Nearly 2,000 Americans in nine states have become ill in a rapidly expanding Cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce imported from central Mexico. At least 98 people have been hospitalized. What began as an investigation into shredded lettuce served at Taco Bell has become a broader warning about how vegetables are grown, processed, packaged, and distributed throughout the United States. 

It is also a reminder of why President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have made the health of the American people a central priority. The Make America Healthy Again movement is a commitment to cleaner food, safer agriculture, stronger oversight, greater transparency, and personal responsibility.

Federal investigators traced the contaminated lettuce to Taylor Farms de Mexico in Guanajuato. On July 17, 2026 the company recalled all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico for the American market, including shredded lettuce supplied to Taco Bell and certain Marketside products sold at Walmart. The outbreak shows how quickly produce from one growing region can move through processors, restaurants, supermarkets, and institutional kitchens across several states.

Before prepackaged lettuce reaches the kitchen, it passes through a long supply chain. In the field, it can be exposed to contaminated irrigation water, flooding, soil, animal waste, wildlife, workers, harvesting equipment, and transport containers. After harvest, it is cooled and shipped to processing facilities, where it may be trimmed, cored, chopped, shredded, washed, dried, packaged, and sent to refrigerated distribution centers. A bag of shredded lettuce or mixed salad is not necessarily made from one healthy head grown on one farm. Processing plants handle produce from multiple fields, growers, and production lots. When one field, water source, cutting blade, conveyor, or wash system is contaminated, the problem can spread through enormous quantities of finished food before illnesses reveal the pattern.

Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that causes prolonged diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, bloating, fatigue, appetite loss, and weight loss. Commercial washing does not reliably remove it. Washing produce at home remains important for removing soil and reducing some surface contamination, but no amount of rinsing can make recalled lettuce safe. Any product connected to the recall must be discarded. Secretary Kennedy addressed the outbreak on July 21, 2026, stating, “We do have the outbreak under control. We have done extensive forensics, epidemiological forensics and we have identified the source of the outbreak.” White House spokesman Kush Desai said the administration was closely monitoring the investigation and added, “Any notion that the White House or Trump administration would ever compromise on the health and safety of the American people is absolutely false.”

Americans should not respond by eating fewer vegetables; quite the opposite because fresh produce is essential to good nutrition, digestive health, a strong immune system, and the campaign to Make America Healthy Again. The country already consumes too much processed food filled with refined sugar, excessive sodium, artificial additives, industrial oils, and empty calories. The answer to contaminated lettuce is not another frozen dinner, drive through meal, or bag of potato chips. It is cleaner agriculture, safer water, responsible processing, stronger inspections, and better choices at the grocery store.

The most practical response is to reduce dependence on fast food and prepackaged produce. Fast food restaurants rely on enormous centralized supply chains that deliver shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced onions, and other ingredients in bulk. Customers rarely know where the produce was grown, how many farms contributed to a shipment, how long it was stored, or how many facilities handled it before it reached the counter.

Americans should choose whole, recognizable foods whenever possible. Buy an entire head of lettuce rather than a sealed bag of shredded leaves. Choose a whole head of broccoli instead of precut florets in a plastic container. Purchase whole carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, apples, oranges, berries, melons, and other fruits and vegetables that have undergone less cutting and industrial handling. While whole produce is not immune from contamination, it does give consumers greater control over inspection, washing, trimming, storage, and preparation. Damaged outer leaves can be removed, broccoli can be checked for slime or decay, carrots can be scrubbed, melons can be washed before slicing, and cabbage can be peeled down to clean interior leaves. Buying produce intact also reduces the number of exposed cut surfaces where moisture and handling may allow microorganisms to persist.

Farmers markets can offer another valuable alternative. Consumers can ask growers where the produce was raised, what water was used, when it was harvested, and how it was transported. Locally grown food often travels a shorter distance and passes through fewer warehouses, processors, and distribution centers. Shorter supply chains do not eliminate risk, but they can make sourcing more transparent and support American farmers. Supermarket shoppers can follow the same principle by choosing loose, whole produce instead of convenience packages. Avoid items that are bruised, slimy, leaking, moldy, badly wilted, or damaged. Buy only what can be used while fresh, store it properly, and prepare it with clean hands, knives, cutting boards, sinks, and countertops.

Prewashed, triple washed, and ready to eat salad mixes may look clean, but they remain industrially processed foods. A single bag may contain leaves from numerous plants and several production lots. Commercial washing can reduce dirt and microorganisms, but it cannot eliminate every harmful bacterium, virus, or parasite. Packaged leafy greens have been linked to outbreaks involving E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and Cyclospora. A 2020 Cyclospora outbreak was tied to Fresh Express bagged salads sold under several retail brands. In 2021, federal investigators connected multiple outbreaks involving E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria to packaged leafy greens. A separate Listeria outbreak associated with Dole packaged salads caused 18 illnesses, 16 hospitalizations, and three deaths.

Labels such as organic, natural, and triple washed offer no guarantee against contaminated water, wildlife, human handling, transportation failures, or dirty equipment. Organic and farmers market produce should still be inspected and washed. Whole produce should be refrigerated when necessary and kept away from raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices. During an outbreak or recall, affected products should be discarded immediately.

Preparing meals at home is one of the strongest ways Americans can participate in the Make America Healthy Again movement. A homemade salad made from a whole head of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and peppers allows the cook to inspect every ingredient. A meal built around roasted broccoli, cauliflower, squash, green beans, or other whole vegetables is healthier and more transparent than a fast food meal assembled from heavily processed ingredients and anonymous supply chains.

Avoiding fast food does not require complicated recipes or expensive specialty products. A head of lettuce, a bunch of carrots, a cucumber, several tomatoes, fresh fruit, eggs, beans, rice, chicken, fish, and other basic ingredients can become several simple meals. Washing and chopping vegetables at home requires more effort than opening a plastic bag, but it provides greater control over what reaches the family table.

President Trump and Secretary Kennedy are leading a national effort to restore common sense to American health. Families should cook more meals at home, buy whole ingredients, shop locally when possible, support responsible farmers, and reduce their dependence on fast food and heavily processed convenience products. A healthier America will not be built on fear of vegetables or blind faith in corporate packaging. It will be built through cleaner food, stronger oversight, informed consumers, and better habits. Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Make America Healthy Again movement offers a clear path towards a healthier future.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, joined by Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Ron Johnson and more than a dozen Republican colleagues, have pressed Verizon Communications for detailed answers regarding its handling of subpoenas issued during former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Arctic Frost investigation.

In a letter dated July 30, 2026, to Verizon CEO Daniel Schulman, the senators expressed ongoing concerns not only about alleged abuses of power by federal actors, but, specifically, Verizon’s disclosure of senators’ phone toll records pursuant to a May 25, 2023, subpoena and its failure to inform affected members of Congress.

This is a continuation of a multi-year congressional examination of the Special Counsel’s investigative methods.

Arctic Frost was a “politically weaponized” FBI/DOJ investigation launched in April 2022 under the Biden administration, aimed at targeting President Trump, his allies, and the broader Republican political apparatus under the pretext of probing 2020 election-related conduct. The probe was driven by anti-Trump agents, led by then-Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault, and received explicit high-level approval from Attorney General Merrick Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Both Grassley and Johnson have described Arctic Frost as “worse than Watergate,” an abuse of power, and evidence of the Biden-era Justice Department and FBI being turned against political opponents.

In October 2025, their investigation revealed that Smith’s team cast a wide net, issuing numerous subpoenas for phone records of Republican lawmakers, staff, and hundreds of aligned individuals and organizations.

According to their report, Verizon complied with several such requests, including ones tied to senators such as Rick Scott, Josh Hawley, Marsha Blackburn, Lindsey Graham, and others, while at least one other carrier pushed back in certain instances.

Both subpoenas were immediately accompanied by a gag order signed by Judge James Boasberg, an Obama appointee.

The latest letter focuses on a specific omission.

Despite a May 22, 2022 Senate contract that required Verizon to notify the Sergeant at Arms of any subpoena targeting member office lines, the company did not do so for the May 2023 Arctic Frost subpoena.

In October 2023, Grassley had asked Verizon to identify all Justice Department or federal law enforcement requests involving Senate devices dating back to 2016.

Verizon’s response did not list the May 2023 Arctic Frost subpoena that included Senate Sergeant at Arms lines associated with members. In its October 24, 2025 letter to Chairman Grassley, Verizon stated that the May 25, 2023 subpoena “was not on that list, even though two numbers that are SAA lines were included in the subpoena. This was a mistake due to human error recently discovered while researching the May 25, 2023 subpoena.”

Grassley and colleagues have demanded a full timeline of Verizon’s handling of the May 2023 subpoena, the number of senator accounts involved, why earlier responses were incomplete, what corrective steps have been taken, and whether the company’s legal or compliance teams flagged the Senate notification requirement.

Verizon has said it complied with valid legal process and blamed any disclosure gaps on administrative issues, not concealment, while later noting system upgrades. The senators’ July 30 letter still calls the matter unresolved and demands a full accounting before the August recess.

Federal investigators are sounding the alarm after a wave of cyberattacks that hit water and wastewater systems in at least seven states, with some operations knocked offline or forced into manual mode.

The FBI and Environmental Protection Agency issued a joint public service announcement on July 30 confirming that utility companies have been reporting incidents since July 27. In several cases the attacks degraded actual water operations: loss of pressure, flooding, and disruptions that in some instances prompted boil-water notices.

According to assessments shared with U.S. and state officials, Iranian-affiliated actors are the leading working theory behind the activity.

Investigators treat that assessment as fluid and remain alert to possible false flags amid broader geopolitical tensions.

More than 30 community water systems in Minnesota were targeted in a coordinated wave over the July 26–27 weekend.

Hackers locked operators out after changing passwords and IP addresses on internet-facing Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley MicroLogix 1100 and 1400 controllers, the small industrial computers that run pumps, valves, and pressure monitors.

Once those settings were altered, some plants lost all remote visibility and control and had to fall back to manual operation.

Minnesota officials said there was no indication of contamination or compromised water quality, and no widespread boil-water notices specific to Minnesota supplies from these incidents.

Officials have not publicly named the other six states, and the exact number of systems affected outside Minnesota has not been released. CISA described the activity as a “significant escalation.” The attackers target devices left sitting on the public internet, alter configurations, and move on.

The real risk is contamination. When system pressure drops, untreated groundwater can be pulled into the pipes, the scenario utility managers fear most.

So far no confirmed cases of actual water contamination have been reported, but the pathway is real and the margin for error is thin.

Many smaller utilities still run older controllers that are vulnerable and were never meant to be left constantly reachable from the internet.

Weak or default passwords, direct internet connections, and a lack of basic network barriers turn ordinary equipment into easy targets. Larger, better-protected systems avoided lasting disruption, while those that left their controllers open to the internet were forced into prolonged manual operations. This readiness gap between well-resourced utilities and smaller community systems is now impossible to ignore.

The solution, according to the agencies, is straightforward.

Water utilities have been instructed to remove the controllers from the public internet, place them behind firewalls and secure gateways, use strong unique passwords, lock access with control lists, and leave the physical mode switches set to “Run.”

They are also being told to maintain the ability to run everything manually and to check project files for signs of tampering. Older hardware that is no longer supported by the manufacturer needs a replacement plan sooner rather than later.

This is not the first time water systems have been targeted. Iranian-linked groups have previously compromised municipal systems, most notably the 2023 intrusion at the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa in Pennsylvania and a June 2026 incident involving California Water Service. The geographic reach and real operational damage in the current wave, however, put it among the more serious episodes in recent years.

The response remains focused on containing the damage with simple, essential safeguards, mainly getting the devices offline and behind basic protections.

Water is still flowing in the affected communities, and crews have kept the systems running the hard way whenever the screens went dark. The message from the FBI and EPA is unambiguous: these devices should never be left reachable from the open internet, and the window to fix that is closing fast.

The Trump Administration will meet this threat with steady resolve, focused on both resolving the vulnerabilities and holding those responsible to account.

Ground Zero on September 11, 2026 remains one of the closest memorials America has to sacred ground. The 25th anniversary of those horrific terrorist attacks belongs to those who lost loved ones in the deadliest terrorist attack in our history which I previous addressed in my article, “Mayor Mamdani Has No Place at the September 11 Memorial This Year or Any Other”.

At the time of this writing, more than 65,000 Americans, including thousands of 9/11 family members, have signed a petition asking New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to stay away from this year’s memorial. The petition continues to grow as more relatives make clear that his presence would dishonor the day. Most of the 9/11 community has made its position plain.

Yet a much smaller and heavily funded group is being elevated to challenge them. September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, an organization that claims roughly a mere 250 members worldwide, has defended Mamdani and attacked the petition. Since its founding in 2002, the organization has represented a minority viewpoint within the 9/11 community. While most families and first responders supported decisive action against the terrorists who murdered their loved ones, Peaceful Tomorrows focused on opposing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and criticizing America’s response to the attacks.

Public records show that George Soros’ far left organization, Open Society Foundations, has given $525,000 to the group since 2016. The same Soros network and its allied organizations poured tens of millions more into left wing groups whose endorsements, voter mobilization, and political groundwork helped elect Mamdani. Charles G. Wolf, who lost his wife, Katherine, on September 11, stated the matter plainly, “Anything that is backed by George Soros is illegitimate. This is George Soros and his billions of dollars trying to cause public strife in America.”

Soros has long financed efforts to reshape American politics according to an aggressively progressive vision that treats American strength as the problem and American memory as an inconvenience. A small organization with limited membership receives substantial funding and institutional amplification, while the far greater number of 9/11 families who want the memorial kept free of political controversy are dismissed or ignored. The money trail runs from Open Society Foundations to Peaceful Tomorrows and into the larger political network that helped place Mamdani in City Hall.

The left’s broader project follows the same pattern. It elevates voices that minimize the meaning of 9/11, downplay the Islamist threat and portray American self defense as the greater offense. It funds fringe organizations that claim to speak for families while tens of thousands of actual family members reject the political theater. It promotes politicians who view Ground Zero as another stage for progressive messaging rather than a place of solemn national mourning.

The side defending Mamdani’s attendance commands relatively little genuine support among those who lost the most. What it does command is money, institutional influence, and the machinery of one of the most active progressive philanthropic networks in the country. That imbalance does not alter the fundamental truth.

September 11 is not about Zohran Mamdani, progressive activists, partisan messaging, or the financiers who bankroll them. It is about the nearly 3,000 innocent Americans who never came home and the families who continue to live with that absence every day. American memory belongs to the victims and those who loved them. It does not belong to ideologues who treat that memory as an obstacle to be managed. The families have spoken with clarity, and their request deserves respect.

The same pattern recently played out at another solemn occasion. Army Sgt. Angel Sarah Rampersad, a New Yorker killed in an Iranian attack on a United States base in Jordan, was laid to rest in Queens on Friday July 31, 2026. Mamdani arrived prepared to deliver remarks, but the family did not want him speaking. He was seated in the fourth row and when it became clear that he would not be called to the podium, he reacted with visible anger. Families touched by terrorism, whether the relatives of 9/11 victims or service members killed by Iran backed forces, keep delivering the same message. They do not want this mayor intruding upon their grief.

That brings us to the money itself. George Soros did not accumulate his fortune by building products or businesses used by ordinary Americans. He made it through currency speculation, major financial wagers, and his famous 1992 short sale of the British pound which earned him more than $1 billion and helped force Britain out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. That capital was later transferred into the Open Society Foundations network. Soros has contributed more than $32 billion of his personal fortune to Open Society Foundations and related entities. Those foundations now control tens of billions of dollars in assets and distribute roughly $1 billion or more each year.

A documented $525,000 since 2016 has gone directly to September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, the small organization now presented as a countervoice to the tens of thousands of 9/11 families who signed the petition. Far larger sums have flowed through the same network into progressive political infrastructure, including the Working Families Party and allied organizations whose endorsements, organizing, and voter mobilization helped elect Mamdani.

Tens of millions more have been directed over the years into progressive district attorney campaigns that prioritize social engineering over public safety, racial justice organizations associated with efforts to reduce police funding, and advocacy networks that treat American borders, military strength, and national memory as liabilities rather than assets to be defended.

The pattern is straightforward. Financial speculation produces the capital. The capital is converted into philanthropic grants. Those grants amplify a fringe 9/11 organization while financing the broader progressive apparatus that elects politicians rejected by many of the victims’ families. The result is a heavily financed minority voice presented as legitimate opposition while those who lost the most are told that their objections do not matter.

No billionaire, political organization, activist group, or mayor has the moral authority to overrule the families of the murdered. Ground Zero was consecrated by the blood of nearly 3,000 innocent Americans and by the courage of the police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and ordinary citizens who ran toward death that morning. The anniversary belongs to their memory and to the families who have carried their loss for 25 years. Mamdani should listen to them, respect their grief, and stay away. He won’t, but he should.

Elon Musk is set to play a major role again in the 2026 midterms. According to an exclusive report published by Axios, he is reviving America PAC, the super PAC that spent more than $260 million helping elect President Donald J. Trump in 2024.

The revived operation will prioritize door-knocking, digital advertising, and direct mail aimed at mobilizing the conservative base, particularly infrequent voters who often sit out non-presidential elections. 

America PAC knocked on more than 10 million doors across swing states in 2024. Musk’s representatives have not disclosed a specific spending target for 2026, though the scale is expected to be substantial.

“America PAC was an essential partner for our historic GOTV operation in 2024, and their return for 2026 is a huge boost for Republicans across the country,” James Blair, a senior political adviser to Trump, told Axios. “We will again outsmart our opponents and ruthlessly execute our mission for the GOP between now and Election Day.”

This arrives amid heavy Republican-leaning billionaire spending. American billionaires have already directed more than $433 million into the 2026 midterms, with nearly 80 cents of every dollar flowing to Republican candidates and conservative groups, according to a July 27 analysis by Fortune. 

The findings, drawn from an Americans for Tax Fairness review of Federal Election Commission data through early March, examined the 50 highest-spending billionaire families. Those families directed $344.3 million, roughly 79 percent, toward GOP efforts.

The largest single recipient was the pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. at $89 million, followed by America PAC at $45.3 million, the Senate Leadership Fund at $36.3 million, and the Congressional Leadership Fund at $30 million. 

Elon Musk’s Republican midterm support reached $90 million by the end of June, including multimillion-dollar contributions to Vivek Ramaswamy’s Ohio gubernatorial campaign and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s reelection.

Americans for Tax Fairness found that in 2024, the 100 wealthiest families directed roughly 70% of their political contributions, about $1.84 billion, toward conservative committees.

A separate Washington Post analysis covering the first half of 2026 showed GOP-leaning donors had already contributed $1.05 billion.

Despite ongoing donations from Democratic megadonors, the bulk of billionaire political spending continues to flow heavily toward right-leaning causes.

President Donald Trump’s administration is putting veterans first with “Freedom Haulers,” an interagency campaign moving former service members into trucking careers while restoring safety and integrity to America’s highways.

Led by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the initiative brings together the Transportation, Veterans Affairs, Labor and War departments. Veterans who operated heavy military vehicles can use waiver programs to bypass portions of the commercial driver’s license process, while others may complete CDL training during their final six months of active duty.

GI Bill benefits can cover training costs and, for some participants, housing assistance. The program arrives as the administration removes unqualified and improperly licensed drivers from the roads. Federal enforcement has sidelined 26,000 drivers who failed English-proficiency requirements, while another 30,000 licenses were canceled after audits found they had been illegally issued.

Those standards matter: truckers must understand road signs, communicate during emergencies and safely control massive vehicles. Predictably, immigration advocates have portrayed the crackdown as unfair. But the issue is not ethnicity; it is competence, legality and public safety.

No constituency is entitled to a commercial license, and no trucking company should lower standards to obtain cheaper labor. Freedom Haulers offers a commonsense alternative. Veterans already possess discipline, technical experience and a mission-first mindset.

By helping them transition into an essential industry, President Trump is strengthening supply chains, rewarding military service and replacing government-enabled disorder with qualified American workers. It is an America First policy in the literal sense with safer highways, stronger jobs and veterans back on mission. Another important initiative as President Trump delivers fully on his mandate.