No Broad Autism Approval for Leucovorin, Despite FDA Commissioner’s Prior Suggestions

The Food and Drug Administration on March 10 changed the approval for a version of the prescription drug leucovorin to include people with a very rare genetic condition. FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary had previously implied that the drug’s new label would cover a much broader group of people with autism, saying that “hundreds of thousands of kids” would benefit. 

The condition targeted in the FDA approval is a genetic version of cerebral folate deficiency, caused by mutations in a folate receptor gene. People with CFD — whether from genetic or other causes — have low levels of folate in their cerebrospinal fluid, which leads to reduced folate in the brain. This affects brain development. Patients with genetic CFD can experience developmental delays, movement disorders and seizures. Some behaviors are similar to those of people with autism.

However, this form of genetic CFD is estimated to occur in 1 in a million people, according to the FDA. That would translate to around 70 kids in the U.S. — far from “hundreds of thousands of kids.” Leucovorin had already been used for decades to treat genetic CFD via off-label prescribing, a common practice when evidence shows a drug approved for one condition improves another.

Despite this limited approval, Makary had initially implied a more substantial change. “Today the FDA is filing a Federal Register notice to change the label on an exciting treatment called prescription leucovorin so that it can be available to children with autism,” Makary said in a Sept. 22 press conference. “We are going to change the label to make it available,” he went on to say. “Hundreds of thousands of kids, in my opinion, will benefit.”

This was the same press conference in which President Donald Trump and others touted an unproven link between autism and the use of Tylenol, or acetaminophen, during pregnancy. 

Makary later referred to a subset of people with autism with antibodies that block their own folate receptors, called autoantibodies. Some researchers have hypothesized that a subset of people with autism have CFD caused by these autoantibodies, but this is not well-established, as we will explain.

How Iran Blocking the Strait of Hormuz Affects the U.S.

President Donald Trump claimed that Iran essentially shutting down the Strait of Hormuz “doesn’t really affect” the United States the way it does “other countries.” It’s true that a small share of U.S. oil imports comes from the Persian Gulf. But the U.S. has been affected by the global rise in oil prices.

Since the waterway has been effectively closed – significantly reducing crude oil exports from the Persian Gulf region – oil prices have increased by double-digit percentages, contributing to a 50-cent-plus spike in the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the U.S.

“The US is definitely affected,” Mark Finley, the nonresident fellow in energy and global oil at Rice University’s Baker Institute, told us in an email. Because it’s a global oil market, “if something goes wrong anywhere, the price goes up everywhere,” he said.

Iran has blocked the flow of oil and other goods through the strait in retaliation for joint U.S. and Israeli airstrikes that began on Feb. 28. Iran has threatened to shoot or bomb vessels that attempt to pass through the narrow body of water that separates Iran from Oman and connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

About 20 million barrels per day of crude and other oil products were transported through the strait in 2025. That has slowed “to a trickle” since the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran began, according to the International Energy Agency.

In a March 9 press conference, Trump talked about offering “risk insurance” to oil tankers operating in the region, possibly by having U.S. Navy ships escort the tankers, “because you have to keep the straits flowing.”

But then he said, “With all of that, it affects other countries much more than it does the United States. It doesn’t really affect us. We have so much oil. We have tremendous oil and gas, much more than we need.” And he added, “I mean, we’re doing this for the other parts of the world, including countries like China. They get a lot of their oil through the straits. So, we’re doing this.”

Is the U.S. at ‘War’? Politicians Disagree

Is the U.S. at “war” with Iran? Americans are getting conflicting messages from the Trump administration and congressional leaders.

“We are not at war. We have no intention of being at war,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said at a press conference on March 5, hours after Republicans in the House blocked a war powers resolution that would have required congressional approval for any further military action against Iran. Instead, Johnson called the military action a “limited operation.”

But in remarks to reporters on March 7 — and on other occasions — “war” is exactly how President Donald Trump has described it.

“We’re winning the war by a lot,” Trump told reporters on March 7. “The war itself is going unbelievably. It’s as good as it can be.”

While there are varying definitions of war, even among academics who study such things, the war-or-not political debate is mostly about the legal definition of war under the Constitution and the implications that come with such a designation.

While Article II of the U.S. Constitution designates the president as “Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy,” Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress — and only Congress — the power “To declare War.” In other words, the president is obligated to seek authorization from Congress before he initiates a war.

But Congress hasn’t formally declared war since World War II. And it didn’t happen with the military attack initiated by Trump in Iran. Rather, in accordance with the 1973 War Powers Resolution, Trump provided a report to Congress on March 2 about the administration’s justification for the U.S.-Israeli joint strikes against Iran initiated on Feb. 28.

Trump’s Claim About the Obama Nuclear Deal and Iran’s Nuclear Development

President Donald Trump has claimed that the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was “a road to a nuclear weapon” and the country “would be sitting with a massive nuclear weapon three years ago” if he hadn’t withdrawn the U.S. from the deal in 2018 during his first term. The multilateral deal aimed to restrict Iran’s uranium enrichment program, and experts told us that after the U.S. withdrawal, Iran accelerated it instead.

It’s not possible to predict what would have happened if the agreement, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and negotiated by former President Barack Obama’s administration, had remained in place. In addition to imposing restrictions on Iran’s enrichment of uranium, the deal required international inspections of the country’s nuclear facilities.

On March 3, when speaking about the U.S. airstrikes on Iran that began Feb. 28, Trump said that Obama “made maybe the worst deal I’ve ever seen, because he gave all power in the Middle East to Iran, he went the exact opposite way, and I terminated that. If I didn’t terminate that deal, they would be sitting with a massive nuclear weapon three years ago, which would have been used already on Israel at least, and other countries also. And we wouldn’t be talking about it right now.”

The president went on to say that Obama “was giving them the right to have the path to a nuclear weapon,” saying that the deal “expired.”

The next day, Trump said: “If we didn’t terminate the worst deal, one of the worst deals ever made, the Obama nuclear deal … it was a road to a nuclear weapon. Bad things would have happened four years ago, because they would’ve had a weapon four years ago, if I didn’t terminate that deal.”

Governor Kay Ivey Signs Highway Safety Bill Targeting Illegal Trucking Operators and Strengthening CDL Enforcement in Alabama

New law requires work authorization and English proficiency for commercial drivers as Alabama intensifies enforcement efforts with ALEA and federal partners.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Kay Ivey on Wednesday signed sweeping highway safety legislation designed to tighten enforcement standards for commercial truck drivers and strengthen oversight of the trucking industry across Alabama.

The measure, Senate Bill 242, requires commercial motor vehicle operators in Alabama with foreign commercial driver licenses (CDLs) to possess valid U.S. work authorization and mandates that all CDL holders demonstrate sufficient English-language proficiency to operate safely on American roadways.

The legislation, backed by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the Alabama Trucking Association, aims to address safety concerns related to unqualified commercial drivers and fraudulent licensing practices.

Standing alongside state troopers and key lawmakers, Governor Ivey framed the bill as a necessary step to protect motorists while maintaining fairness for the state’s trucking workforce.

“Alabama’s economy is booming, and our hardworking truckers play a vital role in keeping goods moving across our state and across this country,” Ivey said. “At the same time, Alabama families travel these same highways every single day, and they deserve to know the rules are being enforced.”

The governor added that drivers who cannot read or communicate in English may be unable to properly interpret highway signage, follow safety protocols, or communicate with law enforcement during emergencies.

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Warn Iran Conflict Feels Like ‘Déjà Vu’ as U.S. Airstrikes Expand

Post-9/11 veterans say renewed military escalation with Iran echoes the early days of America’s longest wars, raising concerns about strategy, sacrifice, and lessons learned.

WASHINGTON | As U.S. military strikes against Iranian targets intensify, many veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan say the unfolding conflict feels hauntingly familiar — a potential repeat of the prolonged campaigns that defined America’s post-9/11 military era.

The renewed hostilities, tied to the ongoing U.S. campaign known as Operation Epic Fury, have triggered deep reflection within the veteran community about the strategic direction of American military policy in the Middle East.

Several former service members who deployed during the Global War on Terror told reporters the escalation evokes the earliest days of the conflicts that followed the September 11 attacks — wars that ultimately stretched across two decades.

For many veterans, the concern is not simply about the current air campaign but about whether the United States is again entering a conflict without a clearly defined end state.

Veterans Recall the Long Shadow of Iraq and Afghanistan

Following the attacks of 2001, the United States launched major military operations in Afghanistan and later Iraq to dismantle terrorist networks and stabilize the region.

Those campaigns became America’s longest wars, with more than 7,000 U.S. service members killed and tens of thousands wounded before U.S. combat operations ended and troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021.

Pentagon Reports 140 U.S. Troops Wounded in Operation Epic Fury as Iran Conflict Intensifies

Defense officials confirm seven U.S. service members killed and eight critically injured as sustained Iranian attacks mark the most significant casualty update of the conflict’s second week.

WASHINGTON | The United States Department of Defense confirmed Tuesday that approximately 140 U.S. service members have been wounded during the first ten days of combat operations tied to Operation Epic Fury, providing the most detailed casualty assessment yet of the rapidly evolving conflict involving Iran.

According to Pentagon officials, seven U.S. troops have been killed since the start of the operation, while eight wounded service members are suffering life-threatening injuries and receiving advanced medical treatment at military medical facilities.

Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, said the majority of the wounded have sustained minor injuries, and many have already returned to duty.

“Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, approximately 140 U.S. service members have been wounded over 10 days of sustained attacks,” Parnell said in an official statement. “The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty.”

Inside the Epstein Files: Why the Justice Department Hasn’t Charged Anyone Else

The long-awaited release of Jeffrey Epstein–related documents reignited public outrage and conspiracy theories—but prosecutors say the evidence still falls short of new criminal cases.

When thousands of pages of Jeffrey Epstein–related documents were released earlier this year, many Americans expected a wave of new prosecutions to follow.

Instead, the disclosure has produced a different outcome: political turmoil, renewed conspiracy theories, and mounting public frustration—but no new criminal charges.

More than a decade after Epstein’s original conviction and years after his death in federal custody, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) maintains that investigators did not uncover sufficient evidence to prosecute additional individuals tied to the financier’s network.

The gap between public expectation and legal reality highlights the difficult terrain of complex sex-trafficking investigations involving powerful figures, international finance, and aging evidence.

Trust in U.S. Election Integrity Slips Ahead of 2026 Midterms, New Poll Shows

NPR/PBS News/Marist survey finds two-thirds of Americans still confident in election administration, but partisan divides over voter fraud and voter suppression are widening.

WASHINGTON | Confidence in the fairness and accuracy of U.S. elections remains relatively strong but is showing signs of erosion as the nation approaches the 2026 midterm elections, according to a new national survey released Wednesday.

The NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll found that about two-thirds of Americans say they are confident or very confident that state and local governments will administer the upcoming elections fairly. However, the share of Americans expressing little or no confidence has climbed to 34%, up from 24% last year, signaling a growing undercurrent of distrust in the nation’s electoral system.

The findings underscore a widening political divide over what Americans view as the greatest threat to election integrity.

U.S. to Release 172 Million Barrels From Strategic Petroleum Reserve as Oil Prices Surge Amid Iran Conflict

Trump administration joins historic International Energy Agency effort to stabilize global markets after attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz send crude toward $100 per barrel.

WASHINGTON | The Trump administration announced Wednesday that the United States will release 172 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in an effort to curb surging energy prices triggered by escalating tensions with Iran and disruptions to global oil shipping routes.

The move represents one of the largest emergency releases in the history of the reserve and comes as global energy markets face mounting uncertainty following Iranian attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints.

The United States’ action will be part of a coordinated effort by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and its 31 partner nations to collectively release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves, the largest coordinated release since the organization’s founding.

Trump: “We’ll Bring Prices Down”

President Donald Trump confirmed the decision during an interview on Wednesday, framing the move as a temporary measure designed to stabilize global markets.

“We’ll do that, and then we’ll fill it up,” Trump said. “Right now, we’ll reduce it a little bit, and that brings the prices down.”

Without Providing Evidence, Trump Pins School Bombing on Iran

Satellite imagery, missile analysis, and preliminary U.S. assessments challenge the president’s claim that Iran carried out the attack during Operation Epic Fury.

Multiple news outlets have reported that video, satellite images, and expert analysis indicate that the United States was likely responsible for the Feb. 28 bombing of an Iranian school for young girls, contradicting President Donald Trump’s unsupported claim that the deadly strike “was done by Iran.”

When a reporter aboard Air Force One asked Trump on March 7 if the U.S. had bombed the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school, the president said, “No, in my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran.” He continued: “We think it was done by Iran, because they are very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever. It was done by Iran.”