Despite assurances from Trump administration officials that farmers will not be impacted by its attempts to reduce environmental chemical exposure from foods, agricultural leaders have been expressing concern that the move will explode costs for farmers and more than double the cost of food. 

The administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission, made up of many of President Donald Trump’s political appointees and closest policy advisors, released an assessment strategizing how they will tackle childhood chronic diseases, such as obesity and mental health challenges. Part of the report’s focus is on children’s chemical exposure from our foods, which the report says is linked to developmental issues and chronic diseases.   

Amid the report’s release, farm groups have expressed concern over the MAHA agenda’s focus on pesticides. They have said that if the administration starts clamping down on widely used pesticides, crop yields would decline, input costs would surge and food costs would more than double.

‘Farmers are already facing a host of challenges—uncertainty about their access to critical crop protection products shouldn’t be added to the list,’ said Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, Executive Director of the Modern Ag Alliance. ‘Crop protection tools are not only safe, they are essential to food security, affordability, and the survival of family farms all across this country. Losing access to these critical inputs would be a devastating setback to American agriculture.’

Officials from the MAHA Commission sought to reassure farmers at an event releasing their assessment on childhood chronic diseases on Thursday. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said that ‘at the center’ of the MAHA agenda is ‘making American agriculture great again.’

‘We love our farmers, and we want to pay respect to our farmers. And we always will,’ President Trump added at the Thursday event from the White House. ‘We won the farmers by a lot in the election, and every election, all three elections – and we won by a lot. I will never forget that. And they are foremost in our thought.’

But some farmers are still expressing concern.

‘The Make America Healthy Again Report is filled with fear-based rather than science-based information about pesticides. We are deeply troubled that claims of this magnitude are being made without any scientific basis or regard for a long history of EPA expert evaluations of these products,’ the National Corn Grower’s Alliance (NCGA) said. ‘We call on the administration to respect the existing body of science on pesticides and, moving forward, to include America’s farmers in discussion as this process evolves.’ 

According to a statement put out by the Modern Ag Alliance, pesticides are ‘rigorously tested’ by the federal government, noting that in the case of glyphosate – mentioned multiple times in the MAHA report – it is one of the most thoroughly studied pesticides of its kind. 

They said that if the MAHA report drives future policy decisions it would hurt farmers and more than double the cost of food.

‘Without glyphosate—the most widely used weed-fighting tool by U.S. farmers—crop yields would decline, input costs would surge by 150%, and food inflation would more than double,’ the group said. ‘When Sri Lanka prohibited the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers in 2021, crop yields fell by over 50%, forcing the government to import massive amounts of food just to meet basic needs. We should be focused on moving American agriculture—and the country—forward.’

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been a vocal opponent against the dangerous health impacts of under-regulated pesticides even before he was the MAHA Commission’s leader, said last week in a Senate hearing that ‘we cannot take any step that will put a single farmer in this country out of business.’

‘There’s a million farmers who rely on glyphosate,’ he said. ‘100% of corn in this country relies on glyphosate. We are not going to do anything to jeopardize that business model.’ 

The MAHA report reiterates the economic importance of protecting farmers, but it also lists glyphosate in an infographic of ‘Chemical Classes and Common Exposure Pathways’ and says research studies have shown it can cause a range of health effects. It also lists atrazine and other chemicals as dangerous to childhood health.   

MAHA Commission officials have said that part of the administration’s focus will be a return to the gold standard of science, but the NCGA said the focus on certain widely-used pesticides, such as atrazine and glyphosate, goes against ‘decades of extensive research and testing.’

‘If the administration’s goal is to bring more efficiency to government, then why is the secretary of Health and Human Services duplicating efforts by raising questions about pesticides that have been answered repeatedly through research and reviews by federal regulatory bodies?’ the group questioned.

Jennifer Galardi, a senior policy analyst focused on health and wellness issues at the Heritage Foundation, took a more balanced view of the MAHA commission’s strategy towards pesticides like glyphosate, noting that it appeared to thread the needle between supporting farmers and trying to ensure America’s food supply is safe and free of chemicals that could impact child health. 

‘The MAHA Commission Report seems to carefully examine competing issues in a very complex agricultural debate: the potential that crop protection tools as they’re referred to in the report may cause adverse health outcomes and the desire to protect the economic interests of farmers and the country,’ Galardi said. ‘However, everyone should agree that the companies that manufacture products such as glyphosate and GMO’s shouldn’t have undue influence over the research upon which sound policy is based. The American public should demand transparency around these decisions.’

Galardi posited that, due to the tension around the issue of pesticides, the MAHA Commission may decide to go after ‘low-hanging fruit,’ such as improving children’s diets and lack of physical activity, which, she said, are big drivers of obesity and metabolic dysfunction.

In response to this article, a USDA spokesperson sent the following statement from Secretary Rollins:

‘We must do more to improve the health outcomes of our kids and families, and President Trump knows agriculture is at the heart of the solution. America’s farmers and ranchers dedicate their lives to the noble cause of feeding their country and the world, and in doing so have created the safest and most abundant and affordable food supply in the world. We are working to make sure our kids and families are consuming the healthiest food we produce. I look forward to continuing to work with Secretary Kennedy and other members of the MAHA Commission to improve our nation’s health.’

White House spokesman Kush Desai, in a separate statement, echoed Rollins’ sentiment about the importance of agriculture and farmers when it comes to executing the MAHA mission. He also reiterated that the MAHA movement is grounded in ‘Gold Standard of Science.’

‘The guiding principle of President Trump’s movement to Make America Healthy Again is the Gold Standard of Science, and everyone from America’s farmers to everyday parents are critical for the success of this movement,’ Desai said. ‘The MAHA Commission’s report is a historic step by our government to, for the first time, comprehensively review the latest evidence and research of what we know – and what we don’t know – is driving the health crisis afflicting America’s children.’

King Charles III arrived in Canada on Monday for a symbolic visit showing support for the country, which recognizes him as its sovereign, amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to acquire the North American nation as the 51st U.S. state.

Charles and his wife Queen Camilla landed at Ottawa Airport in Ontario, where the king met on the tarmac with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Governor General Mary Simon, the king’s representative in Canada. The king later held separate meetings with Carney and Simon.

Charles, 76, has kept a limited schedule while undergoing cancer treatment. His two-trip to Canada signals a strong commitment to the country, which is one of 15 nations where he is monarch.

This is Charles’ first visit to the former British colony since becoming king in September 2022.

The king accepted an invitation from Carney to open Parliament on Tuesday – the first time a British monarch has carried out the duty since his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, 68 years ago.

Carney invited Charles to Canada after Trump repeatedly suggested he wanted to annex the country, an idea fiercely rebuked by the prime minister, who secured an election win last month in part due to Canadians’ disapproval of Trump’s wish to make the country part of the U.S.

‘The prime minister has made it clear that Canada is not for sale now, is not for sale ever,’ Canada’s envoy to the U.K., Ralph Goodale, told reporters during a visit last week by Charles to Canada’s high commission in London.

‘The king, as head of state, will reinforce the power and the strength of that message,’ Goodale added.

Earlier this month, Carney told Trump that Canada is ‘not for sale’ and ‘won’t be for sale, ever’ during a meeting at the White House.

Charles has made subtle signals showing his support for Canada in recent months by wearing Canadian medals, calling himself the king of Canada and describing the country’s flag as ‘a symbol that never fails to elicit a sense of pride and admiration.’

The king now must perform a tricky balancing act as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is attempting to reach favorable outcomes with Trump over trade and the war in Ukraine.

When Starmer visited the White House in February, he delivered Trump an invitation from Charles for an unprecedented second state visit for the U.S. president, who has repeatedly praised the royal family.

Carney, however, said that gesture had upset Canadians.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., called Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘crazy,’ expressing support for Ukraine and advocating for ‘Secondary sanctions & arms support NOW.’

‘I agree with President Trump, war criminal Putin is crazy. The civilized world will not sit by for Putin’s imperial tantrum at the cost of more children’s lives. Secondary sanctions & arms support NOW. Grateful to stand with Ukraine as they continue to repel this unprovoked INVASION and work for peace in their homeland,’ Wilson wrote on X on Monday.

President Donald Trump asserted in a Sunday night Truth Social post that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ‘gone absolutely CRAZY!’ and is ‘needlessly killing’ many people. 

Trump, who has been aiming to help bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, blasted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the post as well, declaring, ‘Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop.’

In a Monday night post on X, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, urged President Trump to act. 

‘I’ve had enuf of Putin killing innocent ppl. Pres Trump Take action AT LEAST SANCTIONS,’ Grassley said in the post.

A massive bipartisan coalition of U.S. senators is supporting a proposed sanctions measure. Grassley is an original cosponsor on the Senate measure and Wilson is an original cosponsor on the House edition.

Zelenskyy is also advocating for sanctions.

‘New and strong sanctions against Russia — from the United States, from Europe, and from all those around the world who seek peace — will serve as a guaranteed means of forcing Russia not only to cease fire, but also to show respect,’ Zelenskyy declared Monday in a post on X.

Former President Joe Biden’s official health reports during his White House tenure did not show signs of aggressive prostate cancer, a Fox News Digital review of the health documents shows. 

Biden, who suffered two brain aneurysms in 1988 that nearly claimed his life, received clean bills of health in 2021, 2023 and 2024, according to former White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor’s annual reports on the president’s state of health. 

Biden was scheduled to receive a physical by the end of January 2023 but delayed the evaluation due to a busy travel schedule, the White House reported at the time. The former president had a roughly 15-month period between his 2021 physical and one conducted in February 2023. 

Fox News Digital reviewed the three reports posted by the White House in 2021, 2023 and 2024 and found that there were no signs indicating aggressive prostate cancer was on the horizon for the 46th president — though concerns over skin cancer were a common theme throughout the three reports. 

2021 

Biden’s White House physician released the president’s first annual health report in November 2021, declaring Biden a ‘healthy, vigorous’ man. 

‘President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous, 78-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,’ O’Connor wrote in the 2021 report. 

The report included routine screenings of Biden’s heart, eyes and teeth, as well as his occasional gastroesophageal reflux. 

The report noted that Biden also underwent ‘routine’ screenings for both colon cancer and skin cancer. Biden had multiple ‘localized, non-melenoma skin cancers removed’ ahead of his presidency after spending a good deal of time in the sun as a youth, the report stated, but that there were ‘no areas suspicious for skin cancer’ during the 2021 physical. 

The report did find that Biden was increasingly ‘throat clearing’ and coughing during public events. O’Connor stated that Biden had long cleared his throat or coughed during speaking engagements, but such coughing or throat clearing ‘certainly seem more frequent and more pronounced over the last few months.’ 

O’Connor said gastroesophageal reflux was likely the culprit behind Biden’s coughing after conducting multiple lung, oxygen and biological tests. 

The report also noted that Biden’s gait had become noticeably more stiff, which the doctor said required a ‘detailed investigation.’ The stiffened gait was attributed to Biden’s wear and tear on his spine and mild sensory peripheral neuropathy of the feet, which O’Connor said could be addressed with physical therapy and exercise. 

2023 

O’Connor released details on Biden’s second physical as president on Feb. 16, 2023, roughly 15 months after the release of his first presidential physical. The delay between the health assessments was attributed to the president’s busy schedule. 

Biden was notably also diagnosed with COVID-19 in July 2022 during the interim period of his first and second physicals. Biden was reported to have mild symptoms that July and was treated with the antiviral drug Paxlovid. 

The February 2023 physical report found that Biden was in good health and ‘fit’ to serve as president. 

‘President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous 80-year-old male who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency,’ O’Connor wrote in his 2023 health memo.

The report found that Biden’s gait had remained stiff since his last physical, though the issue had not worsened. The report overall found that his heart, lungs, eyes and teeth were all in good health. 

Biden underwent routine skin cancer surveillance, which found a small lesion on the president’s chest that required biopsy. The lesion was removed just a couple of weeks later without issue, a follow-up memo from O’Connor states. 

‘As expected, the biopsy confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma,’ Biden’s doctor wrote in a memo after the lesion was removed. ‘All cancerous tissue was successfully removed. The area around the biopsy site was treated presumptively with electrodessication and curettage at the time of biopsy. No further treatment is required.’ 

The 2023 physical health report also provided updates on Biden’s COVID-19 recovery, which the White House doctor said went smoothly in part due to Biden receiving the coronavirus vaccine and two booster shots before the infection. 

2024 

The report on Biden’s final physical examination as president was released Feb. 28, 2024 and again found the president in good health and able to serve as president. 

‘President Biden is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,’ the most recent memo stated. 

Again, vital organs such as the heart and eyes received a clean bill of health, while Biden’s stiff gait did not worsen in the interim since 2023, though the doctor noted ‘arthritic changes’ that were moderate to severe. 

O’Connor reported that he conducted a neurological exam and determined that no cerebral or neurological issues were compounding the president’s stiff gait. The test did support previous findings of peripheral neuropathy of the feet, the report stated. 

The 2024 physical additionally noted that the lesion removed from Biden’s chest the year prior needed no additional treatment, as basal cell carcinoma typically does not metastasize. 

The report added that Biden had been using a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine when sleeping after he showed symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea. The president had previously reported similar symptoms in 2008 and 2019, O’Connor stated, but that they subsided after sinus and nasal passage surgeries before his presidency.

He also underwent a root canal that year with no complications. 

Who is Dr. O’Connor? 

Dr. O’Connor has overseen Biden’s health since 2009 and built a close relationship with the president and his family, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

‘I have never had a better commander than Joe Biden,’ O’Connor said in a profile interview with his alma mater, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, when Biden served as vice president. ‘All politics aside, he approaches his craft with such honor. He’s 100 percent ‘family first.’ He’s ‘genuinely genuine.’’

O’Connor overwhelmingly remained out of the spotlight during Biden’s tenure until the spring of 2024, when speculation mounted among both conservatives and Democrats that the president’s mental acuity was slipping, with pundits and the media subsequently demanding to hear directly from O’Connor on the state of Biden’s health. 

The White House physician is affectionately known to Biden and his family simply as ‘Doc,’ and was requested by Biden in 2009 to stay on as his physician after serving in the White House Medical Unit under the President George W. Bush administration, according to the profile. 

O’Connor was first appointed to the White House Medical Unit in 2006 for what was intended to be a three-year military assignment, according to his profile published by the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, from which he graduated in 1992. 

Instead, ‘Vice President Biden asked O’Connor to stay on,’ the profile continues. 

O’Connor complied, marking the beginning of their doctor-patient relationship that has reportedly evolved into a close relationship with the president’s large family. 

Biden’s 2017 memoir, ‘Promise Me, Dad,’ features the president reflecting on his close relationship with ‘Doc,’ including O’Connor joining the family on their annual vacation to Massachusetts’ Nantucket in his capacity as the White House physician and balking at the family’s ‘browsing extravaganza’ on the island. The White House medical unit always travels with a president to best protect his health and safety.  

The physician’s relationship with the family seemingly grew closer, according to the memoir, when the president’s son, Beau Biden, was diagnosed with brain cancer — which ultimately claimed his life in 2015. 

‘Doc was good with Beau, who was still trying to get his bearings in those first few days. Real fear was starting to creep in. Sometimes Beau would grab him when everybody else was out of earshot to get his honest assessment,’ Biden wrote in the memoir. 

‘‘Whatever it is, this is bad,’ he told Beau, ‘but we’re gonna find out what it is. And once we find out what it is, we will have a plan.’’ 

‘‘Promise?’ Beau asked.’

‘‘Promise.’’ 

In another excerpt, Beau Biden requested O’Connor ‘promise’ to take care of his father if he should die. 

‘‘Seriously, Doc. No matter what happens,” Beau Biden said to O’Connor, according to the book. ‘’Take care of Pop. For real. Promise me. For real.’’

Back in 2018, Joe Biden’s sister-in-law, Sara Biden, described O’Connor as a ‘friend’ who provided medical advice to members of the Biden family beyond the eventual commander in chief. 

‘Colonel O’Connor was actually a friend and he — we would frequently ask for his recommendations if any of us had a medical issue, so it was not uncommon to ask him if he had a recommendation,’ she said in a deposition related to a New York state medical malpractice case involving her daughter, Fox News previously reported. 

The state of Biden’s health now?

Biden’s office announced May 18 that the former president had been diagnosed with an ‘aggressive form’ of prostate cancer, which set off concern that such a cancer should have been discovered sooner. 

‘Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,’ Biden’s team shared in a statement. ‘On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.’ 

‘While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,’ the statement said. ‘The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.’ 

Physicians have remarked that they are ‘shocked’ that the cancer had not been discovered sooner. 

‘Thank God they found it. (Biden is) a fighter. He’s been through a tremendous amount in his life… with his son, with (his) wife, with (his) daughter,’ Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel said May 19. ‘Two aneurysms, atrial fibrillation. He’s been through a lot health-wise, but I am absolutely shocked that they didn’t find this earlier.’ 

A spokesperson for Biden confirmed to Fox News on May 20 that Biden’s last known prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, which screens a patient for prostate cancer, was conducted in 2014. 

‘President Biden’s last known PSA was in 2014,’ a Biden spokesperson told Fox News. ‘Prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer.’ 

Biden posted to X on May 19 in his first message since publicly revealing the diagnosis to thank supporters. 

‘Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,’ Biden wrote on X, accompanied by a photo with former first lady Jill Biden. ‘Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.’ 

Romanian populist Calin Georgescu announced his retirement from politics after being barred from running in the country’s presidential election rerun this month. 

The decision comes after Georgescu ran for president late last year and emerged victorious in the first round of voting. However, a top Romanian court then annulled the result after allegations emerged of electoral violations and Russian interference. Georgescu was later banned from participating in this month’s contest, which was won by pro-European Union candidate Nicusor Dan. 

‘I choose to be a passive observer of public and social life,’ the 63-year-old Georgescu said in a video posted online late Monday. ‘I choose to remain outside any political party structure … I am not affiliated with any political group in any way.’ 

Georgescu – who ran as an independent in November – said he made his decision to take a step back following the conclusion of the presidential race, which for him indicated ‘the sovereignist movement has come to a close.’ 

‘Even though this political chapter has ended, I am convinced that the values and ideals we fought for together remain steadfast,’ he added. ‘My dear ones, I have always said that we would make history, not politics.’ 

In February, prosecutors opened criminal proceedings against Georgescu, accusing him of incitement to undermine the constitutional order, election campaign funding abuses, and founding or supporting fascist, racist, xenophobic, or antisemitic organizations, among other charges. On Tuesday, he was due to appear at the prosecutor’s office in Bucharest. 

Despite what appeared to be a sprawling social media campaign promoting him, Georgescu had declared zero campaign spending in last year’s contest. A Romanian court then made the unprecedented move to annul the election. 

‘This December, Romania straight up canceled the results of a presidential election based on the flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency and enormous pressure from its continental neighbors,’ Vice President JD Vance said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference in February. 

‘Now, as I understand it, the argument was that Russian disinformation had infected the Romanian elections, but I’d ask my European friends to have some perspective. You can believe it’s wrong for Russia to buy social media advertisements to influence your elections. We certainly do. You can condemn it on the world stage even. But if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with,’ Vance added. 

Georgescu sparked controversy for describing Romanian fascist and nationalist leaders from the 1930s and 1940s as national heroes, according to the Associated Press. He has also praised Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past as ‘a man who loves his country’ and has questioned Ukraine’s statehood, but he claims not to be pro-Russian. 

Georgescu has argued the election was ‘canceled illegally and unconstitutionally,’ and after he was barred from the May rerun, he accused the authorities of ‘inventing evidence to justify the theft’ of the elections. 

Earlier this year, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Bucharest in a show of support for Georgescu. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.