By DAMIAN J. TROISE

NEW YORK (AP) — A resurgence of meme stock interest has prompted the return of a one-stop fund for the volatile and quirky investments.

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Roundhill Investments is launching a meme ETF, which is an exchange-traded fund consisting solely of meme stocks. Several of those stocks have ridden a wave of meme investment sentiment this year. The move comes two years after the provider of ETFs closed the fund because of slumping interest. The new fund trades under the “MEME” symbol.

Investors have been sporadically turning to meme stocks throughout 2025 in an effort to find bargains amid a very pricey stock market. The S&P 500 has had a busy year setting records. That has made it more difficult for investors to find stocks at lower prices that have potential for growth.

“Meme stocks started as a rebellion but have grown into a revolution,” said Dave Mazza, CEO of Roundhill Investments. “With MEME, we offer investors a tool to capture that power through an actively managed ETF that can rotate quickly into the stocks dominating the conversation today.”

The biggest weight in the ETF is Opendoor Technologies, which has had a volatile year. The real estate company’s stock was trading below $1 per share through early July, then surged above $3 that month as hedge fund manager Eric Jackson touted the stock on X. It fell back a bit, then gained more steam and closed above $9 on Tuesday.

Other heavyweights in the index include Plug Power, which focuses on hydrogen fuel cell technology, and data center company Applied Digital.

Meme stocks include companies with financial prospects that appear dim, but then gain ground for no seemingly fundamental reason. The stock gains are often fueled by online forums.

The stocks are often the target of “short sellers,” or investors betting against the stock. That sometimes prompts other investors to start buying the stock in an effort to get the people betting against the stock to do the same in order to cushion their own losses. This starts a cycle that further boosts the stock price.

It’s a risky strategy and the gains can evaporate as quickly as they came.

FILE – An assortment of Krispy Kreme doughnuts in Decatur, Ala., are displayed on Jan. 19, 2016. (John Godbey/The Decatur Daily via AP, File)

Some of the more well-known meme stocks making big moves earlier this year included doughnut maker Krispy Kreme, camera maker GoPro and plant-based meat maker Beyond Meat.

FILE – Pedestrians pass a GameStop store on 14th Street at Union Square, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in the Manhattan borough of New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

The original meme stock is GameStop. In 2021, the company was struggling to survive and major investors were betting against the video game retailer. Investor Keith Gill, better known as “Roaring Kitty,” rallied other investors to join him in buying up thousands of GameStop shares, changing the trajectory of the stock.

Daniel Rosen will serve as the next U.S. Attorney of the District of Minnesota and comes to the post as authorities are investigating a number of fraud cases in the state involving millions of dollars.

Daniel Rosen will be Minnesota’s U.S. Attorney after his nomination by President Donald Trump and confirmation by the U.S. Senate on Oct. 7, 2025. (Courtesy of the University of Minnesota)

Rosen was one of more than 100 of President Donald Trump’s appointees confirmed by the Republican-majority Senate in a vote on Tuesday. The Senate voted on party lines to confirm Rosen, fill ambassadorships and appoint administrators to various federal agencies.

Republicans changed Senate rules last month to allow approval of Trump appointees in groups. The move came as Republicans grew frustrated with Democrats for blocking Trump nominees.

Rosen, however, received bipartisan support when Trump nominated him for the position in May. Earlier this year, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, both Democrats, gave Rosen a “blue slip,” or signal of support. But they did not back Rosen’s confirmation in Tuesday.

“Daniel Rosen was one of over 100 nominees put forth as a block,” a Smith spokesperson said in a statement. “Senator Smith voted no on this group because she’s concerned too many Trump nominees put loyalty to him ahead of service to the American people. She hopes Rosen proves different and serves all Minnesotans with fairness.”

Minnesota Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer praised Rosen’s confirmation in a Tuesday news release, describing Rosen as a “distinguished attorney with an unwavering commitment to public safety.”

“We are confident that Mr. Rosen will fight to protect Minnesotans, and their hard-earned tax dollars, from the scourge of crime and fraud we’ve seen in our state,” said Emmer, the third-highest-ranking Republican in the House. “We were proud to support Dan and thank our colleagues in the Senate for advancing his nomination.”

Rosen has more than 30 years of experience as a commercial litigator at the federal and state levels, according to the University of Minnesota Law School. Rosen graduated from the UMN law school in 1994.

Rosen, a U.S. Navy officer who served in the first Gulf War, also served on the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board from 2014 to 2022. Democratic-Farmer-Labor Gov. Mark Dayton appointed Rosen — whose affiliation was listed as Republican — to two four-year terms on the board.

Fraud cases

Rosen will enter his new role as the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to investigate and prosecute widespread fraud involving federal funds in Minnesota.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson estimates that fraud in state programs in recent years could top $1 billion. Most of the alleged fraud has happened in programs run by the Department of Human Services and the Department of Education.

“Minnesota has a fraud problem — and not a small one,” Thompson said in a statement announcing the federal investigation into housing stabilization services fraud in July.

Federal prosecutors have announced two new major fraud cases in the last month alone.

One is tied to what they called a “massive” fraud scheme in Minnesota’s Medicaid-funded housing stabilization program. On Sept. 18, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced eight people had been charged with stealing more than $10 million as part of a first wave of charges.

A week later, the U.S. Attorney announced another charge: this one tied to fraudulent Medicaid reimbursements for a children’s autism program. A 28-year-old woman faces a federal wire fraud charge for claiming $14 million and using the money to fund real estate purchases in Kenya.

Feeding Our Future

That all comes on top of the single largest known instance of fraud, where federal prosecutors say a scheme centered around the nonprofit Feeding Our Future stole $250 million in federal funds from a pandemic-era meal program for children in need.

Thompson has said the investigations grew out of the Feeding Our Future fraud case, which has “significant” overlap with the other alleged fraud schemes. Asha Farhan Hassan, the woman charged in the autism program scheme, also is a defendant in Feeding Our Future

More than 50 people have been convicted of the 75 charged in the Feeding Our Future case.

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ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Youth-led protests in the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar are continuing for a third week in the most significant unrest in the country in years.

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The protests led by a group calling itself “Gen Z Madagascar” began Sept. 25 over electricity and water outages but have snowballed into larger dissatisfaction with the government and the leadership of President Andry Rajoelina.

Civic groups and trade unions have joined the protests, which have resulted in nighttime curfews being enforced in the capital, Antananarivo, and other major cities. The United Nations said at least 22 people have been killed.

Rajoelina fired his government and appointed a new prime minister in response to the uprising, but protesters have not relented and gave Rajoelina an ultimatum to resign this week. They say they have rejected his offer of talks, which were set for Wednesday.

Here’s what to know about the protests inspired by young, social media-savvy Madagascans that mirror Gen Z anti-government demonstrations in Kenya, Nepal, Morocco and elsewhere.

Thousands on the streets

Thousands have taken to the streets, initially over chronic problems with the electricity and water supply. Protesters have since brought up a range of issues, including poverty and the cost of living, access to tertiary education, and alleged corruption and embezzlement of public funds by government officials and their families and associates.

Demonstrators protesting against chronic electricity and water cuts confront riot police in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mamyrael)

The U.N. human rights office said that at least 22 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the first few furious days of protests and accused Madagascar security forces of a violent response to what started as peaceful protests. The Madagascar government rejected that death toll but authorities haven’t given their own count of deaths or injuries.

The protests have continued almost daily and the Gen Z Madagascar group has called for a major strike and stayaway on Thursday.

Rejecting Rajoelina

Rajoelina, 51, was elected president in 2018 and reelected in 2023, when the vote was boycotted by opposition parties.

President of Madagascar Andry Nirina Rajoelina addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

But he first came to prominence in 2009 as the mayor of Antananarivo when he led protests against the government that resulted in a military-backed coup and the ouster of President Marc Ravalomanana. A military council took power before handing it to Rajoelina as transitional leader.

Madagascar, a large island of around 31 million people off the east coast of Africa, has seen several leaders forced out in uprisings since it gained independence from France in 1960 and has a history of political crises. It struggles with severe poverty, which affects around 80% of the population, according to the World Bank.

Rajoelina has attempted to appease the Gen Z protesters by meeting some of their demands and firing government officials and Prime Minister Christian Ntsay last week. But he appointed an army general as the new prime minister in a move seen by the protesters as an attempt to clamp down on them. He also prioritized the appointment of new ministers for the armed forces, public security and the gendarmerie law enforcement force, saying their mission is to “restore peace so that everyone can resume their daily lives.”

Rajoelina has referred to the protests as an attempted coup.

Demonstrators protesting against chronic electricity and water cuts confront riot police in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Mamyrael)

Responding to Rajoelina’s offer for talks, the Gen Z Madagascar group said in a statement: “We do not reach out to a regime that every day crushes those who stand up for justice. This government talks about dialogue but rules with weapons.”

Inspired by other Gen Z protests

One of the most prominent symbols carried and worn by Madagascar’s generally black-clothed protesters is an image of a pirate skull and crossbones that was seen in the Gen Z-led uprising in Nepal last month and other protests across the world.

A medical student holds a flag bearing the logo of the popular Japanese manga One Piece, a symbol adopted by Gen Z protest movements worldwide, in front of Malagasy security forces during a demonstration demanding better healthcare conditions and constitutional reforms in Antananarivo, on October 7, 2025. President Andry Rajoelina’s appointment of an army general as new prime minister was met with little enthusiasm in Madagascar Tuesday and dismissed by the youth-led movement behind two weeks of protests as a diversion.
Rajoelina named Major General Ruphin Fortunat Dimbisoa Zafisambo as head of government late Monday in a bid to quell anti-government unrest that has claimed 22 lives, according to a toll from the United Nations that is disputed by local authorities. (Photo by Luis TATO / AFP) (Photo by LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images)

The image is from the Japanese comic series “One Piece” — which follows the adventures of a young pirate and his crew living in a world run by an authoritarian government — and has come to symbolize Gen Z movements. The Madagascar protesters have made the logo their own by redesigning it with a traditional Malagasy hat on the skull.

Gen Z Madagascar have their own website, Facebook page and other social media channels and have a GoFundMe page to raise money. They have mobilized over the internet and say they were inspired by other protests that toppled governments in Nepal and Sri Lanka.

They describe themselves as generally under the age of 30 and one of their slogans, which they’ve repeated in protests, is: “We’re tired of just surviving, we want to live.”

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

“Nutrition is one of the most powerful—and most underrated—tools in recovery.”

(Edward Reed/NYC Mayor’s Office)

Sixteen months ago, I woke up in a hospital bed at Albany Medical Center connected to tubes, with my mother standing over me. Someone I owed money to had run me over with his car. That was a turning point. I realized I had to turn my life around. But I didn’t realize then how much of a role nutrition would play in my recovery from substance use disorder.

When I entered Samaritan Daytop Village’s 43rd Street Veterans Program, I expected therapy, group sessions, and support for my sobriety. What I didn’t expect was to learn how deeply what we eat affects how we feel—and how much it matters in building a healthier life. Samaritan has long believed in treating the whole person: mind, body, and spirit. Today, they are leading the charge in weaving nutrition education into recovery programs because when people feel better physically, they have an easier and more successful path to recovery.

As a 46-year-old Marine Corps veteran, I found comfort being surrounded by others who had served and were also in recovery. In those early days, I started to notice that healing wasn’t just about staying sober. It was about building a strong foundation—sleep, exercise, relationships, and food. The more I learned, the more it made sense: recovery is really about whole health.

Individuals experiencing substance use disorder are more likely to struggle with chronic conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and liver disease. Many of us also face nutritional deficiencies. Studies show up to 85 percent of people in recovery have inadequate diets, and that adding omega-3s, vitamins, and minerals can improve mood, memory, and focus while reducing relapse risk.

I know this from lived experience. Before recovery, I was known as the “Honey Bun Man.” That fried pastry with sugar glaze was my comfort food—morning, noon, and night. But my diet fueled mood swings, poor sleep, and constant agitation. Once I began learning about the link between food and mental health, everything changed. Today, I’m living in Harlem and working full-time as a Wellness Ambassador at Samaritan’s Peer Alliance Recovery Center (PARC) in the Bronx, where I lead the Healthy Lifestyle Initiative. Nutrition is one of the most powerful—and most underrated—tools in recovery.

At PARC, I run weekly nutrition workshops. Every Tuesday morning, participants from Samaritan programs and the broader community come together to talk honestly about food. What’s in your pantry? How does eating one meal a day—or eating nothing but processed snacks—make you feel? How do you fuel your mind and body for the day ahead?

We don’t focus on perfection. We focus on progress. Some people rely on food pantries; others live with diabetes or hypertension. Together, we talk about rinsing canned beans to lower sodium, swapping soda for water, or choosing an egg instead of a honey bun. We play “This or That”—chips or fruit? Soda or seltzer? It’s about small, achievable changes that build momentum.

And we’re seeing results. Participants tell me, “I’ve been sleeping better since I stopped skipping breakfast,” or, “This week I bought the small bag of chips instead of the big one.” These may sound like small victories, but recovery is made of small victories stacked one on top of another.

Recently, we’ve added cooking demonstrations using pantry staples. No fancy ingredients—just simple, budget-friendly meals that nourish body and mind. We’re even creating a “pantry cookbook” so people can take recipes home.

The success of these workshops has sparked something bigger. Samaritan is now working to expand nutrition education across all its programs, reaching the 30,000 people served annually—from Long Island to the Bronx to the Hudson Valley. Because everyone deserves to feel good in their body and mind.

Nutrition isn’t a magic fix. But it’s a powerful foundation. At Samaritan, we believe that when you strengthen the body, you strengthen the mind. Food fuels more than recovery—it fuels hope, stability, and the belief that tomorrow can be better than today.

Jamel Lewis is the head wellness ambassador at Samaritan Daytop Village’s Peer Alliance Recovery Center. 

The post Opinion: Nutrition Helped Me in Recovery. Now I Use It to Help Others appeared first on City Limits.