Latest news with #JohnCatsimatidis
New York Times
6 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
Canada Wants to Kill 400 Ostriches. RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz Want to Save Them.
What do the U.S. health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the celebrity physician Mehmet Oz and some Canadian animal lovers have in common? They all want to save a flock of 400 ostriches on a British Columbia farm. But there's a catch. The birds were in contact with a deadly virus: the avian flu. Canada ordered the birds to be culled after avian flu spread through Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, British Columbia, a town in the province's interior, north of Washington State. The plight of the wobble — a term sometimes used to describe a group of ostriches — has divided Canadians, but the birds have won allies across the border, namely top officials in the Trump administration. Mr. Kennedy last week urged the Canadian authorities not to kill the ostriches but to do further testing to try to better understand the virus. 'We believe significant scientific knowledge may be garnered from following the ostriches in a controlled environment,' Mr. Kennedy said in a letter to the head of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which ordered the culling. Dr. Oz, who oversees Medicare and Medicaid for the Trump administration, offered to relocate the doomed birds to his 900-acre ranch in Florida. John Catsimatidis, a billionaire Republican businessman who owns a New York City radio station, made a plea to save the birds on his radio program, demanding 'truth, justice and the American way for the ostriches up in British Columbia.' An avian flu outbreak in the United States has killed millions of birds, spread to cattle farms and infected dozens of people since 2024, one of whom died. But a national campaign against bird flu has been undermined by the political upheaval in Washington, which has led to funding cuts and the dismissals of scientists to detect the virus's spread. Canada's outbreak has been most prevalent in British Columbia, where the avian flu has killed 8.7 million birds since 2022 — more than half of the national total. In December, a young ostrich at Universal Ostrich Farms fell ill with symptoms that looked like pneumonia. But testing revealed it was avian flu, and just over a month later, 69 of the 468 ostriches on the farm had died. Tests by officials from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed a few of the birds had died of avian flu, the H5N1 virus. The agency ordered the farm's owners, Karen Espersen and Dave Bilinski, to eradicate the surviving birds, but they argued that the animals should be kept alive to test their antibodies in order to potentially develop treatments for the virus. The couple lost a legal battle in federal court to keep the birds alive. 'When they issue an order to euthanize all of our healthy ostriches,' it 'crossed the total moral line,' Katie Pasitney, Ms. Espersen's daughter, said in an interview. Shayan Sharif, a professor of immunology at the Ontario Veterinary College who specializes in avian flu, said, however, that the condemned ostriches were of limited scientific value because there had already been similar studies in other parts of the world. Still, he added, 'I know that those animals are near and dear to a lot of people, especially their owners.' Ms. Pasitney, 43, grew up on the 65-acre farm, which has been raising ostriches for 30 years, at first for meat and oil derived from the bird's liver. More recently, she said, the farm has switched its focus to research, partnering with scientists to study the birds and their immune systems. Despite the potential presence of the virus, protesters have descended on the farm, which is under quarantine, holding news conferences and filming visits by food safety inspectors dressed in white coveralls and masks. Canadian officials have said that they will not announce a date for the cull, which will be contracted out to a team that will use carbon dioxide gas to euthanize the ostriches, Ms. Pasitney said. The food inspection agency did not respond to requests for comment. People opposed to the cull are using walkie-talkies to surveil the road leading to the farm for any signs of 'a dumpster and a convoy of vehicles coming out here to kill our healthy animals,' Ms. Pasitney said. Ms. Pasitney said she was moved by the support of Trump officials, and by a special guest who visited the farm, a 13-year-old girl. The girl's mother identified her as the teenager who contracted the first human case of bird flu in Canada, which was detected in November 2024, and who wanted the birds to live. 'They're worth way more alive than they are dead because they have natural immunity,' Ms. Pasitney said of the remaining birds, but noted that a replacement flock of younger birds would be more susceptible to catch avian flu. She also said that exporting the flock was moot: The same agency demanding the bird cull would have to sign off on releasing the ostriches, and the family prefers to keep them on the farm. For his part, Dr. Oz told The New York Post that the ostrich farm presented an opportunity for researchers to study herd immunity of the birds by keeping them alive. 'The Canadians should stop putting their heads in the sand,' he said.
CBC
7 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Dr. Oz, billionaire John Catsimatidis, offer to take B.C. ostriches ordered killed due to avian flu
High-profile officials in the U.S. federal government, along with a prominent billionaire, are now weighing in on the fate of a flock of ostriches ordered killed on a farm in a remote part of the B.C. Interior. Former TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is now the administrator for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has offered to relocate the birds to his ranch in Florida, as first reported by the New York Post. CBC News has confirmed the offer with Katie Pasitney, who is acting as a spokesperson for Universal Ostrich in Edgewood, B.C., which is co-owned by her mother. She said Oz had called the farm Monday morning to discuss the offer, and they were considering it, but in a later interview with the Canadian Press, she said they are not interested in relocating the birds. Meanwhile, American billionaire John Catsimatidis said in a statement that he, along with Oz and U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., are seeking a "diplomatic meeting with Canadian officials" about the fate of the ostriches before irreversible harm is done." Catsimatidis, who is CEO of Red Apple Group, which includes grocery chains and New York radio station 77 WABC, said in the statement that he wants health officials from the United States to be able to evaluate the health of the birds. The intervention of Catsimatidis and Oz following the revelation last week that Kennedy had already held a meeting with the president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in which he urged Canadian officials to reconsider their order that the ostriches be killed. That order came after CFIA inspectors received an anonymous tip in December 2024 about birds on the ranch dying. They collected samples from two dead birds and confirmed through repeated tests that they had been infected with the H5N1 strain of avian flu. At that point, the entire flock of nearly 400 ostriches was ordered killed, following a "stamping out" policy aimed at controlling the disease. But the farm argues that after the initial infection period, during which 69 birds died, the remainder have either recovered or never showed symptoms of being infected, with the last death occurring in January. On those grounds, they have argued the remainder should be allowed to live, and even suggested there may be information to be gained about immunity to the disease. Court documents show that the CFIA did walk the farm through the process of applying for an exemption, and that during this process, Universal Ostrich pointed to its partnership with researchers looking at ostrich antibodies. However, the CFIA said the farm failed to provide satisfactory evidence that the ostriches are genetically unique enough to warrant an exemption and decided that the cull should proceed. The CFIA says the policy of "stamping out" infected flocks is based on World Organization for Animal Health recommendations, and is required on both economic and public health grounds. "We have a duty to protect Canadians from the serious potential risks of HPAI (highly pathogenic avian flu)," it said in a statement on the decision. "Our response aims to protect human and animal health and minimize impacts on the $6.8 billion domestic poultry industry and Canada's economy. This supports Canadian families and poultry farmers whose livelihoods depend on maintaining international market access." WATCH | Supporters gather at Universal Ostrich: Supporters back ostrich farm fighting cull despite past cases of avian flu 4 days ago Duration 3:36 The remote community of Edgewood, B.C., is now ground zero for a fight to save 400 ostriches. Protesters have descended on Universal Ostrich Farm this weekend, defying an avian flu cull order. Radio-Canada's Camille Vernet was there this week, exploring why people are so deeply invested in this flock's fate. Only one exemption to a cull order has been granted in Canada, in the case of a turkey farm where the infected flock of birds had been kept in a completely separate barn from other birds, and staff followed health and safety measures to ensure no spread of disease between the animals — conditions not present at Universal Ostrich, where the birds are in open pens and can interact with wild birds and animals. Milton Dyck, president of the Agriculture Union, which represents CFIA workers, said the success of Canada's approach to the avian flu versus that of the United States could be seen in the recent spike in egg prices south of the border which resulted, in part, from commercial flocks being infected with the disease. "In Canada, because of the work we've done, we've managed to not have huge egg price increases because we've managed to protect our flocks, and that is partly by the culling that we do," he said. Dyck acknowledged the toll losing animals can have on any farmer, saying it wasn't a decision made lightly, but at the same time urged supporters of the farm to understand that the CFIA and the employees tasked with carrying out the cull do not make decisions likely and should be allowed to work safely. The farm has attracted attention online from a number of groups, including some who view the cull order as an example of government overreach. Though the farm itself has consistently asked for supporters to remain calm and peaceful, Dyck said some of the online rhetoric from other groups has boiled over to violent threats, and said his members are feeling increasingly unsafe when on the job. "Nobody likes to see their flocks culled, and we certainly don't take any pleasure in doing it, but ... it is our jobs, it's our mandate for the safety of Canadians to ensure that we carry out our job," he said.
CBC
7 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Dr. Oz, Red Apple billionaire John Catsimatidis, offer to take B.C. ostriches ordered killed due to avian flu
High-profile officials in the U.S. federal government, along with a prominent billionaire, are now weighing in on the fate of a flock of ostriches ordered killed on a farm in a remote part of the B.C. Interior. Former TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is now the administrator for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has offered to relocate the birds to his ranch in Florida, as first reported by the New York Post. CBC News has confirmed the offer with Katie Pasitney, who is acting as a spokesperson for Universal Ostrich in Edgewood, B.C., which is co-owned by her mother. She said Oz had called the farm Monday morning to discuss the offer, and they were considering it, but in a later interview with the Canadian Press, she said they are not interested in relocating the birds. Meanwhile, American billionaire John Catsimatidis said in a statement that he, along with Oz and U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., are seeking a "diplomatic meeting with Canadian officials" about the fate of the ostriches before irreversible harm is done." Catsimatidis, who is CEO of Red Apple Group, which includes grocery chains and New York radio station 77 WABC, said in the statement that he wants health officials from the United States to be able to evaluate the health of the birds. The intervention of Catsimatidis and Oz following the revelation last week that Kennedy had already held a meeting with the president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in which he urged Canadian officials to reconsider their order that the ostriches be killed. That order came after CFIA inspectors received an anonymous tip in December 2024 about birds on the ranch dying. They collected samples from two dead birds and confirmed through repeated tests that they had been infected with the H5N1 strain of avian flu. At that point, the entire flock of nearly 400 ostriches was ordered killed, following a "stamping out" policy aimed at controlling the disease. But the farm argues that after the initial infection period, during which 69 birds died, the remainder have either recovered or never showed symptoms of being infected, with the last death occurring in January. On those grounds, they have argued the remainder should be allowed to live, and even suggested there may be information to be gained about immunity to the disease. Court documents show that the CFIA did walk the farm through the process of applying for an exemption, and that during this process, Universal Ostrich pointed to its partnership with researchers looking at ostrich antibodies. However, the CFIA said the farm failed to provide satisfactory evidence that the ostriches are genetically unique enough to warrant an exemption and decided that the cull should proceed. The CFIA says the policy of "stamping out" infected flocks is based on World Organization for Animal Health recommendations, and is required on both economic and public health grounds. "We have a duty to protect Canadians from the serious potential risks of HPAI (highly pathogenic avian flu)," it said in a statement on the decision. "Our response aims to protect human and animal health and minimize impacts on the $6.8 billion domestic poultry industry and Canada's economy. This supports Canadian families and poultry farmers whose livelihoods depend on maintaining international market access." WATCH | Supporters gather at Universal Ostrich: Supporters back ostrich farm fighting cull despite past cases of avian flu 4 days ago Duration 3:36 The remote community of Edgewood, B.C., is now ground zero for a fight to save 400 ostriches. Protesters have descended on Universal Ostrich Farm this weekend, defying an avian flu cull order. Radio-Canada's Camille Vernet was there this week, exploring why people are so deeply invested in this flock's fate. Only one exemption to a cull order has been granted in Canada, in the case of a turkey farm where the infected flock of birds had been kept in a completely separate barn from other birds, and staff followed health and safety measures to ensure no spread of disease between the animals — conditions not present at Universal Ostrich, where the birds are in open pens and can interact with wild birds and animals. Milton Dyck, president of the Agriculture Union, which represents CFIA workers, said the success of Canada's approach to the avian flu versus that of the United States could be seen in the recent spike in egg prices south of the border which resulted, in part, from commercial flocks being infected with the disease. "In Canada, because of the work we've done, we've managed to not have huge egg price increases because we've managed to protect our flocks, and that is partly by the culling that we do," he said. Dyck acknowledged the toll losing animals can have on any farmer, saying it wasn't a decision made lightly, but at the same time urged supporters of the farm to understand that the CFIA and the employees tasked with carrying out the cull do not make decisions likely and should be allowed to work safely. The farm has attracted attention online from a number of groups, including some who view the cull order as an example of government overreach. Though the farm itself has consistently asked for supporters to remain calm and peaceful, Dyck said some of the online rhetoric from other groups has boiled over to violent threats, and said his members are feeling increasingly unsafe when on the job. "Nobody likes to see their flocks culled, and we certainly don't take any pleasure in doing it, but ... it is our jobs, it's our mandate for the safety of Canadians to ensure that we carry out our job," he said.
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
RFK and Dr Oz offer refuge to 400 ostriches facing certain death in Canada
Robert F Kennedy Jr and Dr Mehmet Oz have offered refuge to a flock of 400 ostriches facing certain death in Canada. The US health secretary and director of the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have intervened to rescue the flightless birds after British Columbia authorities pledged to cull them amid an outbreak of avian flu. Dr Oz, a former television doctor, added his name to a list of activists fighting to save the ostriches and offered his 900-acre ranch in Okeechobee, Florida, as a potential sanctuary. 'We're sticking our necks out for the birds,' Dr Oz told The New York Post. 'The Canadians should stop putting their heads in the sand.' Canadian authorities in December ordered all ostriches to be killed at a British Columbia farm after the highly contagious flu was detected in two bird carcasses. A federal court upheld the order of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency earlier this month, prompting hundreds of protesters to flock to the farm to protect the birds. The ostriches have received the backing of US health officials including Mr Kennedy, who argue that the infection has likely run its course through the flock already, giving the remaining birds immunity. Dr Oz and Mr Kennedy joined John Catsimatidis, a New York supermarket billionaire and animal rights activist, in their bid to save the condemned animals and examine the effects of the disease. 'I'm thrilled,' Mr Catsimatidis told The Post. 'Bring the ostriches to Dr Oz in Florida where they will be safe. I agree with RFK and Dr Oz that the ostriches aren't sick.' On Friday, Mr Kennedy wrote to the head of the Canadian food agency, claiming there would be 'significant value' in studying the ostriches' immune response to the virus. The US is currently dealing with one of the largest outbreaks of avian flu in decades which sent egg prices soaring earlier this year. 'Ostriches can live up to 50 years, providing the opportunity for future insights into immune longevity associated with the H5N1 virus,' Mr Kennedy wrote. 'The indiscriminate destruction of entire flocks without up-to-date testing and evaluation can have significant consequences, including the loss of valuable genetic stork that may help explain risk factors for H5N1 mortality. 'This may be important for future agricultural resilience.' 'Biggest rooster shot dead' Katie Pasitney, whose parents own the ostrich farm, thanked Mr Kennedy on social media. 'Thank you for trying to protect innovative science and these animals,' she wrote on Facebook. 'Together, I know that we can create the most magical change out of this most challenging opportunity.' Amid heightened tensions on the farm, Ms Pasitney posted a video on social media claiming one of her 'biggest, beautiful roosters' was shot dead early on Saturday morning after a drone flew over the property. Ms Pasitney said there was a 'clear entry and exit wound' through the bird, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has said they are investigating the death. Dr Oz said he has spoken to Ms Pasitney and that she is open to him transferring the birds to his ranch. 'I can house the birds. She agreed,' he told The Post. 'It's not just about ostriches,' Dr Oz added. 'It's about all the birds. I'd rather the scientists make the determination — not bureaucrats. We found out what happened during the Covid pandemic, when the bureaucrats made all the decisions.'
The Independent
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
After Wisconsin, Democrats fear ‘MAGA money' is infiltrating another upcoming race
Will Democratic primaries become a new battleground for the MAGA -aligned right? After the party's bruising loss to Donald Trump and successive Senate defeats in 2024, the Democratic Party is at a crossroads. The next two years will determine whether the party embraces a populist, progressive path or abandons issues like transgender rights to focus on winning moderates and Republicans dis-enthused with Trumpism — or some combination of the two. Some conservatives with deep pockets seem to smell an opportunity. With the Democrats divided and the party's national leaders weaker than ever, some are hoping to steer the course of the left away from progressivism with strategic investments in off-year races. Elon Musk, the president's DOGE baron-in-chief, made a ham-fisted attempt at doing so earlier this year. With a massive investment in Wisconsin's Supreme Court race, Musk sought to block a liberal judge from cementing a left-leaning majority on the state's highest court. His efforts failed, thanks in no small part due to a massive campaign led by Democrats aimed at exposing his influence. In New York's heated mayoral primary, this phenomenon was embodied on Monday by Republican megadonor John Catsimatidis, a Trump supporter and longtime radio host who made his strategy plainly clear on WABC: "I am supporting [Andrew] Cuomo to wipe out all the socialists on June 24th.' Cuomo, the former governor, resigned in disgrace after several women came forward and accused him of sexual harassment and attempts to silence victims. He's now leading in polling for the upcoming Democratic primary after the incumbent mayor, Eric Adams, became embroiled in a corruption scandal. Hundreds of miles south in Pittsburgh, a separate tale of MAGA Republican influence in a Democratic Party primary continued to play out on the same day. A historically working-class city in the far western reach of the state, Pittsburgh is a deep-blue bastion surrounded by comparatively much purpler and redder districts. In March, the city's mayoral race made headlines after a number of high-profile Pennsylvania conservatives put money behind the effort to unseat incumbent Ed Gainey in a Democratic primary. The fears of MAGA influence have only grown more intense as the race nears the May 20 primary election. On Monday, the mayor opened up a new offensive against his rival, Corey O'Connor. Gainey, in a news release, reacted to a state election board filing detailing how a PAC supporting O'Connor, Common Sense Change, took in $150,000 during the last filing period — the majority of its contributions — from a separate PAC funded entirely by a nonprofit housed in Delaware with no public face identified only as 'Good Leadership Action Inc.' That comes despite a claim last month from Common Sense Change's administrator, Mike Mikus, stating that it was mostly funded by trade unions. Only a third of the PAC's contributions in April and early May came from three unions backing O'Connor. "My opponent has taken $160,000 from MAGA donors, been backed by 80 percent of the developer money in this race, and flipped his position on [University of Pittsburgh Medical Center] lawsuits after taking thousands from its corporate board,' said Gainey. 'Now, his backers are hiding the source of hundreds of thousands of dollars from voters because they know people in this city won't support developers, MAGA money, or whoever these people are trying to buy Pittsburgh,' he charged. Through the funneling scheme, the money's origins are untraceable. But with the mayoral race coming down to a divide along key local issues, including development and affordable housing, there are signs that specific interests are working to unseat the mayor. Democracy Wins PAC, the D.C.-based organization funded entirely by Good Leadership Inc., previously spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to block a Colorado state representative known for battling corporate landlords from winning a seat in the state senate. That time, it funneled money through a different PAC, Brighter Futures Colorado. O'Connor responded on Monday, accusing Gainey in his own statement of taking so-called 'dark money,' given the more than half a million dollars the Working Families Party has given the mayor's campaign. 'It has made campaigns nastier and more personal, and it's part of why voters are so frustrated with the political process,' O'Connor said in a statement first reported by Public Source. 'We don't coordinate with any outside groups, and I believe all campaigns and committees, no matter who they support, should be transparent about where their money is coming from. That includes both Common Sense Change and the Working Families Party,' he said. O'Connor outraised his opponent in direct funding over the course of the campaign, but dueling internal polls released by his team and Gainey's show the race tightening in the final weeks. While the Working Families Party PAC backing Gainey is registered nationally, conflating it with the groups channeling money in support of his opponent is a stretch. Founded in 1998, the Working Families Party is a well-known progressive organization that has been active in Democratic politics across the East Coast for decades, issuing endorsements and encouraging Democratic candidates to run on the party's ballot line in New York, where the party began. The WFP is supporting ten candidates in Pennsylvania in this cycle alone. The same cannot be said for either O'Connor's independent expenditure or its main backer. The website for Democracy Wins, now funding O'Connor's independent expenditure, still reads as a pre-2024 artifact. It depicts the group as an organization bent on funding a now-failed bid to oust Rep. Lauren Boebert, who switched districts to avoid a tougher reelection fight. There's no statement on the website explaining why the group has now engaged in two separate, unrelated Democratic primary races. With the election a week away, Democrats are watching to see how this proxy fight for the party's future plays out. But regardless of the result, the true outcome could already be plain: Republicans with deep pockets increasingly see the intra-party struggles of their opponents as just as relevant a battlefield as any general election in a swing state or district. As Musk takes a step back from DOGE (and likely his efforts to bankroll GOP causes to curry favor with Trump dwindle as well), many Democrats will be breathing a sigh of relief. But that doesn't mean their party's fight against conservative money is over — not by a long shot. It may just be more difficult to recognize.
