WASHINGTON, June 4 () – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ​told Bolivian President ‌Rodrigo Paz in a call on Thursday that the ​Trump administration was ​ramping up emergency assistance ⁠and support to help ​with food and medical ​shortages amid weeks of social unrest and mass protests in ​the South American country, ​the department said.
“Rubio reaffirmed that ‌the ⁠Trump Administration will continue to stand with Bolivia as it works toward ​stability, ​security, ⁠and a better future for all ​Bolivians,” U.S. State ​Department ⁠Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
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Reporting by ⁠Christian ​Martinez in ​Los Angeles; Writing by Ismail Shakil; ​Editing by Dhne Psaledakis

GRAND RIDS, MI —A new affordable housing development in Grand Rids has been completed on a site that once housed a Black-owned grocery store, marking a new chter for a location once central to the Madison Square neighborhood.
ICCF Community Homes hosted a ceremonial ribbon cutting Thursday for the Tate & Thomas artments, named for Wilson Tate and Frank Thomas, the late owners of Madison Food Center. The $18 million low-income housing development includes 45 units across two buildings at 1309 Madison Ave. SE and 415 Adams St. SE.
Michelle Covington, ICCF’s vice president of advancement, said Madison Food Center — opened by Tate and Thomas in 1983 — was more than a place to buy groceries.
It became a gathering place, a source of pride and a center of community life, she said.
The new housing development carries forward that vision, Covington said, serving the community by providing affordable housing at a time when such units are in high demand. Like the grocery store before it, the artments are intended to be a place where neighbors can connect, belong and thrive.
In a neighborhood built on community and belonging, we celebrate a new chter today, Covington said. Forty-five families will soon call this place home. It is a place rooted in a rich history, strengthened by the people who came before us and filled with endless possibilities for the future.
The Tate & Thomas artments are reserved for residents earning up to 80% of Kent County’s area median income, or about $59,760 annually for a one-person household. The project was financed using state low-income housing tax credits, said Ryan VerWys, president and CEO of ICCF Community Homes.
VerWys said ICCF chose to name the development after Tate and Thomas because of the site’s history and the example they set as community leaders and loving neighbors.
He recalled a story shared by one of Tate’s sons, who said his father, when arriving at the grocery store early in the morning, would occasionally find a person experiencing homelessness sleeping near the entrance. Instead of sending the person away, Tate would invite them inside, offering food and a warm drink.
The Tate and Thomas families have been loving neighbors in this community, VerWys said. So it’s fitting that we would, thankfully, have the permission to name these buildings after them, which honors that legacy of taking in and not turning away.
Grand Rids Mayor David LaGrand said the development will help strengthen the Madison Square neighborhood while building on other nearby investments.
We’ve got a grocery store here, we’ve got churches here, we’ve got neighborhood restaurants here, he said. So getting more people in this neighborhood is going to be a virtuous cycle. We are going to reinvest, and we are going to reinforce all of the good things that have been going on.
VerWys said the two artment buildings took about 18 months to complete. The building at 415 Adams St. SE has received its occupancy permit, while the building at 1309 Madison Ave. SE is still awaiting its permit. Residents are expected to begin moving in within the coming weeks.
We’re going to try and get these leased up as quickly as possible, VerWys said, noting demand is expected to be high because life’s getting more and more expensive.
According to a news release, the artments include a community room with a kitchenette, a fitness room, package rooms, in-unit laundry and shared laundry facilities. The development also includes electric vehicle charging stations and rooftop solar and is seeking LEED Gold certification.
The site at 1309 Madison Ave. SE has long been home to a grocery store.
According to Gary Burge, a historical consultant and church liaison at ICCF, an A&P Food Store opened there in 1939. It later became Eberhard Super Food and Madison Food Town before Tate and Thomas purchased it in 1982. They moved the store in 1989 to the Madison Mall at 1226 Madison Ave. SE, now the site of Great Giant Supermarket.
After Madison Food Center moved, the building was occupied by several other users, including a childcare center, mosque and African community center. The building was eventually demolished to make way for the new artments.
For the families whose names now mark the buildings, the recognition carries deep meaning.
It was a source of pride for the Black community, said Wanda Thomas, 85, reflecting on the grocery store’s legacy.
Carolyn Tate, 89, described the new housing as a continuation of that legacy of service.
This is progression to fulfill a need of the community, she said.

When class is in session, Maine’s students receive free breakfast and lunch to keep them energized and focused. In the summer, to help bridge the g when school is out, the state offers programs to help ensure children have access to nutritious food.
In a news release Wednesday, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Family Independence, in partnership with the Maine Department of Education, announced the return of the federally-funded, state-administered summer SUN programs.
They include SUN Bucks, which provides eligible school-aged children with a $120 grocery benefit loaded onto an EBT card to be used at any retailer, grocer or market that accepts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; SUN Meals, which offers free meals to those 18 and younger at sites statewide; and SUN Meals To-Go, which provides pick up and delivery options.
By Friday, families will receive the SUN Bucks on their EBT cards, according to the news release, with an estimated $10.2 million pouring into households. Families new to federal food assistance will receive a pre-loaded EBT card in the mail.
OFI Director Ian Yaffe praised the program, which he said launched in 2024 after successful pandemic EBT programs and has become a game-changer in the fight against hunger. A 2025 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Administration showed that SUN Bucks has decreased child food insecurity by one-third nationwide.
According to Anna Korsen, co-executive director at Full Plates Full Potential, a food advocacy organization in Brunswick, the program intervenes at a critical moment when Mainers are feeling the weight of rising food prices and cost of living.
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Families are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. Having that added grocery benefit is absolutely critical, Korsen said. SN and SUN is this beautiful partnership where a family can access all benefits in one place.
Yaffe said the state has worked to make access as straightforward and low-effort as possible.
About 85,000 children will be eligible for SUN Bucks this year, according to the news release. Families will automatically receive the benefit if they have children who attend a school that serves National School Lunch Program meals and if they participate in programs, such as SN, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, if the families are experiencing homelessness, participating in migrant education programs or receiving MaineCare with a household income at or below 185% of the federal poverty level.
About 99% of households that participated were automatically enrolled in the first two years of the SUN Bucks program, according to the news release.
SUN Bucks can be used at any retailer that accepts SN EBT, including grocery stores and farmers markets, for foods such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats and whole grains.
Families that have not received benefits by Friday but believe they may qualify can ply online through My Maine Connection or by mail. plications must be submitted by Aug. 15, and benefits expire proximately four months after they are issued.
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For families in rural areas, where distance and transportation can make reaching a central meal site difficult, SUN Meals To-Go offers pick-up and delivery options. Maine’s high share of rural residents participating in SN compared to urban areas, making the To-Go option a critical piece of the program’s reach, Yaffe said.
A location finder for summer meal sites is expected to be updated with Maine-specific information by mid-June, according to the news release.
The program announcement also stressed the importance of nutritious food to support the learning and growth of Maine’s youth.
When you provide parents with a benefit that they can use to buy healthy food, they go buy healthy food with it, Yaffe said. These parents make healthy choices for their kids.
The FNA reports that summer grocery benefits lead to more whole grain, dairy and produce, and fewer sugary drinks in children’s diets.
Yaffe also highlighted how the economic impact of the programs extends into the community. A 2025 study from the USDA’s Economic Research Service shows that each dollar in federal nutrition assistance generates $1.54 in economic activity.

Philadelphia is the birthplace of this fine nation we call home, so it’s fitting that as part of America’s 250th birthday, the MLB All-Star Game is taking place in the City of Brotherly Love.
But as much as Philly is known for history, it’s equally known for food.
Cheesesteaks, TastyKakes, pretzels, roast pork sandwiches and anything from Wawa.
As part of the All-Star festivities, Citizens Bank Park will welcome a new food item from a selection of four candidates, which will be determined via a fan vote.
PERFECT GAME’S ALL-AMERICAN CLASSIC IS COMING TO PHILADELPHIA FOR AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY
Of course, it’s not enough to just win the vote. The winning selection will need to look right at home alongside the city’s culinary titans.
But can any of them do it? Well, let’s take a look at them and see by giving them a one to five rating.
The Declaration Dog
You can’t do baseball without a hot dog, and what a name. We’re off to a hot start and haven’t even talked about what is in this patriotic SOB.
YOU’LL NEVER BELIEVE HOW MUCH THESE HOT DOGS AT THE F1 MIAMI GRAND PRIX ARE GOING FOR
Good lord.
I love the pretzel bun as a nod to Philly, and the smoked Wagyu beef frank sounds divine, even if I think taking Wagyu beef and making a glizzy out of it seems like a bit of a waste.
ROYAL FAMILY’S FAVORITE AMERICAN FOODS AND ‘HUMBLE’ HOT DOG’S IMPORTANT ROLE IN HISTORY REVEALED
Then you’ve got the candied bacon crumble and ple cider gastrique, which I think will go together nicely and play off of that barrage of smokiness from the bacon and frank.
Crispy shallots for some crunch and micro mustard greens so you can tell your doctor, “No, really, I eat greens.”
This may be a bit too highfalutin for a ballpark dog — Give me a foil-wrped dog with yellow mustard all day — but dammit, if that doesn’t sound incredible.
Score: 4.3 cups of wooder ice out of 5
The Liberty Stack
Alright, so maybe they used up all of their naming mojo on the Declaration Dog, because “Liberty Stack” doesn’t give you any inkling of what this might be, but it’s a buttermilk-brined hot chicken thigh on a brown butter-mle-glazed donut.
If that didn’t get your heart racing, it’s also topped with charred peach bourbon compote, aged cheddar and pickled Fresnos.
This is the headline stealer because for some reason, people still go, “WHAT?! Fried chicken on a donut?!” even though this has been hpening for quite some time. In fact, we’re way past this and started frying Pop-Tarts.
Still, I’m sure this tastes delicious, even if you will feel immense shame after eating it. My only concern is that there may be too much going on. The sweet and saltiness of the donut and chicken will work great, but once the peach bourbon compote, cheddar, and pickled Fresno come in, they might all crash into each other.
And, if this wins, godspeed to the Citizens Bank Park custodial staff. They might need hazard pay.
Score: 3.75 Butterscotch Krimpets out of 5
Betsy’s Banana Ice Cream Sundae
There’s a lot of savoriness, but if you’re inclined to pick something a little bit sweeter, here’s an option named after the nation’s flag-sewing GOAT.
This puppy has banana pudding and vanilla soft serve, with crushed vanilla wafers, peanut brittle, hot fudge, strawberry sauce and toasted marshmallow cloud. Then they top it with red, white and blue sprinkles before sweetening the deal by serving it in a souvenir mini-batting helmet.
I love this, but I just don’t feel like this is special enough for this stage.
I’m not mad at it, but I feel like, of all the options, something comparable to this is found in a lot of places.
Other stadiums, theme parks, malls.
ICONIC BRANDS GO OVER-THE-TOP FOR AMERICA’S 250TH, FROM AMERICAN DEW TO BIRTHDAY CAKE CHEERIOS
Hell, I think I could probably construct this at home (and might).
It’s still a winner, which goes to show what a strong field this is, but I suspect poor Betsy Ross’ namesake dish will be bringing up the rear.
Score: 3.25 bags of Utz potato chips out of 5
The Revolutionary Rib Melt
This. This is why we revolted against the tyranny of King George III, so that one day we may put smoked short rib, aged provolone, charred onion jam, fried peppers and pickle butter on a pressed brioche roll in the name of baseball… and freedom.
Oh, and as if that wasn’t enough, this comes with a side of consommé for dipping.
This sounds like someone took a French dip — already an elite sandwich — and said, “How do we make French dips look Lunchables?”
And not the good Lunchables.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Everything about this sounds incredible, and like it would go together perfectly.
My only reservation is trying to wrangle a cup of hot beef consommé while watching a ball game. Maybe just don’t wear white and put a protective layer of nkins over your crotch, and you should be fine.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS P
As a Big J journalist, I’m supposed to be impartial, but this is the one I would vote for.

Brazilian Garlic Sauce Lay’s Potato Chips, Dulce De Leche Chips Ahoy, And 5 More World Cup Foods We Tried (And Whether They Deserve A Spot In Your Game-Day Snack Spread)
Nothing says ’Merica like adding a bunch of red 40 to a food that already exists.
The 2026 World Cup is ridly proaching, and of course, one of the best parts of watching sports is the snacks, duh!
In celebration of the upcoming festivities, everyone from Lay’s to Chips Ahoy is tping in with their own World Cup-inspired treats, just in time for you to plan a watch party for the first match on June 11…or for the star-studded final game halftime show on June 19th.
There will be no bad snacks at the function on my watch, so I am very chivalrously taking one for the team and trying a bunch of these World Cup-inspired goodies to see which of them actually deserve a spot at your table, and which don’t make the cut. Here are all seven snacks I’ll be giving a go:
To make this even more fun, the snacks will be competing against each other in their own Snack Bracket to determine which is the very best.
I’ll be evaluating each on overall taste, authenticity*, and how well they fit the theme, with each being worth a point. I also had three friends taste test these with me, so a fourth point, which I’ll call “The People’s Choice,” will be up for grabs and determined based on a vote of everyone’s favorite. Let’s get into it:
*To clarify this one a tad, since the vast majority of these are inspired by an actual dish from one of the countries competing in the World Cup, I’ll be rating how spot-on (or how far off) the flavors are from the actual thing it’s claiming to be inspired by.
ROUND ONE:
Lay’s Brazilian-Style Garlic Sauce Chips vs. Lay’s Wavy French Onion Soup Chips
TASTE: These two truly could not be more different. The Garlic Sauce chips were flavorful, perfectly savory, and had a delicious garlic-and-lime flavor that surprisingly didn’t taste artificial. It was tangy, perfectly salty, and the thin, classic chip texture worked perfectly. The French Onion chips, on the other hand, were reallllllly bland. Honestly, they kinda tasted like…nothing? And I am not exaggerating* in the slightest. They tasted like French Onion Soup in the same way LaCroix tastes whatever fruit it’s dressing up as (which is to say…not at all, usually). +1 to Brazil!
*I would like the record to state that I did momentarily panic that I’d caught covid again, because I have never had a chip so devoid of flavor!
AUTHENTICITY: Immediately, +1 to Brazil. I was genuinely kinda flabbergasted by how close it tasted to the Molho de Alho you’d find at a churrascaria. My thoughts on the French Onion Soup chips and LaCroix still stand.
THEME: Again, +1 Brazil. Like, not even a competition. Also, there are so many more iconic dishes they could’ve used for France; it felt like a total missed opportunity.
PEOPLE’S CHOICE: By a 3-1 vote, Brazil took the point here.
Some thoughts on these from the group:
French Onion Soup one tasted like “Maui Onion chip but better,” and was “less sweet, more savory.”
Garlic Sauce chips had a “better chip texture” and tasted “like garlic mashed potatoes”.
WITH A SCORE OF 4-0, BRAZIL MOVES ON TO THE NEXT ROUND!
Lay’s Argentinian Style Steak With Chimichurri Potato Chips vs. Pringles Spicy Loaded Nachos Chips
TASTE: Much like the last round, these couldn’t be more different. The Chimichurri Steak chips were more subtle in flavor, and where I expected them to lean into the garlic and herb flavors of the classic sauce, they actually leaned more into a meaty flavor. The beefy notes and the potato of it all gave it a very beef stew kind of vibe. As for the Spicy Loaded Nachos…woah. They taste just like Taco Bell nachos — specifically, that nacho cheese sauce. I was not expecting the spice level, but it offered a nice contrast and quietly built up, leaving your mouth tingling ever so slightly after every chip. The Nacho chips were much tastier in my opinion, +1 USA!
AUTHENTICITY: I’m gonna give the point to the Spicy Nachos here. Pringles did not come to play, and I was so pleasantly surprised by how close they tasted to the real thing. While the Chimichurri Steak chips had hints of those familiar flavors, if someone had me close my eyes and guess what flavor those were supposed to be, no context given, Chimichurri Steak wouldn’t have been in my top fifty guesses. Honestly, I wish they would’ve just focused on the Chimichurri and not the steak part of it.
THEME: +1 to Chimichurri Steak! I thought it was a very smart choice for Argentina. Spicy Loaded Nacho is technically a U.S. Men’s Soccer official snack, and while nachos are very much a game-day snack here, it really pales in comparison theme-wise.
PEOPLE’S CHOICE: By a vote of 3-1, the Spicy Nacho Pringles got the point.
Some thoughts on these from the group:
The Chimichurri Steak chips “feel like a meal,” “taste like beef bouillon cubes,” and were “lightly garlicky”. They thought they “need more lime” flavor and “had potential to be way better if they had more flavor,” with one person saying, “I don’t know if I’d buy them, but I’d eat them again” if someone put a bag in front of them.
The Spicy Loaded Nacho Pringles were “fire,” had better flavor and “snackability,” and the one person who voted against them did so because of the Pringles’ texture.
WITH A SCORE OF 1-3, SPICY LOADED PRINGLES MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ROUND!
Chips Ahoy! Chewy Dulce de Leche vs. Chips Ahoy! Chewy Chocolatey Churro
FLAVOR: I will start off by saying neither of these is particularly good. The Chocolatey Churro ones taste like Abuelita hot chocolate gone wrong. It tastes very artificial, and there’s so much going on with this cookie, it’s overwhelming. The cinnamon and chocolate flavors both butt heads in their intensity and off-putting flavors, but I will say that the chocolate filling is a nice, silky texture despite its flavor. The Dulce de Leche cookies get the +1 point for being (if only marginally) better. They’re strangely kind of soft and dry at the same time, so I wouldn’t call them “chewy” as the package does. They’re overwhelming in their marshmallow-like sweetness, but it’s slightly less artificial.
AUTHENTICITY: Honestly, nobody gets the point here. They do not taste like dulce de leche or churro. Womp womp!
PEOPLE’S CHOICE: The general consensus was that nobody really liked either, but by a 3-1 vote, the Dulce de Leche cookies got the point.
Some thoughts on these from the group:
The Dulce de Leche cookies are “meh,” “taste like sugar cookies,” and “would be good with milk”.
The Chocolatey Churro cookies “have too much going on” and the “cinnamon [flavor] blends poorly”.
WITH A SCORE OF 3-0, DULCE DE LECHE CHIPS AHOY COOKIES MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ROUND!
Lay’s Brazilian-Style Garlic Sauce Chips vs. Spicy Loaded Nachos Pringles
AUTHENTICITY: I’m gonna give half points to each, because they both tasted shockingly close to the dish they were inspired by.
THEME: For the same reasons as last round on both accounts, +1 to Brazil.
PEOPLE’S CHOICE: This was a hotly debated round, but ultimately, with a 4-0 vote, Garlic Sauce chips got the point, as they had more flavor and a better chip texture.
One person said they thought the Spicy Loaded Nacho flavor would’ve been better on a Lay’s-style chip, and we all agreed.
WITH A SCORE OF 3.5-0.5, BRAZIL MOVES ON TO THE FINALS!
Chips Ahoy! Chewy Dulce de Leche vs. Star-Spangled Blueberry Pop-Tarts
TASTE: The Pop-Tarts tasted like the classic Blueberry flavor, if not for a slightly more artificial aftertaste. Now, this could be a placebo because we could not stop talking about how much Red 40 was probably in these bad boys to make them that shade of red, and we summed the flavor up to that. While nothing special, they were more enjoyable than the Dulce de Leche cookies, so +1 to Team USA.
AUTHENTICITY: …Yeah, +1 to Dulce de Leche. Although, I guess I don’t know what “Star-Spangled” tastes like…
THEME: +1 to Dulce de Leche, because “red, white, and blue,” and “Star Spangled” aren’t exactly flavors, and it kinda only feels like we got blueberry here out of color convenience.
PEOPLE’S CHOICE: By a unanimous vote of 0-4, Pop-Tart gets the point.
Some thoughts from the group:
The Pop-Tarts “look sunburned,” as well as “scarily” and “off-puttingly” red, but taste like the regular blueberry ones.
Lay’s Brazilian-Style Garlic Sauce Chips vs. Star-Spangled Blueberry Pop-Tarts
TASTE: In the battle of sweet vs. savory, the delicious Garlic Sauce chips very easily blow the just-OK Blueberry Pop-Tarts out of the water.
AUTHENTICITY: +1 to Garlic Sauce chips, again for obvious reasons.
THEME: The same, +1 Garlic Sauce chips!
PEOPLE’S CHOICE: There was genuinely no debate, the savory items all-around beat out the sweet ones. By a 4-0 vote, Garlic Sauce chips get the point.
WITH A SCORE OF 4-0, THE WINNER IS….
There you have it, folks! Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the 2026 World Cup, kicking off on June 11 ⚽️