Kirsty Gallacher breaks her silence as she posts on social media for the first time since brother-in-law Russell Brand was accused of rape, sexual assault and predatory behaviour

By Jason Chester for MailOnline

Published: 08:33 EDT, 20 September 2023 | Updated: 09:00 EDT, 20 September 2023

• Images of ‘ideal’ bodies and faces can contribute to eating disorders in women
• The researchers said filters allowed features to be enhanced to unrealistic levels 

By Mail Foreign Service

Published: 17:00 EDT, 17 September 2023 | Updated: 21:01 EDT, 17 September 2023

Thousands of freshly-trained medics join the NHS every year after five years in medical school.

But it was revealed this week that, rather than working in the health service, a third of those in training plan to flee the UK in favour of working in the likes of Australia, New Zealand and Canada in a bid for better pay and work-life balance.

One in 33 students even plan to leave medicine altogether.

Among the medics vacating the health service include those jetting off to use their skills abroad and those becoming social media stars or joining OnlyFans – with some earning millions.

Moved to Australia

Dr Michael Mrozinski says he felt exhausted after working in the NHS for seven years.

The medic, 37, says that during his time as a junior doctor in Glasgow, the NHS couldn’t ‘care less’ about his ideas for providing better patient care.

On TikTok, the Scot explained that by age 30 he was ‘completely burnt out’.

He said he saw far too many patients, was snowed under with paperwork and always left an hour or two after finishing.

Dr Mrozinski said: ‘That just wasn’t sustainable for me.

‘So I decided to get away from the NHS, to move out to Australia and it is the best decision I have ever made.’

The medic started working in Australia in 2016. He said his work-life balance is far more sustainable and his more senior colleagues even ‘scolded him for not taking his coffee breaks’ or staying 20 minutes after his shift.

Became a Youtube star

Dr Ali Abdaal, 29, studied medicine for six years at Cambridge University and worked as a junior doctor for a further two.

During his studies, he set up a YouTube channel, creating content around medicine and his degree.

But eight years into working for the NHS, he was earning £40,000 a year as a medic while he claims his YouTube account made him millions.

He said: ‘This year we are expecting the business to probably make around £2million in profit.’

‘The money equation here is completely asymmetrical,’ he added.

He explained that he would have eventually reached a salary of £100,000 working for the NHS after specialising, but that wouldn’t be for many years.

Dr Abdaal revealed that while he did enjoy his job as a doctor, he did not look forward to going to work on a Monday morning.

He said now he genuinely looks forward to going to work every day and rushes through his morning routine just to sit at his desk and work on ‘doing his own thing’.

Joined OnlyFans

Michaela Ogilvie, from Ramsgate, left her role as an NHS mental health social worker earlier this year.

The 32-year-old made the decision after becoming ‘depressed’ by her work.

Since making the switch, the content creator has amassed nearly 20,000 followers on Instagram and 30,000 on TikTok.

But her income comes from OnlyFans, where she claims she is in the top two percent of creators on the site, earns up to £1,000 a week.

She said: ‘I enjoy it so much more than social work – it’s so freeing.  

‘For me it’s about taking back control.’

Became a life coach

Dr Helena Bridge, who worked as an NHS junior doctor in Oxford, says she was often left ‘sobbing and hyperventilating’ while working as a junior doctor.

She said she was overwhelmed with calls and a long list of urgent tasks, which left her ‘scared’ in case she made a mistake that cost someone their life.

After nearly a decade in medicine, she took the ‘ultimate risk’ and left the NHS last year.

The neuroscience graduate became a life coach instead and has since set up her own business.

Dr Bridge said: ‘I am definitely not anti-medicine, but I am anti-suffering.’

‘The system feels like a sinking ship’, Helena added.

‘I would not want to continue working in a health care system like this, because I couldn’t provide to my patients the kind of care standards that I would want for my own family or friends or for myself.

‘I don’t dehumanise patients, I don’t see them as a tick box on a list of todo things. I value people’s quality of life, I value that they are not in pain.’

By Matthew Phelan For Dailymail.Com

Updated: 20:13 EDT, 1 September 2023

In a social media frenzy, the internet has exploded with a wave of creative memes and humorous posts after the release of the official mugshot of former President Donald Trump. 

The image, which quickly went viral, has sparked a multitude of reactions from users across various platforms. 

The image shows a stern-faced Trump in what appears to be a standard booking photo. The former President is wearing a blue suit and red tie in the shot. 

Within moments of the image hitting the internet, hashtags such as #TrumpMugshot and #OrangeIsTheNewOrange began trending on X. 

Others defended Trump with the hashtag #MyPresident. 

Trump himself posted the photo to his X account with the caption DONALDJTRUMP.COM, his first tweet since January 8, 2021. 

Here are some of the top, funniest and wackiest memes and posts about the now-infamous mugshot:  

Users from across the political spectrum chimed in with their takes on the mugshot after waiting in anticipation for its release. 

Some users on X poked fun at Trump’s signature hairstyle, while others playfully speculated about his potential ‘prison wardrobe.’

Some joked about how the former president’s weight was listed at 215 pounds. 

Instagram and TikTok were also not far behind, as users flooded these platforms with short videos and image-based memes. 

In one widely shared meme, Trump’s face was superimposed onto various famous movie scenes where characters find themselves behind bars, leaving audiences in stitches.

The memes ranged from light-hearted humor to political satire. 

‘Trump is mean mugging the camera, this is too funny,’ one user wrote on X.

Others defended the former president and said the photo would be used as a rallying cry. 

‘I stand with President Trump against the commie DA Fani Willis who is nothing more than a political hitman tasked with taking out Biden’s top political opponent. ‘Persecution, not prosecution,’ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted with hashtag #MAGAMugshot. 

Fake Trump mug shots also went viral prior to the release of the photo. 

 

Trump has made history by becoming the first former president to pose for a mugshot after his arrest for trying to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

The 77-year-old was arrested for the fourth time this year and fingerprinted by authorities at the Fulton County jail. Unlike with his previous three arrests, on Thursday he had his booking photo taken.

He stared into the camera for the historic image, with a scowl on his face.

Trump’s height and weight were recorded and, as part of the booking process, he was given a prisoner identification number: P01135809.

He was then released on payment of 10 percent of his $200,000 bail, having spent less than 20 minutes inside the infamous facility.

The former president traveled to Georgia on Thursday afternoon from his Bedminster, New Jersey, home.

Ahead of his surrender, Trump slammed Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis as a ‘Radical Left, Lowlife District Attorney. His surrender came hours after Willis requested Trump face trial in Georgia on October 23, and as his former chief of staff Mark Meadows surrendered to cops.

A handful of other Trump allies and ‘co-conspirators’ who turned themselves into the Georgia prison this week also had their mugshots released by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. They are accused of joining a ‘conspiracy’ led by Trump to unlawfully change the outcome of the election.

‘America’s Mayor’ Rudy Giuliani faced the humiliation of having his mugshot taken after getting booked at the Atlanta jail on Wednesday.

In the image, Giuliani can be seen looking straight ahead, showing a slight frown, with industrial lighting shining on his forehead and a sheriff’s badge on the wall to his right.

‘Barbenheimer’ provides bumper July for Everyman Media Group

• Everyman revealed its revenue increased by about 50% to £10.6m last month
• The company also revealed half-year revenue declined by £2.4m to £38.3m
• Some Britons watched the Barbie and Oppenheimer movies consecutively 

By Harry Wise

Published: 05:36 EDT, 18 August 2023 | Updated: 11:26 EDT, 18 August 2023

Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.

The way most people use social media puts them at risk of identity fraud, home burglaries, an expert warns.

Laura Kankaala, Threat Intelligence Lead at online security software provider F-Secure, told DailyMail.com there are six things she would never post on social media.

They include photos of her house keys, back-to-school images of children or anything that can identify places she regular visits – such as her morning run route.

Photos taken near my home or sharing my location

It’s very easy to give away your home address inadvertently on social media, Kankalaa warned.

She said: ‘I avoid taking and posting photos in and around my home that can give away where I live, key landmarks and recognizable shops and buildings can allow someone with ill intentions to build an accurate picture of where you live.

‘Even something seemingly innocent like a fire station or convenience store can provide key waypoints. 

‘Another one to avoid is sharing a map of your run, hike or cycle particularly if you started from your home as this can easily reveal your address.

‘Also, be aware that some social media apps have location sharing, like Snapchat, BeReal and Facebook. 

It’s easy to forget this setting is enabled so I recommend switching it off.’

Photos of my house keys or flight tickets

Posting a photo of your house keys after buying a home might seem innocent enough, but it carries risks, as does posting flight tickets (which can give away details such as passport numbers).

Kankalaa said: ‘A trend that’s popular with new homeowners is to take a photo of their set of keys, perhaps dangled outside of their front day to proudly announce their new purchase. 

‘This is a huge no for me. Depending on the type of lock, it is technically possible to 3D print a copy of keys based on a photograph. So, if you don’t want any uninvited guests, I’d keep the keys out of shot.’

Posting flight tickets online can expose your personal information – or make it easy for malicious pranksters to cancel your plane ticket as a ‘joke’.

Photos of children going back to school

It’s become popular to post pictures of children on a doorstep going back to school – but this can give away personal details both about your child and about where your home is located.

Kankalaa said: ‘As schools return it’s popular for parents to post pictures of their children in identifiable uniform outside their door with a house number clearly visible.

‘I would think carefully about posting this online, at the very least blur out the badge and house number.’

Photos in the workplace

It’s very easy to give away private details about your workplace which could be exploited by cybercriminals, Kankalaa warned.

‘Maybe you want to show the world you’re working really hard or perhaps you’ve found a cool coffee shop and you snap a photo of your laptop/device in situ, with a coffee. But it’s also an easy way to unintentionally reveal sensitive information on your screen.

‘Smartphone cameras produce such high-quality photographs nowadays, someone could easily zoom into your shot and read the content of your emails or work dashboard. The same goes for when you’re logged into personal emails. If you really want to share such a photograph, then lock your device screen first.’

Photos of other people without their consent

It’s worth thinking before you post – do the other people in this image or video want to be there?

Kankalaa said, ‘Many of us are in the habit of sharing photos of friends online but how often do you ask permission before doing so? Assuming everyone’s circumstances are the same could land someone else in trouble.

‘On a lighter note, perhaps someone has pulled a sickie at work, but unfortunately there can be darker circumstances. 

‘Someone might be in an abusive relationship; for instance, a photo shared online could put them in danger.’ It may seem overly cautious but asking ‘do you mind if I post this picture of us online?’ is good practice as well as good manners.

Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez are headed for divorce and have been reportedly separated since January 2023 – after two years of marriage.

A spokesperson confirmed the news to DailyMail.com on Monday.

Ariana, 30, and Dalton, 27, had a whirlwind romance during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, getting engaged that same year and tying the knot in 2021.

Ariana oftentimes shared cuddled up snaps of the two of them to her Instagram, professing her love to her realtor husband.

The star has been busy filming Wicked in London – making time for Wimbledon on Sunday – where the star was seen ring-less in the crowd, sparking rumors of a rocky patch.

‘Ariana and Dalton have nothing but respect for one another. They’re still friends and want to remain that way moving forward. There was no cheating, no resentment between them, the marriage just simply didn’t work out. These things happen,’ a source close to the couple told DailyMail.com.

As Ariana and Dalton go their separate ways after two years of marriage – Dailymail.com looks back at their whirlwind romance….

FEBRUARY 2020 – FIRST PUBLIC SIGHTING ONE MONTH AFTER THEY STARTED DATING

Ariana and Dalton were first seen kissing at Bar Louie in Northridge, California, TMZ reported at the time.

His identity was unknown.

They were seen in a booth at the bar sharing a number of kisses during the 1 am visit.

The duo were with pals, and sat at the bar booth for only thirty minutes.

MARCH 2020 – HIS IDENTITY IS REVEALED

In late March 2020, his identity was revealed by TMZ.

Dalton is a high-end realtor working for real estate group Aaron Kirkman in Los Angeles.

Details of their relationship surfaced – with the start of their relationship beginning in January 2020, per People, as they confirmed their romance began two months ago, via their insiders.

The pair first met when Grande was looking for another home through his luxury real estate firm and her team happened to enlist his help in particular.

‘Ariana was looking for a home outside of Los Angeles to be her getaway house, and her team found Dalton to help,’ a source told Us Weekly.

‘When she saw him, she immediately thought he was cute and very good-looking, and she asked her team to set up an in-person meeting with him. Ariana fell very hard for Dalton shortly after they met.’

During the Covid-19 lockdown, Ariana and Dalton quarantined together at her home in LA.

‘Ariana is stay at home with friends. She is serious about self-distancing and has been with the same group of people for days. One of the people she is with right now is Dalton- they have been hanging out for a couple of months. Ariana doesn’t want to do another public relationship, so she is tryin to keep this one quiet, but she seems very happy with Dalton,’ People’s source said.

MAY 2020 – DALTON APPEARS IN HER MUSIC VIDEO WITH JUSTIN BIEBER FOR STUCK WITH U

Ariana and Dalton appeared briefly in the music video for her duet with Justin Bieber – called Stuck With U.

The music video featured Justin and Hailey Bieber, as well as fans and other celebrities – like Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Falchuk, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, Stephen and Ayesha Curry – plus sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner..

They were seen dancing, hugging and also practicing social distancing in the video.

Ariana appeared with Dalton in the video, as they danced and smiled at each other.

JUNE 2020 – ARIANA GOES INSTAGRAM OFFICIAL WITH DALTON AHEAD OF HER 27TH BIRTHDAY

Ariana cuddled up with her boyfriend Dalton Gomez in a cute photo shared late Thursday night ahead of her 27th birthday – going Instagram official in the process.

The pop singer also included a hodgepodge of photos and videos from her quarantine at her Beverly Hills home.

She captioned the photos, ‘almost 27,’ and had comments turned off, preventing anyone from send her birthday wishes.

Ariana’s photo with Dalton featured the high-end real estate agent wrapping his arm around the singer, who had her hand partially obscuring her face.

Dalton shared a photo on his Instagram of him and Ariana about to kiss – in honor of her birthday.

‘happy birthday to the best person in this world,’ he captioned a photo of the two leaning in for a cute kiss.

AUGUST 2020 – ARIANA CELEBRATES DALTON’S BEITHDAY WITH SWEET TRIBUTE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Ariana kicked her relationship with Dalton up a notch as she helped him celebrate his birthday.

The pop star shared a bevy of sweet photos and videos featuring the two that showed how inseparable they are.

Ariana began with an underlit video of her with Dalton wrapping his arms around her from behind.

The couple swayed to the strains of L-O-V-E while the young real estate agent leaned in for a sweet kiss on the cheek as she flashed an angelic smile.

‘hbd to my baby my best friend my fav part of all the days,’ she wrote in the caption, adding, ‘i love u’ and a smiley face.

DECEMBER 20, 2020 – ARIANA AND DALTON ANNOUNCE ENGAGEMENT

Ariana announced that she is engaged to Dalton Gomez.

The pop star shared a photo of a stunning diamond ring on her left finger as she wrote, ‘forever n then some,’ along with some loved-up snaps.

The engagement comes just after nearly a year of dating her real estate beau.

The asymmetrical oval shaped diamond featured a pearl next to it on a simple platinum band. In 2014 Grande tweeted about a pearl ring that had sentimental value relative to her grandpa, which led her fans to believe the pearl on her current ring may have been repurposed, though it is unconfirmed.

‘Nonna had a ring made for me w/ the pearl from grandpa’s tie pin. she says he told her in a dream it’d protect me <3'.

A source from Grande’s camp told People, ‘They couldn’t be happier, they’re just so excited. This is a happy time for them, both sets of parents are thrilled.’

Grande has not been shy on social media about her love for her now fiance as she has called him her ‘best friend,’ and ‘favorite part of all the days.’

MAY 2021 – ARIANA AND DALTON GET MARRIED IN INTIMATE CEREMONY AT HER MONTECITO HOME

Ariana secretly married her fiancé Dalton Gomez.

The 27-year-old singer is said to have tied the knot with the real estate agent, 25, over the weekend at her $6.75m home in Montecito, California.

A representative for the singer confirmed to PEOPLE on Monday night: ‘They got married. It was tiny and intimate – less than 20 people. The room was so happy and full of love. The couple and both families couldn’t be happier.’

Despite the scaled-down celebrations, Ariana and Dalton – a real estate agent – are said to have exchanged the traditional ‘I dos’, TMZ also reports.

A source close to the Grammy winner confirmed to the outlet that the secret ceremony took place at her California home where her neighbours include the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Ariana is said to have bought Ellen’s former home, a unique 5,500-square-foot Tudor-style mansion which she paid $6.75 million for last August.

Ariana is said to have bought Ellen’s former home, a unique 5,500-square-foot Tudor-style mansion which she paid $6.75 million for last August.

JULY 2021 – NEWLYWEDS ENJOY HONEYMOON TO AMSTERDAM

Ariana gave her more than 250 million Instagram followers a first look at her honeymoon with Dalton in Amsterdam.

The newlyweds looked happy in love as they went sightseeing in Netherlands’ capital, which is famous for its canals, artistic heritage and beautiful houses.

In addition to posting a few scenic shots around the city, she shared a snap of herself gazing at Dalton as they sat in a pair of giant wooden shoes.

NOVEMBER 2021 – LOVEBIRDS ENJOY THANKSGIVING WITH HER FAMILY

They celebrated Thanksgiving with her family and her co-stars from The Voice.

The singer shared a string of snaps and videos from the festivities including one of her and Dalton with their pet dog Toulouse.

Ariana shyly hid her face in the pooch’s fur as Dalton laughed, her hair pulled up in its signature ponytail with a sweet ribbon tied in a bow.

AUGUST 7, 2022 – ARIANA SHUTS DOWN SPLIT RUMORS AFTER SHE DOESN’T WEAR HER RING

In August 2022, Ariana shared a makeup tutorial and wasn’t wearing her ring – she shut down any rumors by revealing that her ring was getting cleaned.

‘I’m not wearing my wedding ring, it’s getting cleaned. I’m not getting a divorce before you start, don’t,’ she said at the time.

FEBRUARY 2023 – DALTON SHARES SWEET VALENTINE’S DAY POST

Dalton posted an Instagram story on Valentine’s Day 2023 of them cuddling together – which she re-posted on her stories.

He had captioned the image ‘My forever valentine,’ and she re-posted it with her own comment – ‘I love you’ and a heart.

MAY 15, 2023 – ARIANA GUSHES ABOUT DALTON AS SHE CELEBRATES TWO YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

In May 2023, Ariana celebrated her two-year wedding anniversary on Instagram – with a photo from her wedding day.

The photo, shared on her Instagram stories two months ago, feature Ariana and Dalton kissing on their wedding day.

She captioned the photo ‘2’ to signify two years of marriage, adding a heart and ‘3.5 years together.’

She also added: ‘I love him so.’

JULY 17, 2023 – ARIANA AND DALTON SPLIT – AND HEADED FOR DIVORCE

Ariana and husband Dalton have split, and have been separated since January 2023.

The couple are heading for divorce, the insider said as it emerged Ariana had deleted all of the romantic photos of her May 2021 wedding from Instagram.

A spokesperson for Ariana confirmed the news to DailyMail.com.

Ariana, 30, was seen ring-less at Wimbledon over the weekend; she has not been seen wearing her ring for some time now.

Their insider claimed that the couple tried to reconcile two months ago but it ‘failed.’ It was also claimed Gomez had flown to London in January in a last ditch effort to save the pair’s marriage – visiting his wife on the set of Wicked but it ‘didn’t work out’, reports PageSix. The pair were seen having crepes together in the UK capital.

‘Ariana and Dalton have been having some issues for months now,’ Us Weekly’s source said on Monday.

In mid-May 2021, Ariana and Dalton, a 27-year-old luxury realtor, tied the knot at her $6.75 million Montecito home.

Ariana has been busy filming the musical Wicked across the UK since December 2022.

The source reported that the Ariana and Dalton had been having ‘problem’s before she began filming.

The actress and the realtor still ‘talk’ on the phone regularly and ‘remain friends.’

The Us Weekly insider ‘were having issues before she left for Wicked filming [in London] that they couldn’t resolve, and the distance did not help. They haven’t been speaking and are speaking, and a divorce is likely.’

Another insider from the outlet noted that their marriage was ‘thriving’ until earlier this year: ‘Things had been going really well for Ariana and Dalton since they got married. But unfortunately, they hit a rough patch a few months ago and haven’t been able to recover.’

Page Six also reported their ‘split,’ with their source revealing: ‘They came to the decision together. They came to the decision together. They were having problems before January, but they want to remain best friends.’

He tried to ‘save’ their marriage with a trip to visit her on the set of Wicked but the source said ‘it didn’t work out.’

‘They’ve been really good friends throughout the entire process and their friends and families have been trying to protect them,’ the source said.

A Texas mother-of-three has passed away after traveling to Mexico to undergo a boob job and contracting meningitis — making her the ninth American victim in the outbreak of the fungal infection.

Crystal Villegas, 31, spent the last four months fighting for her life in a Texas hospital after contracting fungal meningitis, a rare infection that causes swelling around the brain and spinal cord.

She traveled to Riverside Clinic in Matamoros, Tamaulipas State, Mexico, located on the border with Texas, US, reportedly to save money on the op.

The outbreak, linked to two Mexican clinics, is feared to have infected hundreds and has already killed nine American women, mostly young mothers, highlighting the dangers of so-called ‘medical tourism.’

Ms Villegas lived in Brownsville in the state, just on the other side of the border. 

She was receiving treatment at the Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen following her boob job, and passed away at around 6:30pm on 30 July.

Her husband Juan Tapia, a super featherweight boxer who fights under the name Johnny Blaze, said: ‘It was a hard four months, she fought hard and never gave up.’

According to Mr Tapia, his wife regretted having the breast implant surgery and desperately wanted to see her three young children grow up and become adults.

He added: ‘Those few months have been very difficult, very hard for me, but I am at peace that she is now resting.’

In the days following the operation in Mexico, Ms Villegas began to complain of a severe headache and her condition worsened with a high fever.

After going to the emergency room, tests revealed she had meningitis.

Mr Tapia also claimed that two of Ms Villegas’ friends had also died after undergoing a cosmetic operation, including a close friend in March.

Ms Villegas is one of nine Americans who have died from the fungal infection, including mom-of-two Jody Adkins, mom-of-four Lauren Robinson, who received a boob job, liposuction and Brazilian butt lift (BBL) and mom-of-one Shyanne Medrano, who underwent liposuction and a BBL. A further death of a Mexican patient also occurred, according to local news media.

Before she passed away, Mr Tapia said his wife was ‘learning how to walk again, learning how to use the restroom again, how to talk again.’

He added: ‘Please, please be aware of the risks of cosmetic surgeries. Our hope is to spread awareness so that people can actually do the research.

‘It changes everything. Everything. It’s not worth it.

‘I wish this was all just a bad dream that we could wake up from and go back to the day before the surgery and somehow, someway, convince her not to go.’

Every year, over one million US citizens travel to Mexico for cheap cosmetic procedures at private clinics where safety protocols are often deficient compared to US standards.

Earlier in 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised US residents not to undergo procedures in Mexico that involve epidural medication due to an ‘outbreak of fungal meningitis.’

The fungus isolated in the two clinics appears to be Fusarium solani, which was linked to a previous meningitis outbreak in Durango, Mexico, late last year.

According to the CDC, that outbreak, which was also linked to epidural anesthetic procedures, had an almost 50 percent mortality rate with those infections — with 39 deaths among 80 cases.

The new outbreak is thought to be due to contaminated epidural equipment, used in procedures such as a BBL, or dodgy morphine.

The victims of the latest outbreak have paid up to $5,000 for their surgeries, a fraction of the price they would pay in the US.

Health officials told DailyMail.com in June that they had been able to reach roughly half of the 230 people who received surgery at either clinic since the start of the year. The outbreak was first reported in May 2023.

Both clinics were closed in May. But if other confirmed cases are found at other facilities, the number at risk could be much higher.

The CDC is urging everyone who received surgery with an epidural (injection into the spine to numb part of the body) at either clinic this year to go to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible to be evaluated, even if they do not have symptoms.

The epidural is used in procedures such as liposuction, breast augmentation and Brazilian butt lifts, which can be more than $16,000 cheaper than in the US.

If a woman got these surgeries done in the US, it could set them back up to $20,000.

Chris Van Deusen from Texas Department of Health told DailyMail.com that while most of the cases have been women, some have also been men.

He said: ‘If anybody knows of somebody who may have gone to Matamoros to get surgery, let them know that they could be affected by this and to know what to look out for and they can certainly contact either us at the state or their local health department in their area to get more information.’

In its latest update, the CDC said it is investigating 151 people who may have the infection.

There have been nine deaths. Eight of these are confirmed cases, and one is a probable case. There is now a total of ten confirmed cases.

The patients being overseen by the CDC reported symptoms including headaches, fever, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, confusion, and sensitivity to light.

Dr Tom Chiller, head of the fungal diseases branch at the CDC, told DailyMail.com: ‘It’s so critical to get people in as early as possible and it’s not really too late. 

‘I think so far, the longest period from the time of procedure to symptoms has been up to 50 days.

‘Fungi just have these long indolent periods sometimes and we’re not sure why and so it’s really not too late, we want people to get in and be evaluated.’

Dr Chiller added that the agency does not know the exact source of the fungal meningitis yet, and ‘we may never know it, unfortunately.’

He said the CDC is open to the fact that the infection could have occurred in other clinics. Currently, the source of the infection is thought to be the morphine provided to patients by anesthesiologists.

Donald Trump has said that he would pay less attention to the media if he were re-elected to the presidency, as he blamed Joe Biden and Barack Obama for forging a dangerous alliance between Russia and China – and claimed he himself had been more persecuted than ‘Al Capone, Jesse James, and Billy the Kid put together.’

The former president spoke to Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Wednesday night during a 40-minute interview, ranging over Ukraine, energy policy and inflation.

He said Obama and Biden had made big mistakes with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, accusing them of having ‘drove those two big monsters together.’ 

Trump, who says he is still weighing whether to run in 2024, was asked by his friend Hannity what he would do differently if he wins a second term.

‘I think one of the things I would do differently is that I found the media is so corrupt, that I would really not focus on them almost at all – I just focus on getting the job done for the American people,’ he said.

‘You cater to the media, you deal with the media. They’re very dishonest, they write the opposite things, they have sources that aren’t sources. They’re an unbelievably dishonest – hence the name fake news.

‘I think really I would be focused on getting the job done, getting our country back – our country has never been in a position that it is right now, with disrespected all over the world.’

Bitter about the reporting on his presidency, Trump said he had been cheated by the media – accusing them of failing to report on Hunter Biden’s business dealings, and obsessing instead about the ‘Russia, Russia, Russia hoax’.

He was also angered by the law suits filed against him.

‘I’ve gone through, in five years, more investigations than Al Capone, Jesse James, and Billy the Kid put together,’ he told a laughing Hannity.

‘If I fly over a Democrat state in my airplane, I end up before a grand jury.

‘It’s a disgrace, and the people of this country aren’t going to take it.

‘They have weaponized law enforcement, essentially.’

He lashed out at his former attorney general, Bill Barr, for being afraid of impeachment, and said he told Barr not to worry because impeachment had helped his own ratings.

Turning to Ukraine, Trump stressed that he had strengthened NATO by making other members pay their fair share, and said he warned Angela Merkel, the German former chancellor, against relying too much on Russia for their oil.

‘Don’t forget, I rebuilt NATO,’ he said.

‘Because when I became president, the first thing I noticed when I went there to the first meeting was that most of the countries were not paying – they were paying far less than they were supposed to.’

He also emphasized his defense spending, and his policy of energy independence – mocking Joe Biden for his promotion of green energy, and insisting it was insufficient for America’s needs.

‘They don’t have the power to fuel our great factories and to build our great businesses,’ he said, before returning to his oft-repeated warning that wind turbines killed eagles.

‘Today I saw a big story that there are millions and millions of dollars that are being charged on windmills because they are killing eagles.

‘They are killing the bald eagle and other eagles and other birds and we have these windmills all over the place and the environmentalists pretend they love them, but they are really hurting our country.

‘Driving down values, absolutely killing us.

‘One of the most expensive forms of energy.

‘The turbines are all made in China or Germany, so they get the advantage of that.

‘It is ridiculous.

‘But the real problem is that if you go green, you don’t have the power to fuel our great factories, manufacturing plants, and all of the things that we do and that we are known for.’

The 75-year-old, who on February 22 described Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as ‘genius’ – remarks that drew condemnation from Republicans such as Lindsey Graham – told Hannity that he now thought the war was ‘horrible’.

Hannity did not ask him about his previous description of the conflict, but Trump told him it was ‘so sad when you see tens of thousands of people dying.’

He referred to it as a ‘genocide’ – echoing Biden’s declaration on Monday. 

Trump resumed his familiar refrain that it would never have happened were he still president.

‘I knew Putin very well,’ said Trump.

‘We talked about it. We talked about it a lot.

‘He did want to Ukraine, but I said, you are not going into Ukraine.

‘He would never ever have gone into Ukraine.’

He added that China’s president, Xi Jinping, would have equally been dissuaded from attempting a military takeover of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.

‘President Xi of China would never have even thought about going into Taiwan,’ said Trump.

‘Not during the Trump administration.’

Asked which country – China or Russia – posed the biggest threat, Trump wavered, saying that both posed threats in different ways.

But he was unequivocal in blaming Barack Obama and Biden for driving Putin and Xi closer together.

‘What Obama and Biden did: they did the all-time worst thing that could happen,’ he said.

‘They drove, because of energy and other reasons, and stupidity, they drove Russia and China together.

‘That is something that never could have happened.

‘Because they did the all-time worst thing. They drove those two big monsters together.’