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Pete Hegseth has a sperm-count problem: medical experts

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s controversial plan to test service members’ testosterone levels may end up having an ironic side effect on male soldiers, two medical experts said in a new report.
Dr. Adrian Dobs, a professor of medicine and oncology at John Hopkins University School of Medicine explained the issue to The Intercept Friday.
“We’re sort of creating a dependency on testosterone,” Dobs said. “Men who take testosterone will have a reduction in their sperm counts.”
Last week, Hegseth announced a new policy that would see all U.S. service members over the age of 30 be tested annually for testosterone levels, boasting about his efforts to transform the Defense Department into the “High-T Department of War.”
The policy is already facing legal challenges, with a federal judge on Wednesday ordering the Trump administration to explain how the new testing policy squares with its existing ban on hormone treatment for transgender service members.
Per the policy, testosterone screening will be mandatory for all service members over 30, though service members under 30 may voluntarily get screened as well.
The concern among medical experts, such as Dr. Alvin Matsumoto, a professor emeritus at the University of Washington School of Medicine, is that mandatory screening may produce unreliable results given that a person’s testosterone levels can vary widely depending on a number of factors, including the time of day and recent meals.
“That creates a risk under a program that will routinely screen otherwise healthy troops and make testosterone therapy available to those subsequently diagnosed with a deficiency,” The Intercept’s report reads.
Furthermore, the policy would almost certainly result in some service members being given testosterone replacement therapy when not medically necessary.
“Here we have men who are in their prime of reproduction, and we’re causing a drop in their sperm counts when there really may not be sufficient benefit,” Dobs said.
Trump ridiculed after eulogy for Lindsey Graham veers off course: ‘Stickler for accuracy!’

President Donald Trump couldn't even stay on topic during one of the simplest moments of his eulogy for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Tuesday.
Graham was almost always a loyal supporter of the president — yet despite this, he went out of his way to argue with the pre-prepared remarks about how great Graham was.
"Virtually everyone liked Lindsey," said Trump. "Well, not everybody. But it sounds good. I have to be honest. I have to veer from this for a second."
This comment earned instant mockery from commenters on social media.
"I love how @realDonaldTrump is such a stickler for accuracy," wrote conservative lawyer turned anti-Trump activist and former congressional candidate George Conway.
"Trump objecting to the work of his speechwriters again," wrote Vanity Fair Washington correspondent Aidan McLaughlin.
"All those years of Lindsey sucking up to this psycho, and this is the thanks he gets," wrote podcaster and political personality Jo Carducci, better known as "JoJoFromJerz."
"He cared so much about Lindsey he didn’t read his prepared remarks before the funeral," wrote Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko.
‘More about botox than bombs’: GOP candidates have a Hegseth headache — Dems are delighted

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's blunders and bluster are about to become a central argument against Republican lawmakers in the upcoming midterm election, according to a new report.
Democratic candidates and campaign strategists consider the controversial Donald Trump Cabinet member to be a target-rich subject when it comes to putting their GOP opponents back on their heels, Politico reported Thursday.
"The more Hegseth puts himself out there, the more he does the work for us," said Matt Corridoni, a Democratic strategist told Politico.
"Normally the Secretary of Defense is not such a politically focused position, but he has pushed it into hyper politics. So you're going to see candidates using him as a foil more and more."
Hegseth's television personality has made him instantly recognizable, and his record of controversy provides endless ammunition for Democrats in key districts, the report states.
"Campaign planners said they expect candidates to call out Hegseth even more as the war against Iran continues," the report stated. "Trump has repeatedly said the Defense secretary was among the first and most vocal proponents of the fight, which has now lasted more than five months and led to a spike in global energy prices."
Cait Conley, an Iraq war veteran running for New York's 17th Congressional District, has been particularly brutal, calling Hegseth unqualified and incompetent while quipping that he knows "more about botox than bombs."
Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot running for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, has made Hegseth's removal a centerpiece of her campaign. She's called for his resignation at every stop, framing him as a threat to military integrity.
"Pete Hegseth is a disgrace to the office that he holds, and the reason why I believe he is deeply dangerous is partially because of the polarization," Bennett said.
"We have an obligation to call those things out when we see it, and to make sure that we are standing up for our service members who do not have the ability to speak out about these things."

