Biden proposes legal status, path to citizenship for undocumented farmworkers
The estimated 1.25 million undocumented farmworkers in the United States would immediately gain legal status under the immigration reform bill unveiled by President Joe Biden on Wednesday, his first day in office. If passed, the bill would make the farmworkers eligible for green cards and, after three years, open a pathway for becoming U.S. citizens.
Shea is acting chief of USDA; Biden freezes regulations
Kevin Shea, a longtime USDA official, became acting agriculture secretary with the arrival of the Biden administration on Wednesday, said a USDA spokesman amid the appointment of several new officials. The White House also announced a freeze on new federal regulations.
Tyson to pay $221.5 million to settle price fixing claims
The largest U.S. poultry producer, Tyson Foods, said on Wednesday it would pay $221.5 million to settle antitrust litigation that accuses it of price fixing in the sale of broiler chicken meat.
FIRST 100 DAYS
From targeted assistance to SNAP reform, how Biden should tackle the hunger crisis
Two days before he was inaugurated, President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, spent Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in a parking lot in Philadelphia, volunteering with Philabundance, a nonprofit that provides food to families in need. Their show of support for food-distribution efforts reflects what advocates say is a promising new start when it comes to curbing America’s hunger crisis.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Child obesity climbs during pandemic: Pediatricians and public health experts say child obesity rates, already at 19 percent, are climbing during the pandemic due to poorer diets and less exercise resulting from school closures. (The Counter)
Trump pardons meat misbranders: Hours before leaving office, President Trump pardoned Martin, Deborah, and Gregory Jorgensen of South Dakota, who were convicted of mixing inferior trimmed meat into their Dakota Lean beef and selling it as heart-healthy and free of antibiotics and hormones during the 1980s. (Sioux Falls Argus Leader)
Western monarch nears extinction: An annual survey found only 1,914 western monarch butterflies overwintering along the California coast, a 99.9 percent drop in the population since the 1980s. (Xerces Society)
EPA approves RFS exemptions: The Renewable Fuels Association asked a federal appeals court to override three Renewable Fuel Standard exemptions issued by the EPA less than a day before the Trump administration left office. (RFA)
Eat invasive carp: Asian carp are among the few of the 4,300 invasive species in the United States that could be suppressed by human consumption, say researchers, since they are as nutritious as some fish already popular with Americans. (Virginia Tech)
