Marcia Brown

Federal funding for people in poverty heading to anti-abortion centers instead The bulk of the money Missouri gives to its crisis pregnancy centers comes from federal funds meant to assist families experiencing poverty with basic necessities and child care, Republican Rep. Jason...

The bulk of the money Missouri gives to pregnancy centers comes from federal funds meant to assist families with basic necessities and child care.

As many as $3 of every $4 was from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program in 2024, and in 2026, it will be $2 out of $3.

From me:

POLITICO Pro: Democrats say the farm bill coalition is dead Rep. Angie Craig and other lawmakers argue that Republicans "destroyed" the bipartisan coalition that historically passed the legislation.

The top Democrat on the House Ag Committee made clear today what everyone has been saying for months: the farm bill coalition is gone.

Rep. Angie Craig blamed Republicans' moves to "decimate" SNAP in last year's One Big Beautiful Bill.

For @politico.com

Ajinomoto Foods North America is expanding its recall of frozen not ready-to-eat chicken products that "may be contaminated with foreign material, specifically glass."

Total recall includes 36,987,575 pounds of chicken products, pork fried rice, ramen and shu mai dumplings.

New York Times runs in-house ad asking listeners to “support any news organization dedicated to original reporting” The New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger has voiced a new ad encouraging listeners to support any news organization dedicated to original reporting — even if it's not the Times. It's Sulzberger's...

Subscribe to real journalism, says NYT publisher A.G. Sulzberger — even if it isn’t us. A classy ad. www.niemanlab.org/2026/03/new-...

D.C. lifts advisory for Potomac River after sewage spill But environmentalists say more has to be done to convince people the waters are safe

NEW: A pipe collapse in January led to 240+ million gallons of sewage spilling into the Potomac River.

This morning, the city said E. coli levels in the water have been low enough that residents and pets no longer need to stay away.

What that means going forward, from @maustermuhle.bsky.social:

At the Annual Meat Conference in Maryland, organizers remind attendees not to break antitrust laws.

The meat industry has faced a number of class action lawsuits alleging anti-competitive conduct and the Trump administration recently opened a new investigation into the big four meatpackers.

RFK Jr. just gave remarks at the Annual Meat Conference, a huge gathering of meat processors, retailers and others in the food business.

He urged people to eat more animal protein and to cook more underneath the government’s new slogan “Eat Real Food.”

55,000 Pounds Of Frozen Blueberries Recalled For Listeria The blueberries were distributed in Michigan, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin and in Canada.

The blueberries were distributed in Michigan, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin and in Canada.

Trump’s Latest Deportation Tactic: Targeting Immigrants With Minor Family Court Cases Should a dad be deported for leaving his toddlers alone at home for a half hour 15 years ago? The Trump administration says yes in a pending court case with sweeping implications for both the immigrat...

In 2010, an undocumented farmworker from Mexico received a misdemeanor citation for leaving his two young kids alone to buy them pajamas at Walmart.

The Trump administration says this now merits deportation in a potentially wide-reaching court case.

Zohran Mamdani Promised City-Owned Groceries. Atlanta Already Has One When major chains refused to open in downtown Atlanta, Mayor Andre Dickens carved his own path forward

One of Zohran Mamdani's key campaign pledges was municipal grocery stores. Atlanta has him beat--the city opened one up last summer and has another coming soon. www.bonappetit.com/story/zohran...

Casey Means pledges focus on food as first MAHA surgeon general Despite plenty of criticism, wellness influencer and physician Casey Means appears likely to be confirmed as surgeon general — and she’s planning to focus on food.

Despite plenty of criticism, wellness influencer and physician Casey Means appears likely to be confirmed as surgeon general — and she’s planning to focus on food.

foodfix.co/casey-means-...

MAHA unleashes on White House after Trump backs pesticide MAHA advocates promptly denounced the move and said it would threaten Republicans’ chances in the midterms.

Some background on the fallout from the executive order with MAHA. www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

POLITICO Pro: Rollins says the MAHA alliance is unchanged by Trump's pesticide EO The Agriculture secretary said MAHA icon Robert F. Kennedy Jr. understands that the order was a national security priority.

ICYMI: USDA Sec. Brooke Rollins told me in a brief interview that the administration's alliance with MAHA is unchanged despite the president's order boosting glyphosate production, the active ingredient in Roundup.

subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...

Today in @politico.com's Morning Ag:

🍞 Dems are making food and agricultural monopolies a centerpiece of their affordability pitch ahead of the midterms.

📂 USDA announced a new filing system for farmers via a multi-million dollar contract with Palantir.

🐔 Bird flu in PA is bad right now.

California fast food workers, still reeling from ICE raids, demand employers step up Union-backed pledge urges fast food employers to protect workers’ rights as immigration raids fuel fear and walkouts

@cafastfoodunion.org are pushing fast food franchises to step up and support their workers' rights amid ongoing ICE operations and raids

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Feeding America names former VA Secretary Denis McDonough CEO /PRNewswire/ -- The Feeding America Board of Directors announced today that Denis McDonough will become the organization's Chief Executive Officer, effective...

Feeding America names former VA Sec. Denis McDonough as CEO.

www.prnewswire.com/news-release...

U.S. Forest Service Stops Issuing Firefighter Pants That Contain PFAS, Following ProPublica’s Reporting Officials at the agency knew about the use of potentially dangerous “forever chemicals” in protective gear years before publicly acknowledging the issue, according to emails obtained by ProPublica.

NEW: ProPublica recently reported that the U.S. Forest Service knowingly issued protective gear containing PFAS to wildland firefighters.

The agency says it has now stopped distributing those garments.

By @abestreep.bsky.social

Trump attacks Supreme Court justices after he is handed a major tariff loss

MAHA unleashes on White House after Trump backs pesticide MAHA advocates promptly denounced the move and said it would threaten Republicans’ chances in the midterms.

The WH is walking a tightrope as it works to please #MAHA and court traditional GOP allies.

With the glyphosate EO, that challenge became stark.

“Are people happy about it? No, but there’s a logic here that’s pretty undeniable,” a WH official said.

w/ Cheyenne Haslett for @politico.com

"Descendants of enslaved people are fighting an attempt to use eminent domain to carve a spur through one of Georgia’s largest Black‑owned farms."

Scooplet in @politico.com's Morning Ag newsletter:

Coca-Cola has left the top trade group the Consumer Brands Association as the packaged food and beverage industry struggles to respond to the Make America Healthy Again movement.

subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter/2...

Bit of a Shocker: PETA Opposing Cage-Free Eggs, Issues White Paper on Consumers Misled into Paying Higher Prices While Birds Still Suffer | PETA In a surprising turn of events that challenges widespread assumptions about food labels, PETA is publicly opposing so-called “cage-free” eggs after a

PETA announces they're no longer supporting cage-free eggs.

www.peta.org/media/news-r...

A Vast Trove of Exposed Social Security Numbers May Put Millions at Risk of Identity Theft A database left accessible to anyone online contained billions of records, including sensitive personal data that criminals appear to have not yet exploited.

NEW: Yet another reason why Social Security numbers should no longer be used for verifying your identity. @lhn.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/a-mega...

The Voracious Vine That ‘Ate the South’ Can Also Fuel Wildfires - Inside Climate News Brought to the United States as an ornamental porch decoration, the kudzu vine has reshaped itself into ladder fuel for wildfires.

One simple spark, and dried-out kudzu vines could easily catch fire. That’s especially problematic when they’ve climbed trees.

Snow/ice on the ground doesn’t end a severe drought.

The 6–9" that fell Jan. 25 equaled only ~2" of rain — and we entered January already 10+ inches below normal after six dry months. February is running ~0.75" below normal.

One storm can’t erase a long-term deficit.

More info at cwg.live

RFK Jr. wants states to ban junk food. No one knows what counts. Retailers are scrambling to find out what thousands of foods will no longer be eligible under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program come January.

I wrote about this in more detail back in December, too.

www.politico.com/news/2025/12...

Kennedy is banning junk food from SNAP. Our quiz shows what counts.

Over the weekend, 2 more states began new restrictions on junk food in #SNAP.

RFK Jr. has made these policies a keystone of his Make America Healthy Again agenda, but each state has their own plan, complicating this SNAP overhaul.

Our quiz helps illustrate that:

@politico.com

Black Residents Win Key Ruling in ‘Cancer Alley’ Environmental Racism Case The lawsuit could force a jury to decide if turning Black communities into sacrifice zones is a legacy of slavery.

A judge ruled that groups representing residents of Louisiana’s Cancer Alley can proceed with their landmark lawsuit seeking a pause on toxic industrial plants in two majority‑Black districts

The farm has been in his family since 1837. Don Guinnip may be the last to run it. A fifth-generation farmer stares down a future in which his land is no longer tended by someone in the family. It’s new territory for everyone.

A fifth-generation farmer stares down a future in which his land is no longer tended by someone in the family. It’s new territory for everyone. on.wsj.com/46EmwGM

Kennedy is banning junk food from SNAP. Our quiz shows what counts.

The Trump administration is pushing states to revamp the #SNAP program by banning some junk foods.

But every state is slightly different.

We came up with a quiz to show just how confusing this can be for SNAP participants and retailers.

@politico.com

www.politico.com/www.politico...