Why Did Junk-food Stocks Jump When Calley Means Resigned?
Calley Means says the stocks of major junk-food companies rose 8 percent on the day he left the White House. He brings up that claim immediately after describing meetings in which advisers objected that removing junk food from school meals would hurt the companies selling it.
He contrasts the resistance with what he regards as a popular health-policy coalition. Means describes Kennedy's agenda as a leading part of Republican domestic policy and cites a Harvard Harris poll placing Kennedy ahead of other public officials. The juxtaposition supports Means's argument that industry interests conflicted with the coalition's priorities. He does not identify the stocks or provide market data in the passage, and the interview alone does not establish that his resignation caused their prices to move.