Trump Administration Promotes New Drug for Autism, Warns About Tylenol
“The meteoric rise in autism is among the most alarming public health developments in history.” - President Trump
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Newsbites
Graph of the week: For the vast majority of people in the world, same-sex marriage is illegal.
Witch Curse on Charlie Kirk: A Catholic priest prayed over the Kirk family the night before he was assassinated, according to journalist Megyn Kelly. The prayer was in response to a Jezebel article posted two weeks earlier titled: “We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk.” The subtitle read, “Jezebel is more than happy to be the hag of his nightmares.” Kirk’s wife was distressed by the article, which has since been removed, detailing several witches on Etsy collaborating to curse the 31-year-old political activist and bring him harm. The website has since deleted the piece and taken steps to protect itself legally.
Charlie Kirk memorial service: More than 60,000 people packed the State Farm Stadium near Phoenix to celebrate and honor the life of Charlie Kirk. The 5-hour-long service centered on the theme of Kirk’s Christian Faith. The highlight of the evening came during Erika Kirk’s speech when she forgave the alleged assassin (video). “I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it is what Charlie would do,” Kirk said with tears.
Links to individual speeches: (Erika Kirk, President Trump, Vice-President Vance, Tulsi Gabbard, Tucker Carlson)
Major HB1 Visa Overhaul: The Trump Administration will be adding a $100,000 fee to any company hiring a foreign employee using the H1-B system. Previously, it cost between $5 - $10k. The program, which has been in place since 1990, allows foreign professionals with a college degree and a valid job offer to work in the U.S. for up to six years. Holders are also eligible for a green card if an employer or family member is willing to sponsor them. President Trump argues the large fee will encourage employers to hire U.S. citizens rather than foreigners. The new one-time fee only applies to new applicants.
Amazon will be paying a whopping $2.5B dollar settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, ending a two-year-long dispute. The FTC claimed Amazon tricked customers into signing up for Prime and intentionally made it hard to cancel. $1B will be paid as a civil penalty, and $1.5B will be paid back to Amazon customers. “Today, the Trump-Vance FTC made history and secured a record-breaking, monumental win for the millions of Americans who are tired of deceptive subscriptions that feel impossible to cancel,” said FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson. Amazon claimed it did nothing wrong and made changes such as removing the “No, I don’t want free shipping” button during the check-out process to comply with the FTC’s demands.
President Trump signed an executive order designating the left-wing group Antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization.” The order reads, “Antifa is a militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and our system of law.” Antifa was influential in the 2020 George Floyd riots. They generally wear all black with masks when they show up at events.
Trump speaks at the UN: President Trump gave a 1+ hour speech to the world leaders at the UN this week, boasting about America being “the hottest country anywhere in the world.” He reiterated the U.S. would not recognize Palestine as a state because the “rewards would be too great for Hamas’ terrorists for their atrocities.” He also called out European countries for allowing mass migration, saying, “You’re destroying your countries.”
More: The escalator and teleprompter both failed President Trump during his visit to the UN meeting, sparking conspiracies online about whether it was intentionally done. In response, Trump said, “These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter.”
James Comey Indicted: Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia for lying under oath to Congress and obstruction of congressional proceedings. Comey was instrumental in promoting the Russia-gate scandal during President Trump’s first term. “No one is above the law. Today’s indictment reflects the Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.” Comey posted a video after saying, “I’m innocent, so let’s have a trial.” (video)
Shooting at Dallas ICE Field Offices Leaves One Dead and Two Injured
What happened?
A man began indiscriminately shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Dallas on Wednesday morning. Three detainees of ICE were hit, two of whom are in critical condition, and one who died. The gunman, 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, died of a self-inflicted gunshot afterwards.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the shooting is being investigated “as an act of targeted violence” and released a photo of the bullet casings on X depicting the words “ANTI ICE.” The alleged shooter also left a handwritten note that read, “Hopefully this will give ICE agents real terror, to think, ‘is there a sniper with AP rounds on that roof?”
Jahn had recently downloaded a document online titled “Dallas County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management,” which listed the locations of all the ICE locations. Between September 23 and 24, Jahn made several searches regarding ballistics and “Charlie Kirk shot video.” In late August, Jahn “searched apps that tracked the presence of ICE agents.”
FBI and Homeland Security respond
“For months, we’ve been warning politicians and the media to tone down their rhetoric about ICE law enforcement before someone was killed,” Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem said. “Comparing ICE day in and day out to the Nazi Gestapo, the Secret Police, and slave patrols has consequences.”
FBI Director Kash Patel wrote, “These despicable, politically motivated attacks against law enforcement are not a one-off,” Patel said. “We are only miles from Prairieland, Texas, where just two months ago, an individual ambushed a separate ICE facility targeting their officers. It has to end, and the FBI and our partners will lead these investigative efforts to see to it that those who target our law enforcement are pursued and brought to the fullest extent of justice.”
President Trump Says Pregnant Women Should Stop Taking Tylenol
“The meteoric rise in autism is among the most alarming public health developments in history. There’s never been anything like this.” - President Trump
Some context
On Monday, the Trump Administration held a press conference with the aim of announcing three major items, each of which we will go through in this article:
The discovery of a drug called leucovorin and its potential to treat autism symptoms
A notice to physicians about the risk of using acetaminophen for pregnant women
The announcement of the NIH Data Science Initiative, with $50M funding to expand research into autism.
Drug called Leucovorin could help with autism symptoms
The not-well-known medicine called “Leucovorin” is being promoted by the Trump Administration as an “amazing” drug to help with autistic symptoms. Several small studies found Leucovorin to improve verbal and social skills among autistic children. Leucovorin was originally developed to help patients recovering from chemotherapy. It’s a folate family member of vitamin B9, which can be found in many foods. Although many scientists and doctors agree that the treatment is promising, the studies cited by the Trump Administration are fairly small and will likely be researched in more vigorous detail.
Insight: Nonverbal child with autism speaks first words after using the Leucovorin drug
Trump says pregnant women should stop taking Tylenol
President Trump urged pregnant women to stop taking Tylenol, saying it increases the likelihood of autism. “Taking Tylenol is not good. I’ll say it. It’s not good.” The White House followed up with studies from Johns Hopkins University, Harvard, and others that link frequent use of acetaminophen during pregnancy with an increase in autism and ADHD.
“They [HHS] are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary,” Trump said, adding that women should only take it if it is absolutely necessary due to a high fever.
Trump listed off numbers regarding growing rates of autism diagnoses in the U.S., which he called one of the “most alarming medical developments in history.”
1 in 31 U.S. children (3.2%) born in 2014 are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Sharp increase from 1 in 36 just two years earlier.
Prevalence nearly 5 times higher than when the CDC began tracking in 2000 (1 in 150).
Boys disproportionately affected: 1 in 20 (5%).
California highest prevalence: 1 in 12.5.
See the full list of statistics provided by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy Junior Announces $50M in research money to study autism causes
The Trump Administration also announced a new initiative called the “Autism Data Science Initiative” that will use “large-scale data resources to explore contributors to the causes and rising prevalence of autism spectrum disorder.” $50M will support 13 different research projects in getting to the bottom of the skyrocketing diagnosis of autism.
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