Originally published at: https://peakprosperity.com/good-news-friday-stomping-out-microplastics-saving-election-integrity-and-advancing-independence/
Health
The Department of Health and Human Services and Environmental Protection Agency have launched the STOMP initiative, funded at $134 million to $144 million, to measure and track biological harm from microplastics and pharmaceuticals, and to remove them from the nation’s water supply and human bodies. Officials cited studies finding plastic particles in human blood, lung tissue, livers, kidneys, and all tested placenta samples, with brain concentrations reportedly rising 50 percent since 2016 and microplastics in arterial plaque associated with a 450 percent increased risk of heart attack, stroke, or death within three years. The program includes the development of a clinical test costing under $50 and taking less than 15 minutes. The EPA also released its draft Sixth Contaminant Candidate List, which covers microplastics, pharmaceuticals, PFAS, disinfection byproducts, and microbes, along with human health benchmarks for nearly 400 pharmaceuticals in drinking water. Some critics question the extent of health risks posed by microplastics, arguing the particles are inert and naturally excreted by the body.
Relatedly, 18-year-old Mia Heller has developed a garage-built ferrofluid filtration system that removes 95.5 percent of microplastics from drinking water. The compact, recyclable device uses magnetic ferrofluid to capture particles from one nanometer to five millimeters and offers a low-cost under-sink solution.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services directed hospitals to revise menus, therapeutic diets, and procurement practices, providing examples including steel-cut oats with berries and nuts, grilled salmon with quinoa, and lentil entrees with salads. This, essentially, requires hospitals to serve more nutritious food in line with updated dietary guidelines emphasizing whole foods such as whole milk and meat over ultra-processed items, refined carbohydrates, and sugary products. CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz stated that nutrient-dense meals support faster recovery and lower readmission rates. Nicklaus Children’s Hospital plans to source five percent of its food locally from Florida farmers, increasing by one percent annually.
Separately, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Kennedy promoted eggs as an affordable protein source for families and schools, noting that two eggs cost less than a doughnut and that Kennedy consumes five daily. Notably, the American Egg Board will partner with school districts to pilot egg-based breakfast pilot programs. This includes donating 9.7 million eggs to food banks and pledging $1 million for school programs, including new recipes, equipment adaptations, and innovative products via its Eggcelerator Lab.
Additionally, twenty-two states, including Florida, Texas, West Virginia, Kansas, Nevada, Ohio, Wyoming, and Colorado, received USDA approval for SNAP restrictions barring purchases of soda, candy, and similar items, with several implementations starting on April 1. Texas plans to prohibit candy bars, gum, taffy, candied fruits, and sweetened beverages with five or more grams of sugar or artificial sweeteners using Lone Star Cards. State officials stated these waivers promote healthier taxpayer-funded options.
Turning to hospitals, HHS also mandated that hospital executives attest to the accuracy of posted prices starting April 1, with accountability for misleading patients to encourage transparency and competition.
In Tennessee, Senate Bill 2031 was passed, which would allow adults to sue healthcare professionals for injuries from medical procedures, enabling identification inconsistent with biological sex or treating related distress, if consent resulted partly from coercion. Covered procedures include surgeries altering tissues or organs, and the administration of puberty blockers or hormones. The bill awaits House action after a prior Supreme Court decision upholding Tennessee’s ban on such interventions for minors. Opponents, including OUTMemphis, describe the bill as part of efforts to restrict gender-affirming care.
Lastly, turning to vaccines, Pfizer and BioNTech have halted a U.S. COVID vaccine trial due to recruitment shortfalls.
US Politics
On election integrity, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration to compile and transmit to states verified lists of U.S. citizens aged 18 and older residing there, updated at least 60 days before federal elections, using citizenship records and the SAVE program. The order directs the U.S. Postal Service to initiate rulemaking ensuring mail-in and absentee ballots go only to individuals on state-provided verified participation lists, using secure envelopes with trackable Intelligent Mail barcodes. It prioritizes Attorney General investigations of fraud, including by officials sending ballots to ineligible voters, and allows withholding federal funds from noncompliant entities.
Relatedly, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the SAVE America Act, establishing stricter voter ID requirements, citizenship verification, and paper ballots as the default voting method. Democratic lawyer Marc Elias has filed suit, alleging the order amounts to unconstitutional voter suppression.
On gender rights, the Department of Justice sued Minnesota, alleging its policies allowing males to compete in girls’ sports and share locker rooms violate Title IX by discriminating against females in federally funded programs. The complaint states these rules undermine equal athletic opportunities, privacy, dignity, and safety for girls. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the administration opposes state policies ignoring biological differences. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison described the lawsuit as federal bullying.
Meanwhile, Idaho’s House Bill 752, passed by the legislature and awaiting the governor’s signature, would mandate that bathrooms, locker rooms, and changing facilities match biological sex in government buildings and private businesses open to the public. Knowing and willful violations would constitute a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail for first offenses and felonies up to five years for repeats. The law includes exceptions for janitorial duties, emergencies, assisting children, or dire restroom needs with proof of no alternatives. Critics argue the law endangers transgender individuals and polices gender expression.
Energy
Researchers from Nankai University and the Shanghai Institute of Space Power-Sources have developed a hydrofluorocarbon-based electrolyte for lithium-metal batteries that reportedly achieves two to three times the energy density of conventional designs at room temperature, exceeding 700 watt-hours per pound compared to 136 watt-hours per pound. The technology maintains around 400 watt-hours per pound at minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit and functions at minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit, supporting stable charge-discharge cycles in extreme cold. Researchers suggest this could extend electric vehicle range from 310 to 370 miles to over 620 miles per charge, with applications for drones, smartphones, robots, and spacecraft. The lower-viscosity fluorine-based electrolyte reportedly improves ion transfer, stability, and efficiency, though high-temperature performance needs further enhancement. Skeptics have raised concerns about overstated real-world performance and battery longevity in Chinese EV technologies.
Canadian Politics
Alberta’s independence referendum process has advanced after petitioners gathered 177,000 signatures, surpassing the required threshold and triggering a vote scheduled for October 19. Opponents dismiss the petition as backed by a fringe minority, citing larger anti-separation signature efforts.
Privacy & Surveillance
In the UK, the Adam Smith Institute released the Free Speech Act 2026, a 32-section model bill to repeal the Online Safety Act 2023, Public Order Acts of 1986 and 2023, Malicious Communications Act 1988, Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, Obscene Publications Act 1959, Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003, and related provisions in Terrorism Acts, Human Rights Act, and Contempt of Court Act. The proposed legislation would establish a statutory right to free expression covering offensive, insulting, or objectionable speech, with no legal right not to be offended. Public interest expression on politics, morality, philosophy, and religion would receive heightened protection, unlawful only if meeting the Brandenburg incitement standard of intent, direction to a specific audience, and likelihood of imminent lawless action. It would:
- Ban state censorship directly or via third parties, funding conditions, or compelled speech
- Prohibit non-crime hate incident recording
- Protect workers and make lawful expression a protected characteristic under equality laws
- Bar essential services like banks and telecoms from deplatforming based on speech
- Replace Online Safety duties with Section 230-style platform immunity except for prompt child sexual abuse material removal
- Enable civil suits against violators with cost presumptions and anti-SLAPP measures
- Vacate past convictions for now-lawful speech
- Rebuild public order laws content-neutrally.
Baroness Dianne Hayter, a member of the House of Lords and the Labour Party, stated that existing laws already provide sufficient free speech protections.
Sources
HHS and EPA Launch $134M STOMP Initiative to Eradicate Microplastics from Bodies and Water
HHS and EPA launch $134M STOMP initiative to remove microplastics
China’s Game-Changing EV Battery: 600+ Mile Range, Thrives at -94°F
China’s new EV battery could double range to 600+ miles, survive -94°F temp
Tennessee Senate Passes Bill Allowing Lawsuits Against Doctors for Coerced Gender Surgeries
Tennessee Senate passes bill to let patients sue doctors over coerced transgender surgery
Alberta Independence Referendum Officially Triggered: 177,000 Signatures Surpass Threshold
The 177,000 signature threshold has now been passed, officially clearing the requirement for an Alberta independence referendum on October 19th.
RFK Jr. Hails Federal Mandate for Healthier Hospital Food
“Essentially a federal mandate”
Trump Signs EO Creating Citizenship Lists to Curb Mail-In Voting Fraud
The cheating on mail-in voting is legendary.
DOJ Sues Minnesota Over Transgender Policies in Girls’ Sports, Invoking Title IX
The U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division filed a lawsuit Monday against Minnesota, alleging the state’s sports policies violate federal civil rights laws that protect against sex-based discrimination.
Idaho Passes Nation’s Strictest Transgender Bathroom Law, Spanning Public and Private Spaces
The new law applies to both government buildings and private businesses with facilities of public accommodation.
More States to Restrict SNAP Purchases of Soda and Candy Starting April
Food stamp recipients in Florida, Texas, and West Virginia will face restrictions on buying certain kinds of less nutritious items such as soda and candy, some starting in April.
Adam Smith Institute’s Free Speech Act: A First Amendment for Britain
“If the UK wanted to enact something like the First Amendment, what would the resulting statute look like?”
DeSantis Signs SAVE America Act: Stricter Voter ID, Citizenship Verification, and Paper Ballots Become Florida Law
Breaking: Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed into law Florida’s SAVE America Act
HHS Mandates Hospital Execs Attest to Accurate Posted Prices
Beginning today, April 1, @HHSgov will require hospital executives to attest that their posted prices are accurate.
Pfizer and BioNTech Scrap US COVID Vaccine Trial Over Recruitment Shortfall
Exclusive: Pfizer, BioNTech halt US COVID vaccine study after recruitment struggles
Teen Invents Ferrofluid Filter That Removes 95.5% of Microplastics from Water
A teen just created a filtration system that removes over 95% of microplastics from drinking water.
Rollins, RFK Jr. Pitch Eggs as Cheap Protein Powerhouse for Families and Schools
“What an incredible source of protein for American families,”
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: JunkScience, American Heart Association, Spectrum News, KXAN, OUTMemphis, Interesting Engineering, Paul Smith, Edmonton Journal, CBC, ZeroHedge, Marc Elias, Washington Times, The Advocate, LGBTQ Nation, and GB News.
