Month: September 2021

A new government report out Wednesday from the House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy finds more cases of major manufacturers selling baby food with high levels of toxic heavy metals, just eight months after a congressional report shed light on the issue of toxins in baby food. The report describes dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury and other toxins, which can be particularly dangerous to developing babies and toddlers.

Investigators said two of Gerber’s Infant Rice Cereal products contained inorganic arsenic levels over the Food and Drug Administration’s limit. They said Gerber “failed to recall” those products. Most of Plum Organics’ products contained heavy metals too, including popular Superpuff snacks.  Illinois Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, the chairman of the economic and consumer policy subcommittee, said: “No level of toxic heavy metals and exposure to them is safe for a baby.”  Krishnamoorthi wants stronger federal standards, saying of the manufactures: “They haven’t so far shown either the capacity or the willingness to regulate themselves. You need a federal regulator in the form of FDA to be regulating them closely.”

The FDA’s “closer to zero” program would set allowable federal levels for some heavy metals, but final guidance isn’t scheduled until 2024.  Krishnamoorthi wants to have some of those timelines moved up, but the agency said “it’s crucial that measures to limit toxic elements in foods do not have unintended consequences.”

According to data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fewer than one-third of pregnant women in the United States are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. More than 125,000 confirmed cases of the virus were reported among those pregmant, of which 22,000 required hospitalization and 161 died, including 22 deaths in August alone. Pregnant women who experience illness, with symptoms, are twice as likely to be admitted to a hospital intensive care unit and 70% more likely to die from the disease.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky said in a press release: “Pregnancy can be both a special time and also a stressful time — and pregnancy during a pandemic is an added concern for families. I strongly encourage those who are pregnant or considering pregnancy to talk with their healthcare provider about the protective benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine to keep their babies and themselves safe.” CDC research found that the COVID-19 vaccines from Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are all safe for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Given this evidence, the CDC issued an urgent health advisory last month to increase COVID-19 vaccination among those who are pregnant, recently pregnant, trying to become pregnant or who might become pregnant. Vaccination can help prevent serious illness, deaths and adverse pregnancy outcomes caused by COVID-19.

A judge ordered on Tuesday that Jarrod Ramos, the 41-year-old man who opened fire in an attack at a Maryland newspaper three years ago that killed five journalists, will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Ramos took a gun to the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Md., in June 2018 and began indiscriminately firing at employees inside. Prosecutors said at trial that the attack was revenge for a story the paper published about him harassing a former classmate a decade ago. Ramos pleaded guilty in 2019 to five counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder, six counts of first-degree assault and 11 counts of using a firearm in a felony crime of violence.

Ramos’ attorneys argued at trial that he should not be held criminally responsible due to mental illness. On Tuesday, Ramos was sentenced to five life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 345 years. Judge Michael Wachs said before sentence: “To say the defendant showed a callous and cruel disregard for the sanctity of human life is simply an understatement. What I impose is what the defendant deserves.”

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Congress on Tuesday that the U.S. government could run out of money to pay its bills by Oct. 18 if lawmakers fail to raise the debt ceiling. Powell and Yellen said there would be a “devastating” impact if the United States defaults on its debt during testimony before the Senate banking committee. They said that any economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic could come to a halt.

Yellen said in her opening statement: “While our economy continues to expand and recapture a substantial share of the jobs lost during 2020, significant challenges from the Delta variant continue to suppress the speed of the recovery and present substantial barriers to a vibrant economy. I remain optimistic about the medium-term trajectory of our economy, and I expect we will return to full employment next year. A rebound like this was never a foregone conclusion. In fact, the American recovery is stronger than those of other wealthy nations.”

Yellen warned: “It is imperative that Congress address the debt limit. If not, our current estimate is that treasury will likely exhaust its extraordinary measures by October 18. At that point, we expect treasury would be left with very limited resources that would be depleted quickly. America would default for the first time in history. The full faith and credit of the United States would be impaired and our country would likely face a financial crisis and economic recession as a result….It would be disastrous for the American economy, for global financial markets, and for millions of families and workers.”

Powell told senators in his opening statement that “inflation is elevated and will likely remain so in coming months before moderating…As the economy continues to reopen and spending rebounds, we are seeing upward pressure on prices, particularly due to supply bottlenecks in some sectors. These effects have been larger and longer-lasting than anticipated, but they will abate, and as they do, inflation is expected to drop back toward our longer-run 2% goal.”

Editorial credit: Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com