COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Kermit the Frog knows it’s not easy being green — or graduating from college and entering the real world, especially during a time of economic uncertainty and political turmoil.

Members of the University of Maryland’s class of 2025 received their diplomas Thursday evening with sage advice from the amphibious Muppet ringing in their ears.

“As you prepare to take this big leap into real life, here’s a little advice — if you’re willing to listen to a frog,” the beloved Muppet said. “Rather than jumping over someone to get what you want, consider reaching out your hand and taking the leap side by side, because life is better when we leap together.”

The university announced in March that Kermit, who was created in 1955 and became the centerpiece of the Muppets franchise, would be this year’s commencement speaker. He is also no stranger to the school.

Muppets creator Jim Henson graduated from Maryland in 1960. A home economics major, he fashioned the original frog puppet from one of his mother’s coats and a Ping-Pong ball cut in half, according to a statement from the university. Henson died in 1990.

Kermit the Frog speaks during University of Maryland’s commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 22, 2025, in College Park, Md.

John T. Consoli/University of Maryland

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John T. Consoli/University of Maryland

A bronze statue of Henson and Kermit sitting on a bench is a well-known feature of the College Park campus.

In a video announcing the speaker pick, Kermit is described as an environmental advocate, a bestselling author, an international superstar and a champion of creativity, kindness and believing in the impossible.

His speaker bio calls him “a star of stage, screen and swamp” whose simple mission is to “sing and dance and make people happy.”

“I am thrilled that our graduates and their families will experience the optimism and insight of the world-renowned Kermit the Frog at such a meaningful time in their lives,” university President Darryll J. Pines said in a statement.

activity, and overall diet quality to isolate the impact of UPF consumption on mortality risk.
As the consumption of UPFs has surged, children are increasingly neglecting the whole foods essential for their health. 141 142 Approximately 50% of children ages 2 to 18 skip discrete fruit entirely on any given day. 143 Research consistently shows that key micronutrients such as calcium, iron, potassium, and vitamin D, which are found in fruits and vegetables, are essential for children’s physiological functioning.1

144 145 146

Research also consistently links diets centered on whole foods to lower rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, and mental illness. 147 148 This is not surprising. Diet and lifestyle significantly influence gene expression and cellular biology – ultimately determining our health outcomes. 149 150 For instance:
• Leafy greens supply magnesium and folate critical for energy production and other benefits.151
Salmon delivers omega-3 fatty acids that help reduce cardiovascular risk and support brain health. 152 153
• Legumes offer fiber and resistant starch that help nourish beneficial gut bacteria. 154 155

141 Guthrie, J. F., & Lin, B.-H. (2024). Peeling open U.S. fruit consumption trends (Economic Research Report No. 341). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=110658. 142 Kim, S. A., Moore, L. V., Galuska, D., Wright, A. P., Harris, D., Grummer-Strawn, L. M., Merlo, C. L., Nihiser, A. J., & Rhodes, D. G. (2014, August 8). Vital Signs: Fruit and vegetable intake among children-United States, 2003-2010. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 63(31), 671–676. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6331a3.htm.
143 Hoy, M. K., Clemens, J. C., & Moshfegh, A. J. (2021, June). Intake of fruit by children and adolescents: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2017-2018 (FSRG Dietary Data Brief No. 38) [Data brief]. United States Department of Agriculture. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK588714/.
144 Panzeri, C., Pecoraro, L., Dianin, A., Sboarina, A., Arnone, O. C., Piacentini, G., & Pietrobelli, A. (2024). Potential Micronutrient Deficiencies in the First 1000 Days of Life: The Pediatrician on the Side of the Weakest. Current obesity reports, 13(2), 338–351. 145 Rivera, J. A., Hotz, C., González-Cossío, T., Neufeld, L., & García-Guerra, A. (2003). The effect of micronutrient deficiencies on child growth: A review of results from community-based supplementation trials. The Journal of Nutrition, 133(11), 4010S-4020S. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/133.11.4010S.
146 Soliman, A., De Sanctis, V., & Elalaily, R. (2014). Nutrition and pubertal development. Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 18(Suppl 1), S39–S47. https://doi.org/10.4103/2230-8210.145073.
147 Sofi, F., Cesari, F., Abbate, R., Gensini, G. F. & Casini, A. (2008) Adherence to Mediterranean diet and health status: meta-analysis. BMJ 337, a1344.
148 O’neil, A., Quirk, S. E., Housden, S., Brennan, S. L., Williams, L. J., Pasco, J. A., … & Jacka, F. N. (2014). Relationship between diet and mental health in children and adolescents: a systematic review. American journal of public health, 104(10), e31-e42. 149 Landecker, H. (2011). Food as exposure: Nutritional epigenetics and the new metabolism. BioSocieties, 6(2), 167
150 Mierziak, J., Kostyn, K., Boba, A., Czemplik, M., Kulma, A., & Wojtasik, W. (2021). Influence of the bioactive diet components on the gene expression regulation. Nutrients, 13(11), 3673.
151 Duthie, S. J. Folate and cancer: how DNA damage, repair and methylation impact on colon carcinogenesis. (2021) J. Inherit. Metab. Dis. 34, 101–109 (2011); Liu, D. et al. Increased provision of bioavailable Mg through vegetables could significantly reduce the growing health and economic burden caused by Mg malnutrition. Foods 10, 2513.
152 Tsoupras, A., Brummell, C., Kealy, C., Vitkaitis, K., Redfern, S., & Zabetakis, I. (2022). Cardio-protective properties and health benefits of fish lipid bioactives; the effects of thermal processing. Marine Drugs, 20(3), 187.
153 Innes, J. K. & Calder (2020), P. C. Marine omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids for cardiovascular health: an update for 2020. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 21, 1362.
154 Chen, Z., Liang, N., Zhang, H., Li, H., Guo, J., Zhang, Y., Chen, Y., Wang, Y., & Shi, N. (2024). Resistant starch and the gut microbiome: Exploring beneficial interactions and dietary impacts. Food Chemistry: X, 21, 101118.
155 Kadyan, S., Deka, G., Mudi, S. R., Bhardwaj, N., Singh, V., & Yadav, D. (2022). Prebiotic potential of dietary beans and pulses and their resistant starch for ageing-associated gut and metabolic health. Nutrients, 14(9),

1726. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14091726.

The President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission

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The US House of Representatives has passed Donald Trump’s showpiece tax bill by a single vote after days of wrangling between disparate factions of his Republican party, paving the way for the first big legislative success of his second term.

The Republican-controlled House voted just before 7am on Thursday in Washington by 215-214 to approve the more than 1,000-page legislation, which would slash taxes, reduce social spending and increase federal debt.

“This is arguably the most significant piece of Legislation that will ever be signed in the History of our Country!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“Now it’s time for our friends in the United States Senate to get to work, and send this Bill to my desk AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!” he added.

The sprawling legislation, which Trump has called his “big, beautiful bill”, has been at the centre of a fierce battle among Republican lawmakers in recent days.

House Speaker Mike Johnson had battled to overcome sticking points including cuts to state-backed healthcare spending and clean-energy tax credits, and the level of state and local taxes that can be deducted from federal levies.

Moments before its passage, Johnson hailed the legislation as a “turning point in American history”, adding that its Democratic opponents were voting for “the largest tax increase” in US history.

But Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader of the House, said the bill would deprive at least 13.7mn people of their healthcare insurance, “taking food out of the mouths of children, disabled Americans, veterans and older Americans” because of cuts to food stamps.

“It’s one, big ugly bill,” he said. “It’s an assault on the economy . . . to enact the largest tax breaks for billionaires in American history.”

The bill’s razor-thin passage by the House marks a big political victory for Trump, whose approval ratings have languished following weeks of market turmoil triggered by his trade war.

The non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that the legislation will increase US national debt by more than $3.3tn over the next decade, increasing federal government debt held by the public from about 98 per cent of GDP to a record 125 per cent.

Investors have closely watched the bill amid concerns about the US’s growing fiscal deficit, which led Moody’s to strip the US of its triple A credit rating last week and pushed up bond yields, which move inversely to prices.

The yield on 30-year US Treasuries climbed to 5.14 per cent following the passage of the bill, extending a rise of more than 0.2 percentage points this week.

The S&P 500 share index had fallen 1.6 per cent on Wednesday as concern about the deficit spilled into equity markets. Futures indicated a further 0.5 per cent decline on Thursday.

The bill would make tax provisions from Trump’s first administration — including individual income tax cuts — that would otherwise expire at the end of this year.

It would also slash taxes on tips and overtime pay, following Trump’s pledges during his successful 2024 presidential campaign and increase spending on border security.

Republicans have sought to reduce the price tag of the bill by slashing nearly $800bn from Medicaid — the US healthcare scheme for those on low incomes — and hundreds of billions more from the food stamp programme and clean energy tax credits.

Shares in solar energy companies fell sharply in premarket trading following passage of the bill.

Sunrun fell by as much as 40 per cent in pre-market trading on Thursday. Enphase Energy stock was down 19 per cent. NextEra, the largest renewables developer in the US, fell by 4 per cent. 

Thursday’s vote came after Republicans who opposed the bill met Trump at the White House the day before.

The president also visited Capitol Hill this week to urge his party to pass the legislation after conservatives expressed concern about its cost and moderate Republicans pushed for a greater state and local tax deduction.

Russell Vought, Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget, has said that the legislation includes the most significant spending cuts in the past three decades.

While some conservatives had pushed for further cuts, only two Republicans voted against the bill — Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio — because of its impact on the US debt.

“Deficits do matter and this bill grows them now,” Davidson posted on X.

The bill’s passage also came a day after the death of Gerald Connolly, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, whose vote could have denied the Republicans a majority.

Additional reporting by Jamie Smyth