FDA-Approved Cancer Drugs Show Promise for Alzheimer's

What's Happening

Health

FDA-Approved Cancer Drugs Show Promise for Alzheimer's

What's going on: As Alzheimer’s cases rise with an aging population, researchers are racing to find better treatments. Now, a new study published in the journal Cell is offering new hope. Scientists explored existing FDA-approved drugs that doctors could prescribe off-label. They found that a combination of two cancer drugs — one for breast cancer, the other for colon and lung cancer — appeared to slow or even reverse Alzheimer’s symptoms in mice. The findings come as progress in Alzheimer’s treatment and prevention has stalled. The disease has no cure, and many pharmaceutical companies have dropped out of the race after repeated trial failures.

What it means: The study is an encouraging sign, but there are still a lot of unknowns. The results in mice often don’t translate to humans, and researchers still don’t fully understand how these cancer drugs are working against Alzheimer’s. One theory suggests the breast cancer drug blocks estrogen, while the other reduces inflammation in the brain, targeting the disease from two sides. Researchers also need to assess how patients might handle the cancer drugs’ side effects, including nausea and other symptoms such as severe diarrhea. Still, the idea of repurposing existing drugs is gaining traction — and could help scientists skip some of the hurdles that come with developing new drugs from scratch.

Related: Are Teens Overdoing It With Protein Supplements? (NPR)

International

Outrage Mounts Over Gaza's Food Crisis

What's going on: At least 25 countries, including the UK, France, and Japan, have criticized Israel’s “drip feeding of aid” in Gaza and demanded an immediate end to the war. (Even the Trump administration is growing frustrated, according to Axios). Over the weekend, local eyewitnesses and hospitals said Israeli soldiers opened fire near two separate food distribution efforts. Dozens of Palestinians were killed in the two incidents, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry and local emergency responders. Israel confirmed its troops opened fire, saying crowds had approached troops in a way that posed a threat, but said the reported death tolls were exaggerated.  

What it means: Gaza’s food crisis is growing more deadly by the day. United Nations agencies say about 1 in 10 children screened there is malnourished, and the World Food Programme (WFP) estimates tens of thousands need urgent care. That’s as humanitarian officials say Palestinians are struggling to access the two main food efforts in Gaza — one run by the UN, the other backed by Israel and the US. Since May, the WFP says armed groups and desperate crowds have looted some of its trucks. Meanwhile, Palestinian health officials say hundreds have been killed or injured trying to reach food at four Israeli-US-funded sites. Israel said its forces have acted within the law and allowed enough food into Gaza, but said Hamas diverted supplies, causing deaths. Analysts warn that Gaza’s ongoing power vacuum will only make it harder to coordinate food aid and protect convoys.

Related: At Least 30 Killed After Air Force Jet Crashes Into School in Bangladesh (CNN)

Sports

Trump Wants Pro Sports Teams To Follow His Playbook

What's going on: The Washington Commanders rebranded themselves in 2022 after retiring their old name — the Redskins — following years of criticism that it was racist and derogatory toward Native Americans. Now, President Donald Trump wants to turn back the clock. On Sunday, he posted on Truth Social that “The Washington Whatever’s should IMMEDIATELY change their name back,” claiming (without evidence) that there’s a “big clamoring for this” and that “our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen.” He doubled down yesterday, threatening to upend the team’s plans for a new stadium in Washington, DC, if they don’t comply. Trump also called on MLB’s Cleveland Guardians to go back to their old name, the Indians — a move the team has said it’s not interested in.

What it means: Both teams ditched their decades-old brands after the racial reckoning that followed the 2020 murder of George Floyd. Trump wants to undo that, along with other diversity efforts, arguing that “times are different now.” He’s also pushed to restore some Confederate statues and building names that were removed. Still, some analysts say his focus on team names is a distraction from the Jeffrey Epstein fallout now dogging his administration. And while Trump has threatened to derail the Commanders’ stadium plans, it’s unclear whether he actually has the power to do so.

Related: Stephen Colbert Just Fired Back at Trump With These Three Words (Variety)

Your Political Briefing

The week in political chaos.

The files: The Trump administration released more than 240,000 documents on the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. — a move his family opposed, citing fears of misuse. Other critics said this is all meant as a distraction from the other documents people want.

He really memes it: While the Trump-Epstein drama continues to unfold, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) shared his take on TikTok. Wonder what Coldplay would say about this one. 

Campaign soundtrack? Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and Fox News host, found time to drop another single, “Eyes of God,” while weighing a Senate run.

Pose for the camera: This governor’s Vogue photo spread is fueling even more 2028 presidential speculation.

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Settle This

We're still sweating through summer, but Starbucks has already announced when the Pumpkin Spice Latte is coming back. When's the big return?

Extra Credit

Read

Just when it seemed like nothing could be more toxic than Love Island, Aisling Rawle’s The Compound said, “Hold my mic pack.” The buzzy debut follows Lily — a discontented twenty-something and one of the 20 hot, young singles cast on a cutthroat reality show at a remote desert compound. The goal? Complete challenges to win various prizes (from essential food and appliances to luxurious makeup and bottles of bubbly), outlast the others, and stay safe from the crumbling world outside. But as the tasks get weirder and more Squid Games-esque, the stakes keep climbing — forcing Lily to decide how far she’ll go for survival.

Game Time

Start your Tuesday off right with Typeshift, a fun new game that challenges you to create words from a set number of letters. Warning: It’s very addicting. Start playing.