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The FDA Presents Its Case for Targeting Talc

The FDA Presents Its Case for Targeting Talc

Your editorial 'The FDA Takes a Trial-Lawyer Turn' (May 21) criticizes the Food and Drug Administration for convening an expert panel to explore whether talc is a potential carcinogen. You cite three studies that don't support that proposition but omit the 2019 review of 30 studies that found a strong association between talc and cancer. Last year the International Agency for Research on Cancer also found that the mineral is 'probably carcinogenic to humans,' citing strong mechanistic evidence. At a recent FDA expert panel, one pathologist reported that talc particles have been observed in cancer cells.
For these reasons, talc has been removed from baby powder, but remarkably children continue to eat it in candy and other foods. Millions of Americans also consume it in medications. Talc is used as a lubricant that allows for easier mass production of pills, food and cosmetics. As one scientist informed our panel, safe, low-cost alternatives exist.
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Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show receives record audience spike thanks to Fox News guest
Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show receives record audience spike thanks to Fox News guest

Yahoo

time8 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show receives record audience spike thanks to Fox News guest

The Tonight Show landed its biggest audience in years as Jimmy Fallon hosted Fox News personality Greg Gutfeld last Thursday. The episode drew in 1.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen live-plus-same day figures. It was the program's most-watched 'regular' broadcast — meaning not airing directly after a major sporting event — since December 19, 2023, when a post-The Voice finale episode attracted 1.74 million viewers. Some of Thursday's viewers may be attributed to the night's lead guest, the Jonas Brothers; however, it's Gutfeld's segment that boasts by far the most viewers on the show's YouTube channel (990,000 at the time of writing). During the highly anticipated interview, Fallon and Gutfeld steered clear of politics, instead bantering about their first drunken meeting at a bar in New York City. 'This is hilarious — we've met before,' Fallon opened with. 'Yes, you have no memory of it. Which is understandable, because we were wasted,' Gutfeld responded before launching into a long-winded anecdote about their meeting. The host of Fox's politically charged comedy panel show, Gutfeld!, alluded to his then-upcoming appearance with Fallon last week, saying it would be the 'biggest crossover since the Harlem Globetrotters visited the Golden Girls.' 'Unlike the other guys, Jimmy sitting with me proves he's not afraid of upsetting his peers or afraid of my mesmerizing charm,' he added. Fallon has shown his willingness to be pragmatic about humoring the right in the past, infamously hosting Donald Trump in September 2016, two months before his victory over Hillary Clinton, and ruffling the New York property tycoon's blonde hair to check whether it was real. The gesture alienated some of The Tonight Show's audience, and Fallon later expressed regret over it, telling The New York Times in 2017: 'I didn't do it to humanize him. I almost did it to minimize him. I didn't think that would be a compliment: 'He did the thing that we all wanted to do.'' Trump himself was angered over Fallon's 'whimpering' attempts to distance himself from the interview, rebuking him on Twitter: 'Be a man Jimmy!' By contrast, Trump has long been a champion of Gutfeld, posting a Fox press release celebrating his high ratings on Truth Social last September and writing in all-caps: 'GUTFELD! NOTCHES LARGEST AUDIENCE IN PROGRAM HISTORY WITH NEARLY FIVE MILLION VIEWERS DURING INTERVIEW WITH FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP.' When fellow late-night host Stephen Colbert's show was axed last month, the president wrote: 'I absolutely love that Colbert' got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert! Greg Gutfeld is better than all of them combined, including the Moron on NBC who ruined the once great Tonight Show.' Gutfeld likewise gloated over The Late Show's demise, commenting on Fox: 'This was an 'institution,' and rather than put someone in his place they just said, 'We're closing up.' Imagine being a chef. You're such a bad chef that they cancel food… It's so obvious. You can't do a comedy show and a sermon at the same time.'

Parents Urged to Make Kids' Bedtime Screen-Free as National Campaign Launches with NYC Flash Mob
Parents Urged to Make Kids' Bedtime Screen-Free as National Campaign Launches with NYC Flash Mob

Yahoo

time8 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Parents Urged to Make Kids' Bedtime Screen-Free as National Campaign Launches with NYC Flash Mob

"Screen-Free Sleep" movement takes to the streets to address America's youth sleep crisis NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a bold wake-up call to parents everywhere, the team behind the acclaimed Screenagers documentaries and the "Away for the Day" campaign launched its latest national initiative on Tuesday, August 12th in NYC: Screen-Free Sleep, a movement to keep kids' bedrooms device-free at night and restore healthy rest to a generation in crisis. To mark the campaign's debut, New Yorkers were treated to an unexpected sight: an entire flash mob of Steve Jobs lookalikes - black turtlenecks, jeans, and all - took to the streets, handing out "iSleep Pro" kits: sleek, phone-style packaging featuring simple sleep masks as a symbol of unplugged rest. Billed as a "technological bedtime breakthrough," the iSleep Pro kits unveiled the real game-changer: no devices in kids' bedrooms at night - a practice the campaign is calling the seatbelt of our time. The message was clear: parents must wake up to the growing crisis - with phones and screens invading bedtime, children are sleeping less, struggling more, and paying the price with their health, mood, and academic performance. "Sleep is as essential to a child's health as nutrition and exercise,but right now, screens are robbing our kids of it," said Dr. Delaney Ruston, physician, filmmaker, and co-founder of the Screen-Free Sleep campaign. "Our campaign empowers parents to make bedrooms device-free at night, building habits that last through the teen years. By making screen-free sleep the norm, we can give our children the rest they need to thrive." The Alarming Numbers: 1 in 4 tweens sleep with their phone in hand. Kids with devices in their bedroom are 2.3x more likely to feel tired during the day. 51% of teens get fewer than 7 hours of sleep most nights. The Solution: Parents are encouraged to take the pledge at to: Remove all devices - phones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches, gaming devices, even smart speakers - from kids' bedrooms at night. Provide a basic alarm clock to replace phone alarms. Store devices overnight in a secure location (ideally in a parent's bedroom to reduce temptation). Why It Matters: Research shows that simply having a device in the room, even if it's not in use, disrupts kids' sleep. Groundbreaking research shows that sleep deprivation in tweens is associated with MRI-verified disruptions in brain development. A device-free bedroom supports emotional regulation, attention, and school performance. How to Get Involved: Parents can sign the pledge, share the campaign with friends, and bring "iSleep Pro" kits to schools, sports events, and community gatherings to help normalize screen-free sleep - just as seat belts became standard safety practice. Assets & Interviews Available: Flash Mob & Campaign Photos: HERE Available experts: Dr. Delaney Ruston - Physician, filmmaker, founder of Screenagers & Screen-Free Sleep Judith Owens, MD, MPH, expert in pediatric sleep medicine, Boston Children's Hospital Lauren Hale, Phd, Sleep Expert, Renaissance School of Medicine, NY To learn more, visit For additional details or to arrange interviews, please contact kelly@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Screenagers Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Takeaways from AP's investigation into online school for incarcerated teens
Takeaways from AP's investigation into online school for incarcerated teens

Associated Press

time10 minutes ago

  • Associated Press

Takeaways from AP's investigation into online school for incarcerated teens

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — No matter the offense, states must educate students in juvenile detention. It's a complicated challenge, no doubt — and success stories are scarce. In Florida, where more than 1,000 students are in long-term confinement, the state last year put those kids' schooling online. That's despite strong evidence that online learning failed many kids during the pandemic. The state juvenile justice system contracted with the Florida Virtual School, one of the nation's oldest and largest online learning systems. State leaders were hoping Florida Virtual School would bring more rigorous, uniform standards across their juvenile justice classrooms. When students left detention, the theory went, they could have the option of continuing in the online school until graduation. But an AP investigation showed the online learning has been disastrous. Not only are students struggling to learn, but their frustration with virtual school also leads them to get into more trouble — thus extending their stay in juvenile detention. Here are key takeaways from the investigation. Detained students say they're getting little support with online school In interviews, students describe difficulty understanding their online schoolwork. In embracing Florida Virtual School, the residential commitment centers stopped providing in-person teachers for each subject, relying instead on the online faculty. The adults left in classrooms with detainees are largely serving as supervisors, and students say they rarely can answer their questions or offer assistance. Students also report difficulty getting help from the online teachers. A dozen letters from incarcerated students, written to lawmakers and obtained by The Associated Press, describe online schoolwork that's hard to access or understand — with little support from staff. 'Dear Law maker, I really be trying to do my work so I won't be getting in trouble but I don't be understanding the work,' wrote one student. 'They don't really hands on help me.' Wrote another: 'My zoom teachers they never email me back or try to help me with my work. It's like they think we're normal kids. Half of us don't even know what we're looking at.' Frustration with school has led to outbursts — adding to students' time in custody When students misbehave in long-term confinement, their stays can be extended. At the low end is a 'level freeze,' when a student can't make progress toward release for a few days. For more serious offenses, students are sent back to county detention centers to face new charges. The weeks they spend there are called 'dead time,' because they can't count toward their overall sentence. And since Florida adopted online school in its residential commitment centers, students' frustration with their learning has led to longer stays. One teen described having trouble passing an online pre-algebra test. The adult supervising the classroom couldn't help him. Frustrated, he threw his desk against the wall. He received a 'level freeze' of three to five days, essentially extending his time at the residential commitment center. Another teen has broken three laptops, his grandmother says — two of them in frustration with not receiving help with online school. Each offense has added to his time in confinement. He initially was sentenced to six to nine months for breaking into a vape store, but now is on track to be locked up at least 28 months. The total number of youth in Florida's residential commitment centers increased to 1,388 in June, the latest data reported by the state, up 177 since July 2024, when the department adopted virtual instruction. That could indicate detainees are staying in confinement longer. 'Correlation does not equal causation,' responded Amanda Slama, a Department of Juvenile Justice spokeswoman. Going back to school after leaving detention is tricky One of the arguments Florida made for using online schooling was that students could continue their studies at Florida Virtual School after leaving detention, when many struggle to re-enter their local public schools. That's not as easy as it seems. One student in AP's investigation was refused entry to his local middle school; officials said he was too old to enroll. When his parents tried to sign up for Florida Virtual, they were told they couldn't sign up so late in the school year. Florida Virtual leaders say they provide a transition specialist for each student who leaves residential commitment to help them find a school. But this family says they were never offered this help. No one told them about a special version of Florida Virtual that would have allowed the student to pick up where he left off in detention. ____ The Associated Press receives support from the Public Welfare Foundation for reporting focused on criminal justice, and AP's education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at

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