Russia's Secret War and the Plot to Kill a German CEO
The home belonged to Armin Papperger, the chief executive officer of Rheinmetall AG, Germany's largest defense company. Papperger, a stocky, white-haired 62-year-old engineer, wasn't home at the time. In fact, he hadn't been there since 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, local residents say. The war had made Papperger a busy man: He was turning a sleeping industrial giant into an international defense juggernaut on track to bring in almost €10 billion ($11.6 billion) in revenue that year. Rheinmetall had already provided Ukraine with armored vehicles, military trucks and ammunition, and Papperger had recently announced plans to set up four weapons production sites inside the country.
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Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Coca-Cola makes sweetener change. Is corn syrup or cane sugar healthier?
Coca-Cola will be adding cane sugar to its ingredients list after all. 'We're going to be bringing a Coke sweetened with US cane sugar into the market this fall, and I think that will be an enduring option for consumers,' Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey said on a second-quarter call with investors and analysts on July 22. The company initially declined to comment on its intentions to use cane sugar after President Donald Trump claimed it would do so in July. 'I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so,' Trump wrote in a July 16 Truth Social post. 'I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them — You'll see. It's just better!' Coke didn't confirm the claim at the time, saying in a statement shared with USA TODAY that it would share details on new offerings soon and appreciated Trump's enthusiasm for its product. Rather than replace high-fructose corn syrup as the sweetener in its flagship line, however, the sugar will be used in a drink that 'complements' and 'expands' its product range, Quincey said in the earnings call and subsequent report. USA TODAY has reached out to Coca-Cola for comment. High-fructose corn syrup is one of the ingredients the Trump administration has pushed companies to remove from food and beverages as part of its 'Make America Healthy Again' initiative. But is cane sugar actually 'healthier' for you? Here's what to know. What is high-fructose corn syrup? High-fructose corn syrup is a viscous, sweet substance made from cornstarch. When broken down into individual molecules, it becomes corn syrup, virtually a 100% glucose product, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Enzymes are then added to make some of the glucose into fructose, another simple sugar that naturally occurs in fruits. The resulting product is higher in fructose compared to the pure glucose in plain corn syrup, hence the 'high' in the name. High-fructose corn syrup is used in a large number of processed and packaged foods. Because it is cheaper to produce and more shelf-stable than regular sugar, it is widely used in the food manufacturing industry, according to the Cleveland Clinic. What is cane sugar? Cane sugar is derived from the natural byproduct of sugarcane − a tall, perennial, tropical grass from which liquid is extracted to create sugar. Corn is in the same plant family as sugarcane, which allows for the extraction of sweetener from both. The way raw sugarcane is processed and refined determines the product it ultimately yields. It can be made into a syrup, juice or crystallized and refined further into products like white sugar, brown sugar, molasses or jaggery, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and WebMD. Cane sugar consists of sucrose, which is one-half glucose and one-half fructose. Is cane sugar better for you than high-fructose corn syrup? Like all types of added sugar, both cane and high-fructose corn syrup can have negative health effects, like weight gain, diabetes and heart disease, if consumed in excess. The FDA says it is 'not aware of any evidence' of a difference in safety between foods containing high-fructose corn syrup and 'foods containing similar amounts of other nutritive sweeteners with approximately equal glucose and fructose content, such as sucrose, honey, or other traditional sweeteners.' Dr. Wesley McWhorter, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told USA TODAY that high intakes of any added sugar can cause health issues, but that our bodies break down some types differently. 'High fructose corn syrup and cane sugar are both forms of added sugar, and both contain glucose and fructose; cane sugar is sucrose, which is 50% fructose, while high fructose corn syrup typically contains about 55%,' he said. 'Your body processes them similarly, but fructose is primarily metabolized in the liver. When consumed in excess, especially from sugary drinks and other concentrated sources, fructose can promote fat accumulation in the liver, a key contributor to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.' He hopes the conversation around Coke's change sparks a larger conversation about reducing the amount of added sugar Americans consume in general, regardless of the type. 'Long-term health isn't about swapping one sweetener for another; it's about making meaningful changes to cut added sugar and improve the overall quality of the foods we eat,' he said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cane sugar vs. high-fructose corn syrup: Which one is healthier?
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Dollar weakens as rate cut odds rise, tariff uncertainties linger
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The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
As Russia deadline nears, Trump starts nuclear saber rattling
Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter{beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security The Big Story As Russia deadline nears, Trump starts nuclear saber rattling President Trump is rattling the U.S.'s formidable nuclear saber amid his growing frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin's refusal to halt the war in Ukraine.© AP Trump last week said he was moving two 'nuclear' submarines closer to Russia in response to threatening rhetoric from a top Kremlin official. On Sunday, he confirmed the vessels were now 'in the region.' It's not clear if Trump is referring to nuclear-armed submarines or nuclear-powered attack submarines, but the confusion adds to the threat, which coincides with the president's Friday deadline for Russia to end the war or face further economic isolation. Experts say it's a risky tactic unlikely to sway Putin, who has stood in the way of the president's campaign promise to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of returning to the White House. 'I don't see a lot of the benefits or the advantages, given that the Russians know very well that we have, for decades, had nuclear-armed submarines that could target what matters to them,' said Erin Dumbacher, the Stanton Nuclear Security Senior Fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations. 'I see more risk than reward to using statements like this.' While experts don't see an imminent threat, they warn against careless and bombastic statements that could lead to risky miscalculation and confrontation. 'Does this mean that all of a sudden we should all be going to the cellar and locking ourselves in? No,' said former Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.), who is the executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, in a call with The Hill. Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy for peace missions, is expected in Moscow later this week to push Putin to agree to a ceasefire. If that fails, Ukraine's supporters are hoping Trump will pull the trigger on 'secondary tariffs' on countries that import oil from Russia, in a bid to choke off the Kremlin's ability to finance its war. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Monday downplayed the movement of the U.S. submarines to its nearby waters, saying it does not want to be dragged into a tit-for-tat escalation. 'In general, of course, we would not want to get involved in such a controversy and would not want to comment on it in any way,' Peskov told reporters, according to Reuters. 'Of course, we believe that everyone should be very, very careful with nuclear rhetoric.' Peskov added that Russia does not currently see the movement as an escalation. 'It is clear that very complex, very sensitive issues are being discussed, which, of course, are perceived very emotionally by many people,' he added. Read the full report at Welcome to The Hill's Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will affect defense and national security now and inthe future: Thousands of Boeing fighter jet, munition machinists go on strikeRoughly 3,200 machinists at Boeing's defense hub in the St. Louis area went on strike Monday, the first time the union has done so in nearly three decades, after it rejected the latest contract offer from the aerospace giant. The machinists, who work in Missouri and Illinois building and maintaining F-15 and F/A-18 fighter jets and munitions, voted Sunday to reject Boeing's offer of a four-year contract that included a 20 percent … Full Story Trump says nuclear submarines 'in the region' of RussiaPresident Trump confirmed Sunday that nuclear submarines 'are in the region' two days after saying the U.S. was positioning two nuclear submarines close to Russia. 'I've already put out a statement, and the answer is, they are in the region, yeah, where they have to be,' Trump told reporters while traveling back to Washington when asked if the submarines had been deployed yet. The president announced Friday he was positioning … Full Story Ukraine to receive first Patriot missile systems under US-NATO dealUkraine is set to receive its first two Patriot air defense systems from Germany 'in the coming days' as part of the deal the U.S. government struck with NATO last month. Germany said Friday it will back Ukraine with two U.S.-made Patriot launchers and fork over additional Patriot system components in the next 'two to three' months, according to Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. As part of the agreement … Full Story In Other News Branch out with a different read from The Hill:Noem: 'Alligator Alcatraz' to serve as model for detention centers nationwide Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' a model for state-run immigrant detention facilities, saying the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is hoping to create other similar sites. 'The locations we're looking at are right by … Full Story On Our Radar Upcoming things we're watching in and around the defense world: Atlantic Council will discuss 'Examining Russia's Assault on Ukraine's Cultural Heritage,' at 3 p.m. What We're Reading News we've flagged from other outlets:VA to ban nearly all abortions at VA facilities, drop coverage for procedure for dependents ( Pentagon awards $7.8 billion in missile contracts for US and allies (Military Times) Opinions in The Hill Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: The BOOTS Act is protectionism masquerading as patriotismReform of command and control systems should be NATO priority TikTok can shape America's next generation and Beijing knows it You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Defense and National Security newsletter Subscribe
