Health Glance
99% of chemicals in our food right now were added without FDA approval. Many were added in secret, through a sneaky loophole built into the 1958 Food Additives Amendment.
It was supposed to require FDA approval for new additives. But food companies and chemical makers found a workaround. And the FDA formally okayed the loophole in the 90s — in the process bringing attention to a loophole to the loophole.
The FDA has essentially admitted it doesn't have the capacity to verify the safety of new food chemicals. So they leave it up to food companies and chemical makers to declare their brand new chemicals are safe. These chemicals are used in everything from chocolate and smoked fish, to tea bags, protein drinks, popcorn, and seeds.
The sneaky way companies get new chemicals into our food
Is a 'vomiting virus' going around? Data shows spikes across US
Hikers along Southern California's Pacific Crest Trail have been smacked with fast-spreading cases of a "winter vomiting disease" – and they aren't the only ones.
east two dozen hikers have fallen ill along the trail near Wrightwood in the San Gabriel Mountains of San Bernardino County over the last two weeks, according to the Victorville Daily Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, resulting in at least one air rescue. All are believed to have norovirus, a gastrointestinal illness that causes unpleasant symptoms.
While the hikers may be in one of the less ideal situations to contend with an illness known for causing vomiting and diarrhea, California is not the only home to a current outbreak.
Data from WastewaterSCAN, a Stanford University-led tool that tracks disease presence by testing wastewater samples nationwide, categorized norovirus activity as "high" and on an upward trend nationwide in late May. Norovirus was in 100% of samples taken in May, and concentrations were especially high in the Northeast and Midwest.
The latest CDC data from the National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System also showed a recent, multi-week increase in cases after a sharp seasonal decline beginning in March. About 11.2% of administered norovirus tests came back positive the week ending April 28, while 12% did so the week ending May 2.
Trump faces health questions ahead of annual Walter Reed physical
President Donald Trump is expected to undergo the fourth medical exam of his second term on Tuesday as his 80th birthday approaches next month and he faces questions about his health.
The White House announced earlier this month that Trump would receive his annual dental and medical exam on May 26 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Trump, who turns 80 on June 14, is the oldest person ever elected to the presidency, and his health has been in the spotlight in recent months. He has experienced bruising on his hands, swelling in his lower legs and a rash on his neck.
The president and his doctors say he is in good health.
"I feel the same as I felt 50 years ago," Trump said May 4 at a White House event. "I'm not a senior. I'm far younger than a senior."
Trump attributes the bruising to his aspirin intake, which he said is more than his doctor recommends. Aspirin can help prevent blood clots by thinning https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/05/25/donald-trump-health-medical-exam-walter-reed-age/90249981007/the blood.
Number of suspected Ebola cases in DR Congo passes 900 as health workers face attacks and shortages
Congolese authorities say that suspected Ebola cases have now passed 900 in the ongoing outbreak in the east of the country.
The Congolese ministry of communication, in a post on X on Sunday, said there were 904 suspected cases and 119 suspected deaths.
Authorities had previously announced more than 700 suspected Ebola cases, and more than 170 suspected deaths, mostly in Ituri province, where the outbreak is centred.
The World Health Organization has said the outbreak now poses a “very high” risk for the Democratic Republic of Congo, but that the risk of the disease spreading globally remains low.
Abortion pills "just in case"? Planned Parenthood will offer them in two states
When abortion restrictions are in the news, as they have been for several weeks, research shows that many Americans take that as a signal to stock up on abortion medications even if they're not pregnant.
Now, for the first time, a Planned Parenthood affiliate is offering what's called the "advance provision" of abortion medication. The initiative, shared exclusively with NPR, launched Thursday and is called "Just In Case Abortion Pills." It means people can have the abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol on their shelf to be used in the future if they want to end an early pregnancy.
"As evidence supporting this model of care has continued to grow, and with supportive policy environments in Washington and in Hawai'i, this really is the right time for us to step into this space," says Rebecca Gibron, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai'i, Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky.
A range of telehealth organizations have offered prescriptions of abortion medication in advance for the past several years. Elisa Wells, co-founder of the website about medication abortion called Plan C, says this move by a Planned Parenthood affiliate is significant.
American doctor with Ebola evacuated to Germany as wife and four children are monitored in Congo
By the time the American surgeon who contracted Ebola in Congo was flown to Germany for treatment Tuesday, he was barely able to stand on his own, according to two leaders of the Christian missionary group where he worked.
Dr. Scott Myhre, the East and Central Africa area director for the group, called Serge, described the scene as Dr. Peter Stafford departed.
“There were people in full — we call it PPE — the personal protective equipment, and they’re completely covered, and he’s hanging on them barely strong enough to walk,” Myhre said. “He looked really tired and really sick.”
Stafford worked at Nyankunde Hospital, which is in Congo’s Ituri province, where the Ebola outbreak is centered. Days before the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the outbreak, Stafford operated on a 33-year-old patient with severe abdominal pain, Myhre said. At the time, doctors thought the patient had a gallbladder infection.
Stafford “did an abdominal procedure and found that the gallbladder was normal and closed him up, but this patient subsequently died the next day,” Myhre said.
Another popular pantry item recalled over potential salmonella contamination
Yet another item that may be in your pantry has been recalled over possible salmonella contamination.
A recall notice shared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shows select croutons sold at Kroger stores in 17 states are being pulled from the shelves because an ingredient, a dry milk powder, may have been contaminated with salmonella.
The latest item is Kroger Homestyle Cheese Garlic Croutons, which are sold in 5-ounce pouches with a UPC of 0 11110 81353 4. The recall only impacts pouches with any of the below use-by dates:
FEB 17 27 FEB 18 27 FEB 27 27 FEB 28 27
MAR 6 27 MAR 9 27 MAR 21 27
APR 1 27 APR 7 27
According to the notice, affected crouton pouches were sold at Kroger stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin between March 7 and April 7 of this year.
No illnesses have been reported in connection with the croutons, officials said.
Salmonella are bacteria that cause the illness salmonellosis. You can become infected by drinking or interacting with contaminated water; touching animals, their feces, or their spaces (a recent outbreak was linked to backyard poultry); or by eating contaminated food.
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