Police take down crime group accused of making illegal cannabis edibles packaged like name-brand candy

(NEW YORK) — The U.S. surgeon general is calling for a “fundamental shift” in how the mental health and well-being of parents is supported and prioritized.

In a health advisory released Wednesday, Dr. Vivek Murthy, himself a father of two, said parents and caregivers are struggling amid a youth mental health crisis, financial difficulties, social media issues and more.

“Parents typically don’t talk about this all the time,” Murthy said in an interview that aired Wednesday on ABC News’ Good Morning America. “They tend to focus on their kids’ health and well-being, but there’s also this sense of shame and guilt, sometimes around struggling as a parent.”

Citing statistics that show parents are consistently more likely to report high levels of stress than other adults, Murthy wrote in the advisory there needs to be a culture shift and an all-hands-on-deck approach to supporting parents from employers, government agencies, health care providers and local communities.

According to the advisory, 48% of parents say most days, their stress is completely overwhelming, compared to 26% of other adults without kids.

“Supporting parents and caregivers will require a series of thoughtful policy changes and expanded community programs that will help ensure parents and caregivers can get time off to be with a sick child, secure affordable child care, access reliable mental health care, and benefit from places and initiatives that support social connection and community,” Murthy wrote. “It will also require us to rethink cultural norms around parenting.”

He continued, “Part of that will involve shifting how we value parenting. The work of raising a child is work, no less valuable than the work performed in a paid job and of extraordinary value when it comes to the impact on the future of society.”

According to the advisory, more than 60 million parents in the U.S. live with children under the age of 18.

The U.S. is currently one of seven countries globally that does not have any guaranteed form of universal paid leave, according to a petition to pass paid leave on a federal level in the U.S. that was delivered to all members of Congress in July.

Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau earlier this year found that, on average, families pay between 8% to 19% of their income per child on child care.

Kaitlyn Niles, a 34-year-old working mom of two, told GMA that she feels the pressure to balance her career and family and to meet the often unattainable standard of parenting set by society.

“There’s so much pressure on parents to spend all of this quality time with your kids, like sit on the ground and play pretend with your 4-year-old, you know,” Niles said. “And when you think about it logically, it’s like, there’s no way my mom was able to do that with six kids.”

Meanwhile, Eric Martinez, a father of two from Colorado, said he has had to learn new strategies in limiting his kids’ access to technology and social media.

“Navigating those conversations can be challenging because it’s new. It’s new for all of us,” he told GMA. “You know, we didn’t share this experience growing up. We didn’t have access to this technology when we were 7, 8, 9, 10 years old, so we’re kind of figuring this out as we go along.”

Murthy stated in this week’s advisory that the stressors parents are experiencing have made them vulnerable to the nationwide epidemic of loneliness and isolation.

“It also turns out that parents are struggling with loneliness at a much higher level than other adults, particularly single parents,” Murthy said, speaking with GMA.

In his advisory, Murthy noted that parents and caregivers should remember that it’s OK to set healthy boundaries and take time for themselves, which in turn will make them better supports for their family.

In addition, parents and caregivers are encouraged to “nurture connections” with other parents and caregivers and to seek professional mental health support when needed.

If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises, please call or text 988. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.

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(BATTLE CREEK, Mich.) Hundreds of people gathered outside the WK Kellogg headquarters in Michigan on Tuesday calling for the company to hold up its promise to remove artificial dyes from its breakfast cereals sold in the U.S.

Nearly 10 years ago, Kellogg’s, the maker of Froot Loops and Apple Jacks, committed to removing such additives from its products by 2018.

While Kellogg’s has done so in other countries including Canada, which now makes Froot Loops with natural fruit juice concentrates, the cereals sold in the U.S. still contain both food dyes and a chemical preservative.

In the U.S., Froot Loops ingredients include Red Dye No. 40, Yellow Dye No. 5, Yellow Dye No. 6 and Blue Dye No. 1.

Food activist Vani Hari, also known as the Food Babe on social media, spoke to the crowd of demonstrators at the cereal giant’s offices in Battle Creek on Tuesday.

“I’m here for the moms, all the moms, who struggle to feed their children healthy food without added chemicals,” she said.

In response to the protests, Kellogg’s insisted its products are safe for consumption, saying its ingredients meet the federal standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The agency has said that most children experience no adverse effects from color additives, but critics argue the FDA standards were developed without any assessment for possible neurological effects.

The protests come in the wake of a new California law known as the California School Food Safety Act that bans six potentially harmful dyes in foods served in California public schools. The ban includes all of the dyes in Froot Loops, plus Blue Dye No. 2 and Green Dye No. 3.

The bill was passed by state legislators in August and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September.

Studies suggest that consumption of said dyes and colorants banned under the new California School Food Safety Act may be linked to hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral problems in some children, as the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment outlined in a 2021 report.

While there are still thousands of chemicals allowed for use in our country’s commercial food system, many of those that have been reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration have not been reevaluated for decades. Red 40, for example, was last evaluated for health risks in 1971.

Reports from the American Academy of Pediatrics align with this push to reassess the safety of artificial food coloring.

California previously made history in October 2023, when Newsom signed AB 418 into law, a first-of-its-kind bill that bans four harmful chemicals from candy, cereals, salad dressings and other processed foods in the state starting in 2027.

That law will end the use of brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben and Red Dye No. 3 in food products sold throughout the state.

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(NEW YORK) — The announcement from TV travel guide Rick Steves about his prostate cancer diagnosis this week is putting a spotlight on the disease and the importance of Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) screening.

In a statement posted on his X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday, Steves shared that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and will undergo surgery next month after he finishes filming two new shows in France for the next three weeks.

“I’ll likely get my surgery in late September, be laid up for a month, and—God willing—be cancer-free and back at it by the end of October,” he wrote. “I have great trust in my doctor and in Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. And I have lots more to be thankful for…including the support of friends and loved ones and a strong faith that I’m in good hands.”

Steves, who is known for his travel shows such as Rick Steves’ Europe and “Travel with Rick Steves,” added in the statement that he isn’t too concerned about the diagnosis.

“While the statistics tell me I should be just fine, I’ve been fortunate to have never spent a night in a hospital — and I find myself going into this adventure almost like it’s some amazing, really important trip,” he explained. “I feel good about my positive attitude — and I expect to take home some delightful, if intangible, souvenirs like: appreciating and seeing a vibrancy in the little things; appreciating the goodness in people and the treasure of friends and family; being wowed by modern medicine and the army of amazing, smart, and dedicated people that make it possible; appreciating what a blessing life, health, and this world to enjoy is; and — just in general — being more thankful.”

He added, “I’m looking forward to many more years of happy travels, exciting collaborations, and beautiful friendships. Thank you for your love and support (and any “travel tips” you may have for me as I set off on this journey).”

How common are deaths from prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is considered the second-leading cause of cancer death in men, and the first is lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Although prostate cancer can be a serious disease, most men who were diagnosed with it did not die from it, ACS said.

“In fact, more than 3.3 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today,” ACS added.

The good news is likely due to early detection and advances in treatment, the prostate cancer death rate has declined by about half from 1993 to 2013.

In recent years, the death rate has stabilized, likely reflecting the rise in cancers being found at an advanced stage, according to ACS.

How to get early detection for prostate cancer

Like many cancers, early detection is vital. Prostate cancer can be screened for with a blood test called Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA). The goal of screening is to catch cancer before symptoms present and can be done during medical check-ups.

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), which helps establish standards for screening tests, says the decision to screen people aged 55-69 for prostate cancer should be a choice between the individual and their healthcare provider based on personal risk.

The USPSTF, notably, does not recommend screening over the age of 70.

What happens next after a high PSA is detected?

After a high PSA is detected, a doctor may call for a biopsy after ruling out other possible causes.. However, there are risks of complications such as infection or bleeding.

When making the decision of when to screen someone for prostate cancer, clinicians also consider the risk of someone developing prostate cancer. Some groups, including Black Americans, have a higher risk.

Black men and women are more likely to die from prostate, uterine and breast cancer compared to other races, according to data from the ACS.

Additionally, while screening is designed to detect and treat aggressive prostate cancer, not all identified prostate cancer will require treatment, especially as they age. In some cases, doctors will keep a close eye on people with low grade prostate cancers, something called active surveillance.

However, recommendations for screening do not apply if a patient develops symptoms like trouble urinating or blood in the urine. If that happens, people should talk to their doctor right away.

The USPSTF is currently reviewing the guidelines for prostate cancer screening and recommendations may change in the next few years.

Dr. Camry Kelly, DO, a member of the ABC Medical News Unit and is Chief Resident at Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency Program in Rochester, Minnesota as well as Dr. Ashley Yoo, MD, a member of the ABC Medical News Unit and an Internal Medicine Resident at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. contributed to this report.

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