First Coast Connect: MAHA vs. Monsanto?

Since health-related lawsuits began more than a decade ago against Monsanto, the maker of the weed killer Roundup, hundreds of thousands of cases have been filed and the company (now owned by Bayer) has agreed to billions in settlements. Though Monsanto doesn’t admit fault, the manufacturer’s lawyers and lobbyists are pushing to preempt future lawsuits through a variety of legal means, including a liability carve-out in the 2026 Farm Bill and a challenge to state-level regulations, set to be heard by the Supreme Court in April. The Trump administration supports both actions. Meanwhile, President Trump recently signed an executive order declaring the chemical at issue, glyphosate, critical to national security, and moving to increase its domestic production. The president’s stance, publicly backed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has put administration policy at odds with the "Make America Healthy Again" movement, including the recent work of Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis. We talk to regulatory and legal experts about what's at stake for those who say they've been harmed by the chemical and for future health claims against any chemical. Guests: Dr. Penelope Fenner-Crisp, former senior science adviser with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Pesticides Programs Bryan Gowdy, appellate attorney at Creed & Gowdy Lion in wait Everything old is new again — including the team restoring the iconic Bridge of Lions lions. Twenty-five years after they were first commissioned to refurbish the dirty and age-scuffed sculptures during the Department of Transportation’s restoration of the historic bridge, St. Augustine artists Enzo Torcoletti and Joe Segal are at it again. They recently oversaw the removal of the two lions in preparation for a major city resiliency project that entails building a new sea wall along Matanzas Bay. We ask them about the art and science of restoring the city’s most emblematic creatures. Guests: Enzo Torcoletti, sculptor and retired Flagler College art professor ​​Joe Segal, St. Augustine-based artist Kitty pool The big cat caregivers at Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary are looking to add to their arsenal of “enrichment toys” for the rescued cats — particularly pool toys. We talk to the sanctuary’s director about what it takes to acquire and care for its animals and why the facility hopes expanding public access also broadens understanding of the needs of animals in the wild. Guests: Curt LoGiudice, director, Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary Stephen Laquintano, education coordinator, Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.