Senate clears way for disaster aid to agriculture
In a test vote, senators overwhelmingly supported a $13.5 billion disaster bill on Tuesday that includes flood aid for the northern Plains and western Corn Belt.
Two medical groups back soda taxes
Citing strong evidence of an increased risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses from added sugar, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association came out in support of soda taxes to reduce consumption of the sweeteners.
How climate change drives farmworker activism
From wildfires and drought to lost work days due to soaring temperatures, the changing climate is fast becoming another issue that farmworkers must contend with. One way they’re doing that is by organizing, according to the latest story, published with The Nation.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Appointees deliver a win to pesticide companies (New York Times): Trump administration appointees blocked the publication of a report by the Fish and Wildlife Service that found that widely used pesticides pose a major threat to endangered plant and animal species.
JAB’s links to Third Reich (The Washington Post): The German family that controls coffee giant JAB Holdings had significant links to the Nazi regime, a report found.
Vietnam says no to glyphosate (VnExpress): Vietnam’s Plant Protection Department banned imports of herbicides containing glyphosate following two U.S. jury verdicts that said the chemical caused cancer.
A big buy for McD’s (Bloomberg): McDonald’s will spend over $300 million to acquire a technology company that will allow the company to personalize its digital menus according to the weather, region, and time of day.
Fewer rural jobs, more in town (Daily Yonder): Rural America has yet to regain the jobs it lost in the Great Recession, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data; since 2007, rural counties have 3.7 percent fewer jobs while jobs in metropolitan areas rose by 9 percent.
‘Food and ag leaders to watch’ (Food Tank): The think tank for food names 25 food and agriculture leaders to watch in 2019, including Allison Kopf of Agrilyst, a software program to improve indoor farming; co-director Jose Olvia of Food Chain Workers Alliance; and Sophie Ackoff, vice president of National Young Farmers Coalition.
Canada: Tariffs are barrier to new NAFTA (CBC): U.S. tariffs on imported steel and aluminum “raise serious questions about NAFTA ratification,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland after meeting U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer. Time is running short for Parliament to ratify the trade pact before election season begins.
