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• Today's recall news concerns… frozen pet food contaminated with bird flu! Yeah ! NBC News says: “A voluntary recall has been issued for a line of raw and frozen pet foods after a cat died from bird flu, a case that Oregon authorities linked to the feline's contaminated food. Northwest Naturals on Tuesday asked consumers to throw away their Feline Turkey Recipe frozen raw pet food if its expiration date is between May 21, 2026 and June 23, 2026. The company's website says the batch, sold across the United States, tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), more commonly known as bird flu. … State Veterinarian Dr. Ryan Scholz said the department is confident the cat's bird flu was contracted from Northwest Naturals food.
• Related: Cats can get bird flu from infected birds. The Associated Press reports: “Although cases of infection are rare, cats seem particularly susceptible to the avian influenza virus, or type A H5N1. Even before the bovine outbreak, there were feline cases linked to wild birds or poultry. Since March, dozens of cats have caught the virus. These include barn and feral cats, indoor cats, and big cats in zoos and in the wild. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating the deaths of four pet cats who drank recalled raw milk. Dogs seem less vulnerable than cats, but they should only eat well-cooked foods, said Dr. Michael Q. Bailey (veterinarian). …Cats should not drink unpasteurized dairy products or eat raw meat. Pet owners should keep cats away from wild birds, livestock and poultry. Don't let them roam free outside, Bailey said, “because you don't know what they're getting into.” Cats are natural hunters and one of the animals they love to hunt are birds. Avoid touching sick or dead birds yourself. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling poultry or animals.
• A new California law aims to prevent medical debt from harming credit scores. Our partners at Calmatters report: “Starting January 1, a new state law will prohibit health care providers and debt collectors from reporting medical debt information to credit agencies. That means unpaid medical bills should no longer show up on people's credit reports, which consumer advocacy groups say is a boon for debt-ridden patients. Here's why: Although the law won't erase a person's debt, keeping it off credit reports could provide assurance that a hospital stay or trip to emergency care will not later affect its solvency. Lower credit scores generally lead to higher interest rates and make it more difficult for people to qualify for a home rental, car loan, or even a job. During legislative hearings, the law's author, Sen. Monique Limón, a Democrat from Santa Barbara, argued that because people do not choose to have a medical emergency or illness, this type of debt should not be held against them. Supporters have also argued that medical debt is more prone to inaccuracies due to billing errors made by health care providers and insurers..»
• Universities are encouraging international students to return to the United States by January 20. CNN explains: “Fear and uncertainty are spreading across many US college campuses as President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20 approaches. Some schools are advising international students to return early after winter break, amid promises of a new travel ban, like the one that stranded students abroad in the first place. of Trump's last term. In a country where more than 1.1 million international students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities in the 2023-2024 academic year, the former president pledged to adopt more immigration policies tough measures upon his return to the White House, including expanding his previous travel ban. people from majority-Muslim countries and the revocation of student visas of “radically anti-American and anti-Semitic foreigners.” … Some universities have urged students to postpone or halt travel plans outside the United States before the inauguration. Cornell University's Office of Global Learning advised students traveling abroad to return before the spring semester begins on Jan. 21 or to “contact an advisor about your travel plans and to prepare for delays.”
• Also from CNN, and equally alarming, is this headline: “Bird at center of worst single-species die-off event in modern history is not recovering, scientists say.” » The article says: “A marine heatwave killed about half of Alaska's common murre population, marking the largest recorded die-off of a single species in modern history, research shows. This catastrophic loss indicates broader changes in marine environments driven by warming ocean temperatures, which are rapidly and severely restructuring ecosystems and inhibiting the ability of these animals to thrive, according to a new study. The Northeast Pacific heat wave, known as “The Blob,” impacted the ocean ecosystem from California to the Gulf of Alaska from late 2014 to 2016. … Although murres experienced smaller mortalities in the past due to environmental and human factors, induced factors, they generally recover quickly when favorable conditions return. However, the scale and speed of mortality during this heat wave was particularly alarming to (scientists). »
• And finally…a woman at LAX tried to slip some things – A LOT of things – past TSA agents in her carry-on bag. It didn't work. The Los Angeles Times reports: “A woman traveling from Los Angeles to Philadelphia found herself on the TSA's naughty list after an agent discovered a trove of nearly 90 prohibited items in her carry-on bag. A Transportation Security Administration officer flagged the woman's bag during a routine X-ray examination at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday after noticing what appeared to be several prohibited items, officials said in a statement. The officer opened the bag in front of the passenger and was shocked to see what was inside: 82 fireworks, three knives, two replica firearms and a canister of pepper spray, none of which were found. allowed in hand luggage. Although TSA agents are accustomed to sometimes seeing odd items in passengers' luggage, officials said in a statement that the discovery surprised even the most senior officer.. … Fireworks and other explosives are never allowed on a plane, according to the TSA. However, replica firearms and knives are allowed in checked baggage.
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