Letters to the Editor: The government should stop making ‘false promises' for hopes of legal immigration
While I am at it, the Department of Homeland Security's offer of $1,000 to 'self-deport,' with a chance to return legally to live the American dream later, is more than likely a false promise. In light of the administration's recent actions, I think we can dispel the notion that legal immigration to the U.S. involves filling out an application, proving that you are a good person, then waiting in line. Unless an individual qualifies under one of the categories for immigrant visas, mostly related to family or profession, there is little chance of immigrating legally without being harassed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The U.S. government should stop making false promises and raising hopes. There is no hope, just more lies and more cruelty.
Laurie Jacobs, San Clemente
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To the editor: Please tell me that Diaz will be suing the federal government for what it has done and is doing to him. I feel as if I'm living in a dystopian state.
When I see the DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's commercial on television attempting to sell the public on the lie that it is the worst of the worst that are being rounded up by ICE agents, the rhetoric reminds me of the North Korean 'news' broadcasters touting the actions of their 'dear leader.'
Ronald Webster, Long Beach
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To the editor: It was with great sadness and alarm that I read the July 22 stories of the detentions of Diaz and Narciso Barranco ('3 U.S. Marine brothers faced toughest mission: Getting their dad freed from ICE custody,' July 22). The brutality and inhumane treatment these men experienced at the hands of ICE should worry every citizen. Immigrants, legal or illegal, are human beings and deserve to be treated with respect and knowledge that they have legal rights.
Carol Karas, Camarillo
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USA Today
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The Hill
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The Hill
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Coke with cane sugar may not be that big of a MAHA victory
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Health officials and GOP lawmakers have taken to conservative media in recent weeks to tout the commitments from food and beverage companies to remove synthetic dyes. According to the HHS, nearly 35 percent of the industry has made such a commitment. But there's been no force behind the companies' actions, which experts said is an issue. 'Simply switching from synthetic to natural colors will not make these products less likely to cause obesity,' said Jerold Mande, a former senior official during three administrations at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Agriculture and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, said Kennedy could make a major statement by banning all colors and dyes. It wouldn't directly make Americans healthy, but it would go a long way toward making ultra-processed food look less appealing. 'All this voluntary stuff only goes so far. It really does minimal impact,' Popkin said. 'Unless he goes to the FDA and has the FDA change a regulation … there's nothing.' Kennedy has also singled out the use of high-fructose corn syrup as a major contributor to diabetes and obesity. He has previously called it 'poison,' an epithet he repeated in late April when talking about sugar. When Steak 'n Shake said earlier this month it was going to sell Coca-Cola with real cane sugar, Kennedy praised the move. 'MAHA is winning,' Kennedy posted on X. But experts said there's no substantial difference in the benefits of using cane sugar as a substitute for high-fructose corn syrup. 'At the end of the day, a Coke is still a can of Coke. It's not a fruit or a vegetable, right? And so if you're not shifting consumption away from these higher calorie, lower nutrient processed foods, toward nutrient dense, health promoting foods, then you're not actually going to be shifting the health of Americans in the right direction,' Fielding-Singh said. But if Kennedy thinks sugar is poison, 'they're both sugar and would both be poison, in his words,' said Mande, who is now CEO of Nourish Science. Health officials argue industry cooperation is key to the MAHA agenda. 'Working with industry is the best place to start. And we believe in industry to do the right thing when called upon,' Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz wrote in a joint op-ed in The Wall Street Journal. 'Our agencies are in a strong position to show Americans which companies are doing the right thing when it comes to popular reforms. By the time we're done, we will have built new relationships and be better positioned to hold them accountable,' Makary and Oz wrote. Yet there is plenty the agency can, and should do, that industry has pushed back against. Aviva Musicus, science director of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, said MAHA is wasting its political capital. 'It's striking that we haven't seen the administration use policy to improve the food system. It's solely relying on voluntary industry commitments that we've seen repeatedly fail in the past,' Musicus said. 'In pushing the food industry to change, Trump and RFK Jr. have a chance to live up to their promises to fight chronic disease. Coca-Cola is at the table, but they're wasting the opportunity to actually improve health. The administration should focus on less sugar, not different sugar,' Musicus added. Popkin said he would like to see warning labels on ultra-processed foods high in sodium, added sugar and saturated fat. Kennedy 'hasn't tackled ultra-processed food yet. That'll be where he could make an impact on health in the U.S. and all the non-communicable diseases, including obesity. But he hasn't gone there yet,' Popkin said. The coming months will reveal more on the MAHA movement's plans to change how Americans eat. New dietary guidelines will be released 'in the next several months,' Kennedy said recently. In addition, a second MAHA report focused on policy recommendations is expected in August. 'We have to be considering that there could be real potential down the road,' Popkin said. 'But [there's been] nothing yet. That document will tell us if there ever be.'
