Congress is investigating allegations that a processing plant in India, which supplies major grocery stores, exported shrimp that violated U.S. law.
Joshua Farinella claimed to have managed a Choice Canning shrimp factory in Amalapuram, India, starting in October 2023, but he left the company after about four months due to what he witnessed. Farinella stated that Choice Canning operated unsanitary offsite “peeling sheds” and routinely approved the export of shrimp tainted with antibiotics, violating U.S. food safety laws.
Company leaders allegedly had a code name for antibiotic-tainted shrimp. Farinella also alleged that at the factory, migrant workers rarely had a day off, slept in overcrowded, bedbug-infested dorms, and were restricted from leaving the compound.
Before leaving the company, Farinella recorded conversations with senior leadership and captured footage of conditions at the plant and an offsite peeling facility. He filed a whistleblower complaint with the FDA and other regulators and shared it with members of Congress.
During a meeting, a top Israeli official vigorously defended Israel’s plans for a ground invasion of Rafah in Gaza, causing tension with U.S. officials.
The U.S. officials, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, remained calm and did not respond in kind.
The tense moment arose after U.S. officials expressed doubts about the feasibility of Israel’s plans in Rafah, leading to an outburst from Israeli officials.
Israel’s plan involved moving 1.4 million civilians over several weeks from Rafah to tents north of the city, but it did not include plans for addressing sanitation needs or an assessment of the food or water requirements, according to the officials.
However, an administration official clarified that the meeting was not meant to be a detailed presentation of Israel’s plans, but rather a starting point for discussions on how Israel might proceed in the conflict with Hamas.
At another meeting, dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden’s handling of the war was evident. During a meeting with six Muslim community leaders, a Palestinian American doctor who treated severely injured patients in Gaza left after five minutes.
Another attending doctor was surprised when Biden claimed to have already seen photos of malnourished women and children in Gaza, as she had printed the photos from her phone. Only six Muslim community leaders attended the meeting, a lower number than usual.
The Israeli military has suspended leave for all combat units and called up reservists to enhance aerial defenses amid concerns of escalation with Iran.
These actions follow Iran’s supreme leader’s vow of retaliation and statement that Israel ‘will be slapped’ for an attack on Tehran’s consulate building in Syria, which resulted in the deaths of senior military commanders.