<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drugs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drug</a> overdoses topped records again in 2022, new government data show.
Nearly 108,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2022, according to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db491.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A total of 107,941 people died from drug overdoses that year, about 1,200 more or 1% higher than those who died in 2021.
The number of overdose deaths has been rising for two decades, hitting new records nearly every year.
The overdose death rate for teens and adults younger than 35 decreased slightly, while rates increased for adults age 35 and older.
Men consistently make up the vast majority of overdose deaths by far, about 70% of all deaths. In 2022, the female overdose death rate declined for the first time in five years, but the male rate continued to climb.
American Indian and Alaska Native people continued to have the highest overdose death rate, which spiked 15% in 2022. Black, Hispanic, and Asian people also saw their overdose death rates rise, while rates decreased among white Americans.
Powerful synthetic opioids such as fentanyl continue to drive the death rate up precipitously.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/portland-sees-biggest-fentanyl-bust-in-sheriffs-office-history">about</a> 50 times more potent than heroin, has been on the rise in the U.S. for years. The deadly synthetic opioid is inexpensive to make, easily transported, and has been increasingly smuggled over the southern border by Mexican cartels.
As little as two milligrams of fentanyl weighing the same as a few grains of salt can cause a fatal overdose, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/portland-sees-biggest-fentanyl-bust-in-sheriffs-office-history">according</a> to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Because it is frequently cut with other drugs, users may often be unaware that they are consuming the powerful substance, which can be deadly even in small doses.
Synthetic opioids caused about 23 deaths for every 100,000 people in 2022, 4% higher than in 2021. Meanwhile, deaths due to natural opioids such as heroin decreased.
Deaths involving cocaine also spiked 12% in 2022. Deaths involving psychostimulants such as methamphetamine also increased 4%.
Overdose death numbers for 2023 have not yet been reported.
The new data also showed that overall life expectancy increased for Americans by more than a year up to 77.5 years.
This is partially due to the COVID death rate declining, but it does not quite make up for the 2.4 years of life expectancy lost since the pandemic. Life expectancy remains lower than it has been in about two decades.
The death rates for infants and children up to 14 jumped between 2021 and 2022 while the death rate for age groups above 14 decreased.
Heart disease remained the leading cause of death, with cancer in second place.
Those conditions cause about two out of very five deaths in the country, although the death rates for both decreased 4% and 3%, respectively, in 2022.

Handcuffs on wrist, drug syringe

Drug Overdose Deaths Smashed Records Again In 2022

Drugs

Fentanyl

Health

Health Care

overdose

U.S.

Candace Owens questions the narrative on childhood vaccinations in her show, “A Shot in the Dark,” where she discusses the medical establishment’s push to give children dozens of shots before they turn 18.
In “A Shot in the Dark,” Owens takes a non-political approach and uses mainstream sources to inform parents about vaccine ingredients, schedules, and the listed potential side effects while asking basic questions that she says doctors often ignore. The show is <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/candace/sitd">available for members on DailyWire+</a>.
“I am not going to try to convince you not to vaccinate your children,” Owens said about her show. “That is not what I am being tasked with. It is not what is in my heart or soul to do. What I want to give you instead is information.”
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/candace/sitd">JOIN DAILYWIRE+ TO WATCH &#8216;A SHOT IN THE DARK&#8217;</a>
Owens points out the conflicting claims regarding vaccine safety from the FDA and CDC, federal agencies that encourage parents to have vaccines administered to their newborns. Owens dives into the history of childhood vaccines, looking at how the number of vaccines and doses dramatically increased beginning in the mid-1980s after children first started receiving shots in the 1960s. She also questions the narrative that vaccines are making people healthier and shares her own traumatic story after receiving the Gardasil HPV vaccine.
“The slur of calling somebody an anti-vaxxer has been tremendously effective throughout my lifetime, and I thought it was the crazy, crunchy people who wanted their children to die that didn&#8217;t vaccinate their children,” Owens said. “But … your life experiences transform you. And I had a life experience that transformed me in the form of me being vax injured.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/a-shot-in-the-dark" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH ‘A SHOT IN THE DARK’ ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
In “A Shot in the Dark,” the Daily Wire host reads through FDA inserts on vaccines that list ingredients and potential side effects, something Owens says doctors often fail to tell parents before injecting their children with vaccines.
“I want to use CDC data,” she said. “I want to take a look at the FDA inserts when I talk about what can happen if you give your child a vaccine. These are things that the pediatrician does not supply you with, which should be astounding to you.”
<div class="image"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-709619" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/co_sitd_2024paid_c_16x9__1__720.png" alt="" width="720" height="405" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/co_sitd_2024paid_c_16x9__1__720.png 720w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/co_sitd_2024paid_c_16x9__1__720-300x169.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" /></div>

co_sitd_2024paid_d_16x9__1__720

Candace Owens Questions Big Pharma, Vaccines In Her Series ‘A Shot In The Dark’

Candace Owens

Vaccines

A global study that looked at medical issues among nearly 100 million people who received the COVID vaccine found a higher-than-expected increase in neurological- and heart-related problems following the shot. 
The Global Vaccine Data Network’s (GVDN) COVID Vaccine Safety study, which was the largest safety research conducted on COVID vaccines to date, found a higher risk of myocarditis than was expected from mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer, BioNTech, and Moderna, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-19/largest-covid-vaccine-study-yet-finds-links-to-health-conditions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The study also found an increased risk of a type of blood clot in the brain in people who received viral-vector vaccines, such as the one developed by the University of Oxford and produced by AstraZeneca. 
“The size of the population in this study increased the possibility of identifying rare potential vaccine safety signals,” said Kristýna Faksová, the lead author of the study who works for the Department of Epidemiology Research at Statens Serum Institut in Denmark, <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/02/20/us-news/covid-vaccines-linked-to-slight-increases-in-heart-brain-blood-disorders/">according</a> to The New York Post. &#8220;Single sites or regions are unlikely to have a large enough population to detect very rare signals.&#8221;
GVDN is a New Zealand-based group that <a href="https://www.globalvaccinedatanetwork.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">describes</a> itself as “a multinational, investigator-led research network with primary interests in the area of vaccine safety and effectiveness.” Researchers with GVDN looked at 13 medical conditions that they considered “adverse events of special interest” in 99 million vaccinated people throughout eight different countries: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, New Zealand, and Scotland. The study’s most consistent finding was inflammation of the heart muscle, also known as myocarditis, after each of the first three doses of mRNA vaccines, Bloomberg reported. 
Researchers also <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4477406-largest-multi-country-covid-study-links-vaccines-to-potential-adverse-effects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> a “significant increase” increase in Guillain-Barre syndrome within the first 42 days of an initial AstraZeneca vaccine. Guillain-Barre syndrome is an autoimmune disorder where an immune system attacks its body’s nerves, according to the <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/guillain-barre-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20362793" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mayo Clinic</a>. 
“In its most severe form Guillain-Barre syndrome is a medical emergency,” the Mayo Clinic says. “Most people with the condition must be hospitalized to receive treatment.” 
The study then identified possible safety signals for spinal cord inflammation following viral-vector vaccine injections. Potential safety signals were also identified in the study for inflammation and swelling in the brain and spinal cord after both viral-vector and mRNA vaccines. 
Jacob Glanville, the CEO of biotech company Centivaix, responded to the study’s findings, telling <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/health/largest-ever-covid-vaccine-study-links-shot-small-increase-heart-brain-conditions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a> that while the vaccines have potential adverse effects, getting immunized against COVID is still the “safer choice.” 
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
&#8220;This study is confirming in a much larger cohort what has been previously identified in the original studies during the pandemic — myocarditis and pericarditis as a rare side effect of mRNA vaccines and clots as a rare side effect of the viral vectored vaccines,&#8221; said Glanville, who was not involved in the study.
“The odds of all of these adverse events is still much, much higher when infected with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), so getting vaccinated is still by far the safer choice,” Glanville added.
The GVDN study was published in the medical journal “Vaccine” last week. Nearly 14 billion doses of COVID vaccines have been administered globally since they were first rolled out in December 2020.
The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to tout COVID vaccines as “safe and effective.” The WHO <a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-vaccines/advice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> that “In 2021 alone, COVID-19 vaccines saved an estimated 14.4 million lives worldwide,” and the CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/safety-of-vaccines.html#:~:text=Everyone%206%20months%20and%20older,vaccines%20are%20safe%20and%20effective." target="_blank" rel="noopener">recommends</a> that everyone six months and older receive the vaccine. 
GVDN’s Global COVID Vaccine Safety Project is part of a larger initiative that is supported by the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services, and several of the study’s authors receive financial support from federal government agencies, including the CDC, the New Zealand Ministry of Health, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4477406-largest-multi-country-covid-study-links-vaccines-to-potential-adverse-effects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The outlet added that some of the study’s authors also reported having previously been paid by pharmaceutical companies Gilead Sciences Inc., AbbVie Inc., Pfizer, and GlaxoSmithKline.

COVID Vaccine

Largest COVID Vax Study To Date Finds Higher-Than-Expected Increase In Heart And Brain Issues Following Jab

COVID

COVID-19 Vaccine

Department of Health and Human Services

study

The U.S. death rate for babies rose 3% last year, the first jump in two decades.
In 2022, there were 5.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, according to provisional data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That&#8217;s 3% higher than the 5.44 infant deaths per 1,000 live births the country saw in 2021.
Last year marks the first time the infant mortality rate has jumped since 2002, when the death rate rose to 7 deaths per 1,000 live births, up from 6.8 deaths in 2001.
Some groups of infants saw significant death rate increases, including baby boys, white infants, Native American infants, and premature babies born at 37 weeks or earlier. Native American mothers saw their infant mortality rate <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/infant-mortality-rate-increases-3-2022-rising-1st/story?id=104505952" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rise</a> from 7.46 infant deaths per 1,000 to 9.06 deaths in 2022. White mothers saw the death rate rise from 4.36 per 1,000 to 9.06 deaths.
Maternal complications and bacterial sepsis, two of the leading causes of infant deaths, also increased last year.
Dr. Eric Eichenwald, a Philadelphia-based neonatologist, called the new data “disturbing.”
An increase in RSV and flu infections last fall among babies that led to emergency room visits across the country “could potentially account for some of it,” Eichenwald <a href="https://apnews.com/article/infant-deaths-us-cdc-mortality-c808796da0415b6ecc0629938421e1b5#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Associated Press. However, he said experts can only speculate so far about why the death rate for babies suddenly increased after years of declining.
The infant mortality rate, which measures how many babies die before they reach their first birthday, has otherwise been declining in recent years. The neonatal mortality rate, which measures how many infants die less than 28 days after birth, also rose 3% last year. The neonatal mortality rate jumped to 3.58 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, up from 3.49 deaths in 2021.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1698343733266000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0j-_SN5ddYOUY5BqB3uxiw">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
The postneonatal mortality rate, which looks at infant deaths between 28 days old and one year old, jumped even higher, 4% up to 2.02 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to 1.95 deaths  in 2021.
Overall, more than 20,500 babies died in the U.S. last year. That&#8217;s more than 610 infant deaths than during the previous year.
Georgia, Iowa, Missouri and Texas saw significant increases in their infant mortality rates last year. Only one state, Nevada, saw a decrease. Georgia saw 116 more infant deaths last year than in 2021. Texas had 251 more infant deaths.
“It would appear that some of the states could be having a larger impact on the [national] rate,” said Danielle Ely, the CDC report’s lead author.
Meanwhile, the overall death rate in the U.S. fell 5% last year. The falling death rate has been mostly attributed to the country recovering from the pandemic.
Maternal deaths also fell last year across the nation.

GERMANY-BRITAIN-WWII-BOMB

Death Rate For Babies In America Rose For First Time In 20 Years

babies

Death

Medical

A new study shows a significant amount of overlap between government and pharmaceutical jobs, leaving the government “vulnerable” to industry bias. 
The study, published in Health Affairs, <a href="https://healthpolicy.usc.edu/article/study-of-revolving-door-in-washington-shows-one-third-of-hhs-appointees-leave-for-industry-jobs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showed that</a> over half of appointees to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/cdc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services left their government jobs to work in the pharmaceutical industry, which generally pays more. The study was conducted by the University of Southern California Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics and Harvard University.
&#8220;Although there are understandable reasons for people to move between the public and private sectors, the study notes that such a revolving door could make government agencies more vulnerable to pro-industry bias,&#8221; the USC Schaeffer Center <a href="https://healthpolicy.usc.edu/article/study-of-revolving-door-in-washington-shows-one-third-of-hhs-appointees-leave-for-industry-jobs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> of the project.
Overall, the study found that nearly a third of those appointed to the Department of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/health-and-human-services" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Health and Human Services</a> went straight from government work into pharmaceutical industry work. The authors, Genevieve Kanter of USC and Daniel Carpenter of Harvard, evaluated 766 HHS appointees.
“Of people appointed to the Department of Health and Human Services between 2004 and 2020, 15 percent had been employed in private industry immediately before their appointment. At the end of their tenure, 32 percent exited to industry,” an abstract of the study <a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/abs/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.00418" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a>. 
They found no significant difference between party appointees leaving from government into the the pharmaceutical industry. 
The revolving doors can lead to conflict because of the key roll that federal agencies play in approving new drugs and treatments. 
&#8220;Laws passed by Congress get a lot of attention, but a lot of the real action actually happens at the regulatory level,&#8221; Kanter said. &#8220;Regulatory agencies can decide the fortunes of many companies.&#8221;
Kanter added that current law likely did not complete shield the government from bias, with only limited measures in place to prevent overlap. 
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1693504018745000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1RMMjCvCBOBYdpkw5O_njE">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
&#8220;They do not broadly cover a lot of lobbying related to agency decision making – like regulations and drug authorizations – so they don’t necessarily deter that behavior,&#8221; she said. &#8220;The direction one might go is to expand the cooling off laws. But that’s a blunt instrument for a lot of subtle things that might be going on in terms of the effects of the revolving door.&#8221;
“What I am really concerned about is whether the personnel flow might lead to biases in government decision making,” she added.

Center For Disease Control Director Tom Frieden Addresses The Media On Ebola Case In U.S.

Government ‘Vulnerable’ To Pharma Industry Bias Due To Revolving Employment Door: Study

Big Pharma

Health and Human Services

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website appeared to have quietly “concluded” collecting COVID-19 vaccine adverse events on the federal agency’s V-safe website earlier this summer.
“Thank you for your participation. Data collection for COVID-19 vaccines concluded on June 30, 2023,” the V-safe <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230821200440/https:/vsafe.cdc.gov/covid/en/">website</a> reads.
Instead of displaying data collected from the mRNA vaccine, the CDC website redirects users to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) website for adverse event reporting, while health authorities <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/ensuringsafety/monitoring/vsd/index.html">reportedly</a> continue to monitor the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.
Dr. David Gortler, a Brownstone Institute Fellow who formerly served as a senior official and advisor for the FDA, first <a href="https://brownstone.org/articles/cdc-refusing-new-covid-vaccine-adverse-event-reports/">reported</a> the change in the CDC’s website, questioning why the federal agency removed the data, asking, “Does this mean that the CDC believes that the mRNA Covid-19 injections are so safe, there is no need to monitor adverse event reports any longer?” 
The CDC, however, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/ensuringsafety/monitoring/v-safe/index.html#:~:text=V%2Dsafe%20users%20or%20others,Event%20Reporting%20System%20(VAERS).">reportedly</a> is developing a new version of the v-safe system, “which will allow users to share their post-vaccination experiences with new vaccines.”
Since mRNA injections hit the market in 2021, Gortler cited the FDA’s VAERS database that presents the vaccines as “primary suspect” of more than 1.5 million adverse event reports, including heart attacks and cases of myocarditis and pericarditis in the U.S. Gortler also cited an FDA-funded study out of Harvard that states VAERS reports represent less than 1 percent of vaccine adverse events that actually occur.
Before the CDC removed the database, Gortler shared an image from the V-safe Covid Vaccine Adverse Health Impacts dashboard that stated over 6.4 million individuals were impacted out of 10.1 million users, including roughly 2 million who were “unable to conduct normal activities of daily living or needing medical care,” Gortler wrote.
The Brownstone report comes amid rumors that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) managers were recently instructed that pandemic-era restrictions, including mask-wearing for travelers and COVID-19 lockdowns, would return to the U.S. before 2024. But officials reportedly <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-covid-lockdown-masks-tsa-445214096334">told</a> The Associated Press such reports were “utterly false” and that they never received such information.
Still, President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-to-request-more-funding-for-new-covid-vaccine-recommended-that-everybody-get-it">said</a> last week that he plans to ask Congress for additional funding for developing a new COVID-19 vaccine.
“I signed off this morning on a proposal we have to present to the Congress a request for additional funding for a new vaccine that is necessary, that works,” Biden, according to the Associated Press, adding, “It will likely be recommended that everybody get it no matter whether they’ve gotten it before or not.”
Pfizer and Moderna are working on new vaccines to fight the latest variant — descended from omicron — as some scientists warn of rising COVID cases nationwide. At the end of July, COVID hospitalizations were just over 9,000, but that’s only a fraction of the admissions seen during the height of COVID and later surges of the delta and omicron variants, the AP reported. In January 2022, during a surge from Omicron, an estimated 150,000 people were in the hospital from the virus.
The slight rise in COVID cases has caused some businesses and universities to reinstate mask mandates. Morris Brown College in Atlanta is bringing back a mask mandate despite having zero reported cases of COVID on campus.
Lionsgate Films in California also temporarily reinstated mask mandates for some of its Santa Monica offices. The studio said it would have a “building entry policy” that requires employees “to perform a daily self-screening prior to coming to the office each day,” and workers must also notify the company of any “new or worsening symptoms” or if they “traveled internationally in the last 10 days.” Lionsgate has since lifted the mandate, saying it had contained the COVID spread.
This article has been updated for more context and clarity on the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine data collection methods.    
Zach Jewell contributed to this report.

CDC headquarters in Atlanta

CDC Concludes COVID Vaccine Data Collection, Redirects Adverse Event Reports While Developing New System: Report

Biden Administration

COVID-19

Pandemic

Republican presidential candidate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ron-desantis">Ron DeSantis</a> clarified remarks he made last week about having Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr. serving in some sort of capacity monitoring federal agencies.
DeSantis was asked last week during an interview with Clay Travis if he would consider tapping RFK Jr. to be his vice presidential running mate, which DeSantis immediately shot down because of RFK&#8217;s strong leftist leanings.
DeSantis said that he did agree with RFK&#8217;s stance on Dr. Anthony Fauci and the corruption in the health bureaucracies and suggested that it might be good to &#8220;sic&#8221; him on those agencies.
&#8220;If you&#8217;re president, you know, sic him on the FDA if he&#8217;d be willing to serve, or sic him on CDC,&#8221; DeSantis said.
The media, some online pundits, and at least one other presidential candidate claimed that DeSantis suggested that he would tap RFK to lead those agencies.
In a follow-up interview with Megyn Kelly, DeSantis clarified that he never suggested tapping RFK to lead any federal agency.
&#8220;So, for the CDC and FDA, we will have a Doctor/PhD-type, but they are going to be people like a Jay Bhattacharya from Stanford who was right on COVID, not going to be some of these people that are just part of this revolving door,&#8221; DeSantis said.
&#8220;I think the word I used is &#8216;let&#8217;s sic him on some of these agencies&#8217; to hold them accountable,&#8221; DeSantis added. &#8220;And that would be part of being kind of outside the agency and getting answers and bringing accountability to bear.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;Outside the agency, and getting answers&#8230;&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RonDeSantis</a> clarifies his comments this week about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. &#8211; and teases <a href="https://twitter.com/DrJBhattacharya?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrJBhattacharya</a> for a role at CDC or FDA.
FULL interview airs tomorrow at NoonET, and on all platforms after. Subscribe:<a href="https://t.co/YJPxz5Gu8d">https://t.co/YJPxz5Gu8d</a> <a href="https://t.co/vxqCOC8E2e">pic.twitter.com/vxqCOC8E2e</a>
&mdash; The Megyn Kelly Show (@MegynKellyShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/MegynKellyShow/status/1684735001361883136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Ron DeSantis

DeSantis Clarifies His Remarks About RFK Jr.: He Would Be ‘Outside’ Of Federal Agencies

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

A little-known illness caused by a tick bite gives victims a serious allergy to red meat and affected an estimated 110,000 people between 2010 and 2022, according to a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2023/p0727-emerging-tick-bites.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released Thursday. 
The illness, called alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), comes from the bite of a Lone Star tick, which can be <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/tick-species/sls-20147911?s=7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> mostly in the South as well as many Eastern and Midwest states. AGS causes serious allergic reactions to red meat such as pork, beef, rabbit, lamb, venison, and even mammal products like milk. 
“Alpha-gal syndrome is an important emerging public health problem, with potentially severe health impacts that can last a lifetime for some patients,” said Dr. Ann Carpenter, an epidemiologist and lead author of one of the papers released Thursday on AGS. “It’s critical for clinicians to be aware of AGS so they can properly evaluate, diagnose, and manage their patients and also educate them on tick-bite prevention to protect patients from developing this allergic condition.”
Many doctors and health care providers are still unfamiliar with AGS, according to the CDC, which added that the allergic reactions caused by the tick bite can be “potentially life-threatening.” 
One study asked 1,500 family/general practitioners, internists, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants across the U.S. about AGS and found that nearly half of them had never heard of it and around one-third of respondents said they were “‘not too confident’ in their ability to diagnose or manage patients with AGS,” the CDC said. The CDC estimated that the number of people who might be affected by AGS could be as high as 450,000. 
“The burden of alpha-gal syndrome in the United States could be substantial given the large percentage of cases suspected to be going undiagnosed due to non-specific and inconsistent symptoms, challenges seeking healthcare, and lack of clinician awareness,” said Dr. Johanna Salzer, who authored both papers on AGS released by the CDC.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-tick-bite-that-makes-you-vegan-eating-in-a-restaurant-was-out-of-the-question" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> last year on how people with AGS deal with the symptoms. One woman described the struggles of eating out at a restaurant, noting that even a veggie burger prepared on the same grill with meat patties is problematic. Another person said that even breathing in fumes from red meat causes a reaction.
Symptoms of AGS include “hives or itchy rash; nausea or vomiting; heartburn or indigestion; diarrhea; cough; shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; drop in blood pressure; swelling of the lips, throat, tongue, or eye lids; dizziness or faintness; or severe stomach pain,” according to the CDC. There is currently no known cure for the illness, and the CDC says that “preventing tick bites” is the most important action one can take to “reduce your chances of developing AGS.”

Lone Star Tick, Amblyomma Americanum

CDC Warns Of ‘Emerging’ Illness Caused By Tick Bite That Causes ‘Potentially Life-Threatening’ Allergy To Red Meat

CDC Warns Of ‘Emerging’ Illness Caused By Tick Bite Causing ‘Potentially Life-Threatening’ Allergy To Red Meat

Disease

meat

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides guidance on trans-identifying people &#8220;chestfeeding&#8221; their babies.
&#8220;Chestfeeding&#8221; is another term for breastfeeding that is used by women and men who identify as the opposite sex or nonbinary.
The CDC&#8217;s guidance for such individuals <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/emergencies-infant-feeding/health-equity.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appears</a> on the agency&#8217;s official website in the &#8220;Health Equity Considerations&#8221; section in the &#8220;Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies&#8221; toolkit.
&#8220;Transgender and nonbinary-gendered individuals may give birth and breastfeed or feed at the chest (chestfeed),&#8221; the CDC states.
&#8220;An individual does not need to have given birth to breastfeed or chestfeed,&#8221; the CDC adds. &#8220;Some families may have other preferred terminology for how they feed their babies, such as nursing, chestfeeding, or bodyfeeding.&#8221;
Under &#8220;Breastfeeding And Special Circumstances&#8221; on the CDC website, the agency <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-special-circumstances/maternal-or-infant-illnesses/breast-surgery.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">states</a> that trans-identifying biological women who have had top surgery can breastfeed.
The CDC poses the question, &#8220;Can transgender parents who have had breast surgery breastfeed or chestfeed their infants?&#8221;
&#8220;Yes,&#8221; the CDC says. &#8220;Some transgender parents who have had breast/top surgery may wish to breastfeed, or chestfeed (a term used by some transgender and non-binary parents), their infants.&#8221;
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1688648178298000&amp;usg=AOvVaw10v0UGh9BJZV8inaPuI6t7">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
&#8220;Healthcare providers working with these families should be familiar with medical, emotional, and social aspects of gender transitions to provide optimal family-centered care and meet the nutritional needs of the infant,&#8221; the CDC says.
The CDC adds that trans-identifying parents may need help with maximizing milk production, supplementing with donor milk or formula, medication to induce lactation, suppressing lactation for those who do not want to &#8220;chestfeed,&#8221; and finding &#8220;appropriate&#8221; lactation and emotional support.
Biological women who identify as male <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/chestfeeding#who-uses-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sometimes use</a> &#8220;chestfeeding&#8221; to refer to breastfeeding their infants after top surgery, a double mastectomy removing healthy breasts in order to achieve a more male appearance.
Biological men who identify as women <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/health/transgender-woman-breast-feed.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">also sometimes</a> &#8220;chestfeed&#8221; their infants with the fluid produced by their small breasts through pharmaceutical-induced lactation. Some non-binary people <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/chestfeeding#who-uses-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prefer</a> to say &#8220;chestfeed&#8221; because it feels more gender-neutral.
Some men who identify as women have <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/health/transgender-woman-breast-feed.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> online that they have lactated and fed their babies with do-it-yourself pharmaceutical drug cocktails.
This month, a British man who <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12262681/Gender-critical-campaigners-slam-trans-woman-activist-breastfeeding-photo.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> a picture of himself &#8220;chestfeeding&#8221; his baby on a bus was harshly criticized on social media, with some people accusing him of using the child as an &#8220;identity prop.&#8221;
Several doctors criticized the CDC&#8217;s guidance as potentially risky.
&#8220;We have no idea what the long-term effects on the child will be&#8217; if a breastfeeding trans woman uses &#8216;all kinds of off-label hormones,&#8221; Dr. Jane Orient, executive director of the conservative Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12262959/CDC-advice-says-trans-women-safely-breastfeed-babies-doesnt-mention-health-risks.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> The Daily Mail.
&#8220;The CDC has a responsibility to talk about the health risks, but they have been derelict in doing that,&#8221; Orient said.
The idea that the fluids produced by trans-identifying men are comparable to breast milk produced by biological women is &#8220;very hard to believe,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12262959/CDC-advice-says-trans-women-safely-breastfeed-babies-doesnt-mention-health-risks.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Dr. Stuart Fischer, an internal medicine physician in New York.
&#8220;You can&#8217;t fool Mother Nature,&#8221; Fischer told the Daily Mail. &#8220;If it&#8217;s been tested a handful of times, how would we know the long-range effect? The short-term is one thing, but the long-term in terms of physical and mental illness&#8230; who knows? It&#8217;s an emerging field, to put it mildly.&#8221;
The CDC also offers &#8220;equity&#8221; tips in its emergency child feeding toolkit. People should say “pregnant person,” “breastfeeding parent,” and “lactating person” rather than woman or mother, the CDC says.
The emergency toolkit also includes a section about preferred pronouns. People should ask which &#8220;terms, names and pronouns&#8221; people prefer, the CDC said. People should also announce their own pronouns when introducing themselves to &#8220;make it easier for others to share their pronouns.&#8221;
&#8220;If an individual corrects your pronoun use, it’s best to briefly acknowledge the mistake and correct the pronoun going forward. Spending too much time apologizing for the error can bring more attention and discomfort to the simple mistake,&#8221; the CDC says.

FRANCE-MATERNITE-PEDIATRIE

CDC Provides Guidance On Transgender People ‘Chestfeeding’ Babies

CDC Publishes Guidance On Transgender People 'Chestfeeding' Babies

Children

Gender

Transgender

If you’re drinking water directly from the tap, there’s a chance it contains potentially harmful “forever chemicals,” according to a study <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/tap-water-study-detects-pfas-forever-chemicals-across-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> Wednesday by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). 
The study found that 45% of the tap water in the United States likely contains at least one “forever chemical,” also known as per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). The chemicals are believed to possibly cause numerous health problems in humans, including increased cancer risk, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, <a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/health-effects/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per</a> the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 
&#8220;USGS scientists tested water collected directly from people’s kitchen sinks across the nation, providing the most comprehensive study to date on PFAS in tap water from both private wells and public supplies,” Kelly Smalling, USGS research hydrologist and lead author of the study, said.
“The study estimates that at least one type of PFAS — of those that were monitored — could be present in nearly half of the tap water in the U.S. Furthermore, PFAS concentrations were similar between public supplies and private wells,” Smalling added. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
At least 45% of the nation’s tap water could have one or more types of the chemicals known as <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PFAS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PFAS</a>, according to a new USGS study. This study is the first to analyze PFAS in tap water from both private and public supplies broadly throughout the US. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/water?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#water</a> <a href="https://t.co/S2WteG9R26">https://t.co/S2WteG9R26</a> <a href="https://t.co/zz85IqZwni">pic.twitter.com/zz85IqZwni</a>
&mdash; USGS (@USGS) <a href="https://twitter.com/USGS/status/1676667327532912641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The USGS explains that forever chemicals are synthetic and used in various everyday items, including nonstick pots and pans and fast food box linings. Other products that can contain PFAS include shampoo, nail polish, candy wrappers, pizza boxes, and microwave popcorn bags, <a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/health-effects/exposure.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the CDC. Even products for babies are not immune from forever chemicals — they have been detected in clothing, toys, and bedding, the Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11390811/Toxic-forever-chemicals-childrens-clothes-bedding.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reports</a>.  
Of the more than 12,000 different types of PFAS, the USGS only monitored 32 because many forever chemicals cannot be detected with tests available today, the government agency explained. They are referred to as “forever chemicals” because of the prolonged period of time they take to break down. 
As for the most commonly found forever chemicals detected, the USGS says PFOs, PFBS, PFHxS, and PFOA appeared regularly. 
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-54782">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
Americans who live in urban areas are more likely to encounter PFAS in drinking water, the study says. PFAS exposure was higher in the Great Plains, Great Lakes region, Central and Southern California, and the Eastern Seaboard. During the research, which the USGS says is the first study of its kind, tap water samples were tested at 716 locations “representing a range of low, medium and high human-impacted areas.” 
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, forever chemicals “<a href="https://www.epa.gov/pfas/our-current-understanding-human-health-and-environmental-risks-pfas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">may lead to</a>” decreased fertility, developmental delays in children, behavioral changes, accelerated puberty, hormonal interference, decreased immune response, and increased risk of obesity, among other potential health effects. 
“PFAS can get into drinking water when products or wastes containing them are disposed of, used or spilled onto the ground or into lakes and rivers,” the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/pfasresponse/faq/categories/pfas-101" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> notes. “PFAS move easily through the ground, getting into groundwater that is used for some water supplies or for private drinking water wells.”

Tap Water Glass

Nearly Half Of U.S. Tap Water Contains ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Government Study Finds

Chemicals

Drinking Water

General

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) shared a video on Thursday mocking Mandy Cohen, President Joe Biden&#8217;s pick to be the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), branding her as the &#8220;masking queen.&#8221;
Cohen, who served as secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services, is considered by many to be controversial due to her Fauci-like approach to the COVID-19 pandemic.
&#8220;Meet Mandy Cohen, the Biden administration&#8217;s &#8216;Masking Queen,'&#8221; Cruz said in a tweet. &#8220;She&#8217;s laughed off lockdowns, fangirled about Fauci, pushed mask mandates on school kids, and supported more government control over your life and health decisions.&#8221;
&#8220;She&#8217;s wholly unfit to lead the CDC,&#8221; he added.
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1687972190386000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2poz7lKxiyhNV9ljBcMSzM">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
The video is set to ABBA&#8217;s &#8220;Dancing Queen&#8221; but features different lyrics that focus on her support for many of the policies that were enacted during the pandemic.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Meet Mandy Cohen, the Biden administration&#39;s &quot;Masking Queen.&quot;
She&#39;s laughed off lockdowns, fangirled about Fauci, pushed mask mandates on school kids, and supported more government control over your life and health decisions. 
She&#39;s wholly unfit to lead the CDC. WATCH: <a href="https://t.co/eFUWtx5Onj">pic.twitter.com/eFUWtx5Onj</a>
&mdash; Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1674490842147352595?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The lyrics in the video are:
<blockquote>Wear a mask and she will try
to lock us down all of our lives.
&nbsp;
See that girl,
Don’t make a scene,
She is the Masking Queen.
&nbsp;
Lockdowns had our spirits low.
Didn’t have a place to go.
Kids kept out of school, didn’t learn a thing,
And Fauci was her king.
&nbsp;
Kids kept out of school, depression for your teen.
Fauci was her king.
&nbsp;
Mandy Cohen stood by her guy,
Drunk on power and feeling high.
With another press conference, just follow the science,
She’s got a cause to advance.
And when she got the chance,
&nbsp;
She was the Masking Queen,
Puts one on coming on the screen.
Masking Queen, feel the pain of her mandating.
&nbsp;
Wear a mask and she will try
to lock us down all of our lives.
See that girl,
I can&#8217;t see her, she&#8217;s wearing a mask!
She is the Masking Queen.</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dr-fauci-on-mistakes-made-during-the-pandemic-we-have-to-get-away-from-the-blame-game">Dr. Fauci On Mistakes Made During The Pandemic: ‘We Have To Get Away From The Blame Game’</a>

US-NEWS-CDC-COHEN-RA

‘Masking Queen’: Ted Cruz Shares Video Torching Biden’s New Pick For CDC Director

Joe Biden

Politics

Ted Cruz

Lawmakers investigating the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID pandemic</a> have again requested phone call records between <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/far-left-teachers-union-boss-randi-weingarten-to-join-council-to-advise-homeland-security" target="_blank" rel="noopener">teacher’s union boss Randi Weingarten</a> and outgoing CDC Director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dr-rochelle-walensky" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rochelle Walensky</a> over concerns of “political interference.” 
Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) sent a <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2023.06.28-BRW-Letter-to-CDC-Re.-Texts.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to Walensky on Wednesday, just two days before her scheduled departure from the CDC, requesting her phone records and texts with Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers. 
“During an April hearing with AFT president Weingarten, the Select Subcommittee learned — for the first time — that Ms. Weingarten had a direct telephone line to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. Preserving all phone calls and text messages between the two officials will ensure accountability for any political interference,” the subcommittee <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/wenstrup-calls-for-phone-records-between-cdc-director-rochelle-walensky-and-teachers-union-president-randi-weingarten/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a press release. 
Wenstrup’s letter also accused the Department of Health and Human Services of failing to produce records in a timely manner, and only producing select documents that could be acquired through a freedom of information request. The CDC <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/about/organization/cio.htm#:~:text=CDC%20is%20one%20of%20the,of%20Health%20and%20Human%20Services." target="_blank" rel="noopener">is</a> a “major operating component” of HHS. 
“The Department of Health and Human Services is continuing its pattern of obstructing Congress by apparently only producing documents already made publicly available via the FOIA. As a reminder, FOIA does not apply to Congress,” Wenstrup said in the letter to Walensky. 
Text <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texts-show-teachers-union-working-with-cdc-director-to-keep-schools-closed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">messages previously obtained</a> by the Fairfax Parent’s Association appear to show a close relationship between Weingarten and Walensky and seem to show Weingarten impacting CDC policy on school closure policy. 
Weingarten texted Walensky in February 2021 saying that she had heard a “leak” from The New York Times about what was in the CDC’s upcoming guidance for school re-opening, and expressed concern that it was “at odds with [their] discussion.”
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-102078">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
“They are running with a full speed ahead angle” for reopening schools, Weingarten wrote. She said the Times sent her a copy of the internal draft guidance that said, “At any level of community transmission, all schools can provide in-person instruction.”
“Hmmm. Argh,” Walensky wrote to Weingarten. 
Following the texts from Weingarten, the CDC released guidance that was different. It said, “All schools have options to provide in-person instruction.” This guideline allowed school districts to stay closed while still saying they were following CDC guidelines. “Middle and high schools in virtual only instruction unless they can strictly implement all mitigation strategies and have few cases,” the guidance added.
Wenstrup requested call logs and texts between Walensky and Weingarten on the CDC’s director&#8217;s personal and professional phones by July 12.

Top Health Officials Testify Before Senate Hearing

House Republicans Move To Obtain COVID Phone Records Between Walensky And Weingarten

Menu

CDC