Japan, US agree to lift ban on US beef on Tuesday (AFP via Yahoo! News) Japan and the United States are likely to reach an agreement to remove a ban on US beef imports imposed over fears of mad cow disease. [News Source]

Schumer: Track U.S. meat to guard against mad cow disease (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle) Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., is pushing a bill to protect consumers from meat that could be tainted with mad cow disease. [News Source]

Japan, U.S. set to agree on beef import resumption (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Japan is set to agree on the resumption of U.S. beef imports, suspended for five months due to concerns about mad cow disease, when senior officials of the two governments hold talks later on Tuesday, Japanese officials said. [News Source]

LEAD: Japan likely to agree with U.S. to lift beef import ban (Kyodo via Yahoo! Asia News) _ Japan and the United States are expected to agree Tuesday night that Tokyo will lift its reinstated ban on American beef after confirming strengthened U.S. safeguard measures against mad cow disease, Japanese sources said. [News Source]

Some ranchers shy on first day since mad cow announcement (AG Weekly) TULIA, Texas -- West Texas rancher Kevin Crooks lost about $1 million in the year following the country's first case of mad cow 18 months ago. If he'd had cattle big enough to sell at the Tulia Livestock Auction on Monday, he wouldn't have brought a one. [News Source]

Lab workers say bosses threatened them (AP via Yahoo! News) Two workers at a national research center say they were threatened with their jobs after questioning how the facility handled the waste of animals used in mad cow disease research. [News Source]