Grains lower, livestock mixed

December 15, 2025 | 6:45 PM

CHICAGO (AP) _ Grain futures were lower Monday on the Chicago Board of Trade. Mar. corn was down 0.5 cent at $4.40 a bushel. Mar. wheat was down 8.75 cents at $5.21 a bushel. Mar. oats fell by 5.25 cents at $2.81 a bushel. Jan. soybeans was off 2.75 cents at $10.72 a bushel.

Beef was mixed and pork was lower on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Dec. live cattle gained 0.6 cent at $2.31 a pound. Jan. feeder cattle lost 0.25 cent at $3.40 a pound. Feb. hogs was down 0.5 cent at $.84 a pound.

Democratic lawmakers slam Trump ‘vanity projects’ in shadow hearing

July 21, 2026 | 7:14 PM

▶ Watch Video: Installation failures caused Reflecting Pool damage, Washington Post analysis finds Congressional Democrats held a shadow hearing Tuesday to heap scorn on President Trump's construction projects around Washington. Republicans did not participate. Lawmakers hammered the president for bulldozing norms in pursuit of his construction goals and imposing his likeness on buildings, coins and passports. They focused their ire on what one congressman called the president's "vanity projects," like the East Wing renovation and triumphal arch."We are experiencing unprecedented corruption in plain sight," said witness Norm Eisen, a former ethics lawyer for the Obama White House who now represents a man accused of damaging the Reflecting Pool. "The biggest vandal in Washington, D.C., is the president of the United States," Rep. Robert Garcia of California added.The Trump administration has relied on no-bid contracts in order to expedite construction for certain projects like the White House ballroom and the recent renovation of the Reflecting Pool (which has been drained and is now undergoing repairs). One contract went to a water filtration company owned by a political donor and neighbor of Mr. Trump."Government contracts are juicy targets for thieves," said Jon Golinger, a lawyer for left-leaning advocacy group Public Citizen. So far, no court has found that the administration has violated government contracting laws.The hearing, led by Garcia and Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, felt rally-like at times with a supportive gallery applauding statements from witnesses and members of Congress. D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton received a standing ovation at one point."Ordinarily we would have a presiding officer sternly gaveling down the applause, but actually there's something very refreshing, inspiring about your approval," Blumenthal remarked. Republicans hold majorities in both chambers, and without their participation, the hearing was not part of official congressional business. Democratic lawmakers sat at temporary tables on the floor of a Senate hearing room instead of the raised dais typically used for official proceedings.Democratic lawmakers sat at temporary tables on the floor of a Senate hearing room for a shadow hearing on President Trump's construction projects, July 21, 2026. CBS News / Arden Farhi

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