FDA chief admits slow response to formula shortage
The Food and Drug Administration's response to multiple reports of contamination at a baby formula manufacturing plant was delayed due to a COVID-19 outbreak and numerous logistical failures, the agency's director told a House panel Wednesday. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf admitted the agency had a number of missteps that helped exacerbate a nationwide shortage of baby formula, and pledged to reform the agency's oft-criticized food safety division. FDA’s response was “too slow and some decisions in retrospect could have been more optimal," Califf said. "My bas
Read More'Red flag' legislation emerges as leading option in the Senate following shootings
Senators in both parties say red-flag legislation, which already exists as law in at least 19 states, has the best chance of securing enough bipartisan support to make it to President Biden’s desk in the wake of two mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas. A number of senators now see red-flag legislation as perhaps having a better chance of becoming law than proposals to expand background checks, reforms that the House passed in March of 2021 but have sat in Senate limbo for more than a year. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), a key swing vote, on Wednesday iden
Read MoreToxic exposure: The cost of war
Before my deployment to Afghanistan in 2010, I was an avid long-distance runner. Sprinting through miles and miles of open spaces is when I felt grateful — grateful to be alive and to be healthy. Immediately after my return home, I began experiencing migraines, got winded climbing a flight of stairs, and couldn’t run without having to stop to breathe. Where did these ailments come from? Burn pits. Giant piles of burning trash used to get rid of waste in warzones. Service members used jet fuel to burn medical and human waste, chemicals, paint and munitions, to name only a few
Read MoreWatch live: Biden delivers remarks after signing police reform executive order
President Biden and Vice President Harris will deliver comments Wednesday afternoon on a broad executive action that sets standards for police procedures, with the goals of community trust and equality. The signing ceremony for the order happens on the second anniversary of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The event is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET. Watch the live video above.
Read MoreIn the Cold War with China, Latin America is neutral
By rights, the IX Summit of the Americas to be held in Los Angeles June 6-10 should have been the perfect occasion for President Joe Biden to showcase his understanding of and commitment to the cause of the Americas. Having visited Latin America 16 times as vice president, he knows the region well. It could also have highlight
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