Good Tuesday morning! Got RAW milk? Despite FDA warnings, Americans take to unpasteurized dairy; The unlikely allies of new mask bans — some Democrats, following pro-Palestinian protests.

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Good morning,

This Canadian, who later became a naturalized US citizen, is being honored with a forever stamp from the USPS three years after his death. Who is, the long-time host of ‘JEOPARDY!,’ Alex Trebek?

• The new postage stamp, which will be released July 22, coincides with the show’s 60th anniversary.

  • Trebek left the trivia show after 37 years during his battle with pancreatic cancer, which he died from in Nov. 2020 at the age of 80.

• You can preorder the stamps now. They are going for $14.60/sheet of 20 stamps.

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!

😷 MASKS: FROM MANDATES IN 2020 TO BANS IN 2024

As protests against Israel and the Gaza war continue across the US, many protesters are covering their face to shield their identity from law enforcement and cameras.

But, after a number of high profile incidents, some state lawmakers are pushing back — creating new laws banning masks or resurrecting decades-old laws.

ACROSS THE NATION
North Carolina lawmakers are poised, as soon as this week, to overturn the Democratic governor’s recent veto of a bill criminalize masking.

• The Governor vetoed the bill because the mask bill had an unrelated provision. North Carolina is not alone.

• Earlier this month, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the state is exploring a pre-COVID ban on wearing face masks in New York City’s subway. Resurrecting the law comes amid concerns that coverings shield the identities of those committing hate crimes.

LAWS ON THE BOOKS
Back in the 1940s and 1950s, at least 18 states and DC passed anti-masking laws to prevent Ku Klux Klan members from shielding their identities while targeting communities. Due to COVID, state lawmakers in some areas of the country created health exemptions and other officials vowed not to enforce the statutes.

MASK CRACKDOWN
Gov. Hochul says state officials would “not tolerate individuals using masks to evade being responsible for criminal or threatening behavior.”

• NYC continues to be the site of steady protests that began after the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. However, Hochul’s comments followed a particularly targeted and hateful exchange in the subway when masked demonstrators yelled pro-Hamas chants and demanded that all zionists leave the subway car.

• In May, Ohio’s Attorney General Dave Yost alerted the state’s public universities that protesters wearing masks could be charged with a felony under the state’s anti-mask law.

• Following campus protests in April, Florida officials charged some student protesters with wearing a hood or mask on public property, among other things.

• In response, the ACLU wrote that these measures limit freedoms, and that masks protect peaceful protesters who have been targeted by “pro-Israel activists and organizations [that] have posted the faces and personal information of pro-Palestine activists to intimidate them, get them fired, or otherwise shame them for their views.”

HEALTH CONCERNS
The ACLU also noted that it will be challenging for law enforcement to differentiate people actually using masks for illness with those using them to cover their identities. North Carolina and New York lawmakers say their laws will not target medically vulnerable people.

🥛 THE RAW MILK DEBATE: FDA VS. HEALTH INFLUENCERS & RFK JR.

Got milk? Specifically, raw milk? The US dairy industry spends millions of dollars each year heating its product to 145 degrees to kill microorganisms that can make people ill — a practice (pasteurization) that’s been in place for over a century.

But a growing number of consumers are choosing “raw,” unpasteurized milk instead of conventionally dairy products found in most grocery stores— at the recommendation of lifestyle influencers and others.

RAW MILK CRAZE
Despite warnings from public health officials that drinking untreated milk directly from the cow is dangerous, proponents argue that it helps with weight loss, gut health, and lactose intolerance.

• An increasing number of lifestyle/health influencers and the libertarian politicians are advocating for it, saying pasteurization kills some nutrients in dairy. And more, that government regulations on raw milk kills choice.

  • It's also evolved into a political issue for the libertarian right, as well as presidential candidate RFK Jr., who is demanding “food freedom,” and says he only drinks raw milk.

  • Influencer Lauryn Bosstick, of the “The Skinny Confidential” podcast, says she has a raw milk “dealer.” Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow said she pours raw cream in her coffee every morning.

• Meanwhile, health officials from the FDA to CDC warn that consuming unpasteurized milk can cause bacterial outbreaks — and more, diseases picked up by people who drink it can spread to others. Miscarriages, kidney failure, and even death can follow.

  • Mo News heard from a number of dairy farmers on Instagram who said they have experienced too many bacterial infections to ever drink raw milk. (see Instagram stories)

  • Since 1987, the FDA says that 143 deaths from various illnesses in the US have been linked to raw milk. This year, the FDA warned about the risk of bird-flu contamination in raw milk amid an outbreak that has infected dairy cows.

STATE OF PLAY
Market data suggests there has been at least a 20% increase in demand for raw milk in the last year across the US.

• Selling raw milk is legal in half the country. 20 states have bans. Farmers in states where it is legal cannot sell unpasteurized dairy products across state lines per FDA rules.

  • People find loopholes: In some states, however, raw milk enthusiasts can legally buy raw milk as “pet food.” Other people will drive to states where raw milk is legal.

• Earlier this month, Louisiana lawmakers approved a bill to repeal a ban on raw milk. Similar efforts are underway in West Virginia, Iowa, Georgia, and North Dakota.

🌎 NASA ASTRONAUTS STUCK IN SPACE AFTER BOEING SPACECRAFT ISSUES

That feeling when your flight home keeps getting delayed… Well some NASA astronauts know how we’ve all felt. Boeing and NASA are "adjusting" the return home of astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station on the Boering Starliner spacecraft, but there is no new date set.

• The astronauts were supposed to leave the ISS after a week — around mid-June.

• The problem: A slow helium leak in the spacecraft's propulsion system — something official knew about prior to launch and even delayed the spacecraft’s docking onto the ISS. Several more leaks have been discovered once in space. That is among several problems the Boeing spacecraft is experiencing.

• Keeping busy: There are seven other astronauts on board and the two are said to be helping out with tasks on the ISS. And no worries, there are enough supplies to go around.

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⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Parents, ACLU file suit against Louisiana law requiring Ten Commandments in classrooms (WASHINGTON POST)

📌 Anti-semitic protest outside LA synagogue lead to street fights; Biden says he is ‘appalled’ (AP)

📌 After being accused of stealing AirPods in high school, a woman files a $20 million federal civil rights lawsuit (NBC NEWS)

📌 Melania Trump might not return to D.C. full-time for a second term (AXIOS)

📌 Supreme Court to decide whether states can restrict gender-affirming care for minors (CNN)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Jordan discovers Iranian plot to destabilize country (REUTERS)

📌 Iran liable to join fight if Israel takes on Hezbollah, US warns (TIMES OF ISRAEL)

📌 Extreme heat has now killed 6 tourists in Greece — more are missing (NBC NEWS)

📌 Betting scandal inside the UK’s ruling Conservative Party mars election race (CNBC)

📌 Apple becomes first target of EU’s new digital competition rules aimed at big tech (AP)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 US prosecutors want Boeing to face criminal charges (BBC)

📌 Frequency and magnitude of extreme wildfires have doubled in last 20 years, new study finds (ABC NEWS)

📌 As Americans trim spending, some cheap steakhouses are booming (CNN)

📌 South Korea plant fire kills 22 people after lithium battery combustion (CNBC)

📌 Surgeons perform kidney transplant with patient AWAKE during procedure (CBS NEWS)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Florida Panthers win Stanley Cup in Game 7 after amazing series (NBC)

📌 Music labels sue AI music generators (GUARDIAN)

📌 Mindy Kaling reveals she recently gave birth to a baby girl, her third child, in surprise announcement (CNN)

📌 Bartender confirms Justin Timberlake had 1 martini at American Hotel before DWI arrest (PAGE SIX)

📌 Taylor Swift praises her band after Foo Fighters' Dave Growl suggests she doesn't play live music (NBC NEWS)

📌 ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ actor Tamayo Perry dead at 49 after shark attack in Hawaii (E!)

Mo News Podcast: A daily conversation about the news that matters.

🗓 ON THIS DAY: JUNE 25

• 1947: The Diary of a Young Girl, the personal journal of Anne Frank, was first published. It has gone on to sell 30 million copies in 70 languages.

• 1978: The San Francisco Gay Freedom Day parade saw the first version of the rainbow flag premier, representing LGBTQ pride.

• 2009: Michael Jackson died at age 50 in Los Angeles, CA. Caused by a lethal combination of sedatives and propofol, an anesthetic, his death was ruled a homicide. His personal doctor, Conrad Murray, was later found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

• MOVIE CLASSICS: 1993: ‘Sleepless In Seattle' starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan premiered; 2004: ‘The Notebook’ starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams premiered.