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Year: 2026

The single crushing problem American cattle ranchers wish Trump would fix instead

The single crushing problem American cattle ranchers wish Trump would fix instead

President Donald Trump’s beef import plan aims to cut prices, but cattle ranchers say it misses what’s crushing them most — the power of meat packers. “Meat packers have created a system where they win no matter what — at the cost of everyone else,” said Will Harris, a fourth-generation cattleman and owner of White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia. Harris, who plans to hand off the operation to his children, said his farm handles every step of production, from raising cattle to processing and selling beef, giving him a clear view of how prices are set. AMERICA’S SMALLEST CATTLE HERD IN 70 YEARS MEANS REBUILDING WILL TAKE YEARS AND BEEF PRICES COULD STAY HIGH At the center of that pricing power sit the “Big Four” — Tyson, JBS, Cargill and National Beef — anchoring the U.S. beef supply chain from pasture to plate. Together, the packing titans process about 85% of the grain-fattened cattle that become steaks, roasts and other supermarket cuts. “The U.S. beef market is so highly concentrated that a small number of dominant packers control processing, distribution and pricing. This allows them to pay ranchers less for cattle while charging consumers more at the store. When cheap imported beef enters the system, it allows packers to increase their margins,” Harris told Fox News Digital. It’s a concern echoed deep into cattle country. Texas cattle rancher Cole Bolton said he sees the same problem in the Lone Star State. IN TEXAS CATTLE COUNTRY, ONE RANCHER WELCOMES TRUMP’S FOCUS ON DECADES OF THIN MARGINS “What the real issue is, is the price differential between the big four packers and what they’re paying us for the product,” said Bolton, the owner of K&C Cattle Company. Those margins, Bolton said, have been squeezed for decades. “Ranchers have dealt with such thin margins of profitability for the last 20 years.” While ranchers like Bolton and Harris say Trump’s temporary expansion of U.S. beef imports from Argentina may help ease prices in the short term, both warn it is no substitute for rebuilding domestic production. “Imports should be a bridge, not a long-term replacement,” Harris said. “We must rebuild the American cattle herd, protect American farmers and ensure transparency, so consumers understand where their beef comes from. Long-term affordability depends on a healthy, resilient domestic cattle industry — not permanent dependence on foreign beef.” Years of drought, high feed costs and an aging ranching population have thinned herds, leaving the U.S. cattle supply at its lowest level in more than 70 years. “I think it’s going to take a while to fix this crisis that we’re in with the cattle shortage. My message to consumers is simple: Folks, be patient. We’ve got to build back our herds,” Bolton told Fox News Digital. He noted that the cattle industry, over the last five years, has weathered one setback after another, from market turmoil to extreme weather conditions.

Super Bowl Sunday: Here are some of the political, social commercials you can expect during the big game

Super Bowl Sunday: Here are some of the political, social commercials you can expect during the big game

One of the most anticipated parts of Super Bowl Sunday is not necessarily the game, it’s the commercials throughout the big game. Hundreds-of-millions in advertising revenue will hit the airwaves Sunday night, but not everyone is trying to get you to buy something. Viewers can expect to see anti-hate ads, ads that focus on Christianity, and ads supporting political candidates that want viewers to buy in to their political views. A 30-second spot during this year’s game costs from $8 million to $10 million. SUPER BOWL SUNDAY MENUS ARE CHANGING; PARTY HOSTS SERVE UP SURPRISES THIS YEAR A pro-Trump nonprofit, Invest America, bought time during the pre-game broadcast to promote the president’s new tax-free “Trump Accounts,” which were established in the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act as tax-free savings accounts for American children, many of which will be seeded with $1,000 from the federal government. Children will be able to use the funds from these accounts for things like education expenses, or down payments on a new home. The ad will feature children talking about the importance of investing. “It’s gonna get a lot of attention. All your viewers, watch the Super Bowl right after the national anthem, we’re gonna have a big rollout,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last month on a local Midwest radio station.  New England Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft’s nonprofit the Blue Square Alliance, which was formerly called the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, will have another advertisement this year against antisemitism. His group has been buying ad spots at the Super Bowl since at least 2022 to stand up against hate directed at the Jewish community. Last year, the group’s ad featured appearances from celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady.  This year’s advertisement will focus on antisemitism among younger people, particularly those in schools. The ad encourages supporters to post an image of a blank blue square, resembling a sticky note, to illustrate standing up against Jewish hate. A Republican candidate for governor in Michigan, Perry Johnson, has been sponsoring ads running from several days before the game up until Sunday evening, according to the candidate’s campaign. The advertisement, which will only be seen in select Michigan TV markets, urges folks to turn the channel during the Bad Bunny halftime show and tune into the halftime show being produced by the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA (TPUSA). Bad Bunny’s selection by the NFL has created a political stir, with critics calling him anti-American.   ANTI-TRUMP PERFORMERS LITTER SUPER BOWL LX IN CALIFORNIA “Join me in changing the channel during halftime to Turning Point’s ‘All American Halftime Show’ for some great American entertainment during America’s game,” Johnson’s ad encourages viewers. Viewers in Maine and Texas will see advertising from the political campaigns of incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Democrat challenger to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, James Talarico, who is a state senator in Texas.  Collins’ campaign ad was purchased on her behalf by One Nation, a nonprofit tied to the Senate Leadership Fund, the top super PAC for Senate Republicans. They are coughing up about $5.5 million for a several-months-long ad buy planned to focus on the Maine viewing market. According to the local Portland Press, her 30-second ad features stock clips of firefighters while discussing Collins’ efforts to pass legislation banning “forever chemicals” linked to cancer. “Call Sen. Collins and thank her for protecting Maine’s first responders,” a narrator concludes the advertisement, according to a version reportedly shared on YouTube. Talarico, who reportedly spent more than $100,000 from his campaign to air his ad, according to local reports, shared his advertisement on social media. Talarico focuses on slamming billionaires and ethics, particularly related to campaign finance and congressional stock trading. “Millionaires don’t just influence politicians, they own them. That’s why I don’t take corporate PAC money. That’s why I fought to cap campaign contributions,” Talarico says in his ad. “In the Senate I’ll ban billionaires from making unlimited, secret donations. I’ll stop members of Congress from trading stocks. And I’ll raise taxes on those at the top to fund tax cuts for the rest of us.”    The pro-Christian ad campaign that launched in 2022 with help from the family behind Hobby Lobby has been criticized over the years as its commercials have become a talking point following past Super Bowls. The campaign’s ads have typically focused on social conflicts and it plans to unveil yet another ad during this year’s game. This year’s message touches on wealth, image, insecurity, digital addiction, fame and other pressures in life, rather than social conflicts, similar to ads they have done during past Super Bowls, according to pre-releases of the ad ahead of the game.

LA city councilwoman previously backed by DSA running for mayor in primary challenge to former ally Bass

LA city councilwoman previously backed by DSA running for mayor in primary challenge to former ally Bass

Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman entered the race for mayor Saturday, launching a last-minute challenge against incumbent Karen Bass just hours before the filing deadline. The move by Raman, a progressive representing the city’s 4th District, signals the potential for a high-stakes June primary against a close political ally, though she has not yet qualified for the ballot. To qualify, candidates must either pay a $300 filing fee and submit at least 500 valid signatures, or submit 1,000 valid signatures without a fee, according to the Los Angeles City Clerk’s office. Nominating petitions are due by March 4. SPENCER PRATT SAYS A-LISTERS PRIVATELY CHEER HIS CRITICISM OF CALIFORNIA LEADERSHIP, FEAR CAREER FALLOUT “I love this city so much and I think it needs a fighter. And I think I’ve demonstrated that I can be that fighter,” Raman said at a press conference, according to NBCLA. “And I hope the residents of Los Angeles will see that and cast their votes for me.” “This is a city of extraordinary possibility, extraordinary,” she added. “But possibility only matters if our leadership is accountable for delivering it, and I’m ready to lead this city with seriousness, with accountability, urgency and ambition that is equal to this moment.” A total of 40 candidates have filed declarations of intention to run for Los Angeles mayor, including TV personality Spencer Pratt and housing advocate Rae Chen Huang, according to a list from the city clerk’s office. SPENCER PRATT ENTERS LA MAYOR RACE, ACCUSES CURRENT LEADERSHIP OF ‘CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE’ OVER FIRE RESPONSE Raman was previously endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America Los Angeles chapter during her 2020 campaign, but the group voted to censure her in 2024 over her acceptance of an endorsement from Democrats for Israel–Los Angeles and disagreements related to the war in Gaza. NBCLA reported that Raman informed Bass of her intent to run against her before the announcement.  “The last thing Los Angeles needs is a politician who opposed cleaning up homeless encampments and efforts to make our city safer,” said Douglas Herman, Bass’ campaign advisor, in response to Raman’s campaign launch. “Mayor Bass will continue changing L.A. by building on her track record delivering L.A.‘s first sustained decrease in street homelessness, a 60-year low in homicides, and the most aggressive agenda our city has ever seen to make our city more affordable.”