Alzheimer’s prevention breakthrough found in decades-old seizure drug

Source: Fox News

“A drug that has long been used to treat seizures has shown promise as a potential means of Alzheimer’s prevention, a new study suggests. The anti-seizure medication, levetiracetam, was first approved by the FDA in November 1999 under the brand name Keppra as a therapy for partial-onset seizures in adults. The approval has since expanded to include children and other types of seizures. Northwestern University researchers recently found that levetiracetam prevented the formation of toxic amyloid beta peptides, which are small protein fragments in the brain that are commonly seen in Alzheimer’s patients. The medication was found to prevent the formation of amyloid-beta 42 in both animal models and cultured human neurons, according to the study findings, which were published in Science Translational Medicine. The effect was also seen in post-mortem human brain tissue obtained from individuals with Down syndrome, who are at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease.” (03/03/26)

https://www.foxnews.com/health/alzheimers-prevention-breakthrough-found-decades-old-seizure-drug

Steve Trinward

MAGA Already Hates Trump’s Iran War

Source: The Bulwark
by Will Sommer

“Despite his presidential campaign promises to put America first, Donald Trump didn’t seem to upset his media allies too much when he bombed Iran last June, or when he sent Delta Force to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January. But those engagements were limited, free of American fatalities, and didn’t appear to produce much in the way of immediate consequences for Trump or the country. Even white nationalist Nick Fuentes became an old-school Monroe Doctrine imperialist. Trump’s latest attacks on Iran this weekend, however, have given rise to a much more negative reaction in right-wing media.” (03/02/26)

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/maga-already-hates-trumps-iran-war

Thomas L. Knapp

Military Action without Urgency or Legitimate Purposes

Source: Independent Institute
by Ivan Eland

“Trump not only needs to inform the American people about why he is taking the nation into a potentially escalatory war in their name but also to get their representatives in Congress to approve it, even now that it has illegally commenced. (Before the war started, American public support for an attack on Iran was only about 20 percent.) Trump will point to past bad presidential precedents to claim that he doesn’t need to do this — a ready opening for an authoritarian-leaning president that has been widening for some time. Congress needs to protest loudly and, finally, at long last, begin to rein in a rogue executive, but it probably won’t.” (03/02/26)

https://www.independent.org/article/2026/03/02/iran-military-action-urgency-legitimate-purpose/

Thomas L. Knapp

Kabul rocked by blasts as Afghan, Pakistani troops intensify border clashes

Source: France 24 [French state media]

“AFP journalists in Kabul heard multiple explosions and gunfire on Tuesday, as Afghan and Pakistani troops keep up their border battles. The blasts in the Afghan capital were heard alongside anti-aircraft weapons and gunfire from across the city, and came as the Afghan defence ministry said “the fighting is still ongoing” against Pakistani forces. An AFP journalist in Jalalabad city, between Kabul and the frontier, reported hearing explosions and various weapons being fired. At the nearest border crossing, around 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Jalalabad, residents in Torkham told AFP the days-long fighting was continuing. The neighbours have clashed along the frontier since Thursday, when Afghanistan launched a border offensive in response to Pakistani air strikes.” (03/03/26)

https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20260303-kabul-blasts-afghan-pakistani-troops-border-clashes

Thomas L. Knapp

Calls for censorship are a familiar wartime mistake

Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Nico Perrino

“The most acute challenges to free expression often come during times of war. The Sedition Act of 1798 criminalized criticism of the federal government amid fears of war with France. During World War I, the Espionage Act led to more than 2,000 prosecutions for speech ranging from teaching that Christians should not kill in war to protests over draft exemptions. The Cold War brought McCarthyism, blacklists, and loyalty oaths. After each of these periods, Americans came to regret the country’s censorship frenzy. … Not every war needs to be followed by censorship and then regret. We can learn from this historical pattern and refuse to censor in the first place.” (03/02/26)

https://www.fire.org/news/calls-censorship-are-familiar-wartime-mistake

Thomas L. Knapp