Under Trump, the FDA seems to be as incompetent as the CDC.
Federal health officials are continuing to test food items for cyclospora after discovering a sample of iceberg lettuce was a false positive match for the parasite that has caused thousands of people nationwide to fall sick.
A follow-up to yesterday’s post about the breakout of Cyclospora illnesses. It seems that Taco Bell was, in fact, a primary source of infection, albeit not at all their fault.
The blame apparently is with an outfit called Taylor Farms. With such a strong, verifiable link, it shouldn’t have taken so long to figure this out.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/16/health/cyclospora-outbreak-shredded-lettuce
Jon Stewart continues his Daily Show side gig as a podcast host. Note that the show is sponsored, as is the norm. You’ll need a full workday worth of hours to watch all three of these very worthwhile installments.
Ben McKenzie on Crypto
Jack Smith on American Justice
Austan Goolsbee on the Federal Reserve
More than 400 cases in four states (Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky) seem to be linked to a common source, which has not yet been identified, according to the C.D.C.
Can we stop trying to evaluate and explain events based upon pre-Trump criteria? The CDC of the not too distant past would have certainly, by now, identified the specific source(s) of the Cyclospora contamination. Instead, they’re leaving it to Taco Bell to take action without guidance.
The CDC no longer has enough competent epidemiologists, or sufficient funding, to do its work. Because of Donald J. Trump, and no on else. RFK, Jr. wouldn’t be where he is without Trump. It’s his fault, so please stop claiming the difficulty is primarily a matter of the bacteria being “tricky.”
Fires and floods are disastrous elsewhere in the United States. Canadian wildfires are casting a yellow haze over us in Massachusetts.
But don’t worry, climate change is a lie started by Democrats. What we should be worrying about is the fraudulent 2020 election that Trump will be explaining tomorrow night, in his typically cogent and detailed manner.
Pat Oliphant has died. Originally from Australia, Oliphant found his way to America, where he established himself as one of the leading political cartoonists. He was an exceptionally gifted draftsman, with a loose and seemingly effortless drawing style.
Here’s the NYTimes obit/appreciation:
