Vox Sentences: Old MacDonald had a trade war

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Trump butters up the agricultural industry with billions in emergency aid; Greece has been ravaged by the country’s “worst fire disaster” in a decade.

Trump throws some cheddar to farmers hurt by his tariffs

Derek R. Henkle/AFP/Getty Images

• The US Department of Agriculture announced on Tuesday that the Trump administration will provide $12 billion in emergency relief to struggling farmers hurt by Trump’s ongoing trade wars. The aid will come in the form of three programs that bolster distribution, purchases, and trade for the farming industry. [Washington Post / Damian Paletta and Caitlin Dewey]
• The administration will financially assist farmers, purchase surplus agricultural products, and promote trade in the agricultural industry. The money is coming from a bill and a Depression-era program that does not require Trump to seek out congressional approval. [Vox / Tara Golshan]
• Trump has targeted China, the European Union, and other major economies through the implementation of harsh tariffs. Those countries retaliated by targeting the US agricultural industry and, in particular, American soybeans, dairy, meat, produce, and liquor. [Reuters / Susan Heavey and David Shepardson]
• Though the tariffs are incredibly polarizing, they have objectively hurt the agricultural industry. Prices for soybeans, one of the nation’s biggest exports, have hit a 10-year low since the trade war began. [CNN Money / Jordan Valinsky]
• The trade war could also negate any positive effects from the 2017 Republican tax cuts and “diminish the US position as the center of the global economy and financial system.” Nevertheless, Trump still thinks “Tariffs are the greatest!” [Vox / Emily Stewart]
• The months-old relief plan is an attempt to appease rural voters, who are Trump’s key constituents, ahead of the midterm elections. [Politico / Catherine Boudreau, Adam Behsudi, Helena Bottemiller Evich, and Megan Cassella]
• The agricultural industry is still criticizing the administration for Trump’s tariffs. They see the plan as a Band-Aid fix and believe that “the best relief to the president’s trade war would be ending the trade war.” [NYT / Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Ana Swanson]

Grecians flee to the sea as wildfires ravage the country

• Greece has been struck by a series of wildfires that has so far killed 74, injured almost 200, and forced hundreds of residents and tourists to flee to surrounding beaches and seas. Officials say it is the country’s worst fire disaster since 2007. [The Guardian / Helena Smith, Sam Jones, and Martin Farrer]
• Greece has deployed 500 firefighters to battle the five different fires across the country. Fires are currently raging in Corinth, Crete, and to the east and west of Athens. [CNN / Chris Liakos]
• Many people were trapped in buildings and cars, or behind walls of flames and smoke preventing access to the water in Mati, a small seaside village near Athens. The Red Cross said 26 adults and children died hugging one another in an open field near the sea. [BBC]
• It’s unclear what started the wildfires. But heat waves across Greece — amid the world’s fourth hottest year on record — could be to blame. [Vox / Umair Irfan]

Miscellaneous

• Archaeologists may have found the remains of Sir George Yeardley, one of America’s first settlers. Yeardley was also one of the American colonies’ first politicians and slaveowners. [Washington Post / Michael E. Ruane]
• Supermodel Karlie Kloss and investor Joshua Kushner are engaged. That’s right, folks — the Trumps just added one of the world’s most sought-after models to their family tree. [People / Colleen Kratofil]
• A new Silicon Valley app called Miles is giving users deals. In exchange, all one has to do is let the app track your every move. Seems like an invasive ploy … but who wouldn’t sacrifice the small semblance of privacy us Americans still have for a good discount, right? [The Verge / Sean O’Kane]
• Two sculptors spent over 400 hours recreating iconic scenes from A Christmas Story using 2,200 pounds of butter as the medium. Butter late than never — Christmas in July is almost over! [The Columbus Dispatch / Abbey Marshall]

Verbatim

“There are all kinds of monsters out there. We’re supposed to be scared of the ones who want us dead, or delight in hurting us, and we are. You learn through trial and error how to avoid them, for the most part. It’s harder to contend with the ones whose main focus is to not seem like a monster.” [Caragh Poh in “The Kinds of Monsters I Used to Date” / The Cut]

Watch this: One of the most surreal days in American politics

The problem is no one’s prepared to do something with the information we already have. [YouTube / A.J. Chavar and Ellen Rolfes]

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