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California teacher dies after being bitten by a bat inside her classroom

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Minnesota health officials investigating rare rabies death


Minnesota health officials investigating rare rabies death

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A central California teacher died last month after she was bitten by a bat that presumably had rabies inside her classroom, officials and a friend of the woman, marking the third such fatality in North America in recent weeks.  

In the wake of Leah Seneng’s death on Nov. 22, public health officials are warning the public about the dangers of bats, which are the most common source of human rabies in the U.S. Even though fewer than 10 people in the country die from rabies each year, it is almost always fatal if not treated quickly.

Seneng, 60, found a bat in her classroom in mid-October, her friend Laura Splotch told KFSN-TV. She tried to scoop it up and take it outside but it bit her, Splotch said.

Seneng did not immediately have symptoms of rabies but she fell ill weeks later and was taken to the hospital, where she was put into a medically-induced coma and died days later, Splotch told the TV station.

“It’s devastating to see her in that state, with all the machines hooked up and everything, it was pretty upsetting and scary,” Splotch told KFSN.

According to her Facebook profile, Seneng was an art teacher at Bryant Middle School in Dos Palos, California. The Dos Palos-Oro Loma Joint Unified School District, called Seneng “a dedicated and compassionate educator.”

leah-seneng-94100744-10158471520937053-2835962146725036032-n.jpg
Leah Seneng

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“We were shocked to learn that Leah’s passing was related to contracting rabies, most likely from being bitten by a bat and we are cooperating with the Merced County Department of Public Health on their investigation,” the school district said in a statement. “We live and work in a community known to have bats and other wildlife around school grounds, and we will continue to help educate our community regarding the dangers associated with coming into direct contact with any wild animal, including bats.”

Merced County confirmed the rabies exposure but, due to privacy laws, did not release the deceased’s name. The California Department of Public Health confirmed that the victim died after contracting rabies.

“Bites from bats can be incredibly small and difficult to see or to detect. It is important to wash your hands and look for any open wounds after touching a wild animal, and to seek immediate medical care if bitten,” CDPH Director Dr. Tomás J. Aragón said in a statement. “It is always safest to leave wild animals alone. Do not approach, touch, or try to feed any animals that you don’t know.”   

At least two other people in North America have died of rabies after encountering a bat in recent weeks. Last month, health officials in Canada announced that a child died from rabies after being exposed to a bat in their room. About a week before that, officials announced a U.S. citizen died from rabies after being exposed to a bat in western Minnesota in July.

How is rabies spread and what are the symptoms?

Rabies is a deadly viral infection that attacks the nervous system in humans and animals, causing brain and spinal cord inflammation. It is typically spread to humans through direct contact with the saliva of an infected animal through scratching or biting.

Rabies is commonly found in bats, raccoons, foxes, skunks and some household pets. Without proper and prompt treatment after symptoms appear, rabies is nearly 100 percent fatal in both animals and humans, according to Haldimand and Norfolk Health Services, where the child was admitted. 

Treatment has proven to be nearly 100% effective at preventing the disease if someone is exposed, though it must start before symptoms appear.  

Bats pose a unique risk because their scratches can be hard to notice due to their small teeth, and bats cannot be vaccinated through provincial programs, health officials said.

If bitten by an animal suspected of carrying the virus, health officials advise washing the wound thoroughly with soap and water for 15 minutes and immediately seeking medical attention.

According to the CDC, the incubation period of rabies may last from weeks to months, depending on the location of exposure, severity of exposure and age.

“The first symptoms of rabies, called prodrome, maybe like the flu, including weakness, discomfort, fever, or headache. There also may be discomfort, prickling, or an itching sensation at the site of the bite. These symptoms may last for several days,” the CDC says.



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New York prosecutors say Trump’s criminal conviction should stand: “President-elect immunity does not exist”

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New York prosecutors say President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House should not undermine the decision of 12 jurors who found him guilty of dozens of felonies in May, telling the judge overseeing the case that the conviction should stand.

“This Court should reject [Trump’s] motion to ‘immediately’ dismiss the indictment and vacate the jury’s guilty verdict based on the outcome of the recent presidential election,” prosecutors wrote in their filing, which was made public Tuesday. “There are no grounds for such relief now, prior to defendant’s inauguration, because President-elect immunity does not exist.”

Soon after Trump’s election in November, his defense lawyers promised to urge Justice Juan Merchan to toss his indictment in the “hush money” case and set aside the verdict. They made their motion on Dec. 2, hinging their push to discard the will of 12 jurors who sat for the seven-week trial on an unlikely subject: President Biden’s son, Hunter. Trump’s attorneys said the announcement of Hunter Biden’s controversial pardon echoed Trump’s complaints about his prosecution, claiming it was politically driven.

Prosecutors did not mention either Biden or the pardon in their response filing.

They hit back against the core of Trump’s effort to set aside his conviction. Trump’s lawyers — two of whom are slated to take on senior roles in the Justice Department after Trump’s inauguration — have argued that it would be unconstitutional for an incoming president to carry the burden of a guilty verdict reached before his election.

“[Trump’s] suggestion that his subsequent election ‘superseded’ the jury’s verdict is deeply misguided,” prosecutors wrote. “As this Court carefully and correctly instructed the jury, it was the empaneled jurors who were ‘deciding whether the Defendant is guilty or not guilty’ because only these jurors — not the general electorate — heard all the evidence in this trial.”

Former President Donald Trump walks out of court and toward the media following the verdict in his
Former President Donald Trump walks out of court and toward the media following the verdict in his “hush money” trial in New York on Thursday, May 30, 2024.

Mark Peterson / AP


Prosecutors argued Trump’s lawyers are trying to “effectively extend the period of [Trump’s] immunity to a time before his presidency, by wiping out the effects of an indictment and jury verdict that took place before he was even reelected President.”

Trump’s sentencing has been postponed three times since his conviction in May. It was initially scheduled for July 11, but Merchan pushed that date back so Trump’s attorneys could file a separate motion to dismiss following a landmark Supreme Court ruling. The nation’s highest court concluded in early July that former presidents could not be charged for official acts, and evidence related to their official work as president could not be used as evidence against them.

Merchan has not ruled on that motion. He postponed the second sentencing date, Sept. 18, after Trump’s lawyers argued it was too close to the election. After Trump’s election victory on Nov. 5, they demanded a Nov. 26 sentencing date be postponed so they could file the new motion to dismiss the case, revolving around his return to the White House.

Bragg’s office said in its filing it would be open to postponing sentencing and other proceedings until after Trump’s term in office, which ends in 2029.

“If [Trump] is not sentenced before his inauguration, there is also no legal barrier to deferring that sentencing until after the end of his presidency,” they wrote.

The judge’s decision will be the latest moment in the case to set a historical precedent. Trump was the first person to be elected president after being convicted of crimes. When the unanimous jury concluded in May he was guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records, he became the first former president ever convicted of crimes. In March 2023, Trump became the first former president ever indicted when a grand jury concluded he should be charged.

The case focused on a coverup of a “hush money” payment to an adult film star. Trump authorized a scheme to conceal reimbursements to a lawyer who made the payment days before Trump’s first election.

Trump pleaded not guilty in the case and has promised to appeal his conviction.



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Another infant dies in listeria outbreak linked to ready-to-eat meat and poultry products

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A second infant has died in an 8-state listeria outbreak related to recalled Yu Shang Food ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, according to federal health officials. The products were sold online and at retail locations nationwide, according to federal health officials.

Nineteen cases are confirmed, with 17 hospitalized, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its latest update. States with confirmed illnesses include: California, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Tennessee. 

Seven of the illnesses are related to pregnancy, the CDC stated.

In California, a mother and her twins were sick and both infants died, but because listeria was found only in a sample from the mother and one twin, only the mother and one twin are included in the confirmed cases in the outbreak. 

In Tennessee, a mother and her infant were sick and the baby died. 

Sick people’s samples were collected from Oct. 24, 2021, to Oct. 28, 2024, the agency said.

The outbreak might be higher than reported, the CDC said, because people who have gotten sick may not have gotten tested for listeria. It takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if someone was part of an outbreak. 

Listeria can be especially harmful to pregnant people, people age 65 or older, and those with weakened immune systems. 

People stricken in the outbreak reported buying their food from multiple stores and online where Yu Shang food products are sold. 

Those with recalled products should throw them out or return them, officials urged. Produced before Oct. 28, 2024, the recalled products involve those with “Yu Shang” or “Yushang” (establishment number “P46684” or “EST. M46684”) on the label.

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Image of recalled Yu Shang Food ready-to-eat meat and poultry product.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention


Spartanburg, South Carolina-based Yu Shang Food in late November recalled roughly 72,240 pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, expanding its prior recall of 4,589 pounds of product. 

Here are the names of the recalled Yu Shang Food products, according to a list updated by the USDA:

  • Japanese Chasu Pork Belly
  • Braised Pork Belly in Brown Sauce
  • Seasoned Pork Feet
  • Seasoned Pork Hock
  • Chinese Brand Spicy Duck Head
  • Yushang Brand Cooked Chicken
  • Chinese Brand Spicy Duck Neck
  • Bazhen Seasoned Whole Chicken
  • Chinese Brand Spicy Duck Tongues
  • Chinese Brand Spicy Duck Wings
  • Chinese Brand Chicken Feet
  • Yushang Sausage Made with Pork and Chicken
  • Seasoned Pork Tongues
  • Seasoned Chicken Quarter Leg
  • Braised Beef Shank
  • Braised Chicken Szechuan Pepper Flavor
  • Yu Shang Brand Cooked Pork Hock
  • Seasoned Pork Snout Meat
  • Spicy Pork Ear
  • Spicy Chicken Gizzards
  • Spicy Pork Feet
  • Lambs Head Soup (frozen)
  • Chinese Brand Spicy Chicken Feet
  • Beef Tendon, Shank and Tripe with Chili Sauce
  • Brand Cooked Chicken Livers
  • Pickled Chicken Feet
  • Braised Pork with Preserved Vegetables



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Hegseth comments on meeting with Sen. Joni Ernst

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Hegseth comments on meeting with Sen. Joni Ernst – CBS News


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President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, met Monday with Sen. Joni Ernst as he continues to push for support ahead of his confirmation hearing. CBS News congressional reporter Nikole Killion has more.

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