Calif issues statewide recall of raw milk after H5N1 found in retail samples
The latest hotspot for the bird flu in the United States, California, announced on Tuesday, Dec. 3, that it is expanding a recall of raw milk products to cover the entire state. The voluntary recall comes after recent tests reportedly detected H5N1 in two more samples from the nation’s largest raw milk dairy, Raw Farm, based out of Fresno, California.
The California Health Department says the products include all milk and cream from Raw Farm. The company’s owner estimates the company produces 70,000 gallons of milk weekly from more than 1,700 cows.
California health officials say they put the company’s operation under quarantine. They’ve also halted any distribution of all of its products, including cheeses and butter, made on or after Nov. 27.
Last month, the state issued two voluntary batch-specific recalls for raw milk produced by Raw Farm. The recall came after bird flu was discovered at the company’s bottling and retail sites.
The California Health Department urges anyone working with raw milk or potentially infected cows to wear protective gear.
The Golden State is the epicenter of the avian flu. California has reportedly 31 of the nation’s 57 confirmed cases of bird flu. The state is also home to 500 of the United States’ more than 700 infected dairy herds.
So far, no human cases have been linked to raw milk consumption in California. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that people avoid drinking raw milk due to the risk of bird flu and other illnesses associated with its consumption.
Health officials also warn pet owners not to feed their animals Raw Farm products, citing cases of cats on farms with infected cows developing brain damage and some dying after drinking contaminated raw milk.
The FDA maintains that pasteurized milk is still safe to drink as it says the pasteurization process kills the virus.
CDC declares end to McDonald’s E. coli outbreak tied to Quarter Pounders
The CDC has given an important all-clear about eating at McDonald’s. The public health agency says the outbreak of E. coli affecting sliced onions on the chain’s Quarter Pounders is over.
Since the investigation began in October, the CDC and FDA identified 104 cases in 14 states, mostly in the Midwest and Mountain West. They found 34 hospitalizations, including one death of an older adult in Colorado.
Investigators traced the outbreak to a single distributor, California-based Taylor Farms. McDonald’s only used the contaminated onions on the Quarter Pounder with cheese.
After news of the outbreak emerged, McDonald’s temporarily pulled the Quarter Pounder off the menu in the affected states.
The FDA said in its announcement about the end of the investigation that, “there does not appear to be a continued food safety concern related to this outbreak.”
The news comes on a big day for McDonald’s and its menu.
Tuesday, Dec. 2, marks the latest return of the McRib, the famous barbecue pork sandwich, to the menu.
The McRib is a niche fan favorite among McDonald’s customers. The chain has brought it back nationwide for limited runs in each of the past five years, usually around the end of the year.
Informal studies have suggested McDonald’s may choose its timing of when to bring back the McRib based on pork prices, as a way to capitalize when prices are low.
Like previous runs, McDonald’s has said the McRib will only be available for a limited time.
Supreme Court to decide whether to ban sweet-flavored vapes
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Monday, Dec. 2, on whether to reinstate a federal ban on sweet-flavored vaping products. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to regulate the products as another step in its effort to fight teen nicotine addiction.
Over the past few years, the FDA has denied more than a million applications to market candy- and fruit-flavored e-liquids after the agency said teen e-cigarette use saw an “epidemic level” surge in 2019.
While advocates say the FDA’s crackdown does appear to have played a big role in reducing youth nicotine use to its lowest level in a decade, concerns still remain over the availability of flavored products.
According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, sweet-flavored products remain the most popular among the nearly 2 million American high schoolers who vape. That fact has the nonprofit concerned over what would happen if the Supreme Court rules against the FDA.
The case stems from a Dallas-based vaping company that said the FDA unfairly changed its approval requirements without warning, effectively setting its applications up for rejection. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, overturning the FDA’s decision and allowing the company to continue selling its products.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to federal rules requiring graphic warning labels on cigarette packaging and advertisements. The FDA issued the mandate in March 2020, but its implementation has been delayed due to ongoing legal challenges.
CDC says abortions decreased in 2022, but research reveals the opposite
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its first major report on abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Researchers found the number of abortions dropped 2% in 2022, making it not much different from the years before. Preliminary data shows abortions actually went up in 2023.
The CDC found U.S. providers performed more than 613,000 abortions in 2022, only slightly down from the nearly 626,000 abortions performed in 2021. But in 2023, more than a million abortions were recorded in the U.S., according to a new report from the Guttmacher Institute. It’s the highest number the research and policy organization has recorded in a decade.
There are some caveats to this data. The CDC’s report offers an incomplete look at abortion in the United States because not every state reports abortion data to the CDC. The Guttmacher Institute does include all 50 states in its report.
Overall, though, reports show the vast majority of abortions took place before nine weeks of pregnancy.
Research also shows that expanded access to the abortion pill has played a big role in these numbers. A pandemic-era change made by the Food and Drug Administration allowed for the pills to be dispensed via telemedicine. In the wake of the ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, eight states passed laws protecting providers from being sued for prescribing abortion pills virtually to people from other states.
Despite the overall national picture, however, both the CDC and the Guttmacher Institute found abortion rates dramatically declined in states that enacted near-total bans after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Meanwhile, states that have become known as “abortion havens” have seen numbers rise significantly.
US requests for abortion pill access surge at Canadian nonprofit
A Canadian nonprofit that helps women get the abortion pill in countries with restrictions said it has seen a major surge in requests from the United States following the presidential election. Women on Web said it had 35 requests per day coming from the United States before the election. In the days after, it received four times the amount, totaling 145 per day.
The group’s executive director said most of the inquiries came from women who were not pregnant, but wanted the drug in case abortions are harder to access in the U.S. after President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
While Women on Web does not provide direct access to the pill, it connects women to doctors and pharmacies that can prescribe and give the drug.
Providing abortion pills before someone is pregnant is a practice called advance provision, which reduces delays in getting the medication in places where women face barriers.
Obstetrics and gynecology doctor Daniel Grossman told The Canadian Press it’s a very common FDA-approved practice but emphasized patients need to get follow-up medical care within 14 days of taking the pill.
Shield laws can legally protect providers who mail pills to states where they are banned. However, according to legal analysts, the cases can still be challenged in court.
Anti-abortion group Students for Life Action recently urged Trump to outlaw telehealth for abortion pills when he takes office, and endorsed Project 2025, a far-right think-tank policy paper that proposes reversing the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill and criminalizing mailing the drug.
Trump has said he plans to veto a federal abortion ban, adding the issue should be left to the states.
US Supreme Court declines hearing Big Tobacco’s challenge to FDA labels
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge from cigarette companies on Monday, Nov. 25, against a federal requirement that cigarette packages include graphic labels that warn of the health risks associated with smoking.
Tobacco company R.J. Reynolds and other companies appealed a lower court’s decision to uphold the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) mandate, which found the federal rule consistent with the First Amendment. The court agreed with the FDA that the warnings were “factually accurate.”
R.J. Reynolds unsuccessfully argued the FDA’s rule amounted to “compelled speech” and that violated the company’s free speech rights. The company claimed the proposed warnings “overstate” the health risks associated with smoking.
The proposed labels from the FDA consisted of images of tumors, blackened lungs and surgery scars, with messages about the health issues smoking can potentially cause. The FDA proposed the 13 warning labels in 2019 under the Trump administration.
The FDA accused cigarette companies of “knowingly and actively conspiring to deceive the public about the health risks and addictiveness of smoking.”
Around 120 countries already have large graphic warning labels on cigarette packages. The United States has not updated its labeling on cigarette packages since 1984.
California health officials warn bird flu detected in batch of raw milk
Health officials raised concerns about the presence of bird flu in raw milk. California officials warned on Sunday, Nov. 24, that a batch of raw milks sold in the state tested positive for the virus.
State officials said that they found H5N1 in whole raw milk from “Raw Farm” with a “best by” date of Nov. 27, 2024.
There have been no reported illnesses linked to the specific product. Nationwide, there are not yet any known cases of humans contracting bird flu through drinking raw milk.
Still, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned against drinking raw milk because it does not undergo a pasteurization process that kills bacteria and viruses.
California’s health department maintains that pasteurized milk remains safe to drink.
Most U.S. bird flu cases in people have been discovered in farmworkers who worked directly with infected animals.
Trump rounds out his cabinet with picks to lead USDA, CDC, FDA
President-elect Donald Trump continued to stock his cabinet in quick fashion over the weekend. And as travel cranks up before Thanksgiving, stormy weather might hamper some people’s plans. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Nov. 25, 2024.
Trump rounds out his cabinet with picks to lead USDA, CDC, FDA
Over the weekend, President-elect Donald Trump rounded out his cabinet selections. He picked several names to fill key roles in his second administration.
Trump selected Brooke Rollins as the secretary of agriculture. Rollins served under Trump in his first term, first as the Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental and Technology Initiatives and then later as the acting director of the Domestic Policy Council.
Rollins, a Texas lawyer, is currently the president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank consisting of former Trump staff members. As agriculture secretary, Rollins would oversee the 10,000 employees of the USDA and be only the second woman to lead this department.
Trump also chose hedge fund manager Scott Bessent for treasury secretary. Bessent is the founder of investment firm Key Square Capital Management and has recently become one of Trump’s top economic advisers.
He is a former protégé of Democratic donor George Soros and was once the chief investment officer of Soros Fund Management. As treasury secretary, Bessent would oversee Trump’s tax policies and the nation’s sanctions programs.
During Trump’s first term, Turner served as the first executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council. Turner is currently the chair for the Center for Education Opportunity at America First Policy Institute.
President-elect Trump also announced his choices for three top health positions.
Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins surgeon and a member of the National Academy of Medicine, has been tapped to lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In this role, Makary would oversee the FDA’s $7 billion budget and report to Trump’s pick for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Former Florida Congressman Dr. Dave Weldon is Trump’s pick to be director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Weldon is a physician and Army veteran who served in the House from 1995 to 2009.
Finally, Trump picked Dr. Janette Nesheiwat to be the next U.S. Surgeon General. The doctor is a Fox News contributor and the medical director of CityMD, a network of urgent centers in New York and New Jersey.
All of these positions will need Senate confirmation.
Israel and Hezbollah trade attacks as cease-fire deal is in the works
Monday morning, Nov. 25, reports said Hezbollah attacked Galilee from Lebanon, while Israel continued to focus on the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
⭕️ 12 Hezbollah command centers were struck by the IAF in Dahieh, Beirut, including sites used by Hezbollah's Intelligence Unit, coast-to-sea missile unit, and Unit 4400—responsible for smuggling weapons from Iran through Syria into Lebanon.
The latest round of attacks started with an Israeli strike on Beirut Saturday night, Nov. 23, that left more than two dozen people dead, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Hezbollah responded to that strike by launching more than 200 rockets and drones at Israel, marking one of the heaviest bombardments of Israel since fighting intensified in September.
Israel said its goal is to return tens of thousands of people home, who evacuated from the northern part of the country due to rocket attacks by Hezbollah. Meanwhile, Israeli attacks on Beirut have led the Lebanese education ministry to postpone school there until January.
On Sunday, Nov. 24, the European Union’s foreign policy chief said a U.S. cease-fire proposal was awaiting final approval from Israel.
At least 1 killed after cargo plane crashes, skids into home in Lithuania
The flight had taken off from Germany and crashed around 5:30 a.m. local time while approaching its final destination in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Officials said the person who was killed was a member of the flight crew but was not a pilot. Three other people on board were injured. Nobody on the ground got hurt.
Officials said at least 12 people had to be evacuated from the home.
Investigators are looking into the cause of the crash and have not yet ruled out it being an act of terrorism.
Winter storms expected across the U.S. this Thanksgiving week
In California, where two bodies were recovered from floodwaters on Saturday, authorities are bracing for more downpours while still dealing with flooding and landslides from last week’s “bomb cyclone.” On top of that, the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for the Sierra Nevada through Tuesday, Nov. 26, with heavy snow expected at higher elevations and wind gusts potentially reaching 55 MPH. That area is expected to get up to four feet of snow by Wednesday. Nov. 27.
Periods of rain showers are expected for the Valley through Wednesday. 1 to 2 feet of additional snow up to 4 feet at the highest peaks is forecast to fall on the mountains. Make sure to travel safe and visit https://t.co/WjKBsJmSfA for updates! #CAwxpic.twitter.com/QyrmHZJFzR
Forecasters said the Midwest and Great Lakes regions will see rain and snow Monday, while the east coast will feel the effects on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
So far, this upcoming weekend is shaping up to have pretty clear conditions for travelers heading home.
Biden set to issue his final Thanksgiving turkey pardon
President Joe Biden will take part in a Thanksgiving tradition at the White House Monday: his final turkey pardon.
The two lucky birds getting spared this year are Peach and Blossom from Minnesota. They got to live in the lap of luxury at the famed Willard Intercontinental Washington hotel near the White House while waiting for their permanent clemency from becoming a Thanksgiving feast.
The annual pardon of the turkeys will take place at 11 a.m. ET. The birds will then return to Minnesota to live out their days on a farm.
‘Wicked’ has best opening weekend for Broadway to film adaption
It was a magical weekend at the box office as the movie “Wicked” proved to be quite popular with audiences.
The film, based on the Broadway hit about the land of Oz before, during and after Dorothy’s famous visit, was number one in North America. It raked in $114 million, making it the third-biggest domestic opening of the year.
The film, which stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, is now the number one Broadway-to-film adaptation and ranks fourth for the biggest debuts for a musical in history.
Surgeon general finds gaps in smoking rates based on race, gender: Report
A new report from the U.S. surgeon general finds there are gaps in smoking rates on racial, ethnic, gender and class lines. Cigarette smoking rates have been trending downward in recent years but the report found racial and ethnic communities, members of the LGBTQ+ community and lower-income people smoke at higher rates.
The report found that people in poverty are more than twice as likely to smoke as those with income above the poverty line.
Native Americans and Alaska Native people have higher rates of smoking than other racial and ethnic groups. Americans identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual had higher rates of smoking than heterosexual adults.
“Tobacco use imposes a heavy toll on families across generations. Now is the time to accelerate our efforts to create a world in which zero lives are harmed by or lost to tobacco,” Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said in a statement alongside the report.
The report also found that 1 in 5 U.S. deaths tie to cigarette smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke. In total, smoking and secondhand smoke are responsible for roughly 500,000 deaths per year.
The report suggested a series of policy recommendations, including improving health care equity, enacting policies to protect people from secondhand smoke exposure, setting limits on how much nicotine can be in tobacco products and a ban on menthol cigarettes.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had been working on a rule to ban menthol cigarettes but the Biden administration held off on finalizing the rule after tobacco industry pressure.
The surgeon general’s report mentioned that inequality also persists in advocacy spending. The report says that for every $1 spent by tobacco control groups, there are more than $12 spent on tobacco industry marketing.
Could Sen. Cory Booker join with RFK Jr. to get carcinogens out of food?
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could have an unlikely ally on Capitol Hill: Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. They both said diets and ingredients approved by the FDA are poison and they both agree that the food subsidy system in the U.S. needs to be overhauled.
According to Booker, 93% of food subsidies in the U.S. go to junk food, while only 7% go to healthy foods recommended by nutritionists.
“So I’m ready for a food fight, and I’m going to look to the Trump administration and say, ‘Put up or shut up’,” Booker told reporters.
Diet-related diseases, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes, are the leading cause of death in America. All of those diseases are on the CDC’s top 10 list for underlying causes of death.
Kennedy and Booker are warning Americans about the ingredients in food and pushing for changes at the federal level.
“I’ve been picking on tartrazine today but that’s just one of at least a hundred chemical poisons that our health agencies allow in our children’s food,” Kennedy said in a YouTube video.
“Big, consolidated multinational corporations dictate our food policy and continue to poison us with chemicals that shouldn’t be in our foods or shouldn’t be on our crops that we ingest,” Booker said in his own video.
While Booker hopes to work with Kennedy, he did not say he’s prepared to vote to confirm him as HHS secretary and is skeptical of his views on vaccines. Kennedy says he is not anti-vaccine.
“I’m not gonna take away anybody’s vaccine. I’ve never been anti-vaccine,” Kennedy told NBC News.
“I have real concerns about anybody who is going to put information out there that’s going to undermine the safety of our kids,” Booker said. “I’m going to evaluate every one of their nominees on the merits, but with this as an opportunity for me to hopefully get momentum, because this is a movement.”
“And parents all around the country cannot understand why there are chemicals that are being put into our foods that we’re serving our kids that are banned in other countries,” Booker continued. “Why are we spraying things on crops that we know are known carcinogens, that are hormone disruptors?”
As HHS Secretary, Kennedy would oversee the FDA, which could rescind its approval for ingredients that are proven to be carcinogens or hormone disruptors. As a member of Congress, Booker could promote legislation, including the recurring Farm bill, to redirect subsidies to healthier foods.