2020 presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke said on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday that when it comes to Trump's trade war and his latest round of aid for struggling farmers, the president is "both the arsonist who created this problem in the first place and the firefighter who wants the credit for addressing it."
President Trump tweeted after meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo Sunday that the U.S. and Japan are making "great progress" in trade negotiations. But he played down expectations of striking a deal during his visit to the Asian country.
"Great progress being made in our Trade Negotiations with Japan. Agriculture and beef heavily in play. Much will wait until after their July elections where I anticipate big numbers!"
Local and national media outlets were quick to cover the sweeping abortion bans passed in a handful red states, resulting in public confusion about what is and isn't happening, per the Columbia Journalism Review.
The big picture: While some abortion bans passed, they aren't all active or enforceable yet. Many outlets left out details of when the abortion bans go into effect, so some people interpreted the bans to mean they were immediately effective, according to CJR.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) emphasized the threat of falling trade growth from the U.S.-China trade war at the global economic outlook forum this week, urging participating governments to "reignite multilateral trade discussions."
Threat level: OECD Secretary-General José Ángel Gurría said "the world economy is in a dangerous place" at the forum, Reuters reports. “Clearly the biggest threat is through the escalation of trade restriction measures, and this is happening as we speak."
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette of Little Rock will discontinue daily print editions by the end of the year, but will distribute free iPads to digital subscribers to access an online print replica edition, AP reports.
Details: Only the Sunday issue of the 80,000-circulation paper will be printed. Publisher Walter Hussman Jr. said he's taking the gamble to try to sustain his newsroom of 106 employees and turn a profit, which the paper hasn't done since 2017.
One of the hottest streaks in the country's current economic boom is in a surprising place: the northern plains region encompassing the Dakotas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa.
Why it matters: Commentators often refer to the middle of the U.S. as a single entity, like "middle America" or, more pejoratively, "flyover country." But the economic vitality of the northern plains is all the more striking because of how different it is from the rest of the land between the coasts.
The Trump administration announced it will cut 1,100 federal jobs by eliminating a Forest Service program which trains disadvantaged young people in rural communities jobs including fire fighting, reports the Washington Post.
Why it matters: This is believed to be the largest layoff of civil servants in nearly 10 years, expected to effect Arkansas, Montana, Virginia, Washington state and Wisconsin. Members of both political parties were opposed to the plan, per the Post. Nine locations are expected to shut down while 16 are to be taken over by private operators and state governments.
