Confused by Bobby Jr.'s new dietary guidelines?

Focus on these simple, evidence-based shifts to lower your chronic disease risk

Michael I Goran, University of Southern California

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans aim to translate the most up-to-date nutrition science into practical advice for the public as well as to guide federal policy for programs such as school lunches.

But the newest version of the guidelines, released on Jan. 7, 2026, seems to be spurring more confusion than clarity about what people should be eating.

I’ve been studying nutrition and chronic disease for over 35 years, and in 2020 I wrote “Sugarproof,” a book about reducing consumption of added sugars to improve health. I served as a scientific adviser for the new guidelines.

I chose to participate in this process, despite its accelerated and sometimes controversial nature, for two reasons. First, I wanted to help ensure the review was conducted with scientific rigor. And second, federal health officials prioritized examining areas where the evidence has become especially strong – particularly food processing, added sugars and sugary beverages, which closely aligns with my research.

My role, along with colleagues, was to review and synthesize that evidence and help clarify where the science is strongest and most consistent.

The latest dietary guidelines, published on Jan. 7, 2026, have received mixed reviews from nutrition experts.

Trump is ordering the military to buy coal - for his new battleships?

Next, he'll have Bobby Jr. make it part of the new food plan

By Phil McKenna

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.

Donald Trump plans to announce an executive order on Wednesday directing the U.S. Department of Defense to buy electricity from coal-fired power plants.

The order, first reported by The Wall Street Journal and confirmed by a White House official, comes as the administration plans to repeal the endangerment finding, a landmark climate ruling that determined greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health.

“President Trump will be taking the most significant deregulatory actions in history to further unleash American energy dominance and drive down costs,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a written statement.

Environmental and security advocates blasted the order.

“It’s expensive, it’s outdated, and it just puts us at risk,” said Erin Sikorsky,
director of the Center for Climate & Security at The Council on Strategic Risks. “Coal is just going backwards, not forwards, for the Department of Defense.”

The anticipated order would direct the Defense Department to enter into agreements with coal plants to purchase electricity.

Lauren Herzer Risi, director of the Environmental Security Program at the Stimson Center, a Washington, D.C. think tank that analyzes issues related to global peace, noted that the order runs counter to the agency’s recommendations, which favor on-site microgrids with distributed energy solutions rather than centralized external power production.

Research by the National Laboratory of the Rockies, formerly the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, found that solar power combined with battery storage can enhance energy security at military bases, at “little to no added cost,” in the event of power outages.

Rhode Island Republicans applaud McGee's renewal energy roll-back; others DO NOT

Environmental groups and labor respond to Governor McKee's push against renewable energy and energy efficiency

Steve Ahlquist

Environmental advocates, state legislators, and labor union leaders spoke out at a State House press conference to oppose Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee’s budget proposals and executive order on clean energy. The event was sponsored by Acadia Center, Climate Action Rhode Island, and the Green Energy Consumers Alliance.

“Slowing the transition to clean local renewables is a shortsighted plan that doesn’t address the long-term energy affordability and undermines Rhode Island’s economic competitiveness and clean energy future,” said Emily Howe of Clean Water Action. “The investments we make today in energy efficiency make homes more comfortable, use less energy, and reduce energy demand, resulting in lower costs for all rate payers.”

Acadia Center’s Emily Koo put it bluntly: “Cutting clean energy doesn’t protect Rhode Island rate payers. It protects an outdated energy system and keeps us dependent on dirty, expensive fossil fuels. These so-called state mandates, like our renewable energy standard and the charges that support renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, help reduce the largest and fastest-growing component of your bill: supply and delivery costs. It’s a glaring omission to report clean energy costs while ignoring all cost savings, one of the primary reasons for undertaking the energy transition in the first place. Clean energy isn’t at odds with affordability. It’s essential to it.”

The Governor’s bad policy decisions around renewable energy and energy efficiency programs did please at least one group in Rhode Island: Senate Republicans.

“Senate Republicans warned these mandates were unaffordable, we debated the adverse effects on ratepayers on the Senate floor, we have submitted legislation to increase transparency on utility bills, and to fully repeal costly mandates,” said Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz. “It is good to know the Governor supports our advocacy and, at long last, realizes the detrimental effect of the policies he has historically championed. Now is the time to put partisanship aside and correct the failed policies that have given rise to some of the highest electricity rates in the country.”

“Rhode Island’s mandates on renewable energy rely heavily on taxpayer-funded subsidies. Those costs are borne by ratepayers across all socio-economic backgrounds and present significant financial challenges for businesses and the economy,” said Senate Minority Whip Gordon Rogers. “If the governor’s efforts to solve problems he helped create do not include a full repeal of mandates and a significant reduction in taxpayer subsidies, then he is gaslighting the people of Rhode Island – it’s just too bad that gaslighting can’t be used to heat and power our homes.”

Valentine greetings from the Trump regime

February 26: support our outstanding state Senator

 
From Senator Gu:

Ever since a Republican group announced their intention to target Rhode Island Democrats, including myself, over gun safety laws and other policies that we passed, it’s made one thing clear: we won’t be intimidated.

Reaching voters directly—through newsletters, mail, canvassing, and community events—ensures that people have the information they need to make informed choices, rather than having their voices drowned out by outside PAC money. Thank you to everyone who has already stepped up. If you’ve donated recently and plan to join us, please don’t feel any pressure to give again—your support in all its forms means a great deal.

Here’s the date/time/location:

February 26, 2026 6-8pm

Asia Grille (Private Dining Room): 140 Hillside Rd, Cranston, RI

You can get your ticket online: victoria4ri.com/feb26

Or checks can be made out to:

Friends of Victoria Gu

PO Box 116, Charlestown, RI, 02813

P.S. By tradition, Senators hold fundraisers up north during the January–June legislative session so colleagues from across the state can attend. We’ll also be hosting a fundraiser in the Westerly/Charlestown area in the late spring or early summer, and I look forward to gathering closer to home.

Resist

Whooping cough vaccination for pregnant women strengthens babies' immune systems

Again, vaccines save kids lives

by Radboud University

edited by Stephanie Baum, reviewed by Robert Egan

 International research led by Radboud University Medical Center shows that vaccinating women during pregnancy leads to the transfer of antibodies to their newborns. Antibodies from the mother are transferred to the baby through the placenta. The study showed that after vaccination, these antibodies were detected not only in blood, but also in nasal mucosa, the site where whooping cough bacteria enter the body.

The research appears in The Lancet Microbe.

"The fact that these antibodies reach the nasal mucosa has not been demonstrated before and highlights how effective this vaccination is," say the researchers.

Since 2019, pregnant women in the Netherlands have been offered a vaccination against whooping cough (pertussis) for their unborn child, known as the 22-week shot.

"We give this vaccine to protect babies from whooping cough right after birth. In the first weeks of life, babies are extremely vulnerable and too young to be vaccinated themselves. That's why we vaccinate the mother during pregnancy," explains immunologist Dimitri Diavatopoulos of Radboudumc.

Rhode Island nurses cancel vigil to honor Alex Pretti after threats of violence

"We believe the threats are credible and pose too great a risk to proceed”

By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current

A Pawtucket vigil planned Thursday night by Rhode Island nurses to honor the Minneapolis nurse shot and killed by federal agents last month was canceled three hours before it was supposed to start after organizers received threatening comments on social media.

A joint statement from the Rhode Island Nurses Association and SEIU 1199 New England issued at 3 p.m. claimed a Middletown resident allegedly posted threats raising the possibility of weapons being present at the vigil planned for 6 p.m.

“Our mission is to protect and advocate for nurses across the state, and with guidance from the Pawtucket and Middletown Police Departments, we believe the threats are credible and pose too great a risk to proceed,” the Rhode Island Nurses Association and SEIU 1199 New England said in a joint statement.

Chris Hunter, a spokesperson for the city of Pawtucket, confirmed the online threats. He said police in Middletown conducted a wellness check and found the man had weapons at his residence.

Tens of thousands of women are missing besides Savannah Guthrie’s mom – the Justice Dept. used to care

Shining a light on the crisis of missing or murdered black women and girls in the US

By Linda A. Seabrook, US Department of Justice, published November 22, 2024 two months before Ms. Seabrook left DOJ

NOTICE from the Trump Administration: This is an archive page that is no longer being updated. It may contain outdated information and links may no longer function as originally intended.

Screenshot from the New York Post

The United States faces a deeply troubling crisis that has not received the attention it deserves—the alarming number of missing or murdered Black women and girls. Despite the devastating impacts on families and communities throughout the country, the epidemic of missing or murdered Black women and girls has largely remained a silent one. It is time to confront this issue with the urgency and coordinated response it warrants.

On November 12, 2024, the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs held a national convening in Washington, D.C., focused on addressing the crisis of missing or murdered Black women and girls. The event brought together family members, survivors, law enforcement, advocates, journalists, and state leaders, along with federal agency colleagues, to raise awareness of the issue, inform potential future programming and resources, learn from state efforts, and encourage a more robust response to missing and murdered Black women and girls.

The Scale of the Crisis

Black women and girls are disproportionately affected by violence, trafficking, and systemic neglect, leading to high rates of their disappearance, and placing them at greater risk for homicide. Although they make up a significant portion of missing person cases in the U.S., their stories often go underreported and unnoticed by national media and law enforcement.

According to the National Crime Information Center, in 2022, of the 271,493 girls and women reported missing, 97,924, or over 36 percent, were Black, despite the fact that Black women and girls comprised only 14 percent of the U.S. female population at the time.

In addition, according to a recent study published in the peer-reviewed general medical journal The Lancet, Black women are six times more likely to be murdered than their white peers. These stark and tragic statistics reveal and underscore systemic issues of bias, neglect, and a lack of resources that hinder effective responses to this crisis.

Trump blames Canada

Trump tears up relationship with America's best friend

Paul Waldman

The 1999 film “South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut” contains a rousing musical number called “Blame Canada,” in which parents of unruly children resolve to blame Canada for all their child-rearing problems.

The humor in the song derived from the fact that blaming Canada for anything seemed so absurd. They’re our kindly northern neighbor, a more polite version of ourselves! They gave us Michael J. Fox, and the Ryans Gosling and Reynolds, Bret “Hitman” Hart, and Shania Twain and Celine Dion! How could we ever be mad at them?

Today, our president is blaming Canada, in an escalating conflict driven by his most petty and vindictive impulses, doing nothing but harm to the citizenry of both countries. It’s not a complete breakup with our closest ally, but it’s drawing awfully close. And it isn’t hard to imagine it getting progressively worse as we slog through the next three years.

On January 20 in Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney gave a remarkable speech in which he all but declared the end of the post-war order that the United States and its allies created.

“We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition,” he said. “Canadians know that our old, comfortable assumptions that our geography and alliance memberships automatically conferred prosperity and security, that assumption is no longer valid.”

The “middle powers,” he went on, have no choice but to band together for their mutual interest, free of the delusion that they can rely on the great powers — or, more specifically, one great power. And rather than just lamenting what Donald Trump is destroying, he argued that it was always something of a lie.

“Stop invoking rules-based international order as though it still functions as advertised,” he said. “Call it what it is: a system of intensifying great power rivalry where the most powerful pursue their interests using economic integration as coercion.”

Not surprisingly, Trump didn’t take it well. The day after Carney’s speech, he said, “I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn’t so grateful — they should be grateful to the US, Canada. Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”

Looking for love

Congratulations and well deserved

From the world's greatest business mind

Why the government is trying to make coal cute

Coal mining is bad for the environment and for its neighbors

"This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist's weekly newsletter here."

Can a lump of coal ever be … cute?

It’s a question no one was thinking about until January 22, when Interior Secretary Doug Burgum posted a cartoon of himself on X kneeling next to “Coalie” — a combustible lump with giant eyes, an open-mouthed grin, and yellow boots, almost like a carbon-heavy Japanese video game character.

It might seem like a strange mascot to promote what Burgum calls the “American Energy Dominance Agenda.”

“Especially for this administration, I would have expected a little bit more macho twist to it,” said Joshua Paul Dale, a professor of literature and culture at Chuo University in Tokyo, and the author of Irresistible: How Cuteness Wired Our Brains and Conquered the World. 

In Japan, Dale said, seemingly everything gets a cute character attached to it — not just in TV shows and games, but also as part of government public relations efforts. This ultra-adorable aesthetic, associated with rounded shapes and huge eyes, is so common it has a name: kawaii. Even the Tokyo police department has an orange, mouselike mascot, with a disarming cuddliness that serves to make law enforcement feel softer and less threatening.  

Coalie appears to do something similar, countering Burgum’s “mine, baby, mine” message with a kawaii-style innocence. “You know, it makes us feel more familiar,” Dale said. “It makes us want to get closer.” Those warm, fuzzy feelings come from how our brains are wired to respond to babylike characteristics. Give a character a round body, big eyes, and chubby arms and legs, and you can even make a lump of coal look huggable. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: I take this story very personally. For nearly 10 years, I was staff director for the Citizens Coal Council, a federation of citizens' groups spread across the US from the Navajo Nation to Pennsylvania, from Alabama to Montana. These groups were fighting to prevent damage to drinking water, streams, farmland and homes from mining practices such as blasting, subsidence, mountaintop removal and strip mining. With help from whistleblower mine inspectors, we changed legislation and exposed corruption. Our main target was the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) featured in this Grist article. There was no "Coalie" on my watch.  - Will Collette

Statins may help almost everyone with type 2 diabetes live longer

Benefits outweigh risks

American College of Physicians

A large long-term study has found that statins, a widely used class of cholesterol-lowering medications, significantly reduce the risk of death and serious heart-related problems in adults with type 2 diabetes. 

Importantly, these benefits were seen even in people who were considered to have a low chance of developing heart disease within the next 10 years. 

This challenges a long-standing debate over whether preventive statin treatment is worthwhile for patients who appear to be at lower cardiovascular risk.

Statins are commonly prescribed to lower LDL cholesterol, what many people know as bad cholesterol. High LDL levels are linked to clogged arteries, heart attacks, and strokes. People with type 2 diabetes already face a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, but doctors have not always agreed on whether statins are necessary for those whose short-term heart risk appears minimal. The new findings suggest that statins may offer protective effects for a much wider group of diabetes patients than previously believed. The study was published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

The research team, led by scientists from the University of Hong Kong, examined health records from the IQVIA Medical Research Data (IMRD)-UK database. Their goal was to assess both the effectiveness and safety of starting statin therapy for primary prevention. Primary prevention refers to preventing a first heart attack or stroke before any such event has occurred.

The study focused on adults in the United Kingdom with type 2 diabetes between the ages of 25 and 84. Participants were followed for as long as 10 years. At the start of the study, none of the individuals had serious heart disease or significant liver problems, allowing researchers to more clearly assess the effects of statins without interference from existing severe conditions.