What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[Valmy]

That would be concerning if anybody ever went to government websites.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

I have six different NOAA tabs pinned in my browser right now...

[Savonarola]

Big Pharma about to get its comeuppance at last, deep in the heart of Texas:

From ABC

Texas AG sues makers of Tylenol, claiming they hid alleged links to autism

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the makers of Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue, claiming that they deceptively marketed the over-the-counter medication to pregnant women despite alleged links to autism and other disorders.

"Big Pharma betrayed America by profiting off of pain and pushing pills regardless of the risks," Paxton said in a statement on Tuesday. "These corporations lied for decades, knowingly endangering millions to line their pockets. ... By holding Big Pharma accountable for poisoning our people, we will help Make America Healthy Again."

This is the first lawsuit from a state government since President Donald Trump claimed in September that Tylenol use during pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of autism, despite limited evidence to suggest an association -- and no evidence that it causes autism, according to major medical organizations.

Johnson & Johnson sold the drug for decades and its consumer health division spinoff, Kenvue Inc., has been selling the drug since 2023.

In a statement, Kenvue pushed back on the attorney general's claims, saying it is "deeply concerned by the perpetuation of misinformation on the safety of acetaminophen and the potential impact that could have on the health of American women and children."

"Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy. Without it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives. High fevers and pain are widely recognized as potential risks to a pregnancy if left untreated," the statement read.

"We will defend ourselves against these baseless claims and respond per the legal process. We stand firmly with the global medical community that acknowledges the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to be successful in litigation as these claims lack legal merit and scientific support," the statement continued.

Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy blasted the lawsuit and said it should be thrown out "because the evidence is weak."

"I'm a doctor, so I'm always going to go where the medical science lands and the best evidence is there's no relationship," Cassidy, chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, told ABC News.

The Louisiana Senator, who chairs the chamber's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee, concluded that Texas AG Ken Paxton shouldn't be suing if there's a coincidental linkage between some Tylenol use in pregnant mothers and the risk of the disorders without ample evidence.

Cassidy suggested to ABC News that the suit should be thrown out because the "evidence is weak."

Studies have been mixed on whether acetaminophen is linked to a higher risk of ADHD or autism, but no published study has found a direct cause and effect. Some studies point to a possible link, but major medical groups maintain that acetaminophen is safe in moderation, as described on the packaging, during pregnancy.

During Trump's press conference last month, federal officials cited an August 2025 meta-analysis from researchers at Mt. Sinai, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Heath, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and UMass Lowell that found prenatal exposure to acetaminophen may increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and ADHD, in children.

However, the authors of the meta-analysis said their work does not prove Tylenol taken during pregnancy causes autism and did not recommend that pregnant patients stop using Tylenol.

An April 2024 study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in JAMA, found that using acetaminophen during pregnancy was not linked to an increased risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability in children.

In a statement, last month, Dr. Steven Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), said the medical group continues to recommend acetaminophen as the safest painkiller during pregnancy.

"Suggestions that acetaminophen use in pregnancy causes autism are not only highly concerning to clinicians but also irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients, including those who may need to rely on this beneficial medicine during pregnancy," Fleischman said.

As recently as last weekend, Trump posted on social media, again urging pregnant women not to take Tylenol unless absolutely necessary and for them not to give the medication to their young children.

Paxton, a Republican, is running for Senate and competing against GOP Sen. John Cornyn in the primary next year. The race is a competitive one and some of Paxton's action appear to align with the priorities of Trump.

Paxton challenged the results of the 2020 presidential election after Trump falsely claimed it was stolen and he also asked the state's highest court to expel Democratic statehouse legislators from office after they fled the state over Republican efforts to pass a new congressional map that could create up to five new GOP seats.

A similar civil suit against Kenvue was thrown out of court by a judge citing a lack of evidence, which is under appeal with hearings set in November in New York.

(Not to pick on Texas, I could just as easily imagine a case like this being filed in Florida.)

[The Minsky Moment]

I pick on Texas because they made a man like Ken Paxton their top legal officer instead of a felony convict, despite knowing exactly what he is.

[HVC]

Trump was bragging about a hard IQ test he had to take. Turns out it was a dementia test he was having trouble with

[viper37]

Trump was bragging about a hard IQ test he had to take. Turns out it was a dementia test he was having trouble with

You laugh, but he has control of the nukes...

[HVC]

Trump was bragging about a hard IQ test he had to take. Turns out it was a dementia test he was having trouble with

You laugh, but he has control of the nukes...

There's nothing I can do but laugh.

[Norgy]

It's a good thing South Korea gave Trump a crown, right?

[Syt]

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trump-asks-pentagon-immediately-start-testing-us-nuclear-weapons-2025-10-30/

Trump tells Pentagon to immediately resume testing US nuclear weapons

BUSAN, South Korea, Oct 30 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military on Thursday to immediately resume testing nuclear weapons after a gap of 33 years, minutes before beginning a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump made the surprise announcement on Truth Social while he was aboard his Marine One helicopter flying to meet Xi for a trade negotiating session in Busan, South Korea. He said he was instructing the Pentagon to test the U.S. nuclear arsenal on an "equal basis" with other nuclear powers.

"Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately," Trump posted.

"Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years."

NUCLEAR TESTING SITES TO BE DETERMINED LATER

Later, on his way back to Washington, Trump said testing was needed to ensure Washington keeps up with its rival nuclear powers.

"With others doing testing, I think it's appropriate that we do also," Trump said aboard Air Force One, adding that nuclear test sites would be determined later.

Asked whether the world was entering a more risky phase around nuclear weapons, Trump dismissed the threat, saying U.S. stocks were "well locked up" before adding he would welcome denuclearisation.

"I'd like to see a denuclearisation because we have so many and Russia's second and China's third and China will catch up within four or five years," he said.

"We are actually talking to Russia about that and China would be added to that if we do something."

It was not immediately clear whether Trump was referring to nuclear-explosive testing, which would be carried out by the National Nuclear Safety Administration, or flight testing of nuclear-capable missiles.

CHINA MORE THAN DOUBLED NUCLEAR ARSENAL IN LAST 5 YEARS

Trump's decision to restart nuclear weapons testing follows a rapid expansion by China of its nuclear stockpile in recent years, and came just after Russia announced what it called a successful test of a nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable cruise missile as well as a nuclear-powered torpedo.

Trump addressed the Russian moves aboard Air Force One earlier this week, telling reporters that President Vladimir Putin should be working to end the war in Ukraine "instead of testing missiles."

Beijing has more than doubled the size of its arsenal to an estimated 600 nuclear weapons in 2025 from 300 weapons in 2020, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.

It said U.S. military officials estimate that China will have over 1,000 nuclear weapons by 2030. A Victory Day parade in September revealed five nuclear capabilities that can all reach the continental United States, CSIS said.

The Washington-based Arms Control Association says the United States has a stockpile of 5,225 nuclear warheads and Russia has 5,580.

Putin said on Wednesday Russia had successfully tested a Poseidon nuclear-powered super torpedo that military analysts say is capable of devastating coastal regions by triggering vast radioactive ocean swells.

As Trump has toughened both his rhetoric and his stance on Russia, Putin has publicly flexed his nuclear muscles with the test of a new Burevestnik cruise missile on October 21 and nuclear launch drills on October 22.

NEGATIVE REACTIONS TO TRUMP'S POST The reaction to Trump's announcement on testing was swift. Representative Dina Titus, a Democrat from Nevada, said on X: "I'll be introducing legislation to put a stop to this."

Daryl Kimball, director of the Arms Control Association, said it would take the United States at least 36 months to resume contained nuclear tests underground at the former test site in Nevada.

"Trump is misinformed and out of touch. The U.S. has no technical, military, or political reason to resume nuclear explosive testing for the first time since 1992," Kimball said on X.

He added Trump's announcement could "trigger a chain reaction of nuclear testing by U.S. adversaries, and blow apart the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."

Apart from providing technical data, a U.S. test would be seen in Russia and China as a deliberate assertion of U.S. strategic power. Putin has repeatedly said that Russia will test if the United States does.

In August, Trump said he had discussed nuclear arms control with Putin and wanted China to get involved. Beijing responded by saying it was "unreasonable and unrealistic" to ask the country to join in nuclear disarmament negotiations with the two countries, since its arsenal was much smaller.

Trump had first laid out his intention to pursue nuclear arms control efforts in February, saying he wanted to begin discussions with both Putin and Xi about imposing limits on their arsenals.

The United States last tested a nuclear weapon in 1992.

Most major nuclear powers except North Korea stopped explosive nuclear testing in the 1990s. North Korea conducted its last nuclear test in 2017. Russia's last confirmed test was in 1990, followed by the last U.S. test in 1992, and by China's in 1996.

The United States opened the nuclear era in July 1945 with the test of a 20-kiloton atomic bomb at Alamogordo, New Mexico, and then dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 to force Japan to surrender in World War Two.

[The Brain]

Isn't the Department of War about shredded warriors warfighting wars? Where does testing nukes come into this?

[Norgy]

Nukes do tend to slim people down a bit, I think.

[Tamas]

I was reading this news along Musk shrillong about a British civil war and trying to create the anti-Wikipedia.

It's just... The only hope we have left is that these morons will lead us to a limited and not an extinction-level catastrophe, isn't it?

[PJL]

I was reading this news along Musk shrillong about a British civil war and trying to create the anti-Wikipedia.

It's just... The only hope we have left is that these morons will lead us to a limited and not an extinction-level catastrophe, isn't it?

I'd prefer an extinction level event rather than seeing things out unfold the way it going at the moment. Better to die in a nuclear hellout than live in a facist peace.

[Norgy]

Agreed. But let's wait until we can try EUV.

[Tamas]

Well, I'd prefer if my kid had a future past a slow and agonising death due to radiation poisoning, thankyouverymuch.