Dietary guidelines become mired in war over alcohol safety

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers and industry players are asking the Department of Health and Human Services to put a stop to a controversial study on alcohol and health that could inform the next round of U.S. nutrition recommendations.

Specifically, they’re taking issue with a committee housed within HHS’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration focused on underage drinking.

The committee has plans to draft a report compiling research on alcohol intake and health, which HHS plans to use to inform the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the comprehensive document updated every five years with recommendations on how Americans should eat and drink for a healthy lifestyle. HHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are currently drafting new guidelines for 2025 to 2030 and plan to publish them by the end of 2025.

The guidelines have long recommended that Americans limit alcohol intake to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. But it’s unclear whether officials will recommend an even lower amount of alcohol in this round of updates in light of research suggesting that no amount of drinking is safe.

—CQ-Roll Call

‘We could have our child do it’: Trump appears to throw shade at BMW, Mercedes workers in South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Former President Donald Trump said foreign automakers are “getting away with murder” by making parts in Germany and assembling them in plants in South Carolina, describing it as something a child could do.

“They say, ‘Oh yes, we’re building cars.’ They don’t build cars. They take ’em out of a box, and they assemble ’em. We could have our child do it,” Trump said during an appearance at the Economic Club of Chicago Tuesday.

Trump did not mention any company by name but South Carolina has only two German automakers — BMW in Spartanburg County and Mercedes Benz Vans in Ladson. BMW assembles a range of vehicles and Mercedes-Benz makes Sprinter vans.

The reaction across the internet was fast and furious from local Spartanburg residents to nationally known business leaders. Businessman Mark Cuban said, “He still thinks it’s 1965. It’s obvious he has no idea what it takes to manufacture any advanced product, car or otherwise.”

—The State (Columbia, S.C.)

California: Chinese chemical manufacturer is targeted by federal prosecutors trying to stop flow of fentanyl

LOS ANGELES — Before harmful and deadly drugs such as fentanyl and xylazine reach the streets of cities such as Los Angeles, they must first make their way into the country.

An indictment unsealed last month in federal court in Los Angeles seeks to slow the flow of such drugs into the U.S. by targeting a Chinese company and its executives accused of manufacturing the chemicals used to make the drugs. Instead of focusing on street drug dealers, the indictment goes after Wuhan-based Hubei Aoks Bio-Tech Co. and four of its executives.

"What's important to see with this indictment is that we are really taking a comprehensive approach to fighting the fentanyl epidemic," Martin Estrada, U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said in an interview with The Times. "We're not just going after mid-level sellers on dark web and going after cartels seizing large amounts of pills, we're also going after these precursor companies."

The indictment targets the company's owner, Xuening Gao, along with Guanzhou Gao, who handled the companies cryptocurrency wallets, as well as Yajing Li and an unnamed defendant, who were salespeople for the company. It hits the front end of the supply chain process, Estrada said. Chemical precursors are largely sourced from chemical companies in China that sell their products internationally.

—Los Angeles Times

Italy sends first migrants to Albania under disputed deal

An Italian naval vessel delivered the first group of asylum seekers to Albania as part of a controversial deal that raises the stakes in how European Union member states grapple with migration.

The group of 16 migrants rescued at sea arrived at the port of Shengjin early Wednesday, where they’ll be processed on Albanian soil by Italian authorities for potential asylum status in Italy, according to the local port authorities. The effort to ‘offshore’ the asylum process away from Italian territory has been criticized by humanitarian organizations.

The Italian Navy patrol ship set sail for Albania on Monday, carrying the first group of migrants, 10 from Bangladesh and six from Egypt. The migrants were brought to the reception center under police escort.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has touted the arrangement as a potential blueprint for E.U. member states as she seeks to crack down on irregular migration, an issue that has polarized the region. Poland this month abruptly announced a plan to temporary suspend asylum rights, while Germany has imposed border restrictions.

—Bloomberg News