[00:00] Hannah Whitmore: From Neural Newscast, I'm Hannah Whitmore.
[00:04] Hannah Whitmore: And I'm Jonah Klein.
[00:06] Hannah Whitmore: Today, police in Arizona are investigating a new message.
[00:11] Hannah Whitmore: They say it may relate to the search for Nancy Guthrie.
[00:15] Hannah Whitmore: She is Savannah Guthrie's mother.
[00:18] Hannah Whitmore: Authorities say they are checking the message for accuracy.
[00:22] Jonah Klein: Meanwhile, President Trump has signed a proclamation
[00:26] Jonah Klein: to increase low-tariff imports of beef from Argentina.
[00:31] Jonah Klein: Ranchers object.
[00:32] Jonah Klein: Economists say the move likely will not lower prices by much.
[00:37] Hannah Whitmore: Turning now to Arizona, police say they are investigating a new message.
[00:42] Hannah Whitmore: They say it may link to the suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie in Tucson.
[00:47] Hannah Whitmore: Authorities say they are inspecting the information for accuracy.
[00:51] Jonah Klein: The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Department have not said who received it.
[00:56] Jonah Klein: They also have not described what it contained.
[00:59] Jonah Klein: A presenter at a local CBS affiliate tells the BBC her station received the message.
[01:06] Hannah Whitmore: The Guthrie family has asked for proof that Nancy is still alive.
[01:10] Hannah Whitmore: Cameron Guthrie says the family has not had any direct contact with kidnappers.
[01:15] Jonah Klein: Investigators are also reviewing notes they describe as possible ransom messages.
[01:21] Jonah Klein: One note included a payment deadline of 17 on Thursday.
[01:25] Jonah Klein: It also listed a second deadline for Monday.
[01:29] Hannah Whitmore: Officials have not shared details about any threats tied to those deadlines.
[01:33] Hannah Whitmore: The sheriff says investigators assume Nancy is still alive.
[01:37] Jonah Klein: He says they want her home.
[01:39] Jonah Klein: Authorities say they arrested someone in connection with a fake ransom note.
[01:44] Jonah Klein: Police are also offering a $50,000 reward.
[01:48] Jonah Klein: They are asking the public to call in tips.
[01:51] Hannah Whitmore: Next, President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation
[01:54] Hannah Whitmore: to raise low-tariff imports of Argentine beef.
[01:58] Hannah Whitmore: The White House says the goal is affordability.
[02:01] Hannah Whitmore: Economists expect limited impact on prices.
[02:05] Jonah Klein: The change increases the tariff rate quota by 80,000 metric tons.
[02:10] Jonah Klein: The proclamation says it applies only to lean beef trimmings.
[02:14] Jonah Klein: Those trimmings are used in hamburger blends.
[02:18] Hannah Whitmore: U.S. beef prices hit record highs last year.
[02:21] Hannah Whitmore: Strong demand and declining cattle supplies helped drive that increase.
[02:26] Hannah Whitmore: Federal data says ranchers cut the herd to the lowest level in 75 years as of January 1.
[02:33] Hannah Whitmore: Officials cite persistent drought.
[02:36] Hannah Whitmore: Republican Senator Deb Fisher of Nebraska criticized the move.
[02:40] Hannah Whitmore: She called for cutting red tape and lowering production costs.
[02:44] Hannah Whitmore: Washington and Buenos Aires also signed a broader trade and investment agreement.
[02:49] Hannah Whitmore: In other news, the U.S. imported about 33,000 metric tons of Argentine beef in 2024.
[02:57] Hannah Whitmore: That is about 2% of total imports, according to government data.
[03:01] Hannah Whitmore: Economists say new shipments may help food company margins.
[03:07] Hannah Whitmore: They say consumers may see little change at the grocery store.
[03:10] Hannah Whitmore: That's our update for now. I'm Hannah Whitmore.
[03:13] Hannah Whitmore: And I'm Jonah Klein.
[03:15] Hannah Whitmore: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed.
[03:18] Hannah Whitmore: View our AI transparency policy at neuralnewscast.com.