European leaders have 'had it' with Putin, says Dr. Rebecca Grant
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US farm agency plan to close flagship research site threatens critical research, critics warn
By Leah Douglas WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Agriculture's plan to close its flagship laboratory near Washington, D.C., could undermine research on pests, blight and crop genetics crucial to American farms, according to lawmakers, a farm group, and staff of the facility. The USDA has already lost thousands of research staff to President Donald Trump's effort to shrink the federal government, even as Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has said farm research is a pillar of national security. Rollins said in July that the USDA will close the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, which occupies nearly 7,000 acres in the Maryland suburbs outside Washington, as part of an agency reorganization effort that will also move roughly half of its Washington-area staff to hubs in North Carolina, Utah and elsewhere. The agency has said it is closing BARC and several other USDA buildings because of costly necessary renovations and underutilized space. Workers at BARC in 2023 filed whistleblower complaints about unsafe working conditions there. But critics of the plan to close BARC say it could backfire by interrupting the facility's ongoing research, and by pushing the scientists conducting it to resign. "It is unlikely that senior scientists of this caliber with mature research partnerships and rich professional lives will simply move somewhere else," said Donnell Brown, president of the National Grape Research Alliance, which depends on BARC research into vine stress and water usage. U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, also slammed the plan. "You have a lot of people who have invested their time and effort in research for farmers across the country, and this plan would destroy that ongoing research," he said. Three staff at the facility, who requested anonymity out of fear of retribution, said the co-location of many labs at BARC allows for economies of scale and cost savings, and that the proximity to Washington enables researchers to easily brief lawmakers or other parts of the USDA. The USDA did not immediately respond to questions about the criticisms. Rollins said in a July memo outlining the relocation effort that the BARC facility would be closed over several years to avoid disruptions to critical research. The USDA on July 25 told the House and Senate agriculture and appropriations committees that it did not have data or analysis underpinning its reorganization plan to share with members of Congress or their staff, according to a letter sent from Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee to Rollins on August 14. "Ostensibly they're saying it would save money, but I haven't seen any study that suggests that's the case," said U.S. Representative Glenn Ivey, whose Maryland district contains the BARC site.
Yahoo
a minute ago
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Trump to sign executive order to punish those who burn American flags
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Thursday that would direct the Justice Department to try to bring charges against people who burn the American flag, a White House official told CNN. The order is not expected to outright criminalize the act of burning the American flag, the official said, but rather directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to review cases where the flag has been set on fire and determine whether charges can be brought under existing laws. A 1989 Supreme Court ruling determined that burning the American flag in political protest is protected under the First Amendment. NewsNation first reported Trump's plans for the executive order. This is a developing story and will be updated.
USA Today
3 minutes ago
- USA Today
Trump's latest legal victory
Hi! Rebecca Morin here. Breaking: President Donald Trump said he plans to join law enforcement on the streets of Washington D.C. on Thursday night amid his federal takeover of the city. Trump's civil fraud court loss thrown out President Donald Trump just got another personal legal victory. The $454 million penalty imposed against Trump in his New York civil fraud case has been thrown out by an appeals court. In a Thursday ruling, the five-judge Manhattan-based appeals court determined the penalty was improper. Some members of the panel said that the penalty violated the U.S. Constitution's prohibition on excessive fines. Others said Trump should get a new trial due to errors in the trial judge's determinations. Why was Trump facing a penalty? Trump and some of his entities were hit with that hefty penalty, plus interest, in February 2024, after New York trial Judge Arthur Engoron concluded that Trump had inflated the value of his assets for years to get better loan and insurance terms. Engoron also imposed about $10 million in separate penalties against Trump's eldest sons, Eric and Don Jr., and former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg. Why Trump claimed 'TOTAL VICTORY' after the appeals court decision. A look at Trump's holdings: Trump has bought more than $100 million in company, state and municipal bonds since taking office in January, according to government disclosures about the billionaire's holdings posted online Tuesday. Trump and his family have no involvement in directing or influencing what to buy or sell, which are decisions made by a third-party investment manager, according to a White House source familiar with the report. The Office of Government Ethics certified the report in compliance with legal requirements, the source said. See which bonds the president bought. A politics pit stop A new Texas voting map It could be as early as Thursday when Texas Republicans fully pass a new state congressional map intended to flip five Democratic-held U.S. House seats up for grabs in the 2026 elections. Republican legislators in the state House passed the map in an 88-52 vote on Wednesday. Earlier this month, dozens of Democratic lawmakers ended a two-week walkout, temporarily delaying the bill's passage. The map will now go to the Senate, where it is set to pass, and then head to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. Texas undertook a rare mid-decade redistricting to help Trump improve their party's odds of holding a narrow U.S. House majority amid political turmoil. How the new map will set off a 'redistricting arms race.' A pause on White House tours If you were coming to Washington in the fall and hoping to get a tour of the White House, you're out of luck. The White House has suspended popular public tours of the historic building starting Sept. 1 during Trump's planned construction of a new ballroom. The White House hasn't announced how long the hiatus in tours will last. But lawmakers who arrange tours for their constituents – subject to White House approval – are warning that none are expected for the indefinite future. What to know about Trump's ballroom project. Got a burning question, or comment, for On Politics? You can submit them here or send me an email at rdmorin@
