Many people think that vitamin C is only useful during specific seasons or situations—like when you’re feeling subpar and want to give your immune system some extra support.* While it’s true that vitamin C bolsters immune function and response, it turns out that taking it every once in a while doesn’t fully unlock the vitamin’s capabilities and health benefits.*
Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents they are legally protected from prosecution and local officials cannot arrest them.
Fox News host Will Cain questioned Miller during an Oct. 24 interview. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Cain said, “talked about interfering with, arresting, ICE agents in Illinois.”
Cain asked Miller under what federal authority the Trump administration could arrest Pritzker if the governor tried to arrest ICE agents.
“To all ICE officers, you have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties,” Miller said. “And anybody who lays a hand on you or tries to stop you or tries to obstruct you is committing a felony.”
Miller said his answer applied to any local or state official “who conspires or engages in activity that unlawfully impedes federal law enforcement conducting their duties.”
The day before Miller’s comments Pritzker signed an executive order establishing the Illinois Accountability Commission to document federal law enforcement actions and refer possible law violations to local and state agencies for investigation. Chicago is the latest target in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, and agents have arrested more than 3,000 people there.
Pritzker acknowledged in an Oct. 16 interview that “federal agents typically have federal immunity, but they’re not immune from the federal government holding them accountable and responsible.”
His statement is less sweeping than Miller’s and Pritzker noted that the federal government can prosecute federal agents.
Immigration agents, like other law enforcement officers, have broad protections when conducting official duties. That doesn’t mean they can’t be held legally accountable if they break state or federal law.
“Federal officials are not categorically immune from state criminal prosecution, even while on duty,” Bryna Godar, attorney at University of Wisconsin’s State Democracy Research Initiative, wrote in a July 17 report.
When contacted for comment, the White House pointed PolitiFact to an Oct. 23 letter U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote California officials.
“The Department of Justice views any arrests of federal agents and officers in the performance of their official duties as both illegal and futile,” Blanche wrote.
He cited several federal laws and provisions including the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause. The clause limits when states can prosecute federal agents who break state law, but it does not act as blanket immunity, legal experts said.
Miller’s statement is “wrong on its face,” Steve Vladeck, a Georgetown University constitutional law professor, wrote in his Oct. 27 newsletter.
Federal immigration agents can’t break the law with impunity.
In 2024, a federal judge convicted and sentenced to federal prison a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent for using excessive force against two people at the southern border. Department of Homeland Security watchdog offices investigated the case.
The federal government has cited its power to hold agents accountable in court arguments. After a Border Patrol agent shot and killed a 15-year-old Mexican boy at the southern border in 2010, the Justice Department said in a 2019 Supreme Court brief that the federal government investigates allegations of excessive force by agents “and may bring a federal criminal prosecution where appropriate.”
Non-government organizations also can sue the federal government for its agents’ actions. Several groups in Chicago, including journalism organizations, sued the Trump administration saying federal agents are using “a pattern of extreme brutality in a concerted and ongoing effort to silence the press and civilians.”
In that case, federal District Judge Sara Ellis ordered immigration agents not to use tear gas and other riot control tactics unless people are posing an immediate threat. If the agents are going to use tear gas, they are required to give a verbal warning first.
After reports that agents weren’t following the court order, Ellis ordered Gregory Bovino, the senior Border Patrol official overseeing the federal immigration actions in Chicago, to meet with her every weeknight to report all confrontations officers have with the public. (After this story published, a federal appeals court temporarily paused Ellis’ order.)
Vladeck wrote that even if the Trump administration does not investigate or prosecute immigration agents who might have broken the law, it doesn’t mean the federal government doesn’t have the power to do so.
Pritzker said his state’s commission seeks to document actions that could be prosecuted in the future.
State governments also can prosecute immigration agents if they break state law. However, there is a limitation known as supremacy clause immunity which comes from the U.S. Constitution’s clause that says federal law supersedes conflicting state laws.
Protections against state prosecution for federal agents date back to an 1890 Supreme Court decision. David Neagle, a U.S. marshal assigned to protect a Supreme Court justice, shot and killed a man who assaulted the justice. California arrested Neagle and charged him with murder. The Supreme Court ruled that the state couldn’t prosecute Neagle because he was carrying out official duties.
Generally, federal agents are protected from state prosecution if their actions were authorized by federal law, and if the actions were “necessary and proper” for agents to fulfill their duties.
A federal court ruled in 1990 that a customs agent was immune from state charges for speeding while driving during a drug operation. The agent acted under U.S. laws and was justified in concluding speeding was necessary to fulfill his duties, the court said.
But a U.S. marine wasn’t given immunity in 1990 after he killed a person in a car accident while he was driving in a military convoy in North Carolina.
“In short, while Supremacy Clause immunity grants federal officials a partial shield from state prosecution, that immunity is not absolute,” Godar wrote.
Contrary to Miller’s statement, Vladeck wrote, it’s not a felony “for local or state authorities to arrest someone who they have probable cause to believe committed a state crime.”
If a state brought charges against federal immigration agents, the court would have to determine whether an officer reasonably would have thought the actions were necessary to carry out federal duties.
“That’s a generous standard, to be sure,” Vladeck wrote. “But it is by no means a get-out-of-prosecution-free card.”
Miller said, “To all ICE officers, you have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties.”
Immigration agents, like other law enforcement officers, have broad protections when they’re conducting official duties. But they’re not immune from prosecution if they break state or federal law.
The federal government can and does prosecute federal officers who break the law.
States can’t prosecute agents for breaking state law if the agents were acting under the reasonable confines of their official duties. But those restrictions aren’t absolute.
The statement contains an element of truth; federal immigration agents have some immunity from state prosecution. But the protections aren’t as sweeping as Miller made them sound, giving a different impression. Federal agents can and have been prosecuted by states.
We rate Miller’s statement Mostly False.
UPDATE, Oct. 29, 2025: This story was updated to include an appeals court decision that happened after publication.
If you have allergies, asthma, or chronic sinusitis, this will be an absolute game-changer for you. If you have sleep apnea or insomnia—it’s a must-try. And the beautiful part? It’s free, it’s easy, and breathing is something you have to do anyway. Of all the health-boosting practices we recommend, breathing through your nose is by far the most accessible—no external barriers to be found.
Cancer. That dreaded C-word that no one wants to hear uttered by a medical professional. Yet, it seems more prevalent than ever. In 2020, there were an estimated 19.3 million new cancer cases and, devastatingly, 10 million cancer-related deaths worldwide. This disease is the first or second leading cause of premature death in 134 out of 183 countries.
Resilient skin entails more than looking healthy on the surface. Resilient skin is strong, in every sense of the word—it bounces back when facing challenges, like dry weather, over-exfoliation, or pollutants, thus protecting your body as its first line of defense.
Are you getting enough of this hormone-friendly nutrient?
This is one ancient remedy with plenty of modern science to back it up.
Before you crawl into bed, set time aside for something that brings you joy and relieves tension. A few to consider from the mindbodygreen team: A simple yoga-inspired stretch, a warm shower, a pampering skin care routine, listening to your favorite playlist (see above), reading an engaging novel, or giving yourself a short hand or scalp massage.
You’re likely not getting enough.
It’s going to get chilly out there soon, friends. This time of year is always bittersweet – we hate saying goodbye to the sunshine, but we love saying hello to warm soups, cuddles by the fireplace, and crunchy leaves under our feet. You might be thinking it’s too soon to talk about essential health habits for fall, but we’ll be in the thick of it before you can blink and it’s always worthwhile to be prepared.
When the seasons change, it’s a great opportunity for us to take stock of where we’re at and where we’re going. Maybe you feel amazing after weeks of raw foods, sunshine and playing outside, and you’re a teensy bit nervous about carrying those habits into the cooler months.
Fear not. As the weather changes, so should our routines – your autumn healthy lifestyle may look a bit different than your summer one, but that’s to be expected. Staying in tune with the seasons is key to being happy and healthy all year round.
Try out these essential health habits for fall. If you begin by adding two new practices to your routine each week, by the time autumn is fully present you’ll be very well-equipped!
You know it’s getting chilly out when you wake up in the morning, take one look at your blender and realize the last thing you want is an ice-cold smoothie. But by swapping your ice cubes for hot water, you can turn a summer staple into an autumn favourite. You can even incorporate vegetables into your blended drinks, like my pumpkin spice latte.
Swap your smoothies for hot blender drinks using this recipe inspiration:
If your soup-making routine fell by the wayside this summer, now’s the perfect time to get back on the wagon. There’s nothing more comforting than a hot bowl of soup, especially one made from scratch in your own kitchen.
Try these comforting soups on for size:
We tend to focus more on hydration during the summertime when it’s hot, but we need to stay equally hydrated throughout the fall and winter months. Aim to drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water daily, or you can opt for herbal teas.
There are so many fantastic reasons to eat seasonal foods, but fall is an especially important time to load up on them. Eating seasonally is incredibly beneficial to your health because seasonal foods provide the best nutrients we need at that specific time of the year. Fall and winter vegetables have nutrients that support our immunity for cold and flu season. Seasonal foods will depend on where you live, but for me, a few that I count on are:
Now’s the time to start supporting your immune system so you stay healthy all season long. These are some of my absolute favourite cold and flu remedies, as well as the things you might want to avoid like sugar and alcohol. (Now is the time to start your batch of Fire Cider, so it will be ready!)
Try these immune-supportive recipes:
Lifestyle practices also play an important role in immunity, such as:
For more, listen to my podcast episode about How to Supercharge Immunity.
With fewer overall hours of sunlight and dark mornings, we may find ourselves waking up later and/or skipping breakfast. Try not to do this! Consume a fueling meal that includes protein, fat, and fibre. Remember: your breakfast doesn’t have to be an enormous meal to satisfy these essential requirements. In the winter, I often start my day with a fat-filled hot elixir.
More breakfast recipe inspiration:
Many animals in the wild have elaborate preparations and healthy habits for fall. Us humans used to do the same, but many of us have lost those homesteading skills. You don’t have to can everything in sight or buy an extra freezer for your freezer meals, but I do recommend doing some kind of light meal prep every week to make your busy days easier.
Some suggestions (you don’t have to do all of these every week; pick one or two):
Many of these items freeze well, so you can double your recipes and freeze them for later. If you’d like to learn additional meal prep skills and recipes, consider my short course Everyday Culinary Nutrition.
I get it: when the sun goes down at 4:30 pm, you turn to your phone, iPad or laptop to keep you entertained. That’s A-OK – but ensure you put your devices away at least an hour before bedtime to help you regulate your circadian rhythm and to help you sleep better. I am quite sensitive to using devices at night, so I personally try to put everything away several hours before bed.
Gratitude has so many health benefits, including improving your mood, immune health, relationships, and sleep. And it’s one of those essential fall health habits that’s easy to do! Gratitude is something you can practice anywhere in both small and large ways. Visit this post for the full rundown on how to get started on your gratitude today.
There’s nothing like that back-to-school energy to turn your relaxed summer attitude upside down, but staying calm is key to staying healthy. Incorporate breathing and relaxation techniques into your routine now before the holiday season stress starts. This is an important part of your self-care.
If you’re not into yoga or meditation, even taking 5 deep breaths in the morning, or when you feel worried or stressed, can be a huge help.
I know this seems like a long list of things to do to maintain health habits for fall, but each one is straightforward and many of these take minimal time. Once you get into the habit of doing them, they will seem like less effort, with maximum benefit.
What health habits for fall will you be doing in the next couple of months?
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Meghan Telpner
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In her first broadcast interview since joining the nation’s highest court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson talks Donald Trump’s presidential immunity case, an enforceable code of ethics for her and her colleagues, and how the last two years on the bench have gone as the first ever Black woman to serve as a United States Supreme Court justice.
Since joining the court, CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell pointed out, Jackson has been a keen questioner.
“You immediately became the most prolific questioner among the justices,” O’Donnell said. “No one else is even close to you.” Jackson smiled. “Why do you laugh?” the anchor asked.
“Because, I was the most prolific questioner as a district court judge as well,” Jackson said. “Because I have a lot of questions,” she continued, her tone turning serious. “We have a very complicated legal system, and these issues are hard.”
CBS’s sit-down with Justice Jackson comes as President Joe Biden is, in part, using his remaining time in office to push for Supreme Court reform amid historically high levels of American distrust in the institution. As of a couple months ago, fewer than half of Americans have a favorable opinion of the court, according to a Pew Research Center survey. For Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, that number drops to 24 percent. Black respondents, along with women, were more likely to feel disdain for the court.
In late July, Biden released a three-part plan of reforms.
First, pass a “No One Is Above the Law Amendment,” establishing that “the Constitution does not confer any immunity from federal criminal indictment, trial, conviction, or sentencing by virtue of previously serving as President”—a direct response to the court’s recent immunity ruling where they sided with Trump. Second, term limits for justices set to 18 years. Last, “Congress should pass binding, enforceable conduct and ethics rules that require Justices to disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity, and recuse themselves” from cases where conflicts of interest could arise for themselves or their spouses.
Justice Jackson wrote a scathing dissent in the immunity case, which ruled that former presidents have “absolute” protection from criminal prosecution for “official” actions done while in office.
“The majority of my colleagues seems to have put their trust in our Court’s ability to prevent Presidents from becoming Kings through case-by-case application of the indeterminate standards of their new Presidential accountability paradigm,” she wrote. “I fear that they are wrong. But, for all our sakes, I hope that they are right.”
When O’Donnell asked Jackson about this case, the justice responded, “I was concerned about a system that appeared to provide immunity for one individual under one set of circumstances. When we have a criminal justice system that had, ordinarily, treated everyone the same.”
“Are you prepared that this election could end up before the Supreme Court?” O’Donnell followed up.
“As prepared as anyone can be,” Jackson said. “I think there are legal issues that arise out of the political process, and so the Supreme Court has to be prepared to respond if that should be necessary.”
Some of Jackson’s coworkers on the bench have been in hot water recently.
In April of 2023, a ProPublica investigation found that, for over two decades, Justice Clarence Thomas was being treated to luxury vacations from billionaire and political donor Harlan Crow. It was the first drop in what has become a stream of reporting about potential ethics violations from Thomas and other justices. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s wife, Martha-Ann, has also been in the news for flying two flags synonymous with the “Stop the Steal” movement—the unfounded right-wing theory that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump by Biden—outside of the couple’s homes in Virginia and New Jersey.
“I’m not going to comment on other justice’s interpretation of the rules or what they’re doing,” Jackson said during the CBS interview.
In November, all nine justices signed onto the court’s first formal code of conduct governing the ethical behavior of its members, but that agreement doesn’t appear to have a clear enforcement mechanism. When asked about her personal code, Jackson responded, “I follow the rules, whatever they are with respect to ethical obligations, and it’s important, in my view, to do so. It really boils down to impartiality—that’s what the rules are about. People are entitled to know if you’re accepting gifts as a judge, so that they can evaluate whether or not your opinions are impartial.”
Katie Herchenroeder
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Your liver, lymphatic system, kidneys, and gallbladder are largely responsible for detoxification as well as processing and removing toxins like alcohol, pesticides, mold mycotoxins, and the waste products of your own metabolism. If your detoxification system is impaired by inflammation, toxins can build up in your body further perpetuating inflammation and causing swelling, rashes, pain, and damage to your organs.
You’re likely not getting enough.
The antioxidant you’re about to see everywhere.
“Gatoraaade.”
“H2O!”
Adam Sandler’s Waterboy may be a comedic classic, but there’s no denying that it highlights a very important fact—water is the elixir of life.
It’s one of those substances that we’ve become jaded by, as Shawn Stevenson, a renowned health expert and host of the #1 health podcast, The Model Health Show, points out. In an episode of The Mindvalley Show with Vishen, he adds, “We really don’t understand the value that it has,” especially if we live in a developed place.
Beyond being a thirst quencher, water has an immense ability to revolutionize your health. But as Shawn highlights, it first starts with transforming the way you think about hydration.
Watch the full 41-minute episode:
H2O—that’s what many of us learned about water in school. But the fact of the matter is, it goes beyond that.
“Water is known as a universal solvent,” says Shawn. “It is the most interactive substance that we know,” with the ability to dissolve most things versus any other liquid.
So, why exactly is water essential for survival? Here are a few things you may not know about this seemingly ordinary fluid:
Leonardo da Vinci called water the “driving force of all nature.” And he’s not wrong, especially when you consider the wealth of benefits this vital essence provides for your health.
You remember that scene in Waterboy when Bobby Boucher gets knocked completely out? Vicki Vallencourt gives him water from a glacier in Alaska, and he snaps up?
“Now that’s what I call high-quality H2O.”
That’s the importance of hydration. Here are a few more things water can do for you:
These benefits are just the tip of the iceberg. But the thing is, when you prioritize your water intake, you’re making a commitment to improve your way of life.
Not all of us are diligent enough to have healthy drinking habits. And there are even some of us who don’t like the taste of water.
So what tips and tricks does Shawn have for such dilemmas? Here are some that are designed to make water consumption a more enjoyable part of your everyday routine:
The type of water you drink matters. While standard tap water may be sufficient, it can sometimes contain impurities like chlorine or lead.
That’s why Shawn recommends choosing quality water, like reverse osmosis (RO) and structured water, for optimal hydration.
The key takeaway here is that, when or if you can, choose water that not only hydrates you but also contributes to a healthy lifestyle.
Life gets busy, and forgetting to drink water is all too easy. There are a few ways to tackle this:
These little steps ensure you’re regularly hydrating without it feeling like a chore. Plus, it helps make drinking water a natural part of your day.
The container you use to store water and drink out of is just as important as the water itself. Shawn points out that plastic bottles can be a health concern. Why? Because, over time, plastics can release chemicals into the water, especially when exposed to heat or sunlight.
Here’s what you can do instead:
Understandably, there are some instances where we can’t avoid plastic water bottles. After all, “it’s more important to get hydrated,” according to Shawn.
But keep in mind that if you must use plastic, keep it away from heat sources like direct sunlight or a hot car.
Water doesn’t have to taste boring. You can add a twist to it with natural flavors. Here’s how you can make it fun and beneficial:
These simple steps not only make water more appealing but also turn it into a nutrient-rich drink.
While water is one way to get hydrated, certain foods can significantly contribute to it as well. Why’s this important? Well, sometimes when you think you’re hungry or experiencing food cravings, you might actually just be dehydrated.
So how can you stay on top of your hydration game through your diet?
Firstly, understand your cravings. If you ever get “hangry,” it could very well be your body’s cry for water being misinterpreted as hunger. Eating hydrating foods can help manage these hunger pangs and keep you hydrated.
Secondly, choose water-rich fruits and vegetables like watermelon, strawberries, cucumber, and lettuce. Adding these to your meals and snacks is a delicious way to boost your hydration and potentially reduce unnecessary snacking.
Small, consistent changes can lead to significant improvements in your health over time. Tweak your daily water intake, try out some of Shawn’s hydration hacks, and do your best to consume some of that Bobby Boucher’s “high-quality H2O.”
For a deeper dive into immune system optimization, check out Mindvalley’s quests like The Immunity Blueprint and WILDFIT, both guided by wellness expert Eric Edmeades. These programs empower you with practical, science-backed tools to build lifelong health and resilience.
Welcome in.
Tatiana Azman
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In four motions filed late last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Florida, Donald Trump’s lawyers seek dismissal of 40 felony charges based on his retention of classified documents after leaving the White House in January 2021. They argue that his decision to keep the documents is shielded by “absolute” presidential immunity for “official acts,” that he had complete discretion to designate records as personal rather than presidential, and that the charges related to mishandling “national defense information” are based on an “unconstitutionally vague” statute. They also argue that Special Counsel Jack Smith, who obtained the indictment, was improperly appointed, making all of the charges invalid.
The motion based on presidential immunity, which seeks dismissal of the 32 counts alleging unlawful retention of specific classified documents, rehashes the argument that a D.C. Circuit panel unanimously rejected this month in the federal case based on Trump’s attempts to remain in office after he lost the 2020 presidential election. “The D.C. Circuit’s analysis is not persuasive,” Trump’s lawyers write, “and President Trump is pursuing further review of that erroneous decision, including en banc review if allowed, and review in the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.” They say U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon, who is overseeing the documents case in Florida, “should not follow the D.C. Circuit’s non-binding, poorly reasoned decision.”
As Trump sees it, the separation of powers bars federal courts from sitting in judgment of a former president’s “official acts,” whether in the context of a civil case or in the context of a criminal prosecution. The D.C. Circuit, including Republican appointee Karen L. Henderson, was troubled by the implications of that position, which would allow presidents to commit grave crimes, including assassination of political opponents, without being held accountable unless they were impeached and removed from office based on the same conduct.
Trump’s lawyers read the Supreme Court’s 1803 decision in Marbury v. Madison as prohibiting judicial review of any presidential act. But as the D.C. Circuit emphasized, federal courts historically have passed judgment on the legality of presidential decisions, most famously in the 1952 case Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer. In that case, the appeals court noted, the Supreme Court “exercised its cognizance over Presidential action to dramatic effect” by holding that “President Harry Truman’s executive order seizing control of most of the country’s steel mills exceeded his constitutional and statutory authority and was therefore invalid.”
Strictly speaking, however, Youngstown dealt with an order issued by the secretary of commerce rather than the president himself. “To be sure,” Trump’s lawyers say, federal courts “sometimes review the validity of the official acts of subordinate executive officials below the president, and such review may reflect indirectly on the lawfulness of the president’s own acts or directives. But the authority of judicial review of the official acts of subordinate officers has never been held to extend to the official acts of the president himself.”
Marbury drew a distinction between “discretionary” and “ministerial” acts. Regarding the first category, Chief Justice John Marshall said in the majority opinion, “the President is invested with certain important political powers, in the exercise of which he is to use his own discretion, and is accountable only to his country in his political character, and to his own conscience.” In that situation, he said, “the subjects are political and the decision of the executive is conclusive,” meaning it “can never be examinable by the courts.”
But that is not true, Marshall added, “when the legislature proceeds to impose on [an executive official] other duties; when he is directed peremptorily to perform certain acts; when the rights of individuals are dependent on the performance of those acts.” Then “he is so far the officer of the law, is amenable to the laws for his conduct, and cannot at his discretion, sport away the vested rights of others.” In those circumstances, he is acting as a “ministerial officer compellable to do his duty, and if he refuses, is liable to indictment.”
Although Trump’s lawyers do not explicitly address that distinction, they argue that the counts charging him with illegally retaining 32 listed classified documents are based on 1) presidential decisions that 2) fell within the “discretionary” category. Both of those conclusions seem dubious.
The indictment says Trump “caused scores of boxes, many of which contained classified documents, to be transported” from the White House to Mar-a-Lago. Trump’s lawyers say the indictment “makes clear that this decision and the related transportation of records occurred while President Trump was still in office.”
As Trump’s lawyers see it, in other words, the first 32 counts are all based on actions that he took as president. That interpretation seems problematic based on the text of the statute and the wording of the indictment.
Trump is charged with violating 18 USC 793(e), which applies to someone who has “unauthorized possession” of “information relating to the national defense” and “willfully retains” it when he “has reason to believe” it “could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation.” The indictment says Trump “did willfully retain the documents and fail to deliver them to the officer and employee of the United States entitled to receive them.”
Retaining the documents and failing to deliver them are distinct from the initial act of transportation. While the latter may have happened while Trump was still in office, the former included his conduct during the year and a half that elapsed from the end of his term until an FBI search of Mar-a-Lago discovered the 32 documents, along with 70 or so others marked as classified, on August 8, 2022. During that time, Trump delivered some classified documents but retained others, even after he claimed to comply with a federal subpoena demanding their return. But for that continuing resistance, the FBI would not have obtained a search warrant and Trump would not be facing these charges.
Why does Trump think the initial act of bringing the documents to Mar-a-Lago was within his discretion as president? Under the Presidential Records Act, he argues in another motion, he had complete authority to classify documents as personal, meaning he could keep them rather than turn them over to the National Archives. His possession of those documents therefore was not “unauthorized,” as required for a conviction under Section 793(e). And since the FBI’s investigation was not legally justified, Trump’s lawyers say, the other eight counts, including conspiracy to obstruct justice, concealing records, and lying to federal investigators, also should be dismissed.
That reading of the Presidential Records Act is counterintuitive given its motivation and text. The impetus for the law was President Richard Nixon’s assertion of the very authority that Trump is now claiming. Rather than allow a president to destroy or retain official documents at will, Congress declared that “the United States shall reserve and retain complete ownership, possession, and control of Presidential records.”
The law defines presidential records as “documentary materials, or any reasonably segregable portion thereof, created or received by the President, the President’s immediate staff, or a unit or individual of the Executive Office of the President whose function is to advise or assist the President, in the course of conducting activities which relate to or have an effect upon the carrying out of the constitutional, statutory, or other official or ceremonial duties of the President.” That term excludes “personal records,” defined as “all documentary materials, or any reasonably segregable portion thereof, of a purely private or nonpublic character which do not relate to or have an effect upon the carrying out of the constitutional, statutory, or other official or ceremonial duties of the President.”
As Trump reads the Presidential Records Act, however, it “conferred unreviewable discretion on President Trump to designate the records at issue as personal.” That interpretation would, on its face, render the statute a nullity. If a president has total discretion to decide that a document is “of a purely private or nonpublic character,” regardless of its content, the situation that Congress sought to rectify would be unchanged in practice.
Trump also argues that Section 793(e), as applied to him, violates his Fifth Amendment right to due process because it is so vague that it does not “give people of common intelligence fair notice of what the law demands of them.” In particular, his lawyers say, the phrases “unauthorized possession,” “relating to the national defense,” and “entitled to receive” have no clear meaning.
Finally, Trump says the indictment is invalid because “the Appointments Clause does not permit the Attorney General to appoint, without Senate confirmation, a private citizen and like-minded political ally to wield the prosecutorial power of the United States.” Smith therefore “lacks the authority to prosecute this action.”
The Appointments Clause empowers the president to “appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law.” Because there is “no statute establishing the Office of Special Counsel,” Trump’s motion says, “Smith’s appointment is invalid and any prosecutorial power he seeks to wield is ultra vires”—i.e., without legal authority.
This question, the motion says, is “an issue of first impression in the Eleventh Circuit,” which includes Florida. But in 2019, the D.C. Circuit rejected the argument that Trump is deploying here, holding that Special Counsel Robert Mueller was an “inferior” rather than “principal” officer, meaning that Acting Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had the authority to appoint him.
Trump is asking Cannon to approve “discovery and pretrial hearings on factual disputes” relevant to his motions. That is apt to delay the trial in this case, which had been scheduled to begin on May 20.
The Section 793(e) charges require the government to show that the 32 documents listed in the indictment contained information that could compromise national security, a task complicated by their classified status. But the obstruction-related counts, which include allegations that Trump defied the federal subpoena, deliberately concealed classified records, and tried to cover up his cover-up by instructing his underlings to delete incriminating surveillance camera footage, may be the strongest charges that he faces across four criminal cases. Assuming the government can prove the facts it alleges in the indictment, it seems pretty clear that Trump is guilty of multiple felonies, including half a dozen that are punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Jacob Sullum
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We tend to pay more attention to our immune system during cold and flu season when germs are swirling around like a tornado. However, it’s important to focus on practices that will support and strengthen immunity throughout the year. Pathogens are always around us – they don’t take vacations. This means incorporating cold-fighting foods into daily meals.
No matter the time of year, concentrate on these cold-fighting foods to keep your immune system healthy and humming. They’ll not only improve your health and help reduce the severity of symptoms if you’re hit with an infection but make you feel energized, too!
Here are 9 of our favourite cold-fighting foods! (And, if you want to dive in deeper, check out this post for 5 natural cold and flu remedies.)
Garlic is a potent superfood with anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties. It’s been used throughout history to ward off infections, most recently in World War I and II, where garlic was applied to wounds to prevent infections and gangrene. But garlic isn’t just some folk-medicine remedy; there is modern scientific evidence that reveals it can protect us against the common cold.
In one study of 146 volunteers, the people who took a garlic supplement daily for three months were less likely to come down with colds than the placebo group. And, if the garlic group did contract a cold, they recovered much quicker than those taking the placebo. In another study, participants who swallowed aged garlic extract had fewer cold symptoms, missed fewer days of work, and improved faster than people who took the placebo. This led researchers to conclude that garlic enhances immune cell function and has an important role to play in diminishing the severity of colds and flus.
Garlic is one of our favourite cold-fighting foods because it can be used in so many dishes! Add it to your soups, stews, stir-fries, dips (like guacamole), or eat it straight-up raw if you feel a cold coming on. No one will want to kiss you (that garlic breath can be potent!), but if you’re sniffling and sneezing everyone’s likely giving you a wide berth anyway.
Photo: Alice Henneman
Like garlic, onion is an incredibly potent vegetable with cold-fighting properties. In addition to containing the anti-bacterial and anti-viral compound allicin (also found in garlic), onions have a flavanoid called quercetin, a potent antioxidant that protects our cells from damage and has been studied as a flu-fighter.
In one study of mice, researchers exercised the animals and then gave them quercetin or a placebo. The mice who received quercetin had a reduced risk of respiratory infections. Additional research on onion extracts given to rats showed that the onion boosted their immune system, raising their white blood cell count.
Onions are also high in Vitamin C, a well-known vitamin that supports immunity, as well as molecules called Onionin-A that reduce inflammation and help to modulate our immune defenses.
Onion can be used as one of the cold-fighting foods in a variety of soups, stews, stir-fries, breakfast casseroles, and omelettes, or eaten raw in salads.
Lemons have earned their rightful place as one of the top cold-fighting foods because of their high content of Vitamin C. Vitamin C has become famous for its effect on the common cold, and it’s an important nutrient that supports and strengthens our immune system.
Vitamin C helps shorten the duration and severity of infections and can play a role in preventing them in the first place. It stimulates immunity – but prevents the immune system from getting out of hand – and helps to reduce inflammation as well. And, as an antioxidant, it protects us from cellular damage.
Lemons (and limes) are so easy to incorporate into your daily diet! Add a tablespoon of lemon juice to warm water in the morning (this also helps to kickstart digestion), incorporate it into green juices and smoothies, add it to your salad dressings, and use lemon to enhance the flavour of virtually any meal.
Butternut squash are rich in cucurbitacins, highly anti-inflammatory compounds that lend the squash its anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. At a deeper immune level, squashes have anti-cancer effects.
Additionally, squashes are high in Vitamin C (discussed above) and Vitamin A, which not only enhances immunity but also helps to modulate and support the two different arms of the immune system.
Wintertime is synonymous with butternut squash and winter squash, and they’re widely available at farmers’ markets and grocery stores. You can use them as you would any root vegetable: in soups, stews, and casseroles, but they can even be incorporated into smoothies, sliced and used as lasagna noodles in Paleo recipes, and puréed and then incorporated into sweet or savory baked goodies like these butternut squash muffins.
If you find yourself befuddled at all of the winter squash choices, check out our ultimate guide to winter squash that breaks down each variety and how to use them.
Ginger has a delicious, spicy kick that is full to the brim with cold-fighting benefits. It settles the stomach and reduces nausea, making it an optimal food to consume when colds and flus leave you feeling nauseated.
This hardy root contains gingerols, which are powerful compounds that block inflammation, as well as anti-oxidants that reduce inflammation and have anti-cancer properties. Fresh ginger can also prevent viruses from attaching to our airways.
Ginger can be added to smoothies, soups (try this carrot ginger version), elixirs, stews, salad dressings, dips and spreads, and homemade crackers.
You can also grate ginger into hot water with some lemon and raw honey for immune and anti-microbial support. If you’re feeling brave, you can also try making fire cider!
Research on chicken soup shows that it can reduce inflammation, ease cold symptoms, and shorten the amount of time we suffer from respiratory symptoms. Scientists also suggested that broth can rehydrate us, which is particularly helpful if you’ve been spending a lot of time hugging the toilet.
Bone broth is rich in a variety of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that help to nourish the intestinal tract, bones, joints, and teeth. One of bone broth’s superstar nutrients is gelatin, which provides nutrients that supports a variety of conditions including peptic ulcers, tuberculosis, diabetes, muscle diseases, infectious diseases, jaundice, and cancer. It’s especially helpful in supporting the healing of the digestive tract and facilitates digestion by attracting digestive juices to food in the gut.
Grab our full guide to making broths and stocks and start simmering.
You can ladle bone broth into a mug and sip away, or build a more substantial soup by adding onions, garlic, ginger, veggies, and dark leafy greens. Bone broth is also wonderful as the liquid for cooking grains or in sauces.
Sweet potatoes contain sky-high amounts of Vitamin A, which as we mentioned earlier, enhance and modulate immunity, as well as help to heal mucosal barriers that have been ravaged by infections. A single cup of sweet potatoes offers over 200% of your recommended daily value of Vitamin A!
But that’s not all – sweet potatoes are rich in the immune-supportive Vitamin C, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds that can help reduce the pain and swelling you might experience with a cold. You’ll also find a range of B-vitamins, which will help amp up your energy levels when dealing with a cold or flu and help you feel less stressed about it.
Sweet potatoes are a versatile cooking ingredient. Chop them up into chunks or wedges for sweet potato fries, roast them whole and then stuff them with beans and toppings, mash them with coconut oil and cinnamon, bake them into chips, use sweet potato purée in baked goods, grate them raw over salads, or spread them over your favourite shepherd’s pie instead of white potatoes.
A variety of medicinal and culinary mushrooms are now available at the grocery store – we’re not merely stuck with white button mushrooms! All mushrooms have beta-glucans, which support the immune system and modulate it as needed as well as additional compounds that have anti-viral, antibiotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. They are also a great source of zinc, an important mineral that supports the immune system and keeps it in check.
Whole culinary mushrooms can be used in one-pot meals, savory breakfasts like eggs, omelettes and oatmeal, gluten-free flatbreads, stir-fries, and dairy-free soups. They also make great pizza toppings!
Discover more mushroom recipes in this guide to medicinal mushrooms.
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Photo: Joseph Gonzalez on Unsplash
Eggs contain Vitamin D, which helps to modulate our immune system, reduce our risk of infections, and prevent autoimmune diseases. They’re a nutrient-dense source of protein, and protein helps us produce anti-bodies and ward off infections, as well as repair damaged tissue. Eggs are packed with anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats, Vitamin A for immunity, and B vitamins to help us sleep – something we could all use when we’re under the weather.
Eat eggs for breakfast in a variety of ways: scrambled, poached, over-easy, soft-boiled, or however you love your eggs. Make an omelette or quiche, use them to bind crackers or gluten-free bread, have a hard-boiled egg as a snack or atop salads, or crack an egg into your hot noodle dishes.
These additional handy tips can help further support healthy immunity.
Sugary foods inhibit our ability to destroy harmful bacteria, so it’s best to avoid sweet treats if you feel a cold or flu coming on and also while you’re sick (and that includes the natural sweeteners too). If you’re struggling with sugar cravings, these tips can help.
You’ve probably heard that stress negatively impacts our health in a variety of ways. When it comes to the immune system and cold and flu season, stress inhibits our adrenal hormones – particularly cortisol, which helps to regulate inflammation. Prolonged stress not only leaves us vulnerable to infections but also may impact our ability to fight infections once they set in. (For a detailed summary of stress and immunity, check out this meta-analysis.)
Hydration is essential to flushing out toxins, supporting digestion, reducing pain and headaches, and transporting chemical messengers throughout the body. So drink up – we recommend the cleanest water source you can find, without chlorine and other chemicals. If plain water sounds boring, try jazzing it up, or consume green juice, smoothies, or herbal teas.
Concocting herbal tinctures isn’t as difficult as you might expect – all you need is a clean mason jar, a few healthful ingredients, and time. We have a full tutorial on homemade tinctures for you to try. For immune system support, try making Fire Cider, a fiery mix of a number of immune-enhancing food such as ginger, garlic, onion, horseradish, raw honey, and apple cider vinegar, or homemade elderberry syrup.
Integrating these 9 cold-fighting foods into your regular dietary rotation can help you support the immune system, prevent those inconvenient colds and flus, and help you recover more quickly if you do happen to succumb to the sniffles.
Header Image: iStock/marilyna
Academy of Culinary Nutrition
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We tend to pay more attention to our immune system during cold and flu season when germs are swirling around like a tornado. However, it’s important to focus on practices that will support and strengthen immunity throughout the year. Pathogens are always around us – they don’t take vacations. This means incorporating cold-fighting foods into daily meals.
No matter the time of year, concentrate on these cold-fighting foods to keep your immune system healthy and humming. They’ll not only improve your health and help reduce the severity of symptoms if you’re hit with an infection but make you feel energized, too!
Here are 9 of our favourite cold-fighting foods! (And, if you want to dive in deeper, check out this post for 5 natural cold and flu remedies.)
Garlic is a potent superfood with anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties. It’s been used throughout history to ward off infections, most recently in World War I and II, where garlic was applied to wounds to prevent infections and gangrene. But garlic isn’t just some folk-medicine remedy; there is modern scientific evidence that reveals it can protect us against the common cold.
In one study of 146 volunteers, the people who took a garlic supplement daily for three months were less likely to come down with colds than the placebo group. And, if the garlic group did contract a cold, they recovered much quicker than those taking the placebo. In another study, participants who swallowed aged garlic extract had fewer cold symptoms, missed fewer days of work, and improved faster than people who took the placebo. This led researchers to conclude that garlic enhances immune cell function and has an important role to play in diminishing the severity of colds and flus.
Garlic is one of our favourite cold-fighting foods because it can be used in so many dishes! Add it to your soups, stews, stir-fries, dips (like guacamole), or eat it straight-up raw if you feel a cold coming on. No one will want to kiss you (that garlic breath can be potent!), but if you’re sniffling and sneezing everyone’s likely giving you a wide berth anyway.
Photo: Alice Henneman
Like garlic, onion is an incredibly potent vegetable with cold-fighting properties. In addition to containing the anti-bacterial and anti-viral compound allicin (also found in garlic), onions have a flavanoid called quercetin, a potent antioxidant that protects our cells from damage and has been studied as a flu-fighter.
In one study of mice, researchers exercised the animals and then gave them quercetin or a placebo. The mice who received quercetin had a reduced risk of respiratory infections. Additional research on onion extracts given to rats showed that the onion boosted their immune system, raising their white blood cell count.
Onions are also high in Vitamin C, a well-known vitamin that supports immunity, as well as molecules called Onionin-A that reduce inflammation and help to modulate our immune defenses.
Onion can be used as one of the cold-fighting foods in a variety of soups, stews, stir-fries, breakfast casseroles, and omelettes, or eaten raw in salads.
Lemons have earned their rightful place as one of the top cold-fighting foods because of their high content of Vitamin C. Vitamin C has become famous for its effect on the common cold, and it’s an important nutrient that supports and strengthens our immune system.
Vitamin C helps shorten the duration and severity of infections and can play a role in preventing them in the first place. It stimulates immunity – but prevents the immune system from getting out of hand – and helps to reduce inflammation as well. And, as an antioxidant, it protects us from cellular damage.
Lemons (and limes) are so easy to incorporate into your daily diet! Add a tablespoon of lemon juice to warm water in the morning (this also helps to kickstart digestion), incorporate it into green juices and smoothies, add it to your salad dressings, and use lemon to enhance the flavour of virtually any meal.
Butternut squash are rich in cucurbitacins, highly anti-inflammatory compounds that lend the squash its anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. At a deeper immune level, squashes have anti-cancer effects.
Additionally, squashes are high in Vitamin C (discussed above) and Vitamin A, which not only enhances immunity but also helps to modulate and support the two different arms of the immune system.
Wintertime is synonymous with butternut squash and winter squash, and they’re widely available at farmers’ markets and grocery stores. You can use them as you would any root vegetable: in soups, stews, and casseroles, but they can even be incorporated into smoothies, sliced and used as lasagna noodles in Paleo recipes, and puréed and then incorporated into sweet or savory baked goodies like these butternut squash muffins.
If you find yourself befuddled at all of the winter squash choices, check out our ultimate guide to winter squash that breaks down each variety and how to use them.
Ginger has a delicious, spicy kick that is full to the brim with cold-fighting benefits. It settles the stomach and reduces nausea, making it an optimal food to consume when colds and flus leave you feeling nauseated.
This hardy root contains gingerols, which are powerful compounds that block inflammation, as well as anti-oxidants that reduce inflammation and have anti-cancer properties. Fresh ginger can also prevent viruses from attaching to our airways.
Ginger can be added to smoothies, soups (try this carrot ginger version), elixirs, stews, salad dressings, dips and spreads, and homemade crackers.
You can also grate ginger into hot water with some lemon and raw honey for immune and anti-microbial support. If you’re feeling brave, you can also try making fire cider!
Research on chicken soup shows that it can reduce inflammation, ease cold symptoms, and shorten the amount of time we suffer from respiratory symptoms. Scientists also suggested that broth can rehydrate us, which is particularly helpful if you’ve been spending a lot of time hugging the toilet.
Bone broth is rich in a variety of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that help to nourish the intestinal tract, bones, joints, and teeth. One of bone broth’s superstar nutrients is gelatin, which provides nutrients that supports a variety of conditions including peptic ulcers, tuberculosis, diabetes, muscle diseases, infectious diseases, jaundice, and cancer. It’s especially helpful in supporting the healing of the digestive tract and facilitates digestion by attracting digestive juices to food in the gut.
Grab our full guide to making broths and stocks and start simmering.
You can ladle bone broth into a mug and sip away, or build a more substantial soup by adding onions, garlic, ginger, veggies, and dark leafy greens. Bone broth is also wonderful as the liquid for cooking grains or in sauces.
Sweet potatoes contain sky-high amounts of Vitamin A, which as we mentioned earlier, enhance and modulate immunity, as well as help to heal mucosal barriers that have been ravaged by infections. A single cup of sweet potatoes offers over 200% of your recommended daily value of Vitamin A!
But that’s not all – sweet potatoes are rich in the immune-supportive Vitamin C, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds that can help reduce the pain and swelling you might experience with a cold. You’ll also find a range of B-vitamins, which will help amp up your energy levels when dealing with a cold or flu and help you feel less stressed about it.
Sweet potatoes are a versatile cooking ingredient. Chop them up into chunks or wedges for sweet potato fries, roast them whole and then stuff them with beans and toppings, mash them with coconut oil and cinnamon, bake them into chips, use sweet potato purée in baked goods, grate them raw over salads, or spread them over your favourite shepherd’s pie instead of white potatoes.
A variety of medicinal and culinary mushrooms are now available at the grocery store – we’re not merely stuck with white button mushrooms! All mushrooms have beta-glucans, which support the immune system and modulate it as needed as well as additional compounds that have anti-viral, antibiotic, and anti-inflammatory properties. They are also a great source of zinc, an important mineral that supports the immune system and keeps it in check.
Whole culinary mushrooms can be used in one-pot meals, savory breakfasts like eggs, omelettes and oatmeal, gluten-free flatbreads, stir-fries, and dairy-free soups. They also make great pizza toppings!
Discover more mushroom recipes in this guide to medicinal mushrooms.
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Photo: Joseph Gonzalez on Unsplash
Eggs contain Vitamin D, which helps to modulate our immune system, reduce our risk of infections, and prevent autoimmune diseases. They’re a nutrient-dense source of protein, and protein helps us produce anti-bodies and ward off infections, as well as repair damaged tissue. Eggs are packed with anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats, Vitamin A for immunity, and B vitamins to help us sleep – something we could all use when we’re under the weather.
Eat eggs for breakfast in a variety of ways: scrambled, poached, over-easy, soft-boiled, or however you love your eggs. Make an omelette or quiche, use them to bind crackers or gluten-free bread, have a hard-boiled egg as a snack or atop salads, or crack an egg into your hot noodle dishes.
These additional handy tips can help further support healthy immunity.
Sugary foods inhibit our ability to destroy harmful bacteria, so it’s best to avoid sweet treats if you feel a cold or flu coming on and also while you’re sick (and that includes the natural sweeteners too). If you’re struggling with sugar cravings, these tips can help.
You’ve probably heard that stress negatively impacts our health in a variety of ways. When it comes to the immune system and cold and flu season, stress inhibits our adrenal hormones – particularly cortisol, which helps to regulate inflammation. Prolonged stress not only leaves us vulnerable to infections but also may impact our ability to fight infections once they set in. (For a detailed summary of stress and immunity, check out this meta-analysis.)
Hydration is essential to flushing out toxins, supporting digestion, reducing pain and headaches, and transporting chemical messengers throughout the body. So drink up – we recommend the cleanest water source you can find, without chlorine and other chemicals. If plain water sounds boring, try jazzing it up, or consume green juice, smoothies, or herbal teas.
Concocting herbal tinctures isn’t as difficult as you might expect – all you need is a clean mason jar, a few healthful ingredients, and time. We have a full tutorial on homemade tinctures for you to try. For immune system support, try making Fire Cider, a fiery mix of a number of immune-enhancing food such as ginger, garlic, onion, horseradish, raw honey, and apple cider vinegar, or homemade elderberry syrup.
Integrating these 9 cold-fighting foods into your regular dietary rotation can help you support the immune system, prevent those inconvenient colds and flus, and help you recover more quickly if you do happen to succumb to the sniffles.
Header Image: iStock/marilyna
Academy of Culinary Nutrition
Source link
