WASHINGTON (AP) — Makers of dietary supplements are pushing the Food and Drug Administration to expand the types of ingredients they can put in their products, a change that could open the door to more marketing of peptides, probiotics and other trendy wellness offerings.

The FDA was holding a public meeting Friday to discuss its longstanding criteria for dietary supplements and whether they could be broadened to include substances that don’t come from food, vitamins, herbs or other traditional ingredients. FDA officials will hear from industry executives, consumer advocates and academics.

It’s the first such meeting since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became the nation’s top health official last year. Kennedy has vowed to “end the war at FDA” on dietary supplements, peptides and other products that are popular within his Make America Healthy Again movement.

Friday’s meeting came at the request of the Natural Products Association, an industry group that has clashed with the FDA over certain new supplement ingredients. The group asked for the meeting in a January letter, citing “the cost and uncertainty that arise when regulatory expectations are unclear.”

Here’s what to know about the issue:

Many wellness products don’t qualify as supplements

Under FDA regulations, supplements are deemed to be a category of food, with most of their ingredients coming from plants, herbs and other substances found in the American diet.

That requirement has become a challenge for the industry in recent years as newer wellness products often feature substances that have never been used in food.

Peptides, for instance, are druglike chains of amino acids that have been widely promoted by celebrities and influencers as a way to build muscle and look younger, although there’s little science supporting their use.

Many specialty pharmacies and clinics sell them as injections or IV infusions, but some supplement makers have also begun adding them to capsules, gummies and powders.

Technically, those products violate FDA rules, according to FDA lawyers. The same goes for certain types of probiotics, bacteria-containing products that are pitched to aid digestion and promote gut health.

Companies argue that FDA law, as written, doesn’t specify that all ingredients must come from food.

“The hope of the meeting is that FDA is willing to open up its interpretation of what constitutes a dietary ingredient to allow dietary substances that aren’t already in food,” said Robert Durkin, a former official in the FDA’s supplements program who now consults for companies.

If the agency is unwilling to redefine the term, the industry could sue. A 2024 Supreme Court decision weakened federal regulators’ authority to interpret laws and craft regulations according to their preferences.

Supplement makers view Kennedy as an ally

Kennedy recently declared himself “a big fan” of peptides, telling podcast host Joe Rogan that he’s personally used them to treat injuries. He also vowed to loosen FDA limits on producing injectable peptides, which have been subject to federal safety restrictions.

Some of Kennedy’s allies and supporters are proponents of the chemicals, including Gary Brecka, a self-described “longevity expert,” who sells peptide injectables, patches and nasal sprays through his website.

Dr. Mark Hyman, another Kennedy friend, sells dozens of dietary supplements, including some claiming to contain peptides, through his website.

Two former health advisers from Kennedy’s presidential campaign also have ties to the industry.

Calley Means, now serving as a senior adviser in the Department of Health and Human Services, co-founded an online platform that helps people spend tax-free health dollars on supplements and other wellness goods.

Dr. Casey Means — his sister and President Donald Trump’s surgeon general nominee — made hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting supplements, probiotics and related products, according to financial disclosure forms.

Supplements have never been subject to strict FDA oversight

The FDA does not review dietary supplements the way it approves drugs and other medical products after confirming their safety and effectiveness. The agency does not even have a list of all the products in circulation.

With some 100,000 or more supplements on the market, manufacturers are legally responsible for making sure their products are safe and truthfully advertised, according to the FDA. Supplements can’t claim to treat specific diseases or medical conditions.

The 1994 law that gave the FDA oversight of the industry also exempted supplement makers from nutrition labeling requirements, under which companies must scientifically support health claims.

Instead, supplement makers can make more general claims, such as that their products maintain or support health and well-being.

Some former regulators think that approach was a mistake.

“It sanctioned unauthorized, implied health claims” said Mitch Zeller, who worked on supplement issues at the FDA during the 1990s. “There are all manner of claims being made on supplement labeling or in advertising that are carefully worded to avoid making a drug or treatment claim.”

Companies can also say their products improve the structure or function of certain body parts, such as strengthening bones. Products making general or specific claims must carry a disclaimer: “This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA.”

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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The Northumberland teenager, who cannot be identified despite an application by the media to name him, must also serve a year’s extended licence when released.

He was convicted last month of five terror charges following a trial at Leeds Crown Court.

The jury was unable to agree a verdict on a charge that he was planning a terror attack on Newcastle synagogues and the prosecution said it would not apply for a retrial on that count.

Jurors were told the teenager purported to be a member of a proscribed neo-Nazi organisation, The Base.

He put stickers up promoting The Base, made promotional material and encouraged others to join.

The boy’s trial heard how police found an “arsenal” of weapons, including a crossbow and knives, at his home in Northumberland in February 2025.

The jury was shown images of his bedroom, including a replica of an SS officer’s cap, a flag of Rhodesia and a skeleton in a mask.

Jurors were also read online exchanges with members of white supremacist groups and violent journal entries.

The court was told that the youth watched a video of the New Zealand mosque terror attack then looked up synagogues in the Newcastle area.

He also made racist and offensive references in his journal, later telling the jury he did not believe them but he wrote them down to bring himself peace.

Mr Justice Wall, sentencing, said he rejected that claim, saying the teenager genuinely held extremist, antisemitic views.

The judge did accept that the build-up to the offending began when the boy was just 14, with most of them happening when he was 15.

He experienced a difficult childhood, suffered from bullying, was isolated and struggled with friendships.

Since his arrest, he has been diagnosed with autism.

Mr Justice Wall said the teenager must spend another 15 months in detention, having already been in custody since his arrest.

He will then be supervised and monitored in the community for another 26 months.

The judge told the boy, who attended court via a videolink: “You will have to do what you are told by the people who are supervising you and it will be their job to help you come to terms with what you have done and to stay out of trouble in the future.”

Mr Justice Wall said the boy had an “unhealthy interest in weapons, wars and paramilitary items and this obsession led you to exploring the darker world of extreme right-wing organisations”.

He will be subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order which will restrict his use of computers and the internet.

During the trial, Frida Hussain KC, defending, said the boy was “desperately lonely”, had been “plagued” with thoughts of killing himself, and created an online persona as a distraction.

Mr Justice Wall turned down a media application to lift an order that prevented the defendant from being identified, partly because it will ease his chance of successful rehabilitation.

He was convicted of purporting to be a member of a proscribed organisation, and four counts relating to possessing or sharing terror documents.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: “We welcome the sentence handed down today and hope it acts as a warning to all about the dangers of extreme online content which can have real life consequences.”

He added: “If you are worried about someone you know expressing extreme views or hatred, then please trust your instincts and act early (a reference to a counter terrorism initiative) to prevent people becoming involved in terrorism. I cannot stress that enough and you will not be wasting our time.”

Chief Superintendent Kevin Waring, area commander for Northumberland, said: “This case highlights the dangers which exist online and the type of material young people can access.

“It is a reminder that we all need to be vigilant and if you do become worried about someone you know, see or hear something concerning then please come forward.”

Homes have been evacuated after an entire house exploded in a Lancashire village.

The home was destroyed in an explosion on Carr Lane, Hambleton, north of Blackpool.

The leafy residential area was cordoned off for safety after one of the detached homes blew up shortly before 10am today.

One man, 54, was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, while no one else was hurt in the blast.

He was later arrested on suspicion of arson, Lancashire Police said.

The force said: ‘A small number of surrounding properties have been evacuated and Carr Lane remains closed whilst our colleagues carry out work to ensure the safety of the area.’

It confirmed that the explosion is an ‘isolated incident.’

People were told to avoid the area to allow the emergency services to work safely.

Anyone who can smell smoke should keep all windows and doors closed, the fire service said.

Fire crews from Preesall, Bispham, Fleetwood and South Shore rushed to the scene, where they discovered ‘an explosion within a domestic premises.’

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida committed numerous violations of House rules and ethics standards, the House Ethics Committee found Friday in a ruling that could add weight to Republicans’ push to expel her from Congress.

After meeting into early Friday morning following a seven-hour hearing, the ethics panel of four Democrats and four Republicans found that Cherfilus-McCormick had committed 25 ethics violations. The panel said it would recommend a punishment in the coming weeks.

The allegations center around Cherfilus-McCormick’s receipt of millions of dollars from her family’s health care business after Florida made an overpayment of roughly $5 million in disaster relief funds. Cherfilus-McCormick is accused of using that money to fund her 2022 congressional campaign through a network of businesses and family members.

The congresswoman, who is running for a fourth term representing a southeastern Florida district, has denied wrongdoing, and her attorney stridently criticized Thursday’s public hearing — the first open proceeding in nearly 15 years. But the ruling from the Ethics Committee could fuel a potential vote on her expulsion and divide a Democratic caucus that is trying to make a comeback to power in the November midterm elections.

Cherfilus-McCormick also faces federal charges for allegedly stealing the $5 million in COVID-19 disaster relief funds and using it for purchases like a 3-carat yellow diamond ring. Her brother, former chief of staff and accountant were also charged. She has pleaded not guilty to those charges, and her attorney indicated Thursday that the trial is expected to start in the coming months.

The congresswoman declined to testify during Thursday’s ethics hearing, citing her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Her attorney, William Barzee, sparred with some of the lawmakers on the ethics panel and argued that they should have allowed a thorough ethics trial, where he could present witnesses and evidence to counter the conclusions of House investigators.

Barzee accused the panel of giving further momentum to the effort to “throw a woman out of Congress who was duly elected by her constituents” based primarily on bank records.

Committee investigators laid out 27 violations of House ethics standards and rules in a 242-page report. The report accused Cherfilus-McCormick of winning a 2022 special election by portraying her campaign as self-financed when it was actually funded through the $5 million overpayment her family’s company received from Florida for coronavirus vaccination services.

Barzee had argued that “she was entitled to that money,” pointing to a document that broke down how her family would share the proceeds from the health care business. But lawmakers on the ethics panel were skeptical of that argument.

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Kinnard reported from Columbia, S.C.

Marie Keane, the mother of Manchester United and Republic of Ireland legend Roy Keane, has died.

The Keane family has confirmed Marie died peacefully ‘surrounded by loving family at Marymount University Hospital and Hospice in Cork.

A death notice on RIP.ie reads: “The death has occurred of Marie Keane (néeLynch) on March 27th 2026, peacefully, surrounded by her loving family and in the tender loving care of the doctors, nurses and staff of St. Anne’s Ward at Marymount University Hospital and Hospice.

‘Marie (née Lynch); dearly loved wife of the late Maurice (Mossie) and beloved mother of Denis, Johnson, Hilary, Roy and Pat. Predeceased by her brother Pat, her niece Estella and her nephew Thomas.’

In 2022, Keane shared a photograph of himself and his mother, captioning it: “The only boss I listen to”.

More to follow

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For a start, this RSC production is spectacular to look at. The bright colours simply pop from the stage. Rob Howell’s set design is innovative, imaginative and enthralling – rather like the production itself.

Based on Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book, it’s the story of a very special little girl with a deep love of books who stands up for what is right, aided by a few magical powers.

Matilda the Musical

There’s something subversive about Matilda which is particularly compelling. For a start, the bulk of the cast are children. They are so well drilled, so confident and so talented that you forget their age and diminutive stature.

Then there are the storylines. This is no gentle fairytale. In typical Roald Dahl fashion it’s dark, very dark in places. It’s cheeky, boisterous and then heartbreakingly sad, often within the same scene.

At its heart are the songs by Tim Minchin who brings a level of wordplay not often experienced in musical theatre. He often turns the concept of the musical on itself, that undercurrent of gentle anarchy helps power the whole piece.

Mollie Hutton as Matilda

Our heroine is Matilda, on press night played by the delightful Mollie Hutton, one of four young actresses tasked with this massive role. She turns to the world of literature to escape her parents who are almost cartoon-like in their awfulness.

Adam Stafford is a flash talking, wide-boy car salesman in an outlandish check suit. He wanted a boy so has not time for the little gem in the family.

Rebecca Thornhill as Mrs Wormold is a truly dreadful creature, obsessed with her looks and winning Latin American dancing competitions with her snake-hipped partner Rudolpho, she can’t see the point of reading and along with hubby believes that TV is the answer to everything. It’s a beautifully observed cameo role.

If Matilda is the heroine of the piece, her arch nemesis is Miss Trunchbull the headmistress of a school which has clearly never been visited by Ofsted.

Richard Hurst as Miss Trunchbull in Matilda The Musical

Richard Hurst as the former hammer throwing champion is one the highlights of the show. His Trunchbull is menacing and genuinely terrifying at time. He towers over the young charges in his care. It would be easy to turn Trunchbull into a panto dame-like figure but he resists that temptation. Instead Trunchbull is obsessed, violent and clearly unhinged. He thinks nothing of picking a pupil up by the pigtails and throwing her out of the window or force feeding chocolate cake to one boy – with disastrous consequences.

Tessa Kadler as Miss Honey, the teacher who realises that Matilda is extraordinary, brings just the right amount of sweetness to the role without threatening anyone with diabetes. Her song My House is a bit of a showstopper.

Mollie Hutton as Matilda was a delight. At the centre of everything it’s a big ask for anyone but she was feisty and forlorn in equal measure. At time it was a little difficult to hear everything she sang but that was a minor point.

Matilda the Musical

This is a big musical. The set pieces are spectacular such as the scene on some swings which sees pupils fly over the orchestra; or a climbing frame being built out of letter blocks with such precise timing it’s like watching a computer game unfold in front of you.

It is quite a long show which is worth noting.

But Matilda is a musical with real heart and a strong message. Does it work? Put it this way, there were hundreds of young theatregoers in on press night and at times you could hear a pin drop and at others the cheers were deafening; they bought into the show from the outset and loved every minute of it. Must say I have to agree.

Matilda the Musical is at the Palace Theatre, Manchester, until Saturday, April 25. Details from www.atgtickets.com

Tracy Carragher is an SNP candidate in May 7 despite defending a disgraced ex-council leader in court.

A senior SNP figure has urged one of his party’s Holyrood election candidates to “reflect” on their position after they gave evidence for the defence in the trial against Jordan Linden.

Stephen Flynn, Nationalist leader at Westminster, spoke out today following the conviction of ex-council leader Linden yesterday of five sexual assaults against young men.

Two sitting SNP councillors gave evidence for the defence during the seven-day trial at Falkirk Sheriff Court. One of the duo, Tracy Carragher, is a list candidate for the Central region at the election on May 7.

Linden, 30, was previously viewed as a high-flyer in the party and served as leader of North Lanarkshire Council from 2022-2024.

Speaking at a campaign event in Glasgow today, Flynn was asked if it was appropriate for Carragher to remain an SNP candidate.

“I think it’s important for that individual to reflect on the choice they have made,” he told reporters.

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It comes as the SNP leadership is under increasing pressure today to “come clean” over its handling of repeated complaints made about Linden’s behaviour.

The former council leader was convicted on Thursday of 10 separate offences after a trial at Falkirk Sheriff Court, including five sexual assaults.

His victims were five young men and boys aged 15 to 22.

During the trial, a councillor who made complaints about Linden said: “Everywhere I went for help in the SNP I was ignored or it was downplayed.”

The man said he contacted the police in 2023 because he “did not feel confident” the reports he had made to the SNP would be dealt with appropriately.

Flynn told reporters today: “I’ve seen the comments of one of the victims in particular in relation to their experience and I’m understandably worried by that.

“I think everyone would be – because that should not be their experience.

“There’s going to be some significant learning for the SNP.”

Flynn added the party would not make a full response to the matter until after Linden’s sentencing heading on May 5.

He continued: “We’ve previously said that we were going to be reviewing things. I hope that that’s happened.

“I would like to think these things were under constant review because we need to make sure that people are safeguarded and that people have the support that they need.”

The Record has asked Carragher for comment.

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Iran appears to be setting itself up as the gatekeeper for the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important artery for oil shipments. The move could cement Tehran’s de facto chokehold over the crucial waterway and formalize its ability to keep its own oil flowing to China.

Iranian communications to the United Nations maritime authority and the experience of ships transiting the strait suggest the creation of something akin to a “toll booth.” Ships must enter Iranian waters and be vetted by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. At least two vessels have paid for passage.

Traffic through the strait has fallen by 90% since the start of the Iran war, sending global oil prices skyrocketing and inflicting alarming shortages on the Asian nations that get their oil from Persian Gulf countries via the strait.

Only about 150 vessels, including tankers and container ships, have transited since March 1, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence shipping information firm. That’s a little more than one day’s normal traffic before the war. Iran’s Kharg Island terminal loaded 1.6 million barrels in March — largely unchanged from prewar monthly loading totals, according to data and analytic firm Kpler. Most of the customers are small, private refineries in China that don’t care about U.S. sanctions.

A majority of the ships that have made it through in recent weeks headed east, out of the Gulf; Iran-affiliated ships accounted for 24% of transits, Greece 18%, and China 10% counted by ownership or flag registration. Yet on closer examination, vessels connected to Iran accounted for 60% of transits during the first part of the war and in the last few days, some 90%.

About half of the vessels turn off radio identification systems that show their location before going through, and reappear on the other side in the Gulf of Oman. There’s a reason for their reluctance and caution. At least 18 ships have been hit and at least seven crew members have been killed, according to the U.N.’s International Maritime Organization, which tracks maritime security. It did not specify which nation attacked the vessels.

Lloyd’s List says tolls are paid in yuan, China’s currency

“Iran’s IRGC has imposed a de facto ‘toll booth’ regime in the Strait of Hormuz,” says shipping information firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

Normally ships use a two-lane shipping channel in the middle of the strait. But increasingly, vessels are taking a different route, to the north around Larak Island, placing them in Iran’s territorial waters and closer to the Iranian coastline.

Entities that want their vessels to safely pass through must submit their details to what Lloyd’s List Intelligence refers to as “approved intermediaries” of the Revolutionary Guard, including the cargo, owners, destination and a complete crew list. Approved vessels receive a code and are escorted by an IRGC vessel. Oil is prioritized and vessels are subject to “geopolitical vetting,” Lloyd’s said.

“While not all ships are paying a direct toll, at least two vessels have and the payment is settled in yuan,” Lloyd’s List said, referring to the Chinese currency.

Some ships appear to have been allowed through following diplomatic pressure. Two Indian vessels loaded with liquid petroleum gas have been able to pass, according to Lloyd’s.

Iran appears to be setting up a permanent system

On Tuesday, the IMO received a letter from the Iranian government saying it “had implemented a set of precautionary measures aimed at preserving maritime safety and security.” The letter claimed Iran was acting within the principles of international law.

Iran’s parliament appears to be working on a bill to formalize fees for some ships in the Strait of Hormuz, local media reported.

The Fars and Tasnim news agencies, both close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, quoted lawmaker Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi saying “parliament is pursuing a plan to formally codify Iran’s sovereignty, control and oversight over the Strait of Hormuz, while also creating a source of revenue through the collection of fees.”

The IMO has condemned the attacks on vessels and called for an internationally coordinated approach to secure passage through the strait that respects freedom of navigation.

An Emirati oil executive calls Iran’s chokehold ‘economic terrorism’

The comment by Sultan al-Jaber, who leads the massive state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., signaled the hardening rhetoric of the United Arab Emirates as the war nears its one-month mark.

“Weaponizing the Strait of Hormuz is not an act of aggression against one nation,” al-Jaber said in a speech for an event hosted by the Middle East Institute in Washington.

“It is economic terrorism against every consumer, every family that depends on affordable energy and food. When Iran holds Hormuz hostage, every nation pays the ransom, at the gas pump, at the grocery store and at the pharmacy,” he said. “No country can be allowed to destabilize the global economy in this way.”

Iran’s approach may violate international law

Article 19 of the U.N.’s Law of the Sea Treaty states that countries must allow “innocent passage” of peaceful, law-abiding vessels in their territorial waters.

“There’s no provision in international law anywhere to set up a toll booth and shake down shipping. … This is Iran using the element that they have right now, which is control of the Strait of Hormuz,” said Sal Mercogliano, a maritime historian at Campbell University in North Carolina.

The secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, said Iran’s collection of fees for passage is “an aggression and a violation of the United Nations agreement on the law of the sea.”

Such payments likely run afoul of American and European sanctions on the Guard, a key power center within Iran that controls its ballistic missile arsenal and was key in suppressing nationwide protests in January.

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Gambrell contributed from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.