E (4:37)

128 recommendations are things that I've been dreaming about my whole life.

B (4:43)

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Rolled out a new report from his Make America Healthy Again Commission to tackle what he has framed as a health crisis among American children. In it, Kennedy doubled down on some of his most controversial views, like questioning fluoride in water and the safety of vaccines. But he also took on some topics that have gotten broader support, including warning about the dangers of pesticides and ultra processed foods. My colleague Alice Callahan covers nutrition and health for the Times.

F (5:15)

Yesterday I called up food policy experts and asked what they thought of the report. They said there are some good ideas here, like greater oversight of food additives, healthier foods in schools and hospitals, more nutrition research. But they said the report really lacked regulatory muscle. One expert called the report all promises and no teeth. And they said they'll be watching to see if the administration actually funds and implements many of the ideas in the report and ultimately if they take bigger steps to regulate food companies.

B (5:50)

Meanwhile, the White House did take action yesterday on one of the Maha report's recommendations. President Trump directed the administration to sharply crack down on TV ads for prescription drugs. Right now, the US Is nearly the only wealthy country in the world where commercial breaks are flooded with them. That started happening in the 90s after the FDA relaxed rules that required drugmakers to list out a huge amount of information about possible side effects. The change made it easy for drugmakers to start running quick ads because they could cut down any warnings to just that lightning fast. This product may cause dizziness, nausea, constipation, bloating, sudden death, etc. Now Trump wants to put those restrictions back in place, though any policy change is expected to face an aggressive First Amendment challenge from the drug industry, which spends billions of dollars each year advertising its products.

E (6:51)

So over the last few days, this eruption of public anger, the protests that spread like wildfire across Kathmandu, was the fastest and fiercest civilian uprising that I've seen anywhere in recent years. It's astonishing how big it got and how fierce.

B (7:07)

My colleague Alex Trevelli is covering the protests and the violent crackdown in Nepal, which have plunged the country into chaos. The uproar began after the government tried to block social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Those apps had become a key platform for people to voice their anger about inequality in Nepal. The hashtags nepobabies and Nepo Kids had recently become flashpoints there as people shared photos claiming to show the luxury lifestyles of the children of Nepal's political elite. A ban on the platforms set off a mass death demonstration of young people in what Alex says are being called the Gen Z protests.

E (7:50)

During the first day of the protests, when police or security forces opened fire into a crowd, taking the lives of, we think, at least 19 of the protesters, it became clear that this wasn't going to stop simply when the government reversed its ban. Indeed, the next day, Tuesday, things escalated. And by then there were probably hundreds of thousands of protesters on the streets, burning all kinds of things, setting fire to the parliament, the Supreme Court, the homes of former prime ministers. The sitting prime minister resigned and flew off in a helicopter. Other former prime ministers were rounded up and beaten, some of them on camera. And by the end of yesterday, pretty much the whole capital was in flames. And it was only about 10pm last night that the army stepped in, said that it was taking responsibility for law and order. And on Wednesday, now we're expecting some kind of high level meetings between the activist leaders and the army. The sort of issues they're talking about have nothing to do with social media. It's about corruption, lack of opportunities for young people in the country. And the protesters, best I've been able to understand, are calling for a whole new government. What we've just seen happen at double pace in Nepal is quite a lot like these other youth led protest movements that have toppled governments in South Asia in recent years. It was three years ago that Sri Lanka's entrenched ruling family fled the country in a jet after a mostly youth led movement. And just last year the same thing happened in Bangladesh. So these sort of medium sized countries of South Asia, they are quite unlike one another in a lot of ways. But one thing they all have in common is enormous youth populations, people who are extremely frustrated with the status quo. In particular, it seems to offer them no opportunities. So there are a lot of disempowered feeling teenagers and 20 something year olds who in a way have everything at stake and also feel they have nothing to lose. It creates a very powerful combination politically.

B (10:04)

And Finally I flew 14 hours all the way to Japan just to try Seven Eleven. In Japan, Seven Eleven convenience stores have a die hard loyal foodie following. That is something of a surprise when you think about American Seven Elevens and what they offer.

E (10:22)

Sometimes you need a 9am Chili cheese dog just to shock your body back into routine.

B (10:26)

Japanese convenience stores are actually known for high quality, fresh food, and now Seven Eleven's parent company is betting billions of dollars that it can expand its business in the US Using that same model, turning the stores into food meccas. Seven Eleven is the biggest convenience store chain in the US but its parent company has had a rough go recently in terms of stiff competition and a falling stock price. It's hoping to revitalize and grow its US Market by adding a thousand in store restaurants and providing more of its own branded prepared food, the company's new chief executive told the Times. Whether it's hot food or cold food or any kind of food, we have to lean into how we improve the quality, saying that's what Japan does extraordinarily well. One speed bump to the whole plan could be location in Japan. Many of the stores get deliveries of fresh food multiple times a day in the US 7 11's scattered locations at sometimes far flung gas stations could make that a bit harder. Those are the headlines today on the Daily A look at how Jeffrey Epstein leveraged his relationships with the rich and powerful to fund a years long criminal operation. You can listen to that in the New York Times app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.