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Category Archives: Food and Nutrition

Mapped: How Much U.S. States Rely on Imports from Canada, Mexico, and China

Voronoi – “What We’re Showing – This map illustrates the top trading partner of every U.S. state as of November 2024. The data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Key Takeaways

  • Canada, Mexico, and China are the top trade partners for 42 states.
  • The U.S. imports about $900 billion in goods from Canada and Mexico annually. The largest share comes from machinery, vehicles, oil, and petroleum products.
  • See also Pink Gold – Trump said Canada has nothing the U.S. needs. When it comes to potash, the president couldn’t be more wrong. More than 80 per cent of the potash used by U.S. farmers comes from mines in Saskatchewan. Canada is the king of potash. It possesses the largest potash reserves in the world – by a fat margin – and the largest production by volume. The U.S. cannot source most of its potash from elsewhere. Just two other countries have large potash reserves – Russia and Belarus – and these operations are significantly smaller than Canada’s and prone to geopolitical instability.

Trump Tariffs

  • The Trump administration is imposing a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, along with a 10% tariff on imports from China.
  • Trump says he wants strong action to halt the flow of the opioid fentanyl and its precursor chemicals into the U.S. from China via Mexico and Canada, as well as to stop illegal immigration across U.S. borders

Website tracking how many people have lost their jobs because of the USAID Stop-Work Order

US AID STOP WORK – Tracking. Informing: “As of February 19, 2025, 55K confirmed, 100K+ estimated globally – these are the confirmed jobs lost from USAID and their implementing partners who have had to lay off or furlough employees due to the funding freeze. The confirmed number is based on 83 organizations. These numbers are… Continue Reading

Metals in Wildfire Suppressants

Metals in Wildfire Suppressants. Marella H. Schammel, Samantha J. Gold, and Daniel L. McCurry. Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett. 2024, 11, 11, 1247-1253. Open Access Publication Date (Web): October 30, 2024. Pages 1136-1259. ABSTRACT: Frequent and severe wildfires have led to increased application of fire suppression products (long-term fire retardants, water enhancers, and Class A foams)… Continue Reading

Recent CRS and GAO Reports Highlight Key Issues of Trump Administration

2/3 – USAID Under the Trump Administration (CRS) 2/3 – No More Deference: Sixth Circuit Relies on Loper Bright to Strike Down Net Neutrality Rules (CRS) 2/3 – Food Safety: Status of Foodborne Illness in the U.S. (GAO) 2/4 – Recent White House Actions on Immigration (CRS) 2/6 – Federal Workforce Downsizing: Voluntary and Involuntary… Continue Reading

CRS confirms the president does not have authority to abolish or move USAID

Congressional Research Service Update – USAID Under the Trump Administration: “Because Congress established USAID as an independent establishment (defined in 5 U.S.C. 104) within the executive branch, the President does not have the authority to abolish it; congressional authorization would be required to abolish, move, or consolidate USAID. The Secretary of State established USAID as… Continue Reading

Mapped: The Top Import Partner of Every U.S. State

Visual Capitalist: “The Trump administration is imposing a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico [this is on hold for one month – maybe] and Canada, along with a 10% tariff on imports from China. The U.S. President says he wants strong action to halt the flow of the opioid fentanyl and its precursor chemicals into… Continue Reading

Career civil service across the government fired, programs suspended – list continues to grow

Via LLRX – Career civil service across the government fired, programs suspended – list continues to grow – Democracy, the Constitution, the Federal Government – All At Risk. Since his inauguration on January 20, 2025 Donald Trump has rapidly implemented key recommendations of Project 2025 using actions executed by non career government personnel as well conservative… Continue Reading

States struggle to curb food waste despite policies

State-level policies alone are insufficient to meet the federal food waste reduction goal in the United States, Nature Food (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s43016-024-01092-w – PHYS.org: “…The United States generates more food waste than all but two countries. To address this, the federal government set a goal to cut food waste in half by 2030 compared to 2016… Continue Reading

Sorry, but Your Paper Straw Is Covered in Forever Chemicals

Food & Wine –  Here’s What to Use Instead  –  “If you’re concerned about your exposure to forever chemicals, you may want to ditch your paper straw. In 2023, researchers from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, published a study in the journal Food Additives & Contaminants reviewing 39 different brands of straws made from five materials: paper, bamboo,… Continue Reading

LLRX December 2024 Articles and Columns

December 2024 – LLRX.com® – the free web journal on law, technology, knowledge discovery and research for Librarians, Lawyers, Researchers, Academics, and Journalists. Founded in 1996. January 1, 2025 is Public Domain Day: Works from 1929 are open to all, as are sound recordings from 1924 – by Jennifer Jenkins. AI in Finance and Banking,… Continue Reading