President Joe Biden will address the Democratic National Convention tonight to help kick off what the Democrats hope will be an important step toward retaining control of the White House – and both chambers of Congress.
The convention is being held in Chicago for the first time since 1996. Former candidate Hillary Clinton and ex-Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton also are expected to speak, according to news reports, with Obama to appear Tuesday.
Take note: During the DNC, several issue-specific caucuses will be holding meetings through Thursday, including the Rural Council, the Environmental & Climate Crisis Council, and the Labor Council.
Kylie Oversen, the Democratic National Committee’s Rural Council Chair, says Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is scheduled to appear Tuesday along with his lieutenant governor, Jacqueline Coleman, and Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack is slated to appear Thursday.
Oversen, a former state legislator from North Dakota, says the council is hoping to organize “rural tours” involving surrogates from the campaign in battleground states and beyond “as much as we have the capacity to do so.”
By the way: A group called the Rural Urban Bridge Initiative will provide training to DNC attendees on the “rural urban divide” and “why Democrats have lost millions of rural and working class voters.” There also will be a session on strategies and tools for reaching rural voters.According to the Pew Research Center, former President Trump increased his share of the rural vote from 59% in 2016 to 65% in 2020.
Former Walz colleague says he’ll appeal to rural voters
Former Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Ron Kind tells Agri-Pulse he thinks vice presidential candidate Tim Walz can help Democrats win back some rural voters. “I think people in rural communities can relate to him and his background, and he certainly works harder to get into those areas and listen to them,” Kind said of the Minnesota governor.
Meanwhile: Kip Tom, who’s leading fundraising efforts for the Farmers and Ranchers for Trump 47 Coalition, is especially concerned about what a Harris administration would mean for tax policy. He worries farmers will see higher capital gains taxes on farm assets and a reduced estate tax exemption.
New analyses estimate impact of key Harris, Trump proposals
Former President Donald Trump’s proposal to impose a 10% base tariff on all imports and a 60% tariff on goods from China would cost the average U.S. household $1,800 in 2025, a cut in income of about 1.8%. That’s according to an analysis by the Tax Policy Center of the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution.
The impact would be considerably higher going up the income scale. Households in the top 20% would lose $6,480 in income on average next year, according to the analysis.
A separate analysis of Vice President Kamala Harris’ latest economic proposals estimates they would increase the federal deficit by $1.7 trillion over 10 years. That’s taking into account a $250 billion reduction in pharmaceutical spending under one of her plan’s proposals, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Keep in mind: The analysis doesn’t try to account for the impact of Harris’ plan for restricting food price increases. Other proposals she’s made in recent weeks, such as exempting tips from taxes, also aren’t included in the analysis.
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Harris said her first-ever ban on food price gouging would come with penalties for “opportunistic companies that exploit crises and break the rules,” while supporting smaller food businesses. Her plan would "secure new authority" to allow the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to investigate and penalize companies found to be increasing prices unfairly.
By the way: On Sunday, GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance ripped into Harris’ proposal on Fox News. "Giving Kamala Harris control over inflation policy … is like giving Jeffrey Epstein control over human trafficking policy,” he said.
Perdue recalls products after metal wire found in some items
Perdue Foods LLC has recalled about 167,000 pounds of frozen, ready-to-eat chicken products over possible metal contamination. So far there have been no reports of adverse effects after eating the products.
The contamination was identified after Perdue received complaints about metal wire in the products. The recall applies to various frozen, ready-to-eat chicken tenders and nuggets.
The recalled items were produced in March, but USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service says it’s concerned the products may still be in consumers’ freezers. FSIS urges consumers to throw these items away or return them to their place of purchase.
USDA declines to ban checkoffs’ animal testing
USDA has denied a petition submitted by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to ban six checkoff programs from using any funding for experiments on animals. Agency officials say in a letter that checkoff programs “have the discretion to implement animal welfare testing protocols, including prohibiting animal testing.”
The letter says a USDA mandate prohibiting animal testing, however, “does not fall under the [the checkoffs’] authorizing statutes nor [the Agricultural Marketing Service’s] oversight responsibilities.”
Take note: The National Mango Board and the Hass Avocado Board have individually adopted animal testing policies, according to PETA. The petition sought animal testing rules for the National Watermelon Promotion Board, the Mushroom Council, the United Sorghum Checkoff Program, the United Soybean Board, the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and the Washington Red Raspberry Commission.
Final word: A Washington Post/ABC News poll released Sunday found Kamala Harris with 49% support compared to Donald Trump’s 45%. Including third-party candidates, Harris comes in at 47%, Trump at 45% and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at 5%. The Post said the head-to-head lead for Harris is not statistically significant.
