Mississippi state rights Giant sodas Mississippi Gov Phil

Mississippi state rights: Giant sodas

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed a law on Wednesday preventing counties, districts and towns from enacting rules that limit portion sizes. It's a response to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's attempt to ban the sale of large, sugary drinks in the city -- a move that stalled when a judge blocked the effort. The Mississippi measure was dubbed the "Anti-Bloomberg" bill. The new law says only the state legislature has the authority to regulate the sale and marketing of food on a statewide basis. According to the governor, it is not the role of the government to micro-regulate citizens' dietary decisions. Mississippi has the nation's highest rate of obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recent studies show though that obesity among Mississippi elementary students has dropped 13. 3% between 2005 and 2011.

In Other News n n n Two rockets from Gaza slammed into southern Israel on Thursday morning, as U. S. President Barack Obama prepared to leave Jerusalem for Ramallah for meetings with top Palestinian Authority officials. No casualties were reported. Obama is on a fourday trip to Israel and the West Bank, his first since assuming office. On Thursday, he is expected to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Israel seized Gaza during the 1967 war, and withdrew settlers from there in 2005. In the ensuing years, militants in Gaza have regularly launched rocket attacks into southern Israel. In November, Israel launched what it called the Pillar of Defense operation, a series of military strikes on Gaza designed to stop the constant rocket fire. Eight days of round-the-clock warfare followed between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian movement that controls Gaza. More than 160 Palestinians, many of whom were civilians, were killed. Six Israelis died, including civilians and soldiers. Hundreds were wounded. The North Korean military issued a statement Thursday, warning that U. S. bases in Guam and Japan are within its "striking range. “ The State Department has put a multimillion-dollar bounty on the heads of two Americans who the United States claims belong to an al Qaeda affiliate in Somalia. Posters and matchbooks in Somali and English emblazoned with the names and pictures of Omar Shafik Hammami and Jehad Serwan Mostafa tout rewards up to $5 million each for information leading to their arrest or conviction. Both men are on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists List.