Why RFK Jr.'s Food Dye ‘Ban' Is Unlikely to Work
Hi, it's Anna in Virginia. When I started to hear rumblings that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would phase out use of artificial food dyes, I thought, 'Wow, he's really going to do it.' But when the big announcement came, that's not what happened. I'll explain, but first ...
Despite what some media outlets (not Bloomberg!) reported about artificial colors being banned from US food, what officials announced on April 22 was far less impactful. They essentially asked the food industry to, pretty please, stop using synthetic colors by the end of 2026.
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CNN
18 minutes ago
- CNN
LA protesters and police in standoff as Trump doubles National Guard deployment
Update: Date: 18 min ago Title: Protesters outside US Embassy in Mexico City call for end to immigration raids across the border Content: Protesters in Mexico City staged a demonstration outside the US Embassy on Monday, calling for an end to sweeping immigration raids across the border. Video captured by Reuters showed people waving Mexican and US flags and burning an effigy resembling US President Donald Trump. 'We cannot remain silent as the Trump administration escalates its war on our communities in the United States,' said activist Alejandro Marinero from Migrant Organization Aztlan. 'Immigration policy is not a party issue, but a class issue. It is the tool of a system that seeks to divide us, exploit us and keep us in the shadows to ensure its profits at the expense of our humanity,' he told Reuters. Update: Date: 42 min ago Title: Thousands rally in San Francisco against ICE raids Content: Thousands of people marched through San Francisco's Civic Center and Mission neighborhoods on Monday night in protests that were 'overwhelmingly peaceful,' police said. Demonstrators rallied against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across the country and expressed solidarity with immigrant communities, CNN affiliate KGO reported. 'At the very end of the night, two small groups broke off and committed vandalism and other criminal acts,' the San Francisco Police Department said. Police said they detained multiple people who refused to comply with orders, made arrests, and are currently addressing one unresolved situation. 'I'm deeply concerned about what's going on in Los Angeles and all around the country. California, we are better because of our diversity, and for people to be torn away from school graduations, torn away from their children, that's not right. We have to come out here and tell people that's not right,' Holly Minch, who marched with a sign that read 'MELT ICE,' told KGO. The police said they coordinated with public safety agencies under the leadership of San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie to 'protect numerous First Amendment actions' in the affected neighborhoods. On Sunday, about 150 people, including some under the age of 18, were arrested near the Immigration Services building. Police said the arrests were made after protesters ignored dispersal orders and engaged in acts of violence and vandalism. Anti-ICE protests have popped up around the country, including in New York, Atlanta, Seattle, Dallas and Louisville. Update: Date: 57 min ago Title: Law enforcement helicopters have been circling above protests, flight tracker shows Content: Helicopters from the LAPD and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department circled the areas of Boyle Heights and Little Tokyo throughout the day on Monday, according to data from Flightradar24. Earlier in the night, several police helicopters and a plane deployed by the California Highway Patrol were flying over the downtown area. By midnight, only two police helicopters remained airborne. Since protests erupted over the weekend, authorities have maintained a consistent presence in the air, with multiple helicopters sighted above protest zones all day yesterday. Update: Date: 1 hr 23 min ago Title: In pictures: Protesters clash with police in Downtown Los Angeles on Monday Content: Update: Date: 1 hr 23 min ago Title: Who is protesting in LA? Content: The protests appear divided into separate groups: progressive citizens who felt called to defend the rights of the undocumented, and protesters who appeared determined to drag the city into violent chaos. A senior law enforcement source told CNN that intelligence analysts have been conducting assessments on the crowds that gathered Sunday night. They found the many of the protesters were motivated by the recent immigration raids and disdain for the federal government's deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles. But some protesters, the intelligence source said, fit law enforcement profiles of so-called 'professional rioters,' who continually seek out confrontation with law enforcement. Defending 'La Raza': Unión del Barrio, an organization whose members are dedicated to defending the rights of 'la raza' — or Mexican and indigenous people — within the US, praised the efforts to fight back against ICE and other agencies. The Los Angeles community has 'the moral authority and universal right to defend our people from kidnappings and family separation,' a spokesman said. Toll on vulnerable communities: After being informed ICE agents were questioning workers at a Pasadena hotel, Pablo Alvarado, the co-executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, began calling for protests to protect vulnerable immigrant communities throughout the city. 'The Pasadena community showed up in large numbers and the message was loud and clear, we don't want to see your armored vehicles, men in masks coming to our communities to pick people up to rip families apart.' But, Alvarado added, he felt the violence that spread throughout the city in response to the raids was tainting their cause. Read the full story. Update: Date: 1 hr 23 min ago Title: Analysis: LA's crisis rests on what Trump does next Content: Donald Trump is talking and acting like an authoritarian as he escalates a constitutional clash with California over his migration crackdown. Much now depends on whether he's simply talking tough or if he's ready to take an already-tense nation across a fateful line in his zeal for strongman rule. On Monday, the president of the United States — the country seen as the world's top steward of democracy for 80 years — endorsed the arrest of the Democratic governor of the nation's most populous state. 'I think it would be a great thing,' Trump said. Trump's decision to deploy troops despite the opposition of California Gov. Gavin Newsom represented the latest example of his willingness to flex extraordinary executive power and marked a break with a first term when he was often talked out of his extreme impulses by establishment officials. For all Trump's multiple previous challenges to the rule of law and democracy, a grave new chapter may be opening. The trajectory of the crisis could now turn on whether Trump follows through on his dictator's theatrics by crossing lines not approached by modern presidents — notably on the use of troops in a law enforcement capacity. It may also rely on the restraint of protesters, who would play into Trump's hands by taking part in more unrest that creates alarming television pictures that can fuel Trump's dystopian rhetoric. Creating or escalating a law-and-order crisis or threat to public security and then using it to justify the use of the military on domestic soil would mirror the methodology of tyrannical leaders throughout history. Read the full analysis. Update: Date: 1 hr 23 min ago Title: Newsom hasn't done anything to warrant arrest, Trump's border czar says Content: White House border czar Tom Homan joined CNN's Kaitlan Collins to discuss comments President Donald Trump made suggesting Homan arrest California Governor Gavin Newsom.
News24
24 minutes ago
- News24
Huawei chips are one generation behind US, but ‘no need to worry', says CEO
Huawei Technologies' chips are one generation behind those of US peers but the firm is finding ways to improve performance through methods such as cluster computing, Chinese state media quoted CEO Ren Zhengfei as saying on Tuesday. The chipmaker invests 180 billion yuan (R444 billion) in research annually and sees promise in compound chips - chips made from multiple elements - Ren said in an interview with the People's Daily newspaper of the governing Communist Party. There is "no need to worry about the chip problem", Ren said, addressing concerns stemming from US export controls. The article, published on the front page of the newspaper, come as top US and Chinese officials are set to resume trade talks for a second day in London where topics such US tech restrictions on China are expected to be discussed. Since 2019, a slew of US export curbs, aimed at curbing China's technological and military advancements, have restricted Huawei and other Chinese firms from accessing high-end chips and the equipment needed to produce them from abroad. Ren's comments are the first ever from him or Huawei about the company's advanced chipmaking efforts, which have become a flashpoint in US-China tensions. Huawei is just one of many Chinese chipmakers, Ren said in the interview, adding: "The United States has exaggerated Huawei's achievements. Huawei is not that great. We have to work hard to reach their evaluation." "Our single chip is still behind the US by a generation. We use mathematics to supplement physics, non-Moore's law to supplement Moore's law and cluster computing to supplement single chips and the results can also achieve practical conditions. Software is not a bottleneck for us," he said. Cluster computing is when multiple computers work together. Moore's law refers to the speed of chip advancement. Huawei's Ascend series of AI chips compete in China with offerings from Nvidia, the global leader in AI chips. The US commerce department last month said the use of Ascend chips would be a violation of export controls. Nvidia's AI chips are more powerful than Huawei's but the company has been barred by Washington from selling its most sophisticated chips to China, causing it to lose significant market share to Huawei. In April, Huawei launched "AI CloudMatrix 384", a system that links 384 Ascend 910C chips in a cluster that companies can use to train AI models, which has been described by analysts as able to outperform Nvidia's GB200 NVL72 system on some metrics. Dylan Patel, founder of semiconductor research group SemiAnalysis, said in an article that month that it meant that Huawei and China now had AI system capabilities that could beat Nvidia. Nvidia and the US commerce department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Ren's remarks. Ren also said about a third of Huawei's annual research spending went to theoretical research while the rest was spent on product research and development. "Without theory, there will be no breakthroughs, and we will not catch up with the United States."
CNN
34 minutes ago
- CNN
A look at the ‘less lethal' weapons authorities used to crack down on Los Angeles protests
Late Sunday, as protesters against federal immigration raids clashed with law enforcement, the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Division sent out a warning: 'Less Lethal munitions have been authorized,' officials wrote on X, ordering crowds in Downtown Los Angeles to disperse. 'Less lethal munitions may cause pain and discomfort.' Over the weekend, police used a standard variety of tools to disperse crowds and quell protests that had devolved into violence: Protesters lit self-driving cars on fire. Two motorcyclists drove into a skirmish line of officers, injuring two. And LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, condemning the 'disgusting' violence, alleged on Sunday evening a Molotov cocktail had been thrown at officers. Authorities responded with force. So far, CNN has documented the deployment of flash-bangs, tear gas, pepper balls, rubber bullets and bean bag rounds, as well as more traditional gear such as batons. These weapons – often described as 'less lethal,' 'less-than-lethal' or 'non-lethal' – are those 'explicitly designed and primarily employed to incapacitate … while minimizing fatalities, permanent injury to personnel, and undesired damage to property, facilities, materiel, and the environment,' according to a Department of Defense directive. Prev Next That does not mean they are harmless: After the 2020 protests in response to the police killing of George Floyd, researchers found many people suffered injuries from less lethal weapons – particularly rubber bullets. Here's a look at the equipment authorities have used: Authorities have used several tools that a 2025 report by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service noted for their ability to incapacitate using blunt force. Foremost among these is the baton, which the CRS report described as the oldest kinetic less lethal weapon. Also called a nightstick, the baton is essentially a club with a handle, often used for crowd control. A CNN field crew witnessed officers pushing and striking protesters with batons Sunday afternoon. Also included are blunt-force projectiles, such as rubber bullets and bean bag rounds – both of which were seen in use this weekend. These weapons are used for long-range crowd control, according to the CRS report, and are meant to cause 'temporary blunt-force trauma to the skin.' Rubber bullets are larger than their lethal counterparts, and some include cores made of metal or wood. Though they are considered 'less-than-lethal,' there are cases where they have been found to disable, disfigure and even kill. Lauren Tomasi, the US correspondent for CNN affiliate Nine News in Australia, was reporting on the scene Sunday when she was struck in the leg by a rubber bullet. The bullet left her sore but she was otherwise unharmed, Tomasi's network said. Bean bag rounds are small, lead pellet-filled pouches, usually fired from a shotgun or a specialized launcher. Each pouch is typically filled with 1.4 oz of lead pellets. Law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles have also turned to chemical irritant devices, which rely on chemical compounds to irritate the sinuses, lungs and skin, causing enough pain to render an individual temporarily unable to function. Tear gas is one such tool, and commonly known. Also referred to as a 'riot control agent,' tear gas can cause excessive tearing, burning or blurred vision and a runny nose or a burning sensation inside the nose, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can also cause difficulty swallowing, chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath and a feeling of choking. Law enforcement agents usually disperse tear gas – which actually comes in a powder form – from grenades or a canister, per the CRS report. Pepper spray is similar but deployed using a hand-held canister for 'close-proximity encounters.' The compressed gas, the CRS report says, propels the chemical irritant at the target, who typically does not need medical attention afterwards. Pepper balls marry the effects of a chemical irritant with the delivery of a blunt-force projectile: Pepper spray balls, according to the CRS report, rupture on impact, releasing a chemical irritant similar to those used for tear gas. CNN footage captured law enforcement using pepper balls, spray and tear gas in an attempt to disperse protesters Sunday outside the Metropolitan Detention Center. CNN has also seen the repeated use of flash-bangs, which rely on a bright flash of light to obscure a target's vision and hearing. Flash-bangs – thrown either by hand or with a launcher – use an 'explosive propellant to emit a bright flash of light … and ear-piercing sound,' the CRS report says. While their principal purpose is to help police make a 'tactical entry' – disorienting barricaded suspects, for example – they are sometimes used for crowd control. CNN's Harmeet Kaur, AJ Willingham and Sarah-Grace Mankarious contributed to this report.
