Business
Mars faces million-dollar dilemma replacing blue M&M dyes after RFK Jr pressure
Fox News senor medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel weighs in on the FDA weighing a crackdown on food dye, major food companies facing a lawsuit for marketing ‘addictive’ food to kids and Eli Lilly to test obesity drugs to treat addiction.
M&M’s makers Mars will debut artificial dye-free candies in August in a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)-compliant move after facing pressure from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
But while the classic candy-maker was able to use natural sources like beets or turmeric to replicate colors like red and yellow, shades of blue have proven considerably more difficult and expensive to recreate naturally.
Mars has been replicating blue and brown’s artificial coloring using spirulina extract, a concentrated blue-green algae powder, but the substance is prohibitively expensive.
Turmeric, for example, is available in bulk from most wholesalers for prices in the $9-$11 per lb. range. Spirulina, by contrast, can be significantly more expensive. The raw supplement can cost up to $20 per lb. at similar wholesalers, while the concentrated form most often used for food dyes is often priced at over $100 per lb.
THESE POPULAR FOODS ARE AFFECTED AS COMPANIES ALIGN WITH TRUMP ADMIN’S ‘MAHA’ INITIATIVE

A close-up image shows a bowl of blue M&M sweets at the Conservative party conference on Sept. 29, 2014, in Birmingham, England. (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Furthermore, spirulina’s viscous nature has caused clogging in M&M’s factory spray nozzles and created film build-ups in manufacturing equipment, creating a potential safety and health hazard, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The high costs associated with MAHA-ifying its products have driven Mars into a colorful dilemma, according to the Journal. Wanting to debut its altered product ahead of the company’s 85-year anniversary in August, Mars has spent millions in an effort to find alternatives.
Given the high costs of reproducing blue, Mars considered just rolling out a three-color mix of red, orange and yellow, but executives felt “the sunset vibes were too strong,” the Journal reported.

Packages of peanut M&M’s milk chocolate candy are stacked at a Costco Wholesale store on July 12, 2025, in San Diego, California. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Anton Vincent, the leader of the company’s North American snacks division, told the Journal the replacement effort “was a daunting situation,” adding, “you’re messing with an 85-year-old icon.”
WALMART ELIMINATING SYNTHETIC DYES FROM ITS PRIVATE-LABEL FOOD BRANDS
Mars had originally announced a plan to offer artificial dye-free products in 2016, but reversed the decision after announcing customers didn’t seem to care.
But, thanks to a Kennedy-led push to pressure companies to ditch artificial materials, Mars again announced in 2025 they would be pivoting to natural dye options.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leaves the stage after discussing the findings of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network survey, at the Department of Health an (Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz / Reuters)
Kennedy Jr. has frequently criticized the use of artificial dyes in U.S. food products, calling them a key driver in numerous American health epidemics.
“When we look at these nine specific food dyes, the science shows a clear, undeniable link to behavioral disruptions in our kids and long-term cancer risks. We are systematically clearing them out,” he said in a 2025 press conference with West Virginia’s Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey.
West Virginia became the first to sign into law a total ban on statewide sales of major artificial dyes in 2025.
Kennedy Jr.‘s HHS added Mars to a list of 27 corporations that have pledged to remove artificial food dyes from certain products in his office’s effort to eliminate petroleum-based food dyes from the U.S. food supply.
Federally, his office has formally banned four petroleum-based artificial food dyes, revoking Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorization for brominated vegetable oil (BVO), Red Dye no. 3, Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a news conference on removing synthetic dyes from America’s food supply, at the Health and Human Services Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on April 22, 2025. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Kennedy Jr. has also pushed hard to get companies to phase out six other specific dyes — Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3.
His office has cited animal studies that linked consumption of specific artifical dyes to cancer risks and long-term behavioral dysfunctions.
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The FDA cited the Delaney Clause, a provision requiring the institution to prohibit a chemical if it’s found to cause cancer in humans or animals, after banning Red Dye No. 3 in 2025. Numerous long-term animal studies found the chemical linked to cancer development in rats.
FOX Business contacted Mars and HHS for further comment.
Business
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Canada stocks lower at close of trade; S&P/TSX Composite down 0.32%

Canada stocks lower at close of trade; S&P/TSX Composite down 0.32%
Business
Stocks Rise, Bond Yields Fall as Gasoline Prices Push Below $4 a Gallon
Stocks and bond prices were higher on Thursday morning, after President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran that increases the likelihood of releasing more oil supply from the Persian Gulf.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.8%, or 419 points. The S&P 500 rose 1.1%, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 1.4%.
The national average price for one gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was at $3.9987 on Thursday, its lowest price since March 30, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The slowdown in inflationary angst has also propped up Treasuries.
Business
(VIDEO) Anne Hathaway Announces She’s Pregnant With Baby No. 3, Joining Husband Adam Shulman and Two Sons
Anne Hathaway is expecting her third child. The “Mother Mary” star, 43, announced Friday that she and husband Adam Shulman are expecting another baby, adding to a family that already includes two young sons.
The Announcement
Hathaway shared the news in a video posted to her Instagram on Friday, June 19. Wearing a flowy white dress, Hathaway walked into the frame with her arms positioned in front of her stomach. As the song “Baby I’m Yours” by Barbara Lewis played in the background, Hathaway dropped her arms to reveal her growing baby bump. She smiled, hugged her stomach, and then ran out of frame. “x Baby, I’m yours x,” she captioned the post.
A representative for Hathaway did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the announcement.
An Already Growing Family
Hathaway and Shulman are already parents to two sons, Jonathan, 10, and Jack, 6. The couple married in 2012 and expanded their family a few years later, becoming parents in 2016 when they welcomed son Jonathan. They later added son Jack to the family in 2019.
The new pregnancy marks the next chapter for a family that Hathaway has spoken about candidly and warmly in recent interviews, describing a household dynamic that she has called one of the most fulfilling periods of her life so far.
A Recent Reflection on Family Life
This past May, Hathaway gave a rare and detailed update on life with her two sons during an interview for Elle’s Summer 2026 “The Epic Issue.” The actress, who will star as Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, in the upcoming film “The Odyssey,” described her sons as being “in this really fun zone where we all love hanging out together, which I understand may change.”
Hathaway expanded on that thought with a touch of humor, acknowledging that the closeness she currently enjoys with her children may naturally evolve as they grow older. “Well, we will always love hanging out with them, but their feelings about us might change,” she said with a laugh.
Living “So for the Moment”
Because of that awareness that family dynamics shift over time, Hathaway shared that she and Shulman have made a conscious decision to fully embrace the present moment with their children rather than worrying excessively about the future. “We’re all just in it,” she said. “Adam and I are soaking it up. I’m having the most wonderful time with my family, living in the city of my dreams, and work seems to be going really, really well.”
She added a characteristically self-aware and lighthearted observation about her current state of contentment amid broader world events. “So rather obnoxiously, I’m having a great time as everything else burns,” Hathaway said.
Motherhood as a Grounding Force
Hathaway has previously been candid about how becoming a parent reshaped her sense of identity and personal integrity in ways that extended well beyond simply raising children. Speaking with WSJ Magazine in March 2022, the actress reflected on how motherhood changed her relationship with herself.
“I didn’t feel fully landed and fully here until I was a mom,” Hathaway told the publication at the time. “It’s not like I was lacking integrity, but it made me want to be completely, on every level, true to my word.”
She elaborated further on that personal transformation, describing how motherhood pushed her to confront patterns of self-deception or compromise she may have previously allowed herself. “And that meant stopping any nonsense that I had going on inside myself,” she said. “And it’s little breaks that you give yourself sometimes when you know that you’re not being your best self.”
A Career in Full Stride Alongside Family Life
Hathaway’s pregnancy announcement arrives at a moment when her professional career also appears to be thriving, with multiple high-profile projects either recently released or currently in production. Beyond her starring role in “Mother Mary,” Hathaway is also set to appear in “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” reprising one of the most iconic roles of her career, and will take on the part of Penelope in an upcoming adaptation of “The Odyssey.”
That combination of a flourishing career and a family life she has described as deeply fulfilling appears to have created a sense of balance and contentment that Hathaway has referenced repeatedly in recent public comments, including her remarks to Elle about simply trying to stay present with her family rather than getting caught up in concerns about how those relationships might change as her children grow older.
Fan and Public Reaction
News of Hathaway’s pregnancy quickly generated significant attention and discussion online following the announcement, with the actress’s Instagram post drawing dozens of comments from fans and followers celebrating the news. The announcement continues a pattern of Hathaway sharing meaningful family milestones directly with her audience through social media, a platform she has used previously to offer glimpses into both her personal life and her reflections on parenthood.
With no further details yet shared regarding a due date or additional specifics about the pregnancy, fans and followers will likely continue watching for updates from Hathaway in the coming months as she balances her expanding family with her ongoing slate of film projects. For a star who has spoken openly about finding profound personal grounding through motherhood, the arrival of a third child appears poised to mark another significant chapter in a period of her life that she has described, by her own account, as one of genuine happiness and stability — both at home and in her career.
Business
JPMorgan, Citigroup Named in DOJ Probe of Iran Leader’s Business Network
Fox News host Lara Trump and contributor Joe Concha assess the federal investigation into California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife on ‘The Evening Edit.’
The Department of Justice is investigating transactions tied to a business network linked to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei that reportedly had exposure to major U.S. financial institutions, according to a Bloomberg News report.
Bloomberg reported federal investigators are examining how companies connected to Khamenei built a global investment portfolio with transactions involving Wall Street firms including JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup.
The reported probe is part of a broader Justice Department investigation into alleged money laundering and corruption involving entities tied to Khamenei, according to Bloomberg, which cited people familiar with the matter.

JPMorgan Chase headquarters in New York City. Federal investigators are reportedly reviewing transactions tied to a business network linked to Iran’s supreme leader that involved major U.S. financial institutions. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images / Getty Images)
JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ requests for comment.
Investigators are reviewing the role U.S. financial institutions may have played in processing or facilitating transactions linked to the network, though Bloomberg reported the investigation does not necessarily mean charges will be filed.
The reported inquiry comes as the Trump administration has intensified pressure on Iran and sought to crack down on sanctions evasion and illicit financial activity tied to Tehran and its leadership.
JPMORGAN CHASE LAUNCHES AMERICAN DREAM INITIATIVE TO EXPAND SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT ACROSS THE US

Citigroup headquarters in New York City. The bank was named in a report on a Justice Department investigation examining transactions linked to a business network tied to Iran’s supreme leader. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg / Getty Images)
The investigation could place renewed scrutiny on how major financial institutions identify and monitor potentially sanctioned entities operating through complex international ownership structures and investment vehicles, a longstanding challenge for global banks and regulators.
Bloomberg reported that investigators’ primary focus is Khamenei and the network of businesses tied to him rather than the banks themselves.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPM | JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. | 325.22 | -8.24 | -2.47% |
| C | CITIGROUP INC. | 143.06 | -0.72 | -0.50% |
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Khamenei became Iran’s supreme leader after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike. As Iran’s highest-ranking authority, he has final say over major state decisions, including foreign policy and the country’s nuclear program.
The reported investigation comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran as the administration continues to increase economic and diplomatic pressure on the Iranian regime.
Business
Full Circle Lithium announces $5M private placement

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Business
Is There Mail Today? USPS Closed for Juneteenth While FedEx and UPS Keep Delivering
Americans may see disruptions to mail delivery and post office operations on Juneteenth this year, as the federal holiday affects government services nationwide, while private shipping carriers continue largely uninterrupted — creating a split delivery schedule consumers should plan around.
The U.S. Postal Service has confirmed that it will suspend regular operations on June 19, 2026, while private carriers such as UPS and FedEx will continue largely as normal, creating a split in delivery schedules consumers should plan around.
Why This Matters
Juneteenth, observed annually on June 19, is one of 11 federal holidays. Because USPS follows the federal holiday calendar, services pause for the day, potentially delaying deliveries and business shipments. For consumers and businesses, understanding which carriers operate can help avoid missed deliveries or unexpected delays, particularly for time-sensitive packages.
What Is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day that Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that enslaved people were free more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. The day has long been celebrated in Black communities and was officially recognized as a U.S. federal holiday in 2021.
Is Mail Being Delivered Today?
Regular mail delivery via USPS is not performed on Juneteenth, as it is a federal holiday observed by the Postal Service. Mail scheduled for delivery on June 19 will typically arrive on the next delivery day instead.
The Postal Service has pointed customers toward digital alternatives that remain accessible even with physical locations closed. “Customers are reminded that when Post Offices are closed, they can still access many postal products and services through usps.com and self-service kiosks available in select lobbies nationwide,” the USPS said in a release on its website. “Many self-service kiosks are available 24/7, offering customers flexibility and convenience even when Post Offices are closed.”
Is the Post Office Open Today?
USPS has confirmed that all post office locations will be closed on Friday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth. However, some self-service kiosks and online services remain available during the closure.
These kiosks allow users to access postage printing for Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and international shipping, as well as purchase stamps. They can also weigh and mail packages in addition to tracking package information, giving customers a limited but functional set of options even with full-service locations shuttered for the day.
USPS Confirms Saturday Resumption
The Postal Service confirmed in a June 2026 announcement that all post office locations will be closed, with limited services, such as online shipping tools or kiosk access, still available during the closure. “Regular mail delivery and retail services will resume on Saturday,” the USPS wrote on its website.
That means customers expecting mail or packages through USPS on Friday should anticipate those deliveries shifting to the next business day rather than being delayed by a more extended period.
What About UPS?
UPS does not follow the federal holiday schedule in the same way as USPS. Standard delivery and pickup services generally continue on Juneteenth, according to its 2026 holiday operations calendar. Customers relying on UPS for shipping or receiving packages should not expect any disruption tied specifically to the holiday.
What About FedEx?
FedEx also typically operates normal pickup and delivery services on Juneteenth. Some specialty services or locations may have modified hours, so customers are encouraged to check locally before assuming every FedEx service will operate exactly as expected.
When Will USPS Service Resume?
USPS says regular mail delivery and retail operations will resume on Saturday, June 20, following the holiday closure. Backlogs are generally minimal, but delivery timing could vary slightly depending on volume and location.
For UPS and FedEx, no widespread pause is expected, meaning services should continue uninterrupted through the holiday period, giving customers relying on those carriers a more predictable and consistent shipping experience compared to the temporary gap in USPS operations.
Planning Around the Holiday
For anyone with time-sensitive shipping needs on Friday, the clearest path forward is straightforward: USPS-dependent mail and packages will see a one-day delay, resuming with regular delivery and retail operations on Saturday, while shipments routed through UPS or FedEx should proceed without interruption.
Customers who absolutely need to handle postal business on the holiday itself still have some limited options through USPS’s self-service kiosks and online tools, which remain operational around the clock even while physical post office counters are closed. Those digital tools can handle a meaningful range of needs — from printing postage and buying stamps to weighing and mailing packages and tracking existing shipments — without requiring a trip to a staffed retail location.
The Broader Pattern of Federal Holiday Closures
USPS’s closure on Juneteenth follows the same operational pattern the agency observes on other major federal holidays throughout the year, such as Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. As a federal agency, USPS is required to observe the official federal holiday calendar with full closures of its retail and delivery operations, a requirement that does not extend to privately operated shipping companies like UPS and FedEx.
That distinction between government-mandated closures and private business operations has become an increasingly relevant point of clarification each year since Juneteenth’s elevation to federal holiday status in 2021, as consumers continue to adjust their expectations around which services pause for the holiday and which continue without interruption.
With Saturday marking the full resumption of standard USPS delivery and retail operations, any minor delays stemming from Friday’s holiday closure should clear up quickly, particularly given that backlogs from a single-day pause tend to be minimal under normal circumstances. For customers relying on FedEx or UPS, Friday’s holiday should pass with no noticeable change to their typical shipping and delivery experience at all.
Business
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