02/06/von-der-leyen-announces-withdrawal-of-contentious-pesticide-law-the-first-defeat-of-the-gr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">abandoned</a> its own attempts to boost organic farming after the farmer protests, learning over many years that its rules and regulations led to a less productive and more expensive food system for consumers.
But you’ll find that no EU member state has endured a famine, and that’s the result of Europe’s trademark caution and incrementalism. Nations that have been inspired by Europe’s failed policies but lack their bureaucratic restraint have seen actual starvation when modern farming systems were upended.
The case of Sri Lanka, a small island off the coast of India, is only the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sri-lankas-president-flees-the-country-amid-mass-uprising" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most recent example</a>. Until 2019, Sri Lanka had been the planet’s top tourism spot for a decade, but regulatory change in agriculture <a href="https://www.wfp.org/news/food-crisis-sri-lanka-likely-worsen-amid-poor-agricultural-production-price-spikes-and-ongoing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threw it back</a> into the ‘dark ages’.
All it took was seriously implementing the ideas of progressive environmentalists and food production critics.
In Sri Lanka&#8217;s 2019 election, now former-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa promised a 10-year transition away from conventional farming practices to “organic agriculture”. It was on the advice of an Indian environmentalist, Vandana Shiva, that Rajapaska believed chemical fertilizers and pesticides needed to be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/apr/28/fighting-giants-eco-activist-vandana-shiva-on-her-battle-against-gm-multinationals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outlawed</a>. Shiva cared little for the steady gains in agricultural productivity in Sri Lanka in the 21st century.
During COVID, President Rajapaska banned all imports of chemical fertilizer and pesticides, effectively forcing two million farmers to go organic. The plans have since been abandoned but still created a devastating ripple that has yet to be undone.
Sri Lanka&#8217;s domestic rice production <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/05/sri-lanka-organic-farming-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has dropped</a> by 20% due to the lower agricultural output of organic farming compared to conventional methods, despite political promises. Food prices rose by a third. Tea production, a crucial domestic and export commodity, decreased by 50%, as foreign consumers were unwilling to pay premiums. Nine out of every 10 Sri Lankan families were reported to have <a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-china-india-asia-c9a49428e9bad5c0bb087534c0d310f8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">skipped meals</a> and waited for days at a time in lines for fuel.
Rubber and coconut producers faced similar challenges, as obtaining imports on short notice proved nearly impossible despite the lifting of the ban on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
Half a million individuals fell back into poverty after decades of real progress. Sri Lanka has been left to rely on foreign food assistance from neighboring India. On top of all that, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62104268" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protestors in 2022 stormed</a> the Prime Minister&#8217;s office and the President&#8217;s residence, forcing the government to resign in disgrace.
Sri Lanka still grapples with grinding inflation due to the devaluation of its currency. As of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/3/22/economic-conditions-in-debt-stricken-sri-lanka-improving-imf-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">March,</a> inflation sat at 5.9%, down from a peak of 70% in 2022. The island country has seen an <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/6/20/fed-up-doctor-exodus-bleeds-sri-lankas-healthcare-after-economic-crisis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exodus</a> of doctors as well as parents being forced to pick <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64158513" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which of their children can attend school</a>. All ripple effects of a deep economic crisis that has hobbled the country, stemming from the all-in pursuit of progressive’s food production agenda.
None of this is to say that Tim Walz and Kamala Harris are going to bring famine and pestilence to the United States, but should emphasize that the food systems Americans take for granted are indeed fragile. Ideological reformers have persuaded many of America’s trade partners to pursue the kinds of policies that have broken nations, starved families, and produced massive political blowback from hardworking farmers.
Food systems are fragile, and both Kamala Harris and Governor Walz should be asked tough questions about these global farming trends, as well as their records while in office. Walz has more farming knowledge than any presidential or vice presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter, but Americans need to know where he really stands on these debates. It can be a matter of life and death.
* * *
Bill Wirtz is senior policy analyst at the Consumer Choice Center, where he focuses on agriculture and trade. He has published “No Copy-paste: What Not to Emulate From Europe’s Agriculture Regulation.&#8221;
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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Governor Walz Needs To Answer For Failed Progressive Food Policies

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&#8220;The Vampire Diaries&#8221; star Ian Somerhalder ditched <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles</a> for a Southern California farm, and he says he doesn&#8217;t regret a thing.
Somerhalder is married to &#8220;Twilight&#8221; actress Nikki Reed, and the two share one daughter (six years old) and one son (six months old) — and despite his onscreen success, the 45-year-old made the decision to step away from acting in an effort to focus on family and other projects.
&#8220;I love what I did for a really long time,&#8221; Somerhalder <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1393064/why-ian-somerhalder-doesnt-miss-hollywood-after-saying-goodbye-to-acting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told E! News</a>. &#8220;I don&#8217;t miss any of it. I love making films, I just did it for so long. We had an amazing run.&#8221;
The actor, whose latest film is the farming documentary &#8220;<a href="https://commongroundfilm.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Common Ground</a>,&#8221; has embraced life away from Hollywood. He told <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1391101/how-ian-somerhalder-and-nikki-reed-built-their-life-away-from-hollywood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">E! News last December</a> that he and Reed had truly become &#8220;farm people,&#8221; adding, &#8220;We produce most of our own food, I live in my cowboy boots.&#8221;
Reed — who also produced &#8220;Common Ground&#8221; — has made it clear that she is in complete agreement, telling the outlet this week, &#8220;When you see the way that nature operates, you find compassion.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s a beautiful thing to see what&#8217;s happening with children, to watch them participate in the growing of their food and the understanding of what food is and where it comes from,&#8221; she added.
Somerhalder also hinted briefly at the couple&#8217;s future plans, saying, &#8220;This is our 2.0 version &#8230; about to be 3.0 version.&#8221;
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
&#8220;Common Ground&#8221; is a follow-up to the 2020 documentary &#8220;Kiss the Ground,&#8221; which explored &#8220;regenerative agriculture&#8221; and its potential impact on both the future of farming and climate.
&#8220;By fusing journalistic expose with deeply personal stories from those on the front lines of the food movement, &#8216;Common Ground&#8217; unveils a dark web of money, power, and politics behind our broken food system. The film reveals how unjust practices forged our current farm system in which farmers of all colors are literally dying to feed us,&#8221; the <a href="https://commongroundfilm.org/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> explained.

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‘The Vampire Diaries’ Star Says He’s Glad He Ditched L.A. For A Farm: ‘I Don’t Miss Any Of It’

'The Vampire Diaries' Star Says He's Glad He Ditched LA For A Farm: 'I Don't Miss Any Of It'

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It was revealed this week that a member of the Chinese Communist Party secretly purchased 198,000 acres of U.S. farmland, back in 2015.
Chen Tianqiao, a co-founder of Shanda Interactive Entertainment, made the purchase of Oregon land for $85 million, paying around $430 an acre, <a href="https://landreport.com/land-report-100/tianqiao-chen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Land Report magazine, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/01/13/news/chen-tianqiaos-purchase-of-200k-oregon-acres-sparks-outrage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> Saturday.
&#8220;In 2015, Tianqiao Chen acquired nearly 200,000 acres of former Crown Pacific timberlands in Oregon from Fidelity National Financial Ventures for $85 million ($430 per acre),&#8221; the magazine said. &#8220;Chen did so via the investment vehicle Whitefish Cascade Forest Resources LLC. In December 2023, Oregon tax records revealed that the 198,000-acre block was currently owned by Shanda Asset Management LLC.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12952121/chen-tianqiao-shanda-games-china-oregon.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According</a> to the Daily Mail, Chen&#8217;s purchase does not show up in government records of land ownership by foreign investors.
Back in October, the Department of Agriculture estimated that Chinese entities owned around 400,000 acres of U.S. farmland, which translates to more than $2 billion dollars. Though it&#8217;s a fraction of foreign-owned farmland, the number has alarmed lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, since it’s been dramatically increasing over the past decade as China becomes more and more adversarial toward the U.S. 
At the time, it was acknowledged that the 400,000 acre estimate was likely far lower than the real number. For one thing, there’s been an antiquated paper-based reporting system for foreign owned-land, and if someone owns less than 10 acres, it doesn&#8217;t have to be reported, nor does someone leasing land. 
“Right now, we don’t know the full extent of the risk at hand,&#8221; Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin (WI) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q4QO5GgakA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;Outdated reporting systems and a lack of auditing at both the state and federal level leave us with incomplete information and many questions.&#8221; 
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY) <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/01/13/news/chen-tianqiaos-purchase-of-200k-oregon-acres-sparks-outrage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Post on Saturday that the Biden administration has “dropped the ball” when it comes to foreign adversaries goggling up American farmland.
“Communist China is purchasing US agricultural land to subvert our sovereignty, undermine our agriculture industry, encroach on our military installations, and upend America’s rural communities,” she said.
As the shocking land purchase is uncovered, U.S. politicians are also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-is-not-normal-tens-of-thousands-of-chinese-nationals-cross-border-illegally-in-matter-of-months">expressing concern</a> over tens of thousands of Chinese nationals trying to cross our southern border in the past 11 months.
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It&#8217;s been estimated that some 31,000 Chinese nations were stopped by law enforcement at our border, a CNN report <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/08/americas/the-walking-route-how-an-underground-industry-is-helping-migrants-flee-china-for-the-us/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">highlighted</a>. According to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol data, the U.S. would typically only see around 1,500 Chinese nationals in a given year over the previous decade.
Most of the Chinese nationals are <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/08/americas/the-walking-route-how-an-underground-industry-is-helping-migrants-flee-china-for-the-us/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> claiming that they want to come to the U.S. to escape the oppressive communist regime. Notably, a NewsNation report last month captured footage of some Chinese nationals trying to get into the U.S., and overwhelmingly, those observed coming were single adult males.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-is-not-normal-tens-of-thousands-of-chinese-nationals-cross-border-illegally-in-matter-of-months" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘This Is Not Normal’: Tens Of Thousands Of Chinese Nationals Cross Border Illegally In Matter Of Months</a>

Shanda Group Chairman And Billionaire Chen Tiangqiao and Vice Chairman Chrissy Luo Interview

CCP Billionaire Secretly Bought 200,000 Acres Of U.S. Farmland

China

Communist China

There&#8217;s a lot of bull in the news these days, but here&#8217;s a story that&#8217;s actually true: On Wednesday in Nebraska, police pulled over a man for driving down a highway with a gigantic Watusi bull in his passenger seat.
WSAZ 3 <a href="https://www.wsaz.com/2023/08/31/video-police-pull-over-man-with-bull-riding-shotgun/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Norfolk Police Division received a call from a concerned driver about a farm animal in the passenger seat of a car on Highway 275. When authorities found the vehicle in question, the responding officers got more than they bargained for.
“The officers received a call referencing a car driving into town that had a cow in it,” Police Captain Chad Reiman told the local media outlet. “They thought that it was going to be a calf, something small or something that actually fit inside the vehicle.”
Instead, officers met &#8220;Howdy Doody&#8221; — the African bull owned by the driver, Lee Meyer.  The monstrous bovine can be seen here:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Meanwhile in Nebraska&#8230; 
Police pulled over a man with a bull riding in the passenger’s seat. <a href="https://t.co/5kWanvn5UT">pic.twitter.com/5kWanvn5UT</a>
&mdash; Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) <a href="https://twitter.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1697221550812872840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 31, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It&#8217;s not the first time that Meyer has driven with the bull. During Neligh&#8217;s 2019 July 4th parade, Meyer drove what appears to be the same vehicle with the same passenger.
<div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/AntelopeCountyNews/videos/681973515600744/" data-width="500" data-show-text="false">
<blockquote class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore" cite="https://www.facebook.com/AntelopeCountyNews/videos/681973515600744/">FAN FAVORITE: The kids went wild when Lee Meyer of Neligh drove his watusi named &#8220;Howdy Doody&#8221; on the parade route!
Posted by <a href="https://facebook.com/AntelopeCountyNews">Antelope County News</a> on Thursday, July 4, 2019</blockquote>
</div>
Wednesday, Meyer was let off with a warning.
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&#8220;There were some citable issues with that situation. The officer chose to write him a warning and ask him to take the animal back home and to leave the city,” Reiman told the press.
Watusi bulls weigh between 1,000 and 1,600 pounds and have a <a href="https://www.thefarmatwalnutcreek.com/animal/watusi-cattle/#:~:text=The%20Ankole%2DWatusi%20is%20medium,remain%20small%20for%20several%20months." target="_blank" rel="noopener">life expectancy</a> of 20 years.

Screenshot/WSAZ 3

WATCH: Police Pull Over Driver With Gigantic Bull In Passenger Seat

WATCH: Police Pull Over Driver With Gigantic Watusi Bull In Passenger Seat

Animals

Nebraska

Police

A pay-it-forward story is inspiring people after a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/farming" target="_blank" rel="noopener">farmer’s</a> good deeds were revealed after he passed away on New Year’s Day.
Hody Childress, a farmer and Air Force veteran from Alabama, went into a drugstore about a decade ago and asked the owner if there were people who weren’t able to pay for their medicine.
“I told him, ‘Yes, unfortunately that happens often,’” Brooke Walker, the owner, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/01/19/alabama-farmer-hody-childress-prescriptions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “And he handed me a $100 bill, all folded up.”
But he didn’t want credit for it.
“He said, ‘Don’t tell a soul where the money came from — if they ask, just tell them it’s a blessing from the Lord,’” she said.
He continued to anonymously provide resources for people in the form of a $100 bill each month for years, and was able to bless those around him with his actions.
“His kindness motivated me to be more of a compassionate person,” Walker said. “He was just a good old guy who wanted to bless his community, and he certainly did. He established a legacy of kindness.”
The money he gave her grew to thousands of dollars and Walker was typically able to assist two people each month who needed help paying for their medicine.
Walker was considering reaching out to his family, but his daughter was also getting ready to inform people about the gifts at his funeral since he had told her about it before he died.
“He told me he’d been carrying a $100 bill to the pharmacist in Geraldine on the first of each month, and he didn’t want to know who she’d helped with it — he just wanted to bless people with it,” Tania Nix, his daughter, said.
“It was just who he was — it was in his heart,” Nix added.
Childress told Nix so that she could <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/01/23/1150716078/friends-and-family-will-keep-hody-childress-kind-deed-going" target="_blank" rel="noopener">do it for him</a> when his health didn&#8217;t allow for it. Childress survived on a minimal retirement and Social Security.
“He didn’t spend a lot of money in life, but he always gave what he could,” she said. “If he took you out to eat, you had to be quick to grab the ticket, or he was paying for it.”
He had lived through tragedy, but was still an upbeat person. In 1973, his father and son were both killed in a tornado.
“That was really hard on him, but he never complained,” Nix said. “He never lost his optimism.”
When people in the community started figuring out at his funeral that he was the one who had helped them, they were shocked, she said.
“I heard from people who said they’d been going through a rough time and their prescriptions were paid for when they went to pick them up,” she said.
His actions have inspired people to keep giving to the pharmacy.
“We’re calling it the Hody Childress Fund, and we’re going to keep it going as long as the community and Hody’s family wants to keep it alive,” she said.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/us/alabama-pharmacy-donor.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that since The Washington Post published the story, Walker, as well as Nix and her family, have been contacted by people from all over the country who want to give. A man from Miami was even inspired to go to his local drugstore to begin a fund.
One woman, Ms. Schlageter, was able to get her son an EpiPen because of Childress&#8217; money, but she didn&#8217;t know he was behind it.
“All of a sudden it comes out that Mr. Hody did it,” Schlageter said. “What he doesn’t know, now that he’s in heaven, is that he helped a kid that works on a farm that he started. Look at that circle.”

736954D1-3A8B-45E4-8A3F-E4E6B4C7E77B_1_105_c

Pay-It-Forward Story Of Farmer Inspires People Around The Country

Alabama

General

Everyday food products will be hard to come by in 30 years because of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">climate change</a>, according to a chef who worked in the Obama White House.
At a recent dinner event to promote regenerative agriculture, Sam Kass, who also served as White House senior policy adviser for nutrition, listed rice, coffee, wine, and chocolate as examples of popular food items that could become scarce in the decades to come.
&#8220;A number of foods that we hold very dear to our hearts and largely take for granted are under a real threat,&#8221; Kass said, <a href="https://people.com/food/former-white-house-chef-sam-kass-says-products-like-coffee-rice-will-be-largely-unavailable-in-30-years/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to PEOPLE magazine</a>. &#8220;And you&#8217;re seeing in the future, we&#8217;re on track for a lot of those to become quite scarce and some really to be largely unavailable to most people and others just significantly increased in cost.&#8221;
Kass teamed up last week with food brand Knorr to hold a &#8220;$500 Dinner,&#8221; an event in New York City meant to highlight dinner table staples that are in jeopardy without the widespread adoption of regenerative agriculture practices, which according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, focus on a &#8220;<a href="https://www.cbf.org/blogs/save-the-bay/2021/08/what-is-regenerative-agriculture-and-why-is-it-re-emerging-now.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">holistic approach</a>&#8221; in farming to foster sustainable food systems and environmental health.
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The dinner event celebrated World Soil Day, which took place on December 5. <a href="https://www.hola.com/us/food/20221205340015/white-house-chef-sam-kass-reveals-the-scary-future-of-food/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HOLA! USA reported</a> attendees were served dishes that mixed rice with seafood and truffles. Such a meal would cost $72 now, but $566 in 2050, when &#8220;the ingredients we rely on become even more scarce,&#8221; Kass said.
Kass is <a href="https://acre.vc/#team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">now a partner</a> at Acre Venture Partners, a firm that says it invests in &#8220;companies creating fundamental change in food and agriculture in order to address large scale problems in human and environmental health.&#8221; In 2017, the World Economic Forum <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/americans-under-40-changing-world-2017-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">selected him</a> as one of its Young Global Leaders.
At the dinner, Kass said he wanted to make rice a centerpiece of the dinner because it is very popular around the word and is also a significant emitter of greenhouse gases, per PEOPLE.
&#8220;Food and agriculture is the number two driver of greenhouse gas emissions globally and uses about 70% of the world&#8217;s waters. It&#8217;s the number one driver of deforestation, land use change. It&#8217;s really at the center of a lot of these environmental issues,&#8221; Kass said.
Kass also said: &#8220;Food and agriculture is the only real opportunity that we have to sequester enough carbon on the scale that science is telling us, within the time horizon that the science is saying we have, and that&#8217;s really unique to food and agriculture.&#8221;

Barack Obama with Sam Kass

Obama White House Chef Warns Rice, Chocolate, And Coffee Will Nearly Disappear in 30 Years

Environment

Obama Administration

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