Good afternoon,

Over the weekend, former President Donald Trump stopped by a closed McDonald's in Bucks County, Pennsylvania where he made French fries and handed them out to pre-screened supporters in "a stunt to troll Vice President Kamala Harris." We're not lovin' it. Harris has talked publicly about her time working at McDonald's during college and has advocated for livable wages and safe working conditions. The most ridiculous thing about Trump's whole stunt is he has consistently opposed raising the minimum wage and yet here he is exploiting a largely minimum wage job to boost his own political agenda. When asked point blank if he would raise the minimum wage, Trump completely dodged the question. Nice try Donald McTrump! Since the former president's visit, McDonald's Corp. has made it clear they agreed to host Trump at their facility but are in no way endorsing him as a presidential candidate.

Here are a few important updates impacting rural America ...

AG-GRAVATING FIGHTS IN CRITICAL HOUSE RACES

• As November 5th quickly approaches, fights over farm policy are increasing in a few close congressional races, including in Iowa and Colorado. In Iowa's 3rd district, incumbent Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), a freshman member of the House Agriculture Committee, is up against former USDA official Lanon Baccam – a Democrat with significant support from other Democratic ag officials. Similarly, in Colorado's 8th district, House Agriculture Democrat Rep. Yadira Caraveo is running against Republican Gabe Evans, a former police officer. Caraveo has been successful in getting her bills in the farm bill package and is a staunch supporter of nutrition and climate programs.

• Pure and simple, Congress needs to deliver a new five-year Farm Bill to rural America. In order to do this, our country needs members of Congress with the right priorities. The extreme rightwing insistence on destroying nutrition and climate programs is harming family farmers and smaller producers. We are watching these congressional races closely as a lot is at stake for rural America in this year's election. Here's to hoping for less ag-gravating circumstances post-election. Check out our Agriculture and Energy Rural Playbook for an in depth outline of policies that recognize the contributions from rural workers and producers and move us forward through modernizing industry.

INCREASED INFANT MORTALITY AFTER ABORTION BANS

• As I'm sure you remember, the Supreme Court overturned the Dobbs v. Jackson decision in 2022, eliminating the constitutional right to an abortion after nearly 50 years. New research has found the infant mortality rate was higher than expected in the U.S. after the Supreme Court Dobbs decision. Dr. Parvati Singh, an assistant professor of epidemiology at The Ohio State University College of Public Health and Dr. Maria Gallo, a professor of epidemiology and associate dean of research with The Ohio State University College of Public Health recently published a paper in JAMA Pediatrics where they compared infant mortality rates for the 18 months after the Dobbs decision against historical trends. Through their research, "they found infant mortality was higher than usual (7% higher) in the US in several months after the Dobbs decision and never dropped to rates that were lower than expected."

• There's no doubt the decision has had a very negative impact on our country and access to critical care for babies and their mothers. Reproductive rights are on the ballot this year and we have the opportunity to seize the moment. While Trump has claimed he would veto any federal abortion ban, it's hard to trust someone who has been "consistently inconsistent" on this very issue.

• This week, Vice President Kamala Harris is campaigning in three battleground Rust Belt states: Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

• Early in-person voting has started in several states. Stay up to date here.

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