RFK Jr. plans to phase out some artificial food dyes

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday announced that he will direct food manufacturers to phase out eight petroleum-based food dyes found in hundreds of thousands of foods nationwide.

The plan will specifically target dyes used in cereals, sports drinks, and a variety of other foods. HHS hasn't outlined a regulatory path to enforce the changes but intends to have them made by the end of 2026.

"The totality of scientific evidence indicates that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives, but some evidence suggests that certain children may be sensitive to them," FDA said, adding it will "continue to evaluate emerging science to ensure the safety of color additives approved for use.

Kennedy has long pushed for removing certain chemicals from the food supply and specifically mentioned food dyes not long after he was selected to head HHS, noting that in Canada, Froot Loops get their colors from blueberries and carrots rather than Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, and Blue No. 1 as they do in the American version.

FDA Commissioner Martin Makary said in an interview that the time has come to change the thinking on what constitutes risk in the food supply and what scientific evidence is required to regulate food ingredients.

"My feeling is, why gamble with the health of our children?" Makary said. "We have some data points. We have some observational studies. We believe that these artificial food chemicals are implicated. My feeling is, Why not err on the side of safety? Why say, 'Let's just take the risk because the vibrance of the colors is so appealing, it's worth it.'"

(Severson, New York Times, 4/21; Weixel, The Hill, 4/21)

White House considering ways to increase birthrate

The Trump administration has considered several ideas in recent weeks aimed at persuading Americans to get married and have more children, according to the New York Times.

One proposal that was shared with White House aides would reserve 30% of scholarships for the Fulbright program, which is a government-backed international fellowship, for applicants who are married or have children.

Another proposal would give a $5,000 cash "baby bonus" to every American mother after delivery, while another calls on the government to fund programs that educate women on their menstrual cycles, in part so they can better understand when they're ovulating and able to conceive.

According to four people who spoke to the Times, policy experts and advocates of increasing the birthrate have been meeting with White House aides and sometimes providing written proposals on ways to help or incentivize women to have more babies.

In a statement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Donald Trump "is proudly implementing policies to uplift American families."

"The President wants America to be a country where all children can safely grow up and achieve the American dream," Leavitt added. "As a mother myself, I am proud to work for a president who is taking significant action to leave a better country for the next generation."

For his part, President Trump has called for a "baby boom" and last month pledged to be "the fertilization president."

Some leaders within the administration have already started enacting policies to promote larger families, including Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who pledged in a memo earlier this year to prioritize transportation funding in areas with higher-than-average birth and marriage rates.

(Kitchener, New York Times, 4/21)

Harvard University sues the Trump administration over funding freeze

Harvard University on Monday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its threats to slash billions of dollars from the school's research funding.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration sent Harvard a list of demands that included auditing professors for plagiarism, reporting to the government any international students accused of misconduct, and appointing an outside overseer to ensure academic departments were "viewpoint diverse."

The Trump administration has claimed that Harvard and other schools have allowed antisemitic language and harassment to run unchecked on their campuses.

In a letter, Harvard notified the administration that it would refuse to comply with demands it argued were unlawful, which prompted the Trump administration to impose a funding freeze which resulted in immediate stop-work orders, affecting federally funded research projects at the school studying tuberculosis, ALS, and radiation poisoning.

Harvard President Alan Garber in a statement accused the federal government of trying to wield "unprecedented and improper control" adding that the consequences of the government's actions would be "severe and long lasting."

In the lawsuit, Harvard accused the government of unleashing a broad attack as "leverage to gain control of academic decision-making" at the university and references other universities that have faced abrupt funding cuts.

In addition, the lawsuit accuses the Trump administration of violating the First Amendment by trying to restrict what Harvard's faculty can teach students and argues that the government "cannot identify any rational connection between antisemitism concerns and the medical, science, technological and other research it has frozen that aims to save American lives."

Federal prosecutor sends letters to medical journals alleging bias

Edward Martin Jr., a Republican activist and interim U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., sent letters to at least three medical journals accusing them of political bias and suggesting they mislead readers, suppress opposing viewpoints, and are inappropriately influenced by their funders.

One letter was sent to the journal Chest, which is published by the American College of Chest Physicians. In the letter, Martin wrote, "It has been brought to my attention that more and more journals and publications like CHEST Journal are conceding that they are partisans in various scientific debates."

Martin demanded that Chest's publishers answer a series of questions by May 2, including whether they accept submissions from "competing viewpoints," what the journal does if authors they published "may have misled their readers," and whether they're transparent about influence from "supporters, funders, advertisers, and others."

Martins specifically singled out NIH, which funds some of the research the journals publish, asking what NIH's role is "in the development of submitted articles."

The New York Times confirmed that at least two other publishers received nearly identically worded letters.

Adam Gaffney, a pulmonologist and researcher whose articles have been published in Chest, said Martin's inquiry amounts to "blatant political intimidation of our medical journals."

Kent Anderson, a consultant for scientific publishers, said Martin's inquiry could have a significant effect among publishers.

"This is a fishing expedition from a U.S. attorney, and that makes people nervous," Anderson said. "It may make them think twice about an editorial about treating women who have a spontaneous abortion or about transgender teens dealing with a health issue, because it may make them think that somebody is going to knock on the door."

(Rosenbluth/Robbins, New York Times, 4/18)