On Monday, President Donald Trump said during a press conference that he had been taking the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as unproven protection against COVID-19. The fallout has left health experts scrambling again to explain that the drug has not been shown to work against the novel coronavirus — and that it can have dangerous side effects.
While the drug is approved by the FDA for certain illnesses such as malaria, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis, Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting public health professor at George Washington University, told Cheddar that only patients with those particular diseases or those in approved clinical trials for COVID-19 should be on the controversial treatment.
"We have to remember that this medication, just like all others, has potential side effects," Dr. Wen said. The physician listed potential reactions including psychosis, hallucinations, liver damage, heart damage, and even death from cardiac arrhythmia (an abnormal heart rhythm).
She also noted that, while Trump's age and medical history put him in the demographic most vulnerable to COVID-19 and among those who may need to worry about the cardiac effect of the drug, he has still had interactions with people who have tested positive for the virus. That could have led to White House physician Dr. Sean Conley signing off on the course of treatment he alluded to in a statement to the press, said Wen, although she questioned some of the other prevention choices the president and his administration have made. "If they are so concerned that he had exposure to COVID-19, why is he still around so many people wearing no mask, and instead of being in quarantine?"
"What the president is saying is, frankly, irresponsible because there are many people around the country for whom he is the most credible messenger," Wen said. "I really fear that they're now going to go out and ask their doctors for hydroxychloroquine."
According to the doctor, after previous statements by the president regarding the anti-malaria treatment, prescriptions greatly increased around the nation. The run on the drug made it difficult for patients with conditions like lupus and arthritis to acquire necessary prescriptions.
"I just really worry that there could be real harm to patients across the country and that some patients may get the false reassurance. They may think that this drug may prevent them from getting COVID-19 when that is not proven in way, shape, or form," she said.
Wen pleaded for people to listen to medical professionals and to avoid taking advice from "non-doctors." With no confirmed treatment or vaccine, she emphasized that wearing masks, social distancing, and good hand and face hygiene are still the best ways to defend against the novel coronavirus.
"This is a time in a pandemic when there is so much misinformation, inaccurate information," she stated. "And we need the president of our country to be standing up and debunking these myths, not adding to them."
Many U.S. consumers say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for holiday gifts in recent months, according to a a December poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A contributing factor is the unusually high import taxes the Trump administration put on foreign goods. While the worst-case consumer impact that many economists foresaw from the administration’s trade policies hasn’t materialized, some popular gift items have been affected more than others. Most toys and electronics sold in the U.S. come from China. So do most holiday decorations. Jewelry prices have risen due to the cost of gold.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
