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When President Donald Trump tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to become the nation’s top health official, his administration inherited a sprawling list of ideas to “Make America Healthy Again,” from banning TV drug advertisements to dropping restrictions on raw milk.While those unorthodox proposalsand Kennedy’s discredited views on vaccineshave dominated recent headlines, a slate of more familiar ideas have attracted interest on Capitol Hill and across the U.S.: making school lunches healthier, banning certain food additives, and cracking down on ultraprocessed foods linked to obesity and diabetes.For decades, public health groups have called for similar steps, lobbying federal leaders and mounting public campaigns about the risks of American diets loaded with salt, sugar, and fat.As Kennedy faces Senate confirmation hearings Wednesday and Thursday, health advocates find themselves in an uncomfortable position: voicing cautious support for some of Kennedy’s ideas while warning of the catastrophic consequences of others.“If there’s an opportunity to advance the public health, you have to seize it,” said Dr. Peter Lurie, a former FDA official who now leads the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. “So you can’t ignore the guy on everything because you oppose him on some things.”Like many experts, Lurie says Kennedy’s record on vaccines should disqualify him from becoming health secretary. And he’s deeply skeptical Kennedy can deliver on his ideas for food and nutrition.Kennedy’s confirmation is far from certain in the Senate, where he is expected to face pointed questioning from both Republicans and Democrats on the chamber’s health and finance committees. Kennedy has been downplaying his long history in the anti-vaccine movement, but experts say that’s where lawmakers should focus.“The elephant in the room is vaccine policy,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under Barack Obama. “In medicine we say: ‘Above all, do no harm.’ I’m certainly not convinced that RFK Jr. wouldn’t do a lot of harm to our vaccine policy and to our kids.”Still, such worries haven’t stopped some Democrats from finding shared interests.Former Ohio congressman Tim Ryan penned an op-ed last month titled: “Hey Democrats: We should work with RFK Jr. on fixing America’s food system.”Sen. Cory Booker, a vegan, told reporters that he and Kennedy are “talking out of the same playbook” when it comes to food reforms.Booker’s office did not respond to a request for comment. Trump and Kennedy are an unlikely alliance Trump’s unlikely alliance with Kennedy, a lifelong Democrat until 2023, reflects a diverse segment of Americans who increasingly worry about chemicals in their food and water and distrust medical experts, government officials, and big food and drugmakers.Supporters of Kennedy’s long shot presidential campaign included California parents concerned about food dyes in cereal and Midwestern factory workers resentful of COVID-19 vaccine mandates.But the clash between Trump’s antiregulatory approach and Kennedy’s anticorporate stance has many observers skeptical that much of the so-called MAHA agenda will ever happen.Requiring healthier foods in school lunches, for example, has long been opposed by food and agriculture companies that overwhelmingly backed Trump in the last election, donating to his campaign by a nearly 4-to-1 margin over Kamala Harris, according to records compiled by Opensecrets.org.During Trump’s first term, political appointees weakened school nutrition guidelines introduced as part of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign. The rules required schools to offer more fruit and vegetable options.Making major changes to the federal program involves coordination between the Agriculture Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, and dozens of state educational programs.“They don’t have the policy coherence to make that happen,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin of the American Public Health Association. “People have been talking about improving the quality of school lunches for many years, but it takes a lot of money and collaboration to do it at a national level.”Even seemingly smaller goals like banning potentially harmful food additives would require new regulations and staffers at FDAwhich Kennedy has vowed to “clear out.”U.S. foods contain hundreds of ingredients that aren’t permitted in Europe because American companies aren’t required to seek FDA approval before introducing them. Companies can self-certify that new colors or chemicals are “generally recognized as safe.”Efforts to reform the decades-old system have been rejected in court and defeated in Congress, with backing from industry lobbyists.Seemingly popular ideas like discouraging ultraprocessed foods could also prove untenable.“I don’t think most Americans know that when you talk about ultraprocessed foods you’re talking about ice cream, frozen dinners, fast food,” said Benjamin. “Are we really talking about changing the entire American food experience?” Experts hope for the best, but prepare for the worst If Kennedy is blocked from overhauling the nation’s food system he would still have many other ideas to pursue.“What we have is a bunch of good things that are very unlikely to happen weighed against a bunch of bad things that are very injurious but are much more feasible,” Lurie said.Kennedy has threatened to fire hundreds of employees at the National Institutes of Health and slash FDA regulations on a host of unproven treatments, including stem cells, psychedelics, and discredited COVID-era treatments like ivermectin.Even seemingly small changes on vaccines could have damaging consequences, experts say.Kennedy could dissolve current federal vaccine committees and staff them with advisers who are hostile to vaccines. Currently, insurers must pay for children to receive shots recommended by those experts. But the requirement would lapse if Kennedy’s appointees declined to endorse updated shots and immunization schedules.For now, Georgetown University’s Larry Gostin says he and other advocates are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.“If he comes up with ideas that are good and actionable, I will be the first one to applaud and put my back into helping them succeed,” said Gostin, a health attorney. “I’m just very skeptical that he will do that.” The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Matthew Perrone, AP Health Writr
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Today (Monday, January 27, 2025) is the first day that you can file your tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). But this year, many more Americans will have the option to use the IRSs Direct File system. Heres whos eligible for Direct File and things you need to know about the 2025 tax filing season. When is the 2025 tax filing season? The 2025 tax filing season begins today, Monday, January 27, 2025. That is the first day that people can file their tax returns for the 2024 tax year. This year, most people have until Tuesday, April 15, 2025, to file their 2024 returns. However, taxpayers may be eligible for filing extensions if they meet the necessary requirements. How can I file my 2024 tax return? There are many ways to file your 2024 tax return, including: By using an accountant. By using tax filing software like Turbo Tax or H&R Block. By mailing in a paper tax return. By using Direct File. That last optionDirect Fileis free for eligible taxpayers. What is Direct File? Direct File is an IRS program that allows eligible taxpayers to electronically file their tax returns directly with the IRS for free. Direct File launched a pilot program last year with a limited number of states. This year, the Direct File program is adding more states. One of the big benefits of Direct File is that, if you are eligible for it, you can use the program to file your taxes for freeno need to pay an accountant or pay for software from companies like Intuit or H&R Block just to file your taxes. Which states are eligible for Direct File? If you lived and worked in the following states, you may be able to use Direct File to file your federal taxes for 2024: Alaska Arizona California Connecticut Florida Idaho Illinois Kansas Maine Maryland Massachusetts Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina Oregon Pennsylvania South Dakota Tennessee Texas Washington state Wisconsin Wyoming Are there other eligibility requirements for Direct File? Yes. In addition to having to have lived and worked in the states above during 2024, Direct File can only be used if you have certain types of income. For example, the IRS states that Direct File can be used for W-2 wage income, 1099-INT interest income, and various other types of income. However, if you had some types of income, including gig economy, rental, or business income, you will not be able to use Direct File. Requirements to use Direct File can be found here. The IRS also offers an online tool that lets you check if you are eligible to use Direct File. The IRS estimates that up to 30 million people are eligible to use the Direct File program. Is Direct File an app? No, its an online tool. However, it is designed so that you can use it on your computer, phone, or tablet. How is Direct File different than Free File? Direct File is web-based software created by the IRS. The Free File program allows tax filers to use commercial software to file their taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS). Usually, taxpayers would need to pay for this commercial software, but if their income level is below a certain amount, the Free File program gives them access to the software for free. According to the IRS, to be eligible for Free File this tax season, you must have had a 2024 adjusted gross income (AGI) of $84,000 or less. In total, the IRS says it expects more than 140 million individual tax returns to be filed between today and the end of the tax filing season on April 15. How soon can I get my tax refund? That depends on how you file. According to the IRS, it takes up to 21 days to receive your refund payment if you filed electronically and use direct deposit. (Amended and paper returns will take longer.) The agency has an online tool called Where’s My Refund? where you can check the status of your refund, sometimes as soon as 24 hours after filing.
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Perplexity AI has presented a new proposal to TikTok’s parent company that would allow the U.S. government to own up to 50% of a new entity that merges Perplexity with TikTok’s U.S. business, according to a person familiar with the matter.The proposal, submitted last week, is a revision of a prior plan the artificial intelligence startup had presented to TikTok’s parent ByteDance on January 18, a day before the law that bans TikTok went into effect.The first proposal, which ByteDance hasn’t responded to, sought to create a new structure that would merge San Francisco-based Perplexity with TikTok’s U.S. business and include investments from other investors.The new proposal would allow the U.S. government to own up to half of that new structure once it makes an initial public offering of at least $300 billion, said the person, who was not authorized to speak about the proposal. The person said Perplexity’s proposal was revised based off of feedback from the Trump administration.If the plan is successful, the shares owned by the government would not have voting power, the person said. The government also would not get a seat on the new company’s board.ByteDance and TikTok did not immediately responded to a request for comment.Under the plan, ByteDance would not have to completely cut ties with TikTok, a favorable outcome for its investors. But it would have to allow a “full U.S. board control,” the person said.Under the proposal, the China-based tech company would contribute TikTok’s U.S. business without the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app, according to a document seen by the Associated Press. In exchange, ByteDance’s existing investors will get equity in the new structure that emerges.The proposal seems to mirror a strategy Steven Mnuchin, treasury secretary during Trump’s first term, discussed Sunday on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futuresthat a new investor in TikTok could simply “dilute down” the Chinese ownership and satisfy the law. Mnuchin has previously expressed interest in investing in the company.“But the technology needs to be disconnected from China,” he added. “It needs to be disconnected from ByteDance. There’s absolutely no way that China would ever let us have something like that in China.”The Perplexity proposal comes as several investors are expressing interest in TikTok. President Donald Trump said late Saturday that he expects a deal will be made in as soon as 30 days.On a flight from Las Vegas to Miami on Air Force One, Trump also said he hadn’t discussed a deal with Larry Ellison, CEO of software maker Oracle, despite a report that Oracle, along with outside investors, was considering taking over TikTok’s global operation.“Numerous people are talking to me. Very substantial people,” Trump said. “We have a lot of interest in it, and the United States will be a big beneficiary. . . . I’d only do it if the United States benefits.”Under a bipartisan law passed last year, TikTok was to be banned in the United States by January 19 if it did not cut ties with ByteDance. The Supreme Court upheld the law, but Trump then issued an executive order to halt enforcement of the law for 75 days.Trump, on Air Force One, noted that Ellison lives “right down the road” from his Mar-a-Lago estate, but added, “I never spoke to Larry about TikTok. I’ve spoken to many people about TikTok and there’s great interest in TikTok.”TikTok briefly shut down in the U.S. a week ago, but went back online after Trump said he would postpone the ban. Trump had unsuccessfully attempted a U.S. ban of the platform during his first term. But he has since reversed his position and has credited the platform with helping him win more young voters during last year’s presidential election.TikTok CEO Shou Chew attended Trump’s inauguration January 20, along with some other tech leaders who’ve been forging friendlier ties with the new administration.Congress voted to ban TikTok in the U.S. out of concern that TikTok’s ownership structure represented a security risk. The Biden administration argued in court for months that it was too much of a risk to allow a Chinese company to control the algorithm that fuels what people see on the app. Officials also raised concerns about user data collected on the platform.However, to date, the U.S. hasn’t provided public evidence of TikTok handing user data to Chinese authorities or allowing them to tinker with its algorithm. Haleluya Hadero and Christopher Rugaber, AP Business Writers
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