Latest news with #Alford
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rep. Alford: Farmer loan program is reverse discrimination
(NewsNation) — A whistleblower recently told NewsNation that a Biden-era loan forgiveness program meant to help farmers was only provided to minorities, and passed over anyone who was white. The whistleblower from the U.S. Department of Agriculture pointed to Section 1005 of the American Rescue Plan Act, which provided loan relief for socially disadvantaged farmers. It provided race-based loan forgiveness, granted only to those who qualified as socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers. White farmers from across the country later sued in federal court and alleged that the act was race-based and violated the equal protection clause under the Constitution. The judge in that case later found the loan forgiveness program was 'an actual constitutional harm.' CDC told health providers not to treat after East Palestine derailment: Lawsuit GOP Rep. Mark Alford from Missouri joined NewsNation's 'Elizabeth Vargas Reports' to talk about the loan program. He said it was not right, and equal weights and measures are needed when providing help for all farmers. 'The USDA needs to get back in the business of helping farmers,' Alford said. 'Our farmers are going out of business. We are losing 1,000 farms a month, and our food security is national security.' Alford added the program is 'highly illegal,' and called it reverse discrimination. He also said he would be working to find out if farmers in his district were affected by the Biden administration's program. 'This is ridiculous, farmers are hardworking people and they sacrifice so much to grow corn and soybeans in my district,' Alford said. 'We should not be withholding aid simply because of their skin color.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
FDA reports rodent infestation at Louisville food distributor
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (FOX 56) — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised people to avoid eating food from a Louisville company after learning the company had a rodent problem. According to an announcement by the FDA, an active rodent infestation and droppings on multiple product containers were found during a May inspection at the Pan-African Food Distributors. FDA reports rodent infestation at Louisville food distributor Man agrees to Alford plea in connection with 2016 Lincoln County death Kentucky artists perform tornado benefit concert in downtown Somerset In response to the inspection, the state of Kentucky has ordered the company to cease operations since it lacked a required permit. Kentucky has also implemented a 'blanket quarantine of product.' The FDA confirmed that the business will be prohibited from reopening until the infestation has been completely addressed. A recall on all Pan-African food products currently on the market was recommended by the FDA, and the company agreed to comply. Read more of the latest Kentucky news Customers are encouraged by the FDA to check their homes for all Pan-African food and throw away all related products. For a full list of products distributed by Pan-African Food Distributors, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Popular Mississippi Restaurant Shutting Down After Just Two Years
One restaurant in Jackson, Mississippi, closed its doors for good on Memorial Day. In November 2023, Eudora's Mississippi Brasserie opened in The District at Eastover. It quickly became known for serving oysters, steaks and popular Southern cuisine. Customers also adored the restaurant's happy hour drinks. Eudora's owner Tyler Alford said his establishment was the first in Mississippi to pay employees a fair living wage. Unfortunately, he won't be able to do that any longer. Alford announced Tuesday that Eudora's has permanently shut down after less than two years of business. "Due to unforeseen renovation delays and costs, our budget presented a challenge from day one," Alford said. "Despite maintaining exceptionally high reviews, we did not see the organic growth that we have seen work so well in other markets. We committed to paying a living wage through a combination of tips and hourly pay, and that was a proportionately challenging decision in a declining market. We thank Jackson for welcoming and joining us for this all too short journey." Even though Eudora's dealt with budget-related issues for an extended period of time, Alford expressed gratitude for all the support he received from his customers. Derek Emerson, the owner of Local 463 and Walker's Drive-In, will take over the lease at 100 District Blvd E. The Jackson community should expect Emerson's new restaurant to serve burgers and tacos among other dishes. Popular Mississippi Restaurant Shutting Down After Just Two Years first appeared on Men's Journal on May 27, 2025
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Eudora's Mississippi Brasserie closes Jackson location
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Eudora's Mississippi Brasserie in Jackson has closed permanently. The restaurant opened in The District at Eastover in November 2023. It was the first business in Mississippi to be certified as paying employees a Fair Living Wage, according to owner Tyler Alford. Salmonella outbreak: Cucumber products sold at Mississippi stores recalled 'Due to unforeseen renovation delays and costs our budget presented a challenge from day one. Despite maintaining exceptionally high reviews, we did not see the organic growth that we have seen work so well in other markets. We committed to paying a living wage through a combination of tips and hourly pay and that was a proportionately challenging decision in a declining market. We thank Jackson for welcoming and joining us for this all too short journey,' said Alford. Eudora's offered daily happy hour specials. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump antitrust cop has a message for companies: ‘We're going to be very serious' about illegal competition
One of President Trump's top antitrust cops has a message for US companies: The new administration is going to aggressively pursue illegal competition, especially in industries that significantly impact the pocketbooks of average Americans. 'There was, I think, an assumption that the Trump administration was going to be like the Bush administration,' the US Justice Department's principal antitrust division deputy, Roger Alford, said during a Tuesday panel discussion at George Washington Law School. 'I think the world knows we're going to be very serious about antitrust enforcement." The approach is already evident in a number of antitrust enforcement cases targeting Big Tech as federal prosecutors continue with antitrust litigation against Google (GOOG, GOOGL), Apple (APPL), and Meta (META). The government has been successful in arguing that Google illegally monopolized the general search engine market and used illegal tactics to block competition in markets where online advertisements are bought and sold. The Trump administration is currently asking judges to approve a breakup of Google's empire to remedy the monopoly behavior in those cases. The FTC is also asking for D.C. federal district court Judge James Boasberg in a separate antitrust trial to force Meta (META) to sell off Instagram as well as its messaging service, WhatsApp. Many of these cases were started during the first Trump administration, where Alford also worked. He said this week that the DOJ has evolved its enforcement approach since he last held a post with the department in 2017. In 2017, he said, prevailing thinking was that the department didn't have the workforce to prosecute every case that its law enforcers thought they should, so cases were let go that should have been challenged, especially those where the department would be up against unlimited resources. 'Knowing there is no limit to what these companies are willing to spend,' he said, referring to the technology giants, 'you're very strategic with what cases you're going to bring.' 'You can still out-lawyer them.' Outlawyering its opponent is how the department prevailed twice over Google, Alford said. In addition to going after bad actors, Alford said the DOJ is also working to prevent harmful monopoly conduct before it happens. One way is by adopting more flexible merger review standards. Rather than a less tolerant approach that demands that companies present 'clean mergers' for review — those that have no significant antitrust or regulatory concerns and require no conditions, remedies, or divestitures — the administration believes it can work out consent decrees with merging parties that put antitrust concerns at bay. 'I do think consent decrees are definitely going to be brought back," Alford said, adding that he expected the change to help deals close more quickly. Other pursuits in the administration's overhaul, he said, include a push to reduce ambiguity in federal and state antitrust laws and remove aspects of those laws that harm consumers — such as a Wisconsin law that prevents homeowners from listing their homes on Zillow by owner. There's a need to update 'a whole variety' of ambiguous antitrust laws, he said. 'It's so important to the market and investors and innovators.' Alford added that the administration's philosophy is that it can best promote US competition and innovation by focusing on unfair competition in industries that the public cares about. 'It's incredibly important that antitrust be relevant to the average American,' he said, noting that Americans on average spend 33% of their income on housing, 17% on transportation, 12% on insurance, and 5% on entertainment. 'So bring cases in those kinds of categories.' That strategy is also part of a broader 'realignment' of the Republican Party, to shed its reputation for siding only with big business and instead become the party of the working class. 'Both the left, center, and right are concerned about the abuse of power,' he said. Alexis Keenan is a legal reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow Alexis on X @alexiskweed. Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest stock market news and events moving stock prices
