Columbus Did Not Take Syphilis to the Americas – He Brought It Back to Europe

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When a mysterious flesh-rotting disease broke out in Europe in 1495, two years after Christopher Columbus returned from the Americas, suspicion fell on his crew.

Syphilis was soon rampant across the Continent and beyond, but its origins continued to be fiercely debated, with some historians claiming it was actually home-grown.

Now, scientists have carried out genetic testing on the bones of infected people from Chile, Peru, Mexico and Argentina, who lived between the 13th and 15th centuries and died before Columbus arrived.

They found that ancestral forms of syphilis were present in the New World before it was discovered by Europeans, suggesting the bacterium did indeed hitch a lift back with the explorers.

Historical documents show that Columbus’ crew “carried off” native women, acquiring sexually transmitted diseases. (Read more from “Columbus Did Not Take Syphilis to the Americas – He Brought It Back to Europe” HERE)

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New York Radiation Levels Spike Amid Drone Sightings as Americans Told ‘Prepare for Worst’

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A US-China relations expert fears has warned Americans to “plan for the worst” amid the ongoing New Jersey drone mystery – with reports about unexplained radiation spikes in the area.

According to the Geiger Counter World Map, which tracks radiation levels across the world, two areas in the New York metro area have been flagged as red. The areas are both said to be over the 200 counts-per-minute safety threshold. There are similar red flags further north near Connecticut.

It follows claims that the drones are hunting for a nuclear warhead that went “missing” during the Cold War.

And author Gordon Chang has told Forbes the drones could well be to do with the radiation. “There have been reports of spikes and radiation in the New York metropolitan area,” he said. “Two of them, one on each side of the Hudson. That leads to the conclusion that maybe they’re looking for an implanted nuclear weapon.” . . .

Chang says that recent vague reassurances made by the authorities have been of no help, and that it’s time to level with the public. He continued: “At this point we really need the president of the United States to actually address the American people and tell us what the federal government knows and what it doesn’t know.” (Read more from “New York Radiation Levels Spike Amid Drone Sightings as Americans Told ‘Prepare for Worst’” HERE)

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Mike Johnson’s Latest Spending Scheme Proves He’s Democrats’ Useful Idiot

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It’s another day that ends in “-y,” which means House Speaker Mike Johnson is busy stabbing conservative voters in the back.

Following days of backdoor scheming, congressional leaders released the text of their 1,547-page spending measure to fund the federal government through March 2025. Deceptively marketed as a “continuing resolution” or CR, the bill bears all the hallmarks of the bloated omnibus packages Johnson recently promised voters wouldn’t happen under his watch.

“We have broken the Christmas omni and I have no intention of going back to that terrible tradition,” Johnson told reporters in September. “So, there won’t be a Christmas omnibus.”

Now here we are in December, and what do have but a massive omnibus filled with all the pork items on the D.C. establishment’s wish list.

A skim through the gargantuan bill reveals numerous unnecessary provisions, including those related to “American music tourism,” informing consumers about cameras on smart phones, and consumer safety standards for certain types of batteries. (Read more from “Mike Johnson’s Latest Spending Scheme Proves He’s Democrats’ Useful Idiot” HERE)

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Trump Opposes Mike Johnson’s Spending Bill: ‘Totally Against It’

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President-elect Donald Trump revealed that he is “totally against” the proposed continuing resolution (CR), which is weighed down with many unrelated and expensive provisions.

Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones reported in a post on X that he had spoken with Trump and that the president-elect was “totally against” the CR.

Vice President-elect JD Vance released a joint statement from him and Trump criticizing the CR, stating that the bill “would make it easier to hide the records of the corrupt January 6 committee.”

“The most foolish and inept thing ever done by Congressional Republicans was allowing our country to hit the debt ceiling in 2025,” Trump and Vance said in the statement. “It was a mistake and is now something that must be addressed.”

“Meanwhile, Congress is considering a spending bill that would give sweetheart provisions for government censors and for Liz Cheney,” the statement continued. “The bill would make it easier to hide the records of the corrupt January 6 committee — which accomplished nothing for the American people and hid security failures that happened that day. The bill would also give Congress a pay increase while many Americans are struggling this Christmas.”

(Read more from “Trump Opposes Mike Johnson’s Spending Bill: ‘Totally Against It’” HERE)

Stage 4 Breast Cancer Patient Given 2 Years to Live Survives With ‘Fourth Pillar’ of Treatments

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Less than three years ago, Tina Willits, now 53, thought she had just two years to live.

Today, she is cancer-free and wants the world to know about the treatment that saved her.

The Florida mother and grandmother first felt a lump in late 2021, just months after a normal mammogram. . .

“The doctor told me, ‘We will try to stop the progression,’ but she said ‘the best we can probably offer you is about 24 months.’” . . .

After doing some of her own research, Willits learned about an alternative treatment called immunotherapy, which uses the body’s immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells.

For decades, the go-to treatments for cancer have been chemotherapy, radiation and surgery — but some experts are calling immunotherapy the “fourth pillar” of cancer treatments. (Read more from “Stage 4 Breast Cancer Patient Given 2 Years to Live Survives With ‘Fourth Pillar’ of Treatments” HERE)

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More and More Is Coming Out About the WI Christian School Shooter

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Late on Monday night, authorities identified 15-year-old Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow as the shooter who slaughtered a student and a teacher at Abundant Life Christian School, a private K-12 academy in Madison, Wisconsin. Six others were wounded, including two students who are still in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.

Rupnow, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, was a student there after reportedly transferring to Abundant Life this academic year.

She went by “Samantha,” which was the name that allegedly appeared on her school identification card. However, it appears the suspect was not “transgender,” despite initial rumors, but a radical feminist who wanted to annihilate all men.

Soon after news broke of the shooting, Rupnow’s friends flagged the X account, “@Postalbrained,” purportedly belonging to the shooter. Moments before the mass shooting, the X account—created this month—posted a photograph of an individual flashing the “OK” hand symbol in what looks like a school bathroom. The account also tweeted a link to a manifesto on Google Docs; however, the document was not publicly accessible at the time of publication. . .

According to investigative journalist Andy Ngo, she posted a purported “sneak peek” of the manifesto to her Discord account, “@brainedout.” In the earlier version, Rupnow allegedly discussed a desire to “exterminate” all males, including infants and the elderly, in a rant apparently inspired by extremist culture among fringe social media circles. (Read more from “More and More Is Coming Out About the WI Christian School Shooter” HERE)

Elon Musk Is Especially Fired up Over This Part of the CR

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On Tuesday night, as we covered at the time, Congress released the over 1,500 page proposal that is supposed to keep the government open through March 14. The deadline for a government shutdown, December 20, is fast approaching. Arguably one of the worst provisions of the bill, which is causing considerable chatter, especially over X, is how Congress has given itself a 40 percent pay raise. Members may also opt out of ObamaCare.

A pinned post from Elon Musk, who has posted to X extensively on Wednesday to express his strong opposition, takes particular issue with the pay raise.

As Musk wondered, “How can this be called a ‘continuing resolution’ if it includes a 40% pay increase for Congress?” Members would go from making $174,000 to $243,000.

(Read more from “Elon Musk Is Especially Fired up Over This Part of the CR” HERE)

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Madison Police Chief: ‘I Don’t Know if [Shooter] Was Transgender’

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During a Monday night press conference, Madison Chief of Police Shon Barnes was asked about transgender rumors regarding the alleged shooter, and he suggested how “she or he or they may have wanted to identify” had nothing to do with the events that took place.

In a video posted by LiveNOW from Fox, a reporter off-camera noted that questions of whether the shooter was transgender had been raised.

Barnes replied, “Yes, I don’t know whether [the shooter] was transgender or not, and quite frankly, I don’t think that’s even important. I don’t think that’s important at all.” (Read more from “Madison Police Chief: ‘I Don’t Know if [Shooter] Was Transgender’” HERE)

‘Horrible Ordeal’: Father of 11 Targeted by Biden DOJ Urges Repeal of Face Act

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Paul Vaughn, a Christian father of 11 convicted under the Freedom of Clinic Access Act for praying outside an abortion clinic, testified Wednesday that the weaponization of the U.S. Justice Department against pro-lifers is more than a catchphrase to his family.

It’s their life, he said.

“Since my arrest, I’ve been restricted to the Middle District of Tennessee for over two years under the control and supervision of the federal government,” Vaughn testified during a House Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Revisiting the Implications of the FACE Act.”

“My family spent 20 months of having a potential decade in prison hanging over their heads,” he told lawmakers. “We endured long, stressful days of the actual trial for the sake of government winning a case with no regard to actually seeking justice.”

Vaughn was subjected to a SWAT-style FBI raid of his home in October 2022 in front of his wife and children. He later was charged under the FACE Act and another federal statute called “Conspiracy Against Rights.”

Vaughn prayed and sung hymns, encouraged women seeking abortions to choose life, and spoke to police officers during a pro-life gathering March 2021 at a now-closed abortion facility in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. (Read more from “‘Horrible Ordeal’: Father of 11 Targeted by Biden DOJ Urges Repeal of Face Act” HERE)

James Ho’s Post-Election Remarks Fuel Supreme Court Speculation

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Fifth Circuit Judge James Ho’s public remarks since Election Day have rekindled talk of a possible audition for the Supreme Court.

In the days after President-elect Donald Trump won back the White House, Ho referenced a gaffe by President Joe Biden against Trump supporters, publicly changed his position on birthright citizenship in a way that aligns with the Trump agenda, and appeared on a popular legal podcast from a conservative news outlet.

“For judges who are ambitious, it’s a way to put your name on the Supreme Court shortlist,” Kenneth Manning, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth who researches judges, said of Ho’s recent comments. “I don’t think there are many people who doubt that Ho’s maneuvers here are probably an attempt to do that.” . . .

There are no current vacancies on the Supreme Court, and none of the justices have publicly indicated plans to step down. But Ho, 51, a former law clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas who was on a past shortlist for a Trump Supreme Court pick, has both the conservative resume and academic credentials that could see him help cement the high court’s conservative supermajority for the coming decades.

One of his former law clerks threw cold water on the idea that Ho has a Supreme Court seat in mind. (Read more from “James Ho’s Post-Election Remarks Fuel Supreme Court Speculation” HERE)