Month: June 2025

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a Tennessee law that prohibits certain forms of gender-affirming medical treatment for minors. This ruling marks the first time the Supreme Court has directly addressed a state law targeting gender-affirming care, making it one of the most consequential decisions related to LGBTQ+ rights in recent years.

The high court ruled 6-3 in United States v. Skrmetti, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing for the majority. Roberts stated: “this case touches on deeply contested scientific and policy discussions about the risks, benefits, and ethical considerations of medical care in a rapidly developing field. There are strong, sincere viewpoints on both sides, and the stakes are significant for everyone involved.”

According to Roberts, the court concluded that Tennessee’s law does not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. He emphasized that the matter should ultimately be decided by lawmakers and the electorate, not the judiciary, writing that: “The Equal Protection Clause does not resolve these contested policy issues. And it does not grant us the authority to resolve them according to our own judgment. Our responsibility is not to assess the merit or logic of the law in question, but simply to determine whether it stands up under constitutional scrutiny.”

In rejecting the challenge brought by several transgender teens and their parents, Roberts dismissed the claim that denying access to puberty blockers and hormone therapy constituted sex-based discrimination, writing that: “the law applies equally to all minors. Under SB1, no minor is permitted to receive puberty blockers or hormone therapy for the treatment of gender dysphoria.”

The court’s three liberal justices –  Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson – dissented, with Justice Sotomayor delivered her dissenting opinion from the bench. Sotomayor expressed deep concern over the majority’s ruling: “this decision effectively invites lawmakers to legislate discrimination,” she said. “It gives a green light to policies that will cause significant harm to transgender youth and their families.” Sotomayor argued that the Court had failed to fulfill its duty by refusing to subject the law to serious constitutional review: “In choosing to stand back when it matters most, the Court leaves transgender children and those who care for them at the mercy of politics. I cannot stand by this—so I dissent, with sorrow.”

Nationwide, an estimated 1.6 million people over the age of 13 identify as transgender, with approximately 300,000 of them between 13-17 years old. Tennessee is among 24 states that currently enforce bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

Editorial credit: creativetan / Shutterstock.com

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday that FreshRealm is recalling pre-made chicken fettuccine alfredo meals sold at Kroger and Walmart nationwide over concerns the ready-to-eat meals could possibly be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes. All products made before Tuesday are impacted.

According to a notice from the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), FreshRealm, which provides meals to retailers and food delivery services like Blue Apron and Amazon Fresh, is voluntarily recalling all chicken alfredo dishes produced before June 17 “out of an abundance of caution.”  The listeria strain found is the same one involved in an outbreak that has killed three people and sickened at least 17 people in 13 states.

The USDA’s FSIS said in a statement, “As of June 17, 2025, there have been three reported deaths and one fetal loss associated with this outbreak. The outbreak strain of Lm was isolated from ill people on dates ranging from August 2024 to May 2025. The same outbreak strain was isolated from a routine chicken fettuccine Alfredo sample collected by FSIS in a FreshRealm establishment in March 2025.”

The agency said that “FSIS is concerned that some products may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”

The recalled products have the USDA mark of inspection on the product label and establishment numbers “EST. P-50784,” “EST. P-47770,” or “EST. P-47718” printed on the packaging. The recalled products include:

• 32.8-oz. tray packages containing “MARKETSIDE GRILLED CHICKEN ALFREDO WITH FETTUCCINE Tender Pasta with Creamy Alfredo Sauce, White Meat Chicken and Shaved Parmesan Cheese” with best-by date 06/27/25 or prior.
• 12.3 oz. tray packages containing “MARKETSIDE GRILLED CHICKEN ALFREDO WITH FETTUCCINE Tender Pasta with Creamy Alfredo Sauce, White Meat Chicken, Broccoli and Shaved Parmesan Cheese” with best-by date 06/26/25 or prior.
• 12.5 oz. tray packages containing “HOME CHEF Heat & Eat Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with pasta, grilled white meat chicken, and Parmesan cheese” with best-by date 06/19/25 or prior.

That lot of products was destroyed; however, the USDA said purchase records from two ill people traced chicken Alfredo products to FreshRealm establishments. The source of the listeria contamination in the FreshRealm products has not been identified, with an investigation ongoing.

Listeriosis causes serious symptoms and can be deadly, especially for older adults and people with weakened immune systems. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headaches, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. Diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms may occur and the invasive infection can spread beyond the gastrointestinal tracts.

Editorial credit: Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com

Kraft Heinz, the manufacturer of foods such as Jell-O, Capri Sun and Kool-Aid, announced Tuesday that they will remove artificial dyes from its products sold in the U.S. by the end of 2027. The multinational food company also said it will stop making new products that contain these dyes, effective immediately. Over 200 brands are manufactured by Kraft Heinz, which is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Kraft Heinz said that 10% of its products contain the dyes and that it has invested in removing the colors or replacing them with natural colors. Pedro Navio, North America president at Kraft Heinz, said in a statement that the company removed artificial colors, preservatives and flavors from its Kraft Mac & Cheese product in 2016, and that its Heinz tomato ketchup has never had artificial dyes.

Navio’s statement read, in part: “As a food company with a 150+ year heritage, we are continuously evolving our recipes, products, and portfolio to deliver superiority to consumers and customers. The vast majority of our products use natural or no colors, and we’ve been on a journey to reduce our use of FD&C (Food, Drug & Cosmetic) colors across the remainder of our portfolio. … Above all, we are focused on providing nutritious, affordable, and great-tasting food for Americans and this is a privilege we don’t take lightly.”

Kraft Heinz’s announcement comes after U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled a plan in April to start phasing out eight synthetic food dyes in the American food supply. At a news conference announcing the plan, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said health agencies were looking to revoke authorization for two synthetic food colorings and to work with the food industry to eliminate six remaining synthetic dyes used in a variety of food products.

Shortly thereafter, PepsiCo’s CEO said on an earnings call that the company had already begun phasing out artificial colors. In-N-Out also announced in May it was removing artificial food dyes from menu items. Other companies, like Kellogg’s, have previously stated their products are safe for consumption, and they are following federal standards set by the FDA.

The FDA currently allows 36 food color additives, including eight synthetic dyes used heavily in U.S. products (certain states, including California and West Virginia, have enacted bans to restrict their use). Last month, the FDA approved two dyes and expanded approval of a third, meaning it can now be used in a wider range of food products.

Editorial credit: Jennie Book / Shutterstock.com

New York City comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents at an immigration court Tuesday in the city. The incident occurred after Lander linked arms with a person that authorities were attempting to detain.

Lander’s press secretary Kat Capossela told NBC News in an email that “while escorting a defendant out of immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, Brad was taken by masked agents and detained by ICE. This is still developing and we are monitoring the situation closely.”

In video taken by NY1 reporter Courtney Gross, Lander is seen in a hallway escorting a man whose case was reportedly dismissed after a hearing. As masked ICE agents approach, Lander locks arms with the man and asks for agents’ badge numbers and to see a warrant for the man’s arrest. Lander states: “Do you have a judicial warrant? I will let go if you have a judicial warrant,” when agents then grab Lander and shove him up against a nearby wall and handcuff him, saying that he was obstructing the proceedings. Lander is seen shouting “You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens,” before he’s was taken away in an elevator along with several of the masked agents.

DHS told Fox News Digital that Lander is charged with assaulting or impeding a federal officer, with a DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin confirming Lander’s arrest and said that the comptroller was being held for “assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer.” She added “it is wrong that politicians seeking higher office undermine law enforcement safety to get a viral moment.  No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences.”

Lander was accompanied by his wife, Meg Barnette, who told reporters following his arrest that they were swarmed by federal agents as the comptroller escorted a man through the courthouse hallway after his immigration hearing. This was Lander’s third time observing hearings in recent weeks (per the Associated Press.)

Lander later told reporters that he had not been charged following his arrest: “I’m grateful to hear that the charges are not being brought, but if they are, I’ve got a lawyer. I don’t have to worry about my due process rights,” while comparing his case to that of a man named Edgardo that he met earlier Tuesday who is in ICE detention.  Lander added: “He’s not going to sleep in his bed tonight. So far as I know, he has no lawyer. He has been stripped of his due process rights by a government and a judge that owe him a credible fear hearing before they deport him.”

Lander was elected comptroller in 2021. He is one of several candidates running in the Democratic mayoral primary slated for June 24. Zohran Mamdani, Lander’s rival for mayor who he recently cross-endorsed in the race, immediately called for his release: “NYC Comptroller Brad Lander was just arrested by Trump’s ICE agents because he asked to see a judicial warrant. This is fascism and all New Yorkers must speak in one voice. Release him now.”

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is also running for NYC mayor, called the incident the “latest example of the extreme thuggery of Trump’s ICE out of control.”  New York Attorney General Letitia James called Lander’s arrest “profoundly unacceptable … arresting Comptroller Lander for the simple act of standing up for immigrants and their civil rights is a shocking abuse of power. No one should face fear and intimidation in a courthouse, and this is a grotesque escalation of tensions. The administration’s rampant targeting of New Yorkers only makes our communities less safe.”

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said that federal prosecutors are still investigating the incident.

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com