The nasty truth

I admit it. Every week that I take the time to write about Donald Trump, it usually is a particularly nasty chore, and I never enjoy it.

But this week, I’m writing about how the Trump Administration is screwing up handling the spread of the nationwide cyclosorasis outbreak. You know, the exploding diarrhea epidemic that reportedly comes from eating contaminated raw vegetables or fruit. Please pardon me for being particularly nasty this go-round, though I promise I won’t be as descriptive as I could be. But if I somehow fall short of that intention, again, please forgive me. It’s just that Donald Trump doesn’t take disease epidemics seriously, and because of that, innocent people suffer, and even die needlessly.

 I have no patience for such a so-called “leader” who has proven in the past to be so useless in an emergency.

I mean, let’s face it, Trump is decidedly ignorant when it comes to protecting the American public from encroaching diseases. It wouldn’t shock me if he stepped up to the White House Press Room podium, and seriously suggested folks who are experiencing explosive cyclosorasis symptoms should drink an 8 ounce glass of bleach.

“That’ll clear you right up,” I can see him saying, repeating himself from the COVID-19 crisis.

No, I’m not laughing either, but the very real possibility of that happening is what makes this situation so fraught. We can’t trust Trump, and we especially can’t trust U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr., the literal clown and anti-vaxxer Trump put in charge of the federal agency responsible for tracking the disease and its spread, and finding answers so that Americans can get back to their lives safely.

Now, as of July 21st, Kennedy said the cyclosorasis outbreak was “under control,” despite the fact that his agency had slashed the number of food-borne illness experts trained to track such spreads due to budget cuts.

This from the HuffPost:

Last July, under the Trump administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made it optional for the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), which monitors food poisoning infections in the U.S., to track cyclospora and six other pathogens.

Experts have argued  that the move made it even more difficult to identify the parasite and its origin, and, consequently, to contain the outbreak.

Kennedy…called the criticisms "invalid…” "We did cuts in the FoodNet program, but they were for redundant surveillance."

When it comes to safeguarding the nation’s food supply, I think a little “redundant surveillance” is justified and in order. Don’t you? 

Now I know some of you are probably saying, “Hey, what’s a little diarrhea. Just watch what you eat and go on with life, for goodness sakes!”

But it’s not that simple.

A large variety of folks enjoy having a nice salad or fresh piece of fruit with their meals, and they should be able to do so without fear of getting sick a week later. “Explosive diarrhea” to someone who is not in the best of health can cause a lot of other unforeseen problems, most likely dehydration, loss of appetite, cramping, low-grade fever, bloating, nausea, fatigue and weight loss.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Cyclosporiasis is a gastrointestinal illness caused by the Cyclospora parasite. People can get sick eating food or drinking water contaminated with human poop containing Cyclospora.”

The CDC adds that if you do become symptomatic with frequent diarrhea, that can last from a few days to a month. And that parasite is tricky. It will go away for a few days only to come back. So if you’re elderly, or already suffering from an illness, this parasitic infection is the last thing you need in your life. And because it draws a lot of water out of you and leaves you dehydrated, it can render your body defenseless against the high climate temperatures we’ve been experiencing lately. Water is not the only thing your body loses. You also lose a lot of the important minerals your body needs to keep you going.

Yep, a lot of that comes out in the wash, sorta speak.

But enough of this “Dr. Cash” stuff, and back to the politics of it all.

Now according to the CDC, the Cyclospora outbreak is linked to iceberg lettuce in 41 states, and that’s as of July 24th. CDC reports there have been at least 4,100 cases since May 1st, over 300 hospitalizations and no deaths so far. 

Normally, we only see 250 cases a year.

Funny. Michigan, the so-called “epicenter” of the outbreak, reports that it alone has 9,253 cases with 160 hospitalizations and no deaths. Why is an outbreak that is supposedly “under control” showing up with different numbers all over the place?

The source of the contaminated lettuce is reportedly a California-based company in Central Mexico called Taylor Farms, which as of July 17th, “voluntarily” recalled its allegedly bad produce. But then, the Food and Drug Administration reported that its initial test of Taylor Farms’ lettuce was actually a “false positive.” Taylor Farms then said the FDA “apologized” for the false positive test results, but the FDA denied it, still blaming Taylor Farms, keeping its produce under suspicion.

This confusion is what RFK, Jr. calls “under control” apparently.

Reportedly, Taco Bell has also stopped using Taylor Farms lettuce in its restaurants for now. Add to the list Marketside brand lettuce sold by Walmart.

The bad lettuce in question was distributed to at least 27 states, and North Carolina was certainly one, given the number of cases reported here lately.

Just this week, Wake County saw 435 cases as of May 1st, reportedly the most in the state, with nine hospitalized (16 across the state). 

According to Newsweek Magazine:

Health officials in North Carolina have indicated that they do not believe cyclospora cases in the state are connected to the Taco Bell outbreak, and likely have several sources.

Oh Lord, here we go!

There has been a surge of cyclospora cases in the state over the last week…NOT connected to the Taco Bell outbreak. Rather than being linked to Taco Bell lettuce, North Carolina officials said in a July 21st press conference there were likely multiple sources driving the rise in cases. They also said there have been rises in case numbers across June and July in previous years, thought this year’s case numbers are notably higher, Newsweek added.

WAIT A MINUTE, this contamination has been with us here in North Carolina since last year from a variety of sources beyond Taco Bell? As of that July 24th Newsweek report, there were 561 reported cases here since May 1st, with 254 alone in our state between July 14 - 21, and again, hospitalizations at 16.

I hate playing the commentary detective, but if this contamination has been with us here in North Carolina since last year from a variety of sources, and Kennedy cut the food inspection program responsible for keeping an eye on this stuff when he got into office last year, then one and one equals Kennedy on the responsibility scale, right?

And let’s not forget this. Taylor Farms reportedly donated $1 million to MAGA Inc., a super PAC that reportedly supported Donald Trump in March 2025. According to The Independent, “Company officials also reportedly visited the White House during the clash with the FDA, raising concern among consumers that the federal government's information couldn't be trusted.”

I don’t know about you, but lettuce or no lettuce, that's the part that gets me sick. 

Newsweek adds that across the nation in 41 states, CDC has reported 4,173 confirmed cases and 308 hospitalizations since May 1st. Some reports have that national number at at least 10,000.

And get this folks, it’s not just iceberg lettuce, but cilantro and parsley too that can have you doing the do-do dance.

Some how, waste water has come in contact with fresh produce where it's grown, infecting it before it gets to the store or retailer. What strikes me is that if the CDC under wacko RFK, Jr, was on the ball, as far as I’m concerned this shouldn’t have happened. And I’m not the only one who thinks so.

"It's starting to approach a catastrophic level in terms of how mismanaged it's been on multiple fronts," Frank Yiannas, who was also a deputy commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration during President Joe Biden's administration, told Politico.

He blasted the lack of "strong federal leadership" in the current crisis, and mounting consumer confusion amid mixed messages from officials. "They went too fast and they made a mistake," Yiannas speculated. "They should share more about how and why it happened, and what they'll do to prevent it in the future."

Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Osoff certainly has seen and heard enough. He wrote Sec. Kennedy a terse letter saying in part, "Your foolish and self-indulgent demolition of critical public health programs puts Americans at risk.” Osoff also jumped all over Kennedy for the dramatic rise in measles cases in the nation since he took office. 

That’s now at a 35-year record high of 2,300 cases under Kennedy. 

Did Kennedy have the good sense, decency and responsible maturity to respond to the gentleman from the great state of Georgia? As of this writing, no.

This is why we have to be serious about voting this November, people. When Trump told his handpicked agency heads, including Kennedy, to slash budgets to the bone so that he could give his billionaire buddies large tax cuts, folks didn’t understand how that could affect them and their families. Well, you see it, AND feel it now. Your gas prices are through the roof because of Trump’s thoughtless war, and in addition, the higher prices you’re paying for food aren’t the only things that will get you sick to your stomach. Food safety has now been crippled.

This from The Telegraph:

Dr Jill Roberts, associate professor of environmental health microbiology at the University of South Florida [said] "Cutbacks like we have seen in the last year did not just lose the surveillance network, but lost the people who knew the most about cyclospora. All of the labs are running short of funds and people."

Dr Roberts added: "Across the federal workforce, we saw cuts and layoffs with no proper investigations into what the individuals laid off were even responsible for. The public health fields were hit particularly badly."

Hey, I get it, many of you are just sick of politics, and you were sick of it long before Trump got into office.

But no matter how much you want to ignore it, the reality is we have the mess we’re in now because enough of us didn’t vote to at least make things normal. What we’re experiencing now with that incompetent thief and liar in office is NOT normal. We’ve got to cripple his power for these last two years he has left in office, because Trump is now, through his crazy proxy Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., getting people sick again.

By the way, what does the president himself think about this growing cyclospora outbreak? From Newsweek Magazine:

President Donald Trump laughed off a question about the ongoing cyclospora outbreak that was asked by Fox News …on Friday. “I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it. This is the first time I’ve been asked that question. Are you eating lettuce recently?” Trump said, his response met with several laughs before he added that “nobody wants to ask that question.”

Trump doesn’t care about us. He’s got jokes, no solutions. No president’s government is supposed to allow this foolishness to continue. From 250 cases a year to at least 10,000 cases right now, and the summer is only half over? People doubling over in pain and discomfort here in North Carolina and elsewhere because the folks in charge of our government don’t know enough, or care enough to adequately protect us and protect our food and water supply?

Wash what you eat if it’s raw. No bagged salads. Throw away outer iceberg lettuce leaves before eating. Cook your vegetables. And pay attention to the latest reports from our North Carolina Dept. of Health and Human Services at https://www.dph.ncdhhs.gov/blog/2026/07/14/cyclosporiasis-north-carolina-what-it-and-how-stay-safe

Dr. Cash is finished here. Y’all better just make sure you vote this fall! And please pass the toilet paper!