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competition discipline

Fringe rancher group now advising Trump's agriculture team

Illustration accompanying article: Fringe rancher group now advising Trump's agriculture team
  • The Trump administration, led by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, has granted influence to R-Calf, a rancher group once dismissed as fringe, on policies challenging the dominance of the Big Four meatpacking companies.
  • R-Calf advocates for breaking up meatpacking companies, mandatory country-of-origin labeling on beef, loosening regulations on ranchers, and tightening restrictions on beef imports and exports.
  • Shad Sullivan, a fifth-generation Colorado rancher and R-Calf member, appeared alongside Rollins and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to announce the Justice Department's antitrust probe into major meatpackers.
  • Industry officials and agricultural economists express skepticism, noting ranchers are currently making close to $1,000 per animal while packers lose roughly $300 per head.
 3 MIN READ

Shrey Parikh wins Scripps National Spelling Bee with record-breaking spell-off

Illustration accompanying article: Shrey Parikh wins Scripps National Spelling Bee with record-breaking spell-off
  • Shrey Parikh won the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee on May 29, defeating runner-up Ishaan Gupta in a record-breaking tiebreaker spell-off, according to the Associated Press.
  • Parikh displayed visible nerves before each turn but nodded vigorously once he recognized the word, signaling confidence.
  • He told the AP that once he got the word, his nerves vanished because “then it’s all in my control.”
  • The victory followed six years of competitive spelling, including past near-misses, and cemented Parikh’s status as the favorite entering the finals.
  • In the lightning-round format, which requires spellers to correctly spell as many words as possible in 90 seconds, Parikh dominated, racing through his first word and never faltering.
 3 MIN READ
Illustration accompanying article: Spelling bee finalists split on mastery vs. memorization