Trump’s DOJ Nails Alleged Ringleaders Forcing Kids Into Sex Crimes, Self-Mutilation in Depraved Abuse Ring

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President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it took down the alleged ringleaders of “a violent online network that seeks to destroy civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, which often include minors.”

The DOJ charged Leonidas Varagiannis, 21, and Prasan Nepal, 20, for operating a child exploitation subgroup within 764, an online transnational extremist network.

Varagiannis, a U.S. citizen, was arrested in Greece on Monday. Nepal was nabbed on April 22 in North Carolina.

The defendants are accused of producing and distributing sadistic child sexual abuse material in the subgroup 764 Inferno. The men allegedly groomed, manipulated, and extorted minors into producing sexual and self-harm content.

The DOJ reported, “The affidavit alleges that the group targeted vulnerable children online, coercing them into producing degrading and explicit content under threat and manipulation. This content includes ‘cut signs’ and ‘blood signs’ through which young minors would cut symbols into their bodies.” (Read more from “Trump’s DOJ Nails Alleged Ringleaders Forcing Kids Into Sex Crimes, Self-Mutilation in Depraved Abuse Ring” HERE)

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How Striking Iran Could Sabotage Trump’s Nuclear Negotiations

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A strike against Iran would torpedo the Trump administration’s attempts at peace, Middle East experts told the Daily Caller.

Israel “has not ruled out” a limited strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, Reuters first reported in April. The report follows Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel was planning to attack Iranian nuclear facilities potentially next month but was opposed by Trump, administration officials and others familiar told the New York Times (NYT).

“I think that Iran has a chance to have a great country and to live happily without death,” Trump later told reporters, according to the NYT. “That’s my first option. If there’s a second option, I think it would be very bad for Iran, and I think Iran is wanting to talk.”

Trump told Time Magazine he is open to meeting with Iran’s leader and said a deal is likely to happen, according to an interview published Friday. (Read more from “How Striking Iran Could Sabotage Trump’s Nuclear Negotiations” HERE)

Colon Cancer Patients Are 24 Times More Likely to Die Within 5 Years if They Had This Habit Before Their Diagnosis

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Here’s the bottom line — nearly 53,000 Americans are projected to die from colorectal cancer this year.

The overall five-year survival rate for the disease is around 65%. Several factors significantly influence prognosis, including the stage of the cancer at diagnosis, its location within the colon and the effectiveness of treatment.

A new study suggests that a popular habit may negatively affect colon cancer outcomes, significantly increasing the risk of death within five years of diagnosis.

“This study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that heavy cannabis use may have underrecognized impacts on the immune system, mental health and treatment behaviors,” said lead study author Raphael Cuomo, an associate professor at the UC San Diego School of Medicine.

An estimated 17.7 million Americans reported using marijuana daily or nearly every day in 2022, a rise that correlates with the decriminalization and legalization of pot and increased societal acceptance.

About 30% of cannabis users meet the criteria for addiction. (Read more from “Colon Cancer Patients Are 24 Times More Likely to Die Within 5 Years if They Had This Habit Before Their Diagnosis” HERE)

U.S. GDP Declines 0.3% as Economy Shrinks for First Time in 3 Years

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The U.S. economy shrank in the first quarter despite underlying strength in consumer spending and business investment.

Gross domestic product contracted at an annualized rate of 0.3 percent, the Department of Commerce said on Wednesday, as businesses rushed to bring in goods ahead of anticipated tariff hikes.

The decline in GDP marks a sharp reversal from the 2.4 percent growth rate recorded at the end of last year. This was the slowest rate of growth since 2022, when the economy avoided an official recession but contracted for two consecutive quarters.

Final sales to private domestic purchasers, a closely watched measure of business and consumer health that is seen as a better predictor of future growth, expanded at a healthy pace of three percent. That’s an acceleration from the fourth quarter of 2024’s 2.9 percent growth rate. After-tax personal income rose 2.7 percent, up from 1.9 percent and the strongest increase since the first quarter of last year.

Consumer spending rose 1.8 percent, the slowest rate since the first quarter of last year. Spending on durable goods fell while consumer spending on nondurables and services increased at a slower pace than the end of last year. (Read more from “U.S. GDP Declines 0.3% as Economy Shrinks for First Time in 3 Years” HERE)

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Rubio Announces Discovery of Disturbing Biden State Department Files During Cabinet Meeting

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed during a Cabinet meeting that the Biden administration’s State Department kept dossiers on Americans accused of serving as “vectors of disinformation,” including a file on an unidentified Trump administration official.

“We had an office in the Department of State whose job it was to censor Americans,” Rubio said during Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump. “And, by the way, I’m not going to say who it is. I’ll leave it up to them. There’s at least one person at this table today who had a dossier in that building of social media posts to identify them as purveyors of disinformation. We have these dossiers. We are going to be turning those over to these individuals.”

Vice President JD Vance interjected, asking, “Was it me or Elon [Musk]? We can follow up when the media is gone,” and drawing laughter from the Cabinet.

“But just think about that. The Department of State of the United States had set up an office to monitor the social media posts and commentary of American citizens, to identify them as vectors of disinformation,” Rubio continued. “When we know that the best way to combat disinformation is freedom of speech and transparency.

“We’re not going to have an office that does that.” (Read more from “Rubio Announces Discovery of Disturbing Biden State Department Files During Cabinet Meeting” HERE)

Trump Reveals What He Told Zelenskyy During Viral Meeting at the Vatican

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President Donald Trump revealed Tuesday evening what he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed during their viral meeting at the Vatican when both were in attendance for the late Pope Francis’ funeral.

“I was telling him that it’s a very good thing if we can produce a deal, that you sign it, because Russia is much bigger and much stronger,” Trump said Tuesday evening during a town hall hosted by NewsNation, which he participated in by phone.

The pair met face-to-face for the first time since their contentious Oval Office meeting in February, while both attended the papal funeral. Neither White House or Ukrainian officials gave many details on the nature or content of the talk, other than that it was “productive” and “symbolic.”

“We discussed a lot one on one,” Zelenskyy posted on X following the viral meeting. “Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out. Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results.” (Read more from “Trump Reveals What He Told Zelenskyy During Viral Meeting at the Vatican” HERE)

New York Times Mocked Over Report Discovering Christians Wearing Crosses for Necklaces

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The New York Times reported that the prevalence of Christian crosses as necklaces had grown in recent months, and many on social media responded with baffled mockery.

The Times report cited many different examples of prominent figures wearing crosses in public and added a history of the meaning of the cross, even prior to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

“Lately, the cross necklaces flash across cable news screens several times a week, suspended between the collarbones of Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, and Attorney General Pam Bondi,” reads the article by Misty White Sidell.

Not surprisingly, the Times got slapped with brutal ridicule online.

“This is real. People wear crosses and the NYT is ON IT,” responded commentator Mary Katharine Ham.

“So new that everybody’s nana has worn one since forever… Also every Italian guy I know,” replied education activist Erika Sanzi.

(Read more from “New York Times Mocked Over Report Discovering Christians Wearing Crosses for Necklaces” HERE)

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FDA Commissioner Faces Pressure to Limit Abortion Pill After Study Finds Increased Risks

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U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary’s deeply rooted belief in data-based decision making could be put to the test after a new study found that mifepristone, the drug responsible for more than half of the nation’s abortions, is more dangerous than previously known.

Makary told PBS’ Amna Nawaz at Semafor’s World Economy Summit over the weekend that “I have no plans to take action on mifepristone.” He did, however, hint that “here is an ongoing set of data that is coming into the FDA on mifepristone” that could change the agency’s position on the pill.

“So, if the data suggests something or tells us that there’s a real signal, we can’t promise we’re not going to act on that data,” Makary continued.

Four days later, a new study showed that the rate of life-threatening complications due to mifepristone is at least 22 times higher than what the FDA and Danco Laboratories, the manufacturer of the drug, indicate on its label.

The researchers at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, who successfully completed the “largest known study of the abortion pill,” emphasized that the “FDA should reinstate the original patient safety protocols that were required when mifepristone was first approved.” (Read more from “FDA Commissioner Faces Pressure to Limit Abortion Pill After Study Finds Increased Risks” HERE)

Embracing MAHA, PepsiCo to Move Away from Artificial Dyes in Snack Foods

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The Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda is moving forward after PepsiCo Inc., one of the nation’s largest producers of processed snack foods, announced this week it would be phasing out artificial dyes from many of its products by the end of the year.

In addition to its eponymously named cola soft drinks, PepsiCo produces many popular brands of snack foods and beverages, including Doritos, Cheetos, Fritos, Tostitos, Lay’s, Gatorade, and Mountain Dew, among others.

“We’ve been leading the transformation of the industry now for a long time on sodium reduction, sugar reduction, and better fats,” PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said in a conference call on April 24.

“When we talk about the U.S. food business, 60%-plus of our [portfolio] today doesn’t have any artificial colors, so we’re undergoing that transition,” Laguarta explained. “For example, brands like Lay’s will be out of artificial colors by the end of this year, and the same with Tostitos—some of our big brands. So we’re well underway.”

PepsiCo’s move comes after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced at an April 22 news conference that he would be taking action against petroleum-based synthetic dyes in the American food supply. (Read more from “Embracing MAHA, PepsiCo to Move Away from Artificial Dyes in Snack Foods” HERE)

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RFK Jr. Says Diabetes, Chronic Illnesses Pose ‘Existential Threat’ — Not Measles Outbreak: ‘Should Be Getting the Headlines’

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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argued Wednesday that the media should pay more attention to diabetes and autism –- not measles outbreaks –- as an “existential threat” to the nation’s health.

“I want to say this, we’ve had four measles deaths in this country in 20 years. We have 100,000 autism cases a year. We have 38% of our kids now are diabetic or pre-diabetic. That should be in the headlines,” the HHS head said at a NewsNation town hall hosted by Chris Cuomo.

Kennedy said the media “never” covers the rates of autism or diabetes increasing, and they “only want to cover measles.”

“What I’ve been saying to people is, let’s pay attention to other illnesses as well, the illnesses that are really, really damaging our country, that are existential for our country.”

“Seventy-four percent of our kids cannot qualify for military service, so this is an existential threat to our national security,” the HHS secretary explained of the risks of rising chronic disease. (Read more from “RFK Jr. Says Diabetes, Chronic Illnesses Pose ‘Existential Threat’ — Not Measles Outbreak: ‘Should Be Getting the Headlines’” HERE)