Category World News

The American rancher, one of Donald Trump’s most steadfast voting blocs, has had a whiplash-inducing month.

Ranchers have found themselves caught between the president’s desires to appease both them and the American consumer in the wake of high beef prices, starting with Trump’s quip on October 19 that the US would increase beef imports from Argentina and the ensuing rancher backlash following the announcement of an investigation into the hyperconsolidated US meatpacking industry and the removal of tariffs on Brazilian beef.

The lowest herd size for beef cattle since the 1950s has led to higher cattle prices for US ranchers. Other factors that limit supply include the Mexican border’s closure due to concerns about screwworms and high tariffs on imported beef.

Cattle prices paid to ranchers are distinct from those for consumer beef, which were $6.32 for a pound (453 grams) of ground beef in September, an 11 percent increase from $ 5.67 per pound in September 2024. Due to the government shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not release economic data, including the consumer price index for the month before.

Trump’s plan to import more Argentinian beef was met with opposition from his typically devoted ranchers, who they perceived as a threat to their recent economic successes.

They would be acting in a manner that they have for the past 20 years, which is Terrible! Trump stated in an October post on his Truth Social platform, “It would be nice if they understood that.”

Corbitt Wall, a commercial cattle manager and market analyst, is clear that he “totally supports Trump and everything he does,” but he also saw hubris and a misunderstanding of the president’s cattle industry.

He told Al Jazeera, “There was not a person in the cattle business on any level who was not insulted by that post.”

Since Trump’s announcement on October 21st, Wall has religiously followed prices across the cattle trade, from ranch to slaughterhouse, and has witnessed a decline in the futures market for cattle by more than 15%.

Futures prices affect cattle ranchers’ future sales prices, which will also affect future sales prices. Wall said he hopes Trump leaves the cattle market alone for the sake of ranchers.

He doesn’t understand the impact a statement can have on our business because he doesn’t live in this place, he said, and he does in fact do in this cattle world.

Years of challenging weather

Rancher in Oregon David Packham claimed that many ranchers are still struggling despite years of declining cattle prices.

Years of drought across the nation caused some ranchers to sell their cattle, raising feed costs for everyone. Additionally, tractor-to-pick-up truck prices have increased, especially as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and are expected to increase even further as a result of Trump’s tariffs.

Packham said he has sold cattle at a loss frequently and doesn’t want consumers to believe that ranchers are raising livestock for the price.

Because I couldn’t afford $100, 000 for a new tractor, Packham said, “I’m looking at a 40-year-old tractor that I use on a daily basis just to keep putting it off replacing it, making repairs, even though it’s difficult to find parts for now, just to keep it limping along.” We have all this loss carryover, so when I say we’re not really making a lot of money, it’s because of it.

Up until Trump’s first term, Packham was a registered Republican. Ranchers who criticize Trump, he said, are in a minority in the community because of the president’s comments about Argentina and the subsequent chaos in the cattle industry.

“I’m noticing more and more of them [ranchers] who have been cautiously neutral and who are now kind of like me and who just say, “You know what?” No. This is bulls***. He’s a train wreck, Packham claimed.

The “Perennial issue”

However, Trump’s announcement on November 7 that the big four US meatpackers, Tyson, JBS, Cargill, and National Beef, will be subject to a Department of Justice investigation for “potential collusion, price fixing, and price manipulation,” is something that action ranchers can support.

Because the four companies, which own more than 80% of the market, have historically had little negotiating leverage on ranchers looking to sell cattle.

However, the first Trump administration’s investigation into meatpacker price fixing was initiated in 2020 as a result of a gulf caused by falling cattle prices and rising consumer beef prices. Under President Joe Biden’s administration, the investigation continued, but it never came to an end. Just before Trump announced the antitrust investigation in November, the investigation was quietly closed with no findings, according to Bloomberg News.

The administration’s announcement regarding the antitrust investigation is “entirely for political consumption,” according to James MacDonald, a research professor in agricultural and resource economics at the University of Maryland.

You can gain some political ground by attacking the packers, according to MacDonald, because it is a recurring problem that “p***es off ranchers.”

Packham said that because of the squeeze caused by the tight cattle market, packers are operating with slimmer margins and not from an absolute position of power.

More than 3, 000 people were employed at Tyson’s Nebraska beef-processing plant as of Friday. The decision, according to MacDonald, was “shock” because it showed how severe the US beef shortage is. Years of drought, which wiped out grazing lands and slowed herd rebuilding, contributed to the current low cattle inventory in the US. Years of work go into improving the cattle supply chain.

It’s a fundamental and kind of a fact, according to MacDonald, and it won’t change for a while.

MacDonald also doubts that Argentina’s increased imports will help to lessen this shortage or lower prices because the country primarily exports lower-grade, lean beef to the US, which accounts for only 2% of imports. He anticipated that while the import market will be impacted by the reintroduction of largely lean Brazilian beef, overall beef supply will be impacted less by it.

McDonald also cited heifer retention figures, which indicate how many female cattle ranchers hold back to produce future herds, which are still low.

These figures were likely taken into account when Tyson made the decision to shut down its plant in Nebraska, and McDonald asserted that the industry doesn’t anticipate a rebound in herd numbers either.

Tyson claims that he doesn’t believe cattle supplies will soon rebound, according to MacDonald.

Trump’s recent policies’ actual mechanisms may not temporarily alter consumers’ bottom lines or alter the cattle market, but Wall is more concerned about the effects of the news cycle, claiming ranchers are “live and die” by the cattle markets. Despite Wall’s shaken faith, he still believes that ranchers will support Trump in spite of the election results.

There is no way for people to choose that option, according to Wall, when you consider what the other side has to offer. They will stick with him in the long run, they say.

Leo XIV, the pope, described his upcoming first foreign trip as pontiff as “to visit the beloved peoples of those countries rich in history and spirituality” the day before his scheduled visit to Turkiye and Lebanon.

After five months of massacres, stampedes, and chaos, the controversial US-Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is suspending operations. Despite that, the GHF claims that it succeeded in performing its task. The group’s chaotic legacy is explained by Soraya Lennie.

As Washington intensifies its diplomatic efforts to end the nearly four-year-old conflict, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow next week. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll will meet with Ukrainian officials in the coming days.

Trump’s initial 28-point peace plan was modified after European leaders called it a capitulation to Russian demands, which included Moscow keeping captured Ukrainian territories.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said “we’re making progress” on a revised peace plan that appeared to award Ukraine more of its demands, and added that Kyiv was indeed “happy”.

The contentious 28-point peace plan, which was developed with limited assistance from Ukraine, was provided by Al Jazeera after it leaked last week. It also contained plans for Ukraine to completely abandon any plans to join NATO and cut its military might in the eastern Donbass region. The plan met with strong pushback in Ukraine and the European Union, as critics said the deal would reward Moscow for invading its smaller neighbour.

Meanwhile, a leaked recording that shows Witkoff instructing a Russian diplomat on selling a Ukrainian deal has drawn criticism in Europe.

Details of a 19-point peace plan that has been completely revised are still being developed. Here’s what we know about what may have changed based on statements from American and Ukrainian officials:

What was the initial strategy?

The proposed 28-point peace plan was made public last week after a Ukrainian official leaked it to international media outlets. According to the US media, Witkoff, Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, created it. Before developing and submitting the plan to Trump for approval, the pair had previously met with top Russian diplomat Kirill Dmitriev and Ukrainian leader of national security Rustem Umerov.

Among other things, the plan proposed de-escalation and buffer zones, that Ukraine would receive security guarantees from the US that it would have to pay for, and that Russia would take no further aggression against Ukraine or its neighbours.

Additionally, it was suggested that Moscow would pass a non-violent resolution to Europe, that both sides’ civilians and prisoners of war be exchanged, that the parties involved in fighting would receive amnesty, and that Moscow would stop trying to stop Ukraine from moving grain across the Black Sea using the Dnipro River.

However, in line with the discussion of territorial concessions at point 21, it was suggested that parts of eastern Ukraine, including the fertile Donbass, Luhansk and Donetsk regions, as well as Kherson and Zaporizhia, be ceded to Russia. The proposal further restricted Ukraine to no more than 600, 000 military personnel and required Kyiv to enshrine in its constitution that it will not join NATO.

What was the response?

In Ukraine, angry citizens criticized the plan, calling it favoring Russia, while American negotiators quickly sought help from American negotiators.

Ukraine’s European allies, too, who have been largely sidelined in the negotiation attempt, spoke out against the deal. Over the weekend, a alternative peace agreement between Britain, France, and Germany, known as Europe’s E3, was released that would allow Ukraine to join NATO on the basis of agreements already in place. Additionally, the European partners recommended that the military of Ukraine’s population be limited to 800 000.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in a Sunday statement on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in South Africa, warned that the US-led plan would leave Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian aggression. She claimed that the European Union would not support forceful territorial concessions and would not accept a deal that did not “represent the centrality of the European Union” in bringing about peace in Kyiv, despite the peace plan’s own restriction preventing Ukraine from joining NATO, not the EU.

The Commission President said that any credible and long-term peace plan should first and foremost stop the killing and put an end to the conflict without causing a future conflict.

Addressing the European parliament on Wednesday, von der Leyen reiterated: Any peace agreement must ensure European security without leaving open the possibility of “carving up” European countries or changing borders “by force”.

Russia’s persistent demands on its territory are not permitted by law, and Ukraine has long pushed back against them, calling for a referendum. Many Ukrainians reject the idea of what seems like a surrender after nearly four years of devastating war as the battered nation continues to suffer significant losses as a result of Russian bombardment.

What new proposals are there?

Following two days of talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Geneva that ended on Sunday, a new 19-point peace plan was released this week. The talks were led on Ukraine’s side by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak and diplomat Umerov, while US officials present included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Driscoll, Kushner and Witkoff.

The presidents of Ukraine and the US would make final decisions regarding the refined deal, according to a statement from Ukraine’s presidency office, who did not provide any details. However, the talks were “constructive” and did not go into specifics.

At the Geneva talks, First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya, who was present, claimed the meeting was “intense” and nearly ended before it even started. However, the resulting draft had left both sides feeling “positive”, he said, adding that the most sensitive topics – territorial issues and the question of Ukraine’s future in NATO – were left for Trump and Zelenskyy to decide on.

According to Kyslytsya, “We have a solid body of convergence and a few things that we can accept.” There are “very few things left in the original version,” he claimed.

• The US appeared willing to remove the 600, 000-member cap on Ukraine’s army, the official said. According to Kyslytsya, “they both agreed that the Ukrainian army number in the leaked version was no longer on the table,” according to Kyslytsya.
• He added that “the grievances of those who suffered in the war” were rewritten as proposals for blanket amnesty for potential war crimes.
• Separately, an unnamed White House official said changes were also made to the earlier peace deal’s restrictions on NATO troops positioned in Ukraine, according to The New York Times. Russia has asserted in a previous statement that Ukraine’s NATO troops are fighting without any proof.

Russia might want what?

Kyslytsya stressed to The FT how willing the US delegation was to listen to the Ukrainian side and to review all the issues raised point by point. There are no guarantees that President Vladimir Putin will accept the deal, despite Russia’s absence from the table.

Rubio acknowledged the difficulty of getting a yes from Moscow during the Geneva talks on Sunday, saying, “Of course, the Russians get a vote here as well.”

Potential contentious points remain the issue of ceding territory. After annexing the fertile, mineral-rich Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhia provinces, Russia unilaterally proclaimed its annexation, and it has remained in control of significant portions of the region ever since. Russia had previously vehemently annexed Crimea in 2014.

Putin has pushed for maximalist goals through the war and has stuck to his demands since 2022, including to fully claim all five territories. Despite Trump’s efforts to negotiate, which included a summit in Alaska that ended in no agreements earlier in August, the Kremlin’s stance has largely remained unchanged.

Moscow has vehemently opposed NATO membership for Ukraine, as well.

Regarding the uncapping of Ukraine’s military membership, it’s not clear yet if Russia will agree to a higher number. Russia suggested that Ukraine should have as few as 100 000 troops as it did the 600 000 troops mentioned in the first US peace plan during initial peace discussions in 2022.

What comes next?

Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy will now have to meet to decide the final aspects of the new deal. Trump initially set a Thursday deadline for Ukraine’s formal ratification of the pact, but Trump later claimed there were no longer any more stringent deadlines.

As the US settles in for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, it’s not known when a meeting will take place. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday that “there are no plans at this moment” for a meeting.

President Zelenskyy addressed “sensitive points” at a video conference of the so-called coalition of the willing, a group of 30 countries supporting Ukraine, on Tuesday.

Importantly, Washington will now have to support the revised draft in addition to Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, commenting on the plan on Tuesday, said Moscow had not seen it, but warned that it should reflect “the spirit and letter” of the talks between Trump and Putin in Alaska, adding that if key terms are erased, “it will be a fundamentally different situation (for Russia). Putin reiterated Russia’s stated objectives during those discussions.

Trump stated in a statement on his Truth Social Media account that he was optimistic about the achievement of peace.

” In the hopes of finalizing this Peace Plan, I have directed my Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with President Putin in Moscow and, at the same time, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will be meeting with the Ukrainians, “Trump wrote.

I’m hoping to meet with President Zelenskyy and President Putin soon, but ONLY when the deal is final or in its final stages. We appreciate your interest in this crucial issue, and we all wish for the achievement of PEACE as soon as possible.

US Army Secretary Driscoll, meanwhile, met with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday in what appeared like an attempt to convey the new agreement to Moscow ahead of Witkoff’s visit next week. Although it’s unclear what was being discussed, Driscoll’s spokesperson assured reporters that “the talks are going well and we remain optimistic.”

The peace plan was not discussed during meetings with US officials in Abu Dhabi, according to Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin aide.

Authorities report that at least 13 people have died in a fire that has stricken a number of Hong Kong high-rise apartment buildings and left some residents trapped inside.

On Wednesday afternoon, flames engulfed other parts of the Wang Fuk Court estate in Tai Po, a district in the city’s northern part, before sweeping over several apartment blocks.

The 31-story towers’ thick, black smoke poured out from the fire into the night sky, and firefighters battled it until midnight.

The Fire Services Department raised the fire to a level five alarm, the highest level, after nightfall, adding that nine people were later confirmed dead at the scene and four were later confirmed dead.

Local media reported that some residents were reportedly trapped inside the buildings, injuring at least 15 others.

The fire quickly spread, according to Chan Derek Armstrong, deputy director of Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department, and residents frequently called for assistance.

He claimed that the affected buildings’ debris and scaffolding were falling, adding that the building’s temperature remained extremely high.

He claimed that it’s quite challenging for us to enter the buildings and go upstairs to carry out firefighting and rescue operations.

“People are ensnared inside.”

Nothing can be done with the property, according to the statement. A Tai Po resident by the surname So, 57, told the AFP news agency right near the fire’s location, “We can only hope that everyone, no matter how old or young, can return safely.”

It’s heartbreaking,” she said. We’re concerned that there might be trapped inside.

Reporter Laura Westbrook told Al Jazeera from the scene of the fire that when it first started, it spread to other housing estate blocks as bamboo scaffolding was being reported.

As I’ve been standing here, Westbrook said, “I can smell the smoke and occasionally hear these pops as some of the debris falls to the ground,” she said.

One of Hong Kong’s most densely populated cities, Wang Fuk Court, is one of many high-rise housing complexes.

Harry Cheung, 66, a resident of Block Two in one of the complexes for more than 40 years, reported hearing a “very loud noise” at around 2:45 pm local time (06:45 GMT) and seeing a fire erupt in a nearby block.

He told the Reuters news agency, “I immediately went back and packed my things.” “I’m not even aware of my current state of mind. Because I’m likely to not be able to return home tonight, I’m just thinking about where I’m going to sleep.

Bamboo scaffolding

As smoke emitted from the buildings, people gathered on a nearby overhead walkway to watch in shock and pose for photos.

Residents posted photos on social media claiming the buildings had been receiving renovations for about a year, with some of the structures covered in bamboo scaffolding.

Witnesses reported seeing hundreds of fire engines and ambulances line the road below the development while firefighters battled the blaze, with frames of scaffolding falling to the ground.

128 fire trucks and 57 ambulances were sent to the scene by firefighters.

Authorities established a casualty hotline and established two temporary housing options for newly evacuated residents in nearby community centers. The firefighting operation also closed portions of a nearby highway.

The Fire Services Department advises residents nearby to remain inside, shut their doors and windows, and remain calm. The public is also advised to stay away from the fire’s affected areas.