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USA Today
15 hours ago
- Politics
- USA Today
A rockstar and reality TV dad
Good morning!🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. Cancel your plans. There's a new episode today of "The Summer I Turned Pretty." Osbourne, 76, was a rock star and reality TV dad Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, 76, died July 22 in Birmingham, England, his family announced in a statement Tuesday. Ozzy Osbourne was a pioneer in more than rock music. His stint on reality television set the stage for every such show that followed, ultimately winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program for "The Osbournes." Cut the beef Supply constraints and high demand have driven up the cost of beef, with 100% ground beef prices in June surpassing $6 per pound for the first time since data collection started in the 1980s, according to the Labor Department. A variety of factors have crunched the nation's cattle supply over the years, including recent drought conditions that raised the cost of cattle feed and pushed ranchers to send more cows to slaughter. While costs may dip slightly once grilling season ends, experts say significant price relief could be years away. More news to know now What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here. Speaker Mike Johnson to shut down House early amid Jeffrey Epstein drama Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said he is shutting down House operations early this week, sending lawmakers home even sooner ahead of a five-week summer recess, as tensions over Jeffrey Epstein's case files continue to boil. Now, lawmakers will head home to their states and districts until September — and Republicans are expecting to face some scrutiny from disgruntled constituents. A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken July 15 to 16 found 69% of Americans believe the federal government is hiding details about Epstein's clients. Trump's popularity has taken a hit. Could the pressure build to next year's midterms? Potentially. Body camera footage released after violent Florida traffic stop goes viral A Florida sheriff has released body camera footage of a violent traffic stop in which officers were seen smashing a man's window and repeatedly punching him. The new body camera videos show officers confronting William Anthony McNeil Jr. — and punching him — after he questioned why he was pulled over and refused to get out of the car. The release comes after cell phone video McNeil recorded of his interaction with officers gained viral traction online. That footage prompted a criminal review that ended with prosecutors clearing the law enforcement officials of any wrongdoing. 'This wasn't law enforcement, it was brutality," McNeil's legal team said. Today's talkers Venus Williams, 45, wins in magical night for tennis Venus Williams – the seven-time Grand Slam champion, 45-year-old icon of tennis and soon-to-be bride – ended her singles match telling jokes about health insurance. 'I had to come back because they informed me earlier this year I'm on COBRA,' she said, giggling through her on-court interview with Rennae Stubbs after a 6-3, 6-4 victory over world No. 35 Peyton Stearns at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. Williams entered this tournament as a wild card having not played on the WTA Tour since March 2024 and without winning an official match in 709 days. Was entering this tournament out of nowhere a one-off or a comeback? She wouldn't say. Photo of the day: A 'Fantastic Four' These four mean business. Stars Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Vanessa Kirby and Pedro Pascal attended the "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" world premiere Monday in Los Angeles. Check out USA TODAY's review of Marvel's latest flick hitting theaters Friday. Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@
Boston Globe
16 hours ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Trump says he's ‘solved the inflation problem.' The economic data tell a different story.
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up In other words, conventional wisdom and Fed officials have been correct and Trump — along with the other unidentified survey participant — have gotten it wrong so far. And a poll released over the weekend indicates most Americans also disagree with Trump's assessment of the economy. Advertisement 'The tariffs were forecast to slow growth and raise inflation,' said Mark Zandi, chief economist at economics and research consulting firm Moody's Analytics. 'That's exactly what they're doing.' Advertisement Inflation had been trending down close to normal the past couple of years since reaching a four-decade high in 2022. But consumer prices have been moving up in recent months, including a 0.3 percent increase in June. Still, Trump continues to claim that inflation is no longer a worry. 'We solved the inflation problem,' Trump told reporters Tuesday. After the Labor Department released the June consumer price index last week, showing the annual inflation rate was up to 2.7 percent, When asked to send a copy of the survey or an online link, White House spokesperson Kush Desai only sent a statement saying that 'the data has clearly vindicated President Trump.' 'So-called economic 'experts' have expended metric tons of hot gas predicting doom and gloom, from inflation to recession, about President Trump's America First economic agenda of tariffs, deregulation, and tax cuts,' Desai said. 'The exact opposite has transpired — inflation has cooled, trillions in historic investment commitments are pouring in, hundreds of thousands of jobs have been created, and billions in tariff revenue are being collected." The survey was not produced after two follow-up requests, either. Regardless of Desai's assertions, Americans don't appear to be buying the White House inflation message. Advertisement A Trump is finding out what other presidents have discovered: it's difficult to spin the public on inflation when they're experiencing the rising prices in their everyday lives. 'Donald Trump lives in his own fact-free bubble,' said Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat. 'Yes, there is inflation. And yes, the direction is upward.' Former president Joe Biden's economic approval rating never recovered after inflation soared starting in 2021. He downplayed the price increases and In Trump campaigned on a pledge to lower prices. But that hasn't happened. 'Where Trump sort of lost the public is that the very first thing he did was increase tariffs, which increased prices, which seemed to go against everything he promised to do,' said Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg, who closely follows economic data. 'He often tells a false story about what's happening in the economy, and voters, I think, are aware that what he's saying isn't true.' Advertisement But Senator Rick Scott, a Florida Republican and strong Trump ally, said it's too early to judge the president's policies. 'Biden left him in a horrible situation,' Scott said. 'It's going to take some time.' Another Senate Republican, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, highlighted the decline in gas prices in recent months and argued that Trump hasn't really meant to say that there's no inflation at all. 'They understand exactly what he's trying to say, which is, you're not seeing it spike right now,' Rounds said of Americans. 'But it's higher than what we want it to be. We're going to have to continue to focus on bringing it down.' Trump's view that the inflation problem has been solved is at the heart of his The Fed aggressively raised its benchmark interest rate to more than 5 percent starting in 2022 to battle high inflation by slowing the economy. As price growth eased, Fed officials slowly started lowering the rate in 2024. They planned to continue the cuts this year until Trump started raising tariffs while threatening higher ones. Fearful that inflation would accelerate, the Fed halted its rate cuts amid Trump's frequently shifting tariff hikes and deadlines. Many countries are facing high new reciprocal US tariffs on Aug. 1 if they do not agree to trade deals by then or Trump doesn't extend the deadline. Rosenberg said Trump's push for the Fed to lower interest rates shows that administration officials know that inflation is becoming a problem even if they're not saying it publicly. Advertisement 'They know the tariffs are slowing the economy down and raising prices, and they need to do something to lower costs for people and to accelerate the economy,' he said. 'It's an admission that they understand that the tariffs are doing harm to the economy.' Jim Puzzanghera can be reached at
USA Today
a day ago
- Business
- USA Today
Beef prices at all-time high: Why summer grilling costs a lot more this year
Supply constraints and high demand have driven up beef prices. Experts warn that it could take years to rein prices back in. This year's Labor Day barbecue won't be cheap. Supply constraints and high demand have driven up the cost of beef, with 100% ground beef prices in June surpassing $6 per pound for the first time since data collection started in the 1980s, according to the Labor Department. While costs may dip slightly once grilling season ends, experts say significant price relief could be years away. 'If we're thinking about seeing prices lower than we saw last year or going back to prices 5 or 6 years ago, that's not very likely,' said David Anderson, a professor and extension economist for livestock and food product marketing at Texas A&M. 'But I do think there is a chance for some relief from this (summer) spike in prices.' Why are beef prices higher? A variety of factors have crunched the nation's cattle supply over the years, including recent drought conditions that raised the cost of cattle feed and pushed ranchers to send more cows to slaughter. The national beef cow herd is at its lowest point since 1961, according to a January report from the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA in May also halted live cattle imports from Mexico due to the spread of New World Screwworm, further limiting the U.S.'s supply and fueling price increases. The fly's parasitic larvae can cause "serious, often deadly" damage to animals, according to the USDA. Despite rising prices, there's still plenty of demand for beef. The USDA estimates consumption this year will be up slightly from 2024. The U.S. has increasingly turned to imports to meet that demand, especially for lean beef trimmings used in ground beef. Roughly 20% to 30% of ground beef is brought in from countries like Australia and Brazil, according to the Iowa Farm Bureau. Tariff threats from the Trump administration could drive up prices even further. Brazil, for instance, is facing a 50% tariff starting Aug. 1. Currently, Brazilian beef is subject to a 10% to 36.4% tariff, depending on the size of the import, according to Reuters. "It adds a lot of uncertainty to the market,' Anderson said of looming tariffs. When will beef prices drop? Lower demand tends to spur lower prices, which means shoppers may find some modest relief once the weather cools. 'Typically after midyear, beef prices tend to decline,' Anderson said, adding shoppers are more likely to swap steaks for cheaper roasts later in the year. 'Seasonally, I think there's a chance we see lower prices than where we have been in the last few weeks.' Still, Anderson said prices are unlikely to drop back to the $3 to $5 range shoppers paid in recent years. Part of that is because it will take time for ranchers to build up their herds. If a rancher decides to keep a calf born this spring, for instance, they will need to wait years before it's big enough to send to market, Anderson said. 'That takes us to 2029 for increasing beef production,' he said. 'It's just biology and time.' The timing also hinges on continued demand for beef, according to Michael Swanson, chief agricultural economist at the Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute. Higher beef prices are giving ranchers money to build up their herds; if demand wanes and cattle prices drop, recovery could take longer. Already, cattle farmers and ranchers face "razor thin profit margins,' according to a May report from American Farm Bureau Federation economist Bernt Nelson. 'It's a very, very nervous supply chain right now because of the record amount of money they have on the table doing what they do,' Swanson said. U.S. food prices: How much more will you spend at the supermarket in 2025? How to save money on beef Swanson's advice for shoppers looking to save money? Be open to different cuts of meat. According to June figures from the Labor Department: 'Everybody likes to buy filet mignon, but there are plenty of cuts that you can get a better value for your money,' Swanson said. 'There are cuts that some people don't want that have delicious flavor if you're willing to cook them slow.'
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Trump's Labor Department proposes more than 60 rule changes in a push to deregulate workplaces
NEW YORK — The U.S. Department of Labor is aiming to rewrite or repeal more than 60 'obsolete' workplace regulations, ranging from minimum wage requirements for home health care workers and people with disabilities to standards governing exposure to harmful substances. If approved, the wide-ranging changes unveiled this month also would affect working conditions at constructions sites and in mines, and limit the government's ability to penalize employers if workers are injured or killed while engaging in inherently risky activities such as movie stunts or animal training. The Labor Department says the goal is to reduce costly, burdensome rules imposed under previous administrations, and to deliver on President Donald Trump's commitment to restore American prosperity through deregulation. 'The Department of Labor is proud to lead the way by eliminating unnecessary regulations that stifle growth and limit opportunity,' Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement, which boasted the 'most ambitious proposal to slash red tape of any department across the federal government.' Critics say the proposals would put workers at greater risk of harm, with women and members of minority groups bearing a disproportionate impact. 'People are at very great risk of dying on the job already,' Rebecca Reindel, the AFL-CIO union's occupational safety and health director, said. 'This is something that is only going to make the problem worse.' The proposed changes have several stages to get through before they can take effect, including a public comment period for each one. Here's a look at some of the rollbacks under consideration: Home health care workers help elderly or medically fragile people by preparing meals, administering medications, assisting with toilet use, accompanying clients to doctor appointments and performing other tasks. Under one of the Labor Department's proposals, an estimated 3.7 million workers employed by home care agencies could be paid below the federal minimum wage — currently $7.25 per hour — and made ineligible for overtime pay if they aren't covered by corresponding state laws. The proposed rule would reverse changes made in 2013 under former President Barack Obama and revert to a regulatory framework from 1975. The Labor Department says that by lowering labor and compliance costs, its revisions might expand the home care market and help keep frail individuals in their homes for longer. Judy Conti, director of government affairs at the National Employment Law Project, said her organization plans to work hard to defeat the proposal. Home health workers are subject to injuries from lifting clients, and 'before those (2013) regulations, it was very common for home care workers to work 50, 60 and maybe even more hours a week, without getting any overtime pay,' Conti said. Others endorse the proposal, including the Independent Women's Forum, a conservative nonprofit based in Virginia. Women often bear the brunt of family caregiving responsibilities, so making home care more affordable would help women balance work and personal responsibilities, the group's president, Carrie Lukas, said. 'We're pleased to see the Trump administration moving forward on rolling back some of what we saw as counterproductive micromanaging of relationships that were making it hard for people to get the care they need,' Lukas said. Samantha Sanders, director of government affairs and advocacy at the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute, said the repeal would not constitute a win for women. 'Saying we actually don't think they need those protections would be pretty devastating to a workforce that performs really essential work and is very heavily dominated by women, and women of color in particular,' Sanders said. Last year, the Labor Department finalized rules that provided protections to migrant farmworkers who held H-2A visas. The current administration says most of those rules placed unnecessary and costly requirements on employers. Under the new proposal, the Labor Department would rescind a requirement for most employer-provided transportation to have seat belts for those agriculture workers. The department is also proposing to reverse a 2024 rule that protected migrant farmworkers from retaliation for activities such as filing a complaint, testifying or participating in an investigation, hearing or proceeding. 'There's a long history of retaliation against workers who speak up against abuses in farm work. And with H-2A it's even worse because the employer can just not renew your visa,' said Lori Johnson, senior attorney at Farmworker Justice. Michael Marsh, president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, applauded the deregulation efforts, saying farmers were hit with thousands of pages of regulations pertaining to migrant farmworkers in recent years. 'Can you imagine a farmer and his or her spouse trying to navigate 3,000 new pages of regulation in 18 months and then be liable for every one of them?' he asked. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, part of the Labor Department, wants to rescind a requirement for employers to provide adequate lighting at construction sites, saying the regulation doesn't substantially reduce a significant risk. OSHA said if employers fail to correct lighting deficiencies at construction worksites, the agency can issue citations under its 'general duty clause.' The clause requires employers to provide a place of employment free from recognized hazards which are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Worker advocates think getting rid of a specific construction site requirement is a bad idea. 'There have been many fatalities where workers fall through a hole in the floor, where there's not adequate lighting,' Reindel said. 'It's a very obvious thing that employers should address, but unfortunately it's one of those things where we need a standard, and it's violated all the time.' Several proposals could impact safety procedures for mines. For example, employers have to submit plans for ventilation and preventing roof collapses in coal mines for review by the Labor Department's Mine Safety and Health Administration. Currently, MSHA district managers can require mine operators to take additional steps to improve those plans. The Labor Department wants to end that authority, saying the current regulations give the district manager the ability to draft and create laws without soliciting comments or action by Congress. Similarly, the department is proposing to strip district managers of their ability to require changes to mine health and safety training programs. The general duty clause allows OSHA to punish employers for unsafe working conditions when there's no specific standard in place to cover a situation. An OSHA proposal would exclude the agency from applying the clause to prohibit, restrict or penalize employers for 'inherently risky professional activities that are intrinsic to professional, athletic, or entertainment occupations.' A preliminary analysis identified athletes, actors, dancers, musicians, other entertainers and journalists as among the types of workers the limitation would apply to. 'It is simply not plausible to assert that Congress, when passing the Occupational Safety and Health Act, silently intended to authorize the Department of Labor to eliminate familiar sports and entertainment practices, such as punt returns in the NFL, speeding in NASCAR, or the whale show at SeaWorld,' the proposed rule reads. Debbie Berkowitz, who served as OSHA chief of staff during the Obama administration, said she thinks limiting the agency's enforcement authority would be a mistake. 'Once you start taking that threat away, you could return to where they'll throw safety to the wind, because there are other production pressures they have,' Berkowitz said.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Health
- Washington Post
Trump's Labor Department proposes more than 60 rule changes in a push to deregulate workplaces
NEW YORK — The U.S. Department of Labor is aiming to rewrite or repeal more than 60 'obsolete' workplace regulations, ranging from minimum wage requirements for home health care workers and people with disabilities to standards governing exposure to harmful substances. If approved, the wide-ranging changes unveiled this month also would affect working conditions at constructions sites and in mines , and limit the government's ability to penalize employers if workers are injured or killed while engaging in inherently risky activities such as movie stunts or animal training. The Labor Department says the goal is to reduce costly, burdensome rules imposed under previous administrations, and to deliver on President Donald Trump's commitment to restore American prosperity through deregulation. 'The Department of Labor is proud to lead the way by eliminating unnecessary regulations that stifle growth and limit opportunity,' Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement, which boasted the 'most ambitious proposal to slash red tape of any department across the federal government.' Critics say the proposals would put workers at greater risk of harm , with women and members of minority groups bearing a disproportionate impact. 'People are at very great risk of dying on the job already,' Rebecca Reindel, the AFL-CIO union's occupational safety and health director, said. 'This is something that is only going to make the problem worse.' The proposed changes have several stages to get through before they can take effect, including a public comment period for each one. Here's a look at some of the rollbacks under consideration: Home health care workers help elderly or medically fragile people by preparing meals, administering medications, assisting with toilet use, accompanying clients to doctor appointments and performing other tasks. Under one of the Labor Department's proposals, an estimated 3.7 million workers employed by home care agencies could be paid below the federal minimum wage — currently $7.25 per hour — and made ineligible for overtime pay if they aren't covered by corresponding state laws . The proposed rule would reverse changes made in 2013 under former President Barack Obama and revert to a regulatory framework from 1975. The Labor Department says that by lowering labor and compliance costs, its revisions might expand the home care market and help keep frail individuals in their homes for longer. Judy Conti, director of government affairs at the National Employment Law Project, said her organization plans to work hard to defeat the proposal. Home health workers are subject to injuries from lifting clients, and 'before those (2013) regulations, it was very common for home care workers to work 50, 60 and maybe even more hours a week, without getting any overtime pay,' Conti said. Others endorse the proposal, including the Independent Women's Forum, a conservative nonprofit based in Virginia. Women often bear the brunt of family caregiving responsibilities , so making home care more affordable would help women balance work and personal responsibilities, the group's president, Carrie Lukas, said. 'We're pleased to see the Trump administration moving forward on rolling back some of what we saw as counterproductive micromanaging of relationships that were making it hard for people to get the care they need,' Lukas said. Samantha Sanders, director of government affairs and advocacy at the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute, said the repeal would not constitute a win for women. 'Saying we actually don't think they need those protections would be pretty devastating to a workforce that performs really essential work and is very heavily dominated by women, and women of color in particular,' Sanders said. Last year, the Labor Department finalized rules that provided protections to migrant farmworkers who held H-2A visas . The current administration says most of those rules placed unnecessary and costly requirements on employers. Under the new proposal, the Labor Department would rescind a requirement for most employer-provided transportation to have seat belts for those agriculture workers. The department is also proposing to reverse a 2024 rule that protected migrant farmworkers from retaliation for activities such as filing a complaint, testifying or participating in an investigation, hearing or proceeding. 'There's a long history of retaliation against workers who speak up against abuses in farm work. And with H-2A it's even worse because the employer can just not renew your visa,' said Lori Johnson, senior attorney at Farmworker Justice. Michael Marsh, president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, applauded the deregulation efforts, saying farmers were hit with thousands of pages of regulations pertaining to migrant farmworkers in recent years. 'Can you imagine a farmer and his or her spouse trying to navigate 3,000 new pages of regulation in 18 months and then be liable for every one of them?' he asked. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration , part of the Labor Department, wants to rescind a requirement for employers to provide adequate lighting at construction sites, saying the regulation doesn't substantially reduce a significant risk. OSHA said if employers fail to correct lighting deficiencies at construction worksites, the agency can issue citations under its 'general duty clause.' The clause requires employers to provide a place of employment free from recognized hazards which are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Worker advocates think getting rid of a specific construction site requirement is a bad idea. 'There have been many fatalities where workers fall through a hole in the floor, where there's not adequate lighting,' Reindel said. 'It's a very obvious thing that employers should address, but unfortunately it's one of those things where we need a standard, and it's violated all the time.' Several proposals could impact safety procedures for mines. For example, employers have to submit plans for ventilation and preventing roof collapses in coal mines for review by the Labor Department's Mine Safety and Health Administration . Currently, MSHA district managers can require mine operators to take additional steps to improve those plans. The Labor Department wants to end that authority, saying the current regulations give the district manager the ability to draft and create laws without soliciting comments or action by Congress. Similarly, the department is proposing to strip district managers of their ability to require changes to mine health and safety training programs. The general duty clause allows OSHA to punish employers for unsafe working conditions when there's no specific standard in place to cover a situation. An OSHA proposal would exclude the agency from applying the clause to prohibit, restrict or penalize employers for 'inherently risky professional activities that are intrinsic to professional, athletic, or entertainment occupations.' A preliminary analysis identified athletes, actors, dancers, musicians, other entertainers and journalists as among the types of workers the limitation would apply to. 'It is simply not plausible to assert that Congress, when passing the Occupational Safety and Health Act, silently intended to authorize the Department of Labor to eliminate familiar sports and entertainment practices, such as punt returns in the NFL, speeding in NASCAR, or the whale show at SeaWorld ,' the proposed rule reads. Debbie Berkowitz, who served as OSHA chief of staff during the Obama administration, said she thinks limiting the agency's enforcement authority would be a mistake. 'Once you start taking that threat away, you could return to where they'll throw safety to the wind, because there are other production pressures they have,' Berkowitz said.
