Category World News

Kennedy used a more moderate tone in a press conference on Wednesday than he has in his previous public appearances.

According to Kennedy, “the causative association between Tylenol taken during pregnancy and the perinatal period is not sufficient to say that it definitely causes autism.” However, it has a very suggestive quality.

He continued, “There should be a cautious approach to it.” Consult your doctor is what we say to patients, mothers, pregnant women, and young children’s mothers.

The statement from Wednesday is more in line with the advice of reputable health organizations.

There haven’t been any conclusive findings in some studies, despite the possibility that Tylenol may have contributed to autism. Before taking the medication, pregnant women are advised to consult a doctor.

Despite “extensive research,” no consistent association has been established between the medication and autism, according to the World Health Organization in September.

However, contrary claims have already sparked restrictions on the sale of Tylenol, a well-known brand of acetaminophen, a fever- and pain-relieving medication.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, accusing Johnson &amp, Johnson, and Kenvue, the manufacturers of the over-the-counter pain reliever, of deceptive practices.

He did so by reiterating misinformation that President Donald Trump and other government figures like Kennedy have shared.

In a statement, Paxton said, “We will help Make America Healthy Again,” a nod to Kennedy’s MAHA motto.

The lawsuit claims that Johnson &amp, Johnson, and Kenvue “deceptively promoted Tylenol as the only safe painkiller for pregnant women” in violation of Texas consumer protection laws.

It was the most recent instance of top officials spreading scientific lies. Throughout their political careers, Trump and Kennedy have repeatedly disseminated scientific nonsense.

Trump made the connection between autism and the painkiller during a press conference in September, but without providing any credible scientific evidence to support it.

Is it acceptable to use acetaminophen? Trump stated on September 22 that taking Tylenol, which is essentially, commonly known as Tylenol, during pregnancy increases the risk of autism. Thus, Tylenol consumption is harmful. I’ll say it. It is not good.

Despite not having any formal medical training, Kennedy has made his own sweeping statements regarding Tylenol and its alleged risks.

In a cabinet meeting on October 9, he said, “Anyone who takes this stuff during pregnancy, unless they do, is irresponsible.”

Early this month, Kennedy also mischaracterized studies on male circumcision. He made up his false claim that studies showed that children who were “circumcised early” had more autism.

He continued, “It’s highly likely because they’ve been given Tylenol.”

In a statement released on Tuesday, Kenvue emphasized that acetaminophen is the safest option for pregnant women, noting that if left untreated, high fevers and pain could lead to premature births.

President Donald Trump has prioritized rare earth minerals in his top priorities since returning to the White House earlier this year.

He wants to ensure that the US economy has enough supply.

Trump went so far as to sign an executive order in March that upheld wartime authority to boost production of rare earths.

In an effort to obtain the minerals, he also signed a number of agreements with Asian nations this week.

All of this is to counteract Beijing’s recent restrictions on rare earth exports and China’s global dominance in this area.

Why, then, do these minerals matter so much to the US economy? And can Trump’s monopoly over China be overturned?

Presenter: Bernard Smith

Guests:

University of Hong Kong assistant professor of philosophy, Brian Wong.

Gracelin Baskaran, Director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Critical Minerals Security program, is an economist and mining economist.

A Democratic candidate for the United States House of Representatives has been indicted by the Department of Justice in connection with a protest in front of a federal immigration facility in Illinois.

On Wednesday, in a post on social media, Kat Abughazaleh, 26, announced that she had been charged alongside five other protesters.

“This political prosecution is an attack on all of our First Amendment rights”, Abughazaleh, a progressive influencer and journalist, said in the post. “I’m not backing down, and we’re going to win”.

Currently, Abughazelah is running for an open seat representing Illinois’s ninth congressional district, to the north of Chicago. She is slated to appear on the Democratic primary ballot in March.

Federal prosecutors, however, have accused her and her co-defendants of having “physically hindered and impeded” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers at a detention facility in Broadview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

The indictment said they surrounded a government vehicle, “banged aggressively”, stopped the agent from driving forward, and etched “PIG” on the body of the vehicle. It further alleged that the group broke the vehicle’s side mirrors and a windshield wiper.

Abughazaleh was charged with “conspiracy to impede or injure an officer” and “assaulting, resisting or impeding” a federal agent for the September 23 incident.

I have been charged in a federal indictment sought by the Department of Justice. This political prosecution is an attack on all of our First Amendment rights. I’m not backing down, and we’re going to win.

Those charged alongside Abughazelah include Michael Rabbitt, a Democratic politician in Chicago’s 45th Ward, and Catherine Sharp, a Democrat running for a seat on the Cook County Board of Commissioners.

The charges come as the administration of President Donald Trump surges federal agents to Democrat-run cities as part of a large-scale deportation drive.

Ras Baraka, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, and US Representative LaMonica McIver, two other Democratic lawmakers who have been charged after engaging in counterprotests. Since then, the charges against him have been dropped.

Trump has also attempted to deploy the National Guard in a number of cities, including Chicago, but the courts have repeatedly blocked his efforts. A decision in the Chicago case is anticipated to be made by the Supreme Court, which could have a wide-ranging impact on how deployments are conducted in the future.

A lower court’s decision to bar the National Guard’s deployment to Portland, Oregon was to be heard on Wednesday by a federal appeals court.

In addition to those cases, the Trump administration has been subject to scrutiny for treating both protesters and immigrants.

The administration has also been criticized for charging disproportionate amounts of money with false accusations against protesters.

Even Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, Abughazelah’s Democratic primary opponent in the 2026 election, was among those who criticized the indictment on Wednesday.

In a statement released by the local news website Evanston Now, Biss claimed that the only people who violently and dangerously behaved at Broadview were ICE.

Biss noted that he had also repeatedly protested the facility’s “kidnapping of our neighbors.”