
How Biden cancer diagnosis could have gone undetected
WASHINGTON - Joe Biden's diagnosis with an aggressive form of prostate cancer has spurred some prominent conservatives to accuse the former president of a cover-up, but oncologists told AFP that screening limitations could very well have left his condition undetected until now.
The 82-year-old received the diagnosis last week after he experienced urinary issues and a prostate nodule was found, his office said Sunday.
While President Donald Trump said he was "saddened" to learn of his rival's condition, a chorus of Republicans led by Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr said or shared conspiratorial posts to the effect that Biden and his White House medical team had long concealed his illness for political purposes.
Questions over Biden's health dogged him throughout the waning months of his presidency and his short-lived reelection campaign. And they have been renewed in recent weeks ahead of the expected release of a book detailing what it calls his declining physical condition.
Prostate cancer, the most common among men, is typically diagnosed much sooner than other kinds of cancer. It can be caught in its early stages using blood tests that measure for a protein called PSA.
Medical experts interviewed by AFP said the late identification of an advanced cancer would not be unheard of, even for a former president receiving top-of-the-line medical care.
"We can't rule out the possibility that it was an aggressive form that developed quickly," said Natacha Naoun, an oncologist with France's Gustave-Roussy Institute.
Annual PSA screening after the age of 70 is not universally recommended.
The US Preventive Services Task Force advises against it, reasoning that the risk of false positives and the harms from biopsies and treatment outweigh the benefits.
"It could be they decided to stop checking PSA annually, and then he had urinary symptoms," said Russell Pachynski, an oncologist with Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, who told AFP that prostate cancer patients do not always experience telltale pains or signs.
It is also possible that Biden was undergoing routine screenings, but that those checks failed to turn up indications of cancer, Pachynski said.
"Maybe it was just unlucky that his particular cancer didn't express a lot of PSA and he still had a normal PSA. In that setting, you would not go checking the prostate or do a biopsy, etc., unless it was driven by symptoms."
Otis Brawley, an oncologist and epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, said studies have shown both PSA testing and rectal exams are imperfect.
"It is not unusual for a man to be diagnosed with metastatic prostate disease despite normal annual screening," he told AFP. "This is part of the limitations of prostate screening."
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The Citizen
5 hours ago
- The Citizen
24 hours in pictures, 11 June 2025
24 hours in pictures, 11 June 2025 Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world. Flooded houses at Polar Park in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa, on June 10, 2025. Local reports indicate there have been seven fatalities due to severe flooding in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape. Picture: Matrix Images / Hoseya Jubase A vehicle is set alight during an anti-immigration demonstration in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, on June 10, 2025. Violence flared for a second night June 10 in the Northern Irish town of Ballymena after 'racially motivated' attacks sparked by the arrest of two teenagers accused of the attempted rape of a young girl. Hundreds of protestors, many of them masked, took to the streets of Ballymena, throwing petrol bombs and masonry as police responded with water cannon, an AFP journalist said. (Photo by PAUL FAITH / AFP) Eastern Cape EMS Rescue team searches for Jumba Senior secondary school students inside a school bus that was swept away by flood in Mthatha, South Africa on June 10, 2025. Local reports indicate there have been seven fatalities due to severe flooding in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape. Picture: Matrix Images / Hoseya Jubase US President Donald Trump arrives on stage to speak at Fort Bragg to celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary at Pike Field at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, USA, 10 June 2025. Fort Bragg is home to the 82nd Airborne Division, Joint Special Operations Command and other units. Picture: EPA-EFE/STAN GILLILAND A woman stands before the 'Wrapped 1961 Volkswagen Beetle Saloon' by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, Germany, 11 June 2025. The artwork is showcased to mark the 30th anniversary of the artists 'Wrapped Reichstag'. Picture: EPA-EFE/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE A full moon sets over the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, 11 June 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/ERDEM SAHIN A tourist strolls along the Painted Animation Lane in Taichung, Taiwan, 11 June 2025. Animation Lane is a vibrant street adorned with murals of popular anime characters. Initially a local revitalization effort, it now draws visitors keen to enjoy and photograph its lively artwork celebrating Japanese pop culture. Picture: EPA-EFE/RITCHIE B. TONGO A man works at a construction site in Puncak Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 11 June 2025. 'The unemployment rate in Malaysia dropped to 3.0 percent in April 2025 from 3.3 percent in the same month of the previous year, marking the lowest level since April 2015, according to the latest data released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia. The number of unemployed persons shrank 5.5 percent year-on-year to a more than five-year low of 525.9 thousand, while employment increased by 2.8 percent to a record high of 16.82 million. Picture: EPA-EFE/FAZRY ISMAIL Rescuers work at the site of a drone strike in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, 11 June 2025, amid the Russian invasion. At least two people were killed and 37 others injured, including five children, after Russian forces launched an overnight attack with drones on Kharkiv and its suburbs, according to the State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine. Picture: EPA-EFE/SERGEY KOZLOV A zookeeper sprays an Indian elephant with water during a heatwave at the National Zoological Park in New Delhi, India, 11 June 2025. The National Zoological Park has installed sprinklers inside animals' enclosures and sprays water on animals and birds to combat the effects of the heatwave. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi registered 45-degree Celsius temperatures, and the prevailing heatwave is set to continue through 12 June. Picture: EPA-EFE/RAJAT GUPTA A small group of women who travelled from the Eastern Cape and Gauteng and joined by some mothers from the Western Cape march to Parliament during the Justice And Safety March For Children on June 11, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. The group is demanding an urgent call for justice, action and accountability concerning the safety of children in South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images/Brenton Geach) An armed Israeli border police officer stands guard at an entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem, 11 June 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/ATEF SAFADI A protestor is arrested during protests sparked by immigration raids in Los Angeles, California, USA, 10 June 2025. 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IOL News
9 hours ago
- IOL News
Is ‘Trump always chickens out' worth repeating?
President Donald Trump holds a chart on reciprocal tariffs during an event titled 'Make America Wealthy Again', at the White House in Washington, DC. Trump backed down days later. Pat Dennis Every day is 'TACO Tuesday' for Democrats this week. Ever since President Donald Trump angrily dismissed a reporter's question about the 'Trump always chickens out' trade theory - the market's bet that Trump will back off his trade bluster - it has become a nonstop meme, complete with a taco truck to taunt Republicans. I'm head of a progressive opposition research shop, so you might assume I'm celebrating this outbreak of trolling. You'd be wrong. Democrats need to drop it immediately. I understand that the claim that 'Trump always chickens out' on trade policy feels vindicating. To see his political allies on Wall Street call him weak and goad him into a Truth Social tantrum scratches a particular itch. But this attack enrages Trump only when it's coming from his own base - and when Democrats repeat it, they're helping him squirm his way out of a political disaster he has created for himself. Trump hasn't 'chickened out' on his tariffs. He is - at this very second - inflicting great harm on American workers, families and the entire U.S. economy. With Trump in charge, prices are up, small businesses are struggling, loan delinquencies are rising, and economic growth has slowed. Polling from Navigator last month showed that only 30 percent of Americans have a favorable view of Trump's tariffs, including an abysmal 20 percent of independent voters. But when the Democratic Party yells 'TACO,' Americans feel hope that these harmful tariffs are only a negotiation tactic, rather than the economic suicide mission they are. The entire conversation feeds into the decades-old, TV-fueled perception of Trump as a master businessman, just as Democrats are finally gaining traction with a more negative impression. The Working Class Project by American Bridge is listening to voters in 21 states across the country to understand why working-class Americans moved away from the Democratic Party. Here's what a male voter in North Carolina had to say about Trump's shifting tariffs: 'I know Canada kind of backed down, and I think that's what he's banking on. I don't think China will back down, but they will eventually reach an agreement. And it will create a bunch of jobs and industries if he's successful.' This response was typical among people we've talked to: Voters see the give-and-take of tariff news - especially Trump 'backing down' off tariffs to talk to other countries - as a sign of progress. Many mistakenly believe his policies have not gone into effect, even as the temporarily scaled-back tariffs are still at levels unseen since World War II. Yet Democrats are on TV, in newspapers and on social media boosting a message that's helpful for Trump. We must remind voters that Trump's tariffs aren't just empty social media posts or a game of global chess - they are real and harmful. Small businesses are laying off workers or shuttering doors. Experts are telling newlyweds to add up to 15 percent more to their wedding budgets. New parents are paying more for car seats and strollers. We desperately need new housing, but costs of construction materials are skyrocketing. The message should be relentless: Trump's trade policies are a failure, and Americans are suffering the consequences. He promised a manufacturing boom; Mack Truck cut hundreds of jobs in Pennsylvania. He promised to lower inflation, then told families that they should buy fewer Christmas presents for their kids if toys are too expensive now. He promised to strengthen small businesses; one small-business owner in Ohio said she's bracing for 'mass extinction of small businesses' as a result of these tariffs. In a world of political branding, it's tempting to hit Trump where he appears weakest - his inconsistency, his ego, his impulsiveness. But on trade, that strategy plays right into his strengths. The smarter path is to argue that Trump's trade policies are a disaster because he followed through. The party can't get complacent and hope the real-life tariffs will do all their messaging work for them, either. Despite four months of chaos, Republicans still retain a 10-point lead on the economy. Democrats need to stop talking about TACO and start hammering home the truth: Trump is making life more expensive for everyone, and he's not going to stop.

IOL News
9 hours ago
- IOL News
The battle on antisemitism: Fighting prejudice with prejudice
People attend a community gathering at the site of an attack against a group people holding a vigil for kidnapped Israeli citizens in Gaza oin Boulder, Colorado on June 4. The man suspected of a Molotov cocktail attack on Jewish protesters in Colorado is facing federal hate crime charges, officials said as President Donald Trump's administration vowed to pursue "terrorists" living in the US on visas. Image: Chet Strange / AFP Robin Givhan In the aftermath of the fiery attack on a group of people in Boulder, Colorado, who had gathered for a march calling for the release of hostages in Gaza, the brick plaza where they once stood was cordoned off with police tape. Men and women had essentially been fire bombed on a Sunday afternoon, so workmen washed the residue of mayhem from the ground in front of the county courthouse. In the distance, hanging over the courthouse's double doors was the rainbow flag, a symbol of tolerance and inclusivity - more hope than fact. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the Egyptian man who was arrested for the violence, which the FBI has characterized as a 'targeted terrorist attack,' was reported to have shouted, 'Free Palestine,' before allegedly flinging molotov cocktails at the marchers. The story of Boulder calls to mind the tragedy in Washington just 11 days earlier, when two employees of the Israeli Embassy were killed in front of the Capitol Jewish Museum after attending a reception there. The man who was arrested at the scene confessed, according to the FBI, stating, ''I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.' The tragedy in the nation's capital is a reminder of the terrifying moments in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, when police officers pounded on the doors of the official residence of Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) to alert him that the mansion was on fire. A man was arrested for climbing over security fencing and setting the house ablaze not long after Shapiro and his family, who are Jewish, had marked Passover with a seder. That suspected attacker also had Gaza on his mind. In the bleak hours and days after these attacks, the sky fills with the lights of police cars glowing brightly. Officers wearing helmets and bulletproof vests, and holding big guns, huddle around tactical vehicles. And all of those officers and weapons remind one of what has long been a familiar scene in front of synagogues across the country: Police cars parked out front as a visible deterrence to those who simply can't tolerate the worshipers being themselves in fellowship. The country has fought back with stern words and heartfelt prayers, deeply moving museums, congressional investigations, more and more security, and a death sentence in the federal trial of the man who killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018. But in Washington's most recent battles in the war against intolerance, the choice of weapons has been … more intolerance. And what does that get us? Statistics tell the story in its breadth. Incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism and assaults have risen significantly since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and kidnapping more than 200. Hatred was already on the rise before that deadly day, but it spiked dramatically afterward. The war in Gaza, with Israel's stated aim being to destroy Hamas, gave rise to widespread death and suffering among Palestinians. More than 54,000 people have died, about a third of them children under 18, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for high-ranking members of both Hamas and the Israeli government, charging that they have committed crimes against humanity. So much suffering stirred protests, most notably on college campuses, where students constructed tent encampments and barricaded themselves inside buildings. According to a report from the Anti-Defamation League, many campuses became rife with antisemitism. For 2024, the ADL recorded 9,354 examples of antisemitic harassment, vandalism and assaults. Of those, 1,694 incidents occurred on college campuses. The ADL does not consider 'criticism of Israel or general anti-Israel activism' to be antisemitic. But often, the distinction was blurred. The White House has offered its own blurry response. In social media posts, officials quickly labeled the Boulder attack as terrorism. They promised to seek swift justice. Then Immigration and Customs Enforcement took the suspect's family into custody and pledged to deport them immediately. The family's lawyer argued, among many points, that Soliman's wife and children, who are also Egyptian and who had applied for asylum, are being punished for the alleged crimes of a relative, which is not how justice is supposed to work. A federal judge on Wednesday barred their deportation. The administration has also vowed to stamp out antisemitism on college campuses, with much of its animus aimed at Harvard University and its academic freedom, research grants and international students. In much the same way that careless and reckless protesters have conflated the Israeli government's policies in Gaza with the Jewish people at large, the Trump administration has merged eradicating antisemitism with controlling how broad swaths of the population speak, think and exist. It can be seen as fighting prejudice with prejudice. Fear with more fear. Hostility with hostility. It's a war on nuance and complexity, which is to say, it's a war on what it means to exist as an individual. In 2025, the ADL issued an updated campus report card assessing the actions that 135 colleges had taken in the prior year to root out antisemitism in their community. By the ADL's measure, Harvard's grade improved, from an F to a C. A significant number of institutions, however, received failing grades, among them the University of Illinois Chicago and nearby DePaul University, as well as the New School in New York and Haverford College in Pennsylvania. But they are not in the administration's crosshairs the way that Harvard, with its $53.2 billion endowment and reputation for cultural elitism, has been. About 10 percent of Harvard's undergraduate population is Jewish. At the University of California at Santa Barbara, for example, Jewish students make up 13 percent of the undergraduate population and the school received a grade of D for dealing with antisemitism on campus. But a campaign against UC-Santa Barbara doesn't have the same political resonance as one aimed at Harvard. And that's what so much of this devastation comes down to: People get conflated with politics and posturing. Their humanity can get lost in the fog of political one-upmanship. There's rarely a straight line between words uttered in one part of the culture and actions taken in another. A single deadly gesture typically springs from a perfect storm of fact and fiction, outrage and desperation, single-mindedness and isolation, mental illness and toxic social media where everything is written in all-caps and there's no space for complications. But this much is clear: Deporting immigrants, whether documented or undocumented, hasn't erased antisemitism. Silencing foreign students raising their voices against Israeli or American foreign policy hasn't made Jewish men and women safer on city streets. Putting ivy-covered institutions in the crosshairs of politicians doesn't seem to be helping either. Incidents of antisemitism have continued to grow since 2023's dramatic spike. Prejudice is one of many fine fertilizers. And the White House has insured that an abundance of it is raining down. Robin Givhan is senior critic-at-large writing about politics, race and the arts. A 2006 Pulitzer Prize winner for criticism, Givhan has also worked at Newsweek/Daily Beast, Vogue magazine and the Detroit Free Press.