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Trump’s beef import plan ignores key issue squeezing American cattle ranchers
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While President Donald Trump’s proposal to import more beef from Argentina is billed by the administration as a way to bring down prices for American consumers, critics say it misses the real issue driving costs at the grocery store: corporate concentration in the U.S. meatpacking industry.
Four corporations — Tyson, JBS, Cargill and National Beef — anchor the U.S. beef supply chain, with pricing power that reaches from pasture to plate. As a result, the gap between what producers are paid for cattle and what consumers spend on beef has remained wide, a reflection, economists say, of how market power is distributed along the supply chain.
Fox News Digital reached out to all four companies for comment but did not receive a response as of publication.
TRUMP ADMIN EYES ARGENTINE BEEF IMPORTS AS DOMESTIC PRICES SOAR TO RECORD HIGHS
Some critics argue the real problem isn’t about supply, it’s the corporate giants controlling America’s meat industry. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
The frustration extends beyond farm country – Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., says the dominance of multinational meatpackers is hurting both producers and consumers.
«Four corporations control 85% of the meat sold in the United States. One of these corporations is Chinese-owned and one is Brazilian-owned. American farmers are being squeezed and American consumers are being gouged,» Massie told Fox News Digital.
Massie, who raises cattle on his Kentucky ranch, warned that expanding beef imports from Argentina would only worsen those structural problems.
«Flooding the market with Argentinian beef is not the answer to these problems. An America First solution to rising beef prices is to pass my PRIME Act, which would empower American farmers to sell directly to consumers without interference from global corporate middlemen,» Massie said.
Under current federal law, beef processed at small, state-inspected facilities can’t be sold across state lines, even if it meets the same health standards as federally inspected meat. Massie’s PRIME Act would remove that barrier, a change supporters say would let local ranchers reach more consumers and compete with the big packers.
GOP LAWMAKERS WARN TRUMP’S ARGENTINA BEEF PROPOSAL COULD RATTLE US RANCHERS
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins recently unveiled a plan aimed at strengthening the U.S. cattle industry. (Ty Wright/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
Economists agree the beef market is highly consolidated, but say the forces shaping prices go well beyond any one trade deal.
Glynn Tonsor, a professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University, told Fox News Digital that strong consumer demand continues to drive beef prices higher, regardless of supply fluctuations.
«There’s nothing that forces me or you or anybody else when we go into the grocery store to pay more for beef. People are choosing to,» he said. «The consumer desire for beef is strong and, regardless of the supply-side situation, that has the effect of pulling prices up.»
He also noted that the large-scale structure of the U.S. meatpacking industry, often criticized by ranchers and lawmakers, has economic benefits for consumers.
«I would argue that those economies of scale benefit consumers,» Tonsor said. «The ability to operate at a cheaper cost per head and, ultimately, per pound produced gives us the ability to offer beef and every other item we’re talking about at a cheaper price. Anything we do that loses those economies of scale actually hurts consumers in the form of higher prices.»
FROM CATTLE TO CRUDE: HOW TRUMP’S TARIFFS ARE RATTLING THE LONE STAR STATE
The White House has previously said that importing beef will help address the rising food costs in the U.S. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)
Derrell Peel, a professor of agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University, said that even if U.S. imports from Argentina increase, the impact on overall prices would be negligible.
«Most of what we import is lean, processed beef trimmings used for ground beef,» said Peel, who specializes in livestock marketing. «We’re not talking about the kind of beef that affects steak prices. Even if we doubled imports, it would be such a small share of the total supply that we wouldn’t detect any real impact.»
Peel added that there’s no quick way to ease pressure on cattle prices, since it takes roughly two years to bring animals to market and several years to rebuild herds.
«The fact of the matter is there’s really nothing anybody can do to change this very quickly,» he said. «We’re in a tight supply situation that took several years to develop, and it’ll take several years to get out of it.»
BEEF PRICES HIT RECORD HIGHS AS NATIONWIDE CATTLE INVENTORY DROPS TO LOWEST LEVEL IN 70 YEARS
Economists say there’s no quick way to ease pressure on cattle prices or beef. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, the White House defended the plan, saying it’s aimed at balancing relief for consumers with long-term support for U.S. cattle producers.
«The president loves our ranchers, and he also loves American consumers, and he wants to do right by both,» White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday.
Leavitt said Trump’s immediate goal is to lower beef prices by increasing supply through additional imports, while a separate, long-term plan will focus on strengthening the domestic cattle industry.
She pointed to a three-part plan announced by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, which includes expanding grazing access, easing regulations for new ranchers, cutting inspection costs and improving «Product of USA» labeling to ensure consumers know when they’re buying American-made beef.
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The Trump administration has ordered the deployment of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group in the Western Hemisphere as the U.S. continues to target suspected drug smuggling vessels in the Caribbean.
«In support of the President’s directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland, the Secretary of War has directed the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and embarked carrier air wing to the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area of responsibility (AOR),» chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement Friday.
«The enhanced U.S. force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere,» he added. «These forces will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs.»
The Trump administration has ordered a number of strikes in the Caribbean aimed at dismatling and disrupting drug cartels in the region.
Most recently, War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday that a strike on a vessel allegedly operated by members of Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), killed six alleged narco-terrorists.
This story is breaking. Please check back for updates.
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La neurociencia ha demostrado que los hábitos, esos comportamientos automáticos que moldean la rutina diaria y repercuten en la salud mental, surgen de la interacción entre dos sistemas cerebrales: uno responsable de responder a estímulos y otro orientado por metas y creencias.
Esta perspectiva, presentada mediante un estudio publicado en enero de 2025 por investigadores del Trinity College Dublin, está transformando la comprensión sobre la formación y modificación de los hábitos, con efectos directos en la vida cotidiana y en el tratamiento de trastornos compulsivos.
Eike Buabang y su equipo destacan el denominado marco de doble sistema. Este concepto, respaldado por la neurociencia cognitiva, sostiene que los hábitos resultan del equilibrio entre un sistema de control dirigido por objetivos —basado en la evaluación consciente de acciones y resultados— y un sistema estímulo-respuesta, que automatiza conductas frente a señales familiares.
Cuando el sistema estímulo-respuesta domina, las personas tienden a repetir acciones sin analizar su relación con metas actuales, lo que puede derivar en errores, impulsividad o conductas compulsivas. Como señalan Buabang y sus colegas: “Los hábitos pueden entenderse como un balance entre un sistema impulsado por estímulos, basado en asociaciones estímulo-respuesta, y un sistema dirigido por objetivos, basado en expectativas acción-resultado y metas valoradas”.
La formación de hábitos responde a varios mecanismos clave. Destaca la repetición, ya que cada vez que una conducta se repite en un contexto similar, las conexiones neuronales entre estímulo y respuesta se refuerzan, facilitando su automatización. No obstante, el estudio muestra que la evidencia es dispar sobre cuántas repeticiones se requieren: algunos trabajos sitúan el rango entre 18 y 254 días, según el tipo de hábito y características de la persona.
El refuerzo —la obtención de consecuencias positivas tras la acción— fortalece los hábitos, gracias en parte a la dopamina en regiones cerebrales como el putamen posterior. Además, cuando se desactivan los procesos dirigidos por objetivos, por presión de tiempo, estrés o distracción, el sistema estímulo-respuesta asume el control. La estabilidad del contexto favorece la consolidación de los hábitos, ya que la repetición en entornos previsibles disminuye la necesidad de supervisión consciente y permite que las acciones se encadenen de modo automático.
Existen diferencias individuales y neurobiológicas que influyen en la facilidad para formar o interrumpir hábitos. La estructura y actividad de circuitos como el putamen y la corteza prefrontal dorsolateral varían entre personas, lo que explica por qué algunos adquieren hábitos con rapidez mientras que otros precisan más tiempo o repeticiones. Además, la intensidad de las señales contextuales, la frecuencia de repetición y la motivación —tanto intrínseca como extrínseca— modulan este proceso. Según la investigación: “La duración necesaria para formar un hábito varía considerablemente entre individuos”, lo que resalta la importancia de personalizar las estrategias de intervención.
Romper hábitos arraigados requiere debilitar las asociaciones estímulo-respuesta, evitar los estímulos desencadenantes, potenciar la inhibición dirigida por objetivos y, en muchos casos, crear hábitos alternativos que compitan con los anteriores. La extinción de un hábito no elimina las conexiones previas, sino que genera una nueva asociación entre el contexto y la ausencia de respuesta, lo que explica la propensión a recaer frente a los estímulos originales.
Estrategias como la evitación de contextos problemáticos, el entrenamiento en inhibición y la formación de intenciones de implementación (“si ocurre X, haré Y”) presentan eficacia tanto en entornos experimentales como en la vida cotidiana. Estas técnicas operan en terapias conductuales y farmacológicas, y pueden potenciarse mediante intervenciones como la estimulación cerebral no invasiva, que refuerza el control ejecutivo.
Las aplicaciones clínicas de estos avances resultan especialmente relevantes en trastornos compulsivos, como el trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo (TOC), las adicciones y los trastornos alimentarios. En estos casos, se identifica un déficit en el control dirigido por objetivos, lo que favorece la aparición de hábitos patológicos. Como advierte la investigación: “El trastorno obsesivo-compulsivo, el trastorno por consumo de sustancias y los trastornos alimentarios están vinculados a déficits en el control dirigido por objetivos, posiblemente explicados por una dimensión transdiagnóstica de compulsividad”.
Las terapias más eficaces combinan la exposición a los estímulos desencadenantes, la prevención de la respuesta habitual y el refuerzo de conductas alternativas, lo que permite abordar tanto mecanismos automáticos como procesos conscientes.
A pesar de estos avances, la investigación actual enfrenta desafíos metodológicos y conceptuales. Persisten dificultades para replicar hallazgos clave en humanos y continúa el debate sobre la suficiencia del modelo de doble sistema. Buabang y sus colegas proponen modelos más complejos, integrando la interacción dinámica entre hábitos de pensamiento, creencias automáticas y conductas. La transferencia de hábitos entre contextos y la resistencia al cambio figuran como áreas de estudio aún en desarrollo.
Hacia el futuro, la investigación subraya la importancia de profundizar en los mecanismos subyacentes a la formación y alteración de hábitos, así como adaptar las intervenciones a las distintas características individuales y contextuales. Solo mediante una comprensión más precisa de estos procesos será posible diseñar estrategias realmente eficaces para promover cambios conductuales duraderos y mejorar el abordaje de trastornos relacionados con la compulsividad.
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New York Attorney General Letitia James was arraigned at a federal court in Norfolk, Virginia, Friday, where she pleaded not guilty to two felony charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.
The charges against James stem from her 2020 purchase of a home in Norfolk, Virginia. Prosecutors allege that James misled a bank about the nature of the residence in order to obtain more favorable loan conditions.
The indictment states that James misrepresented the financial institution in claiming it would be her secondary residence, and instead rented it out to a family.
According to the indictment, the lower interest rate would allow James to save nearly $19,000 over the course of the 30-year loan.
LETITIA JAMES TO BE ARRAIGNED IN VIRGINIA ON FEDERAL BANK FRAUD CHARGES TIED TO 2020 HOME PURCHASE
NY AG Letitia James and President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
James entered the not guilty plea herself to U.S. District Judge Jamar K. Walker.
She is being represented in the case by defense attorney Abbe Lowell, and by Andrew Bosse, a former assistant U.S. attorney based in Norfolk who formerly headed up the office’s criminal division.
James’ arraignment is the latest in a string of prosecutions brought against the president’s perceived political foes, despite objections from career prosecutors — some of whom have since been fired or resigned.
James, a Democrat, has long-drawn Trump’s ire after she campaigned for attorney general in 2016 largely on vows to investigate Trump’s actions and businesses.
She also successfully secured a $450 million civil fraud case against him last year, though an appeals court later tossed the financial penalty portion of the case.
«This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system,» James said in a statement after she was indicted.
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Trump denies B1 bombers flew toward Venezuela amid cartel threats. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
«These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost,» she added.
Her indictment, like the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, was presented to a grand jury by former White House aide Lindsey Halligan, whom President Donald Trump installed as the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia last month.
Trump, in September, said he would install Halligan as the top prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia, replacing interim attorney Erik Siebert, who resigned under pressure to indict both Comey and James.
«No one is above the law. The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust,» Halligan said in a statement. «The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.»
After the arraignment, it is likely that she will file a motion to dismiss her case for vindictive and selective prosecution, following similar steps taken by Comey’s legal team in Alexandria earlier this week.
She will also file a motion to dismiss her case based on what her lawyers will argue was the unlawful appointment of Halligan in securing her indictment.
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Lowell, her attorney, has described the case against her as «improper political retribution,» and vowed they would «fight these charges in every process allowed in the law.»
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Fox News’s request for comment on the case, or whether Halligan or Keller would be joined by any other federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Speaking to reporters outside the court on Friday, James said the Justice Department is being used as a tool of «revenge,» and a «vehicle of retribution.»
«But my faith is strong,» she told the group that had massed outside the courthouse in Norfolk, Virginia, hours earlier. «I have a belief in the justice system.»
«Never cow down or break or bend. So there is no fear today,» she said. «I will not be deterred.»
Judge Walker set a trial date for Jan. 26, 2026, and ordered parties to appear back in court for motions hearings in early December.
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