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Sky News AU
40 minutes ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Meet CJ Pearson, the MAGA power player and influencer who shifted the youth vote to Trump by making the Republican party cool again
CJ Pearson is a 22-year-old Republican power player – a viral firebrand on TIME's list of most influential online creators – and he is on a mission to challenge the left and rally a new generation of conservatives to the frontlines of America's culture wars. Social media sensation CJ Pearson is a self-described free speech absolutist. The 22-year-old conservative has transitioned from a 'Bernie bro' to a cardholding MAGA Republican and he has backed President Donald Trump every step of the way since he burst onto the political scene in 2016. Pearson, now the national co-chair of the Republican National Committee Youth Advisory Council, received a letter from the leader of the free world thanking him for being a social media warrior who helped sweep the MAGA movement to victory at November's historic win. He keeps the framed letter on his mantlepiece. Earlier this month he landed in TIME's list of the most influential online creators. But his rise to prominence has been a long time in the making. He's been fighting on the frontlines of the conservative movement since he was 12 years old. Pearson has raised a tonne of money for black-owned businesses that were razed in the George Floyd riots of 2020, contributed to conservative media nonprofit PragerU for two years, has racked up millions of views of his own viral videos supporting Trump's America First agenda, and most recently took on the left-wing New York Magazine for slander. Pearson says his conservatism began in elementary school, when he participated in a mock election in the second grade to figure out who should be the next president of the United States – Barack Obama or John McCain. 'I remember reading every single thing I could get my hands on and watching so many YouTube videos from progressives, from conservatives, all these things. And what I realised was that the values that my grandparents had given me since I was a little boy, you know, the value of hard work, the importance of loving your country, working hard, playing by the rules, all those things, they were conservative values,' Pearson told in an exclusive interview. 'At that point, I was like, I'm a conservative. That's what I am.' From viral teen to political trend-maker Pearson is now one of the most influential online creators in the world, but he was getting millions of views on his videos before the word 'influencer' entered the lexicon. 'I just kind of went after Obama after he had made that iconic statement that ISIS was the JV (junior varsity) team and he was really big on redistributing wealth and all of these things. And I thought they were preposterous ideas even at 12 years old,' he said. 'And so I made a YouTube video, turned the camcorder on, which I had gotten for Christmas. It was probably the most regretful gift my parents had ever gotten me. I'm sure they wish they still had the receipt for that thing, but I uploaded the video and it got two million views overnight and I was on Fox News by the end of the week. 'The funny story about that is that I actually didn't tell my grandparents that I was going on Fox News, but they always loved to hate-watch Sean Hannity, so they'd always have him playing in the background. And so this particular night, you know, Sean Hannity goes, he says, 'up next, we're going to hear from a 12 year old boy from Augusta, Georgia, who has some words for president Barack Obama. Of course, I was the 12-year-old boy.' Tonight, CJ Pearson joins The Rita Panahi Show on Sky News Australia. Sky News is now available to watch online with a Streaming Subscription, or you can catch up on Rita Panahi's clips on YouTube. Pearson has 'always been an anti-establishment guy' and initially backed Senator Bernie Sanders at a 'super young age', attributing his support to wanting to make his Democrat parents proud. 'We would argue often about politics, about the videos I was making and the articles that I was putting out and I think that I just wanted to take the easy way out. When I did that, when I announced I was supporting Bernie Sanders, I think they were probably a little proud of that,' he said. 'But I also felt as if I was betraying one of the most important lessons they had taught me growing up – to always be true to myself. 'And so, quickly thereafter, it was a no-brainer for me to support President Trump. He was still the anti-establishment guy. He was a guy who realised the moment that we were in as a country, we didn't need political correctness. We needed brashness, directness, and someone who wasn't afraid to be a little bit of a bull in a China shop.' Trump's MAGA movement showed people not just how to 'fight the leftward drift', but how to win by making conservatism relatable and approachable and 'cool for the first time'. 'This is a man who understands culture like no other person. He understands that if you can win the culture war, the political wins will quickly follow,' Pearson said. 'Mitt Romney was impossible to make cool. John McCain was impossible. We are in a moment, unlike any other, that we may not ever have again – that we have someone as the face of our movement who is so undoubtedly cool.' Pearson said the distrust in corporate media was not just an American phenomenon but a global one. He said Trump's appearances on Joe Rogan, Theo Von and Andrew Schultz's shows highlighted the President's understanding of new media and how best to reach a younger audience. 'Oftentimes people who are very passionate about certain things just need an extra push to actually go out and vote,' he said. 'I've always been so amazed at just how relatable he is. This is the leader of the free world who carries the nuclear football and has achieved a crazy amount of success but he's just the most down-to-earth person you could really meet'. Black conservatism in the social media age Pearson said there was an emergence of young black conservatives who were embracing the Republican Party and voting on the 'actual feelings' that had always existed in their community, while older black people leaned Democrat as they were 'told that was the only way for them to vote'. 'I think identity politics will always be around, but I think identity-first politics is on the way out,' Pearson said. 'When you look at the emergence of black conservatives at the forefront of the movement now, these aren't people who are black first, they're Americans first. 'In the black community, for better or for worse, rappers have a lot of cultural capital. So, when they see folks like Kodak Black wearing a MAGA hat, when they folks like Soulja Boy doing it, Waka Flocka doing it and many of these other rappers that have come out and supported the president, it actually does move the needle.' When people ask him if such cultural wins actually matter, Pearson says he points them to the scoreboard: November 5. 'I think the Democrats are super worried about losing their grip on black voters, it's why they're importing illegal immigrants into this country because they know they're running out of black folks to manipulate,' he said. 'People are waking up and that is keeping them up at night and there's nothing that brings me more joy.' Pearson said for a long time the older generation were 'comfortable' with being the silent majority. 'We saw what happened when we became okay with that. The left use it as a permission slip to enact their agenda, push us out the way and treat us like second class citizens in our own country,' he said. 'My entire argument is now, no, I'm not going to hide the fact that I'm a Trump supporter. I am in fact, indeed the majority. 'We didn't just win the electoral college in November last year. We won the popular vote.' TikTok and the MAGA makeover The 2024 presidential election was a pivotal moment in how Americans engage in politics. Trump swept all seven swing states. More than half of men under 30 supported him, according to AP VoteCast, and the battle was fought and won on the internet. Pearson's personal thank-you note from Trump proves his impact on the considerable inroads for the MAGA movement on social media, particularly on the short form video platform TikTok where he sparked debate on a range of issues including racism, white supremacy (which he rejects as a leftist exaggeration) and illegal immigration. It was the first election that the MAGA movement took on the left at their own game, and they won. Pearson said he loved seeing the 'Dylan Mulvaney's of the world' react when he pointed out the biological differences between men and women, whether it was on X or TikTok. 'Yeah, we do a little bit of trolling and we have a tonne of fun doing it, but I do it to remind them of the fact that they don't run this country anymore,' he said. 'You know, for a long time, they relegated us to the shadows of history, try to put us in the dustbin of history … simply because of the conservative values we held. 'But now we control all three branches of government and we're rapidly expanding our cultural footprint in a way which they never could have predicted and worked for decades to prevent.' Pearson has embraced the mischievous nature of being a modern conservative in the MAGA movement because for a long time it was prohibited. 'We weren't allowed to say any of these things, or we would get banned from the internet, or your livelihood would be at risk,' he said. Pearson said his approach to countering the left's accusation conservatives were 'boring' and 'just terrible', was to throw parties and show that the movement was full of 'fun, happy people'. 'People come to these events and they see the aesthetics that come out of it, the photos, the imagery, all these things and are like, 'wait, I want to be there … I was told Republicans are all evil and ugly and scary and terrible, terrible people, why do I wanna be at that party?'' he said. 'It kind of makes them question these preconceived notions that I think that a lot of them may have just unfortunately and unwillingly been indoctrinated either by their professors or the media or social media.' Pearson said he found that after educating people on the left, particularly young men, they would discover they did not support the agenda they were signing up for. 'I really cannot understand how anyone can be male in this country and support the left,' he said. 'These people hate you. They don't want you to flirt with women. They don't want you to be a leader. They don't want you to be a protector. They don't want you to be any of these things. They want to literally neuter you and make you a shell of yourself.' The Cruel Kids' Table Pearson and a group of other young influencers celebrated Trump's victory at an inauguration party in Washington, DC. New York Magazine covered the event with a front-page story headlined 'The Cruel Kids' Table'. The feature image was a show of the crowd. But Pearson, along with other black conservative attendees, were cropped out. — CJ Pearson (@thecjpearson) January 27, 2025 In the accompanying article, written by Brock Coylar, a non-binary gender and sexuality studies major from Tennessee, the aesthetics of the election party is described as being racially skewed. Coylar writes: 'Almost everyone is white. The men look like Pete Hegseth, in bow ties and black suits, with clean-shaven faces. The women are almost all out of their league.' Pearson hit back the day after it was published by sharing the unedited images including the black attendees online. He has sent a formal notice to the outlet and is considering all of the options available, including legal avenues. 'You know, it's a little bit more complicated being a public figure here in the states to sue for defamation because the standard for defamation is higher than it is for a private citizen. But the great thing about, you know, how sloppy they were is that on the cover of that magazine, many of those people are private citizens,' he said. Pearson said one of the girls on the cover of the magazine was worried about her prospects of attending law school and thought the picture of her would 'ruin her life'. 'Thankfully that didn't happen because people quickly called bulls**t on their narrative,' Pearson said. 'The left and the corporate media just view Trump supporters with such disdain that us having a good time should not be allowed. And so they ran with the narrative that they did.' 'I read one article about the party and they said, 'it's kind of crazy how pretty all the girls were there,' and I'm like, that's actually a really important detail because if you actually go to a leftist party, what do you see? You see women with penises and purple hair and hairy armpits. 'And you come to a conservative party, you come to a 'cruel kids party', what do actually see? Women who are actually women, thank God - so no apologies for that.' Pearson said the left had become 'mad at the world' because their radicalism had 'fallen out of favour' as more and more people rejected cancel culture, the obituary of which was written on November 5. 'When New York Magazine accused me of trying to create some movement of vying for dominance it's not an allegation, that is exactly what we're doing and we should be doing that and I wear it as a badge of honour,' he said. 'I don't throw receptions, I throw parties. The reason I throw a party is because I think that oftentimes the media wants to portray those on the right as sticks in the mud, self-righteous, people who are intolerable to be around, but really honestly, that is what they are.' Pearson said if you went to one of his events you did not have to 'walk on eggshells' or be afraid of making a joke or flirting with a girl out of fear of being 'cancelled and thrown out and your life ruined'. 'These are people who are fun to be around, who also share your values, share your passion for this country but are also eager to be a part and build community to reaffirm the values that we are all fighting so hard to advance,' he said. Aspirations beyond activism At the age of 13, Pearson, became the 'youngest black legislator in America' having promoted a constitutional amendment to lower the age restriction for assuming public office (to age 18 in the House and 21 in the Senate). In 2022, Pearson was the campaign manager for Vernon Jones during his Georgia gubernatorial campaign. And last year, in January 2024, Pearson put himself forward as a candidate in a special election for Georgia's House of Representatives in the 125th district but was ultimately defeated. A few months later he withdrew his candidacy ahead of a regular election. In February he signed with United Talent Agency, following his stint with PragerU, as part of its bid to bolster its roster of DC figures. 'I'm open to service in any way that I can. This country has given so much to me, and if I have the opportunity to give back to it one day, then I definitely want to do that. The average age of Congress, I think, is 58 years old, and I think it could probably be a good thing if it took a little bit of a dive,' he said. 'If young people don't fight for this country, who the hell will?' Pearson is committed to supporting Trump's America First agenda in whatever way he can but if there was ever an opportunity to run and serve that 'makes sense' he was 'definitely open to it'. Asked if he had a key pledge he would take on the road, Pearson said he would ensure young people had faith in the future by fighting for it as though they would lose it. 'I want to fight for my generation as I have been since I was 12 years old, it's the fight that I've never lost passion for, I kind of only get more passionate about it as the years go by because I think these issues are so fundamentally important,' he said. 'This is the greatest nation in the world. My grandfather served 20 years in the military. And he didn't do that for nothing ... That's why I'm so hell-bent that we've got to do all that we can to right this ship.' CJ's vision of the future of the GOP Pearson spearheads the growing movement of young Americans adopting conservatism as a response to the politically correct, woke mind virus which has permeated politics and culture in the last few decades and came to a climax during the Biden administration. In his own words, Pearson declared the 'only pro-American party' was Trump's Republican Party which upheld Christian values and unashamedly put America First. Pearson said his vision of the future of conservatism was 'young and vibrant'. 'I think the future of conservatism is going to be one of fighters. I think gone are the days of Mitt Romney and George Bush and all these people who don't know how to actually fight and win,' he said. 'We have incredible folks like Riley Gaines on our side. We have incredible people who are doing such great things and who have been at the forefront of many important cultural wins. 'It's going to be diverse not in the way the left uses the term but in a way of people just kind of realising that because of the colour of their skin and their gender like that shouldn't dictate their political beliefs 'I couldn't be more hopeful. MAGA isn't just here, but we're here to stay.' CJ Pearson joins Rita Panahi tonight on Sky News Australia. Watch online with a Streaming Subscription, or catch up with Rita Panahi's interviews on YouTube.
Time Magazine
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Safety is at Risk Warn NASA Staffers in Protest Letter
On July 21—the 56th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon walk—287 current or former NASA employees signed or endorsed a strongly worded open letter to NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy. The letter objects to the space agency's draconian budget and personnel cuts proposed by the White House. Of those signatories, 131 openly wrote their names. The remaining 156, concerned for their jobs, lent their support anonymously. And then, too, there were 17 more names added at the bottom of the letter–belonging to 17 people who didn't have a say in whether their names were used or not. They included Gus Grissom, Ed White, Judith Resnik, Christa McAuliffe, Willie McCool, Kalpana Chawla and the other explorers who lost their lives in the Apollo 1 fire, the Challenger explosion, and the Columbia disintegration. The names were there for more than sentiment; they were there as pointed reminders of what can go wrong in the white-knuckle business of space—what too often does go wrong—when corners are cut, funding is slashed, and work forces are reduced in pursuit of short term budgetary gains. 'Safety is being compromised in every way,' says three time space veteran and retired NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, a signatory of the letter, in a conversation with TIME. 'We are courting another space disaster.' Coleman feels that danger more acutely than most. During the Columbia crew's training, she worked as their capsule communicator—or capcom—the sole voice between mission control and the astronauts. By the time the crew actually went to space, she was finishing up a rotation in Antarctica, assisting in NASA's meteor collection program. She was on her way home, staying with friends in New Zealand, when the terrible word from space came down. 'My friend called and said 'Cady, we lost Columbia. I remember thinking, 'How could we lose them?' It was definitely a hard journey home.' It's not just loss of crew safety that the 287 signatories of the open letter—dubbed The NASA Voyager Declaration—are protesting. There's the scrapping of projects like the Mars Sample Return Mission, which is already underway, with the Perseverance rover caching samples on the Martian surface for later return to Earth. There is the premature cancellation of the Space Launch System (SLS) moon rocket, and the Orion crew capsule, NASA's only crewed ride back to the moon. There is the proposed 50% cut to NASA space science missions, including the brand new Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, the all-but completed $4 billion observatory set for launch in May 2027—which now might be consigned to simply idling in its clean room in Greenbelt, Maryland. Overall, NASA faces a 24% budget cut, from $24.8 billion in 2025 to $18.8 billion in 2026—its lowest funding level since 2015. 'We dissent to the closing out of missions for which Congress has appropriated funding because it represents a permanent loss of capability to the United States both in space and on earth,' wrote the signatories. 'We dissent to implementing indiscriminate cuts to NASA science and aeronautics research because this will leave the American people without the unique public good that NASA provides.' And there's more. There's the loss of intellectual capital that comes when highly trained civil servant engineers are either sacked out of hand or pack their bags and go, taking their talents to the less political private sector, where job security is greater and compensation is higher. 'Thousands of NASA civil servant employees have already been terminated, resigned or retired early, taking with them highly specialized, irreplaceable knowledge crucial to carrying out NASA's mission,' reads the letter. Says retired NASA astronaut Terry Virts, now a candidate for a U.S. Senate Seat in the Democratic primary in Texas: 'These Trump personnel cuts to space exploration are undermining future generations of engineers and scientists as well as those mid-career employees who are at the height of their competency and productivity. It's as if a farmer is destroying his seed corn as well as his crops in the field. The damage that this administration is causing will last for a generation.' The number of anonymous signatories to the Voyager Declaration letter is perhaps a sign of wariness of an administration that is famously intolerant of—and punitive toward—perceived disloyalty. But NASA employees at least come with a modicum of institutional security. After the Columbia disaster in 2003—an accident that was partly the result of lower-echelon employees fearing for their jobs if they spoke out of turn about safety lapses they observed—NASA established its Technical Authority protocol, which provides protection for employees to report anomalies or dangerous corner-cutting to superiors outside their direct chain of command The signatories also cite an official NASA policy directive, similarly ensuring support for speaking truth to power. 'NASA supports full and open discussion of issues of any nature … including alternative and divergent views. Diverse views are to be fostered and respected in an environment of integrity and trust with no suppression or retribution.' The catch: The effective date of the rule was January 29, 2020, and the expiration January 29, 2025. Will the letter have any effect at all? Recent history doesn't portend good things. In June, employees at the National Institutes of Health penned a similar open letter, which yielded little result. Earlier this month, employees at the Environmental Protection Agency, filed their own letter, with even worse results; 140 of them were placed on administrative leave. But NASA backers are not giving up hope. For one thing, the steep budget cuts the White House proposes still have to be approved by Congress, and with thousands of NASA jobs in dozens of Congressional districts, lawmakers are disinclined to take money out of their constituents' pockets. The SLS and Orion were spared in just that way in 2010, when then President Barack Obama proposed scrapping them and Capitol Hill said no dice. And then too there is the less tangible, more lyrical side of space travel that may redound in NASA's favor. 'I'm an optimist,' says Coleman. 'There's something about space that's compelling. There are things out there we don't know about. I think that a letter about space is going to reach people. I think that people are going to understand that if we're saying this about space, we're saying it about microbiology, about sustainability too.' A single open letter may not be enough to change national space policy, but millions of voices expressing their support for it, just may.
Time Magazine
18 hours ago
- Business
- Time Magazine
Inside Trump's Long-Awaited AI Strategy
Welcome back to In the Loop, TIME's new twice-weekly newsletter about the world of AI. If you're reading this in your browser, you can subscribe to have the next one delivered straight to your inbox. What to Know: Trump's AI Action Plan President Trump will deliver a major speech on Wednesday at an event in Washington, D.C., titled 'Winning the AI Race,' where he is expected to unveil his long-awaited AI action plan. The 20-page, high-level document will focus on three main areas, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. It will come as a mixture of directives to federal agencies, with some grant programs. 'It's mostly carrots, not sticks,' the person said. Pillar 1: Infrastructure — The first pillar of the action plan is about AI infrastructure. The plan emphasizes the importance of overhauling permitting rules to ease the building of new data centers. It will also focus on the need to modernize the energy grid, including by adding new sources of power. Pillar 2: Innovation — Second, the action plan will argue that the U.S. needs to lead the world on innovation. It will focus on removing red tape, and will revive the idea of blocking states from regulating AI—although mostly as a symbolic gesture, since the White House's ability to tell states what to do is limited. And it will warn other countries against harming U.S. companies' ability to develop AI, the person said. This section of the plan will also encourage the development of so-called 'open-weights' AI models, which allow developers to download models, modify them, and run them locally. Pillar 3: Global influence —The third pillar of the action plan will emphasize the importance of spreading American AI around the world, so that foreign countries don't come to rely on Chinese models or chips. DeepSeek and other recent Chinese models could become a useful source of geopolitical leverage if they continue to be widely adopted, officials worry. So, part of the plan will focus on ways to ensure U.S. allies and other countries around the world will adopt American models instead. Who to Know: Michael Druggan, Former xAI Employee Elon Musk's xAI fired an employee who had welcomed the possibility of AI wiping out humanity in posts on X that drew widespread attention and condemnation. 'I would like to announce that I am no longer employed at xAI,' Michael Druggan, a mathematician who worked on creating expert datasets for training Grok's reasoning model, according to his resume, wrote on X. 'This separation comes as a result of things I posted on this account relating to my stance on AI philosophy.' What he said — In response to a post questioning why any super-intelligent AI would decide to cooperate with humans, rather than wiping them out, Druggan had written: 'It won't and that's OK. We can pass the torch to the new most intelligent species in the known universe.' When a commenter replied that he would prefer for his child to live, Druggan replied: 'Selfish tbh.' Druggan has identified himself in other posts as a member of the 'worthy successor' movement—a transhumanist group that believes humans should welcome their inevitable replacement by super-intelligent AI, and work to make it as intelligent and morally valuable as possible. X firestorm — The controversial posts were picked up by AI Safety Memes an X account. The account had in the preceding days sparred with Druggan over posts in which the X employee had defended Grok advising a user that they should assassinate a world leader if they wanted to get attention. 'This xAI employee is openly OK with AI causing human extinction,' the account wrote in a tweet that appears to have been noticed by Musk. After Druggan announced he was no longer employed at X, Musk replied to AI Safety Memes with a two-word post: 'Philosophical disagreements.' Succession planning — Druggan did not respond to a request for comment. But in a separate post, he clarified his views. 'I don't want human extinction, of course,' he wrote. 'I'm human and I quite like being alive. But, in a cosmic sense, I recognize that humans might not always be the most important thing.' AI in Action Last week we got another worrying insight into ChatGPT's ability to send users down delusional rabbit-holes—this time with perhaps the most high-profile individual yet. Geoff Lewis, a venture capitalist, posted on X screenshots of his chats with ChatGPT. 'I've long used GPT as a tool in pursuit of my core value: Truth,' he wrote. 'Over years, I mapped the Non-Governmental System. Over months, GPT independently recognized and sealed the pattern.' The screenshots appear to show ChatGPT roleplaying a conspiracy theory-style scenario in which Lewis had discovered a secret entity known as 'Mirrorthread,' supposedly associated with 12 deaths. Some observers noted that the text's style appeared to mirror that of the community-written 'SCP' fan-fiction, and that it appeared Lewis had confused this roleplaying for reality. 'This is an important event: the first time AI-induced psychosis has affected a well-respected and high achieving individual,' Max Spero, CEO of a company focused on detecting 'AI slop,' wrote on X. Lewis did not respond to a request for comment. What We're Reading Chain of Thought Monitorability: A New and Fragile Opportunity for AI Safety A new paper coauthored by dozens of top AI researchers at OpenAI, DeepMind, Anthropic, and more, calls on companies to ensure that future AIs continue to 'think' in human languages, arguing that this is a 'new and fragile opportunity' to make sure AIs aren't deceiving their human creators. Current 'reasoning' models think in language, but a new trend in AI research of outcome-based reinforcement learning threatens to undermine this 'easy win' for AI safety. I found this paper especially interesting because it hit on a dynamic that I wrote about six months ago, here.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
How to Tell if You're Allergic to Alcohol
Credit - Photo-Illustration by TIME (Source Images: Francesco, Yevgen Romanenko—Getty Images, viennetta/Getty Images, Chris Clor—Getty Images, Cris Cantón—Getty Images) Your body will almost certainly rebel if you drink too much alcohol in a night. But what if it reacts after just a sip or two? If you notice odd symptoms like facial flushing, a runny nose, or even a racing heartbeat after drinking, you might not just be sensitive to alcohol—you could be allergic. While true alcohol allergies are uncommon, they do exist, and alcohol intolerance and reactions to ingredients in your favorite drinks are pervasive. Here's how to spot the clues that you might not get along well with alcohol. Is it an intolerance or an allergy? Both involve different biological reactions, and an alcohol allergy can be dangerous. A true alcohol allergy is an immune-system response to a component of the beverage. It may mean your immune system reacts to alcohol—or ingredients in alcoholic beverages like grains, yeast, or preservatives—as if it's a harmful invader. Symptoms can include a rash; itching; swelling of the lips, tongue, or mouth; trouble breathing; stomach cramps; or even anaphylaxis, which can be potentially fatal. An alcohol intolerance, on the other hand, "is a genetic or metabolic condition,' says Tamar Samuels, a registered dietitian and co-founder of Culina Health, a virtual nutrition platform. 'People with an intolerance typically don't have enough of the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2), which helps metabolize alcohol.' She says symptoms typically include flushing, nausea, rapid heartbeat, and headaches. Read More: How to Relax and Unwind Without Drinking Alcohol Certain groups of people are prone to alcohol intolerance, though it can affect anyone. Up to 45% of East Asians carry the ALDH2 variant linked to alcohol flushing syndrome, which is a condition where your face, neck, or chest turns red soon after drinking alcohol. It's usually caused by a genetic mutation that affects how your body breaks down alcohol. Signs you might be allergic to alcohol They're rare, but alcohol allergies can range from mild to life-threatening, says Samuels. Signs of an allergy emerge after drinking any amount of alcohol and can include skin reactions (like hives, itching, flushing, or eczema-like rashes), swelling of the face or throat (especially of the lips, eyes, or tongue), respiratory symptoms (like nasal congestion, sneezing, wheezing, or difficulty breathing), gastrointestinal symptoms (such as nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, or diarrhea), or cardiovascular symptoms (like dizziness, fainting, or, in rare cases, anaphylaxis.) How alcohol affects the body Alcohol affects nearly every part of the body, starting with the brain. It slows down the central nervous system, impairing judgment, coordination, and reaction time. While it may create a temporary feeling of relaxation or euphoria, long-term use can lead to anxiety, depression, and addiction. Alcohol also alters how the brain's reward system functions, which increases the risk of dependence over time. 'It also affects the heart in many ways, both directly and indirectly,' says Dr. Sean Heffron, cardiologist at the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at NYU Langone Heart. It can impact blood pressure and influence levels of different types of cholesterol—specifically HDL cholesterol in the blood—and can also have an influence on heart rhythm and conduction. All of these impacts tend to be dose-responsive, meaning that depending on the amount of alcohol you drink, you can have variations in how each of these factors manifest. Read More: Why, Exactly, Is Alcohol So Bad for You? Alcohol has been classified as a known carcinogen and is linked to several cancers, including those of the breast, liver, mouth, throat, and colon. Even moderate drinking has been shown to raise the risk of breast cancer. It can also interfere with sleep, disrupt hormone levels, weaken the immune system, and contribute to weight gain and poor mental health. 'Because of these many negative side effects, drinking in moderation or not consuming alcohol all together is your healthiest option,' says Heffron. Common allergic triggers in alcohol Allergies to ethanol, the type of alcohol found in drinks, are exceedingly rare. Most reactions are caused by other compounds found in alcoholic beverages, says Heffron. Histamines Naturally occurring in fermented products like red wine and beer, histamines can trigger allergy-like symptoms in sensitive people, especially those with low levels of the enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO). Sulfites These preservatives, found in wine and beer, are especially problematic for people with asthma. One study suggests that sulfite sensitivity may affect up to 10% of people with asthma. Grains Beer and some spirits contain wheat, barley, or rye, which may trigger reactions in people with grain or gluten allergies. Read More: The 9 Most Underrated Healthy Foods Flavorings and additives Natural fruit compounds, artificial colorants, and tannins in wine can cause headaches, GI symptoms, or hives in sensitive people. Ethanol or acetaldehyde sensitivity In people with alcohol intolerance, the body lacks the enzyme ALDH2 needed to break down acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism. This causes flushing, nausea, and a rapid heartbeat. What to do if you suspect you have an allergy If you think you might have an allergy to alcohol, stop drinking immediately and take note of your symptoms. 'For mild symptoms (like hives or nasal congestion), an over-the-counter antihistamine may help,' says Samuels. 'For more severe symptoms like trouble breathing, swelling of lips, or throat, seek emergency care immediately, as this could be anaphylaxis.' She also recommends seeing an allergist for comprehensive testing, including patch testing or oral food challenges to identify the specific triggers like sulfites, grains, or histamines. And is taking an antihistamine before you drink to prevent an allergic reaction a smart idea? 'It's not recommended,' says Samuels. 'While antihistamines may blunt some mild symptoms, they don't address the root cause and can be risky when combined with alcohol." That's especially true for sedating antihistamines like diphenhydramine (Benadryl), which 'can amplify alcohol's effects, leading to increased drowsiness, impaired judgment, or even respiratory depression,' she says. 'Instead of masking symptoms, it's better to identify and avoid the trigger.' Contact us at letters@
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Man Utd looking to buy new striker, midfielder and keeper in triple transfer swoop after landing Bryan Mbeumo
There are plenty of names that could also move to Old Trafford this summer MAN POWER Man Utd looking to buy new striker, midfielder and keeper in triple transfer swoop after landing Bryan Mbeumo Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MANCHESTER UNITED are planning on more transfer business following the arrival of Bryan Mbeumo. The Red Devils have already splashed out over £130MILLION on the Brentford star as well as Mathues Cunha and Diego Leon. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 Ruben Amorim wants three more players this summer Credit: Getty 9 Bryan Mbeumo is the club's second major signing this summer Credit: Getty 9 Benjamin Sesko is one striker that Man United could pursue Credit: Getty 9 Nicolas Jackson could leave Chelsea for Old Trafford Credit: Getty Mbeumo and Cunha are the two big names arriving so far as the club attempts to refresh Ruben Amorim's frontline. The Athletic have claimed that Man United are still planning on more players arriving at Old Trafford this summer. The report suggests that the club are still hoping to add at least three new faces to the squad. This includes a new goalkeeper to replace the injured and error-prone Andre Onana. READ MORE ON MAN UTD IT'S FERGIE TIME Sir Alex Ferguson gatecrashes Rio's podcast... but refuses to take part Emiliano Martinez is one name that appears to be a target, though Aston Villa are demanding roughly £40million for his signature. Antwerp's Senne Lemmens has also been linked with the Red Devils with reports claiming talks over a £17m deal have taken place. The second position that is judged to need strengthening is in the defensive midfield position. The club currently have Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo as options in this role. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS However, it is suggested that another No6 is on the "agenda" at Old Trafford. The final position is a new striker who can lead the line instead of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee. Mbeumo completes Man Utd move The report states that Man United failed to convince either Hugo Ekitike or Viktor Gyokeres of a move. Ekitike is set for Liverpool while Gyokeres is hopeful of completing a move to Arsenal. Other names that Amorim could target include Benjamin Sesko, Ollie Watkins and Nicolas Jackson. Jackson has dropped down the pecking order at Chelsea following the arrivals of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro. 9 Andre Onana could be replaced this summer Credit: Getty 9 Emiliano Martinez is a reported target for Man United Credit: Getty 9 Anthony Elanga's move to Newcastle has earned the club £7m thanks to a sell-on clause Credit: PA 9 Marcus Rashford's huge wages are set to come off the wage bill Credit: Getty However, the Senegal international will not be cheap with the Stamford Bridge outfit set to demand £100m. Talks are said to have taken place over all three, but "due to the costs" Man United are in active pursuit. Man United have been able to raise some funds to help finance their transfer business this summer. The transfers of Alvaro Carreras, Anthony Elanga and Maxi Oyedele have all landed the club cash in sell-on clauses. While Marcus Rashford's impending switch to Barcelona will save the club a fortune in wages. The likes of Antony, Tyrell Malacia and Jadon Sancho are all continuing to be put in the shop window too. 9 TRANSFER NEWS LIVE - KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW
