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A single psilocybin dose rapidly reverses chronic pain and depression in mice, study finds

In a stunning breakthrough that challenges the very foundations of chronic pain treatment, researchers have discovered that a single dose of a natural compound can rapidly reverse both physical suffering and the depression that accompanies it.

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania found that psilocybin, the active ingredient in so-called magic mushrooms, provided lasting relief from chronic pain and depression-like symptoms in mice by calming overactive brain circuits. This research, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, offers a radical new pathway for treating the millions who suffer from the intertwined conditions of chronic pain and mental anguish.

For the 50 million Americans living with chronic pain, this discovery represents a beacon of hope beyond the dangerous and often ineffective world of opioid pharmaceuticals. The study reveals that chronic pain does not merely hurt the body but actively rewires the brain, creating a cycle of psychological suffering that intensifies the original physical pain. This vicious cycle has long been exploited by pharmaceutical companies pushing addictive painkillers that fail to address the root cause of the problem.

The research team created two types of lasting pain in mice, some with nerve damage and others with severe inflammation. Both groups developed hypersensitivity to touch and displayed behaviors mirroring profound anxiety and depression in humans. Brain imaging identified the culprit: a region called the anterior cingulate cortex, which processes both the emotional experience of pain and regulates mood, had essentially malfunctioned. Nerve cells in this area were firing 40% more than normal and refused to calm down.

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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson Calls for Arrests of ICE Officers

Chicago’s Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson suggested on Tuesday that the Chicago Police should arrest ICE agents and other federal officers who he claims are breaking his new executive order aimed at hampering immigration enforcement.

On Monday, Johnson signed a dubious executive order creating “ICE-Free Zones” to ban federal agents from using city-owned properties as staging areas for immigration enforcement.

Johnson’s proclamation comes as President Donald Trump suggested that the anti-ICE actions by Chicago’s leaders are akin to an insurrection against the federal government.

Now, the mayor is claiming that violations of his orders are a “crime” and those who break those rules “should be charged.”

“It’s a crime. Here’s the thing, anyone who commits a crime should be charged,” Johnson said on Tuesday, according to the Chicago Tribune. “I mean, isn’t that the basic rule of what they ostensibly refer to as ‘law and order?’”

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Katie Porter Has Bizarre Meltdown During California Governor Candidate Interview

Democrat former Rep. Katie Porter, running for California governor, had a bizarre meltdown during a pre-recorded interview with CBS Sacramento affiliate KOVR-TV reporter Julie Watts that was released Monday and went viral Tuesday.

Porter served three terms in Congress, from 2019 to 2025, leaving her House seat to run what turned out to be a losing Senate bid in the 2024 jungle primary. Porter, who became notable for her use of a whiteboard in House hearings, is currently the leading candidate for governor–polling around 20 percent support in a crowded field of Democrats, Republicans, third party and independents.

Watts interviewed eleven candidates running in next year’s jungle primary for governor to be held on June 2. The two top vote getters regardless of party advance to the general election on November 3, 2026.

The candidates were asked the same questions, with Porter melting down over being asked if she needs the votes of the forty percent of Californians who voted for President Donald Trump last year.

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War Criminals Don’t Face Trial – They Get Retirement Deals

Ten years from now, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, and countless others who enabled or excused the destruction of Gaza will almost certainly be dead – perhaps passing away peacefully one night during a restful dream.

What they leave behind, however, is a legacy shaped not only by their actions but by how those actions are remembered. History books may brand them as monsters or war criminals – or, just as easily, frame them as leaders caught in a “complicated” era, sanitizing their complicity. In fact, it’s entirely possible the dominant narrative will begin with the attacks of October 7th, burying sheer horrors beneath footnotes and erasing decades of blockades, bombings, and the slow suffocation inflicted on Gaza long before that day.

Memory, as always, will belong not to the victims, but to the victors – those with the power to shape not just the narrative, but the future. Gaza’s ruins will one day be rebuilt, and in the eyes of western imperialism, the most “natural” architects of that future are, of course, the very forces responsible for its destruction.

Names like Tony Blair – widely condemned for his role in the Iraq invasion of 2003 – have already been floated for leadership in Gaza’s reconstruction. Trump, whose administration has funneled weapons and diplomatic cover to Israel over this last year, along with during his first term back in 2017, has publicly suggested turning Gaza into a “Riviera”-style resort zone, drawing on his background as a real estate developer with a history of branding luxury hotels.

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Van Jones found out: Gaza dead baby jokes aren’t funny

On Friday, Van Jones joked about kids dying in Gaza.

“If you open your phone, and all you see is dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby, dead Gaza baby, Diddy,” Jones said on Bill Maher’s ‘Real Time’ HBO program.

“That’s basically your whole feed,” Jones said.

The audience laughed and applauded.

The CNN host came off as dismissive of these deaths, calling it a “disinformation campaign” on behalf of Iran and Qatar.

The backlash on social media was fierce, where users made clear that the bloodshed in Gaza was very real and not mere “disinformation.”

Progressive pundit Briahna Joy Reid wrote, “Turning ‘dead Gaza baby’ into a punchline is such an evil choice that I’m struggling to even engage with the outrageous lie that we only care about Gazan deaths because of an Iranian social media campaign.”

The Yaqeen Institute’s Omar Suleiman shot back, “Truly disgraceful and vile (Van Jones). I’m sorry dead Gaza babies bother you so much. Maybe tell the people paying you to put lipstick on a genocide to stop killing them.”

The Quincy Institute’s Trita Parsi said Jones’ comments were a blueprint for how pro-Israel elites try to censor “what is actually happening in Gaza: A genocide of children conducted by Israel and defended by plenty of folks in the US, many of them on Israel’s payroll.”

NBC News’s Hola Gorani reacted in a post, “I’ve watched hundreds of hours of Gaza videos in the last 2 years, including content filmed by our brave teams inside the strip, and can confirm that the ‘dead Gaza baby’ images are quite real, not the product of a ‘disinformation campaign’ and that there is nothing funny about them.”

Media critic Sana Saeed might have summed it up best, “The reason Van Jones can get up, use ‘dead Gaza babies’ so crassly, toss in a joke about Diddy mid-sentence, and have an audience erupt in laughter – without hesitation for either context or content – is because of the depth and breadth of dehumanization that’s been permitted toward Palestinians…There is no America in which ‘dead Jewish babies’ could ever be invoked in such a vulgar way on such a platform.”

On Sunday, Jones apologized. Twice. Jones also turned off X replies to his apology.

This did not stop people from replying.

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Violent drug gang threatens US tourists and Kash Patel in terrifying message after raids and weapons seizures

Violent cartel members have threatened US tourists in Mexico in an effort to send a warning to FBI Director Kash Patel as the administration continues to crack down on drug and weapons trades.

Extraordinary banners have been erected in Baja California responding to recent raids and weapons seizures conducted by the FBI.

The messages claim that starting Sunday, cartel gunmen from the Los Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa cartel will begin targeting US citizens who are in Mexico with violence.

In particular, tourists and Americans living in Cabo San Lucas and San Jose have been warned they will be targeted.

Written in Spanish, the warnings state: ‘You will be the ones to blame. We’ll show how we’ll make this war starting 5/10/2025 on all Americans residing in areas where we have a presence… especially those living in San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas.

‘We are the ones who rule here and we’ll demonstrate what we are capable of if you don’t stop arresting our people and decommissioning our loads and weapons.’

Cartels are known to hang ‘narco banners’ from bridges and overpasses in an effort to deliver a message to governments or their rivals.

But Christian Agúndez Gómez, mayor of San Jose del Cabo maintained there is no credible proof of the existence of the banners.

‘It’s not true,’ he said. ‘We have investigated the information and determined the banners were never placed.’

He added: ‘There are necessary investigations that are still ongoing. We will monitor results issued by the attorney general.

‘Unfortunately, social media sometimes plays a role against people’s peace of mind, that’s why it’s important to verify the information with official sources before distributing it.’ 

Local news sources railed against the mayor’s comments, maintaining they had received images of the banners from multiple sources, according to Border Report. 

The banners were specifically addressed to Patel and Terry Cole, director of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Mexico’s attorney general in Baja California Sur said there were instances in which banners had been falsely placed to spread fear in the community, despite having no known gang or cartel links.

The Trump administration earlier this month declared the United States is in an ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels amid recent strikes on boats in the Carribean trying to cross into US waters.

‘The President determined that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations,’ a memo seen by AP states.

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TSA Watchlists Were Used as Tools of Political Warfare

The Trump administration receives well-justified criticism for using government power to punish political foes such as former FBI director James Comey, funder of left-wing causes George Soros, and law firms linked to the Democratic Party. But don’t forget that former President Joe Biden’s administration also weaponized the state against its enemies. It just did so quietly, behind the scenes, and with the approval of much of the media. The Biden administration not only leaned on tech companies to muzzle critics of the powers-that-be, but it also turned due-process-free watchlists into means of harassing people it didn’t like.

Weaponized Watchlists

On September 30, “the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the results of an internal investigation uncovering widespread abuses committed by Biden administration officials, who weaponized the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) against innocent American citizens,” according to a TSA press release.

The Biden administration is accused of adding people who “resisted mask mandates on airplanes nearly six months after the CDC relaxed its indoor mask mandate” to watchlists that subjected them to extra security. It also watchlisted not just participants in the January 6, 2021 riot, but also those merely suspected of traveling to the Washington, D.C. area in sympathy with the protesters. “This targeted campaign of harassment continued through June 2021, six months after the events in question, despite no clear or immediate threat to aviation security.” (Emphasis in original.)

With regard to the specifics of those watchlist inclusions, Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.) released documents acquired by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The committee held a September 30 hearing on the “weaponization of the Quiet Skies program,” a TSA watchlist scheme terminated after it was found to have been abused for political purposes.

It’s been reported that former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D–Hawaii), now the Director of National Intelligence, was placed on the Quiet Skies watchlist. The Biden administration claimed her inclusion was, in part, because she attended a Vatican event organized by a suspicious European. But she and many others believe it was retaliation for her criticism of then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Journalist Matt Taibbi reports that Gabbard’s name was on the list alongside three unnamed Republican members of Congress who also offended the powers that be. But you didn’t have to have a high profile to get on a watchlist.

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Trump Goes SCORCHED EARTH on Richard “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal, Demands Investigation Into Lies About His Vietnam War Military Service

President Trump went scorched earth on Democrat Senator Richard “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal and called for him to be investigated for lying about his military service in Vietam.

Stolen Valor Blumenthal, for decades, lied about being a ‘war hero’ in the Vietnam War.

Blumenthal did not serve in Vietnam. In fact, he joined the Marine Corps Reserve and received five draft deferments according to military records.

After Blumenthal was exposed for lying about his Vietnam War service, he came out and absurdly claimed that he had merely “misspoken” and really meant to say that he served “during the Vietnam era.”

It was all a lie, and now President Trump wants Blumenthal investigated for lying about his military service.

“Sanctimonious Richard “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal, perhaps the biggest “joke” in the United States Senate, is at it again! “Dick” lied until the midpoint of his political career, convincing everyone, in particular the Fake News Media, that he was a great “War Hero” who lived on the precipice of death in the jungles of Vietnam. He would talk about his life in the military in almost every speech, in particular the death defying dangers he faced in his many years “fight for freedom” while in Vietnam. He stated that “the battles were violent and long, but there was no going back” – And then it happened, Blumenthal was found out to be a FRAUD,” Trump said on Truth Social.

“The soldiers in his so-called “platoon” came forward and said that they had no idea who this guy was. He was revealed, broke down and admitted, tears flowing from his eyes, that he LIED, a Whopper, one that lasted 20 year. This guy shouldn’t even be in the U.S. Senate. It should be investigated, and Justice should be sought. Right now there is a Congressman sitting in prison for lying about his past during a campaign. Well, those lies were nothing compared to those of Richard “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal, perhaps the greatest phony in the history of the United States Senate. He should be allowed to speak no longer!” Trump said.

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Grassley calls out judges for using AI to draft error-filled rulings

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote to two federal judges regarding their alleged use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to draft court orders with little to no human verification. Grassley’s oversight inquiry follows public  that U.S. District of Mississippi Judge Henry T. Wingate and U.S. District of New Jersey Judge Julien Xavier Neals issued court orders containing serious factual inaccuracies, prompting allegations of AI use.

“As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I am committed to safeguarding litigants’ rights and ensuring that every party in federal court receives fair treatment and careful review by the Article III judges confirmed by the Senate,” Grassley wrote.

“No less than the attorneys who appear before them, judges must be held to the highest standards of integrity, candor, and factual accuracy. Indeed, Article III judges should be held to a higher standard, given the binding force of their rulings on the rights and obligations of litigants before them,” Grassley continued.

Grassley is asking Wingate and Neals to explain whether they, their law clerks, or any court staff used generative AI – or entered non-public case information into generative AI tools – in preparing their decisions. Further, Grassley called on the district judges to re-docket their original orders to preserve a transparent history of the courts’ actions.

Read Grassley’s letter to Wingate HERE and letter to Neals HERE.

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Ukrainian Drones Reach Western Siberia In Furthest Attack Of Entire War

Another day, another Ukrainian long-range drone attack on energy and industrial sites deep inside Russian territory. But overnight, Kiev set a record for distance.

On Monday evening, authorities in Western Siberia’s Tyumen region said they downed three drones near an industrial and oil refinery site in what marks furthest known Ukrainian drone incursion reported inside Russian territory since the start of the war.

Tyumen residents posted videos online showing fire trucks and ambulances rushing toward the Antipinsky oil refinery, among the region’s largest, with a processing capacity of 9 million tons of crude per year.

“A prompt response from emergency services prevented a detonation. There were no casualties, explosions or fires. All enterprises in the area continue to operate normally,” the Tyumen government press service said.

At least two explosions were observed, likely in the air, based on local news sources, along with mobile network disruptions in the area.

Crucially, the region is located roughly 1,240 miles (or 2,000 kilometers) from the Ukrainian border.

But it appears the inbound drones may have been intercepted before hitting any industrial site, as a regional statement said three drones were “detected and neutralized on the premises of an enterprise.”

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