By Jordan Valinsky, CNN

New York (CNN) — Move over, protein. Fiber is on pace to be the next “it” nutrient of the year.

Consumers — particularly Gen Z — are fixated on stomach health, leading to the “fibermaxxing” trend taking hold on TikTok. As people try to maximize the fiber in their meals, major food companies are capitalizing on the trend with new, fiber-focused products.

“There is a consumer need in terms of digestion and gut health, and that’s something we’ve seen the last few years,” said Sherry Frey, health and wellness thought leader at NIQ. The younger generation, she added, understands that digestive health is linked to better skin and improved cognitive function.

Dataessential, a food and beverage research firm, found that 52% of consumers were interested in trying “fibermaxxing” after learning about the trend and that 42% of shoppers think food labeled “high fiber” is healthier.

Fiber builds on previous wellness-focused consumer trends, Frey told CNN. First was hydration, as seen with the rise of products like Liquid I.V. and Electrolit. Then protein, a trend that shows no sign of slowing down.

“The natural next step is for fiber,” she said, calling the converging of trends a “perfect storm.”

Also, fiber has been proven to trigger “a naturally occurring GLP-1 in our bodies,” she added, referencing the appetite-suppressing hormone in weight-loss drugs like Wegovy that are flooding the market.

Big Food responds

Consumers’ desire for fiber is already evident on grocery store shelves. Whole Foods’ forecast for 2026 said there are “more fiber-forward callouts on packaging” as well as more products with added fiber.

Thrive Market, a membership-based online supermarket, has seen fiber-related terms surge 30% over the past year with shoppers gravitating toward snacks, bars and supplements, a spokesperson told CNN.

Major food companies have taken notice: PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said on its most recent earnings call in October that “fiber will be the next protein.”

“Consumers are starting to understand that fiber is the benefit that they need. It’s actually a deficiency in US consumers’ diets, and that will be elevated,” Laguarta told analysts. (More than 90% of woman and 97% of men don’t get their recommended daily intake of fiber, the US government said in 2020.)

PepsiCo is already bolstering its soda portfolio with fiber-forward products. Last summer, it launched a gut-friendly soda following its purchase of Poppi with “Pepsi Prebiotic Cola,” which includes added fiber. More products are on the way, including fiber-enhanced versions of its SunChips, Smartfood popcorn and Propel hydration packets.

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski also recently predicted on his Instagram account that fiber “is going to be big” in 2026, perhaps signaling that the fast food chain could dip its toes into the trend.

Snacks, such as chips and puffed crackers, will be the battleground for fiber, Frey predicts, notably products made from legumes and beans. But taste is a factor, especially if it’s made from plant-based ingredients.

“C

By Kara Scannell, CNN

(CNN) — Federal prosecutors accuse two of New York’s top real estate brokers, and their brother, of sexually assaulting over a dozen women and young girls over a period that spanned more than a decade.

During the trial’s opening statements, which are scheduled for Monday, prosecutors are expected to describe to a jury how they believe the three brothers — Oren and Tal Alexander, the real estate brokers to the ultra-wealthy, and Alon, an executive at the family’s security company — used their wealth and position to lure women to lavish parties or vacation destinations, drug them with cocaine and club drugs, and violently rape and sexually assault them.

Law enforcement allege the brothers identified women they found attractive on dating apps through party promoters and chance encounters, and often would pool financial resources to pay for the women’s travel expenses, according to court filings. The alleged assaults occurred from 2008 until 2021 in luxury locations in the Hamptons, Aspen, Las Vegas, Manhattan, and during a Caribbean cruise, according to court filings.

Judge Valerie Caproni, who is presiding over the trial in the Southern District of New York, ruled that several of the accusers can testify using pseudonyms, including women who were minors at the time of the alleged assaults. More than 20 women could be called to testify in the case.

Prosecutors have argued in court that they have text messages between the brothers and others arranging travel in addition to photos and videos.

As of Friday, a jury of six women and six men was selected for the trial, which is expected to last at least a month.

The three brothers have pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, among other crimes. If convicted on all counts, they face at least 15 years and a maximum of life in prison. Oren and Alon also face state charges in Florida. All three brothers are defending themselves against multiple civil lawsuits.

The brothers hired lawyers for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

Lawyers for the brothers, twins Alon and Oren who are 38 years old, and Tal, who is one year older, have argued the women willingly participated in sex, were not forced to travel, and were not paid to have sex with their clients — young charismatic men living a partying lifestyle. Their lawyers have also said in a court filing last year that the allegations are old and were either not reported to police or “deemed not chargeable at the time they occurred.” They have also argued the criminal case is based on frivolous civil lawsuits.

“The evidence will show that these were consensual adult relationships, that no one was trafficked, coerced, drugged, or deprived of anything of value, and that the government’s case depends on hindsight, regret, and narrative, not facts. We are confident that when this case is tried in court, rather than in headlines, the truth will be clear,” said Juda Engelmayer, a spokesperson for the brothers.

In August, Oren Alexander hired seasoned criminal defense lawyers Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, who weeks earlier represented music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and successfully defended against sex trafficking charges. During Combs’ trial, the lawyers used witnesses’ text messages to undermine the prosecution theory that the alleged victims were coerced into sex acts. They also argued that many of the witnesses made up allegations and filed civil lawsuits to get a big p

By Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN

(CNN) — A year ago, few Americans knew Gregory Bovino’s name. Now he’s the face of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

And everything from the Border Patrol commander-at-large’s tactics in the field to his wardrobe choices have become lightning rods in a storm with no end in sight.

On the streets of multiple American cities, Bovino – sporting a buzzcut and the Border Patrol’s olive green uniform – has been spotted leading patrols, hurling tear gas canisters and verbally sparring with critics. He often stands out among groups of federal officers as one of the few people not wearing a mask.

On social media, he’s known for sharing photos and cinematic videos that tout Border Patrol agents’ determination to carry out their mission.

And now, on America’s airwaves, his presence at the podium is also becoming more common. As authorities intensify their crackdown in Minneapolis, Bovino has been among the officials giving daily briefings summing up the day’s events.

In interviews, court testimony and social media posts, Bovino has repeatedly defended federal officers’ actions and vowed not to back down.

Hours after a Border Patrol officer shot and killed a man in Minneapolis Saturday, Bovino said the man had a gun, and that the officer feared for his life and fired “defensive shots.”

“An individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement,” Bovino said, adding that federal officers are facing growing threats.

“The fact of the matter is that the law does not enforce itself,” Bovino said. “It takes men and women who are willing to risk their lives to enforce it. The men and women of CBP and ICE are highly trained professionals who love this country and do this work because they want to leave their kids and their grandkids a country that’s safe and secure.”

But when Bovino describes his officers’ operations, he often takes a more aggressive tone.

How Bovino describes his officers’ tactics

In multiple social media posts and interviews, Bovino has repeatedly used a phrase to describe their tactics.

“He calls them ‘turn and burn,’” CNN contributor Lulu Garcia-Navarro says. “They’re very rapid. They’re very aggressive. Break windows, go in, grab people. And the reason he says that he does these tactics is to not put …agents at risk, not to allow protests to develop.”

Supporters of the administration’s aggressive mass deportation push see Bovino as a hero. But the forceful, unapologetic approach that’s fueled his recent rise to prominence has also drawn fierce criticism from local leaders and protesters in cities his team is targeting.

Officials in several cities have described Bovino as leading a law enforcement agency which deploys tactics that are frighteningly authoritarian and used by the president as a cudgel against Democrat-led communities and the people — citizens and noncitizens alike — who live in them.

“They want mayhem on the ground,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker told CNN in October, accusing Bovino and other federal officials of deliberately inflaming tensions. “They want to create the war zone, so that they can send in even more troops.”

Heavy-handed tacti

Análisis por Aaron Blake, CNN

El presidente Donald Trump y su administración parecieron darse cuenta esta semana, aunque tarde, de que sus operaciones de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas en Minneapolis no están saliendo bien.

Trump apareció en una sesión informativa el martes y lamentó la comunicación de su equipo. Él y el vicepresidente J. D. Vance comenzaron a reconocer que ICE ha cometido o cometerá “errores”.

CNN informó el viernes que todo surgió del temor de que el tema se les estuviera yendo de las manos, un temor que sin duda respaldan las encuestas.

Sin embargo, lo que Trump y su equipo notablemente no hicieron fue señalar algún cambio real en las tácticas que los han llevado a esta situación.

Y ahora la situación corre el riesgo de salirse verdaderamente de control, tanto en el terreno como en el ámbito político.

El tiroteo fatal de otra persona —Alex Pretti, de 37 años— a manos de un agente federal en Minneapolis recuerda en muchos sentidos el episodio de hace dos semanas y media, cuando un agente de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas disparó y mató a Renee Nicole Good. También ocurre en medio de una serie de movimientos políticamente problemáticos que sugieren que las cosas solo están empeorando para la administración.

Queda por ver cómo reaccionará el país ante la muerte de Pretti. Pero lo que está claro es que los estadounidenses están muy predispuestos a creer que ICE va demasiado lejos. Y los detalles sugieren que podríamos estar viendo una repetición de lo que ocurrió tras la muerte de Good, cuando las opiniones ya negativas sobre ICE se endurecieron y expandieron.

Por un lado, la administración nuevamente ha salido en defensa de los agentes federales involucrados y ha atacado a la persona fallecida de manera prematura y, en el mejor de los casos, poco creíble.

Al igual que con Good, la administración ha presentado a Pretti no solo como alguien que hizo temer por sus vidas a los agentes, sino como alguien que los habría atacado deliberadamente con intención de matarlos.

La secretaria de Seguridad Nacional, Kristi Noem, apostó que Pretti había intentado “causar el máximo daño”. Su departamento especuló que intentaba “masacrar a las fuerzas del orden”. El asesor de la Casa Blanca, Stephen Miller, resumió el hecho diciendo que “un homicida intentó matar a agentes federales”.

Pretti estaba armado —tenía permiso para portar el arma, según el jefe de policía de Minneapolis— y se vio envuelto en un forcejeo después de que los agentes le rociaran un irritante químico. Pero no ha surgido ninguna evidencia que respalde la acusación de que intentaba matarlos, y en los videos que se han visto hasta ahora no aparece tocando su arma.

De hecho, el video parece mostrar a un agente quitándole el arma a Pretti poco antes de que le disparen, lo que sugiere que ni siquiera tenía su pistola cuando fue muerto. Y aunque el DHS, la agencia que incluye a la Patrulla Fronteriza y a ICE, afirmó que Pretti se acercó a los agentes, los hechos parecen haberse desencadenado cuando un agen

* WHAT…Northeast winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph
expected.

* WHERE…Santa Susana Mountains.

* WHEN…From 7 AM to 11 AM PST this morning.

* IMPACTS…Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree
limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.
Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high
profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

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