President Donald Trump plans to announce while on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the United States will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, according to two U.S. officials. read more
Since U.S. President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on China last month, Beijing has responded in kind. On state and social media, it posted images of Mao Zedong, lambasted "imperialists," and sent a message: capitulation to bullies is dangerous, and it wouldn't back down.
Most people need around eight hours of sleep each night to function, but a rare genetic condition allows some to thrive on as little as three hours. read more
Tariff rates on small packages from China will be cut in half, though a flat-fee option will not change, the White House said Monday. Why it matters: Trump previously ended a loophole that allowed low-value goods into the country tariff-free -- the rate reversal will ease price pressures on customers of Chinese retailers like Shein and Temu.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said she is suspending imports of livestock through the Mexican border on a "month-by-month basis" to protect U.S. cattle from the threat of a dangerous, flesh-eating parasite infestation. The parasite is the New World Screwworm, or NWS, which is actually a fly and was eradicated in the United States almost 60 years ago.
An interesting take on a classic Pink Floyd tune ...
Luther Wright & The Wrongs - In the Flesh? (2001)
www.youtube.com
Related ...
White House partially cuts tariff on cheap goods
www.axios.com
... Tariff rates on small packages from China will be cut in half, though a flat-fee option will not change, the White House said Monday. ...
Driving the news: The Trump administration announced a temporary trade deal Monday morning that significantly reduced tariffs on Chinese goods to 30% from 145% for the next 90 days.
- - - Later in the morning, a White House official told Axios that the "de minimis" tariff was left out of that deal: a 120% tariff rate on shipments from China valued at less than $800, or a flat $100 fee per postal item.
- - - Then Monday night, the White House released the text of an executive order cutting the tariff rate to 54%, while still maintaining the $100 fee option.
State of play: Trump officially scrapped the longtime de minimis exemption earlier this year, after a delay as Customs and Border Protection established a protocol to collect tariffs on these goods. ...
@#26 ... The US cattle herd is currently at a historic low, with the total number of cattle and calves estimated at 86.7 million head on January 1, 2025. ...
OK, I popped that into my search engine of choice and found this ...
Cattle Inventory Continues Contraction (February 2025)
www.fb.org
... According to the report, all cattle and calves in the United States on Jan. 1, 2025, totaled 86.7 million head, down about 1% from 87.2 million in 2024.
The inventory, along with nearly all other estimates in the report, fell within the range of analyst estimates.
The decrease, while smaller than last year, indicates continued contraction in the U.S. cattle herd. ...
Conclusions and Cattle Cycle
This was a neutral-to-slightly positive report. The overall rate of contraction of the cattle inventory has slowed. ...
So I ask once again, does the US produce more or less beef than it consumes?
Kash Patel's new way of leading the FBI: Fewer morning intel briefings, more pro sports events
www.nbcnews.com
... For decades, the head of the FBI has attended a daily 8:30 a.m. "director's brief," where he is presented the most important intelligence and law enforcement information gleaned from thousands of agents and analysts across the country, current and former FBI officials say.
And on Wednesday afternoons, the FBI director or his deputy held a secure video teleconference with the leaders of field offices across the country to share information about bureau priorities.
But that schedule has changed under FBI Director Kash Patel. Unlike his recent predecessors, Patel is receiving the "director's brief" two days a week, according to two current officials with direct knowledge and two former FBI and Justice Department officials familiar with the matter. Patel has also stopped holding the weekly Wednesday-afternoon video teleconference with FBI leaders, one current and one former FBI official said.
Patel's approach to his new job has raised concerns that he is not taking the position seriously enough, a dozen current and former DOJ and FBI officials told NBC News.
Officials who worked on the morning director's briefings were told that the schedule was changed because Patel sometimes failed to arrive on time, said two current and two former FBI and Justice Department officials familiar with the matter.
At the same time, Patel has drawn attention for regularly appearing with celebrities at professional sporting events around the country, according to flight logs and social media posts. ...
... promised price spikes and empty shelves ...
CPI data shows benign pre-tariff inflation
www.axios.com