Good morning, it’s Monday.
I’m not sure how it happened, but somehow the algorithm gods have decided I am interested in all things MAHA. Somewhere along the line, I must have searched for or watched some adjacently related content, and now I am bombarded with posts about the evils of seed oils.
If you aren’t so “lucky” and have no idea what I’m talking about, let me shed some light on the subject. Let’s start with a definition: Seed oils are, much like they sound, vegetable fats derived from the seeds of plants. The most commonly known examples are soybean, canola, corn, sunflower, peanut, rice bran, pumpkinseed, grapeseed, safflower, and cottonseed oils.
(You’ll note that one of the most commonly-found oils in many American households, olive oil, isn’t on this list. That’s because it is made from the fruit of the olive, not its pit).
These oils are generally not easy to extract and require heavy industrial processing, including the use of high heat, mechanical pressing, and chemical solvents. They are then often bleached and deodorized to make them neutral smelling and tasting and appealing for human consumption.
Seed oils are cheap and plentiful and also shelf-stable, which make them extremely appealing to restaurant and home cooks alike. They contain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) – primarily Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids – which the human body cannot produce on its own.
To be clear, most experts will tell you that PUFAs are not inherently bad. Since we can’t make them ourselves, humans need to consume fatty acids in order for our cells to function and our brains to stay healthy.
But the TYPE of PUFAs you eat does actually matter. Omega-3s (found in whole foods like fish, walnuts, and flaxseeds) are inflammation fighters, but if you consume too many omega-6s (the ones in those nut, seed, and vegetable oils) – especially in the absence of omega-6s – you may trigger an inflammatory response.
Our esteemed health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. believes that seed oils are “poisoning” Americans and driving chronic illness caused by inflammation, which has spurred him to advocate for a return to traditional beef tallow for frying. Certain corners of the fast food and snack industries are heeding this call, most notably the burger chain Steak ‘n Shake and Utz brand potato chips.
The Trump White House in early 2026 announced a new food pyramid and dietary guidelines that prioritizes protein and includes beef tallow and an acceptable fat source, though it does advise that total daily saturated fat intake should not exceed 10% of total calories. RFK Jr. is at odds with many cardiologists and public health experts, who say beef tallow is not, in fact, a healthier alternative to seed oils.
McDonald’s did away with beef tallow in 1990 for a reason.
Nevertheless, the beef tallow industry is booming, fueled by the paleo/low-carb diet craze, the all-meat bro culture, and RFK Jr., among others. The global beef tallow market is expected to reach $13.61 billion by 2030, which is great news for the meat processing industry, which is laughing all the way to the bank as they repurpose their byproducts to meet growing demand.
Today is National Beef Tallow Day, established by the “Healthy Fats Coalition” to (as its website states) “celebrate beef tallow’s long-standing role in culinary tradition, flavor, and frying performance.”
We are headed back into heat wave territory, with temperatures flirting with 100 degrees toward the middle of the week. Today will bring mostly sunny skies and highs near 90.
In the headlines…
Iran insisted today that it controlled the Strait of Hormuz — an assertion the United States has denied — as it launched a fresh barrage of strikes aimed at American military assets throughout the Middle East.
The United States conducted a fresh round of strikes on Iranian targets yesterday, a U.S. official said, extending a pattern of attacks between the two sides as their fragile cease-fire continued to unravel.
Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, rose 3 percent this morning, to about $78 a barrel. That is 8 percent higher than its prewar price.
US Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, died Saturday following a “brief and sudden” illness at the age of 71, his office confirmed. A specific cause of death was not immediately revealed.
Emergency officials responded to Graham’s Capitol Hill home at around 8:30 p.m. after receiving a report of an individual suffering from chest pains, the Washington Post reported, citing police scanner audio.
Graham’s sudden death sent shockwaves through Capitol Hill, leaving lawmakers reeling in the early morning hours from the unexpected passing of their longtime colleague.
President Donald Trump, who said he spoke with Graham shortly before emergency responders arrived at his home, said the veteran lawmaker was “like a member of the family” who loved serving in the U.S. Senate and was a “true American patriot“.
Graham’s sudden death triggered a two-pronged approach to replace him. The Senate GOP now holds a 52-seat majority, and with the timetable for Sen. Mitch McConnell’s, R-Ky., absence still unclear, that majority is now effectively 51 votes.
Graham likely died from a tear in his aorta, according to a preliminary report from Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, 84, broke his silence about his long hospitalization, releasing a statement saying that he was recovering at a rehabilitation center after suffering a fall and losing consciousness last month, and then battling a “mild” case of pneumonia.
New York’s quest for disaster relief for an expensive February blizzard has turned political, with state Democrats slamming Trump while the administration and its Republican allies fire back that the state’s request didn’t meet the requirements.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is defending her decision to walk back New York’s carbon emissions targets, telling POLITICO the state is committed to fighting climate change but that it cannot hit its near-term goals while keeping energy affordable for residents.
Hochul announced a new project called Central New York Forward to address future transportation needs in Onondaga County for expected growth, specifically with Micron coming.
Country music star John Rich is leading a federal challenge against New York’s approval process for large-scale solar projects, claiming the state is bypassing U.S. Department of Agriculture standards to fast-track development on prime farmland.
Legislation that would restore Orange County’s additional sales tax revenue to its municipalities arrived at Hochul’s office on Friday morning.
New York State awarded $1 billion in housing bonds and subsidies in the latest push from Hochul as part of her broader $25 billion five-year housing plan.
There are multiple names being floated around as to who will be picked to be the New York Assembly’s next majority leader – including Capital Region Democrat John McDonald – as Buffalo’s Crystal Peoples-Stokes prepares to retire.
New York is making a major investment in its meat processing industry, announcing more than $4.7 million in grants through a Hudson Valley organization to help businesses expand existing facilities or establish new processing operations across the state.
A business coalition is launching a campaign to loosen nearly century-old Prohibition-era state laws that make it harder to sell booze in New York.
Cash App, the peer-to-peer payment app used by millions across New York and beyond, was so lax with its onboarding controls, according to research cited in class-action court filings, a user could clear the hurdle of ID verification with a photo of a Barbie doll.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman aims to use a little-known clause in the state Constitution to try squashing NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s taxpayer-funded, $70 million city-owned grocery store scheme.
A renewed effort is underway to open the city’s primaries to registered voters regardless of party affiliation. The push has the support of former Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s daughter, Emma Bloomberg, whose data company recently studied the issue.
After a wave of democratic socialist primary wins, a faction of Democrats is fighting back — arguing capitalism has raised more people out of poverty than any system in history and vowing to reclaim the party from the left.
Roughly 300 members of the DSA have signed a letter asking that DSA candidates and elected officials drop Morris Katz and Fight Agency, the consultant and firm closely associated with Graham Platner’s disgraced and abandoned Senate campaign in Maine.
Mamdani announced a first-of-its-kind rule to protect New Yorkers from subscription traps and junk fees. The so-called “Click to Cancel” rule will require businesses to make it as easy for you to cancel your subscription as it was to sign up.
In a wide-ranging interview as part of NY1’s “Out of Office with the Mayor” series, Mamdani detailed how the couple has started to make the famed house feel like home, including having installed bidets.
A defensive Mamdani tried to downplay his international affairs commissioner’s attempted meeting with the anti-US Iranian ambassador — as he faced heat from aghast GOP lawmakers Friday.
“Die Hard” actor Robert Davi unloaded on Mamdani in a fiery social media video, bashing the socialist Democrat for erasing New York’s Italian-American heritage after City Hall released a map of immigrant enclaves that omitted Little Italy.
Hundreds of New York City families who didn’t initially get into the preschool programs they wanted for their 3-year-olds have been offered slots closer to home, city officials said.
Mamdani’s unconventional and eventful term as New York City’s mayor includes the revelation that his wife, artist Rama Duwaji, will not be stepping into a traditional First Lady role at City Hall.
Mamdani said Friday that he would revise a city map of New York’s immigrant neighborhoods after facing days of criticism over an omission that incensed the Italian American community at large.
City officials said that the parks department will host a “Parents’ Night Out” on August 16, giving parents the chance to drop their kids off at a city rec center for a few hours of free childcare.
New York City investigators and Manhattan prosecutors have opened a preliminary criminal inquiry into what caused columns inside a Midtown building to buckle, according to a city official and a person with knowledge of the matter.
Crews worked through the weekend to shore up the building in Midtown that nearly collapsed last week — and added netting to one side of the building to prevent any debris from falling, city officials said Sunday.
The Guggenheim Museum is among the 31 Upper East Side buildings where the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease was detected, officials revealed.
A FOIL official deposed over long-sought documents about the toxins swirling over Ground Zero admitted a city attorney told him to deny an appeal for the pivotal information from 9/11 survivors.
NYPD cops on Sunday launched their latest raid on the illegal open-air marketplace of counterfeits that has long turned Canal Street into an unsightly nightmare — but skeptical brick-and-mortar businesses say it won’t change a thing.
Long Island Rep. Tom Suozzi, citing “legitimate concerns raised by local residents,” said he doesn’t support the Propel NY Energy high-voltage cable line that is slated to snake through his North Shore district by 2030.
Queens Councilmember Vickie Paladino is pushing new legislation to ban giving away live fish as novelty prizes at NYC-based fairs, carnivals and other festivals.
Sam Neill, the New Zealand screen actor who appeared in more than 150 productions over a five-decade career, and who was perhaps best known for his star turn as Dr. Alan Grant in the “Jurassic Park” series, died on Monday in Sydney, Australia. He was 78.
Mr. Neill’s family announced his death in a post on Instagram. “Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life,” it said. Neill was diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma in March 2022.
The Open Space Institute announced it has purchased the 1,525-acre Sabattis Scout Reservation for $2 million. Over the decades, this memory-rich property conserved a significant wildland while shaping thousands of youngsters’ understanding of the outdoors.
When a Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office K-9 overheated in a car last week, his handler was working in his office and was not allowed to bring the dog with him, the deputy chief said.
A new defense attorney hired by Nauman Hussain has filed paperwork in Schoharie County Court seeking to vacate his 2023 conviction on 20 counts of manslaughter in the 2018 limousine crash just outside of the village that killed 20 people.
The Albany County-backed land authority that owns much of the former College of Saint Rose campus is seeking a developer to carry out the largest transformation of the site since the college closed two years ago.
The former general manager of the Albany Rural Cemetery is being sent to state prison after failing to repay funds he embezzled from the nonprofit that oversees the historic resting place.
Residents of Grand Boulevard in Niskayuna are on red alert after highway crews working on the stately street used bright scarlet paint on intersection curves.
A lawsuit accusing City of Troy police of concealing evidence in a fatal stabbing case was dismissed by a federal judge last week.
An “ongoing personal feud” over the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old last July 4 was tied to the killing of a 39-year-old Schenectady woman over the holiday weekend, Albany Police Chief Brendan Cox said Friday.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
