Watching a bit of the 40th Farm Aid concert last night, I was reminded of the many stories we did about farming and agricultural issues in the early years of the Center for Investigative Reporting.
We were able to raise grants from foundations to support this work but it was difficult to convince major media outlets to carry our work.
Ever since World War II, the portion of the population engaged in farming had been steadily decreasing until it reached crisis proportions in the 1980s, when Willie Nelson organized the first Farm Aid concert.
From a high of 5.6 million farms in 1950, today we have only 1.88 million. But here and there, new groups of small farmers are attempting to bring back, or perhaps reinvent, the family farm. This nascent trend is one of the many things threatened by the Trump administration.
The combination of ICE raids, tariffs, and foreign aid cuts are undermining farmers, including the small growers of seasonal, sustainable, organic crops. Maybe that’s why at last night’s concert, in addition to the overall good vibe there was an undercurrent of anger.
HEADLINES:
Big Tech companies, foreign governments scramble after Trump slaps $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visas (CNBC)
Trump Justice Dept. Closed Investigation Into Tom Homan for Accepting Bag of Cash (NYT)
Trump threatens to take away broadcasters’ licenses (Reuters)
Seeing Enemies Everywhere (New Yorker)
Trump says U.S. military fatally struck another alleged drug-smuggling boat (NPR)
Trump: ‘It’s no longer free speech.’ The president doubled down on his claims that critical media coverage of him is "illegal." (Politico)
National parks axe signs about climate, slavery and Japanese internment (WP)
RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine panel realizes it has no idea what it’s doing, skips vote (ArsTechnica)
Health Insurance Premiums Could Rise More Than 80% Next Year (Newsweek)
Defense Secretary Hegseth requires new 'pledge' for reporters at the Pentagon (NPR)
Bureau of Labor Statistics postpones key data report with no explanation (Axios)
Social Security chief walks back remark on raising retirement age (The Hill)
Protesters and Federal Agents Clash Outside an ICE Detention Facility Near Chicago (NYT)
EPA tells scientists to stop publishing studies, employees say (WP)
Poland scrambles jets as Russia launches massive aerial assault on Ukraine (CNN)
Russian military jets fly over Estonia (Reuters)
Can France’s Palestinian Proposal Change 75 Years of Failed Diplomacy? (NYT)
The health benefits of sunlight may outweigh the risk of skin cancer (Economist)
New book claims superintelligent AI development is racing toward global catastrophe (ABC)
Fearful Americans Stockpiling Facts Before Federal Government Comes To Take Them Away (The Onion)
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