Sonny’s roadshow: How Trump’s Ag chief sells a trade war to farmers

Breaking off from a tour of dairy operations on a farm in upstate New York, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue tramps across a muddy path to take a sample of sweet corn from an adjacent field. With a wide smile, he shucks the ear and takes a bite, then passes it around to others in the crowd before getting back to his mission: selling farmers on the merits of President Donald Trump's trade war.

Global summit rebukes Trump, cheers on work to aid climate Source: AP

Thousands of mayors, climate activists and business leaders from around the world descended Thursday on San Francisco to cheer on efforts to reduce global warming, even after U.S. President Donald J. Trump signaled his disdain for the issue. The Global Climate Action Summit, organized by California Gov. Jerry Brown, included a report that 27 major cities around the world have seen emissions decrease over a five-year period and are now at least 10 percent lower than their peak.

Lawmakers want US intelligence assessment on fake videos

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Thursday asked for a U.S. intelligence assessment of the threat posed by technology that lets anyone make fake, but realistic, videos of real people saying things they've never said. The rising capabilities of the technology are fueling concerns it could be used to make a bogus video, for example, of an American politician accepting a bribe or of a U.S. or an adversarial foreign leader warning of an impending disaster.

Lawmakers want US intelligence assessment on fake videos Source: AP

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Thursday asked for a U.S. intelligence assessment of the threat posed by technology that lets anyone make fake, but realistic, videos of real people saying things they've never said. The rising capabilities of the technology are fueling concerns it could be used to make a bogus video, for example, of an American politician accepting a bribe or of a U.S. or an adversarial foreign leader warning of an impending disaster.

Don’t play games with it’: Hurricane Florence takes aim at Southeast

People who thought they were safe from the onslaught of Hurricane Florence began boarding up and Georgia's governor declared a state of emergency Wednesday as uncertainty over the path of the monster storm spread worry along the Southeastern coast. Closing in with terrifying winds of 130 mph and potentially catastrophic rain and storm surge, Florence is expected to blow ashore Saturday morning along the North Carolina-South Carolina line, the National Hurricane Center said.

Tory hard Brexiteers launch plan for Northern Ireland

Conservative hard Brexiteers have released proposals which they believe could allow the UK to leave the EU's single market and customs union without the need for a hard border in Ireland. The European Research Group of Tory backbenchers led by Jacob Rees-Mogg believe the Government has allowed the border question to become a roadblock to achieving a Canada-style Free Trade Agreement with the EU.

Take 2 for Washington state: Carbon fee on fall ballot

Voters in Washington state will be asked this fall to do what state and federal leaders have been reluctant to: charge a direct fee on carbon pollution to fight climate change. If the ballot measure passes, it will be the first direct fee or tax charged on carbon emissions in the U.S. Experts say it will prove states can take action even if the Trump administration doesn't, and nudge other states to follow.

Advancing farm bill stirs worries that Alaskans could lose food stamps benefits

Food security advocates are worried that legislation working its way through Congress could cause thousands of Alaskans, particularly in rural areas, to lose "food stamp" benefits and add an untenable layer of bureaucracy for the already-strapped state government. Congressional leaders are working to find a compromise between House and Senate farm bills before the prior version expires at the end of the month.

Mollie Tibbetts murder case puts spotlight on farms’ hiring undocumented immigrants

Migrant workers pass freshly picked watermelon down a line to be loaded up in a produce trailer at the Mandujano Brothers Produce's watermelon field on Oct. 3, 2017, in Coyanosa, Texas. Dane Lang, a co-owner of Yarrabee Farms outside of Brooklyn, Iowa, stood outside his family farm this week and lamented that he had employed the undocumented immigrant charged in the murder of 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts.

Bad Brexit’ Could Starve Britain by Next August, Farmers Warn

The U.K. would run out of food by this time next year if a no-deal Brexit forced the nation to rely solely on its own produce, a farmers group warned. British food supplies would be exhausted by Aug. 7, 2019, if the country ate only its own products from Jan. 1, the National Farmers' Union said Tuesday, highlighting the U.K.'s reliance on imports from the European Union and other regions.

Global warming is not peoplea s most pressing concern

In a recent interview with the Vatican News service, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore again claimed "the climate crisis is now the biggest existential challenge humanity has ever faced." Gore boasted, "I have been fortunate to be able to pour every ounce of energy I have into efforts to contribute to the solution to his crisis."