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Year: 2026

Trump signs executive order directing FDA to review psychedelics designated as breakthrough therapy drugs

Trump signs executive order directing FDA to review psychedelics designated as breakthrough therapy drugs

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Saturday that he said “directs the FDA to expedite their review of certain psychedelics already designated as breakthrough therapy drugs.” “The executive order I’m signing, we’re actually signing the executive order today, is really a moment,” Trump said. “These treatments are currently in the advanced stages of clinical trials to ensure that they’re both safe and effective for the American patients.” The president said the executive order would implement “historic reforms to dramatically accelerate access to new medical research and treatments based on psychedelic drugs.”  “In many cases, these experimental treatments have shown life-changing potential for those suffering from severe mental illness and depression, including our cherished veterans,” Trump said, citing the veteran suicide rate. VETERANS CROSS BORDER FOR FORBIDDEN PSYCHEDELIC TREATMENT THAT’S CHANGING LIVES AFTER COMBAT “And the nice part is we’re actually doing this early, but it has been going on. Research has been going on for quite some time. But, you know, usually with things like this, nothing ever happens, no matter how the research ends up, but we’re changing that. This order will clear away unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, improve data sharing among the FDA and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and facilitate fast rescheduling of any psychedelic drugs that become FDA approved,” Trump continued. The president said “in 2024, a study from Stanford University, 30 special operation veterans with traumatic brain injuries underwent — it’s called ibogaine treatment — ibogaine, remember the name,” noting that they “experienced an 80 to 90% reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety within one month.” “In Texas, Republican leaders have already committed $50 million to the ibogaine research. And today, the federal government is making a $50 million research investment in its own. And so that was just approved just last night,” Trump announced. “We’re also opening a pathway for ibogaine to be administered to desperately ill patients under the right to try law,” Trump said. “Today’s order will ensure that people suffering from debilitating symptoms might finally have a chance to reclaim their lives and lead a happier life, just lead a happier life,” he added. DEMENTIA RISK COULD BE TIED TO YOUR MINDSET AND OUTLOOK ON LIFE, STUDY SUGGESTS A paper published in the journal Chronic Stress said ibogaine is a “psychoactive indole alkaloid which is extracted from the Tabernanthe iboga rainforest shrub and has been used for centuries in Central Africa for initiatory rituals.” “Ibogaine treatment is reported to alleviate a spectrum of mood and anxiety symptoms and is associated with self-reported improvements in cognitive functioning in individuals with substance-use disorders. During treatment, ibogaine allows the evocation and reprocessing of traumatic memories and occasions therapeutic and meaningful visions of spiritual and autobiographical content, which are of central relevance in addressing PTSD-related psychological content,” it added. “Under the executive order, HHS will accelerate research approval and access to new mental health treatments, including psychedelic therapies such as ibogaine. We’re taking this decision, this decisive step to confront one of the most urgent public health challenges facing our nation – the mental health crisis,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. “More than 14 million Americans live with serious mental illness, and 1 in 4 adults experiences a diagnosable disorder each year. Suicide has risen by more than 30% over the past two decades, with another peak in recent years. Among veterans, more than 6,000 died by suicide each year since 2001. We have lost far more veterans to suicide than to combat.” “At the same time, millions of Americans living with depression, PTSD, addiction and other conditions do not respond to existing treatments. We owe it to our warfighters and veterans to turn over every stone to alleviate the emotional and mental health blowback from their deployments,” he added. Podcaster Joe Rogan, who was in the Oval Office with Trump on Saturday, also said “I want to say that I’m here because of the man to my left, Bryan Hubbard [CEO of nonprofit Americans for Ibogaine] and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry came on my podcast.” “They told me how impactful this medicine is. And having that conversation with them, millions of people got a chance to hear their story, hear the stories of all the different people that have had life-changing experiences from it,” Rogan said.

Kagan screamed so loudly at liberal ally after Dobbs leak the ‘wall was shaking,’ book claims

Kagan screamed so loudly at liberal ally after Dobbs leak the ‘wall was shaking,’ book claims

FIRST ON FOX: Justice Elena Kagan’s frustrations boiled over in the aftermath of the Dobbs opinion leak in 2022, leading her to allegedly scream “so loudly” at Justice Stephen Breyer that the “wall was shaking,” observers said, according to a new book. Conservative author and Fox News contributor Mollie Hemingway’s forthcoming book “Alito,” reviewed by Fox News Digital and set for release Tuesday, details the incident and other heated moments surrounding the leak, which spurred waves of protests and death threats against the five conservative justices expected to overturn Roe that year.  The Supreme Court’s deep division on abortion was clear at the time, but the book reveals that a typically unified liberal bloc was also fractured. Hemingway wrote that Kagan, an Obama appointee, angrily confronted Breyer, a Clinton appointee, in May 2022 behind closed doors after at least one justice, Samuel Alito, had asked his liberal colleagues to speed up writing their dissent because of security threats. Breyer was most likely to agree to Alito’s request, Hemingway wrote. BIDEN DOJ WEAPONIZED FACE ACT AGAINST PRO-LIFE AMERICANS, 882-PAGE REPORT ALLEGES “Though he had not said he would accommodate the justices whose lives were at risk by getting out a dissent, [Breyer] was the member of the liberal bloc most willing to do so,” Hemingway wrote. “Fiercely liberal in his jurisprudence and in strong disagreement with the majority decision, he nevertheless was a gentleman and a friend to all on the Court. Kagan remonstrated with Breyer not to accommodate the majority, screaming so loudly, observers noted, that the ‘wall was shaking.’” Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Breyer as well as the Supreme Court’s press office for comment on the book. The security threats at the time were severe, as protesters who supported access to abortion frequently showed up at conservative justices’ homes. Shortly after the leak, Attorney General Merrick Garland ordered the U.S. Marshals Service to provide full-time security for all the justices, but he drew criticism because authorities did not arrest protesters despite a law that prohibits “picketing or parading” near a federal judge’s home to influence a court decision. In June 2022, before the Supreme Court issued its decision, a suspect armed with a pistol, knife and burglary tools was arrested near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home. Nicholas Roske, who now goes by Sophie, later pleaded guilty to attempting to murder a Supreme Court justice and received a controversial sentence of eight years in prison, which the Department of Justice is appealing. JUSTICE KAVANAUGH’S ATTEMPTED ASSASSIN SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS IN PRISON “As the protests continued, the Alitos were moved to a secure location,” Hemingway wrote. “Justice Barrett had to put on a bulletproof vest in front of her children, most of whom still lived at home.” Kagan’s contentious interaction with Breyer, who was set to retire in June 2022, came after a May 12 conference meeting, according to the book. Only the nine justices attend conference meetings, which are held periodically. Hemingway, who wrote the book based on interviews with the justices and dozens of others, said at this point the majority opinion had been ready for months and only the dissents were outstanding.  Hemingway did not name the justices she interviewed because they spoke on background, but she told Fox News Digital she spoke with most of them. “Alito asked the dissenters to make the completion of their dissents their priority because delay of the decision was a security threat,” Hemingway wrote. “Abortion supporters had an incentive to kill one or more of the justices in the majority to change the outcome. The dissenters demurred. [Justice Neil] Gorsuch spoke up, asking for a date by which they might be done. They would not give a date.” The landmark opinion, overturning Roe 5-4 and upholding a Mississippi law 6-3 that banned most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, was released June 24, 2022. An investigative report by the New York Times detailed an internal effort spearheaded by Chief Justice John Roberts, the lone conservative to object to dismantling Roe, and Breyer to flip one conservative in the months leading up to the decision. Breyer had been eyeing Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the outlet reported. PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT CONFRONTS HIGH ABORTION RATES THREE YEARS AFTER DOBBS Hemingway’s book sheds new light on those internal deliberations, which came against the backdrop of heightened polarization over the decades-long fight over Roe. “Everyone knew that the leak posed a serious security risk for justices. Since decisions do not take effect until issued officially from the bench, the death of a justice before then could alter the result. The threat of assassination increased dramatically.” The Supreme Court’s draft opinion, authored by Alito, was published May 2 in Politico, representing a stunning breach of the high court’s rules. The leaker’s identity remains unknown to this day. “In the ensuing weeks, hundreds of pregnancy centers, churches, and pro-life organizations would be vandalized, some even set ablaze,” Hemingway wrote of the fallout.

BBQ lovers beware: Middle East conflict might disrupt your summer plans this year

BBQ lovers beware: Middle East conflict might disrupt your summer plans this year

Burger lovers take warning: neighborhood cookouts could be more expensive this summer, thanks to conflict in the Middle East. Global tensions are pushing up energy prices, resulting in higher costs for beef and the propane used to fuel backyard grills — just in time for Americans getting ready for barbecue season. “The impact of ongoing challenges in the Middle East on energy prices impacts nearly every facet of the U.S. economy and beef-cattle are not immune,” Glynn Tonsor, a professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University, told Fox News Digital. THE SINGLE CRUSHING PROBLEM AMERICAN CATTLE RANCHERS WISH TRUMP WOULD FIX INSTEAD Ranchers rely on energy at nearly every step of their process, from fueling tractors in the field to using trucks to transport cattle, and those higher costs are often passed on to consumers, Tonsor explained. Those pressures are showing up at the pump. The national average for a gallon of gas now stands at approximately $4.09, up roughly 93 cents from just one month ago, according to AAA, with costs climbing across nearly every region. Diesel, a key fuel for freight and shipping, has climbed to $5.61, up about $2.03 over the past year, making it more expensive to move cattle and beef across the country. The ripple effects go far beyond beef. Propane, the fuel powering many backyard grills, is also getting more expensive as global energy markets tighten, in part, because countries in the Middle East are such major suppliers to the world. U.S. propane prices at the Mont Belvieu hub, the industry benchmark for this type of power, have surged nearly 19% since the conflict began in late February. BEEF PRICES ARE CLOSE TO RECORD HIGHS — BUT AMERICANS AREN’T CUTTING BACK But higher energy costs are only part of the story. Cattle supply remains slow to respond. Unlike oil or metals, where supply can be increased relatively quickly, cattle production takes years to ramp up after a dip. The U.S. cattle herd is now at its smallest size in 75 years, which is keeping the supply tight following years of drought, rising costs and an aging ranching workforce resulting in producers needing to cut back. That tight supply is already pushing prices higher — and the Iran conflict is only proliferating the issue. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, the average price of beef in grocery stores climbed from about $8.70 per pound in March 2025 to $10.08 a year later — an increase of roughly 16%. Subsequently, even if energy prices ease, beef prices likely won’t be quick to follow. For shoppers, that means prices may remain high — or climb further — depending on whether consumers keep coughing-up cash for steak and burgers, or opt to switch to cheaper alternatives. Much of that comes down to forces far beyond Americans’ backyard that continue to shape the cost of firing up the grill this summer.

Boston mayor denies funding LGBTQ migrant ‘wellness’ perks after program touts up to $500 benefits

Boston mayor denies funding LGBTQ migrant ‘wellness’ perks after program touts up to 0 benefits

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s office is denying reports that city funds were used to support a program offering LGBTQ migrants up to $500 in “wellness” perks, after a local advocacy group advertised the benefits and later scaled back its description amid backlash. Through its program “Belonging Matters,” the group had planned to provide yoga, arts and other recreational services. “No funds have been distributed or directed for these purposes. This organization received a $7,500 grant through a City program to support mental health services. Those funds were not designated for and may not be used for the voucher program referenced,” a spokesperson for the city told Fox News Digital. The dispute highlights conflicting claims about what the “Belonging Matters” program actually offered and whether any city-backed funding was tied to those benefits, drawing scrutiny over how Boston distributes and oversees grants to outside advocacy groups. BOSTON POLICE IGNORED 100% OF ICE DETAINER REQUESTS IN 2025, CITING SANCTUARY LAW OUTnewcomers is listed as one of 45 recipients of a larger $200,000 push to support LGBTQ communities in Boston. The $200,000 figure was approved by Wu last year as a part of the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement (MOLA). According to Boston officials, OUTnewcomers was awarded a $7,500 mini-grant allocated from the 2026 budget. The city has not green-lighted grant funding or cash assistance. “These investments represent our continued dedication to uplifting LGBTQ+ Bostonians by putting resources directly into the hands of trusted community organizations,” Wu said in a press release at the time. The mayor’s office declined to answer questions about what the $7,500 fund had originally been approved for. The registration form for Belonging Matters offered applicants yoga, breathwork and meditation, gym memberships, creative arts, peer support, storytelling, nature-based wellness and hair styling. If approved, the program promised applicants $250 to $500 in “wellness allowances” evaluated on a case-by-case basis. But the organization later described the program as offering vouchers of $50 or less, creating a discrepancy between how the initiative was initially presented and how it was later characterized. “Our City of Boston-funded program is modest and need-based. It provides small vouchers of $50 or less to eligible LGBTQ+ migrants living in Boston to access limited wellness support such as haircuts, acupuncture, or massage,” the organization said in a press release. BOSTON’S WU ORDERS RELEASE OF ICE SURVEILLANCE AND BODY CAM FOOTAGE, SAYS FED GOVERNMENT ‘HIDES BEHIND MASKS’ The program drew scrutiny online, with critics calling it a waste of taxpayer dollars. “Handing out perks & benefits like this all the while telling the tax payers of Boston you need to pay more because we have a huge shortfall in our budget,” one observer wrote in a post to X, alluding to property tax hikes approved by the Boston City Council in 2025. OUTnewcomers did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital on how many registrants are expected to join or how many have enrolled so far. The group announced on Thursday that it had temporarily suspended the program due to “security threats.” Founded by Sal Khan, a queer journalist originally from Pakistan, OUTnewcomers describes itself as a “grassroots and volunteer-run organization based in the Greater Boston Area” focused on “community-led advocacy, resource navigation and collective care.” OUTnewcomers only recently launched its website in April, according to a post to X put up by the organization. The website does not list a 990 form, the required disclosure for nonprofits that normally lays out an organization’s structure, leadership and revenue.