By Joan von Kampen | Editor-in-chief
“If we don’t have beef, we don’t have freedom. If we continue to offshore our American food production, we lose the American experiment — full stop. I think we’re teetering on the edge of that in some ways with some of the offshoring that’s happening, some of the big ag consolidation that’s happening.” - Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins spoke Sept. 1, 2026, at the Farm Progress Show in Iowa. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
AGRICULTURE
By Cami Koons
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in Iowa Tuesday that a U.S. decision to lower certain tariffs on ground beef imports has highlighted the importance of working to bring more U.S. food production on-shore.
On Monday, the secretary was in Nebraska, where she announced a suite of actions to help rebuild the nation’s beef herd. The “Ranchers First Initiative” included a tool to help ranchers keep their heifers, an expansion in grassland programs to help restore pasture, efforts to boost local processing and assistance to beginning farmers.
COMMENTARY
By Sara Groteluschen
"Communities need families who can build their lives here. Employers need a reliable workforce. And Nebraska needs communities that are prepared to grow and compete," Sara Groteluschen writes. That's why she's looking forward to the Thriving Children, Families, and Communities Conference in Kearney on Sept. 22.
Incumbent U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., left, and nonpartisan challenger Dan Osborn at the Nebraska State Fair gubernatorial debate in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Sept. 1, 2026. (Photos by Erin Bamer/Nebraska Examiner)
ICYMI
By Erin Bamer
U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts and independent challenger Dan Osborn met Tuesday for the first debate at the Nebraska State Fair since 2018.
Ricketts referred to challenger Osborn as “Democrat Dan” so many times that Osborn joked there should be a “third podium” for him. Each candidate accused the other of benefiting from “dark money.”
While differing on several issues, they agreed on a few, including opposing the president’s 90-day tariff waiver for imported ground beef.
The U.S. Supreme Court on April 9, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
D.C. BUREAU
By Ashley Murray
As public opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court flags amid decisions that have roiled the nation, Democrats renewed calls ahead of the midterms to expand the high court, while House Republicans attempted but failed to pass a constitutional amendment this week that proposes to cap the number at nine.
A 10-year-old Honduran immigrant who came into the United States as an unaccompanied minor carries her baby cousin on April 25, 2021, after reuniting with extended family in Sellersburg, Indiana. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
D.C. BUREAU
By Ariana Figueroa
More than 20,000 unaccompanied immigrant youth remain at risk of losing their legal representation, one month after the Trump administration ended a federal contract with an organization that provided legal services to migrant children, advocates and attorneys said Tuesday.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
COMMENTARY
OPINION: ‘Summery’ check in with voters| George Ayoub
EDITOR'S CHOICE
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