White House Spokesperson Argues Mike Pence Isn’t Anti-Gay In Worst Possible Way

White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere faced backlash Tuesday after he argued Vice President Mike Pence can’t be anti-LGBTQ because he is set to have lunch with Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who is gay.

“For all of you who still think our @VP is anti-gay, I point you to his and the @SecondLady’s schedule tomorrow where they will join Taoiseach @LeoVaradkar and his partner Dr. Matthew Barrett for lunch in Ireland,” tweeted Deere, who is gay.

Varadkar is Ireland’s first openly gay leader.

Pence, a conservative Christian, has previously argued that same-sex marriage is a sign of “societal collapse” and as governor of Indiana signed legislation that could legalize discrimination against LGBTQ individuals.

He is in Ireland with second lady Karen Pence.

Twitter users mocked Deere over his argument:

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Cabinet clears over ₹9,000 crore capital infusion in IDBI Bank

Out of ₹9,000 crore, the government will provide ₹4,557 crore as one-time re-capitalisation.

The government on September 3 approved over ₹9,000 crore capital infusion in IDBI Bank with a view to increasing the lender’s capital base.

The Union Cabinet has cleared recapitalisation of IDBI Bank with one-time infusion of funds by both the government and the LIC, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters here.

Out of ₹9,000 crore, the government will provide ₹4,557 crore as one-time re-capitalisation to IDBI Bank, he said.

Besides, he said, LIC will infuse ₹4,700 crore.

Hong Kong's Carrie Lam denies trying to resign

She has downplayed a leaked audio recording of her saying if she had a choice, she would quit.

Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam has dismissed a leaked audio recording of her saying she would resign if she had a choice.

Her comments were recorded during a private lunch last week and come after three months of anti-government protests.

Al Jazeera’s Wayne Hay reports.

Cidara Therapeutics’s stock rockets after commercialization deal with a potential value of up to $568 million

Shares of Cidara Therapeutics Inc. CDTX, -5.62% rocketed 67% in active premarket trading Tuesday, after the biotechnology company announced a partnership with Mundipharma with a total potential value of $568 million to Cidara. Under terms of the agreement, which follows the completion of its phase 2 trial of Rezafungin for the treatment of fungal infections, Cidara will receive a $30 million upfront payment and Mundipharma will make a $9 million equity investment in Cidara, while Cidara will grant Mundiphama exclusive commercialization rights to rezafungin outside of the U.S. and Japan. Cidara will also receive $42 million in near-term funding to support phase 3 trials, and Cidara will be eligible to receive development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments. "This is a transformational collaboration for Cidara, and we look forward to working closely with our colleagues at Mundipharma, a highly successful, profitable company with a commercial presence spanning 120 markets worldwide and annual sales exceeding EUR2 billion," said Cidara Chief Executive Jeffrey Stein. Cidara’s stock has tumbled 28.5% year to date through Friday, while the iShares Nadsaq Biotechnology ETF IBB, -0.67% has gained 6.7% and the S&P 500 SPX, +0.06% has advanced 16.7%.

Too Much Or Too Little Sleep Tied To Increased Risk Of Heart Attack: Study

A healthy heart demands a good amount of sleep. Adults generally need 7 hours of sleep to stay healthy and function normally.

Studies have shown that people who sleep for less than 7 hours are vulnerable to high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and obesity, which in turn lead to heart disease. Oversleeping also is not good for you. A recent study shows how too little or too much sleep can affect your heart.

Researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder, the University of Manchester, and the Massachusetts General Hospital conducted MR analysis of nearly half-a-million UK Biobank participants to find out the relation between the amount of sleep one has and the risk of Myocardial infarction or MI, also known as heart attack.

It was found that people who slept for less than 6 hours have 20% higher risk of MI and those who slept for more than 9 hours have 34% more risk of MI than those who slept for 7 hours

The research also revealed that normal sleeping reduced the risk of MI in people with high genetic liability. However, the researchers are yet to find out the reason.

Individuals, even with the genetic risk of heart disease, can reduce their possibility of MI by just following proper sleep routine, this study demonstrates.

The article was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Pence defends decision to stay at Trump property in Ireland

Vice President Mike Pence’s staff is defending his decision to stay at one of President Donald Trump’s properties while in Ireland amid criticism by Democrats that he’s enriching Trump at taxpayers’ expense.

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Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, said Tuesday that the decision to stay at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg was made at Trump’s “suggestion” and that Pence and his entourage won’t be staying for free.

Short says Pence’s office followed protocol and received State Department sign-off. He says the club is the “one facility” in the Doonbeg area that can accommodate Pence’s team.

Pence is traveling with his wife, his mother and his sister. Short says Pence is personally covering costs for his mother and his sister.

Pence is commuting into Dublin for meetings with Irish officials.