How Trump made it harder to fight the cyclospora parasite outbreak

Washing produce that is infected with cyclospora removes maybe 10% of the parasite.

So I am avoiding lettuce that's not grown locally, if it's been shredded or washed, if it's in any packages.

I'm not eating it at restaurants, fast food, or sit-down.

Um, I'm not buying it in the store.

[upbeat music] From The Guardian, this is Stateside.

I'm Carter Sherman.

Today, wet hot diarrhea summer.

[laughs] Yes, y'all, it's gross.

I'm so sorry.

But we have to talk about where we're at, because six weeks ago, the vibes in the US were good.

The Knicks had won, the World Cup was beginning, and summer looked, dare I say, promising.

Cut to today, we've had punishing heat waves, fires in Canada briefly turned the skies in New York orange, and across the country, people are having weeks-long explosive diarrhea.

The US is now in the midst of the worst recorded outbreak of something called cyclosporiasis.

You probably have heard of it by now, but it's an intestinal infection that can lead to debilitating diarrhea, painful cramps, and other awful symptoms, which again, it's a little gross.