Table Of Contents
Acetaminophen And Autism
Comey Indictment
Genocide Watch
Monday’s Must Read
This Week In Labor
The Pulse
Donald Trump has stirred up quite the controversy this week.
From lies about autism, to indicting his political enemies, and that’s before mentioning the economy or our foreign relations.
Here the pulse.
Trump Lies About Acetaminophen As He Struggles To Pronounce It.
Donald Trump and RFK Jr, who have long promised to “cure” autism, had quite the announcement for this week.
Stating that Tylenol during pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of things like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
To quote Trump from that announcement, “Taking Tylenol is uh not good.”
The problem?
It’s not true, and if these baboons did a shred of the research they claimed to have been doing, they would know that.
Take this paper for instance, a cohort of 2.5 million children from 1995-2019, which found there was no link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and risk of ASD, ADHD, or Intellectual Disability.
Mehmet Oz, head of Medicaid and Medicare, took the opportunity to push leucovorin as some miracle drug to possibly “cure” autism.
The problem?
Autism is a disorder, not a disease, so using language like “cure” is extremely problematic. Also, leucovorin treats Cerebral Folate Deficiency (CFD), which some but not all people with Autism have.
Data has it estimated between 38-44% of those with ASD have CFD. For this group leucovorin is shown to have some slight, but inconsistent benefits shown. To extrapolate this to a “cure” is dangerous misinformation.
Donald Trump also went on to show he struggles to pronounce acetaminophen, and that he believes Hepatitis B is only sexually transmitted so kids should not be vaccinated against it.
This is what we in the business call, an idiot.
Trump Targets Political Enemies
Just before the week began, Donald Trump took to social media to call for indictments on a list of those he considers enemies. Naming specifically, Letitia James, Adam Schiff, And James Comey.
This post was then swiftly deleted.
This also followed Donald Trump’s FCC chair going on a massive podcast to claim the FCC could “do this the hard way” if companies don’t “take action on Kimmel.”
Jimmy Kimmel was then indefinitely suspended before online backlash brought him back to his largest audience ever just 6 days later.
On top of this, we have the National Guard and ICE mobilization in curiously only blue cities. With LA being the first, then Washington D.C and now Chicago lined up next.
This is despite declining crime rates, and red cities with much larger issues pertaining to crime being ignored.
This has culminated in the first official indictment, of James Comey, essentially over something he said years ago. This comes after removing his own appointment for prosecutor in Virginia who said there was not enough evidence to indict.
Trump swiftly replaced him with a loyalist who got right to meeting the presidents demands.
It’s a scary move toward authoritarian with very clear in-group, out-groups being defined. I would say historically, this sort of social structuring never ends in peace.
Genocide Watch:
Genocide In Gaza:
Over 64,000 Dead Per Gaza Health Ministry. Independent Survey Reports Over 80,000 Dead. Lancet Finds Over 100,000 Dead Plausible.
Over 121,000 Injured, Plenty More Lost Under Rubble.
100% of population experiencing food insecurity
92% of homes destroyed, 88% of schools.
98% of those in Gaza experience multidimensional poverty
Genocide In Sudan:
Between 10-20,000 In El Geneia Where Genocide Has Been Acknowledged, Over 61,000 However With All Regions Considered.
570,000 Displaced Just From Start Of This Conflict.
30 Million In Need Of Humanitarian Assistance, 24.6 Million Food Insecure.
Critical Infrastructure Damage Affecting Water Supply, Hospital Functions, Food Production, And Electricity.
Monday’s Must Read
Our relevant read for this week is “Science Under Siege” written by Peter Hotez and Michael Mann, two PhD scientists in their respective fields.
The book is described as such:
From pandemics to the climate crisis, humanity faces tougher challenges than ever. Whether it’s the health of our people or the health of our planet, we know we are on an unsustainable path. But our efforts to effectively tackle these existential crises are now hampered by a common threat: politically and ideologically motivated opposition to science.
Michael E. Mann and Peter J. Hotez are two of the most respected and well-known scientists in the world and have spent the last twenty years on the front lines of the battle to convey accurate, reliable, and trustworthy information about science in the face of determined and nihilistic opposition.
In this powerful manifesto, they reveal the five main forces threatening science: plutocrats, pros, petrostates, phonies, and the press. It is a call to arms and a road map for dismantling the forces of anti-science. Armed with the information in this book, we can be empowered to promote scientific truths, shine light on channels of dark money, dismantle the corporations poisoning the planet, and ultimately avert disaster.
This Week In Labor
The Pulse
Donald Trump is continuing to test the guardrails of our democracy, pushing the limits of constitutional right after right. From due process, to the free speech attack that took over this week, this should not be overlooked.
Nothing is more important than this upcoming midterms. Make sure to mobilize as many people as you can. The house is in play, and we must win it.
This is the only way to ensure oversight can appropriately be carried out on this corrupt administration. Those destroying our country need held accountable, and it’s more evident than ever that Republicans are unwilling to do it.