Trump administration probes California's sex education curriculum
What they're saying
"It seems that everything is under attack that might have anything to do with the LGBTQ+ community," said Gabrielle Antolovich, executive director of the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ+ Community Center in San Jose.
Local perspective
Concerns grew after an action from the Administration for Children and Families, which sent a March 27 letter to the California Department of Public Health requesting "curricula and programmatic materials for its federally funded Personal Responsibility Education Program," or PREP.
PREP is a $75 million-a-year program that teaches children about contraception and abstinence. Federal officials said their request is permitted under the terms of the PREP grant.
"All grant recipients of federally funded PREP money are expected to comply with all statutory requirements of PREP, including ensuring the programs are medically accurate and complete, and the program provides age-appropriate information and activities," Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison said.
"There has become a movement that opposes sex education. It's an unwise movement. It's inconsistent with what has been the history in the United States," said Dr. Michele Goodwin, a Georgetown University law expert specializing in global health issues. "The narrative or what the thought process is behind constraining curriculum in this way is actually only hurting young Americans."
She said the action put the country on a dangerous trajectory.
Dig deeper
Critics of the Trump administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' request said such moves increase pressure on protected groups, similar to when the president signed an executive order in January clarifying that the United States now recognizes only two genders. They argued that such hardline stances marginalize people and cause more social harm than good.
"They are looking for practical ways to chip away at our freedom to be who we are," Antolovich said. "The people who are reviewing the curricula have no expertise in that area. So, they don't really know what they're doing. They just want to get rid of it."
The California Department of Public Health has not yet responded to KTVU's request for comment.
Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the station's South Bay bureau. Follow him on Instagram, @jessegontv and on Facebook, @JesseKTVU.
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Billy DeFrank LGBTQ+ Community Center in San Jose, Dr. Michele Goodwin of Georgetown Law
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CNN
25 minutes ago
- CNN
Testing finds caffeinated coffee is clean of contaminants. Well, almost
That cup of joe that jolts you awake in the morning is pretty safe when it comes to contaminants and toxins, a new investigation has found. Well … almost. 'While some contaminants were present, most were found at minimal levels and well below the European Union's safety limits per 6-ounce serving. This means coffee is generally safe,' said Molly Hamilton, executive director of the nonprofit Clean Label Project, which conducted the investigation into caffeinated coffees. That's great news because coffee has a stellar résumé: Studies have found drinking about 3 cups of black coffee a day provides health benefits, such as reducing risk for such issues as heart disease, multiple sclerosis, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, prostate cancer, stroke, dementia and more. But here's the grind — the testing found traces of a worrisome herbicide called glyphosate and one of its byproducts. Glyphosate is a popular herbicide that has been linked to hormone disruptions and neurotoxic effects, including the development of autism and other developmental disorders in children. The first MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) Commission report, released in May, raised concerns about the impact of glyphosate and other pesticides on children's health. The US Environmental Protection Agency and other regulatory bodies, however, say numerous studies and risk assessments have shown no adverse effects of glyphosate at levels found in the food supply. In addition to glyphosate, testing found some coffees also contained small amounts of phthalates, a plasticizer found in consumer products such as food storage containers, shampoo, makeup, perfume and children's toys. Phthalates have been linked with reproductive problems, such as genital malformations and undescended testes in baby boys and lower sperm counts and testosterone levels in adult males. Studies have also linked phthalates to asthma, childhood obesity and cancer. Testing found the highest levels of phthalates in coffee sold in cans, followed by pods and finally bags. The reason for that isn't yet clear, 'so our next study is going to be analyzing the packaging assembly line to discover why there is a change in contaminants,' Hamilton said. 'The Clean Label Project plays an important role in post-market testing for contaminants in everyday consumer products, including this recent report on coffee,' said David Andrews, acting chief science officer for the Environmental Working Group, or EWG, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group that maintains a database on personal care products that contain toxins. 'The higher phthalate levels found in coffee pods and canned coffee suggest that packaging could be a meaningful source of exposure to these chemicals of concern,' Andrews said. The National Coffee Association, which represents the US coffee industry told CNN that it was 'highly irresponsible to mislead Americans about the safety of their favorite beverage.' 'Decades of independent scientific evidence show that coffee drinkers live longer, healthier lives,' NCA President and CEO William 'Bill' Murray said in an email. The Clean Label Project measures levels of heavy metals, pesticides and plasticizers in food and consumer products. The organization also checks to see whether the tested products' labels list those contaminants. To do the testing, Clean Label obtained samples of coffee from 45 popular brands — which they did not name. Coffee beans were grown in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kenya, Peru and Hawaii. A certified lab conducted over 7,000 tests looking for pesticides, including glyphosate; heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium; mycotoxins, which are toxic chemical compounds produced by some molds that grow on crops; and phthalates, a plasticizer found in consumer products such as food wrapping, food storage containers, shampoo, makeup, perfume and children's toys. The tests found scant glyphosate, but 'significant' amounts of aminomethylphosphonic acid, or AMPA, a byproduct of glyphosate as it breaks down in the environment, according to the report. The half-life of AMPA is longer than that of glyphosate, which means it can persist in the environment and is easily absorbed by plants from soil and water. In addition, AMPA has been shown to damage cellular DNA in prostate cells and cause an increased risk of liver inflammation and metabolic disorders in young adults. Testing found organic coffees bested conventional coffees in total amounts of contaminants, but there was one oddity — there were levels of AMPA in all of the 12 organic coffees tested. Of the 45 samples of conventionally grown coffees, only 29 tested positive for aminomethylphosphonic acid, according to the report. While certified organic coffee growers cannot use pesticides like glyphosate, it's possible for organic fields to be contaminated by runoff from neighboring conventional farms, Hamilton said. 'Still, the detection of AMPA in 100% of organic samples we tested is definitely a wake-up call,' she said. 'We definitely need stronger safeguards and greater transparency in our food system.' Levels of heavy metals depended on where the coffee was grown. Africa has some of the lowest levels of heavy metals, while the highest were found in Hawaiian coffee. Hawaii, however, is a volcanic island and therefore expected to have more significant levels of heavy metals in the soil. An analysis also found 100% of the tested coffee samples contained small amounts of acrylamide, a colorless, odorless chemical formed when certain foods are cooked at high temperatures, such as when frying, baking and roasting. Acrylamide has been linked to cancer in animals when they are exposed to extremely high doses. However, the chemical is not thought to be toxic to humans at small levels of consumption. Despite that, the US Food and Drug Administration has advised manufacturers to attempt to lower levels in the food supply. Clean Label's testing found levels of acrylamide varied with the degree of roasting of coffee beans. The highest levels of acrylamide were found in medium roasts, followed by light roasts and dark roasts. 'The dark coffees are the best choice because they are roasted at lower temperatures for a longer period of time so acrylamide levels don't rise,' Hamilton explained. 'The light coffees are roasted minimally, so here too, acrylamide levels don't build up. 'However, medium roasts have the higher levels of acrylamide because they are roasted at higher temperatures long enough to darken the beans,' she said. What could a coffee lover take away from the testing? 'When you decide which coffee to buy, choose darker or the lightest roasts in bags or pods and consider where coffee is grown, which can impact the levels of heavy metals,' Hamilton said. 'But I want to stress that it's important to put these findings into context,' she added. 'Caffeinated coffee is still one of the cleanest product categories we've ever tested. 'Our report isn't meant to raise alarm or keep consumers from drinking coffee, but rather to empower people on how to choose the cleanest, safest cup of coffee.' Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
USA Today
26 minutes ago
- USA Today
Our tax dollars fund Israel's genocide in Gaza. Every American should care.
'It's all very complicated, and I'm not an expert, but I'm not sure any country can help to the capacity it should and could.' For nearly two years, the world has watched the decades-old conflict between Israel and Palestine evolve into an increasingly brutal war. Hamas-led militants killed more than 1,200 people – mostly civilians – on Oct. 7, 2023, and took 251 hostage – including Americans. Today, 50 hostages remain captive in Gaza, though Israel believes only 20 of them are alive. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since the fighting erupted, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government. More than 145,000 have been wounded and 90% of the population has been displaced. Half of those killed and injured are women and children, the ministry says. Those who've managed to live through the war are facing new threats to their survival: Starvation has swept through Gaza, with half a million people affected by famine-like conditions, according to the World Food Program. Polluted aquifers and broken pipelines leave safe drinking water scarce. Since May, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed trying to access food. On July 28, two Israeli human rights groups released statements saying the country was committing genocide in Gaza, echoing declarations previously made by Amnesty International and a United Nations special committee. On Aug. 8, Israel approved a plan for the Israel Defense Forces to take control of Gaza City. Twenty-two months ago, that October day lit aflame deeply rooted hostilities, igniting new tensions in neighboring countries and across oceans: On college campuses, in public streets and on social media platforms. It's a war that has divided families, friends and even the Republican and Democratic parties. USA TODAY columnists and contributors have covered this issue from many sides – including inside and outside of Gaza itself. But we hadn't heard from you, until now. We wanted to know your opinions. For our next installment of Forum, we asked: Are you concerned about the developing situation in Gaza? Should the U.S. send more aid to Gaza? To Israel? Is the news media's coverage getting it right or wrong? What could finally end this conflict? Here's what you said. I've seen Israelis and Palestinians coexist. It's the only thing that gives me hope. I want to be clear that I am pro-peace. I lived in Israel for many years, and I saw coexistence every single day. I lived it. It might be the only reason I have any hope left. On any public bus, you might see a soldier standing next to a woman in a hijab next to a Hasidic man next to a guy with a mohawk next to a Druze family. And thousands of Israelis have been protesting the government for years, before Oct. 7, 2023. The difference is that they have the freedom to do so without fear or repercussion. Gazans do not have that same luxury. Openly protesting Hamas means death or worse. And yet many of them have, because they have nothing more to lose. Which is why it's disgusting and sad that news coverage has been minuscule, and people in the West, most of them the descendants of colonizers themselves, feel the need to call Hamas "resistance fighters" and advocate for the destruction of a country they can't even find on a map. What about the hostages, who are also starving? What about how Hamas has weaponized starvation and does not care for its people? What about how Hamas has looted aid and funneled donations to line the pockets of their own leaders? The United States should do more to help dismantle Hamas, in addition to criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and actively trying to end this war. The United States should focus on supporting peace-building coalitions, accountability and support for Israel's population (which includes Israeli Arabs, who make up about 20% of the population) – but also help the Palestinians in finding a path forward without Hamas or Islamic jihad or similar leadership. There is not enough focus on the day after the war, especially when it comes to dismantling Hamas, reeducation and supporting efforts to pivot Netanyahu's right-wing government, which is adding fuel to the fire. The United States should do more to combat antisemitism, which has skyrocketed here and globally. Antisemitism has risen globally by 340% since the start of this war, and it's no coincidence. We need help combating false narratives that restrict empathy. This is a national concern as well as a global one that does not help either Israelis or Palestinians, or Jews across the world. I think there should be a Palestinian state at some point, but it should not be created as a knee-jerk reaction to this terrible war. If anything, this should give everyone pause. It will take years of peace-building coalitions and mapping out a sustainable plan to actually make this work. I'm a father in Gaza. My children wake in the middle of the night crying for food. | Opinion Another view: Western nations want a Palestinian state. But Arab nations keep their distance. | Opinion Celebrities are nothing but armchair activists who are also responsible for spreading misinformation and false narratives. They add fuel to the fire, and their commentary actually leads to violence and sows division. There is blatant skewing of the narrative, including reporting Hamas figures as facts when many of the numbers of the dead include combatants. Everyone blames Israel and seems to cast Hamas in the light of "resistance" and "freedom fighters" even when they are the ones responsible for the violence, sexual assault, torture and kidnapping that have defined this war. Why has no one reported on the protests in Gaza against Hamas, which killed and tortured Gaza civilians for protesting? Why has no one focused on the plight of the remaining hostages who are also starving? Why has no one highlighted where Hamas leaders have been – safe in Qatar and other countries? — Elle Brooke, West Bloomfield, Michigan Our tax dollars are funding a genocide. Every American should care about that. The United States is aiding Israel in committing genocide. Through the U.S. support, Israel is starving hundreds of thousands of families. America has criticized organizations doing real work and feeding people. It has instead supported an organization, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, whose 'distribution sites' saw the slaughtering of Palestinian families with the aid of mercenaries and the genocidal Israel Defense Forces. Cracking down on public criticism of Israel and support of Gaza under the false guise of addressing antisemitism has made a mockery of actual antisemitism. President Donald Trump is using it as a false way to challenge universities and shut down free speech in the name of addressing antisemitism, but truthfully, he is just engaging in fascism. The United States must recognize a Palestinian state – and with recognition there needs to be an end to the occupation, the right to return and justice for the people of Palestine and the thousands of Palestinians harmed, killed and starved. Every person should care about genocide. Everyone – celebrity, politician and everyday person – should care about genocide. Every one of us must speak up and take action immediately. Because, as U.S. taxpayers, our dollars go to supporting Israel, we should get a say in how those dollars are used. — Ella Mendonsa, Washington, DC I feel for innocent Palestinians. But as a Jew, I know we can't have a two-state solution. It's all very complicated, and I'm not an expert, but if you have Hamas intentionally preventing aid from getting to the population in order to prolong their own lies, I'm not sure any country can help to the capacity that it should and could. I'm not a Trump supporter at all, but at least he has taken steps to show that, as a democracy, we support democracy. Israel is the only country in the Middle East that is a democracy. So I think the Trump administration's support of Israel is refreshing compared with prior ones. What can anyone do when Iranian-backed, Hamas-linked organizations fill the news with grotesque lies and omissions of the truth? This is not about the innocent Palestinians, many of whom are afraid of Hamas. This is about Hamas using its own population for propaganda. Don't get me wrong. I care and feel for the Palestinians suffering. But as a Jew, I have to care about the fact that the entire raison d'être and mantra of Hamas is to kill all Jews and destroy the land of Israel. There is no longer a chance for a two-state solution. Israel has tried over and over to offer paths to this and to show that we can live peacefully with Arabs and Palestinians. We cannot offer this in the face of a Hamas-led government that specifically and openly states that its members would like to see Israel wiped off the map. How could Israel trust them when they savagely killed people who lived near the border and who were reaching out across the border and helping Palestinians? It's fair to say innocent people are suffering, but the news media is biased toward the Palestinian plight as opposed to showing that Israel has tried numerous times to make peace, only to have its own people suffer. Would you tear down a barrier in your backyard if you knew your neighbors would do anything to break in to your house and try to kill you? Honestly. Israel has never gone to war with any country out of hatred for human beings or religion. It's always on the defensive, and in the end, it's always blamed. But let's not forget that the Jewish people have endured thousands of years of antisemitism from every corner of the earth, and we're still standing. — Deena Thomas, Memphis, Tennessee We've given billions to fund this war. It's time Trump leverages it for peace. We give billions in military aid to Israel every year, some of which was used for good purposes against Iran, but also at least some of which was used to cause this starvation crisis. It seems like the least we could do would be to help save the lives of civilians there. The Biden administration launched the first national strategy to combat antisemitism. But now Trump is just using antisemitism as an excuse to go after his political enemies on issues like immigration and diversity, equity and inclusion. I know that many people on both sides complain about the media attention, but the fact is that billions of American taxpayer dollars are involved here, so it's fully legitimate for the media to be focusing on this. The two-state solution is the least impossible of all the impossible options to end this conflict. And we could be doing much more to support the Israelis, especially the hostage families, protesting against Netanyahu's disastrous policies. Just a week ago, an organization of retired Israeli generals called for an end to the war. We should applaud France and Saudi Arabia for seeking to advance the two-state solution and for persuading the entire Arab League to condemn Hamas as it did last week. — Matthew Weinstein, Baltimore
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
DC Democrats risk losing public trust by dodging youth crime crisis Trump is addressing
There are two kinds of people in Washington, D.C. – the ones who commute in from Virginia or Maryland, and the ones who actually live here. I'm in the latter group, alongside generations of "original Washingtonians" whose families have called this city home for a lifetime. Now, I haven't lived here a lifetime, but I'm almost at a decade and I consider this city my home. So it's hard to take seriously that President Donald Trump has suddenly decided D.C. crime is a national crisis. The two high-profile incidents involving young White men, one killed and one beaten nearly to death, are real and heartbreaking tragedies But the people who live here have been talking about crime for years: in neighborhood meetings, on D.C. Reddit threads, in the comments on Instagram and X (s/o Washingtonian Problems and Alan Henney). And in D.C., the most troubling trend lately is youth crime. Unsurprising in a city where truancy rates are among the highest in the nation. And the kids who aren't in class aren't just sitting at home either. They're raiding CVS, carjacking people running errands, tearing through grocery stores and roaming the streets at midnight. Entire curfews have been imposed on parts of the city just to get them inside. You can feel the change in daily life. At some grocery stores, you now have to scan a receipt to be let out through locked gates. At drug stores, you have to push a button and wait for an employee to unlock basic toiletries. That's not just an inconvenience; it's a sign that businesses no longer feel they can operate normally. This is where Democrats start to squirm. We've been trained to talk about crime only in the context of prison reform and mandatory minimums, because bad-faith actors have weaponized it as a racist dog whistle. I understand that history. But crime isn't a race issue, it's a proximity issue. People commit crimes against the people who live near them. That's true in D.C., and it's true anywhere. Refusing to address crime doesn't protect communities of color; it leaves them more vulnerable. The kids causing chaos aren't the only ones who live in these neighborhoods. There are other young people who want to learn, want to grow and are watching bad behavior go unchecked. And when you ignore crime, you let it fester until it becomes the excuse for federal overreach and I have no doubt this president would exploit D.C.'s home rule if given the chance. Let's be clear, this is not a call for mass incarceration. Throwing minors into prison and forgetting them is not a solution. Accountability has to come with a chance at redemption. That starts with holding parents responsible, strengthening K–12 education and tackling truancy before it turns into something worse. We need D.C.'s city council to deepen their commitment to education, after-school programs, mentorship opportunities and mental health support that addresses problems before they escalate. More police can only slow the bleeding. The deeper wound starts at home. We also need to change the culture around this conversation. Democrats often fear that talking about crime will make us sound punitive or "tough on crime" in a way that alienates progressive voters. But avoiding the issue only makes the communities we claim to represent feel abandoned. A party that can't talk honestly about public safety is a party that risks losing public trust. All children enter the world with equal worth; who they become depends on the opportunities, boundaries and expectations set by the adults around them. That means parents, teachers, mentors, and yes, policymakers. If we want a safer city, we have to invest, intervene and refuse to excuse harmful behavior simply because the alternative makes us uncomfortable. D.C. is worth fighting for. But if we keep dodging this conversation, someone else will have it for us and we may not like their solution.
