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Who decides what’s misinformation? U.N. pandemic declaration takes aim at vaccine hesitancy

The United Nations General Assembly appointed itself the global referee on what you can believe about vaccines and pandemics, adopting a sweeping political declaration on October 12 by a 153-3 vote that calls on nations to counter “misinformation” and vaccine hesitancy. However, the United States joined Israel and Argentina in voting no, signaling deep divides over who should call the shots on public health: voters at home or bureaucrats abroad.

The 64-clause, nonbinding document emerged after objections from the Trump administration and a few other governments blocked consensus and forced a vote. The U.S. delegation objected to reproductive health language it said failed to exclude “harmful gender ideology,” which it said undermines parental authority.

The U.S. also balked at the text’s repeated references to equity and its nods to the Pandemic Agreement and International Health Regulations, which the U.S. said would commit countries to agreements they never joined. Italy also challenged wording on disinformation during earlier talks but ultimately voted yes, while New Zealand and Paraguay abstained. Critics warn the declaration sets the stage for expanded surveillance, censorship, and fast-tracked vaccines — all under the guise of global health security.

Critics call the declaration toothless but troubling

The declaration, which David Bell, a public health physician and senior scholar at the Brownstone Institute, dismissed as an empty bureaucratic gesture, still backs the WHO’s controversial Pandemic Agreement and flags a $15 billion annual gap in pandemic preparedness funding. Bell warned that the broader push diverts resources toward “saleable commodities for rare but very profitable international outbreaks.”

Valerie Ferrell, policy director of Stand for Health Freedom, likened the document to an unholy political vow renewal that reaffirms the U.N.’s fondness for “begging for funds, and hunting and killing ‘misinformation’ so people are kept in the dark.”

The U.S. withdrawal from the WHO, ordered by President Trump in January 2025 and effective this year, further underscores the administration’s refusal to hand over public health decisions to international bodies.

Paragraph 57 targets vaccine hesitancy as ‘misinformation’

The most contentious line, paragraph 57, asks member states to counter “health-related misinformation, disinformation, including countering vaccine hesitancy” and to build trust in public health systems. Epidemiologist Nicolas Hulscher of the McCullough Foundation said the provision should alarm anyone who values “scientific freedom, informed consent, and the right to question public-health authorities.”

Opponents also bristle at the text’s embrace of “infodemic management” and a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach to pandemics, warning it could bring back the lockdowns, mandates, and censorship seen during COVID.

Pathogen-sharing talks could produce a binding deal

Beyond the nonbinding declaration, an annex on pathogen access and benefit-sharing (PABS) remains the true prize. Under the proposed system, participating nations would hand over pathogen samples and genetic sequences and receive a cut of whatever vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics result. Talks have stalled over intellectual property fights between wealthy and developing nations.

Researcher James Roguski told The Defender that PABS is the “main event.” The Pandemic Agreement can’t open for signature until the annex is complete, and Roguski said talks resume next month. If negotiators strike a deal and the World Health Assembly approves the agreement in May 2027, he said, the next U.S. administration could sign on or rejoin the WHO.

Trust in public health isn’t manufactured by drowning out doubters. It’s earned by telling people the whole truth, side effects and all. And with drugmakers lining up to turn shared pathogen samples into profitable vaccines, everyone at the table seems to have something to sell except the skeptics.

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They Got the COVID Vaccine. When They Were Injured, Doctors, Military and Health Agencies Blew Them Off

Dr. Aseem Malhotra, a recognized expert in cardiac health, is known for his public advocacy around medical and pharmaceutical ethics. He began questioning the safety of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines after his father died of a vaccine-induced heart attack in 2022, and later went public with his concerns.

But what most people don’t know is that before his father died, Malhotra himself was injured after receiving two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in 2020 and 2021.

“Within a few weeks of being vaccinated, I suffered inexplicable, significant clinical depression that was diagnosed by a psychiatrist and that lasted several months,” Malhotra told The Defender. “I needed psychotherapy to help me get better — and was 80% there when my father suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.”

Malhotra isn’t alone. Studies and V-safe data link COVID-19 vaccines to a host of mental health issues.

In some cases, victims and their family members attributed mental health issues directly to COVID-19 vaccines.

In others, people report that physical vaccine injuries led to mental health issues — in chronic pain with no access to treatment, they report struggling with daily life, professional obligations and strained relationships with loved ones.

Some people — including the family of a person who committed suicide — told The Defender their mental health suffered when federal health agencies refused to acknowledge the injuries they reported to V-safe and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

An analysis by The Defender of data reported to V-safe during the COVID-19 pandemic identified over 300 reports of severe psychiatric disorders, including reports of suicide and attempted suicide, triggered by the COVID-19 vaccine.

Those interviewed said the V-safe data reflect their own experiences or those of their injured family members. Some described being gaslit by their doctors.

Psychotherapist Joseph Sansone, Ph.D., author of “Psychopathic Authoritarianism: A Disease of the Soul,” said it’s not uncommon for physicians to dismiss the vaccine-injured and their struggles.

“Medical doctors, in many cases, told them to get the injections,” Sansone said. “Now, when the victims are suffering from chronic disease and illness, these same doctors gaslight the victims and not admitting the injuries and diseases are from the shots.” This often leads to feelings of “betrayal and violation” among the injured.

Following last week’s announcement that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is launching a new clinic to study and treat vaccine injuries, people interviewed by The Defender called for more — and better — treatment of vaccine injuries and a stronger focus on the mental health struggles that often accompany these injuries.

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‘Serial Killer’ Concerns Grip Michigan’s Capital as Similarities Are Noted in 5 Recent Deaths

Law enforcement in Lansing, Michigan, is concerned there may be a serial killer on the loose after five killings were committed in under one year on the same trail.

Earlier this month, police said they were investigating the possibility that a lone killer was targeting the Lansing River Trail, Fox News reported.

Karen Holt, a criminology professor at nearby Michigan State University, told the outlet, “I definitely think we need to be cautious, but we also need to be rational.”

“As someone who studies violence, the first thing that came to mind was the victims and the vulnerability of these victims and the method of the violence,” she added.

“One of the patterns with either single or serial homicide offenders or just violent offenders is that they tend to go after individuals who are particularly vulnerable,” Holt explained.

Authorities said all the victims were homeless men.

Holt said killers sometimes target homeless victims because they “lack credibility,” which possibly “decreases the likelihood that they’re going to be caught.”

The timeline of the killings spans from October 2025 to August 2026. The victims’ ages ranged from 22 to 70, with the cause of death in many cases being either blunt force trauma or stabbing.

Last month, Edward Joseph Smith, 23, was arrested in connection with the stabbing of Daniel Lusk, 22. No motive was released to the public, however, and it is still unclear if he is responsible for any of the other killings.

Holt told Fox News that Lusk’s murder “stands out” because he was the only who was stabbed.

Smith has been charged with murder in that case, but the other cases remain open, according to The New York Times.

Lusk’s father, Dean, said his son was struggling with addiction and had done stints in rehab, as well as prison, but that he visited his son frequently to bring food and clothing. 

“There were incidents that happened down there before my son got murdered,” Mr. Lusk said. “The cops were well aware of it, and they refused to do anything about it.”

Police Chief Robert Backus broached the subject of a possible serial killer during a news conference, saying, “We are looking at the idea — or the possibility — that these may be related cases… But we cannot move forward in an investigation thinking that these are all the same person. We have to look at these on a case-by-case scenario.”

Derick Byrd, 56, reportedly knew some of the victims and had previously stayed along the river trail.

“It’s scary knowing that even if you’re homeless, you can’t even lay out here and go to sleep without somebody beating you,” he said.

Backus announced that temporary cameras were placed along the trail, and the city is weighing whether to install better lighting.

He added that the trail is safe, except during the overnight hours.

The killings began with Gino Chouinard, 54, who was discovered dead on the trail, but his cause of death has yet to be determined.

The next victim, Dennis Dunnebacke, 70, was found under a bridge in July, and his cause of death is also undetermined.

The third victim, Robert Smith, 57, died of head trauma one day after Dunnebacke, and his case was declared a blunt force homicide.

The other two deaths occurred 10 days apart back in August, with both victims being found under bridges like Dunnebacke.

One of the victims was Lusk, and the other was Louis Woodruff, 57, who had severe facial trauma. He passed away on Sept. 1, and his death was ruled a blunt force homicide.

Chief Backus blamed the case delays on a lack of witnesses, limited surveillance footage, and inconclusive or pending reports from the medical examiner.

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More Questions Than Answers: Maricopa County Supervisor Releases “Explanation” of Controversial Late-Night Election Video

On October 10, The Gateway Pundit published an article that revealed concerning video allegedly showing two election workers, one carrying a toddler, entering the Ballot Tabulation Center (BTC)M after hours and inserting a device into one of the adjudication terminals.

Days prior, the Logic & Accuracy (L&A) testing had already been completed. The terminals reportedly had “port blockers” installed over the USB ports in order to ensure no foreign devices were inserted into the systems following the completion of the L&A testing.

On October 14, Maricopa County published via X a “Joint Statement Addressing Election Misinformation” from the Board of Supervisors Chair Kate Brophy McGee and Vice Chair Debbie Lesko. 

The statement described the work as “authorized and necessary work to update software and upload election data to a computer terminal” that is air-gapped and did not involve the Election Management System or tabulators.

The update required a USB drive “to load authorized election files onto the duplication terminal,” according to the statement. It also claims that, “The entire process is subject to rigorous audits during and after every election.”

Following the joint statement from the Chair and Vice Chair, Supervisor Mark Stewart posted a video to X with “Eric,” the Chair of the Libertarian Party and “Michelle,” who is described as “a friend” of Stewart’s from the Republican Party.

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Eight US states accuse OpenAI of harming children

Eight US states have sued OpenAI, accusing its ChatGPT chatbot of encouraging self-harm and violence, including among children, and misleading the public about its safety.

The states allege that ChatGPT is designed to be excessively agreeable and engaging, gaining users’ trust while reinforcing delusions, encouraging dangerous behavior, and even helping plan mass shootings.

“OpenAI claims ChatGPT is safe while it’s giving dangerous medical advice, encouraging people to hurt others, and coaching people to commit suicide – all while pretending to be their fake friend,” Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said.

Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, and Montana filed separate lawsuits in state courts on Wednesday. The complaints accuse the company of violating consumer protection laws and creating a public nuisance.

The states seek financial penalties, damages, and changes to ChatGPT. They also want OpenAI barred from developing self-improving AI models unless it can demonstrate that those systems are aligned with human values.

OpenAI spokesman Drew Pusateri defended the company’s age-specific protections, parental controls, and break reminders, saying that “while no system can be perfect, we’ll continue to work with experts to inform our work and build additional safeguards.”

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Woke Democrat Kansas Senate Candidate Calls for “Repentance Over White Privilege” in Resurfaced Video

Woke Democrat pastor Adam Hamilton is hoping to defeat incumbent Republican Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) in Kansas.

A resurfaced video, however, may not help his efforts in the deep-red state,

In the summer of 2020, during the height of the violent and destructive George Floyd riots, Hamilton suggested members of his congregation at the Church of the Resurrection recognize their “White privilege” and “repent.”

Hamilton said in the video, “Like part of what I know is that, is that I grew up in a way that I’m blind to certain things in our society.”

“I just am. And I have certain benefits by virtue of being educated, White, and male, right?”

“And we don’t like to hear that, especially White folks don’t like to hear that. But there are benefits that come along with that.”

He continued, “There are benefits and privileges to my place in life. I have to recognize that. To see that. And then I have to listen. I have to listen and understand, and finally be able to see the brokenness in myself, and my indifference.”

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Every Bad Idea Australia Ever Had About the Internet, Now in One Bill

A “safety net upstream” – that’s how Australia’s Communications Minister Anika Wells described the intent behind the Online Safety Amendment (Digital Duty of Care) Bill 2026, introduced to the country’s Parliament on Thursday.

Wells was making the announcement hours before she was to address the National Press Club. The bill, which is 90 pages long, carries a civil penalty of up to 60,000 penalty units, or $109.2 million, for failing the duty.

In Parliament, Wells said, “It moves the safety net upstream to the people who design the product to stop the harm before it ever reaches an Australian.”

At the Press Club, she put it this way: setting “basic safety standards for the online services we use every day” will see the platforms regulated “just like we have in every other industry.”

Wells said that the goal is to “shift the burden from the shoulders of victims to the companies that are creating the environments where harms occur.”

She added: “To make this abundantly clear, we have removed the ministerial rule-making power to define new harms in the final bill.”

Instead, she said, “New harms can be added by parliament through legislative amendment.”

The takedown changes in Schedule 1 kick in the day after Royal Assent, while the duty of care itself comes into force 12 months later.

In September, the exposure draft gave the minister the power to add, by instrument, any material “that the Minister is satisfied may cause serious harm.” That power is now gone.

The bill does not at any point ask platforms to balance their “duty of care” with the need to protect freedom of expression and privacy of users.

Section 26 sets the duty: a platform “must take appropriate action to ensure a safe online environment, including by taking effective measures to mitigate risks.”

Section 26A spells out what counts as “appropriate” and “effective.” The matters to be taken into account “include” how far the measures achieve “a safe online environment,” how much they reduce the risk of harmful material, “the impact on the security of the online service,” and “whether the action or measures are or would be proportionate to the level of risk.”

Section 26A(3) states: “The cost of the action or measures must not be taken into account.”

Nowhere in this is freedom of expression or privacy mentioned. The word “encryption” does not appear at all in the 90 pages, nor do the phrases “freedom of expression” or “free speech.”

In the UK Online Safety Act – which is no friend of free speech, either – there is at least a section (22) that imposes on platforms, when deciding on safety measures, “a duty to have particular regard to the importance of protecting users’ right to freedom of expression within the law,” and a matching duty on privacy.

The Australian bill has no such provision.

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Bombshell Report: Big Banks Debanked ‘MAGA’ And The Left’s Other Political Enemies

The Timothy Two Project International’s mission is to do as the Apostle Paul instructed his protege Timothy: Teach others to teach the Gospel. TTPI has for more than 15 years reached indigenous pastors in some 70 countries — in some of the more impoverished places on Earth where there is little or no formal biblical and theological training available. 

In 2020, Bank of America canceled the nonprofit’s account, an account the Timothy Two Project had held since 2011. Suddenly, inexplicably, TTPI was “operating a business type we have chosen not to service,” according to the financial services titan. 

Steve Curtis, TTPI’s international director, explained in the Washington Examiner in 2023 that the notice came out of the blue. 

“We opened our Bank of America account in 2011, and used it to make small grants and pay our largely U.S.-based staff members. Our ministry focus has stayed consistent in whatever may qualify as a ‘business type’ since we started our bank account, and we are accredited with the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability,” Curtis wrote. “So we were surprised and confused by the bank’s decision.”

Major financial institutes were “debanking” all manner of right-of-center individuals and organizations during the Biden years, a scary era of prosecution and persecution of the left’s political enemies. 

Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, U.S. Bank, Citibank, Wells Fargo, and several other mammoth U.S. financial institutions cited “reputation risk” in denying service to American consumers between 2020 and 2025, according to a damning new report issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The 45-page report titled, “Debanked: Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans,” is an indictment on the left’s cancel culture fury and the Goliath banks that were “willing or unwitting accomplices” in the sweeping silencing treatment, said Jeremy Tedesco, special counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom.

‘Now We Have the Goods’

ADF and other First Amendment defenders had for years warned of a growing debanking effort targeting “disfavored” organizations and industries — aka the left’s ideological enemies. Tedesco said critics scoffed. They said the red flag raisers “didn’t have the goods.” 

“Well now we have the goods,” the civil rights attorney says in an upcoming episode of The Federalist Radio Hour. “We have the biggest banking regulator in the U.S. government saying, ‘This is happening, and it’s happening at a wide scale at the biggest banks in the country.’”

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National Border Patrol Union SLAMS Talarico for Lying About Supporting Border Security – “He Labeled Border Security Funding as Wasted Money”

The National Border Patrol Union slammed Democrat-socialist James Talarico for lying about his support for border security.

The BP Union pointed out that James Talarico is lying about calling out the Biden regime for failing on the border.

This is the same far-left extremist James Talarico who said border security funding was “wasting money on dumb things.” Talarico instead supported diverting $800 million in funds away from protecting our US borders.

The Border Patrol Union added, “At least 25 million illegal aliens invaded the US during the 4 years of the disastrous Biden Administration and openly advocating for pathways to citizenship is NOT putting America First and will lead to the destruction of America as we know it. We CANNOT afford another disaster on our borders!”

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British PM Confirms Suspects It Released on Bail Were ‘Highly Likely’ Tied to Iran Terror Plot

Britain’s prime minister has delivered a stunning assessment of the suspected terrorist plot targeting RAF Fairford, the British airbase used by American bombers during operations against Iran.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Parliament Monday that British intelligence believes the September incident was orchestrated by Tehran, with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) almost certainly directing the operation. 

And yet all seven men arrested in connection with the investigation were released on bail. Explain that one.

Speaking before the House of Commons, Burnham said: “I can confirm our assessment that it is highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard.”

He continued: “We will not tolerate these threats on our soil. We will crack down on Iran’s use of criminal networks using our full range of powers to target them and their funding streams.”

Burnham was lit up by critics on social media.

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