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Roseanne Barr slams media over coverage of Roseanne, says ABC supports my show and all of our ide
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The cast of "Roseanne" in a scene from the show's recent reboot on ABC. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News special workflow
Published: May 17, 2018, 4:29 PM
Will Roseanne ditch the pro-Trump humor next year?

ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey, in a conference call with reporters, said the show will ditch its political slant next season, according to Fox News.

Many have looked to "Roseanne" as a pro-Trump television show. After all, the shows first episode after it was relaunched this spring included characters talking about the 2016 election results. The character Roseanne touted her support for Trump, something seen less often on TV. Roseanne Barr is a Trump supporter.

During the call, Dungey said the show's second season may move away from politics.

I think that theyre going to stay on the path that they were on toward the end of last season, which is away from politics and toward family, Dungey said, according to TheWraps report of the call.

He added, I think that one of the things that was fresh for us with Roseanne on the air is that it is focusing (on) a family that is in a different economic status than some of the other family comedies that are on the air.

Barr responded to the reports, saying the media misrepresented Dungeys words.

ABC has been nothing but supportive to me and my show and all of our ideas. The press has misrepresented what ABC President said about our new season, she tweeted.

But Dungeys words align with what co-star Sara Gilbert said about the show ditching the pro-Trump politics next season.

Its not about anyones position or a policy, its really about what happens to a family when theres a political divide, which is something that I think the entire country can relate to and something we need to talk about, Gilbert said, according to Yahoo! With our show, its never about doing an issue or doing politics. Its, 'How do these things affect a family unit?'

This back-and-forth comes despite reports ABC rebooted "Roseanne" to connect with conservative viewers and Trump supporters.

ABC President Ben Sherwood told The New York Times after the shows return episode that ABC executives had a meeting after the election to decide how they were going to reach Middle America, which felt underrepresented and led to Trump securing the White House.

We looked at each other and said, Theres a lot about this country we need to learn a lot more about here on the coasts, Sherwood said.

An ABC representative told Fox News the show is definitely not cutting out the approach to reach Middle America people.

The shows strategy led to high opening ratings, reaching 18.1 million viewers for its debut episode.

Barr told Good Morning America Trump called to congratulate her on the success of the show.

It was pretty exciting, I'll tell you that much, Barr said during a phone call with Good Morning America. They said, 'Hold please for the president of the United States of America' and (that) was about the most exciting thing ever. It was just very sweet of him to congratulate us.

I've known him for many years and he's done a lot of nice things for me over the years, she continued. It was just a friendly conversation about working and television and ratings. He really understands ratings and how they measure things.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.