Topic: Diet Soda

A study of 66,000 women suggests that diet soda drinkers have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Separately, the Department of Veterans Affairs is reportedly sending letters to veterans declaring them "incompetent" to manage their own benefits. This determination, which can be based on physical or mental conditions, prohibits the veterans from possessing firearms under the Brady Act.

Mainstream media outlets reported on a study linking daily diet soda consumption to an increased risk of stroke and heart attack. The hosts compare coverage from ABC and NBC, noting that medical editors seem hesitant to name "aspartame" as the potential culprit. They suggest the sudden influx of negative news about diet soda is part of a PR war between Coke and Pepsi as they transition to new sweeteners.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website, smallstep.gov, provides over 100 lifestyle tips that are criticized for being overly simplistic or absurd. Recommendations include drinking diet soda, fetching the newspaper personally, and performing "desk exercises" instead of smoking. The advice to "walk up hills instead of around them" is singled out for its perceived condescension.