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By Kristen Rogers, CNN

(CNN) — As part of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement’s efforts to replace artificial, petroleum-based food dyes with natural ones, the US Food and Drug Administration says it has approved the use of beetroot red and expanded the use of spirulina extract.

The number of natural colors approved during the current administration is now six, the agency said Thursday.

Beetroot red is a reddish-purple liquid or powder. Spirulina extract — a blue-green powder or liquid from the algae plant Arthrospira platensis, which is found in oceans and salty lakes — is already approved for use in many food and beverage products. They include candy, chewing gum, frosting, some dairy products, cereals, condiments and both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.

The latest FDA action allows the ingredient to be used in other human foods more generally, except for infant formula and certain foods subject to inspection by the US Department of Agriculture.

The FDA also announced that products with natural dyes can now be labeled “no artificial colors” so customers can more easily differentiate between synthetically and naturally dyed foods. Before, companies generally could only make such claims if their products had no added dyes whatsoever.

“This is real progress,” US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr said in a news release. “We are making it easier for companies to move away from petroleum-based synthetic colors and adopt safer, naturally derived alternatives. This momentum advances our broader effort to help Americans eat real food and Make America Healthy Again.”

The most used synthetic dyes in the US are red dyes Nos. 3 and 40, yellow dyes Nos. 5 and 6, and blue dyes Nos. 1 and 2. These dyes have been associated with increased health risks, including, in some cases, cancer and neurobehavioral issues in animals and children.

“Artificial dyes dominated because they are cheaper, more heat- and shelf-stable, and easier to standardize in ultra-processed foods,” Dr. Wesley McWhorter, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, said in an email. “But those manufacturing advantages do not imply they are healthier or necessary, which is why many whole food-oriented brands have moved back toward plant- and algae-based color sources.”

California began paving the way for legislation against synthetic dyes several years ago. The state has since banned red dye No. 3 statewide and six other common dyes from school foods; the laws go into effect on January 1, 2027, and December 31, 2027, respectively. The FDA banned red dye No. 3 in January 2025.

Twenty-six other states have followed in California’s footsteps with legislation — some signed into law, others still in progress — that would either ban, restrict or require labels for artificial colorants.

Some states —

By Tami Luhby, Adam Cancryn, CNN

(CNN) — TrumpRx, the Trump administration’s much-anticipated direct-to-consumer drug platform, is expected to launch on Thursday, according to two people familiar with the matter.

A key pillar of President Donald Trump’s effort to lower prescription drug costs, the website will serve as a clearinghouse that connects patients with drug makers selling certain products to those willing to pay cash and forgo insurance. The medications, including the blockbuster obesity drugs Zepbound and Wegovy, will be available at a discount through these channels.

However, it remains to be seen whether direct-to-consumer channels will actually result in lower costs for cash-paying patients with prescriptions. They could make certain drugs, particularly obesity medications that are not widely covered by insurance, more affordable, experts say. But many consumers could ultimately pay less for many other medicines over the course of the year if they go through their insurance.

At least 16 drug manufacturers have negotiated agreements with the administration to participate in the TrumpRx portal, though details remain scant on which medications will be available and at what prices. Some of the offerings listed in the announcements include Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy for as little as $149 a month; Amgen’s cholesterol-lowering drug Rephatha for $239 a month; and Merck’s diabetes medication Januvia for $100.

Trump has touted the drug pricing push as a major step toward lowering Americans’ health care costs, one of their main affordability pain points. In addition to TrumpRx, the “Most Favored Nation” effort includes having drug makers provide medicine to Medicaid and launch their drugs in the US at the lowest price available in other peer countries.

The president has grown increasingly enthusiastic about the new portal and his administration’s broader drug pricing initiative, viewing it as a key plank in his bid to ease the voter anxiety over cost-of-living issues that has weighed down his approval ratings and raised concerns about Republican candidates’ fate in the midterm elections in November.

Impact on costs

The idea of selling medications directly to consumers did not originate with the Trump administration. Entrepreneur Mark Cuban launched his online pharmacy, Cost Plus Drug Company, in 2022 to sell generic medications directly to consumers at its cost plus a 15% markup. It now offers some brand-name medicines.

Eli Lilly started providing obesity, migraine and diabetes drugs through LillyDirect early in 2024, and Novo Nordisk unveiled NovoCare, where patients could purchase Wegovy directly from the company, just over a year later.

Trump has pushed to expand direct-to-consumer sales, which he sees as a way reduce costs by cutting out other players in the drug supply chain, such as pharmacy benefit managers. He has pointed to seemingly massive discounts available on TrumpRx when announcing the deals at the White House, though those savings are off of the drugs’ list prices, which don’t always reflect what patients actually have to pay.

The effort has garnered mixed reviews from experts, but they largely say the channels’ impact will be limited – at least initially.

“TrumpRx might support access and affordability for a very small number of people,” said Rena Conti, an associate professor at the Boston University Questrom School of Business.

Much will depend on the drug, its cash-pay price and the insurance the patient has, if any. Typically, consumers’ co-pays or co-insurance will be lower than the prices available on the channels – at leas

By Aleena Fayaz, CNN

(CNN) — Marco Rubio now has one less critical role to worry about in the Trump administration.

After nearly a year as acting archivist of the United States, Rubio’s tenure has ended.

Rubio’s term expired with the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, which limits the time an acting officer can remain in the position.

The National Archives and Records Administration’s general counsel confirmed in a statement to CNN that Rubio was no longer serving as acting archivist.

“Prior to the conclusion of his tenure, and to the extent permitted by law, Secretary Rubio delegated the authority to perform the functions of the Archivist to James Byron, who continues to serve as Senior Advisor to the Archivist,” Matt Dummermuth, general counsel for the National Archives and Records Administration, added in the statement.

Rubio has worn several hats over the course of President Donald Trump’s second term.

Along with becoming the first person since Henry Kissinger to serve as secretary of state and national security adviser simultaneously, Rubio has been tasked with helping to run the transition of the Venezuelan government after the US ousted Nicolás Maduro – an operation in which Rubio played a key role.

The former US senator from Florida was also the point man on shuttering the US Agency for International Development.

Trump, who used to criticize Rubio and call him “Little Marco,” named Rubio to the role of archivist last February after the surprise dismissal of Colleen Shogan, a Joe Biden appointee and the first woman to hold the post.

The National Archives preserves US government records, including paper documents, photographs, maps, films and computer records. The Federal News Network was first to report that Rubio is no longer acting archivist.

At a State Department event Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance joked about the many hats Rubio wears.

“When he asked me to come and speak today, I said, man, this is your building; why don’t you come and give a speech? And he said, well, because I’ve got five jobs and you’ve only got one,” Vance said. “And so, I figured I might as well do Marco a solid, since he’s also the archivist and the official White House florist and has a number of other jobs in addition to Secretary of State.”

Other members of the administration have poked fun at Rubio’s multiple jobs. During the first cabinet meeting of the year, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin joked that Rubio should help him in the administration’s efforts to rebuild homes impacted by the California wildfires.

“Mr. President, your great secretary of state was looking for another job,” Zeldin said, before the room erupted with laughter.

Byron, who is performing the functions of archivist, was picked by Trump to serve as the senior adviser to the archivist in February, with the president saying that he would “manage the National Archives on a day-to-day basis, while we continue our search for a full-time Archivist.” Byron is the president and CEO of the Richard Nixon Foundation.

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