One of the most surprising aspects of President Donald Trump’s second term in office thus far has been his commitment to the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) platform championed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Now that the second Trump administration has been in place for more than 200 days, MAHA supporters and advocates are touting a host of milestones and additive bans that have already been achieved, as Breitbart reports, and are looking ahead to what is yet to come.
Several key accomplishments already notched by RFK and HHS can be seen in the changes to which food industry giants have agreed, adjustments that span cooking practices as well as additives.
Fast food notable Steak & Shake pledged to banish seed oils and begin preparing its offerings with beef tallow, a health-conscious shift lauded by Kennedy and his supporters.
Iconic West Coast chain In-N-Out Burger promised to eliminate Red Dye 40, Yellow 5, and artificial flavorings from its products, marking another sea change in fast food.
Other household names that appear ready and willing to get on board the MAHA train include PepsiCo, McCormick, Kraft, Nestle, Heinz, Conagra, Tyson, Hershey, and General Mills, all of which have committed to the elimination -- or at least reduction -- of their use of synthetic dyes in their product lines.
In a push to encourage healthier eating among impoverished communities, the Trump administration, with the help of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, has authorized waivers for a growing number of states to ban the use of food stamps for the purchase of junk foods and sodas.
Kennedy, who has had a decades-long interest in vaccine safety, made headlines last week when it was announced that HHS would be initiating a “coordinated wind-down” of its mRNA vaccine development activities.
The push is set to include the “cancellation and de-scoping of various contracts and solicitations” which had been undertaken pursuant to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
According to HHS, the decision “follows a comprehensive review of mRNA-related investments initiated during the COVID-19 public health emergency.”
Kennedy explained, “We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted. BARDA is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu.”
He continued, “We’re shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.”
Though critics such as former Surgeon General Jerome Adams have blasted the mRNA funding decision in particular and suggested that “people are going to die” as a result, the administration stands firm in trumpeting the MAHA achievements tallied to date.
White House spokesperson Liz Huston declared last week, “In its first 200 days, the administration has delivered on the president’s pledge by restoring Gold Standard Science at HHS,” adding her belief that “the best is yet to come – the administration is committed to doubling down and continuing to transform American good, health care, and science to Make America Healthy Again,” a focus for which millions are assuredly grateful.
Well before he took office for a second term, Donald Trump vowed to make illegal immigration one of his signature issues upon returning to the White House, and he shows no sign of backing away from that promise.
As Breitbart reports, the Department of Homeland Security under Trump has decided to call an end to the Biden-era policy of “quiet amnesty” for illegal migrants.
The Trump administration’s reversal of the aforementioned Biden-era policy will facilitate the reopening of hundreds of thousands of deportation cases that were administratively closed in recent years.
Under the prior president, immigration judges were urged to dismiss or close cases instead of adjudicating the underlying asylum claims.
The problem, according to the Trump administration, is that the vast majority of such claims tend to be invalid once subjected to scrutiny.
Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, addressed the shift in policy, declaring, “Biden chose to release millions of illegal aliens, including criminals, into the country and used prosecutorial discretion to indefinitely delay their cases and allow them to illegally remain in the United States.”
“Now,” she continued, President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem are following the law and resuming these illegal aliens' removal proceedings and ensuring their cases are heard by a judge.”
Last fall, the House Judiciary panel’s Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement issued a report on the harm done by the Biden administration’s policy, which was titled “Quiet Amnesty: How the Biden-Harris Administration Uses the Nation’s Immigration Courts to Advance An Open-Borders Agenda.”
A press release on the report’s findings emerged, suggesting that the prior administration’s stance resulted in upwards of 1 million illegal arrivals remaining in the country on an indefinite basis.
The report added that the Biden DOJ and DHS “caused the immigration court backlog to skyrocket, adding over 3.7 million new cases since fiscal year 2021, with over 1.5 million originating just in the first three quarters of fiscal year 2024.
With only a small number of cases resulting in grants of asylum, the Biden administration sought the abandonment, dismissal, termination, or administrative closure of hundreds of thousands of cases, allowing illegal arrivals to remain in the U.S. without facing any immigration consequences.
“This quiet amnesty,” the press release noted, “has become a hallmark of the Biden-Harris Administration’s immigration courts,” but it now appears that the practice will be coming to an end.
The Trump administration’s move to reopen cases that were previously closed or dismissed is likely to result in a dramatic change in circumstances for migrants who believed themselves safe from detention or removal, a misapprehension sadly fostered by the Biden administration.
As tumultuous as that experience may be for some, the Trump administration is determined to enforce immigration law to the best of its ability, in keeping with the president’s persistent theme of “promises made, promises kept.”
President Donald Trump and his top Cabinet officials vowed to eliminate all forms of taxpayer-funded abortions as they entered office for the president's second term, and that's exactly what they're doing.
According to The Federalist Papers, the Trump administration this week "proposed ditching a Biden administration-era rule that forced taxpayers to subsidize veterans’ abortions."
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposed a rule that would eliminate a Biden-era policy that essentially combined “abortion counseling" and abortion services into the taxpayer-funded medical benefits package that veterans receive.
The Trump administration argued that the policy is "legally questionable" and fully "inappropriate."
The administration held nothing back in explaining why it's poised to ditch the policy that was created by the former Biden administration.
“We believe the 2022 interim final rule was not only inappropriate as a matter of fact but also was legally questionable," the federal register entry read.
"The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is proposing to reinstate the full exclusion on abortions and abortion counseling from the medical benefits package, which was removed in 2022. Before that time, this exclusion had been firmly in place since the medical benefits package was first established in 1999," the register entry stated.
U.S. bishops applaud a proposed VA rule to end taxpayer-funded abortions, saying veterans deserve care, not abortion. “VA facilities must be places of hope, not death,” they stated.
Read here: https://t.co/ecSkItSTj3
📷: OSV News photo/Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters pic.twitter.com/RkPtCYxJDz
— The Good Newsroom (@thegnewsroom) August 5, 2025
It added, "VA is also proposing to reinstate the exclusions on abortion and abortion counseling for Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) that were removed in 2022."
The VA added that "the Biden administration predicted a high demand for VA abortions that never materialized."
Because it was posted on the Federal Register, Americans will have until Sept. 3 to comment on the proposed change.
“This proposed rule restores VA to its proper role as the United States’ provider of needed medical services to those who served, delivered on behalf of a grateful nation," the register's statement added.
The proposed rule to squash the Biden-era policy was applauded in MAGA and conservative circles across social media.
Only time will tell how the public commenting part of the process affects the overall outcome.
The Trump administration is once again making changes at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in naming yet another acting commissioner to lead the agency on Trump's watch.
According to the Daily Caller, former Republican lawmaker Billy Long, who was the most recent acting director of the agency, is no longer in the position, as he has been named the ambassador to Iceland.
Long had only been on the job for two months before being replaced, marking yet another shakeup at the agency.
Trump named Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to step in to lead the agency until a more permanent IRS leader is found. A senior White House official confirmed the changes to multiple news outlets.
It wasn't exactly clear why Long was not only taken out of the IRS leadership spot but also given a high-profile ambassadorship.
Bessent will be the sixth acting director of the IRS, setting a new record in a sense, as the agency hasn't seen that many heads in the first year of a president's new term in a very long time.
Long released a statement on his new job as ambassador to Iceland, thanking Trump for the confidence in assuming the role and for the opportunity to do it.
“It is a honor to serve my friend President Trump and I am excited to take on my new role as the ambassador to Iceland. I am thrilled to answer his call to service and deeply committed to advancing his bold agenda. Exciting times ahead!” Long wrote.
“It is a honor to serve my friend President Trump and I am excited to take on my new role as the ambassador to Iceland. I am thrilled to answer his call to service and deeply committed to advancing his bold agenda. Exciting times ahead!” - Billy Long
— Billy Long (@auctnr1) August 8, 2025
The Daily Caller noted:
Long is a former auctioneer who served in the House for more than a decade representing Missouri’s 7th Congressional District beginning in 2011. He sponsored legislation to abolish the IRS while serving in Congress.
Users across social media speculated on why all of a sudden Long is no longer leading the agency. Many wished him well.
"Billy, I met you in Missouri when you told me how to pronounce Lebanon in MO! I wish you and your wife the very very best and I hope your children are still doing exceptionally well!" one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Good luck. Was hoping that you were going to bring some needed changes to the IRS, would have liked to see what your leadership might bring about."
It'll be interesting to see who the Trump administration formally selects for the position in the future.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Would three be better than two? While President Trump announced Friday that he'd be meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska Aug. 15, word is now coming out of the White House that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may also get an invitation.
According to NBC News, a senior U.S. official and three people briefed on the internal discussions say it is a possibility.
"It's being discussed," one of the people briefed on the discussions said. "Everyone is very hopeful that would happen."
Asked by NBC whether the U.S. had officially invited Zelensky to Alaska, a senior White House official said: "The president remains open to a trilateral summit with both leaders. Right now, the White House is focusing on planning the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin."
Hope is that Trump can effect a ceasefire or end of the Ukraine-Russia war, as he has with other global conflicts during his second term in office.
If Zelensky were to travel to Alaska, it is not clear if he and Putin would ever be in the same room, one of the people briefed on the discussions said.
Putin has not agreed to a ceasefire but proposed the outlines of an agreement to end the war that would allow Russia to keep large swaths of Ukrainian territory. Zelensky said Saturday that Ukrainians "will not give their land to occupiers."
Trump Friday spoke of "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both" nations.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
With the end of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, thanks to the recission bill passed by Congress, which effectively defunded CPB, the Trump administration is reportedly pushing for PragerU to replace previous educational TV in government schools – something that's already happening in some states.
PragerU is a video-based provider of educational material for children and adults founded by conservative talk-show host Dennis Prager.
According to Vox, Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon recently introduced a partnership with the provider, confirmed by PragerU CEO Marissa Streit. The partnership has already created new material for an exhibit at the White House' new Founders Museum.
There are at least eight states that have gone to PragerU for educational material, Vox reported.
President Donald Trump wants the next census to exclude illegal immigrants from the count, Breitbart reported. This issue matters as congressional districts are given representatives based on population, while Democrats import millions of illegal immigrants.
In a post to Truth Social on Thursday, Trump shared that he already has plans in the works to change how the surveys are conducted. "I have instructed our Department of Commerce to immediately begin work on a new and highly accurate CENSUS based on modern-day facts and figures and, importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024," Trump wrote.
"People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" the president concluded. Although the president has no authority to recount the census, he and other lawmakers can fine-tune how the data is used.
The U.S. Census Bureau conducts its survey once a decade for the entire United States and its five territories. The last census was conducted in 2020, marking the first time the option to complete the census online was available, meaning the next will be due in 2030 after Trump leaves office.
Those counted have always included people who entered the country illegally, but with so many swaying the balance in Congress, Trump believes the time has come to exclude them from assigning representatives. It's long been understood as a Democratic strategy to inflate their influence like this, and the numbers bear that out.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies, California, New York, and Texas gained additional seats while Alabama, Ohio, Michigan, and Minnesota lost seats due to illegal immigrants in the count. Moreover, there are as many as 22 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S., with an expected rate of one-in-six U.S. residents being foreign-born by 2060.
Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller said on Wednesday's Hannity program on Fox News that Democrats have incorporated this into their strategy. "Democrats have gerrymandered the vote beyond recognition to try and maintain their advantage in the House elections," he told host Sean Hannity.
"Let’s not forget, Democrats rigged the 2020 census by including illegal aliens!" Whether his opinion about the "rigged" census is correct or not, it's an issue that is being addressed by some GOP lawmakers.
According to Fox News, the "Equal Representation Act" was introduced in the Senate in June with heavy Republican support. This legislation would add the question and exclude noncitizens from being counted in apportionments, given their significant political influence.
"It is unconscionable that illegal immigrants and noncitizens are counted toward congressional district apportionment and our electoral map for the presidency, which also heavily skews the seat count in the U.S. House of Representatives," said Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) in a statement when the bill was introduced in June. Hagerty noted that Democrats purposely allow unchecked illegal immigration for this purpose.
"While people continue to flee Democrat-run cities, desperate Democrats have backfilled the mass exodus with illegal immigrants so that they do not lose their seats in Congress or their electoral votes, hence artificially boosting their political power and, in turn, diluting the power of other Americans’ votes. I’m pleased to lead my colleagues in reintroducing this legislation that would require a citizenship question on the census and will ensure that only citizens are counted in congressional redistricting," Hagerty said.
Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC), who introduced a similar measure in the House during the Biden administration, noted that the U.S. Constitution mandates everyone be counted. "But the Constitution does not specify whether noncitizens or illegal aliens must be counted for the purpose of apportioning House seats," Edwards said.
There's no reason that illegal immigrants should go toward the count that decides a state's representation in Congress. Democrats have been benefiting as illegal immigrants flood into their states, and Trump and the Republicans are right that this has to stop.
President Donald Trump's Department of the Interior has nixed the Lava Ridge Wind Project that was pushed through late in the Biden administration, Town Hall reported. The project would have installed a vast wind farm consisting of 231 wind turbines along 57,447 acres of rural Idaho landscape.
The need for energy solutions remains a priority, but wind farms have long been understood to be less than ideal for that purpose. Still, President Joe Biden's Bureau of Land Management approved the project in December 2024, which would have created the largest wind farm on land.
It was expected to generate 1,000 megawatts of power, but this technology comes with many more downsides. When announcing the cancellation, the Department of the Interior cited some of the cons of the renewable energy source.
"Under President Donald J. Trump, the Department of the Interior will no longer provide preferential treatment towards unreliable, intermittent power sources that harm rural communities, livelihoods, and the land, such as the Lava Ridge Wind Project and the radical Green New Scam agenda that burdens our nation and public lands," the department said in a statement. The decision is one welcomed by the people of Idaho and its leaders.
The project was bad policy for several reasons, but Interior Department officials found out that the project was also full of "crucial legal deficiencies" in the way then-President Joe Biden approved it. The department found that "unique statutory criteria that were ignored" at the time, which was enough to give the Interior Department pause.
Trump had made it a priority to halt the project on day one of his presidency, suspecting that the controversial project was rubber-stamped during Biden's final month in office. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum praised Trump for doing so in a statement.
"Under President Donald Trump's bold leadership, the Department is putting the brakes on deficient, unreliable energy and putting the American people first. This decisive action defends the American taxpayer, safeguards our land, and averts what would have been one of the largest, most irresponsible wind projects in the nation," Burgum wrote.
"By reversing the Biden administration's thoughtless approval of the Lava Ridge Wind Project, we are protecting tens of thousands of acres from harmful wind policy while shielding the interests of rural Idaho communities," Burgum added. The decision was also popular with Idaho Gov. Brad Little, who passed an executive order similar to Trump's that was aptly named "Gone with the Lava Ridge Wind Project Act."
Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson also celebrated the project's demise. "For four years, the Biden administration demonstrated that it would rather prioritize renewable wind power over multiple-use mandates directed by Congress," Simpson wrote, adding that Biden didn't "genuinely engage with stakeholders to address concerns about the Minidoka National Historic Site, grazing, wildfire response, and more" during the approval process.
Despite all of the problems that come with wind turbines, including aviation concerns, impact on wildlife, and quality of life, some in Idaho are lamenting the project's cancellation, according to the Idaho Capital Sun. The Idaho Conservation League said that this decision does not address the continued need for renewable energy.
"While the Lava Ridge Project wasn’t perfect, we desperately need to develop new sources of renewable energy in order to meet the growing demand for electricity and replace carbon-emitting coal and gas power plants," the environmental conservation group said in a statement. The 2024 report from Idaho’s Office of Energy and Mineral Resources’ Energy Landscape 2024 Report noted that 40% of its energy comes from out of state.
“If the Lava Ridge Project is not a suitable location, then we need to work together to find locations that are suitable for the development of wind and solar in Idaho. Opposing all wind and solar projects is not a viable solution,” the Idaho Conservation League claimed.
The organization believes that continuing to use more coal and fossil fuels to generate energy is a net negative for the people of Idaho. "At the end of the day, if we fail to develop wind and solar projects, then we will be on the hook for higher electric bills and longer, hotter, drier, and smokier summers," the organization claimed.
Wind farms are unsightly and use vast expanses of open space that could otherwise be used to farm or for recreation. Nobody wants these on their land, but radical environmentalists want to keep pushing it on people in rural communities. Trump was right to do what he did, and the people of Idaho are grateful to him for it.
President Donald Trump accused Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of "extortion" after Democrats held out on hundreds of Senate confirmations over $2 billion in funding, Newsmax reported. The Senate broke for summer recess without confirming the executive appointments after a deal couldn't be reached.
More than 140 of Trump's picks are awaiting confirmation as Schumer maneuvers to delay or block them until he gets his way. Among the nominees are 30 ambassadors, including Kimberly Guilfoyle as ambassador to Greece, and Mike Walz as United Nations ambassador.
Many of them have already been approved with bipartisan support in their respective committees. However, Schumer has set into motion a procedural requirement for the Senate to agree on voting rules for candidates as Democrats ask for their pet causes to be funded, including $1 billion for the Global Fund and $50 million to fight HIV in developing countries.
This process would have forced Senate Majority Leader John Thune to keep the Senate in session and lawmakers in Washington, D.C., through the rest of the summer to get each one through. Instead, Schumer held out to secure billions in wasteful spending, and both sides walked away from the table for now.
Trump was not about to take this lying down, of course. The president struck back at Schumer and the Democratic Party on a post to Truth Social on Wednesday, calling them "extortionists" and "thugs" over the scheme to delay the confirmations.
"Politically embattled Senator, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, wants the Republicans to pay, as EXTORTION, TWO BILLION DOLLARS in order for the Radical Left Democrats to approve the hundreds of Trump Appointments who have been waiting for months, and are raring to go. This has never happened before," Trump wrote.
"There has never, in U.S. history, been such a delay. THEY ARE EXTORTIONISTS! Republicans must create legislation in order to get out of the grasp of these Country hating THUGS," Trump continued.
"Move quickly!!! MAGA." Trump concluded. The president urged the lawmakers to come to a decision to get the nominees through. Unfortunately, Trump ended the standoff in a draw as both sides backed off. Perhaps this means Schumer learned after taking several lashes from his party earlier this year for giving in to Trump.
In March, Schumer backed away from blocking a GOP-led funding bill because he wanted to avoid a government shutdown, NBC News reported. Many in his party were outraged that he'd give an inch to Trump, and perhaps he's worried about the same thing happening this time.
Even former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was outraged and urged fellow Democrats in the Senate to vote against the bill that would fund the government for another six months. Instead, Pelosi wanted a continuing resolution, which does the same for a shorter term to keep the government operating but forces more legislation. "Democratic senators should listen to the women," Pelosi said in a statement at the time.
"Appropriations leaders Rosa DeLauro and Patty Murray have eloquently presented the case that we must have a better choice: a four-week funding extension to keep [the] government open and negotiate a bipartisan agreement. America has experienced a Trump shutdown before — but this damaging legislation only makes matters worse," the California Democrat added.
Schumer also drew the ire of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). "I think there is a deep sense of outrage and betrayal. And this is not just about progressive Democrats. This is across the board. The entire party," Cortez said. It seems that being on the wrong side of his party is not where Schumer wants to be again.
Trump is correct that the Democrats in the Senate were wielding their power to obtain funding for their causes in a way that seems underhanded. However, they will have to continue the fight after the recess, and Trump has a way of getting what he wants in the end.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Trump and his administration are celebrating his 200th day as the 47th POTUS, listing many accomplishments realized since his inauguration Jan. 20, 2025.
Notes a White House press release:
"As President Donald J. Trump celebrates 200 days in office, the winning is never-ending – and if his first 100 days were historic, his second set was equally as impressive. From securing unprecedented trade deals and locking in massive investments to unleashing American energy dominance and ending woke culture, President Trump has accomplished more in his first 200 days than most administrations do over an entire term – and the best is yet to come."
The list of "promises kept" begins with the historic passage of Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill," which delivered "the largest tax cut in history for working- and middle-class Americans – including No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, and No Tax on Social Security – along with unprecedented tax relief for small businesses, farmers, workers, and families."
Other accomplishments cited include ongoing success on border security, "eight historic trade deals," a windfall in the stock market and strengthening of religious- expression rights in the workplace.
The White House also mentioned advances in AI and cryptocurrency, saying, "President Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law, establishing a regulatory framework for stablecoins and helping to ensure the U.S. remains the global leader in cryptocurrency, and unveiled a framework for achieving U.S. digital asset dominance – keeping President Trump's promise to ensure the future of crypto is American."
Social media has lit up with various images marking the president's 200th day.