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Supreme Court clears the way for Republican-friendly Texas voting maps; In Twin Cities, riverfront development rules get on the same page; Boston College Prison Education Program expands to women's facility; NYS bill requires timely state reimbursement to nonprofits; Share Oregon holiday spirit by donating blood.

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Trump escalates rhetoric toward Somali Americans as his administration tightens immigration vetting, while Ohio blocks expanded child labor hours and seniors face a Sunday deadline to review Medicare coverage.

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Native American tribes are left out of a new federal Rural Health Transformation Program, cold temperatures are burdening rural residents with higher energy prices and Missouri archivists says documenting queer history in rural communities is critical amid ongoing attacks on LGBTQ+ rights.

Lawsuit seeks transparency on new dietary guidelines affecting Tennesseans

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Monday, June 2, 2025   

A nonprofit is suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, for not releasing records that could show beef industry influence in the upcoming dietary guidelines.

The Center for Biological Diversity says the dietary guidelines impact public health, and more than $40 billion in government spending.

Lori Ann Burd, environmental health director with the Center, said the Trump administration promised transparency - but missed a Freedom of Information Act deadline to release the findings in the documents.

She said Tennesseans deserve to know who's shaping the nutrition advice behind school meals and food programs.

"They play a huge role in the development of menus in places like schools," said Burd. "They're extremely important in developing what, for example, millions of American children are going to be eating every single day, and so we're looking for any early indication or any information about what they might say."

The USDA says final dietary guidelines could be out as soon as this summer.

But critics warn the Health Secretary may reject expert advice, favoring a report from what he calls his new Make America Healthy Again Commission, which they say downplays risks from foods such as beef, dairy and lard - despite links to heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Burd said the MAHA report highlights major health threats to children, including exposure to harmful pesticides such as Glyphosate and Atrazine.

She noted that more than 300 million pounds of Glyphosate are used annually in the U.S. - and Atrazine is so toxic it's banned in 63 countries.

"Atrazine isn't used to grow broccoli, and spinach, and the kinds of foods that we know we should be increasing in our diets," said Burd. "Atrazine is used to grow feed corn that's used to feed animals in factory farms that are not producing, that are unbelievably unhealthy. It's used for biofuel production, and it's used to make high-fructose corn syrup."

She added that Atrazine contaminates the drinking water of 70 million Americans, and a Biden-era initiative aimed at cleaning up waterways contaminated with unsafe levels of atrazine would have only addressed about 1% of the affected sites.

"The Trump administration has, right now," said Burd, "the opportunity to take concrete steps to protect Americans from this powerful endocrine-disrupting chemical, that is more toxic than glyphosate, actually by an order of magnitude."

Burd added that Atrazine is associated with a wide range of reproductive health issues, including risks to pregnant women, fetuses, young children, and male reproductive systems - making it a chemical of major concern.




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