Susanne Rust
@susrust.bsky.social
Reporter, LA Times. Enviro/Sci/Health. I cover #H5N1 #BirdFlu and Plastic. And other stuff, too (Valley Fever, Octopus rights, wild pigs, and more). Located in SF Bay area.
#H5N1 #BirdFlu detected in northern elephant seals on CA coast. Virus annihilated the funny-looking seals in South America between 2022 and 2024. From UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz research. www.latimes.com/science/stor...
Deadly bird flu found in California elephant seals for the first time
Researchers at UC Davis say news they've dreaded since 2023 has come to pass: California's elephant seals have been infected with H5N1 bird flu.
latimes.com
Michael Abatti will plead not guilty as autopsy report is released and investigation details are presented to the media #navajocounty #imperialcounty w @phila_lex www.latimes.com/california/s...
Bitter divorce fight is investigated as motive in killing of Imperial Valley farmer's wife
The Navajo County Sheriff's office released details Monday on the arrest of powerful Imperial Valley farmer Michael Abatti on suspicion of murder.
latimes.com
Kerri Abatti was killed in her Arizona home after leaving her 31-year marriage to an influential farmer. She sought refuge in the mountain town where her ancestors settled in the 1880s. "She came back because this was the center of her universe." @susrust.bsky.social www.latimes.com/california/s...
Slain wife of Imperial Valley farmer was adored in her hometown; a violinist, friend and beauty queen
Kerri Abatti was killed on Nov. 20 by gunshot. While the case is still under investigation, the people in Pinetop — her family's home — are reeling. She was the sixth generation of Mormon settlers. An...
latimes.com
Kerri Abatti, estranged wife of #ImperialCounty farming mogul, Mike Abatti, was shot and killed in her home in Pinetop, AZ on 11/20. Who was she? Why did she go to #Pinetop? photos: @caitlin_oh www.latimes.com/california/s...
Slain wife of Imperial Valley farmer was adored in her hometown; a violinist, friend and beauty queen
Kerri Abatti was killed on Nov. 20 by gunshot. While the case is still under investigation, the people in Pinetop — her family's home — are reeling. She was the sixth generation of Mormon settlers. An...
latimes.com
First person to get #H5N5 #birdflu has died from it. Story coming. doh.wa.gov/newsroom/gra...
Grays Harbor County resident dies from complications of avian influenza
For immediate release: Nov. 21, 2025 (25-140) Contact: DOH Communications The person was infected with the H5N5 virus; the risk to the public remains low OLYMPIA – A Grays Harbor County resident who w...
doh.wa.gov
How many pieces of #plastic does it take to kill a sea bird? Turtle? Marine Mammal? Sadly, not much. www.latimes.com/science/stor...
How little plastic does it take to kill marine animals? Scientists have answers
Ocean plastic kills sea creatures. For the first time, researchers set out to find out how much it takes. The answer: Surprisingly little.
latimes.com
Human #BirdFlu case in WA. #H5N5 not #H5N1. Patient is severely ill. Update coming. www.latimes.com/science/stor...
Another person in U.S. is hospitalized with bird flu. Officials don't know how they got it
A person in Washington is presumed infected with bird flu virus. Health officials in the state do not know the source.
latimes.com
Historic number of marine mammals died along CA coast this year. Anomaly? Or a sign that our oceans are changing too fast to support these guys? Hats off to the exhausted and traumatized volunteers working tirelessly since spring #marinemammalcenter #strandingnetwork www.latimes.com/environment/...
Marine mammals are dying in record numbers along the California coast
It's been a doozy of a year for marine mammals, who have been dying in record numbers along the California coast. Volunteer rescue crews are traumatized and fatigued, but refuse to give up.
latimes.com
The parasite that causes Chagas disease, which kills more people in Latin America than malaria, is here in the U.S. The disease's symptoms generally don't show up for decades: heart attack, stroke, death. Have we been ignoring a potential source of #CVD ? www.latimes.com/science/stor...
Chagas disease, long considered only a threat abroad, is established in California and the Southern U.S.
Chagas disease is deadly, pervasive and more prevalent in the U.S. than you'd think. It's not just brought here by people from nations where the disease is endemic, but by bloodsucking kissing bugs na...
latimes.com
You can't sell or produce foie gras in Calfiornia. So what is the bird liver delicacy doing on store shelves? www.latimes.com/science/stor...
Foie gras still on some store shelves in California, despite state ban
California banned the sale of foie gras -- the French delicacy made from the livers of goose and duck. So why can it still be found on store shelves?
latimes.com
I talked to @susrust.bsky.social @latimes.com about the USDA compensation program for dairies with H5N1-infected herds. There has never been enough of an investment in containment. Compensation without support to change practices will not end the outbreak of moo flu. www.latimes.com/science/stor...
California dairy farmers got millions to cover bird flu losses. Critics say that's part of the problem
Dairies say the USDA relief money helped them sustain operations as bird flu decimated milk production, but critics say the aid perpetuates industrial farming practices that make herds vulnerable to d...
latimes.com
It's not just the #H5N1 #birdflu cuts across the federal government, but the Trump admin's targeting of immigrants that could trigger a pandemic. They're our front-line livestock workers -- and when the birds start flying south in the fall... www.latimes.com/science/stor...
Immigration crackdown could stymie efforts to fight bird flu outbreak, experts fear
Farm workers facing possible arrest would likely resist getting tested for bird flu should there be a resurgence this fall, as many anticipate
latimes.com
Dead gray whale washes up in Richmond. Marine Mammal Center says ship strike is probable cause. Gray whale numbers are on the decline -- never recovering from the steep drop off that started in 2019. abc7news.com/post/gray-wh...
Gray whale washes up in Richmond, the 17th spotted in the Bay Area this year
The gray whale was up against rocks along Point Isabel in Richmond.
abc7news.com
CalRecycle now has a portal for people to report illegal sales of expanded polystyrene food ware and packaging in stores and restaurants -- 6+months after the products were banned: calrecycle.ca.gov/packaging/pa...
Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act: EPS Food Service Ware Notification Portal
calrecycle.ca.gov
What happened in TX was tragic; it could happen here, too. @ianjames.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/...
Like Texas, California faces major dangers when extreme floods come
The flood disaster in Texas claimed dozens of lives. Extreme floods also bring dangers in parts of California, although experts say there are differences.
latimes.com
Make America Rake Again -- Trump and Newsom battle over wildfire funding @nohaggerty.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/...
Newsom calls on Trump to boost wildfire preparedness and 'make America rake again'
Gov. Newsom challenged the Trump administration to match the state's investments in wildfire preparedness. In response, the administration criticized Newsom's own funding cuts.
latimes.com
EPA Workers Face Retaliation Over Dissent Declaration www.importantcontext.news/p/epa-worker...
EPA Workers Face Retaliation Over Dissent Declaration
On Monday, hundreds of EPA workers published a Declaration of Dissent criticizing their leadership. Now, they’re getting placed on leave pending review.
importantcontext.news
And read @sammyroth.bsky.social 's latest on the Trump bill. It's a disaster for the planet. www.latimes.com/environment/...
Commentary: Republican budget bill would slaughter America's cleanest, cheapest energy
It's hard to find reasons for optimism. But we're not doomed.
latimes.com
This story by @corinnepurtill.bsky.social makes me want to simultaneously cry and scream www.latimes.com/science/stor...
'Chaotic and deeply frightening': Once a global gold standard, U.S. government health guidance is falling apart
Government-provided health information now comes with disclaimers that the government can't be trusted.
latimes.com
Asbestos-laden fire debris hauled by fed contractors to non-hazardous waste landfills. What could be the problem?? @tonybrisco www.latimes.com/environment/...
Federal contractors improperly dumped wildfire-related asbestos waste at L.A. area landfills
Cleanup crews contracted by the Army Corp of Engineers dumped asbestos-tainted wildfire debris in landfills that they shouldn't have, according to government records.
latimes.com
#NewMexico with #measles outbreak in a prison “measles outbreak at a correctional facility in Deming, after five detainees tested positive “Health officials are sending personal protective equipment, test kits, and measles vaccine to the prison, which houses 400 inmates and employs 100 staff”
Measles outbreak strikes New Mexico jail as US total climbs
cidrap.umn.edu
Wow! The pediatric death toll for the 2024-25 flu season keeps climbing. #CDC was informed of +3 deaths last week; they occurred between early Feb & mid April. The total is now 253 pediatric deaths (& more reports could still come). 90% of these kids weren't vaxed. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...
Strange thing about this story: Newsom's comms team's response to my questions about his ever-present-plastic-water-bottle was to: 1) not answer any q's; but 2) instead threaten to send my editor a video of me near a plastic water bottle. www.latimes.com/environment/...
Newsom's podcast sidekick: a single-use plastic water bottle
Newsom has called for a future free of plastic waste, yet a single-use plastic bottle is usually by his side during his podcasts.
latimes.com
Another example of a well-intentioned CA law causing environmental damage: Compost law feeding into rampant dumping in SoCal's desert Antelope Valley. #SB1383 #CalRecycle @latimes www.latimes.com/environment/...
Why L.A.’s food and yard waste is being dumped in the Antelope Valley
A state law that mandated diversion of organic waste from landfills is being blamed for exacerbating illegal dumping in remote desert areas.
latimes.com
Dozens of illegal dump sites in the Antelope Valley: ‘It’s gotten markedly worse.’ A California law aimed at reducing the amount of greenhouse gases at landfills is exacerbating the problem, local officials and residents say. @susrust.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/... @latimes.com
State composting law took aim at greenhouse gases. Illegal dumping was a byproduct
A state law that mandated diversion of organic waste from landfills is being blamed for exacerbating illegal dumping in remote desert areas.
latimes.com
#US removing ALL experts in #vaccines “Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday said he is “retiring” all 17 members of a crucial government panel of vaccine advisors” “The group reviews vaccine data and makes recommendations that determine who is eligible for shots and whether insurers should cover them”
RFK Jr. removes all members of CDC panel advising U.S. on vaccines
It's the latest move by Kennedy – a prominent vaccine skeptic – to change and potentially undermine vaccinations in the U.S. since he took the helm at HHS.
cnbc.com
#SB54 shenanigans continue: 23 lawmakers say #CalRecycle exceeded its authority in the new draft regs for the state's landmark plastic legislation and undermined the law. www.latimes.com/environment/...
Lawmakers ask Newsom and waste agency to follow the law on plastic legislation
More than two dozen lawmakers signed a letter urging the governor and CalRecycle to toss regulations drafted to implement landmark plastic legislation they say ignores the law.
latimes.com
