February 28, 2017

Leaked Audio: Does Trump Want to Pressure Foreign Powers With Food Inspection?

The president finally appears to reveal his food safety plans.

<a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/license/536831803" target="_blank">AlexRaths</a>/iStock

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President Donald J. Trump’s attitude toward food safety has so far been somewhat mysterious. Last year, during his campaign, he announced plans to rein in the “FDA food police”—but then the statement disappeared from the campaign website.

The plot thickens: Today, Gizmodo published “what appears to be a leaked phone conversation between Trump and Wilbur Ross, his nominee for Commerce Secretary.” In the recording, which metadata suggests was recorded at Ross’ office on December 13, 2016, Trump pitches the idea of using the threat of increased food inspection as a tool to pressure foreign powers on trade deals:

TRUMP: If you look at Japan, what they do with food—they say it’s not clean enough, and you have to send it back, and by the time it comes back it’s all gone.

ROSS: Exactly. And we oughta let them know we’re gonna start playing the same game.

TRUMP: Well I think you let them know that we’re going to do that. Without saying that, you say, “We’re gonna inspect you so closely,” bomp bomp.

ROSS: Yeah. That’s the thing—not to say that it’s punitive, but in the interest of American safety.

Gizmodo has more here.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

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