Faulty reasoning signals

• Negativity Bias - 45.6%
• Appeal to Authority - 32.9%
• Primacy Effect - 27.6%

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AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin President Donald Trump’s administration walked back a headline-grabbing U.S. beef export figure on Thursday after the Department of Agriculture acknowledged it had published erroneous data, revising the number down by roughly 90%, according to Reuters. Just one week earlier, the USDA reported that net U.S. beef export sales for the week ending June 25 had soared to 126,062 metric tons — a nearly 500% jump from the previous week and the highest weekly total of 2026. But in a revised report released Thursday, the agency lowered that figure to just 12,064 metric tons. The original report immediately drew skepticism from traders and analysts, Reuters reported, with some questioning whether the unusually large sales were even plausible. The USDA said on Thursday that the figures had been “reported in error,” though it offered no further explanation for what caused the mistake. Among the figures that raised eyebrows were reported sales of 38,434 metric tons of U.S. beef to Chile and 32,274 metric tons to Italy — neither of which is typically a major destination for American beef exports. Thursday’s revision reduced those totals to 367 metric tons for Chile and 350 metric tons for Italy, while export sales to 14 other countries were also revised downward. The correction is likely to intensify scrutiny of the agency’s reporting after staffing losses and other recent data issues. Reuters reported that the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, which oversees export sales reporting, lost roughly 21% of its workforce during the first half of last year. The agency has also faced criticism after significantly underestimating U.S. corn acreage last year and delaying a quarterly agricultural trade report. Before reversing course, though, the USDA had publicly defended the report. According to the outlet, the agency said on July 2 that multiple export sales had been reported late and that it had confirmed the figures with an exporting company, stating, “As part of ⁠the Export ​Sales Reporting team’s data review of weekly submissions, the exporting company was contacted, and the ESR ​team confirmed that the quantities are correct and were reported as MTs.” The post Trump Administration Walks Back Key Export Figure With Stunning 90% Revision first appeared on Mediaite .