Morning Newscast for June 26, 2026

From the KBIA newsroom in Colombia, I'm Trevor Grandin. Starting next month, the three partners in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement will begin official negotiations. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. would be better off without the agreement, which allows certain agricultural products to cross borders without tariffs. But food and agriculture groups say it provides much-needed market stability for farmers and livestock producers. Missouri has a vested interest in the negotiations, as the sixth largest cattle-producing state in the nation. Joe Shealy, with the U.S. Meat Export Federation,

says operating costs for livestock producers are sky high. They need to get the maximum value from every beef and pork cut, every variety meat item that they can, and Mexico and Canada play a critical role in that. Mexico and Canada are the largest export markets for U.S. agricultural products. Members of Springfield-based Convoy of Hope are on the ground in Venezuela following devastating earthquakes on Wednesday. A rare seismic doublet occurred, a 7.2 magnitude foreshock, followed quickly by a 7.5 magnitude main shock. It left more than 235 dead, 1,500 injured, and many more unaccounted for.

The nonprofit has set up mobile kitchens and is providing food, water, and hot meals. restrictions on what food may be purchased with supplemental nutrition assistance program dollars have been blocked by a federal judge. Harvest Public Media's Anna Pope reports the judge ruled the USDA exceeded its authority. Under the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture encouraged states to seek waivers banning certain junk food purchases from SNAP. But U.S. District Judge Amy Jackson says the USDA failed to follow the required process for making those changes. Since the Trump administration took office, the USDA has approved SNAP restriction waivers in 23 states. The lawsuit involved Nebraska, Iowa, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Colorado. In her opinion, Jackson says the court's analysis should not be taken as a comment on the intent of the waivers.

The judge says while the defendants may have aimed to improve SNAP recipients' health, they must take lawful steps to do so. I'm Annapope, Harvest Public Media. And Missouri lawmakers are reacting to President Donald. Trump's decision to cancel the signing of a bipartisan housing bill this week. The Columbia Missouri reports Trump is trying to use the housing bill to force the Senate to pass his so-called Save America Act, which would limit mail in voting and require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Kansas City Democratic Representative Emmanuel Cleaver co-sponsored the housing bill and says he was disappointed by Trump's last-minute decision not to sign it.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley says he supports the housing bill. but accepts Trump's decision not to sign it. The Save Act has stalled in the Senate, and the president has 10 days to act on the housing bill. I'm Trevor Grandin. KBIA News, Columbia.