The US has been hit by a massive baby formula shortage, which was in particular caused by the coronavirus pandemic-induced bottlenecks and February’s recall of a baby formula made by Abbott Nutrition, one of the US’ leading manufacturers of the product.
Murray Kessler, CEO of Perrigo Company, the US maker of store-brand baby formulas for Walmart and Amazon, has warned of the product’s looming shortage in the country for the rest of 2022.
In an interview with Reuters, Kessler said that although the company’s manufacturing facilities in Ohio and Vermont are now running at 115% capacity amid the nationwide crisis, shortages and heightened demand for baby formula could last for the “balance of the year”.
“We have stepped up and are killing ourselves to do everything we can,” the Perrigo CEO pointed out.
He added that at the behest of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Kessler said Perrigo is now only making four items: the store-brand versions of Similac Pro Sensitive and Pro Advance, as well as Enfamil Gentlease and Infant.
The remarks followed FDA Commissioner Robert Califf claiming that the government’s efforts to help other companies ramp up production and increase imports from overseas should help ease the baby formula shortage.
“We believe these and other ongoing efforts will help dramatically improve the supply in the US in a matter of weeks. Our data indicates that in-stock rates in retail stores are stabilising but we continue to work around the clock to further increase availability,” Califf said.
This came after President Joe Biden infuriated critics by arguing on Friday that no one could have predicted the crisis, which saw angry parents in a whole array of states go from store to store in an attempt to find the urgently-needed formula.
When asked whether his administration should have acted sooner in order to tackle the shortage, POTUS said, “If we’d been better mind readers, I guess we could have”.
The statement, however, was preceded by Brian Deese, Director of the National Economic Council, telling CNN that the White House had been urging states to take action to combat the issue back in February. According to him, the move was preceded by the shortage being exacerbated by a February 17 recall of some baby formula products produced by Abbott Laboratories, and a shutdown of one of their plants.
“We actually gave states the guidance on using flexibility the day after this recall happened in February,” Deese said.
He spoke as Biden is under fire from Republicans, who point to POTUS green-lighting the delivery of weapons to Ukraine worth billions of dollars amid the baby formula production crisis.
The US Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) refers to baby formula as “a food which purports to be or is represented for special dietary use solely as a food for infants by reason of its simulation of human milk or its suitability as a complete or partial substitute for human milk”.
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New White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced during a press briefing on Monday that she is a “black, gay, immigrant woman, the first of all three of those to hold this position.”
Karine-Pierre’s background was reported on extensively prior to her official succession to the position. Most Americans, and entire audience of reporters in the briefing room, were already aware of her racial and sexual status.
“I just want to say a few words about how honored I am to be here with you today, uh, in this role, in this room, standing behind this podium, ” Jean-Pierre said.
The new press secretary then revealed that she was “obviously acute aware” of her racial and sexual status “representing a few firsts.”
“I am a black, gay, immigrant woman, the first of all three of those to hold this position,” Jean-Pierre then announced to the already-informed audience.
New WH Press Sec. Karine Jean-Pierre: “I am a black, gay, immigrant woman, the first of all three of those to hold this position.” pic.twitter.com/WfLrRuo3sb
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) May 16, 2022
“Representation does matter. You hear us, you hear us say this, uh, often in this administration,” Jean-Pierre continued. “And no one understands this better than President Biden. Which is why his administration is not only the most diverse in history, it is filled with barrier-breaking women and men from the Vice President to his cabinet secretaries, to the Supreme Court nominee, to senior staff throughout this administration.”
Fox News host Tucker Carlson stated last week that Jean-Pierre is “perfect for the job” because “She’s in the right group” and to the Biden administration,”the group is all that matters.”
“Karine Jean-Pierre is our first out LGBTQ+ White House Press Secretary and that’s all you need to know,” Carlson said. “It’s a good thing, shut up and celebrate.”
“That’s why she got the job,” Carlson continued. “She’s in the right group and so the Biden administration, which thinks exclusively in terms of groups and never in terms of individuals because individuals are messy and inconvenient, the group is all that matters.”
“This is exactly how they pick Supreme Court justices or vice presidents or members of the Federal Reserve Board,” the popular cable news host noted. “And now, the all-important press secretary gig has gone to someone on the basis of group. It’s really simple, show us your picture and we’ll tell you if you’re qualified for the job. And in many ways, Karine Jean-Pierre is perfect for the job.”
Around two thirds of all Americans want abortion policy to decided by the voters and their representatives, a new poll has revealed.
The poll of 1,200 registered voters conducted by Rasmussen and RMG Research released was released last week, and asked whether policies on abortion should be decided by judges and courts, or voters and their elected representatives. 65% of the respondents declared that it should be decided democratically and implemented via legislation.
Only 18% of respondents, just under a fifth of Americans, believed that it should be left to judges and courts to decide. The poll was conducted between May 5 and 7, only a few days after the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, when protests outside the homes of high court judges captured national headlines.
With an overturning of the Roe decision sending abortion policy back to the states, the poll would suggest that a clear majority of voters would back the Supreme Court in doing so.
75% of respondents said that they were closely following the news on the case, a net 52% increase since January.
“The consensus for overturning Roe, and returning this issue to the democratic process, is overwhelming,” former White House advisor Stephen Miller told the Daily Caller.
“By a nearly 4:1 margin Americans think voters and not judges should establish abortion rules in the United States.”
Despite the fact that former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki and liberal media outlets have claimed that 60% of Americans are in favour of leaving Roe as is, the new poll of voters suggests very different results.
In fact, 63% of voters in the poll said that they would be against any proposal that would legalise abortion up to both, with 45% of those strongly opposing such a policy, compared to only 14% who would be strongly in favour.
55% of Americans said that they would be less likely to vote for a candidate that supported abortion being legal at any point during the pregnancy, with 33% saying otherwise.
“Broadly speaking, most voters support restrictions on abortion after the first trimester,” said Rachel Bovard, the senior director of policy at the Conservative Partnership Institute.
“Democrats are at sea on this issue and are left grasping at straws with outright fear mongering about what will happen if Roe is overturned, and forcing radical abortion policy on voters.”
Pennsylvania Democrat Lt. Governor John Fetterman, who is now the favorite to win the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in that state, has been hospitalized following a stroke on Friday that stemmed from a blood clot in his heart.
Due to his hospitalization, he is unable to be delivering remarks on Tuesday night after the election in Pennsylvania. His wife Gisele will be speaking in his place instead. Fetterman is the Democratic front runner for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, and faces possible Republican challengers including Trump-endorsed Mehmet Oz and Kathy Barnette, who is surging in the days before the election.
“On Friday, I wasn’t feeling well, so I went to the hospital to get checked out. I didn’t want to go – I didn’t think I had to – but Gisele insisted, and as usual, she was right,” Fetterman wrote in a statement posted to Twitter on Sunday.
“I hadn’t been feeling well, but was so focused on the campaign that I ignored the signs and just kept going. On Friday it finally caught up with me. I had a stroke that was caused by a clot from my heart being in an A-fib rhythm for too long,” he said.
“Fortunately, Gisele spotted the symptoms and got me to the hospital within minutes. The Amazing doctors here were able to quickly and completely remove the clot, reversing my stroke, they got my heart under control as well. It’s a good reminder to listen to your body and be aware of the signs,” Fetterman said.
Fetterman has since said that he is “feeling much better” and is “on the way to a full recovery.”
The Pennsylvania Democrat is “fully vaccinated + boosted” for COVID-19, as is his “entire family” because he believes the vaccinations are “safe, and still the key to getting us out of this new phase of the pandemic.”
My entire family is vaccinated + boosted.
Vaccines + effective treatments are safe, and still the key to getting us out of this new phase of the pandemic.
Pundits claim Fetterman’s health will likely not impact his electoral chances, and note that Fetterman will have ample time to recover between now and the November midterm election.