Op-Ed: Collapsing health systems vs major flu outbreaks in US, UK and Europe


ByPaul Wallis
DIGITAL JOURNAL
January 5, 2025


A colorized transmission electron micrograph of avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (blue), grown in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells - Copyright National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/AFP/File HANDOUT

Just at the time when the obscene total dysfunction of healthcare systems is an unavoidable topic, ooh look – A virtual whole new pandemic.

The numbers are huge, the situation is roughly similar to 2019 in terms of preparedness, and this time it’s more than one disease. It’s influenza, bird flu, and norovirus.

How chic. How opportune that the same mentality that managed COVID so well will soon return to manage this new plague.

Kook politics nostalgia and incompetent lunatics notwithstanding –

Bird flu and influenza could also swap genetic materials, according to the CDC. That could lead to a super-strain, or multiple strains, either option making immunization and containment more difficult.

Health systems are already under significant stress, especially in England. This may be a seasonal event or the beginning of another epic of epidemiology. Neither the US healthcare system nor the long-suffering battered UK NHS are in exactly tip top shape for a long siege.

The Chinese HMPV flu situation isn’t yet anything like clear. There is a “metapneumonic” virus which appears to be seasonal, but it’s occurring in context with avian flu and the dominant influenza A incidents.

Influenza is not one of humanity’s best friends. The 1918 “Spanish flu” pandemic killed between 18 to 50 million people and kept coming till about 1920. COVID has “only” killed 7 million but it’s still doing that.

Now the real problem.

It’s definitely not any particular disease, or even a pandemic.

It’s the deliberate total mismanagement of human health on a global scale for decades.

The US is undeniably the worst offender, in which claims are refuted on a routine basis. See the AI overview on this Google search. It ain’t pretty.

According to this information, 450 million healthcare claims are rejected each year. That’s more than 1 rejection per person and per day. It’s highly unlikely that all of these claims are erroneous or fraudulent.

Nor is the US healthcare system particularly interested in curing anyone. Goldman Sachs said it wasn’t “sustainable” for patients to be cured and the rest of the Mensa rejects in the sector agreed. Obviously not much has changed, The median price per year is around $14,570 for health care which will definitely be refused at some point for those paying.

In this ultra-neurotic environment, can the US healthcare system cope? Looks like we’re about to find out.

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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.

2025 Predictions — The US exits from the world, and the rich are not included


ByPaul Wallis
DIGITAL JOURNAL
January 5, 2025


The New York Stock Exchange. — © AFP

The creaky old “predictions” time has come. A groveling impotent global media, castrated by its own business models and policy stupors, suddenly knows something.

Well, hollow-lu-jah.

Having failed miserably at its traditional role, the world’s highly branded buffoons have taken up crystal ball gazing. Presumably, no other balls were available.

The predictions range ingloriously from the mindlessly mediocre to the pointlessly predictable, as follows:

Nobody mentions anything getting better.

Human reality is as usual not a subject for discussion.

America’s impending departure from the world is definitely not a topic.

It’s ironic that the world’s “pundits” (there are other far more accurate and meaningful descriptions) can’t do much more with such a rich sewer full of materials. Having turned themselves into lackeys and reduced circulation with paywalls, they’re now spectators at best, and co-conspirators at worst.

Never mind that.

Given such pitiful and gutless competition, I thought I’d have a go at it. I could hardly do worse than that rubbish.

First Quarter 2025

The first rumbles of unworkable and downright obsolete economic policies spatter against global sensitivities. Europe and China start to react. The stated policies start their very predictable run to a surprisingly boring disaster.

This is just setting up for failure.

The world won’t follow.

If you want to be “isolated”, bingo.

Nobody will want anything to do with you.

The world has been here before and didn’t like it.

The first responses will be evasive rather than confrontational, but the trade issues have already been decided. This is just the start. With or without active hostility, the step off the cliff has been taken. You’ve gone from Rebel without a Cause to Ridiculous Gerbil-Like Meeting-Dwellers without Applause.

Second Quarter 2025

This is where the domestic fan starts to get hit. Infighting begins in earnest. American media is now so despised and ineffectual it will take a while to percolate through to the public.

It’s all about money, the lack of money, and the fact that Americans can no longer afford anything.

What a surprise.

Keep ‘em coming, bozoids.

“What, is all not quite peachy dandy keen neat-O in the great empty KFC bucket we for some reason call a country?”, they will ask in horror.

“Non cacas?”, respondeth America The Broke.

This level of communication isn’t likely to achieve much. It can’t and it won’t. These problems will persist

Third Quarter 2025

By about this time whatever chaos has hit the revenue cycle will be taking place. It could happen a lot sooner, but hey, even morons need some time to be morons. State and Federal revenue will be seeing movement in too many different directions.

The beauty of it is that this level of total out-of-depth ineptitude can affect the whole world, which America bravely continues to insist doesn’t exist. The world can’t and won’t trust that.

US debt will be front and center as usual. The world knows how some prominent “alleged Americans” handle their personal debt. It responds accordingly

Obviously, the world is persecuting America, which threatens to invade itself in retaliation.

The thing is, America the Still Somewhat Credibly Solvent, by now a total of nearly four people and a rather smug raccoon, won’t trust it either. Things will have to move on from the idiocy.

Interest rates rise. Markets fragment. Assets evaporate. Credit hangs itself. Idiots rejoice.

Fourth Quarter 2025

A few other neuroses could have happened or not in 2025. That depends largely on whether Congress or Americans with any real clout (note the distinction) can read. That means rich non-morons, and the place doesn’t seem oversupplied with those.

A “strategic” Bitcoin reserve may or may not have happened. The world’s most highly manipulated pothole-priced pseudo-currency may have taken over from the US dollar – Or not. Bitcoin has a finite number of coins. Hardly enough for unlimited greed and stupidity. It’s not all that likely, but not impossible.

The US housing market may finally have collapsed under all that fictional and totally irresponsible debt. It’s been permanently sucking as much money out of the economy as the parasitic health sector. Nobody can afford to prop it up anyway. The sheer inertia of this massive market disintegrating will rewrite every investment portfolio in the US and probably the world.

The corporate world, aka the most hated people in history, will be doing fine, according to them. You know how good their info is. They’re good at sending themselves broke, just better at sending everyone else broke.

The current situation is quite bad enough. At least you can pretend it works, though. That may not be the case at the end of 2025. This last gasp of stupidity will be the parting of ways for Feudal America and the 21st century

Trade, AI, reality, and a defensive world will move on without American psychoses.

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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.

Already stung by reduced crop estimate, Florida citrus industry now faces polar vortex

Jan. 3, 2025 


 Just weeks after Florida's 2024-25 orange crop production estimate was slashed by 20%, growers are facing a polar vortex cold snap coming next week that could pose new dangers for the industry.

 Photo courtesy of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Jan. 3 (UPI) -- A polar vortex with the potential to damage Florida's seasonal citrus crop is expected to descend on the state next week -- just after industry analysts predicted the lowest yield in 100 years.

Due to the adverse effects of October's Hurricane Milton, as well as a now-familiar list of longer-term problems, such as disease caused by an invasive species of insect, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest citrus crop update issued last month delivered a fresh blow to industry. And now nature is continuing its assault.

The cold weather is set to come in two waves, including a first bout beginning this week. By Thursday, freeze and frost-related advisories had been put into effect for Florida's northern peninsula, with temps expected to drop into the low 30s and raising the potential for damage to "local vegetation."

But forecasters said the bigger threat is the second wave that will arrive next week, which could produce the coldest winter temperatures in Florida in 14 years.

Despite the multiple challenges triggered by Milton, Hurricane Ian two years ago and now a polar vortex, industry officials remain optimistic the cold weather is just latest problem they must face -- and overcome.

"We're hopeful that, with the right conditions, we can mitigate any significant impacts and continue recovery efforts following recent storms," Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Matt Joyner told UPI.

Latest forecast: Orange crop plunges to 12M boxes

The vortex is arriving only weeks after the prospects for Florida's 2024-2025 citrus crop were revised significantly downward.

The USDA Agricultural Statistics Board's latest forecast for this season's crop, issued on Dec. 10 presented even worse news than the previous forecast issued in October, which in itself was worrisome even before the impact of this fall's Hurricane Milton was assessed.

Now, with more information about Milton's effects filtering in, the overall orange production prediction was lowered by 20% and grapefruit production by 14%, showing the crop at its lowest levels since the 1920s at 12 million boxes, down 20% from the October forecast of 15 million.

If that turns out to be correct, it would be fully 33% less than last season's final production. The latest forecast is a disheartening turnaround from earlier in 2024, when the USDA was expecting production to jump 11% over the 2023-24 season.

Instead, the latest forecast calls for 5 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges (early, mid-season and Navel varieties) and 7 million boxes of Valencia oranges.

Grapefruit production, meanwhile, is envisioned at 1.2 million boxes, down 200,000 boxes from the October forecast, representing a 33% reduction from last season's final production.

Red grapefruit is shown at 1.05 million boxes -- down 150,000 boxes from the October forecast. White grapefruit is forecast down 50,000 boxes to 150,000 boxes.

The new forecast shows yet another step along the Florida citrus industry's long-term production decline, blamed on hurricanes, freezes, citrus greening disease, changing consumption patterns and real estate pressures on agricultural land exerted by the state's quickly growing population.

In fact, since 2005 orange production in Florida has dropped more than 90%, from 150 million boxes to the mere 12 million boxes now expected for the current season.




The number of Florida citrus growers plummeted between 2002 and 2017, dropping to 2,775 from 7,389, a 62% decline, while the number of juice processing facilities fell to 14 in 2017 from 41 in 2003, a 66% decline, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

As of December, there were 248,000 acres of orange groves in Florida, down from 665,000 in 2000, while grapefruit acreage stood at only 14,000 acres, down from 118,000 in 2000.

Arctic outbreaks plagued the industry in the '80s

Adding to the economic pressures and damage wrought by hurricanes such as Ian and Milton, the spells of cold weather brought to Florida by polar vortices have caused big problems at times. Previous episodes of cold waves decimated citrus crops in the state.

For instance, after a hard freeze in 1983, one of most destructive recent episodes came on Jan. 18 to 22, 1985, in what is still known as the "Freeze of the Century."

That year saw one of the most intense U.S. arctic outbreaks of the 20th century, with extremely cold temperatures affecting every state east of the Rockies, including Florida, where the mercury fell as low as 6 degrees F in Pensacola. That year, Florida's secretary of agriculture said the polar vortex hit the citrus industry with $2.5 billion in losses.

The disaster caused many growers to go out of business, according to headlines at the time. Contemporary reports stated the freeze "turned oranges rock-hard in groves as far south as Palm Beach."

Only four years later, another polar vortex known as the "Christmas Freeze" did more than $1 billion in damage to the state's citrus industry, wiping out 6% of its orchards and sparking a permanent exodus of the citrus industry in the northwestern part of the state around Tampa Bay.

The three close-together polar vortices in the 1980s served to forever change the character of Florida's citrus industry from one dominated by a tens of thousands of small, mom-and-pop producers to a much smaller number of corporate players with resources to better adapt to extreme weather conditions.

Much of the land formerly used by small orange growers was gobbled up by housing developers to accommodate the state's booming residential growth starting in the 1990s.

Polar vortex again taking aim at Florida

While it's not likely to reach the proportions of the 1985 Freeze of the Century, forecasters say this polar vortex will bring far-below-normal temperatures to the Sunshine State, perhaps the coldest in January since 2011.

As of Thursday, there remained considerable uncertainty about the magnitude of the cold and which areas would be hardest hit, but the most likely period of extreme cold throughout the eastern United States is generally expected from Monday through Jan. 14.

In a warning issued this week, the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center said the "coldest air of the season to date" and below-freezing temps are expected across many parts of the Southeast during the period, including the Gulf Coast and much of the Florida Peninsula.

"Impacts to to highly sensitive citrus crops are possible," the NWS cautioned.

AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva told the USA Today Network there is the potential for damage in Florida's northern citrus groves, perhaps even for those in some southern areas of the state, as temperatures near the "danger mark" for citrus at 28 degrees.

"I'm a little concerned more about the northern citrus groves from Orlando north, where temperatures could be in the upper or even mid 20s," DaSilva said, noting that south of Lake Okeechobee, temperatures may not sink below freezing.

Citrus industry leaders stay optimistic

The freeze is coming at a particularly vulnerable time for Florida's citrus industry as it struggles to recover from Hurricane Milton, as well as Hurricanes Ian (2022), Idalia (2023), Debby (2024) and Helene (2024) before it.


Milton on Oct. 9 plowed directly through Florida's Citrus Belt, including Polk, Highlands, Hardee, Polk, Desoto, and St. Lucie counties, damaging trees, blowing fruit off branches, producing downpours and spawning deadly tornadoes, including a twister in St. Lucie County that killed six people and significantly damaged an iconic family-owned citrus business.

An estimate issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services last month put the statewide citrus crop losses from Milton at between $23 million and $55 million due to "significant" fruit drop caused by high winds and physical damage to trees.

Fruit drop was especially prevalent on varieties that were ready for harvest, such as early oranges, tangerines, Hamlin oranges and tangelos. Some growers also reported broken branches and structural damage to trees. Some young citrus trees were split, compromising their health and future productivity, the analysts said.

Joyner, of industry group Florida Citrus Mutual, said that despite the challenges posed by hurricanes, citrus greening and now the upcoming polar vortex, Florida's citrus growers remain "resilient."

"Florida citrus growers are not strangers to adverse weather conditions, like freezing, which they've been battling for more than a hundred years," he told UPI in an emailed statement.

"While a freeze would undoubtedly compound the challenges growers are experiencing as a result of Hurricane Milton, we're cautiously optimistic that the temperatures may moderate and reduce potential damage."

The state's growers have dealt with many issues over the years, he said, calling them "resilient and well-prepared to protect their crops as best they can. We're hopeful that, with the right conditions, we can mitigate any significant impacts and continue recovery efforts following recent storms."

Toilet maker warns customers not to wipe the seats with toilet paper

Jan. 3, 2025 


Japanese toilet manufacturer Toto is warning customers not to wipe the seats with toilet paper, as it can cause scratches to the plastic resin.

Photo by jarmoluk/Pixabay.com

Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Complaints about scratches on toilet seats manufactured by Japanese company Toto led the firm to issue an unusual instruction to consumers: don't wipe the seats with toilet paper.

A series of posts recently went viral on social media complaining about recently-installed Washlet bidet toilets made by Toto quickly ending up with scratch marks and discoloration on the plastic resin seats.

A company spokesperson explained the Washlet seats are made from plastic resin for a reason.

"We use the current resin considering its resistance to detergents and its ability to be molded into complex shapes," the spokesperson told the Mainichi Shimbun.

The representative explained that repeatedly wiping the seats with toilet paper causes tiny scratches that can expand over time and trap dirt, leading to discoloration.

The company urged customers not to use toilet paper to wipe off the seats, recommending they instead use soft, damp clothes with diluted kitchen detergent.

The Toto representative said the company is researching alternatives to the plastic resin that might be more resistant to scratches, but "there are no plans to change the material at this time."

South Korea experiencing biggest flu outbreak since 2016 as cases surge 136%


Jan. 3, 2025 


The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Friday flu cases are rising sharply in South Korea causing the biggest flu outbreak since 2016. The agency urged all citizens to get flu vaccines, emphasizing it is not too late. 

Photo courtesy Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency

Jan. 3 (UPI) -- The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said Friday that flu cases are rising sharply in South Korea, marking the biggest flu outbreak in that nation since 2016.

The number of suspected flu cases per 1,000 outpatient visits hit 73.9 from Dec. 22-28. That's a 136% increase from the week before.

The 2016 high point was 86.2. In 2023, the peak number of suspected flu cases per 1,000 outpatients reached 61.3.

The age group most affected by the upsurge in South Korean flu cases is 13- to 18-year-olds. The infection rate for them is 151.3 cases per 1,000 outpatients.

For children 7- to 12-years-old, the rate was 137.3.

The flu is rapidly spreading among all South Korean age groups, officials note, citing flu sample surveillance efforts at 300 medical institutions.

Reporting also indicates that of all the influenza strains cited, the H5N1 avian flu was most prevalent.

The Korea Disease and Control Agency is urging all citizens to follow respiratory infection prevention guidelines, especially people older than 65 and children.

Flu vaccinations also are recommended.

Agency Director Ji Yeong-mi said, "The rapidly spreading influenza is expected to continue into spring. Do not think it is too late; you must get vaccinated against influenza now."

The agency issued a flu outbreak advisory Dec. 20th.

Chile's president completes historic Antarctica trip

Jan. 4, 2025

United States President Joe Biden (NOT SHOWN) holds a bilateral meeting with President Gabriel Boric of Chile in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on Thursday, November 2, 2023. Photo by Chris Kleponis/ UPI | License Photo

Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Chilean President Gabriel Boric has become the first leader in the Americas to visit the South Pole, his government confirmed.

Boric arrived at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station Friday, where the temperature sat at more than 20 degrees below zero.

The president's trip was meant to reinforce Chile's claim to sovereignty in part of Antarctica.

Chile's Minister of Environment Maisa Rojas posted a video on X of herself along with Boric recorded at the South Pole.

Boric's entourage on the two-day voyage dubbed Operation Pole Star III included scientists, military personnel and members of his own government cabinet.

"This is a milestone for us. It's the first time a Chilean president has come to the South Pole and talked about Chile's Antarctic mission," Boric said on a Chilean TV broadcast after arriving,

Named after Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is the southernmost year-round research station in the world and operated by the U.S. National Science Foundation.



Boric said Chile is looking to expand its scientific and environmental footprints in the region, where the country's activities have historically been limited to the northern sector of the Antarctic Peninsula.

"Operation Pole Star III will extend environmental monitoring of concentrations of natural and anthropogenic pollutants on the Antarctic continent, with an emphasis on black carbon. It will also provide first-hand knowledge of the management of environmental standards implemented at the Amundsen-Scott Station, with a view to obtaining knowledge for the operation of current and future Antarctic bases in Chile, the Chilean government said in a release on its website.

"This visit is important as the government is working intensively on promoting science, environmental protection and economic growth. It also takes place at an important time for the scientific activities that Chile is carrying out in the area, which we are now expanding with the incorporation of the Almirante Óscar Viel icebreaker."

Chile's President Visits South Pole t Mark Start of Research V

Almirante Viel (Armada de Chile)

Published Jan 5, 2025 3:26 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

As great-power competition intensifies in Antarctica, Chilean President Gabriel Boric opened the new year by visiting the region. The historic trip saw Boric reach the South Pole, becoming the first Latin American leader (and third leader globally) to visit the world’s southernmost point. The other two visits by heads of state include the 2007 trip by then-New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Prime Minister of Norway Jens Stoltenberg in 2011.

Boric was accompanied by other senior government and military officials to mark the start of Chile’s new Antarctic mission, Operation Polar Star III. The expedition is a move by Chile to expand its research from the northern areas of the Antarctica Peninsula, where historically it has been involved, to include other parts, such as the Bellingshausen Sea and the Weddell Sea.

“Operation Polar Star III is a diplomatic, scientific, environmental and aeronautical milestone for Chile, which consolidates our position in the eyes of the entire world as a gateway to Antarctica. Our country’s role in the White Continent is crucial for international scientific research and to help in tackling challenges such as climate change,” said Gabriel Boric.

Notably, the expedition was also supported by other international partners such as the British Antarctic Survey and the United States’ National Science Foundation. The highlight of this international cooperation is President Boric on Friday touring the U.S Antarctic research station in the South Pole, the Amundsen Scott Station.

During the next 90 days, the Chilean research vessel Karpuj will be supporting the scientific team of the National Antarctic Science Program on trips across the Antarctic Peninsula. Chile has also recently bolstered its Antarctic research capacity by commissioning a new icebreaker Almirante Viel. The delivery of the vessel marked a major milestone for Chile as it was built in a domestic shipyard. It is the largest scientific ship to be built in South America.

With countries such as China and Russia seeking expanded influence in Antarctica, the region’s governance system is steadily shifting from a state of cooperation to competition. Historically, Antarctic states have pledged to conserve this pristine region, but this is quickly changing. Russia has reportedly been exploring Antarctica for oil and gas, an activity that is against the 1959 Antarctic Treaty.

National impact: Baby foods to list lead, mercury, other toxic metals in California

Baby foods were found to contain up to 177 times the amount of lead allowed by federal regulators, the Los Angeles Times reported.

By Mike Heuer
U.S. News
Jan. 4, 2025 

Parents throughout the nation will be able to learn the amounts of potentially dangerous heavy metals in baby foods thanks to a new California law requiring regular testing and reporting on labels for baby foods sold there. 

File Photo by yalehealth from Pixabay

Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Parents can learn the amounts of lead, mercury and other toxic heavy metals contained in baby food prior to purchase under a new California law with national impact.

The California law requires baby food makers to have an accredited lab test their respective baby food products at least once every month to test for lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic, CNN reported.

The law took effect on Wednesday and requires baby food manufacturers to list the results on their websites for the general public to access.

Parents and others can access the results while shopping by using smartphones to scan QR codes on the respective foods for babies and toddlers.

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Although the law only applies to California, some of the nation's largest baby food manufacturers said consumers throughout the nation will have the ability to scan the QR codes because the same labels are used on all products no matter where they are sold.

The baby food makers use the same labels on all of their products sold throughout the nation.

The California law was inspired by a 2021 congressional report showing high levels of heavy metals in foods made for babies and toddlers.

Baby foods were found to contain up to 177 times the amount of lead allowed by federal regulators, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Results also showed baby foods contained up to 91 times the level of arsenic, 69 times the level of cadmium and five times the level of mercury allowed by federal law.

Packaged baby foods account for about half of babies' dietary exposure to lead, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Infant formula accounts for another 36% of babies' dietary exposure to lead, but the California law does not require baby formula producers to include information on heavy metals like it does baby food.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is determining potential action levels for heavy metals in baby food and infant formula, which might require manufacturers to reduce those amounts or remove products containing excessive levels of the heavy metals.

Heavy metals are naturally occurring and are found in fruits, vegetables and spices - including those grown in gardens.

The manufacturing processes for baby food and infant formula generally do not add additional heavy metals, but monthly monitoring could help prevent accidental exposure to potentially dangerous levels.

Packages of fruit pouches tainted with excessive amounts of lead poisoned many children across the United States in 2023.

AMERIKA

HHS to award $306 million for bird flu monitoring, preparedness

Jan. 3, 2025 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday it will award $306 million in additional funding to monitor H5N1 avian flu and for regional, state and local preparedness programs. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said H5N1 preparedness is key to keeping Americans healthy and the country safe. 

File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday it will award $306 million in additional funding to monitor H5N1 bird flu and for regional, state and local preparedness programs.

HHS said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's risk assessment of bird flu remains low for the general public. But HHS and the USDA will continue close collaboration with industry and other stakeholders to protect human and animal health as well as food safety.

"Preparedness is the key to keeping Americans healthy and our country safe," HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. "We will continue to ensure our response is strong, well equipped, and ready for whatever is needed."

Regional, state and local preparedness programs will get a total of approximately $183 million.

Hospital preparedness programs will get $90 million of that, and $43 million will go to the Special Pathogen Treatment Centers bird flu preparedness and response activities.

So-called "Regional Emerging Special Pathogen treatment centers" will receive $26 million; $14 million will help replenish equipment and supplies for the National Disaster Medical System; and $10 million is going to the National Emerging Special Pathogens training and Education Center.

The CDC will give approximately $111 million for added enhancements to H5N1 flu monitoring at national, state and local levels.

Of that amount, $101 million will be sent to jurisdictions for increased monitoring of people exposed to infected animals, for testing and for outreach to high-risk populations like livestock workers.

About $11 million will be awarded by the National Institutes for Health for contracts in the Centers for Excellence for Influenza Research and Response.

California declared a public health emergency Dec. 19 as bird flu spread in cows.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the declaration was made to make sure government agencies have the needed resources they would need to respond quickly to the bird flu outbreak.

Earlier in December the USDA issued a new milk testing order for H5N1 that requires raw unpasteurized milk samples nationwide to be collected and shared with USDA for testing.

In November the CDC confirmed the first child in the United States to be infected with bird flu. The Alameda County California child tested positive with no known contact with infected animals.

The CDC investigated the cause of the positive test and follow-up testing was negative for bird flu but positive for other common respiratory viruses.

Protesters gather outside of home of impeached S. Korean president


Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) shout slogans during a rally against impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, on Sunday. Photo by Jeon Heon-Kyun/EPA-EFE

Jan. 5, 2025 

Jan. 5 (UPI) -- As an expiration deadline for the arrest warrant for impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol loomed Sunday, protesters and counter-protesters braved freezing temperatures and snow to gather outside of his home.

The protest came as a court in Seoul dismissed an injunction Yoon filed in a bid to invalidate warrants to detain him and search his residence. South Korea has been thrown into a political crisis after Yoon addressed the nation in early December to declare martial law while accusing his opposition of trying to overthrow democracy in the country.

The Seoul Western District Court granted the arrest and search warrants against Yoon on New Year's Eve, more than two weeks after the leader was suspended from his position, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

Investigators are seeking to detain Yoon before the deadline on the warrants expire on Monday, which led to a standoff between them and the Presidential Security Service on Friday.

But the warrant's legality has been questioned by law experts because it specified that certain key provisions of South Korea's Criminal Procedure Act should be excluded. By excluding those measures, the police were effectively given the ability to search the military and government-classified presidential residence.
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The Presidential Security Service has since find itself caught in the crosshairs of the dispute by continuing to refuse entry to investigators and leading police and prosecutors to seek charges against the head of the agency for the obstruction of justice.

Yoon's supporters have also been camping outside his home to protect him from "pro-North Korean forces" that they allege are seeking to steal his presidency, ABC News reported.

North Korea has acknowledged watching the political turmoil across its southern border. On Friday, North Korea's state-controlled news agency reported that "severe socio-political confusion" is spiraling in South Korea.

"The pro-Yoon clan of the ruling 'People Power Party' is shielding Yoon, displeased with the warrant issued for arresting him, for their dirty partisan interests," the situation was described by KCNA. "It seeks to reverse the impeachment-oriented trend, frontally challenging the public demand for impeachment."

Facebook parent Meta faces increased scrutiny over alleged Palestinian censorship

Jan. 5, 2025 

Two boys help their wounded little brother at Al Aqsa hospital following an Israeli air strike on Al Bureije refugee camp, in Deir Al Balah town, central Gaza Strip, on January 4, 2025. Photo by Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE


Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is facing increased scrutiny and attention over its censorship of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli content as the war goes on from human rights groups to news outlets like the BBC.The accusations against the company in the last month include a Human Rights Watch report on Meta's alleged content suppression, a BBC report that Facebook allegedly restricted the ability of Palestinian news outlets to reach audiences, and testimonies of shadow-banning of Palestinian pages gathered by the Human rights group 7amleh.

HRW said it documented 1,050 takedowns and other suppression of content that had been posted by Palestinians and their supporters, including about human rights abuses, in just a month after Hamas's October 7 attack.

"Of the 1,050 cases reviewed for this report, 1,049 involved peaceful content in support of Palestine that was censored or otherwise unduly suppressed, while one case involved removal of content in support of Israel," HRW said in its report, calling the ongoing censorship "systemic and global" and noted that it began well before October 2023.

Meanwhile, the BBC reported that its reporters viewed leaked internal documents showing that Instagram allegedly increased its moderation of Palestinian user comments after the October 7 attacks. The company told the BBC that the implication it is deliberately suppressing Palestinians is "unequivocally false."

Still, the BBC compiled engagement data from the Facebook pages of 20 prominent Palestinian-based news organizations in the year ahead of the October 7 attack and the year following it, showing that engagement plummeted 77% for Palestinian news sources even as the world's attention to Palestinian issues has grown.

Engagement for Israel's 20 largest news organizations grew by 37%, the BBC analysis showed. Current and former employees alleged to the news broadcaster that changes were even made to the Facebook and Instagram algorithms to toughen moderation.

"Over the years, Meta's content moderation policies have demonstrated a troubling and consistent pattern of suppressing Palestinian voices while allowing harmful and inflammatory content targeting Palestinians to remain," 7amleh said in its report.

Amma Khandakji, a journalist and content creator, said in the 7amleh report that content she posted on Instagram has faced repeated deletion since the events of Shiekh Jarrah in 2021. Ali Obaidat, editor-in-chief of Palgraph, said his account first faced deletion in 2017 amid gate clashes in Jerusalem. And Ramallah News owner Muhammad Ghanem said its pages have been restricted by Meta, among other news firms.

Meta's actions have also stoked the ire of Iran, with voices in Tehran pointing to "hypocrisy" with how Facebook removed posts relating to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh while allowing Iranian citizens to call for the death of Ayatollah Khamenei over internal turmoil in the country surrounding its chastity and hijab laws.

But users have also complained that posts calling for the death of Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu have been removed by Facebook for inciting violence. Meta did not return multiple requests for comment about any perceived "double standards" with its policies.

Last month, Meta released its adversarial threat report for the third quarter of 2024 in which it revealed it had taken action to remove 48 Facebook accounts and two Instagram accounts, linked to Iran for calling for Israeli athletes to be banned from the Paris Olympics.

Another 15 accounts on Facebook and six accounts on Instagram tied to Lebanon's Hezbollah were removed for posting content in Hebrew that criticized Israel's dependence on U.S. support and the humanitarian conditions caused by Israel's war.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies -- an American think tank that takes pro-Israel stances, has heralded Meta for "dismantling" what it called "Iranian and Hezbollah influence operations targeting Israel."

And Meta does occasionally issue policies publicly allowing for some pro-Palestinian content. For example, in September, Meta's Oversight Board-an independent body that helps advise the company -- ruled that the phrase "From the River to the Sea," viewed by some as anti-Semitic hate speech, should not necessarily lead to content removal.

"While it can be understood by some as encouraging and legitimizing antisemitism and the violent elimination of Israel and its people, it is also often used as a political call for solidarity, equal rights and self-determination of the Palestinian people, and to end the war in Gaza," the Oversight Board ruled. "Given this fact, and as these cases show, the standalone phrase cannot be understood as a call to violence."

The Oversight Board similarly ruled in March that using the term "shaheed," an Arabic honorific, to refer to individuals designated under the company's Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy "disproportionately restricts free expression" and "is unnecessary."

And in its advice to Meta in its first ruling after the October 2023 attack, the Oversight Board acknowledged that the company has "a responsibility to preserve evidence of potential human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law."

Still, as noted by The Intercept, Jordana Cutler, a former senior Israeli government official serves as Meta's Israel policy chief and allegedly pushed for the censorship of Instagram accounts belonging to Students for Justice in Palestine -- a group that has played a leading role in organizing campus protests against Israel's ongoing war in Gaza.