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Engadget
20 hours ago
- Health
- Engadget
Peter Thiel is utterly wrong about Alzheimer's
The New York Times ran a lengthy interview this morning between columnist Ross Douthat and venture capitalist and PayPal founder Peter Thiel. There's a reason it was published in the opinion section. Thiel, a Trump booster whose allies — including Vice President JD Vance — now litter the White House, was given free reign to discuss a variety of topics across over an hour of softball questions. Is Greta Thunberg the literal antichrist? Are the three predominant ideological schools in Europe environmentalism, "Islamic Shariah law" and "Chinese Communist totalitarian takeover"? Is AI "woke" and capable of following Elon Musk to Mars? Peter seems to think so! Perhaps the "just asking questions" school of journalism could add " hey, what the fuck are you talking about " to its repertoire. Admittedly, many of these assertions fall squarely into the realm of things that exist within Thiel's mind palace rather than verifiable facts, with at least one notable exception. Relatively early in their chat, Peter tells Ross the following [emphasis ours]: If we look at biotech, something like dementia, Alzheimer's — we've made zero progress in 40 to 50 years. People are completely stuck on beta amyloids. It's obviously not working. It's just some kind of a stupid racket where the people are just reinforcing themselves. It's a pretty bold claim! It's also completely untrue. "There was no treatment 40 or 50 years ago for Alzheimer's disease," Sterling Johnson, a professor of Geriatrics and Gerontology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, told Engadget. "What we've been able to do in the last 20 years has been actually pretty extraordinary. We've developed markers that help us identify when this disease starts, using the using amyloid markers and tau biomarkers, we know that the disease actually begins 20 years before the symptoms do, and that is a critical thing to know if we are going to prevent this disease." At the moment, Alzheimer's remains incurable. But the absence of a miracle cure does not negate the accomplishments thus far in detection and prevention. "The first treatments were these window dressing treatments. It's like treating the symptoms like you would treat a cold [...] The first generation of amyloid therapy was that kind of approach where it just addressed the symptoms by amping up the neurons and increasing the neurotransmitters available to the to the brain cells." Johnson, whose team runs one of the largest and longest studies on people at risk for developing Alzheimer's diseases, added, "Now we have opportunities to actually modify the disease biology through the amyloid pathway, but also we're focused on the other proteinopathy — which is tau — and there's clinical trials underway." Thiel, a well-known advocate for advancements in radical life extension (including a reported interest in injecting himself with the blood of young people) sees the state of scientific research in this area as sluggish and risk averse. But the groundbreaking work is happening at this moment. Professor Johnson pointed to a monoclonal antibody called gantenerumab. In an early test of 73 participants with inherited mutations that would cause them to overproduce amyloid in the brain, it cut the number of participants who developed Alzheimer's symptoms practically in half. "The big phase three prevention trials [of gantenerumab] are happening right now," For someone who fashions himself as a heterodox thinker, Thiel certainly seems to have stumbled on a remarkably similar talking point to current Trump administration FDA head Robert F Kennedy Jr. "Alzheimer's is a very, very good example of how [National Institute of Health] has gone off the rails over the past 20 years ago with research on amyloid plaques" Kennedy said at a Department of Health budgetary hearing last month. He claimed the NIH was "cutting off any other hypothesis" due to "corruption." Unsurprisingly, the Alzheimer's Association has called this "demonstrably false." "In reality, over the most recent 10 years available (2014-2023), less than 14% of new National Institutes of Health (NIH) Alzheimer's projects focused on amyloid beta as the therapeutic target," the organization wrote, "As of September 2024, the National Institute on Aging was investing in 495 pharmacological and non-pharmacological trials. To state that Alzheimer's research is focused on amyloid to the exclusion of other targets is clearly wrong." If I, personally, wanted more robust medical research and a chance an eternal life (I don't), greasing the wheels of an administration broadly gutting funding for science would be a strange way to make that happen. But this is the sort of incoherence we've come to expect from tech oligarchs: they say what benefits them, even if it's nonsense on its face, even if a moment's reflection reveals it to be patently false. What's embarrassing is the paper of record giving them free reign to do it.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump says U.S. trade deal with China is done after talks in London
London — President Trump declared on Wednesday morning that a U.S. trade "deal with China is done." The U.S. leader offered a few key details of a "framework deal" reached between senior U.S. and Chinese trade representatives in London on Tuesday, but he acknowledged that both he and Chinese President Xi Jinping were both yet to formally sign off on the agreement. The U.S. and Chinese trade teams wrapped up two days of marathon negotiations in London close to midnight on Tuesday, with the sides saying they had agreed on a new "framework deal" to ease the trade war between the world's two largest economies. The tension had only increased in recent weeks, despite an agreement reached in Geneva during a first round of talks in May to put the steepest retaliatory tariffs on hold. Those record-high tariffs are due to kick back in on July 9, unless the agreement struck in London is in fact formalized by Trump and Xi. In month since the Geneva talks, Beijing had cut its exports of critical rare earth elements to the U.S. by half compared to the previous year, and the Trump administration said it would "aggressively revoke" the visas of Chinese students in the U.S. who were found to be linked to the Chinese Communist party. While the announcement by Mr. Trump's top negotiators on Tuesday evening of an agreed framework was thin on details, the president said in a post on his own Truth Social media platform Wednesday morning that it was "done, subject to final approval with president Xi and me." Mr. Trump said the deal would see China maintain its current 10% tariffs on goods imported from the U.S., while the U.S. would keep 55% tariffs on Chinese imports. "President XI and I are going to work closely together to open up China to American Trade," Mr. Trump added in a subsequent post. "This would be a great WIN for both countries!!!" There was no immediate confirmation from China's government of any terms agreed to in the framework, or whether President Xi intended to sign off on the deal. In Geneva, Beijing and Washington agreed in May to put their unprecedented tariffs of more than 100% on each other's imports on hold for 90 days. That brought U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports down to their current level of 30% after they briefly soared to around 145%. Chinese tariffs currently stand at 10%, after hitting 125% before the Geneva round of talks. Speaking Tuesday, Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang, who took part in the talks in London, confirmed the agreement on a framework, "in principle." On Wednesday, China's state-run media said the delegations had "made new progress," but offered no details. "The framework deal puts meat on the bones of an agreement reached last month in Geneva to ease bilateral retaliatory tariffs," U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters after the talks in London, which spanned six hours on Monday and then more than 12 hours into the evening on Tuesday. Lutnick said part of the objective of this week's second round of meetings was just to get "the negativity out" of the bilateral relationship, which had festered since the Geneva talks. "Now we can go forward to try to do positive trade, growing trade," he said. The U.S. wants China to resume and increase shipments of rare earths. The materials are vital to industries ranging from weapons and aerospace to electric vehicles and small consumer goods. On Wednesday, in his all-capital-letter social media post, Mr. Trump said under the agreement reached in London, "full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities." "Relationship is excellent!" added Mr. Trump. "At stake is the release of rare earths exports to U.S. manufacturers — stockpiles are dwindling fast — in exchange for aerospace parts and semiconductor programming technology to China," Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, told investors in a report. "A 'fail' would raise the risk of auto and aircraft production grinding to a halt as soon as next month. If that happens, economic growth will be severely dented for an unknown term." LAPD chief speaks out about deployment of military forces to anti-ICE protests Australian reporter covering Los Angeles protests shot with rubber bullet by police officer Can Trump deploy National Guard without governor's approval?
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First Post
04-06-2025
- General
- First Post
'The world will not forget': Tiananmen Square massacre victims remembered on 36th anniversary as China censors history
The world marked 36 years since the Tiananmen Square massacre, with leaders from the US and Taiwan vowing never to forget the brutal crackdown. China continues to censor the 1989 events, in which hundreds or possibly thousands were killed by the military. read more Hundreds of thousands of people fill Peking's central Tiananmen Square, May 17, 1989 in front of the Monument to People's Heroes and Mao's mausoleum in the biggest popular upheaval in China since the Cultural Revolution of the 1960's. File Image/Reuters The Tiananmen Square massacre will never be forgotten, the US secretary of state and Taiwan's president said on its 36th anniversary . China still tries to erase the 1989 crackdown from public memory. There's no official death toll, but activists say hundreds, possibly thousands, were killed by the Chinese army near Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989. 'Today we commemorate the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed as they tried to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to suffer persecution as they seek accountability and justice for the events of June 4, 1989,' said Marco Rubio. 'The [Chinese Communist party] actively tries to censor the facts, but the world will never forget.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Taiwan's president, Lai Ching-te, while emphasising on e bravery of the protesters said 'Authoritarian governments often choose to silence and forget history, while democratic societies choose to preserve the truth and refuse to forget those who gave their lives – and their dreams – to the idea of human rights,' Lai said. The Tiananmen Square massacre refers to the violent suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing, China, on June 3–4, 1989. Following weeks of peaceful protests led by students and supported by workers and intellectuals, the Chinese government declared martial law and deployed the military to forcibly clear the square. Troops and tanks opened fire on unarmed civilians, resulting in a significant number of deaths. The exact death toll remains uncertain. Official Chinese sources reported around 200–300 fatalities, while other estimates suggest that thousands may have died during the crackdown. The Chinese government has never released a full accounting of the events and continues to censor discussions about the massacre. Despite efforts to suppress information, the Tiananmen Square massacre remains a symbol of the struggle for democratic reform and human rights in China. Iconic images, such as the lone protester standing in front of a line of tanks, have become emblematic of peaceful resistance against oppression.
Straits Times
04-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
White House calls South Korea election ‘fair', expresses concern about Chinese influence
In recent days, right-wing allies of US President Donald Trump have taken aim at Mr Lee Jae-myung. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG WASHINGTON - The White House said on June 3 that South Korea's election, which saw liberal party candidate Lee Jae-myung win the presidency, was fair, but it expressed concern about Chinese interference. "The US-ROK Alliance remains ironclad. While South Korea had a free and fair election, the United States remains concerned and opposed to Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world," a White House official said in an emailed response to a Reuters request for comment made at an earlier White House briefing. "ROK" refers to the Republic of Korea. The official did not elaborate on the reference to alleged Chinese interference or connect it directly to the South Korean election. In recent days, however, right-wing allies of US President Donald Trump have taken aim at Lee, who has spoken of the need to balance Seoul's relations with China and the United States. Ms Laura Loomer, a far-right activist who has jockeyed her way up from online agitator to self-appointed Mr Trump adviser, posted "RIP South Korea" on X on June 3 after Lee's victory became clear. "The communists have taken over Korea and won the Presidential election today," she wrote. "This is terrible," she added. Ms Loomer has shown herself to be highly influential: Several high-ranking White House officials were fired in 2024 after she presented Mr Trump with a list of national security staffers she perceived to be disloyal. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement congratulating Lee, and like the White House spoke about the two countries' alliance, also calling it "ironclad." He made no mention of concerns about China. "The United States and the Republic of Korea share an ironclad commitment to the Alliance grounded in our Mutual Defence Treaty, shared values, and deep economic ties," Mr Rubio said. "We are also modernising the Alliance to meet the demands of today's strategic environment and address new economic challenges." Mr Rubio also said the United States would continue to deepen trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan, 'to bolster regional security, enhance economic resilience, and defend our shared democratic principles.' As South Korea's ousted former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, fought for his political life earlier in 2025, he raised unsubstantiated claims about possible fraud in South Korea's elections as one reason for his announcement of a martial law decree that had prompted his ouster. His backers adopted "Stop the Steal" slogans and expressed hopes that Mr Trump would intervene to help, but that never came. Last week, without providing evidence, Mr Trump ally Mike Flynn, a retired general who briefly served as the president's national security adviser during his first term, referred in a post on X to "signs of fraud" in the South Korea election, and said a fraudulent outcome would only benefit the Chinese Communist Party. Another Mr Trump ally, Mr Steve Bannon, explored a similar theme of Chinese election interference on his WarRoom channel last week. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
04-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
White House calls South Korea election ‘fair,' expresses concern about Chinese influence
In recent days, right-wing allies of US President Donald Trump have taken aim at Mr Lee Jae-myung. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG WASHINGTON - The White House said on June 3 that South Korea's election, which saw liberal party candidate Lee Jae-myung win the presidency, was fair, but it expressed concern about Chinese interference. "The US-ROK Alliance remains ironclad. While South Korea had a free and fair election, the United States remains concerned and opposed to Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world," a White House official said in an emailed response to a Reuters request for comment made at an earlier White House briefing. "ROK" refers to the Republic of Korea. The official did not elaborate on the reference to alleged Chinese interference or connect it directly to the South Korean election. In recent days, however, right-wing allies of US President Donald Trump have taken aim at Lee, who has spoken of the need to balance Seoul's relations with China and the United States. Ms Laura Loomer, a far-right activist who has jockeyed her way up from online agitator to self-appointed Mr Trump adviser, posted "RIP South Korea" on X on June 3 after Lee's victory became clear. "The communists have taken over Korea and won the Presidential election today," she wrote. "This is terrible," she added. Ms Loomer has shown herself to be highly influential: Several high-ranking White House officials were fired in 2024 after she presented Mr Trump with a list of national security staffers she perceived to be disloyal. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement congratulating Lee, and like the White House spoke about the two countries' alliance, also calling it "ironclad." He made no mention of concerns about China. "The United States and the Republic of Korea share an ironclad commitment to the Alliance grounded in our Mutual Defence Treaty, shared values, and deep economic ties," Mr Rubio said. "We are also modernising the Alliance to meet the demands of today's strategic environment and address new economic challenges." Mr Rubio also said the United States would continue to deepen trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan, 'to bolster regional security, enhance economic resilience, and defend our shared democratic principles.' As South Korea's ousted former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, fought for his political life earlier in 2025, he raised unsubstantiated claims about possible fraud in South Korea's elections as one reason for his announcement of a martial law decree that had prompted his ouster. His backers adopted "Stop the Steal" slogans and expressed hopes that Mr Trump would intervene to help, but that never came. Last week, without providing evidence, Mr Trump ally Mike Flynn, a retired general who briefly served as the president's national security adviser during his first term, referred in a post on X to "signs of fraud" in the South Korea election, and said a fraudulent outcome would only benefit the Chinese Communist Party. Another Mr Trump ally, Mr Steve Bannon, explored a similar theme of Chinese election interference on his WarRoom channel last week. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
