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The American family farm is being systematically wiped out as corporate monopolies are taking over our food supply. That’s why Joe Maxwell of the Farm Action Fund has launched the bipartisan Rural Independence Initiative — to take on what BlazeTV host Daniel Horowitz calls the pillaging of rural America. “We just released a paper along with the launch of the Rural Independence Initiative, a bipartisan, cross-partisan organization, the only political organization that’s pro-healthy food, pro-farmer, pro-rural America,” Maxwell tells Horowitz. “We want candidates that will fight for markets — fair and free markets — healthy food, and economic independence from monopoly control,” he explains, pointing out that he doesn’t care whether they’re Democrats, Republicans, or Independents. Maxwell says this is because “both parties are working against the people and for corporate monopoly oligarchy control of our economy.” “And therefore, what we eat, what we can raise, how we’re going to produce it, and then ultimately control of our government,” he adds. “Exactly, because if you look at the farm bills, which are always overwhelmingly bipartisan, they’re pushed by both parties, the same monopolization of the land, obsessive support for very specific things, very specific crops, often not even for food,” Horowitz agrees. “So, they’ll say, ‘I’m for rural America, America’s farms, America’s heartland.’ But the reality is, they’re all on the same side. They’re all against us,” he adds. And while Maxwell is fighting for rural America, what he’s fighting for isn’t special treatment, but fairness. “A rural worker will make about $24,000 a year less than the average metropolitan worker. ... Rural grandparents will see more of their grandchildren die before the age of 1 than metropolitan grandparents, and rural grandchildren will lose their grandparents three years earlier than metropolitan,” he explains. “So, the policy has to begin with a lens towards representing people, individual businesses — whether that’s a meat packer or a light manufacturer in rural America or whether that’s the farmer,” he continues. “We have to break the grip that these companies have on these sectors to restore the wealth and the quality of life for rural Americans.”

Though the Trump administration has faced a series of legal setbacks on tariffs, it seems to have found a solution. After the Supreme Court ruled that the administration’s reciprocal tariffs were wrongfully imposed, the president immediately leapt to Plan B: Section 122 tariffs, which allow the temporary placement of global tariffs.But these tariffs — derived from the Trade Act of 1974, which Trump used to install a 10% levy on most imported goods — expire in just over two months, and a court has ruled them unlawful. Although that case is still working through the system, the administration is already planning to replace Section 122 tariffs with Section 301 tariffs. These, too, stem from the Trade Act, but unlike the previous tariffs, they will be here to stay. These tariffs ... are durable, cover almost all American imports, and leave no questions for investors.They will also allow the Trump administration to target countries that have relied on unfair trade practices such as lax environmental standards that let our trade “partners” produce at excess capacity — essentially to get one over on the United States.Section 301, in short, gives the president the power to counter unfair foreign trade practices. Unlike the reciprocal and 122 tariffs, they can be placed only after a long process that includes public hearings and comment periods. While this may frustrate those who want quick action, the process practically guarantees courts will not rule them unconstitutional, as the authority is laid out explicitly in the statutory text.Currently, the only active 301 tariffs are against China, which have been in place since the first Trump administration. But the second Trump administration is planning to broaden the use of Section 301 significantly.The Office of the United States Trade Representative launched two investigations in the spring that covered 60 countries, accounting for nearly all American imports. The first investigation focused on products made with forced labor across the globe. Earlier this month, the administration revealed the results: Those countries, including the European Union, had failed to ban products made with forced labor or to stop forced labor within their borders.The second investigation, which is somewhat narrower in scope, is ongoing. It targets “excess capacity” — essentially unfair government intervention stemming from weak or absent environmental regulations abroad, with pollutants from China having been found in American water and air. This harms America’s labor force and limits businesses’ ability to expand facilities and production.According to United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, these tariffs are being pursued on “an accelerated timeframe” while still ensuring all legal requirements are being met. The next step for the forced labor tariffs will be a comment period ending in early July, followed by a hearing and — most likely — the announcement of the new tariffs.By relying on Section 301, the Trump administration is making a smart play for three key reasons.RELATED: Donald Trump is still the working-class president Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesFirst, President Trump is obviously committed to dismantling “free trade” ideology and replacing it with fair trade. Leaving office with only a handful of trade agreements and tariffs only on China — tariffs that all but the purest free traders would support — would not meaningfully advance that goal. But if comprehensive Section 301 tariffs can be placed on countries found violating a range of agreements, it becomes significantly harder for future administrations to lift them, as the Biden administration discovered with the China tariffs levied by the first Trump administration.Second, Section 301 is a more concrete process. It requires hearings and comment periods, conducted in a way where — even if the outcome is broadly understood — there are no surprises. Markets will therefore have essentially priced them in. While President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs came from a well-reasoned place, their back-and-forth nature spooked investors and at times threatened his broader economic agenda. These tariffs, by contrast, are durable, cover almost all American imports, and leave no questions for investors.Most importantly, Section 301 allows the United States to target trade both broadly and narrowly. Broadly, in the sense that a wide array of countries can be targeted at once, as the investigation of more than 60 countries shows. Narrowly, in that it allows the administration to focus on problems long derided by President Trump, including topics many conservatives have overlooked such as “inadequate environmental protections” and labor law violations. In previous Republican administrations, these would not have been priorities. But the United States has extremely strong environmental protections and labor laws; ignoring the disparity between our laws and those of our competitors means trade deficits never close and American jobs get offshored.With Section 301, that era is ending. New global tariffs will soon arrive, and this time they won’t be blocked by a court.Editor’s note: This article was published originally at the American Mind.

No matter what kind of car we prefer, most American drivers can agree on one thing: We don't need another reason for vehicle ownership to become more expensive.New vehicle prices remain painfully high. Used cars still cost more than they did just a few years ago. Insurance premiums continue to climb, and repair bills that once seemed unthinkable have become routine. For many families, keeping an older vehicle on the road isn't a preference anymore — it's a financial necessity.An insurer may choose to repair rather than total a vehicle because recycled components make the economics work.That's why a little-noticed trend deserves far more attention than it's getting: America's salvage yards are burning.Junk scienceMost drivers never set foot in a salvage yard, but many have unknowingly benefited from one. Salvage yards provide recycled engines, transmissions, body panels, mirrors, wheels, electronic modules, and countless other components that offer affordable alternatives to buying new parts.Without them, many repairs would cost significantly more.That matters because modern vehicles have become dramatically more expensive to fix. A headlight is no longer just a bulb and a lens — it may include LED arrays, cameras, and sensors costing thousands of dollars to replace. Bumpers house radar systems. Side mirrors contain blind-spot monitoring equipment. Even relatively minor collisions can generate repair bills that shock vehicle owners.For decades, the salvage industry has quietly helped offset those costs.Most people think of a scrapyard as the final resting place for totaled vehicles. In reality, these facilities function as warehouses of reusable inventory. Every wrecked vehicle contains components that can help repair another one, extending the life of cars already on the road and giving consumers lower-cost alternatives to factory-new parts.When a salvage yard loses thousands of vehicles and reusable components to a fire, the consequences extend far beyond the property itself. Repair shops lose inventory. Insurers lose salvage value. Consumers lose affordable options.Eventually, those costs work their way through the system.More expensive repairs contribute to higher insurance claims. Parts shortages can increase repair times and rental-car costs. And families trying to keep an aging vehicle running are left with fewer choices and bigger bills.That's why these fires deserve more scrutiny than they typically receive.Batteries includedIndustry groups have reported a growing number of fires at recycling facilities in recent years, with lithium-ion batteries frequently cited as a contributing factor. Given the proliferation of batteries in electric vehicles, hybrids, e-bikes, power tools, and consumer electronics, those concerns are understandable. Damaged or improperly handled lithium-ion batteries can ignite and burn intensely.But determining the actual cause of individual fires matters. Some incidents are quickly linked to batteries, while others remain under investigation or are ultimately attributed to different causes. Before broad conclusions are drawn, it's important that investigators establish the facts.The larger issue is that automotive recyclers have become an increasingly important part of keeping transportation affordable.Americans are holding onto their vehicles longer than ever because replacing them has become so expensive. That makes access to quality recycled parts more valuable than ever. A driver with a 12-year-old SUV may not need a brand-new factory transmission if a properly inspected recycled unit is available at a fraction of the cost. Likewise, an insurer may choose to repair rather than total a vehicle because recycled components make the economics work.Remove enough inventory from the marketplace, and those calculations begin to change.RELATED: 10 tactics to beat even the pushiest car salesman Mark Sullivan/Getty ImagesFree to fixThis also intersects with the broader right-to-repair movement. Much of that debate centers on software access and diagnostic tools, but those issues address only part of the problem. Consumers also need access to reasonably priced replacement parts. Salvage yards provide competition in the marketplace and help prevent repair costs from becoming even more prohibitive.Independent repair shops understand this better than anyone. Their ability to source quality recycled components often allows them to save customers thousands of dollars compared with using factory-new parts. If those options disappear, many repairs simply stop making financial sense.The result is simple: Consumers either pay more or replace vehicles they otherwise could have kept on the road.Insurance companies face similar challenges. Every totaled vehicle contains recoverable value through parts recycling and salvage sales. When that inventory is destroyed before it can be reused, that value disappears as well.Where there's fire ...Viewed in isolation, a scrapyard fire is local news. Viewed as part of a broader pattern, it becomes a warning about the fragile supply chain that keeps older vehicles on the road.As vehicles become more technologically sophisticated and more expensive to repair, the automotive recycling industry becomes more — not less — important. Yet most people only notice it when dramatic images of smoke and flames appear on the evening news.The next time headlines report another salvage-yard fire, look beyond the blaze itself. Ask what inventory was lost, how many future repairs depended on those parts, and what replacing them will ultimately cost.Because in the automotive world, expenses rarely disappear. They get passed along.And in the end, the people most likely to pay are the ones who can least afford another hit to their household budget: ordinary American drivers just trying to get a few more years out of their vehicles.

Dallas police have released a terrifying video showing a suspect in the back seat of a police car remove handcuffs, hop in the driver's seat, and accelerate away — as an officer who managed to re-enter the vehicle at the last second tries to stop him.The incident occurred May 30 near Interstate 35 and Illinois Avenue, police said.'What the f**k are you doing?'Officers Ibrahim Kante and Kenneth Harper conducted a traffic stop for a registration violation in the 2300 block of south Marsalis Avenue, police said.The traffic stop resulted in the arrest of 37-year-old Stacey Huffman for driving while license invalid, possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of a firearm, police said.Officer Kante handcuffed Huffman — with the cuffs behind the suspect's back — and placed him in the rear seat of the squad car while the officers completed their investigation, police said.But Huffman managed to remove his left hand from the handcuffs and kept his hands behind his body, police said.When the officers began driving, Huffman tried to open the locked rear door of the squad car and removed his seatbelt, police said. Image source: Dallas Police Department video screenshot"What the f**k are you doing?" one officer hollered at Huffman as both officers exited the stopped squad car around 6:10 p.m. on northbound I-35 near Illinois Avenue to restrain the suspect, police said.But while both officers were outside the vehicle, Huffman climbed into the driver’s seat and drove away, police said. Image source: Dallas Police Department video screenshotOfficer Harper was able to re-enter the vehicle in the back seat, but Officer Kante was still outside, police said.Officer Harper deployed his Taser, but it was not effective when Huffman pulled the wires away, police said. Image source: Dallas Police Department video screenshotOfficer Harper drew his duty weapon, and when Huffman accelerated the vehicle, Officer Harper struck Huffman on the side of the head with the weapon, police said. Image source: Dallas Police Department video screenshotBut Huffman continued to drive erratically, and Officer Harper was violently thrown across the back seat, police said. Image source: Dallas Police Department video screenshot"Stop the f**king car!" Officer Harper yelled at Huffman.After driving about 1,000 feet at speeds reaching about 50 miles per hour, Huffman opened the driver-side door and exited the moving squad car, police said.Video then shows the moment when the police vehicle appeared headed for a collision with a pulled-over car on the shoulder of the roadway, but Officer Harper regained control of the squad car, steered away, and avoided a collision. Image source: Dallas Police Department video screenshotPolice said Huffman was rendered unconscious and taken into custody. Image source: Dallas Police Department video screenshotYou can view police video of the incident below. Content warning: Language.RELATED: Unhinged man bites police dog while resisting arrest; cops say man became disruptive amid operation he wasn't even part of Both Huffman and Officer Harper were taken to a local hospital for treatment, police said.Officer Harper was treated and released; Huffman remained hospitalized, police said.When Huffman is released from the hospital, he will be charged with his initial offenses from the original traffic stop — plus unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and escape from custody, police said.The Dallas Police Department's Special Investigations Unit is probing the incident, and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office and the Office of Community Police Oversight have been notified, police said.This remains an active and ongoing investigation, police said, adding that information may change as additional evidence, forensic analysis, and video review are completed.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!