Brazil is now producing more beef than the U.S., per Drovers. Comes as beef prices are soaring the U.S. cattle herd is its smallest in decades. www.drovers.com/news/industr...

Poultry processor Pilgrim’s Pride gave $5 million towards Donal Trump's inauguration. Since then, the processor and its parent company, Brazilian meatpacking giant JBS, have benefited from several major policy decisions by the Trump administration. capitalandmain.com/trumps-bigge...

RFK Jr. says to eat more protein, less sugar in new dietary guidelines

The government's latest nutrition advice recommends eating more protein, less added sugar, beef tallow and more whole foods -- meshing long-standing nutrition advice with #MAHA goals. For @politico.com with @ruthreader.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/01...

New food pyramid just dropped: cdn.realfood.gov/DGA.pdf

The School Nutrition Association, which reps school lunch staff, has a new report out today demanding more federal funding in order to cut down on the use of ultra processed foods in school meals -- one stated goal of the Trump administration. (No surprise there.)

BREAKING: An American military operation in Venezuela killed 32 Cuban officers over the weekend, the Cuban government said in the first official acknowledgement of the deaths.

One of the most lopsided results you'll ever see in a poll, from our weekend Washington Post poll www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...

Back at it today! With no shortage of news (ahem) Let me know what you want to know about the latest in the world of food policy and politics. Email me at marciabrown @ politico dot com or reply below!

A variant of H3N2 virus is of particular concern this year, the CDC says. on.wsj.com/4qR4mJR

A year into MAHA, polls continue to find bipartisan backing for the movement’s food ideas. Senate health chairman presses ByHeart over botulism outbreak. Plus, a new era for weight loss meds. foodfix.co/maha-food-ag...

Per NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:

NEW: Starting Jan. 1, states will begin implementing new bans on foods like soda and other processed foods in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. But grocery stores and participants still don’t know which foods are in and which are out. For @politico.com

The Senate confirmed a bloc of nearly 100 Trump nominees Thursday night. Among them were top USDA officials, including Trump's pick for inspector general John Walk. Walk's nomination came after Trump abruptly fired USDA IG Phyllis Fong in January. www.politico.com/live-updates...

Check on your journalist friends pls!! They’re all filing 6000 words of evergreen stories before the holidays 😩

new from me: are data centers going to wipe out water supplies? how much water does ChatGPT really use? and what's going on with that big correction in Empire of AI? i went long on the conversation around AI and water, and how it's actually about what we want resources to be used for:

NEWS: A top official at the Forest Service is leaving as the agency poised to undergo a massive reorg. Kristin Sleeper, who led the Forest Service’s Natural Resources and Environment, will join Idaho Gov. Brad Little's staff as policy director. (paywalled)

Earlier this week, I spoke with George W. Bush's Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. Johanns told me he thinks the $12B to rescue farmers from the ramifications of Trump's tariffs was the right move, but "not enough." Read the rest here:

Smart piece from my colleagues @politico.com “Heading into the 2018 midterms, there were 31 GOP-held seats that Trump had won by less than 5 points or even lost. Looking ahead to 2026, there are just 14 such GOP-held seats.” www.politico.com/interactives...

The brawl over the Colorado River is the highest-stakes water fight the U.S. has seen in more than a century.

BREAKING: U.S. employers added 64,000 jobs in November but lost 105,000 in October, the government said in reports delayed by shutdown.

Food stamps are back, but millions will soon lose benefits permanently

Brooke Rollins says on Newsmax SNAP participants will have to re-apply for the program. Details are still unclear. via Grace Yarrow for @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2025/11...

There was another incident tonight where a Homeland Security agent shot at someone in D.C., the second such shooting in a month. For context, MPD has had five officer-involved shootings in the *entire year* thus far.

NEW: The Agriculture Department paid some meatpacking inspectors during the govt shutdown, even as other essential federal employees worked without a paycheck. USDA spox confirmed this & said some "Forest Service firefighters and law enforcement officers were paid." @politico.com

Roses are red Chrysanthemums are gold

Forgot to post this last night--> As the lawmakers near a vote to end the shutdown, SCOTUS punted on deciding the SNAP case. High court's order last night extended the pause on full #SNAP benefits. w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social for @politico.com

With SNAP benefits going out late, nonprofits are begging for pet food donations to prevent desperate owners from surrendering their dogs and cats to animal shelters.

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to block full SNAP payments

Jackson lets Trump hold back full SNAP funding for now

SCOTUS SHOCKER: Trump scores short-term win at Supreme Court as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson lifts lower-court deadline that would've required USDA to pay billions in additional SNAP funding to states by midnight tonight. w/@Marcia_Brown9 www.politico.com/news/2025/11...

BREAKING: Supreme Court Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson temporarily allows the Trump admin to withhold full November SNAP funding. w/ @joshgerstein.bsky.social for @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2025/11...

🚨 NEWS 🚨 @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2025/11...

Massachusetts governor says she'll fully fund SNAP benefits in November.

New story from me: USDA tells states it plans to make full SNAP benefits available later today. Not clear what this means for the Trump admin's pending appeal at the 1st Circuit.

NEWS @politico.com. Not yet clear what this means for the Trump administration's pending appeal at the 1st Circuit. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...

From me:

🚨 NEWS Trump admin files for an emergency stay of a lower court order to fully fund SNAP. @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2025/11...

The Trump administration is appealing this order. @politico.com

BREAKING: Court orders Trump administration to pay full November SNAP benefits during shutdown. Story for @politico.com ⤵️ www.politico.com/news/2025/11...

The childcare cliff is here 19thnews.org/2025/11/stat...

Voters heavily favor the Trump administration paying November SNAP benefits during the shutdown, new poll finds. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

Now that Zohran Mamdani won, how much of his agenda will he be able to accomplish? Here's my back-of-the-envelope estimation of what he can feasibly achieve and how. Short version: I actually think he can get a lot of it done.

Heating and utility aid is suspended while the government is shut down, just as weather turns cold and people usually seek help www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...

BREAKING: Colorado voters approved a ballot measure that would raise state income taxes on higher-earning households to fund free meals for all public school students. Follow AP for live updates.

USDA will still send out partial SNAP benefits, White House clarifies during a briefing for reporters this afternoon. Comes after POTUS appeared to say he would not pay ANY SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. The post sparked mass confusion. Updated story for @politico.com.

UPDATE --> White House spox clarifies that the administration will still send SNAP benefits despite Trump's Post.

Trump says his administration will not pay SNAP benefits while the government shutdown continues, in violation of a court order. His post comes hours after his Ag sec sent states guidance for a partial SNAP benefits payment plan. W/ @gregsvirnovskiy.bsky.social for @politico.com.

The shutdown has left NOAA's network of cooperative research institutes locked out of federal labs and cut off from federal collaborators. In some cases, it's affecting research aimed at public safety—like toxic algae monitoring in the Great Lakes. My story 🔏 & quick 🧵 www.eenews.net/articles/shu...

NEWS: Trump admin will pay half of November SNAP benefits during the government shutdown using a contingency fund. The move comes after a court order. Story below--> @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2025/11...