Thanks to my friend Liz Landers and Scripps News for having me (MG) on this morning to chat about the week in politics, including the new tariff rates for Brazil based on political motivation and not economic factors. U.S. Census Bureau data shows we have a rare trade surplus with Brazil to the tune of $7.4 billion. You can hear former Sen. Tester’s reaction to this from our tractor talk on Thursday. (You can also hear about how he almost lost an entire field because of tractor fire!) If you like coffee, this could be a problem, as Brazil is the largest exporter. The U.S. imported enough coffee from Brazil in 2024 to make up 33% of what we drank.
Liz and I also talked about the president’s visit to Texas today and what appears to be a damage control mission from the White House after scrutiny over early warning systems and rescue and recovery efforts in light of DOGE cuts. CNN reported that it took more than 72 hours for FEMA crews to actually deploy because of a new rule enacted by DHS Sec. Kristi Noem that requires her personal sign-off on every contract over $100,000. Further, administration officials (including Noem) have called for downsizing FEMA’s role in disaster preparedness or even getting rid of the agency all together in some cases.
We also talked about the reignited fight over birthright citizenship. A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, which is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. This legal fight looks on track to head back to the Supreme Court after justices sidestepped on settling the question of the executive order’s constitutionality.
We’ve had a lot of requests to do an episode specifically about medicaid cuts and how the megabill will impact our country’s healthcare system. I’d love for you to weigh in on other guests and topics you’d like to hear. Please leave us a comment!
Have a great Friday everyone— If you have any farming questions, send those also!
MG
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