James' World 2

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The puzzle seems impossible: take a three-billion-letter code and predict what happens if you swap a single letter. The code we’re talking about—the human genome—stores most of its instructions in genetic “dark matter,” the 98 percent of DNA that doesn’t make proteins. AlphaGenome, an artificial intelligence system just released by Google DeepMind in London, aims to show how even tiny changes in those noncoding sections affect gene expression.

AlphaGenome shows promise in predicting how mutations in these regions cause diseases—from certain cancers to rare disorders where crucial proteins never get made. By revealing these hidden control switches, AlphaGenome could help researchers design therapies that target genetic conditions, potentially aiding millions of people.

But to understand the complexity of the task for which AlphaGenome was created, one must consider how the definition of a “gene” has evolved. The term, coined in 1909 to describe invisible units of heredity (as proposed by Gregor Mendel in 1865) initially carried no molecular baggage. But by the 1940s, the “one gene, one enzyme” idea took hold. And by the 1960s, textbooks taught that for a stretch of DNA to be properly called a gene, it had to code for a specific protein.

Over the past two decades, the definition has broadened with the discoveries of genes that code for the numerous types of RNAs that don’t get translated into proteins. Today a gene is considered to be any DNA segment whose RNA or protein product performs a biological function. This conceptual shift underscores the genome’s real estate map: Only about 1 to 2 percent of human DNA directly codes for proteins. But with the broader definition, roughly 40 percent is gene territory.

What remains unaccounted for is significant: more than a billion units of code that can determine how and how often genes get activated. Because relevant clues lie far apart and play out through complex cycles of gene regulation, decoding them has been among biology’s hardest challenges. AlphaGenome’s goal is to understand how these regions affect gene expression—and how even tiny changes can tilt the entire body’s balance between health and disease. To do so, the AI system uses a DNA sequence with a length of up to one million letters as input—and “predicts thousands of molecular properties characterising its regulatory activity,” according to a statement issued by DeepMind.

Already, AlphaGenome has replicated results from genetics labs. In a June 2025 preprint study (which has yet to be peer-reviewed), AlphaGenome’s team described using the model to run a simulation that mirrored known DNA interactions: mutations that act like rogue light switches by cranking a gene into overdrive in a certain type of leukemia. When AlphaGenome simulated interactions on a stretch of DNA containing both the gene and the mutation, it predicted the same complex chain of events that were already observed in lab experiments.

Though AlphaGenome is currently available only for noncommercial testing, responses in the scientific community have been enthusiastic so far, with both biotech start-ups and university researchers publicly expressing excitement about the system’s potential to accelerate research.

Limits remain. AlphaGenome struggles to capture interactions that are more than 100,000 DNA letters away, can miss some tissue-specific nuances and is not designed to predict traits from a complete personal genome. Complex diseases that depend on development or environment also lie outside its direct scope. The system does suggest wide-ranging uses, however: By tracing how minute changes ripple through gene regulation, it could pinpoint the roots of genetic disorders. It could help in the design of synthetic DNA. And above all, it could offer a faster way to chart the genome’s complex regulatory circuitry.

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Last night I attempted (rather unsuccessfully) to sleep through the sound of my son’s incessant coughing from his bedroom. (Far too) Soon, I woke up to a hungry baby, and one daughter who needed help getting ready for dance camp, while another wanted a ride to the gym. It was all in a matter of 10 minutes.

Upon returning from the urgent gym run, I could no longer put off a growing list of doctor and dentist appointments to schedule. At the same time, emails are flooding my inbox about summer math modules, practice schedule changes, and fees for upcoming clinics. 

The day ahead is packed with carpools, errands, feedings, and meals to plan and prepare. All I can think is, “Just let me get through this day.” 

This is why I completely relate to the sentiments in a new report from Duckbill and The Harris Poll. They surveyed American parents and found that most of us (65%) are “just getting through the day” rather than enjoying it.1 Interestingly, while married parents who make more than $100,000 are slightly less burdened by the tasks of modern life, half still report that they are just doing their best to get through the day, too.

As a mom of six, days like the one I mentioned are not the exception. They are the rule. I rush around trying to make life happen for my family. I’m constantly pulled away from conversations and thoughts by requests to find a Lego and questions like, “What can I do?” or “What can I eat?” 

Through it all, I’m also responsible for uplifting six people with problems ranging from getting a boo-boo to getting their heart broken. It’s exhausting and leaves little time to focus on myself.

Finding Joy Amid the Chaos of Modern Parenting

Not all is lost, however. Given that this study and others are finally shining a light on parents’ mental load, a major benefit has emerged: We are also being encouraged to start thinking about ways to refocus our attention on joy.

Here’s what I try and focus on—even when it feels impossible on some days. 

Remembering that this, too, shall pass 

For me, seeing how quickly my kids are growing up gives me an immense sense of appreciation for just how fleeting this time with them really is.

My oldest is about to head off to college—although I swear it was only a few years ago she was a little girl dressing up in Disney princess dresses and asking for string cheese. I also have younger children, with my littlest being just 5 months old.

The kids’ big age gap puts a lot in perspective, and I am able to actually enjoy their challenging stages, rather than just wishing they would move on from teething, tantrums, or middle school. It’ll be over way too soon, I now realize. 

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Photo:  Parents/GettyImages/LordHenriVoton

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As water temperatures continue to rise during the peak of summer, state officials urge residents and visitors to be aware of the risks, especially following storms or in coastal areas where conditions allow this dangerous bacteria to thrive.

Four people in Florida have died and seven others have been sickened this year by a rare but potentially deadly bacterial infection known as Vibrio vulnificus, state health officials confirmed.

The bacteria, often referred to as “flesh-eating,” lives in warm saltwater and brackish water—a mix of salt and freshwater—and can cause a severe illness called vibriosis. In some cases, the infection leads to necrotizing fasciitis, a condition that breaks down skin and soft tissue so rapidly that amputation may be necessary to stop its spread.

The Florida Department of Health reported that the four deaths occurred in Bay, Broward, Hillsborough, and St. Johns counties as of July 11. While the number of cases—11 so far in 2025—is down from last year’s record-breaking total, officials are again urging caution during the peak of summer when exposure risk increases.

In 2024, the state recorded 82 cases and 19 deaths, most of them after hurricanes Helene and Milton caused heavy flooding in September and October.

What is Vibrio vulnificus?

Vibrio vulnificus is part of a group of halophilic, or salt-loving, bacteria. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it naturally occurs in coastal waters and thrives in warm conditions. While many infections are linked to eating raw or undercooked shellfish, others happen when open wounds are exposed to contaminated water.

“Most people are sickened by vibrio after eating raw or undercooked shellfish — particularly oysters — because the bacteria will ‘concentrate’ inside the shellfish,” the CDC explains.

The Florida DOH advises people not to enter the water if they have fresh cuts or scrapes. The agency also warned that people with weakened immune systems, such as those with chronic liver or kidney disease, should wear protective footwear at the beach to avoid injury and potential infection.

The bacteria’s connection to weather is notable. In both 2022 and 2024, Florida saw spikes in cases after hurricanes Helene and Ian brought widespread flooding. Floodwaters can increase the chance of exposure, especially when they mix with coastal or brackish environments. While 2025 hasn’t seen the same scale of tropical activity, warm coastal waters are already a concern.

Nationwide, vibriosis—including infections caused by Vibrio vulnificus and related species—results in an estimated 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths each year, according to the CDC.

Symptoms of infection may include:

• Fever

• Vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Abdominal pain

• Chills

• Confusion or disorientation

• Rapid heart rate

The infection is rare but can turn life-threatening quickly, especially in people with compromised immune systems or underlying conditions. If the bacteria enters the body through a wound, it can cause skin discoloration, swelling, and intense pain at the site. In some cases, it leads to sepsis or requires amputation.

To reduce your risk, health officials recommend:

• Avoid exposing open wounds (including recent piercings or tattoos) to warm salt or brackish water

• Wear foot protection at the beach or near shells and rocks

• Do not eat raw or undercooked oysters or shellfish

• Thoroughly cook shellfish—boil or steam until shells open, then cook several minutes more

• Refrigerate leftovers and avoid cross-contaminating cooked food with raw seafood

• Wear gloves when handling raw shellfish

As water temperatures continue to rise during the peak of summer, state officials urge residents and visitors to be aware of the risks, especially following storms or in coastal areas where conditions allow this dangerous bacteria to thrive.

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Microscopic view of Vibrio Vulnificus bacteria. (Photo By BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

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On a small, gently rocking research boat anchored just offshore in Chesapeake Bay, I lowered a sterile plastic bottle into the water to collect a sample for studying aquatic microbes. Workers nearby dredged oysters from the shallows, and families played in the low waves. To them, it was a perfect summer day. But hidden in the seemingly tranquil waters were Vibrio bacteria, members of a group that exists naturally in coastal environments around the world. Some cause diarrhea, cramping, and nausea, and some can produce severe flesh-eating infections and even lead to death.

Vibrio live freely in the water, concentrate in sediment and on plastics, and colonize the surfaces and guts of shellfish, fish, and zooplankton. For those organisms, the bacteria can often be harmless or even beneficial. The bacteria also recycle nutrients such as carbon and nitrogen by breaking down organic material. They are found in both saltwater and freshwater bodies, and they thrive in warm water. That’s why for many years, Vibrio infections—called vibriosis—generally occurred along the hottest U.S. coastlines, particularly the Gulf Coast. But climate change is warming once cool waters, and vibriosis cases have been relentlessly spreading northward. Today, they are reported across the Eastern Seaboard, along the Baltic Sea in northern Europe, and even as far north as Alaska and Finland.

Not only is the bacteria’s favorable habitat expanding, but higher water temperatures can allow some Vibrio species to multiply more rapidly. That’s especially true when storms and heavy rainfall increase the nutrients and alter salinity in coastal waters, creating ideal conditions for their growth. These perfect circumstances raise the likelihood that someone who steps into the surf with a scraped knee or who accidentally swallows a bit of the water could succumb to serious illness.

Over the past decade, the research team I’m part of has tracked the northward advance of environmental conditions favorable for pathogenic Vibrio, as well as an associated rise in severe illnesses, most alarming, species that infect open wounds, potentially leading to life-threatening conditions such as necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease) or blood poisoning. Now we are trying to forecast risk by developing predictive computer models that use environmental data—such as temperature and salinity—gathered from satellites and monitoring stations, along with analyses of microorganisms in water samples when possible. Our goal is to devise a Vibrio alert system, much like the “red flag” system municipalities use to warn swimmers of dangerous surf. As summers grow hotter and storms more intense, we are trying to design and roll out models that can keep up with a shifting environment and to help coastal communities recognize the increasing risks washing up on their shores.

Scientists have described more than 100 Vibrio species. The comma- or bullet-shaped bacteria have evolved to thrive across a wide range of aquatic environments, from shallow coastal bays to deep-sea hydrothermal vents that present some of the most challenging living conditions on Earth. Many species form close symbiotic relationships with their host creatures. For instance, Aliivibrio fischeri organisms colonize the light-emitting organ of Hawaiian bobtail squid, helping the animals emit bioluminescence. Others attach to corals, fishes, oysters, and the exoskeletons of shrimp and copepods—tiny marine crustaceans that are fundamental to the food web and are major reservoirs for Vibrio

A single copepod can carry more than 10,000 Vibrio cells, so swallowing even a small amount of seawater can be enough to cause disease. These bacteria also concentrate in filter-feeding shellfish such as oysters, which continuously draw in and process large volumes of water, capturing suspended particles—including microbes—in their gills and tissues. Vibrio love this environment and can multiply inside oysters after harvest if the shellfish are stored or transported without proper refrigeration, raising the risk of infection for anyone who consumes them raw.

Temperature is the main prerequisite for Vibrio growth. Like many pathogenic bacteria, Vibrio species flourish in temperatures near that of the human body—around 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit)—making warm waters especially favorable. Higher temperatures accelerate their metabolism and reproduction and can trigger the expression of genes involved in infection. Salinity is another key factor; Vibrio typically need the sodium ions of salty or brackish water to maintain their cellular function. They are remarkably adaptable, however, and can live in freshwater lakes or ponds.

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Crystal Bolin Photography/Getty Images

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Donald Trump has sued Rupert Murdoch and two Wall Street Journal newspaper reporters for libel and slander over claims that he sent sex offender Jeffrey Epstein a bawdy note and sketch of a naked woman.

Trump’s lawsuit on Friday, which also targets Dow Jones and News Corp, was filed in the southern district of Florida federal court in Miami.

It came after the Journal reported on a 50th birthday greeting that Trump allegedly sent to Epstein in 2003 that included a sexually suggestive drawing and reference to secrets they shared. It was reportedly a contribution to a birthday album compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell.

“A pair of small arcs denotes the woman’s breasts, and the future president’s signature is a squiggly ‘Donald’ below her waist, mimicking pubic hair,” the Journal reported of the alleged drawing. The letter allegedly concluded: “Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”

Trump vehemently denied the Journal report and claimed the letter was fake. He said on Truth Social that he warned Murdoch, the founder of News Corp, the newspaper’s parent company, that he planned to sue.

The president posted: “Mr Murdoch stated that he would take care of it, but obviously did not have the power to do so. Instead, they are going with a false, malicious, defamatory story anyway. President Trump will be suing the Wall Street Journal, News Corp, and Mr Murdoch shortly.”

Vice-president JD Vance poured scorn on the report, tweeting on Thursday: “Forgive my language but this story is complete and utter bullshit. The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it. Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it? Does anyone honestly believe this sounds like Donald Trump?”

Trump aides were also expected on Friday to ask a court to release grand jury testimony about Epstein, as the president fought back against concerns over his administration’s handling of the deceased convicted sex offender’s case.

Trump said earlier his Truth Social platform that he had authorized the justice department to seek the public release of the materials, which are under seal, citing “the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein”.

Trump has faced an extraordinary backlash from his own supporters over the Epstein files. A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week found that 69% of respondents thought the federal government was hiding details about Epstein’s clients, compared to 6% who disagreed and about one in four who said they unsure.

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Trump with Rupert Murdoch at Trump’s golf club in Aberdeen in 2016. Photograph: Carlo Allegri/Reuters

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Donald Trump has been dismantling “critical” parts of California’s response to wildfires as the state braces for peak wildfire season, according to a new report.

The Trump administration has cut thousands of employees from the federal workforce in the name of government efficiency.

One government entity that has been a target of these cuts is the National Weather Service, which keeps Americans informed of weather forecasts in the hopes of preventing catastrophic outcomes from natural disasters.

Tom Fahy, legislative director of the NWS Employees Organization, told the Los Angeles Times in a Wednesday article that the weather service’s staff has decreased from 4,369 to 3,757 employees thanks to layoffs and buyouts.

“This draws attention that we have a lot of critical, critical staff shortages,” Fahy said.

An official from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which houses the NWS, told The Independent it has implemented short-term assignments to fill key vacancies at the weather service.

NOAA has also announced opportunities for its employees to apply and quickly be permanently reassigned to weather offices that need it the most, according to the official.

The official says strategic hiring and reforming how the NWS delivers value to the American people will improve the service in the long term.

Staffing shortages at NWS offices in California could lead to problems in the coming months, when the state experiences the worst of its wildfires.

California is still recovering from devastating wildfires that raged through Los Angeles County in January.

The Palisades and Eaton fires led to 30 deaths and saw thousands of structures destroyed.

The Hanford office, which covers the San Joaquin Valley, including Fresno and Bakersfield, has five meteorologists and eight vacancies, the LA Times reported, citing data from the NWS Employees Organization.

Fahy said the office’s 62 percent vacancy rate is the worst in the country.

The Sacramento office, which also covers Stockton, Modesto, Vallejo, Chico, and Redding, follows the Hanford office with the second-worst vacancy rate in the country. That office has eight meteorologists and eight vacancies, according to Fahy.

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Hmmmm…Everything you wanted to know about Tariffs or Not!

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What is a Tariff?

A tariff is a tax that a government places on goods imported from other countries. It’s usually charged as a percentage of the product’s value, and are often used to protect local industries by making imported goods more expensive, which encourages consumers to buy products made within their own country. Donald Trump wants to “re-shore manufacturing, and drive economic growth for the American people“. Tariffs can be good for domestic manufacturers and workers, because they reduce competition from cheaper foreign products, thus helping to protect jobs and support local businesses.

However, higher tariffs can also have negative effects. They often lead to higher prices for consumers, since companies pass the extra cost on to buyers. They can also hurt businesses that rely on imported materials or sell goods overseas, especially if other countries respond by imposing their own tariffs, triggering a trade war. Over time, this can slow economic growth and increase tension between trading partners.

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George Slavich recalls the final hours he spent with his father. It was a laughter-packed day. His father even broke into the song ‘You Are My Sunshine’ over dinner. “His deep, booming, joyful voice filled the entire restaurant,” says Slavich. “I was semi-mortified, as always, while my daughter relished the serenade.”

Then, about 45 minutes after saying goodbye outside the restaurant, Slavich got a call: his father had died. “I fell to the ground in a puddle of shock and disbelief,” he says.

Slavich recognized the mental and emotional trauma he was feeling, and could imagine how it would affect his health. He studies stress for a living, after all. Yet even after he brought up his concerns, his health-care provider didn’t evaluate his stress.

“If stress isn’t assessed, then it isn’t addressed,” says Slavich, a clinical psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “The experience highlighted a paradox between what I know stress is doing to the brain and body, and how little attention it gets in clinical care.”

Decades of research have shown that, although short bursts of stress can be healthy, unrelenting stress contributes to heart disease, cancer, stroke, respiratory disorders, suicide, and other leading causes of death. In some cases, prolonged stress drives the onset of a health problem. In others, it accelerates a disease — or induces unhealthy coping behaviours that contribute to chronic conditions.

Stress also seems to be on the rise. It increased globally during the recession of 2007 to 2009 and the COVID-19 pandemic, says David Almeida, a developmental psychologist at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, who studies historical shifts in stress as well as everyday stressors. Polls show that globally, including in the United States, stress hasn’t gone back down to previous levels.

“Any time there is uncertainty in society, we see increases in reports of stress,” says Almeida. Uncertainty can ramp up our responses to stressors that are usually minor, he says: “Being stuck in traffic might make you more upset than it did before.”

Although people tend to be aware of their stress, they often don’t know what to do about it. A physician might recommend leaving a stressful job, engaging in talk therapy, or eating and sleeping better, but those options are not always possible. In fact, many of the individuals who face the greatest stressors also face the greatest barriers to treatment. What’s more, some people take pride in how many demands they can juggle, wearing stress like a badge of honour, says Slavich.

He, Almeida, and other researchers are trying to change the current thinking. Emerging assessment tools, along with basic advances in stress science, now make it possible to answer questions such as ‘When does good stress turn bad?’ and ‘How can we intervene effectively?’ An improved understanding of stress, says Slavich, could “fundamentally transform health care”.

Good versus bad stress

Sources of stress run the gamut: a high-stakes presentation at work, a disagreement among friends, trauma from military conflict, living in poverty, structural racism, divorce, a lost job, or a lost loved one.

When the body perceives a threat, stress hormones, including cortisol, flood the bloodstream. Muscles tense, and blood sugar levels rise. The heart beats faster and stronger, and blood vessels dilate, shuttling extra oxygen through the body to help you think and move quicker. The immune system is put on call for rapid healing and recovery.

This fight-or-flight response has, over millennia, helped humans to survive. But it didn’t evolve to cope with traffic, cyberbullying, credit-card debt and the countless other stressors of modern life.

“There is an evolutionary mismatch happening right now,” says Almeida.

Issues arise when the body fails to control the on–off switch, says Wendy Berry Mendes, a psychologist at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Stress becomes problematic if the body overreacts to situations that are not life-threatening, anticipates a stressor too soon or dwells on negative feelings after the stressor has passed — or if a source of stress sticks around for too long. When cortisol and the sympathetic nervous system are dialled up for extended periods, good stress can turn bad. But how would someone know when the line is crossed?

Stress assssments tend to rely on self-reported symptoms, such as anxiety or trouble sleeping, plus, in some cases, on measurements of blood pressure, cortisol levels or heart rate. These tools aren’t always sufficient. An elevated cortisol level or heart rate, for example, could be explained by exercise or “that cup of coffee you just had”, says Almeida.

Blood pressure, cortisol, and heart rate also rise and fall naturally throughout the day. The timing of the measurement matters, as do patterns over time. Mendes says she is most confident in cortisol measurements that are taken approximately 30 minutes after waking, when a healthy person should experience a strong spike. Heart-rate variability, a measure of the natural fluctuation in the time between beats, is also much more informative as to how the body regulates stress than is the heart rate itself, she says.

Access to many more types of measurement might offer a fuller picture, say researchers. Nearly the entire body reacts to stress, including the nervous, respiratory, digestive, cardiovascular, immune, circadian, and endocrine systems. In a study that has not yet been peer reviewed, Slavich and his colleagues found that the expression of more than 1,500 genes, especially those involved in inflammation and antiviral responses, can change after a person is socially stressed for as little as 10 minutes.

With this complex cascade in mind, Slavich and his colleagues are investigating a broad array of self-reported measures, including past stress and trauma exposure, as well as data on neurotransmitters, hormones, genetics, gene expression, gut bacteria, inflammatory markers, glucose levels, lipid function, and metabolites. These data are now easier to obtain, often with affordable at-home tests.

The COVID-19 pandemic spurred the creation of simple-to-use devices to collect blood, saliva, and stool samples. In parallel, there are increasingly small and powerful wearables that can continuously assess physical activity, sleep, heart rate, heart rate variability, vestibular balance, and galvanic skin response. Sensors under development aim to detect real-time levels of cortisol and other stress hormones through sweat. Meanwhile, researchers are designing ways to gauge blood pressure when people are on the go.

There are limitations to the wearables currently on the market, says Mendes: “Many physiological measures that wearables can detect are simply easy to obtain rather than being the most informative about stress or health.” Still, optimism is high that measures that can be taken quickly and with little or no effort will help people to become more aware of their stress level and will advance stress science.

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Karol Banach

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Donald Trump’s efforts to dismiss the criticism over his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files as a “hoax” showed no sign of working on Thursday as more prominent figures from across the political spectrum emerged to attack the US president, and some of his supporters recorded videos burning their signature Make America Great Again hats.

Days after the Republican speaker of the House, the Trump loyalist Mike Johnson, called for the release of all documents relating to the late financier, a convicted sex offender and longtime former friend of Trump’s, rebellion continued to simmer within the president’s normally diehard base.

Trump’s former vice-president, Mike Pence, told CBS News on Wednesday that “I think the time has come for the administration to release all of the files regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s investigation and prosecution”, while the conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, a frequent close adviser to Trump, called for the appointment of a special counsel to handle the Epstein files investigation. “Obviously, this is not a complete hoax given the fact that [Epstein associate] Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving 20 years in prison in Florida for her crimes and activities with Jeffrey Epstein, who we know is a convicted sexual predator,” she said.

The podcast host, Theo Von, who attended Trump’s inauguration and told Fox News it was “inspiring”, commented, “yeah, what changed” on a video of the vice-president, JD Vance, appearing on Von’s show in 2024 and calling for the full Epstein list to be released.

Even some of Trump’s most loyal allies in Congress say they are not satisfied by his decision to not release additional files from the Epstein case.

Senator Josh Hawley questioned the justice department’s claims about the files, saying: “I think it is maybe a little difficult to believe the idea that DoJ and the FBI … don’t have any idea who Epstein’s clients were”, and called for Maxwell to testify.

In a rare moment of friction between Trump and Johnson, meanwhile, the House speaker broke with the president on Tuesday, calling for the justice department to make more Epstein documents public, and urging Pam Bondi, the attorney general, to “come forward and explain” the situation. Bondi has come under particular attack for appearing to claim earlier in the year that she had a client list of Epstein’s, then declaring last week no such list existed.

Still, House Republicans voted twice this week to block Democratic attempts to force the public release of all Epstein files within 30 days, with only one Republican, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, voting in favor.

The controversy deepened on Wednesday evening after news that the federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI director James Comey, who worked on the criminal cases of both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, had been fired. The justice department provided no specific reason for her dismissal.

As the backlash spirals out of his normally firm grasp on the Maga voter, Trump slammed “foolish Republicans” on Wednesday who he said were helping Democrats by focusing on documents related to Epstein.

“Some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net, and so they try and do the Democrats’ work,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with the crown prince of Bahrain. “I call it the Epstein hoax. Takes a lot of time and effort. Instead of talking about the great achievements we’ve had … they’re wasting their time with a guy who obviously had some very serious problems, who died three, four years ago.”

Close to seven in 10 Americans in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll said details around Epstein were being concealed. Sixty-nine per cent said they believed there had been concealment of facts on Epstein’s clients by the federal government, with close to 25% unsure whether facts had been concealed, according to the poll.

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Maga hats burn in an online video. Photograph: X | @ExtremePapist

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During a press briefing, Leavitt said that Trump noticed “mild swelling” in his lower legs and received a check-up from the White House medical unit. An examination that included diagnostic vascular studies, bilateral lower extremities, and venous doppler ultrasounds revealed a diagnosis of “chronic venous insufficiency.”

The condition occurs when leg veins become damaged and struggle to send blood back up to the heart, causing blood to pool in your legs and swelling. The fairly common condition usually affects people over the age of 50, but the risk grows as one ages, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

There was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease and a blood count test and echocardiogram both yielded normal results, Leavitt added.

The press secretary then addressed the much-speculated bruise on the back of Trump’s hand, telling reporters it was a result of “frequent handshaking.”

Despite images of Trump’s hand very clearly showing what appears to be an incision or scar, possibly from receiving an IV, the letter from Trump’s medical team shared by the White House noted, “President Trump remains in excellent health.”

“This is consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen. This is a well-known and benign side effect of aspirin therapy, and the President remains in excellent health,” she said.

Zoomed-in shots of Trump’s hand appeared to be flaking with a layer of makeup – a shade that did not match his skin, plastered over the top – took off online earlier this week.

On part of his hand, buried beneath the concealer, there appeared to be an incision or scar of some kind.

It wasn’t the first time the mark on Trump’s hand was a cause of concern. In February, it appeared yellow and bruised, and also covered in makeup, during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Leavitt provided a similar response to The Independent on Wednesday over concerns about the bruise, saying, “President Trump is a man of the people and he meets more Americans and shakes their hands on a daily basis than any other President in history.

“His commitment is unwavering, and he proves that every single day.”

The Independent has always had a global perspective. Built on a firm foundation of superb international reporting and analysis, The Independent now enjoys a reach that was inconceivable when it was launched as an upstart player in the British news industry. For the first time since the end of the Second World War, and across the world, pluralism, reason, a progressive and humanitarian agenda, and internationalism – Independent values – are under threat. Yet we, The Independent, continue to grow.

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