An Urban's Rural View

Jerome Powell's second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board doesn't look like it will be a lot of fun. Inflation is going strong and financial markets are pricing in an interest-rate increase for next May.

The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that President Joe Biden signed into law will make the economy more competitive for decades to come. It was a bipartisan victory as much as Biden's.

President Donald Trump buried free trade. President Joe Biden has no plans to resurrect it.

Portugal is a small country with diverse agriculture and a successful strategy for dealing with COVID-19.

The DTN Ag Summit is an in-person event this year and it's a particularly good year to consider attending.

AUKUS, the pact between the U.S., the United Kingdom and Australia under which the French lost a big submarine contract, puts new strains on U.S.-EU relations.

An underlying truth about China emerged from the inconclusive report on COVID-19's origins by U.S. intelligence agencies.

The 20th anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon is a time for national reflection.

Thoughts on a proposal to take immigration policy out of Washington's hands and give it to the states.

The founding fathers wanted the making of laws to be a slow and deliberate process. If the U.S. wants to be geopolitically competitive, it might want to speed things up a bit.

If the U.S. tries to lead coalitions against China, will anyone follow?

With the Delta variant dominant, it's increasingly clear that vaccinated people can be infected with COVID-19 -- and communicate it to others. That has implications for the unvaccinated.

Despite back-to-back months of 5% increases in consumer prices, the Federal Reserve isn't hurrying to raise interest rates.

More than a fifth of U.S. ag exports go to one country -- China. Over-reliance on any one country is unwise. Over-reliance on a country that is at times an adversary is especially dicey.

Many of those who've refused vaccination against COVID-19 will never change their minds. But if even a few could be persuaded, it's worth trying.

There's more and more talk of "decoupling" -- relying less on China for some high-tech and other products -- even as U.S. agriculture recouples.

Using genetic engineering, scientists are moving close to being able to eliminate a scourge to mankind. Should they?

There are three messages for carnivores in a tantalizing new commercial for a plant-based product, and maybe a fourth for cattle producers.

The CDC guidance that vaccinated people need no longer wear masks should be a step toward making masks less controversial.

Inflation jumped in April but the Federal Reserve thinks "one-time" increases will prove "transitory." If they don't, the Fed will come under pressure to raise rates despite its desire not to.