In other news, the USDA has canceled the tail end of a crop tour after agency staff received violent threats from angry farmers.
U.S. farmers have complained this month that a government crop report did not reflect damage from historic flooding this spring. They are also frustrated about unsold crops due to the trade war with China, falling farm income and tighter credit conditions. [...]
Farmers at stops throughout the eastern and western legs of the normally tranquil crop tour have expressed frustration with USDA - though less so with President Donald Trump, who they largely voted for and continue to support.
Corn future prices posted their biggest drop in three years after the USDA estimated a bigger-than-expected crop on Aug. 12, despite floods that slowed planting. USDA’s reports have long been a key reference for global commodities markets.
Meanwhile, Trumps say he thought about awarding himself the Medal of Honor. So there's that.
I was going to call this the 'ultimate participation trophy,' but that would imply participation on Trump's part. Avoiding STDs was his 'personal Vietnam,' he once said.
Finally, here's something I had not considered before: a potential gender disparity in Trump's trade war.
Katica Roy, chief executive of Denver-based Pipeline Equity Inc., says the tariffs President Donald Trump has slapped on imports are disproportionately hurting women. [...]
Roy starts with the premise that there’s an unintentional but real gender bias in the way U.S. tariff rates are applied on imported products. Those extra costs are passed to consumers. She cites some interesting examples of the so-called pink taxes:
About 75% of the tariff burden that falls on U.S. households were from apparel in 2015, and women shouldered 65% of that load.
On average, men’s apparel is taxed at about 12%, women’s clothing at 15%, according to Roy.
Consider imports of seemingly gender-neutral overalls. The U.S. imposes a 14% tariff on women’s and a 9% duty on men’s.
A pair of women’s hiking boots get a 10% tariff, while the rate for virtually the same pair for men is 8.5%.
In some cases, discrimination goes the other way, Roy says. Men’s swimwear is hit with a 28% border tax compared with a 12% levy on bathing suits for women.
Programming note... I will be offline tomorrow. I have an appointment, I'm meeting my father for an early dinner, and on top of that I'm just plain exhausted. Have a good weekend.