SerpApi.Org
MSNOW's Luke Russert has launched a blistering attack on supporters of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, accusing them of helping create the conditions that led to an outbreak of illness linked to what he branded "poopy, poopy lettuce."
Speaking on The Weeknight on Tuesday, July 21, Russert blamed both the MAHA movement and cuts made during Elon Musk's time leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for weakening the country's ability to respond to a growing outbreak of cyclosporiasis – a parasitic infection that can cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms, including explosive diarrhea.
More than 30 states have contacted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about cases linked to the parasite, which can contaminate fresh produce, while five states have officially declared outbreaks. Cyclosporiasis is caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis and is typically spread by consuming contaminated fruits and vegetables.
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Symptoms can include prolonged diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, fatigue, and loss of appetite, with illness often lasting for days or even weeks if left untreated.
Russert pointed to a Wired report claiming the CDC laboratory responsible for investigating cyclosporiasis outbreaks was reduced from 11 staff members to just three during DOGE-led budget cuts, with around $30 million in funding reportedly slashed.
The TV host argued that MAHA supporters had backed efforts to reduce government oversight and public health funding, leaving Americans with what his co-host Michael Steele had earlier described as "poopy, poopy lettuce."
The "Make America Healthy Again" slogan was coined by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during his independent 2024 presidential campaign, before he later joined Donald Trump's administration.
Russert said, "I blame a certain segment of people for this. And I want to tell you who they are. They’re the MAHAs, the Make America Healthy Again. Now, I’m sure if you had a social media account in the last three years, they popped up in your feed.
"Some of your friends, some of whom went to Ivy League universities, totally fell for this. And why is this the fault of the MAHAs? Because all the rational people, folks like you and me, said, you know, Republicans, when they’re in power, they let the corporations write the regulations for themselves.
"They’re not about making America healthy again. We saw that when they came after Michelle Obama’s school lunch program, right? And what happened here? Well, the regulators got cut, the inspectors got cut, and now we have the poopy poopy lettuce!"
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