Latest news with #presidentialdebate
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Ambien under scrutiny amid claims Joe Biden had been taking sleep drug
Doctors are chiming in after Hunter Biden claimed that sleeping pills could have contributed to his father's apparent cognitive struggles during the 2024 presidential debates. Former President Joe Biden's son made the statements during an interview with YouTube host Andrew Callaghan that was released on Monday. When discussing his father's performance in the first presidential debate on June 27, 2024 — which was widely described as "disastrous" and ultimately led to Joe Biden dropping out of the race — Hunter Biden pointed to his father's alleged use of the sleep aid Ambien. Doctors Express Concern About Biden's Apparent Cognitive Issues During Debate: 'Troubling Indicators' "I'll tell you what, I know exactly what happened in that debate. He flew around the world, basically, and the mileage that he could have flown around the world three times," Hunter Biden said during an appearance on "Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan." "He's 81 years old. He's tired as s---. They give him Ambien to be able to sleep. He gets up on stage and he looks like he's a deer in the headlights. And it feeds into f------ story that anybody wants to tell." Read On The Fox News App Ambien (generic name zolpidem) is a prescription medication for insomnia. It is intended only for short-term use, according to GoodRx. Some of the most common side effects of Ambien include dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle and joint pain, and double or blurry vision, the above source stated. After Biden Drops Out Of Race, Doctors Reveal Why The Decision May Have Been Best For His Health The medication can also cause memory problems and grogginess during the day. More serious and rare side effects can include hallucinations, "abnormal thinking and behavior" and "possible increased risk of dementia in older adults," according to GoodRx. "By itself, zolpidem can cause a higher risk for falls, altered behavior and oversedation. If combined with other substances, the risks are even higher," the same source states. "Zolpidem can cause daytime sleepiness, dizziness, confusion and slowed brain activity, especially when combined with alcohol, benzodiazepines, opioids or tricyclic antidepressants." It is recommended that people age 65 and older "use extra care" after taking the drug, as it can increase the risk of falling. Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News, agreed that Ambien can lead to confusion, hallucinations or out-of-body experiences. "Ambien is not a great drug for the elderly for these reasons," Siegel, who has not treated Biden, told Fox News Digital. However, the doctor continued, "We don't have a verifiable source to be sure that this is true about the Ambien … He could have been taking anything." Siegel also pointed out that Ambien is not a sedative, and if Biden took it the night before, it should have worn off by the time of the debate. "And taking it right before the debate makes no sense whatsoever – no doctor would recommend that," Siegel said. Dr. Michaela Robbins, a board-certified nurse practitioner in New York and founder of East x West Med, a hormone and longevity practice, has not been involved in Biden's care but commented on Ambien's possible role in his alleged condition. "It is hard to say without providing a full medical assessment, but generally Ambien use can absolutely cause the type of confusion that Biden appeared to experience," she told Fox News Digital. "Studies have suggested that even short-term use of Ambien may cause delirium and confusion, and long-term use has been associated with an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline, especially in the geriatric population." She added, "It is less likely to cause that type of impact in a younger, healthier individual — but for someone Biden's age, medication-induced confusion is common, especially with sedatives." Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter Overall, Robbins said, Ambien is recognized as a "problematic and inappropriate medication" when prescribed to older individuals. "Ambien can be a really dangerous drug in older adults, especially when or if combined with other medications," she said. Every time Ambien is prescribed, it is recommended that the patient receives a thorough medical assessment and discusses the pros and cons with a doctor. "From a longevity perspective, I believe there are better interventions to prevent or treat insomnia that have fewer health risks and lead to less mental impairment," Robbins advised. For more Health articles, visit Fox News Digital reached out to Joe Biden's representatives and to Cosette Pharmaceuticals, the current manufacturer of Ambien, for article source: Ambien under scrutiny amid claims Joe Biden had been taking sleep drug Solve the daily Crossword
CNN
21 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Analysis: Should anyone pay attention to Hunter Biden?
Aggravated and unleashed, former first son Hunter Biden is on something of a grudge tour, lashing out at those who pressured his father to sub out of the presidential race in the fourth quarter of the 2024 presidential election. 'I don't give a shit what George Clooney thinks,' Biden told former DNC chair Jaime Harrison in a podcast. Clooney's New York Times op-ed about President Joe Biden's decline may have energized pressure for him to step down as the Democratic nominee in 2024, but it was fed by the conventional wisdom, obvious to anyone who watched Biden's fumbling performance in CNN's 2024 presidential debate that he was going to lose the election. Biden's decision to step down after a disastrous debate performance came after the primary process — too late for Democratic voters to pick his replacement, but soon enough for Vice President Kamala Harris to launch a last-minute and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to keep the White House for Democrats. Now Democrats are contending with a lurch to the right engineered by the Trump administration, which has initiated mass deportation efforts; downsized the federal government; directed the Justice Department to investigate the president's political enemies; all but ended foreign aid programs; clamped down on diversity efforts; cut taxes mostly for the wealthy; and engineered cuts to Medicaid spending that will kick millions of Americans off their health insurance in the years to come. In the aftermath of the Democrats' disaster, Hunter Biden has it in for Clooney, James Carville and other Democratic luminaries, all of who he thinks undercut his dad, who got a lot done and is now watching much of it be undone by Trump. He has also been dismissive of former President Barack Obama. And Hunter has an excuse for his dad's bad debate performance: Joe Biden was tired and on the sleep aid Ambien, Hunter Biden said during a three-hour interview about politics and his recovery from addiction on Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan. That may be true, but there are also no excuses if your one job — as Joe Biden's was for Democrats — is to stand in the way of Trump's resurgence. And so most Democrats probably, to borrow Hunter Biden's words, don't give a $!@# what he says. Controversy around Hunter Biden, who has been accused of trading on his last name to secure work for foreign companies, allowed Trump and Republicans to impugn Joe Biden. There was never proof that Joe Biden abused his position, but after years of investigations, there didn't need to be. The special counsel investigation into Hunter Biden's illegal ownership of a firearm while addicted to drugs and his tax evasion were sideshows that also probably damaged Joe Biden's presidency. Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son and others on his way out of the White House door will tarnish his presidential legacy, even as it accurately predicted the Trump administration's use of the Department of Justice. All of that makes it easy to pile on Hunter Biden for not seeing that his father's flagging approval rating and the perception that his decline was being hidden from Americans made his reelection extremely unlikely. Hunter Biden is sticking up for his dad's legacy. Clooney's op-ed, on the other hand, seemed to come from a place of genuine concern both for Biden and for the country. An autopsy the party is preparing to assess why it lost the 2024 election will sidestep Biden's decision to bow out, as well as Harris' campaign, according to a report in the New York Times — which almost sounds like the punchline of a joke. 'An autopsy should address the actual cause of death,' Rep. Ritchie Torres of Texas said Sunday on CNN's 'State of the Union.' Torres argued a Democratic nominee would have benefited from a primary process and exposure to voters, which is Politics 101. Another Democrat, Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, told CNN's Kasie Hunt that he's looking forward to the next election, not back at the last one. 'You can't go back in time and change that decision, which, of course, was consequential to the outcome. So why don't we focus on what people expect from us right now,' Swalwell said Monday.
CNN
21 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Analysis: Should anyone pay attention to Hunter Biden?
Aggravated and unleashed, former first son Hunter Biden is on something of a grudge tour, lashing out at those who pressured his father to sub out of the presidential race in the fourth quarter of the 2024 presidential election. 'I don't give a shit what George Clooney thinks,' Biden told former DNC chair Jaime Harrison in a podcast. Clooney's New York Times op-ed about President Joe Biden's decline may have energized pressure for him to step down as the Democratic nominee in 2024, but it was fed by the conventional wisdom, obvious to anyone who watched Biden's fumbling performance in CNN's 2024 presidential debate that he was going to lose the election. Biden's decision to step down after a disastrous debate performance came after the primary process — too late for Democratic voters to pick his replacement, but soon enough for Vice President Kamala Harris to launch a last-minute and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to keep the White House for Democrats. Now Democrats are contending with a lurch to the right engineered by the Trump administration, which has initiated mass deportation efforts; downsized the federal government; directed the Justice Department to investigate the president's political enemies; all but ended foreign aid programs; clamped down on diversity efforts; cut taxes mostly for the wealthy; and engineered cuts to Medicaid spending that will kick millions of Americans off their health insurance in the years to come. In the aftermath of the Democrats' disaster, Hunter Biden has it in for Clooney, James Carville and other Democratic luminaries, all of who he thinks undercut his dad, who got a lot done and is now watching much of it be undone by Trump. He has also been dismissive of former President Barack Obama. And Hunter has an excuse for his dad's bad debate performance: Joe Biden was tired and on the sleep aid Ambien, Hunter Biden said during a three-hour interview about politics and his recovery from addiction on Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan. That may be true, but there are also no excuses if your one job — as Joe Biden's was for Democrats — is to stand in the way of Trump's resurgence. And so most Democrats probably, to borrow Hunter Biden's words, don't give a $!@# what he says. Controversy around Hunter Biden, who has been accused of trading on his last name to secure work for foreign companies, allowed Trump and Republicans to impugn Joe Biden. There was never proof that Joe Biden abused his position, but after years of investigations, there didn't need to be. The special counsel investigation into Hunter Biden's illegal ownership of a firearm while addicted to drugs and his tax evasion were sideshows that also probably damaged Joe Biden's presidency. Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son and others on his way out of the White House door will tarnish his presidential legacy, even as it accurately predicted the Trump administration's use of the Department of Justice. All of that makes it easy to pile on Hunter Biden for not seeing that his father's flagging approval rating and the perception that his decline was being hidden from Americans made his reelection extremely unlikely. Hunter Biden is sticking up for his dad's legacy. Clooney's op-ed, on the other hand, seemed to come from a place of genuine concern both for Biden and for the country. An autopsy the party is preparing to assess why it lost the 2024 election will sidestep Biden's decision to bow out, as well as Harris' campaign, according to a report in the New York Times — which almost sounds like the punchline of a joke. 'An autopsy should address the actual cause of death,' Rep. Ritchie Torres of Texas said Sunday on CNN's 'State of the Union.' Torres argued a Democratic nominee would have benefited from a primary process and exposure to voters, which is Politics 101. Another Democrat, Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, told CNN's Kasie Hunt that he's looking forward to the next election, not back at the last one. 'You can't go back in time and change that decision, which, of course, was consequential to the outcome. So why don't we focus on what people expect from us right now,' Swalwell said Monday.
CNN
21 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Analysis: Should anyone pay attention to Hunter Biden?
Aggravated and unleashed, former first son Hunter Biden is on something of a grudge tour, lashing out at those who pressured his father to sub out of the presidential race in the fourth quarter of the 2024 presidential election. 'I don't give a shit what George Clooney thinks,' Biden told former DNC chair Jaime Harrison in a podcast. Clooney's New York Times op-ed about President Joe Biden's decline may have energized pressure for him to step down as the Democratic nominee in 2024, but it was fed by the conventional wisdom, obvious to anyone who watched Biden's fumbling performance in CNN's 2024 presidential debate that he was going to lose the election. Biden's decision to step down after a disastrous debate performance came after the primary process — too late for Democratic voters to pick his replacement, but soon enough for Vice President Kamala Harris to launch a last-minute and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to keep the White House for Democrats. Now Democrats are contending with a lurch to the right engineered by the Trump administration, which has initiated mass deportation efforts; downsized the federal government; directed the Justice Department to investigate the president's political enemies; all but ended foreign aid programs; clamped down on diversity efforts; cut taxes mostly for the wealthy; and engineered cuts to Medicaid spending that will kick millions of Americans off their health insurance in the years to come. In the aftermath of the Democrats' disaster, Hunter Biden has it in for Clooney, James Carville and other Democratic luminaries, all of who he thinks undercut his dad, who got a lot done and is now watching much of it be undone by Trump. He has also been dismissive of former President Barack Obama. And Hunter has an excuse for his dad's bad debate performance: Joe Biden was tired and on the sleep aid Ambien, Hunter Biden said during a three-hour interview about politics and his recovery from addiction on Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan. That may be true, but there are also no excuses if your one job — as Joe Biden's was for Democrats — is to stand in the way of Trump's resurgence. And so most Democrats probably, to borrow Hunter Biden's words, don't give a $!@# what he says. Controversy around Hunter Biden, who has been accused of trading on his last name to secure work for foreign companies, allowed Trump and Republicans to impugn Joe Biden. There was never proof that Joe Biden abused his position, but after years of investigations, there didn't need to be. The special counsel investigation into Hunter Biden's illegal ownership of a firearm while addicted to drugs and his tax evasion were sideshows that also probably damaged Joe Biden's presidency. Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son and others on his way out of the White House door will tarnish his presidential legacy, even as it accurately predicted the Trump administration's use of the Department of Justice. All of that makes it easy to pile on Hunter Biden for not seeing that his father's flagging approval rating and the perception that his decline was being hidden from Americans made his reelection extremely unlikely. Hunter Biden is sticking up for his dad's legacy. Clooney's op-ed, on the other hand, seemed to come from a place of genuine concern both for Biden and for the country. An autopsy the party is preparing to assess why it lost the 2024 election will sidestep Biden's decision to bow out, as well as Harris' campaign, according to a report in the New York Times — which almost sounds like the punchline of a joke. 'An autopsy should address the actual cause of death,' Rep. Ritchie Torres of Texas said Sunday on CNN's 'State of the Union.' Torres argued a Democratic nominee would have benefited from a primary process and exposure to voters, which is Politics 101. Another Democrat, Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, told CNN's Kasie Hunt that he's looking forward to the next election, not back at the last one. 'You can't go back in time and change that decision, which, of course, was consequential to the outcome. So why don't we focus on what people expect from us right now,' Swalwell said Monday.
Daily Mail
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Senior Democrat rips into Hunter Biden's 'regrettable' claims about Joe being on sleeping pills
A senior member of the U.S. Senate Democratic Caucus had some choice words for Hunter Biden after the former first son made an astounding claim about the state of his father's health last year. Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal said on Capitol Hill Tuesday that Hunter Biden's comments were 'regrettable, because we need to be looking forward and focusing on the past really makes no sense.' The younger Biden appeared in an interview with YouTuber Andrew Callaghan which aired Monday, during which he made shocking claims about his father, former President Joe Biden. Hunter revealed that the sleep aid Ambien was to blame for his father's disastrous presidential debate performance, which became a turning point in the 2024 campaign. Monday's interview marked the one year anniversary of the presidential debate between then-incumbent Biden and current President Donald Trump, after which Biden withdrew from the race. 'I know exactly what happened in that debate,' Biden's son said. 'He flew around the world. He's 81 years old. He's tired. They gave him Ambien to be able to sleep and he gets up on the stage and looks like a deer in the headlights.' The then president blamed his lousy June 27, 2024 performance on a cold, though had spent several days at Camp David resting up ahead of the Atlanta showdown. As Republicans in the House and the Senate have been conducting investigations into the usage of the autopen by former President Joe Biden, Democrats have had to toe a tough line. Blumenthal has called the GOP investigations 'performative and theatrical' and told the Washington Examiner last month that he was 'not super interested in' attending a hearing on Biden's presidential pardon power. Yet, one of the actions taken by Biden via autopen during the last few days of presidency was the decision to commute the prison sentence of Adrian Peeler, a man who planned and committed the murder of an eight-year-old boy and his mother in 1999. The crime happened in Connecticut, Blumenthal's home state, and the senator remarked back in January that somebody had 'dropped the ball' with that particular decision. Hunter Biden's bombshell interview made numerous headlines Monday as the former first son unleashed f-bomb-laden rants and made shocking revelations about his family. Hunter also attacked prominent Democrats such as his father's former ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, who criticized Democrats performance in the 2024 election, and actor George Clooney who called for the elder Biden to drop out of the Presidential race last year. Hunter even went as far to say that he would invade El Salvador if they refuse to send back deportees sent to the country by the Trump administration. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz remarked that the rant was 'unhinged.' 'This is the current state of the Democrat party,' he added.
