Trump administration needs another $19 billion to fully revamp air traffic control
"We're talking $31.5 billion to do the full project," Duffy said at a U.S. House hearing, calling for a funding plan backed by airlines and other aviation groups.
The Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic control network's woes have been years in the making, but a rush of high-profile mishaps, near-misses and a catastrophic crash in January between a U.S. Army helicopter and regional American Airlines (AAL.O), opens new tab jet that killed 67 has spiked public alarm.
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The Independent
5 minutes ago
- The Independent
US corn growers warn Trump's push for cane sugar in Coke will cost thousands of American jobs
U.S. corn growers have said that Donald Trump 's push to use real sugar cane in Coca-Cola 'doesn't make sense' and will cost thousands of American food manufacturing jobs. In a statement, the Corn Refiners Association added that the move would also lower farm income and boost imports of foreign sugar 'all with no nutritional benefit.' It comes after Trump announced Wednesday that he had spoken to executives at Coca-Cola about changing the recipe – replacing high fructose corn syrup with sugar cane. 'This will be a very good move by them — You'll see. It's just better!' the president wrote. While Coca-Cola in the U.S. is typically made with high-fructose corn syrup, the soda company uses cane sugar in other countries, such as Mexico. 'Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar doesn't make sense,' the CRA wrote in their statement.'President Trump stands for American manufacturing jobs, American farmers and reducing the trade deficit.' 'Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar would cost thousands of American food manufacturing jobs, depress farm income, and boost imports of foreign sugar, all with no nutritional benefit.' While it has been claimed previously that high-fructose corn syrup is more harmful than other sugars, a Healthline article last updated in December 2023 said high-fructose corn syrup and regular table sugar have similar effects on a person's health, and both are harmful when consumed excessively. Trump is known for his love of Diet Coke, which is made with the artificial sweetener aspartame. In January, Coca-Cola presented Trump with a commemorative Diet Coke bottle. As noted by Axios, a full shift to the use of cane sugar from high fructose corn syrup in Coca-Cola could result in an economic hit to Iowa – the country's largest corn producer. However, it would also help the economy of Florida, the U.S.'s top cane sugar producer. In a statement, Coca-Cola did not confirm a full shift to the use of sugar cane. "We appreciate President Trump's enthusiasm for our iconic Coca‑Cola brand," a spokesperson said. "More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca‑Cola product range will be shared soon."
Telegraph
6 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Britain's trade tsar will pressure Trump to slash tariffs on US trip
Britain's business secretary will put pressure on the White House to slash the blanket 10 per cent tax slapped on UK imports during a visit to Washington DC. Jonathan Reynolds intends to discuss sectoral tariffs and ways to drive down Mr Trump's tariffs when he meets with Howard Lutnick, the US commerce secretary, and trade representative Jamieson Greer, sources told Politico. In May, the UK became the first country to secure a trade deal with the Trump administration, which provided tariff relief for car imports and the British Aerospace industry. However, most UK goods imported to the US remain subject to Mr Trump's 10 per cent blanket reciprocal tariffs announced on his self-dubbed 'liberation day', and no deal was reached on the steel, film or pharmaceutical industries, triggering alarm among business executives. Mr Reynolds plans to spend four to five days in Washington in the final week of July, a source told Politico. The trip falls around the time that Mr Trump is planning to meet Sir Keir Starmer during a private visit to Scotland, where the US president said he expects trade talks. 'We are going to have a meeting with him, probably in Aberdeen. And we're going to do a lot of different things, also refine the trade deal that we've made,' he said on Monday. Peter Mandelson, the British ambassador to Washington, warned last weekend that the 10 per cent tariffs are 'here to stay' despite UK pushback. Under the terms of the current agreement, tariff rates on imports of British cars to the US fell to 10 per cent, down from 27.5 per cent, for up to 100,000 vehicles a year. The British aerospace sector was also spared from Mr Trump's 10 per cent tariff. Last month, Mr Reynolds said he has 'no doubt' that the US will lower 25 per cent tariffs on British steel and aluminium imports, which are yet to kick in. A White House source said Howard Lutnick, the US commerce secretary, would determine a quota of steel and aluminium products that could enter the US without being subject to the 25 per cent tariff. Uncertainty still hangs over drug makers amid Mr Trump's demands for them to move factories to the US. The US president said on Tuesday he would impose tariffs on pharmaceutical imports 'probably at the end of the month', adding: 'We're going to start off with a low tariff and give the pharmaceutical companies a year or so to build, and then we're going to make it a very high tariff.'
The Guardian
6 minutes ago
- The Guardian
How Trump's anti-immigrant policies could collapse the US food industry
The Trump administration's assault on immigrants is starting to hit the American food supply. In Texas, farmers who have for years depended on undocumented people for cheap labor – to plant, harvest and haul produce – have reported that workers are staying home to avoid raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice). In Los Angeles, restaurants and food trucks have been forced to close as the immigrants who cook and wait tables fear Ice and other law enforcement. 'Farm workers in many states are thinking about leaving the country because they are facing more obstacles to work under this anti-immigrant administration,' said Elizabeth Rodriguez, director of farm worker advocacy with National Farm Worker Ministry, a longstanding organization in south Texas. 'They are scared, there are fewer opportunities, and they are no longer prospering here. Their fear will soon be seen in the harvest, when the quantities of produce are depleted.' From farm to table, at least one in five jobs in the food industry is carried out by immigrants, the equivalent of 14 million workers across the sector. This includes 27% of agricultural workers nationwide and 33% of meatpackers. In restaurants, 46% of chefs and 31% of cooks were born outside the US – mostly in Mexico, China, Guatemala and El Salvador. These jobs are critical: immigrants made up a disproportionate number of 'essential' workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, and many were exposed to unsafe conditions so that crops could be harvested, cows milked and takeout delivered. 'Whether it's the workers behind the scenes in meatpacking plants or on the frontlines of the grocery store, our country relies heavily on the labor of immigrants to keep our food system running and our families fed,' said Mark Lauritsen, international vice-president at United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. 'Without a stable, skilled workforce, safety and quality can decline, shelves can sit empty and grocery prices could rise even more.' Yet food industry jobs, from fields to slaughterhouses and supermarkets to delivery drivers, are notoriously difficult and often low-paid: sometimes as little as $7.25 per hour, the federal minimum wage. Farmhands are often paid only a few dollars per box of tomatoes or cabbages harvested - backbreaking work with no shade. American food companies rely on undocumented people for almost half of the most physical jobs, including the farm laborers who cultivate crops, tend livestock and build fences, as well as the meat processors who slaughter, eviscerate and package at high speeds. Most Americans understand this. In the run-up to last year's election, 75% of registered voters told Pew Research that they believed undocumented immigrants mostly fill jobs US citizens don't want to do. And now, with Ice raids and mass deportations, these jobs have become even more dangerous. At least one farm worker, Jaime Alanís, a 57-year-old Mexican man, has died after falling from a greenhouse trying to escape armed Ice agents during a raid in southern California last week. In response to these terrifying Ice raids which are spreading and becoming more violent, some farm workers in California are planning a strike in coming weeks and will be calling on consumers to boycott produce. 'It is appalling to see the threat of violence and deportation that immigrant workers face every day. These people play a crucial role in restaurants, and more importantly in the community,' said Elyanna Calle, a restaurant worker in Austin, Texas, and president of Restaurant Workers United. 'A raid, a deportation means the destruction of a life someone has fought to build; it means the destruction of families and vibrant communities. I have seen my co-workers fear for their safety, I have seen them go into fight or flight mode at the prospect of an Ice raid – this is not something that any person, any immigrant deserves.' If the Trump administration oversees even a fraction of its promised mass deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants, it could lead to major disruptions across the food system: crops left to spoil in the fields, supermarket shelves unstocked, takeout deliveries delayed and food prices soaring even higher. It could also upend rural economies that depend on migrant workers and their families who live, work and go to school in small declining communities. 'All of this will have a huge impact on the rest of us because the immigrant community contributes much more than their labor; they pay taxes,' said Rodriguez. 'They invest in the economy, and if they make less money, we all make less, and when corporations make less, they increase prices so we lose again.' Data for this piece, unless otherwise noted, come from the Migration Policy Institute
