Where’s Bobby?
- 22 hours ago
- 4 min read
I was surprised to learn that Waldo is actually Wally, and that he’s only been around since 1987. I first heard of him as an adult, but always assumed that he had been around for years before that period where he appeared to be everywhere.
Just like Robert F Kennedy, about whom I have written several times. Most recently, I described the changes he made to the Food Pyramid, but I have also discussed his anti-vax views and his apparent belief in eugenics.
Looking for news stories mentioning RFK Jr in mid-July, I found a piece saying that he has rekindled his relationship with his wife, Cheryl Hines, after a sexting scandal from last year. Another reported that he has rolled back a rule which attempted to protect LGBTQ+ foster children from hostile placements, so-called “conversion therapy” (a pseudoscientific practice ranging from fraudulent to inhuman), and retaliation.
Yet another describes how Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is demanding an investigation into whether RFK Jr broke ethics laws by meddling in Iowa congressional races, and there’s also one describing how Trump’s nominee to lead the CDC claimed that she would “follow the science”, but side-stepped every question relating to whether she would resist or refuse directives from RFK Jr which conflicted with scientific evidence – ie, whether she would actually follow the science, or submit to the requests of a person who (in my opinion) follows his ideology even if children will die as a result.
One story even mentioned his attempt to divert $5 billion (USD) toward attempting to prove a long-disproven “link” between vaccines and autism – I have discussed the total lack of such a link numerous times, including a piece going back to Andrew Wakefield.
With all of that, you would think he would be all over the news coverage about the recent outbreak of Cyclosporiasis infections, right? I mean, he is the Secretary of Health and Human Services, right? And he loves the camera, right?
So, with an outbreak that appears (as of 27-Jul-2026) to cover forty-one states and more than 11,500 people, (via Wikipedia – which appears to be lagging, as other sources mention vastly higher numbers), isn’t it strange that Bobby is nowhere to be found?
The CDC has been providing updates. The 14-Jul-2026 update mentions 400+ people, though they do mention ongoing investigations and indicate that states are likely to report higher case counts. Then, on 17-Jul-2026, they warn against eating iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico from Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia, before finally stating on 18-Jul-2026 that Taylor Farms de Mexico recalled all iceberg lettuces sourced from central Mexico, including Marketside-brand product available at Walmart.
On 24-Jul-2026, CDC is reporting nine states, and at least 1947 cases. Again, other sources report vastly higher numbers.
I find it interesting that Taco Bell was mentioned so much, and Taylor Farms so little. Could it be because Taylor Farms contributed $1 million to a Trump super-PAC, less than a week after the FDA announced that it was delaying implementation of the “Food Traceability Rule” in 2025?
In the past, I would have expected the CDC and FDA to be providing regular updates, but where’s Bobby? Apparently, he was only speaking on his podcast... I would also have assumed that the different numbers reported by the CDC were simply caution and a dedication to accuracy, but after the past two years of Trump, DOGE, and RFK Jr, I simply don’t know.
It also seems to me that the investigation into the source of the outbreak is taking a long time, but I did see indications that cyclosporiasis is particularly difficult to trace. In any case, is it fair to blame RFK Jr’s prior actions for the outbreak? The answer is unclear, but he did make major cuts at FDA, CDC, and NIH in 2025, and those layoffs did downsize the CDC cyclosporiasis lab...
It’s possible that the FDA cuts could have affected inspections that might have prevented the outbreak, and the CDC made reporting for all pathogens outside of salmonella and E. coli optional in 2025 – this doesn’t necessarily affect management of the outbreak, but it definitely makes it harder to understand the full scope of it, and (perhaps deliberately?) makes it harder to gather data on the impact of RFK Jr’s actions on health in the US and the rest of the world.
And, while I may live in Canada, there is so much cross-border trade and traffic with the US that I am still quite concerned about this outbreak (or some future one) coming here as well – while I have confidence that Canadian food safety policies are good, I am no longer confident that we can simply trust food coming from the US. Whatever other concerns people may have about the US, being concerned about whether imported food is safe is a whole new level.
But wait! There’s more!
On 19-Jul-2026, Taylor Farms said that a positive test of lettuce from their company was a false-positive, and said that “FDA apologized to us”, but they’re still recalling the lettuce. And “FDA said it still has epidemiological evidence linking Taylor Farms to the outbreak.”
I wonder if the $400,000 in political donations from Taylor Foods CEO Bruce Taylor is relevant? Is this evidence of corruption? Evidence of incompetence at the FDA? Random chance?
But still, where’s Bobby?
Oh, wait! There he is!
On 23-Jul-2026, he claimed that everything was “under control”, said that criticism of the government’s response was “invalid”, and that “We did cuts in the FootNet program, but they were for redundant surveillance, and all the states will tell you that we’re still doing forensics.”
Interesting, though, how he worded that, isn’t it? He didn’t mention the fact that reporting on Cyclospora became optional in 2025...
I wish I could take credit for it, but Jezebel came up with this headline, and I think it perfectly encapsulates this current moment.
Well, at least we found Bobby!
Cheers!
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