Latest news with #Roundup
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
RFK Jr.'s New Crusade Is Freaking Out White House Aides
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s war on pesticides is alarming White House and federal agency officials, according to The Wall Street Journal. Top aides are reportedly on edge ahead of an expected May 22 report to 'Make America Healthy Again' from Kennedy, who was confirmed in January as President Donald Trump's pick for secretary of health and human services. People familiar with the matter told the Journal that the report will spotlight what Kennedy believes is the 'deleterious impact of pesticides' on health. Targets include glyphosate—the active ingredient in Roundup, the world's most widely used weedkiller—and atrazine, a herbicide commonly sprayed on corn and grasses. Government officials worry Kennedy's push to link pesticides to U.S. health issues could disrupt the nation's food supply chain, according to the Journal. Kennedy has long been a vocal critic of pesticide use, arguing that chemicals like glyphosate and atrazine contribute to chronic health issues in the U.S. He made headlines when he suggested that endocrine disruptors—chemicals found in pesticides and plastic—may be influencing children's sexual orientation and gender identity. The Environmental Working Group said in 2024 that potentially harmful pesticides were found on more than 75 percent of non-organic fresh produce sold in the United States. Trump launched the 'Make America Healthy Again' Commission in February, with a sweeping mission to 'address the growing health crisis in America' by focusing on 'understanding and drastically lowering chronic disease rates and ending childhood chronic disease.' On the campaign trail last year, Trump vowed to probe pesticides and the causes of chronic health diseases. 'Millions and millions of Americans who want clean air, clean water and a healthy nation have concerns about toxins in our environment and pesticides in our food,' he said at a rally with Kennedy in Arizona in August. Behind the scenes, farm and food groups have also been scrambling to meet with White House officials to express their concerns about the report, according to the Journal. They are worried it could torpedo trust in decades of pesticide research. Illinois farmer and National Corn Growers Association President Kenneth Hartman Jr. told the newspaper that he fears the report will cast out 'the extensive research and testing on pesticides and cast doubt on the safe use of these technologies.' The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and the HHS for comment. 'HHS, EPA, USDA and other federal partners are working closely to ensure the final report reflects gold standard science and practical considerations that will Make America Healthy Again,' an HHS spokesman told the Journal. 'The MAHA Commission's first report for President Trump will be a landmark assessment of what we know about the causes of America's chronic disease crisis and what we need further research on,' a White House spokesman told the publication. Sources told the Journal that the forthcoming 'Make America Healthy Again' report has been largely shaped by Kennedy adviser Calley Means, who co-wrote a book on the dangers of pesticides with his sister, new Trump surgeon general nominee Dr. Casey Means. The siblings say their book, Good Energy, is 'a unifying framework for understanding what is causing symptoms and diseases, and how to feel amazing now and in the future.'
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
RFK Jr. Chugs Raw Milk With Crackpot Doc at White House
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. skipped the champagne when celebrating the release of his agency's Make America Healthy Again report. Instead, the Health and Human Services secretary marked the publication of the error-ridden report—which linked to nonexistent scientific studies—with a shooter of non-pasteurized milk alongside controversial health influencer Dr. Paul Saladino, who pushes an animal-based diet. 'Raw milk shooters at the @WhiteHouse with @RobertKennedyJr,' Saladino, also known as Carnivore MD, posted on X alongside a video of the pair slamming the shots. In the clip, Saladino mentions that the milk is free of glyphosate—a controversial chemical found in pesticides like weed killer Roundup and is also commonly used by farmers. Kennedy has linked the chemical to childhood chronic diseases and has said it is contaminating American food. 'One of the things I know you're thinking a lot about is this huge amount of glyphosate, so we've got glyphosate-free honey and raw milk,' Saladino says. Then the pair clinks glasses, and Saladino thanks Kennedy, with products from his meat-based food brand Lineage Provisions visible in the background. 'Thank you for your work. It's an honor to spend time with you,' Saladino says. 'You too,' Kennedy responds. In March 2015, the World Health Organisation's International Agency on Research into Carcinogens (IARC) announced that glyphosate probably causes a type of cancer called non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which affects the lymphatic system. However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says glyphosate is 'not likely to be carcinogenic to humans' at exposure levels found in real-world use. In 2023, the National Institutes of Health's National Toxicology Program said that glyphosate is 'unlikely' to be toxic to humans. On the other hand, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a March 2024 advisory that 'raw milk can contain a variety of disease-causing pathogens, as demonstrated by numerous scientific studies.' Raw milk is 150 times more likely to cause foodborne illnesses than milk that hasn't been pasteurized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It can carry pathogens like Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, Campylobacter, and Brucella. Drinking it can cause issues ranging from mild gastrointestinal distress to serious conditions like hemolytic uremic syndrome, which stems from E. coli and can lead to kidney failure. Sepsis, or bloodstream infections, can also occur. In an earlier Instagram video, Saladino had bragged about taking his own raw meat lunch to the White House. 'I am in D.C. for the big announcement of the MAHA chronic disease report. I've got a raw milk smoothie in here that is raw milk, blueberries, honey, and raw meat actually,' he said, 'We're taking America back, guys.'
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Ranking the SEC Party Schools from best to worst
Ranking the SEC Party Schools from best to worst There are a lot of great "Party Schools" in the SEC. In fact, according to a comprehensive party school ranking by Niche, 12 of the 16 schools in the conference receive an "A+" grade in the party school category. All 12 land in the top 66 party schools in the nation. Niche used a number of factors in its ranking methodology. Among the factors are student surveys, access to bars and restaurants, athletics and greek life. A lot of the student surveys include good parties around football games and tailgates. You also have a couple cities on the list that have great bar scenes on their own like Austin and Nashville. There are a lot of built in parties mentioned around the conference, like Roundup at Texas, Mardi Gras at LSU, Row Week at Arkansas and so on. And of course, Florida and Georgia co-host the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail party. Here is full ranking of Best Party Schools in the SEC according to 1. University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa, AL (Party School Rank: No. 4) Party Rankings: Alabama ranks high in parties almost every night of the week, football parties and tailgates and Wednesday through Sunday options. More on Campus Life Hot Spots: Galletes, Houndstooth, and Innisfree 2. University of Georgia - Tuscaloosa, AL (Party School Rank: No. 6) Party Rankings: Georgia ranks high in parties almost every night of the week, the Florida-Georgia game and Wednesday through Sunday options. More on Campus Life Hot Spots: Flanagan's Bar, The Roadhouse, 1785 Bar & Grill, Bar South, Boar's Head Lounge 3. University of Mississippi - Oxford, MS (Party School Rank: No. 13) Party Rankings: Ole Miss ranks high in parties almost every night of the week, the Grove and greek parties. More on Campus Life Hot Spots: The Library, The Blind Pig Pub, Round Table On The Square, Rafters Bar And Grill, City Grocery, The Growler 4. University of Oklahoma - Norman, OK (Party School Rank: No. 25) Party Rankings: OU ranks high in game day parties, Wednesday through Sunday options and greek parties. More on Campus Life Hot Spots: Logie's On The Corner, Library Bar & Grill, Louie's On The Corner, The Winston, O'Connell's Irish Pub and Grille 5. University of South Carolina - Columbia, SC (Party School Rank: No. 27) Party Rankings: South Carolina ranks high in parties almost every night of the week, football parties and tailgates and Wednesday through Sunday options. More on Campus Life Hot Spots: Group Therapy, Bird Dog, 5 Points Saloon, Tin Roof , Jake's Bar & Gril, Breakers Bar and Grill , The Grand 6. University of Texas - Austin, TX (Party School Rank: No. 30) Party Rankings: Texas ranks high in parties almost every night of the week, Wednesday through Sunday options and roundup. More on Campus Life Hot Spots: 6th Street, Buck Wild, Crown and Anchor Pub, Dirty Bill's, Hole in the Wall, The Library Bar 7. Vanderbilt University - Nashville, TN (Party School Rank: No. 31) Party Rankings: Vandy ranks high in Wednesday through Sunday options, Rites of Spring and football tailgates. More on Campus Life Hot Spots: The Local, The Patterson House, Corner Bar At Elliston Place, Old Glory, Bobby's Idle Hour Tavern 8. University of Florida - Gainesville, FL (Party School Rank: No. 41) Party Rankings: Florida ranks high in Wednesday through Sunday options, football tailgates and greek parties. More on Campus Life Hot Spots: Balls, Salty Dog Saloon, University Club, Fat Daddy's, Arcade Bar, The Swamp Restaurant 9. LSU - Baton Rouge, LA (Party School Rank: No. 51) Party Rankings: LSU ranks high in tailgating, Wednesday-Sunday options and Mardi Gras. More on Campus Life Hot Spots: Fred's in Tigerland, The Bulldog, Bogie's Bar, The House In Tigerland, Mike's In Tigerland. 10. University of Missouri - Columbia, MO (Party School Rank: No. 54) Party Rankings: Mizzou ranks high in Homecoming, Wednesday-Sunday options and parties. More on Campus Life Hot Spots: Son of a Gun, Willie's, Harpo's, The Shot Bar, Nash Vegas, My House Nightclub & Sports Bar, The Roof, Campus Bar & Grill. 11. University of Arkansas - Fayetteville, AR (Party School Rank: No. 57) Party Rankings: Arkansas ranks high in Row Week, Wednesday-Sunday options and weekly parties. More on Campus Life Hot Spots: Sideways, Yeehawg, The Amendment , The Piano Bar, Maxine's Tap Room, Hugo's, Vault 12. University of Tennessee - Knoxville, TN (Party School Rank: No. 66) Party Rankings: Tennessee ranks high in football parties, Wednesday-Sunday options and greek parties. More on Campus Life Hot Spots: Cotton Eyed Joe, Back Door Tavern , Cool Beans Bar and Grill, Half Barrel, Scruffy City Hall 13. University of Kentucky - Lexington, KY (Party School Rank: No. 81) Party Rankings: Kentucky ranks high in March Madness on State Street, Wednesday-Sunday options and greek parties. More on Campus Life Hot Spots: Wild Cat Saloon, Ole Hookers, Bluegrass Tavern, The Burl, Stagger Inn, Tin Roof 14. Auburn University - Auburn, AL (Party School Rank: No. 91) Party Rankings: Auburn ranks high in football parties, Wednesday-Sunday options and Rodeo. More on Campus Life Hot Spots: Southeastern, 17-16, SkyBar Cafe, The Avondale Bar & Tap Room, The Hound, Fat Daddy's Social Club 15. Texas A&M University - College Station, TX (Party School Rank: No. 119) Party Rankings: A&M ranks high in football parties, Chili Fest and greek parties. More on Campus Life Hot Spots: Dixie Chicken, Duddley's Draw, O'Bannon's Tap House, The Backyard, The Dry Bean Saloon 16. Mississippi State University - Starkville, MS (Party School Rank: No. 195) Party Rankings: MSU ranks high in Super Bulldawg Weekend, Bulldog Bash and greek parties. More on Campus Life Hot Spots: Fountain Bar, Dave's Dark Horse Tavern, The Guest Room, Lucky Tap, Hobie's On Main Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @LonghornsWire.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Bayer's Monsanto loses appeal of $611M Roundup verdict in Missouri
May 28 (Reuters) - A Missouri appellate court has upheld a $611 million verdict awarded to three people who sued Bayer alleging that its Roundup weedkiller caused their cancer, a ruling the company says it will further appeal. The decision from the Missouri Court of Appeals' Western District on Tuesday rejected Bayer unit Monsanto's argument that the lower court impermissibly allowed testimony at the 2023 trial about a ruling from the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a separate case about the cancer risks of glyphosate, the pesticide in Roundup. Bayer is wrong in arguing that judicial opinions are categorically inadmissible at a jury trial, the court said. The court upheld the $611 million in compensatory and punitive damages awarded to Daniel Anderson, Jimmy Draeger and Valorie Gunther after their lawsuits were consolidated and tried before a jury. Bayer has faced thousands of lawsuits over whether Roundup causes cancer since it bought Monsanto for $63 billion in 2018. It agreed to settle much of that litigation for $10.9 billion in 2020, but failed to resolve future cases. About 67,000 remain, in both federal and state court. Though Bayer has prevailed in many of the Roundup trials, plaintiffs have won more than $4 billion of verdicts. Bayer has been pursuing appeals to reduce the verdict amounts while petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve a broader swath of the cases. One of Bayer's defenses in the litigation has been that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has determined that glyphosate doesn't pose a risk to human health. To counter that argument, the plaintiffs in Tuesday's case had told the jury that the 9th Circuit in 2022 found the EPA's determination that glyphosate was not likely to cause cancer was not supported by the evidence and directed the agency to reexamine it. In a statement, a representative for Monsanto said the company will be seeking further review of the decision to allow the opinion to be presented to jurors. 'In the majority of other cases which went to trial in Missouri, judges properly excluded inadmissible evidence, leading to positive outcomes for the Company,' the statement said. An attorney for the plaintiffs did not respond to requests for comment. The plaintiffs filed their lawsuits in 2022, claiming they each had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after years of using Roundup to control weeds. A Cole County, Missouri, jury found Monsanto liable for negligence, selling a defective product and failing to warn about Roundup's risks. They awarded $61.1 million of compensatory damages and $1.5 billion of punitive damages. In March 2024, the trial judge had let the $61.1 million component stand, but reduced punitive damages to nine times that amount, or $549.9 million. The U.S. Supreme Court has said that punitive damages should generally not be more than nine times compensatory damages. In Tuesday's decision, the appellate court also rejected another of the company's key arguments, that federal law blocks any state law claim that the company failed to warn consumers about the risks. The court agreed with another Missouri appellate district that found Monsanto had not shown an irreconcilable conflict between the federal and state laws. Thousands of other Roundup cases are pending in Missouri. Another trial over Roundup is underway in St. Louis. It is expected to last through mid-June. The case is Anderson v. Monsanto Co., Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, No. WD87059. For Monsanto: Barbara Smith Tyson of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner For the plaintiffs: Edward Robertson of Bartimus Frickleton Robertson Rader
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Missouri appeals court upholds $611M judgment in Roundup liability case
Bayer lost its appeal Tuesday of a $611 million Missouri court judgment that found the glyphosat in Roundup weed killer caused their cancers (). German chemical giant Bayer received no relief from runaway litigation costs associated with Roundup herbicide Tuesday when the Western District Missouri Court of Appeals upheld a $611 million judgment that its product causes cancer. The decision, in a case involving three plaintiffs who sued in Cole County, is one of the reasons the company, which acquired Roundup as a product when it merged with Monsanto, in 2018, is considering dropping the product entirely. The company faces 67,000 lawsuits claiming the main ingredient, glyphosate, causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma, with many of those cases awaiting trial in St. Louis County, where the company has its Bayer Crop Science headquarters. The company failed to win passage of a bill intended to shield it from litigation in Missouri. The bill narrowly passed the House but lobbying missteps, including a campaign targeting some of the most conservative members of the state Senate, doomed it. The company did win passage of similar legislation in North Dakota and in Georgia. In November 2023, a Cole County jury awarded $1.6 billion to three plaintiffs who claimed their cancer was caused by glyphosate exposure while using Roundup. Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green reduced the $500 million punitive damages awarded to each plaintiff, instead reducing each award by varying amounts. Green did not change the amounts awarded for actual damages, which ranged from $5.6 million to $38 million and totaled $61.1 million. With post-judgment interest, the total Bayer owes is now in excess of $700 million. 'We're certainly pleased with the court of appeals decision that vindicates the jury's verdict and the trial court's judgment,' said attorney Matthew Clement of Jefferson City, who represented the plaintiffs in the case. 'We're happy that nothing happened in the legislature, this year at least, that will affect future cases and and will continue to litigate our cases like we had been.' In a statement issued through Bayer spokesman Brian Leake, the company said it would continue to appeal the case. 'We continue to believe that the trial court committed significant errors by allowing inadmissible and prejudicial testimony into the courtroom which poisoned the jury against the company,' the statement read. Bayer is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take its appeal of a 2024 Missouri case awarding $1.25 million in damages to John Durnell of St. Louis. The Eastern District Court of Appeals upheld that decision in February and on April 1 the Missouri Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal. The U.S. Supreme Court has given parties until June 9 to file arguments on whether it should accept the case. 'The overwhelming weight of science as well as the assessments of the EPA and leading health regulators and scientists worldwide that support the safety and non-carcinogenicity of Roundup and we will continue to defend our products in court,' the company stated. Bayer has paid out at least $10 billion for jury awards and settlements and earlier this year said it had an additional $6 billion set aside. That fund will be depleted quickly if decisions like the one upheld Tuesday are allowed to stand and the company suffers more losses like a $2.1 billion judgment handed down in March by a jury in Georgia. According to a report from Reuters, Roundup produced $2.8 billion in revenue for Bayer in 2024. The bill protecting glyphosate from litigation passed the Georgia legislature a few weeks after the $2.1 billion award. Gov. Mike Kehoe, at a news conference after lawmakers adjourned earlier this month, blamed defeat of the Missouri legislation on trial attorneys who have made 'tens of millions of dollars' off the lawsuits. 'If, for some reason, that particular product is not produced anymore in the United States, farmers are still going to need that type of product, that type of weed control, and so that, glyphosate I think is what it's called,will be produced somewhere,' Kehoe said. 'And if it is, it won't be produced in this country, and farmers will not have the same protections and liability recourse back on the companies who make it, if it's made in China or somewhere overseas.' Bayer is also being sued by shareholders in a class action lawsuit over its decision to spend $68 billion to acquire Monsanto in 2018. The lawsuit alleges Bayer misled investors over the risks of the acquisition and failed to properly perform due diligence before buying Monsanto, When Bayer acquired Monsanto in June 2018, its stock price was about $30 a share. On Tuesday afternoon, the company's shares were selling for $7 apiece. In the appeal of the Cole County decision, Bayer argued that Green made numerous errors in the trial and in rulings on post-trial motions. The company's lawyers' main points challenged the admissibility of testimony about a case over EPA evaluations of glyphosate; surprise findings from an expert; the use made of medical billing records; and whether the punitive damages were unconstitutionally duplicative. At the heart of most glyphosate cases, and the target of legislation, is the label and whether it includes a proper notice that glyphosate may cause cancer. 'The misconduct complained about in the complaints in the three California cases Monsanto relies on, and in (one plaintiff's) petition, includes allegations that despite scientific evidence that Roundup was carcinogenic, Monsanto continued to sell Roundup, and that Monsanto failed to warn of the dangerous effects of using Roundup,' Judge Cynthia Martin wrote in the Western District opinion delivered Tuesday. In a discussion of whether the punitive damage award should have been reduced more, Martin wrote that 'Monsanto's degree of reprehensibility was high.' Martin noted that the evidence shows that while the EPA has registered Roundup 'for sale since 1974, Monsanto has been aware since 1985 that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, has the potential to cause cancer.' Each of the plaintiffs suffered damages because Monsanto sold a product that was 'unreasonably dangerous when used as reasonably anticipated' without altering the labeling to provide a warning. 'Monsanto's awareness,' Martin wrote, 'of studies demonstrating the possibility of a causal relationship between glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, and cancer, particularly NHL, and then its decision to double down on its defense of Roundup in lieu of changing the product's formulation or adding a warning label regarding the risk posed by Roundup demonstrates, at best, Monsanto's indifference to or reckless disregard of the health of its customers.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
