News of the World

[kyonides]

Fourth person dies from bacteria
linked to recalled eye drops, CDC says

Another person has died from an outbreak of an extensively drug-resistant bacteria that's been tied to Global Pharma Healthcare's recalled eyedrops, according to federal health officials.

As of May 15, 81 patients across 18 states have become infected with Pseudomonas aeruginos, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of those infected, 14 have reported vision loss, four people had their eyeballs removed and four others died, the CDC said.

In March, the CDC reported that 68 patients in 16 states were infected.

The CDC has been investigating the outbreak, which has been tied to artificial tears manufactured by Global Pharma Healthcare earlier this year, alongside the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as other state and local health officials. 

During its investigation, the CDC discovered EzriCare Artificial Tears was the brand most commonly reported from infected patients.

Amid the outbreak, Global Pharma Healthcare issued a recall for all lots within the expiry of the EzriCare and Delsam Pharma’s artificial tears products due to possible contamination. It also agreed to recall Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Eye Ointment over the same concern.

In April, federal inspectors wrapped up their inspection of Global Pharma Healthcare's facility in India where the company manufactured EzriCare and Delsam Phama Artificial Tears products.

The FDA reported that the company did not follow proper sterilization or cleaning procedures at its manufacturing facility.

Cartel Turf Fight Turns Mexican City into War Zone

 Warning! The photos are quite graphic, guys!

A fierce turf war between rival factions of the Gulf Cartel turned one of the main cities in Tamaulipas into a war zone. Convoys of gunmen in armored vehicles clashed while Mexican authorities continue their claim that the state is safe and that violence in a myth spread through social media.

Since late last month, two rival factions of the Gulf Cartel have been engaged in a fierce turf war. The faction in Reynosa known as Los Metros joined forces with the Old School Zetas (Vieja Escuela) based in San Fernando. The faction also allegedly has the support of Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) in their fight against the Matamoros faction of the Gulf Cartel known as the Escorpiones.

The city of San Fernando, called Sierra Fox by gunmen, experienced the worst fighting so far as gunmen riding in armored SUVs in convoys — at times larger than 40 vehicles — roam dirt roads and the main highways searching for rivals. When these convoys encounter each other, the fighting is intense as these gunmen carry high-powered weapons and explosives that they use trying to defeat each other’s armored vehicles.

Elise Stefanik, Republicans Push Back on Biden’s War on Chocolate Milk

House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and other House Republicans have pushed back against a Biden administration proposal that would limit children’s access to chocolate milk and other drinks in schools across America.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is considering limiting certain foods and drinks such as chocolate milk to “reduce children’s risk of chronic disease.”
...
“USDA is proposing to allow flavored milk for high school children only (grades 9-12),” the USDA proposal explained. “This approach would reduce exposure to added sugars and would promote the more nutrient-dense choice of unflavored milk for young children when their tastes are being formed. The proposed regulatory text for this alternative would allow flavored milk only for high schools (grades 9-12).”
...
The Biden administration appears to be taking a page from New York Mayor Eric Adams’ proposed ban on chocolate milk, which he backed off from after Stefanik and many others attacked the proposal. Notably, Adams follows a vegan diet and has urged Congress to allow vegetarian options in New York City schools.

Stefanik proposed a bill, the Protecting School Milk Choices Act, which would ensure schools participating in the National School Lunch Program offer at least one flavored milk option.

Minnesota Governor Signs Same Gun Controls Failing in California

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed legislation Friday containing a red flag law and universal background checks, both of which are already in place in California and are failing to stop mass shootings.

KARE 11 reported that Walz made a statement as he signed the gun control:

I understand our rights as Americans… but I refuse to allow extremists to define what responsible gun ownership looks like and to make this about the 2nd Amendment. This is not about the 2nd Amendment, this is about the safety of our children and our community.

On May 17, 2023, Breitbart News reported that Minnesota Democrats had passed the gun controls that were already failing in California.

Gabby Giffords’ gun control group noted California has had a red flag law since January 1, 2016. The Golden State adopted expanded background checks — i.e., universal background checks — in the early 1990s.

Despite having both these controls, California led the nation in “active shooter incidents” in 2021.

Illinois’ red flag law is failing to stop the raging gun violence in Chicago.

$3 Billion Pentagon Accounting Error Means More Arms for Ukraine

Defense Department revealed it can send more weapons to Ukraine without Congress spending approval after the Pentagon overestimated the value of the arms it has already sent Kyiv by some $3 billion.

AP reports the error was caused when officials wrongly used valuation for new equipment, rather than for used equipment drawn from U.S. stocks, to assess the cost of weapons already despatched to the war zone.

The poor accounting methodology has been exposed as the Pentagon faces increased pressure by Congress to show accountability for the billions of dollars it has sent in weapons, ammunition, equipment, and training to Ukraine and as some lawmakers question whether that level of support is sustainable.
...
The $113 billion in U.S. aid to Ukraine has eclipsed the annual military budget of every country in the world except the United States and China.
...
[Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh] added the mistake hasn’t constrained U.S. support to Ukraine or hampered the ability to send aid to the battlefield.

According to the AP report, a defense official said the Pentagon is still trying to determine exactly how much the total surplus will be.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the comptroller has asked the military services to review all previous Ukraine aid packages using the proper cost figures.

DOJ Opted Not to Prosecute
Radical U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts
Despite Inspector General’s Referral

President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) opted not to prosecute U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Rachael Rollins after the Office of the Inspector General determined that she lied under oath and referred its allegation to the DOJ.

The OIG released the results of an investigation into Rollins, who the Heritage Foundation notes was previously backed by left-wing billionaire George Soros, on multiple fronts on Wednesday, finding that she allegedly attempted to influence the Suffolk County District Attorney’s race last year and subsequently lied under oath during an investigation into the matter. Although the watchdog referred their findings to the Department of Justice, it opted not to pursue prosecution.

Rachael Rollins committed so many ethical violations that an Inspector General referred her for criminal prosecution. What did Merrick Garland do? Nothing.

Just another example of DOJ’s double standard.

“On December 16, 2022, pursuant to the Inspector General Act, 5 U.S.C. § 404(d), the OIG referred the false statements allegation to the Department for a prosecutive decision. On January 6, 2023, the Department informed the OIG that it declined prosecution,” reads a footnote on page 80 of the report.

A conviction on such a charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, as Cornell Law School notes.

The report found that Rollins, who President Joe Biden nominated to be a U.S. attorney in 2021, aided Boston City Councilman Ricardo Arroyo (D) in the Democrat primary for Suffolk County district attorney by providing negative information about his opponent, then-interim Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden, to the Boston Globe and Boston Herald. This effort allegedly included Rollins giving the Herald “non-public, sensitive [Department of Justice] material,” which she only had access to because of her position.

Hong Kong Leader Defends Removing
Tiananmen Square Books from Public Libraries

Hong Kong’s Beijing-controlled chief executive, John Lee, insisted on Thursday that his government should identify books with “bad ideologies” – such as those that tell the truth about the Tiananmen Square massacre – and remove them from public libraries.

Lee, who was Hong Kong’s security chief before succeeding Carrie Lam as chief executive in May 2022, was meeting with members of the Legislative Council (commonly known as “LegCo”) when a lawmaker challenged the removal of Tiananmen accounts and other books from libraries as a violation of the semiautonomous island’s nominal free speech guarantees.

“Books we are lending to the public are those recommended by the government. We would not recommend books that are illegal, have copyright issues or those with bad ideologies,” Lee replied.

Skeptical lawmakers noted that the national security law has been used to shut down publications and terrorize Hong Kongers away from events that might bring down the wrath of Lee’s paranoid security state. A prominent example last week was the abrupt termination of a hugely popular 40-year-old comic strip from artist Wong Kei-kwan, who uses the pen name “Zunzi.”