<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[FOCAL POINTS (Courageous Discourse™)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Investigative scholarship and reporting of public policy, health, justice, and current affairs. Registered trademark 8,285,455 serial number 97-649,231 USPTO first use in commerce 10/19/2022, filed 10/26/2022, awarded 6/2/2026]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Wjme!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb8ad6fde-1c2c-4074-bf83-0b73c20adcfa_1098x1098.png</url><title>FOCAL POINTS (Courageous Discourse™)</title><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2026 14:08:28 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Peter McCullough MD MPH]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[petermcculloughmd@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[petermcculloughmd@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Peter A McCullough, MD, MPH]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Peter A McCullough, MD, MPH]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[petermcculloughmd@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[petermcculloughmd@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Peter A McCullough, MD, MPH]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Vaccine Injured US Senate Minority has Just Flipped]]></title><description><![CDATA[US House of Representatives and Senate turn blue in disappointing loss for Republicans; what does that mean for the health freedom movement?]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/vaccine-injured-us-senate-minority</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/vaccine-injured-us-senate-minority</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Peter A McCullough, MD, MPH]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2026 12:53:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/223466568/d14e2b8a03ca9b581b3789f647fbf948.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH</p><p>Please enjoy this brief segment from the NEWSMAX the Finnerty Files on midterm election eve.  The following day a sweeping midterm result will undoubtedly change the calculus for health freedom interests.  Will this be good or bad for MAHA?  On Focal Points we will be exploring this over the next several weeks.  In the meantime, we are advising that if any administration ignores the concerns of the citizenry on issues of health sovereignty, they are likely to pay a price at the ballot box.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-R21!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F057acbd7-a79f-429e-b3db-829b4460ce19_1342x1294.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-R21!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F057acbd7-a79f-429e-b3db-829b4460ce19_1342x1294.png 424w, 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-R21!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F057acbd7-a79f-429e-b3db-829b4460ce19_1342x1294.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-R21!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F057acbd7-a79f-429e-b3db-829b4460ce19_1342x1294.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-R21!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F057acbd7-a79f-429e-b3db-829b4460ce19_1342x1294.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-R21!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F057acbd7-a79f-429e-b3db-829b4460ce19_1342x1294.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">FOCAL POINTS (Courageous Discourse&#8482;) is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><strong>&#128221;</strong>Please subscribe to FOCAL POINTS as a paying ($5 monthly) or founder member so we can continue to bring you the truth. <a href="https://alter.systems/?ref=mf10">AlterAI</a> may be used to assist in searches, synthesis, and review.</p><p>Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH</p><p>President, McCullough Foundation</p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis and Profound Autism: A Comparative Analysis of Two Post-Encephalitic Neurodevelopmental States]]></title><description><![CDATA[Shared phenotypic features, clinical challenges, and pathophysiological overlap following measles virus exposure and combination vaccination with live attenuated measles virions]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/subacute-sclerosing-panencephalitis</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/subacute-sclerosing-panencephalitis</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Peter A McCullough, MD, MPH]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2026 10:24:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XrmU!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bc83f96-18c7-4b8c-a00a-2255ebbbaf44_1981x1308.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH</p><p>The measles vaccine, part of the MMR and MMR+ combinations, is a live attenuated vaccine meaning the virus that is injected is live but weakened.  The package insert says the vaccine itself can cause atypical measles.  If that is the case, can the vaccine and the infection itself have neurological sequelae that can be compared?</p><h2>SSPE and Profound Autism: Two Post-Encephalitic States on a Shared Spectrum</h2><h2>Introduction</h2><p>Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis (SSPE) and profound autism are, on their face, are two similar conditions on a spectrum. SSPE is a rare, uniformly fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by persistent wild-type or vaccine-derived measles virus infection of the central nervous system, typically emerging 6&#8211;8 years after the initial measles infection. Profound autism is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability, minimal or absent functional language, and lifelong dependence on caregivers occuring after administration of bundled vaccines including the live attenuated measles vaccine.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XrmU!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bc83f96-18c7-4b8c-a00a-2255ebbbaf44_1981x1308.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XrmU!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bc83f96-18c7-4b8c-a00a-2255ebbbaf44_1981x1308.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XrmU!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bc83f96-18c7-4b8c-a00a-2255ebbbaf44_1981x1308.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XrmU!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bc83f96-18c7-4b8c-a00a-2255ebbbaf44_1981x1308.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XrmU!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bc83f96-18c7-4b8c-a00a-2255ebbbaf44_1981x1308.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XrmU!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2bc83f96-18c7-4b8c-a00a-2255ebbbaf44_1981x1308.png" width="1456" height="961" 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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hazards of Trying to Fly Over a Thunderstorm ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Assessing the risk when one is flying towards an area of heavy convective weather.]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/hazards-of-trying-to-fly-over-a-thunderstorm</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/hazards-of-trying-to-fly-over-a-thunderstorm</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[John Leake]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2026 23:15:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJyN!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d66c88-250c-4c59-9ec5-9c75da5012f2_510x930.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>For years my younger brother worked as a commercial airline pilot, and he told me that of all aviation hazards, a big thunderstorm struck him as the spookiest. </p><p>A convective thunderstorm develops when warm, moist, unstable air rises rapidly, cools, and condenses into towering cumulonimbus clouds. When the conditions are right, these clouds can grow from modest formations into enormous vertical structures reaching altitudes of 40,000 to 60,000 feet or more. Their defining characteristic is powerful vertical air movement, which can generate extreme turbulence, hail, lightning, icing, and violent changes in wind speed and direction.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJyN!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d66c88-250c-4c59-9ec5-9c75da5012f2_510x930.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJyN!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d66c88-250c-4c59-9ec5-9c75da5012f2_510x930.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJyN!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d66c88-250c-4c59-9ec5-9c75da5012f2_510x930.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJyN!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d66c88-250c-4c59-9ec5-9c75da5012f2_510x930.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJyN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d66c88-250c-4c59-9ec5-9c75da5012f2_510x930.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJyN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d66c88-250c-4c59-9ec5-9c75da5012f2_510x930.png" width="324" height="590.8235294117648" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJyN!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d66c88-250c-4c59-9ec5-9c75da5012f2_510x930.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJyN!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d66c88-250c-4c59-9ec5-9c75da5012f2_510x930.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJyN!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d66c88-250c-4c59-9ec5-9c75da5012f2_510x930.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!gJyN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d66c88-250c-4c59-9ec5-9c75da5012f2_510x930.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The process begins when solar heating, converging winds, or an advancing weather front forces warm, humid air upward. As the air rises and cools, water vapor condenses, releasing latent heat that further increases the updraft. This positive feedback can produce extraordinarily powerful updrafts, sometimes exceeding 100 miles per hour. Within a mature convective cell, ascending currents coexist with descending currents of precipitation-cooled air, creating an unstable environment of rapidly changing aerodynamic forces.</p><p>For an approaching aircraft, the immediate danger is severe turbulence, including sudden transitions between powerful updrafts and downdrafts. These vertical air currents can produce abrupt changes in altitude, airspeed, and angle of attack, potentially exceeding the aircraft&#8217;s structural load limits. Especially dangerous are situations in which an aircraft is rapidly accelerated upward and then downward, subjecting its wings and fuselage to alternating stresses. In extreme circumstances, these forces can cause structural failure.</p><p>My brother has a buddy who, in his youth, flew for the Czechoslovak Air Force and who claimed to have once flown a MiG-21 directly through a large cell&#8212;just for kicks. He instantly regretted it as the aircraft was subjected to extraordinarily violent aerodynamic forces, and for a moment he thought the plane was going to break up. </p><p>Another hazard is the formation of hail within the storm. Strong updrafts repeatedly carry water droplets above the freezing level, where they accumulate successive layers of ice. Large hailstones can remain suspended until their weight exceeds the supporting force of the updraft. When they fall, they can severely damage windshields, wings, engines, and other aircraft components. Hail may also be expelled from the storm&#8217;s central updraft region and encountered outside the visible cloud, sometimes many miles from its core.</p><p>Convective cells also create dangerous icing conditions. Supercooled water droplets can remain liquid at temperatures well below freezing and freeze rapidly upon contact with an aircraft. Ice accumulation changes the aerodynamic shape of wings, increases drag, reduces lift, and can interfere with sensors and control surfaces. Although many aircraft possess sophisticated anti-icing systems, these systems are not always capable of protecting against the most extreme icing conditions encountered in deep convection.</p><p>Pilots approaching an area of convective weather must consider how rapidly a cell can develop upward.  A cell whose cloud tops initially appear to be at 30,000 feet can grow thousands of feet within minutes, potentially overtaking an aircraft attempting to fly above it. </p><p>Moreover, the visible cloud top does not necessarily mark the upper boundary of hazardous turbulence. Powerful updrafts can overshoot the surrounding atmospheric stability layer, producing overshooting tops and turbulence above the main anvil. Consequently, attempting to overfly a developing thunderstorm can be considerably more dangerous than its apparent height initially suggests.</p><p>At high altitude, these hazards can be compounded by the relatively narrow operating envelope of jet aircraft. Near their service ceilings, the margin between low-speed buffet and high-speed compressibility effects becomes smaller. </p><p>A sudden convective updraft or downdraft can alter the aircraft&#8217;s angle of attack and airspeed, potentially bringing it close to aerodynamic stall or high-speed buffet. This narrowing of the safe speed range is commonly associated with the phenomenon known as <strong>coffin corner</strong>. Severe turbulence can therefore present exceptional control challenges for aircraft operating near their maximum certified altitudes. This particular hazard may have played a role in November 1, 2026 crash of the Learjet 60 in Florida. </p><p>For these reasons, aviation practice emphasizes <strong>lateral avoidance</strong> rather than attempting to climb over intense convective thunderstorms. FAA guidance generally recommends avoiding severe or intense thunderstorm echoes by at least 20 miles, recognizing that dangerous turbulence and hail can extend well beyond the visible cloud boundaries.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/hazards-of-trying-to-fly-over-a-thunderstorm?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/hazards-of-trying-to-fly-over-a-thunderstorm?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Midterms: “Despair or Extinction”]]></title><description><![CDATA[The only thing the Republicans can say for themselves is that they aren&#8217;t Democrats.]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/midterms-despair-or-extinction</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/midterms-despair-or-extinction</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[John Leake]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2026 18:03:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XXyV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9592feb9-6ba8-4a1a-8258-71196b9a9050_1538x1234.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote><p>More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.</p><p>&#8212;Woody Allen, &#8220;<strong>My Speech to the Graduates,&#8221; </strong><em>The New York Times</em> (1979)</p></blockquote><p>As Ron Paul elegantly put it in the title of his essay today, &#8220;<a href="http://Republicans Deserve To Lose, but Democrats Do Not Deserve To Win.">Republicans Deserve To Lose, but Democrats Do Not Deserve To Win</a>.&#8221;</p><p>President Trump promised &#8220;America First&#8221; but then chose Washington&#8217;s business as usual of more war, more debt, and more inflation. The Democrats are dumb opportunistic wretches. </p><p>Regardless of which political party gains control of Congress or the White House,  the American people&#8212;especially of the working and middle classes&#8212;are thoroughly abused by the US government. Both political parties serve shadowy, undeclared interests that have little to do with the interests of ordinary citizens. </p><p>To my surprise&#8212;given that I&#8217;d long thought of Hegel as wrong about many things&#8212;the situation strikes me as a perfect example of what he wrote about in his 1824 book, <em>Elements of the Philosophy of Right,</em> in which he defined the relationship between institutions and the ethical principles that give them legitimacy. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XXyV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9592feb9-6ba8-4a1a-8258-71196b9a9050_1538x1234.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XXyV!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9592feb9-6ba8-4a1a-8258-71196b9a9050_1538x1234.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XXyV!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9592feb9-6ba8-4a1a-8258-71196b9a9050_1538x1234.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XXyV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9592feb9-6ba8-4a1a-8258-71196b9a9050_1538x1234.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XXyV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9592feb9-6ba8-4a1a-8258-71196b9a9050_1538x1234.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XXyV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9592feb9-6ba8-4a1a-8258-71196b9a9050_1538x1234.png" width="416" height="333.7142857142857" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9592feb9-6ba8-4a1a-8258-71196b9a9050_1538x1234.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1168,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:416,&quot;bytes&quot;:3899588,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/223346431?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9592feb9-6ba8-4a1a-8258-71196b9a9050_1538x1234.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XXyV!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9592feb9-6ba8-4a1a-8258-71196b9a9050_1538x1234.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XXyV!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9592feb9-6ba8-4a1a-8258-71196b9a9050_1538x1234.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XXyV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9592feb9-6ba8-4a1a-8258-71196b9a9050_1538x1234.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!XXyV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9592feb9-6ba8-4a1a-8258-71196b9a9050_1538x1234.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>As he explicated it, institutions are not merely collections of laws, procedures, offices, and traditions, but an expression of an ethical spirit&#8212;the living embodiment of justice, freedom, and the common good. When this animating spirit departs, an institution may continue to exist in its outward form while losing the spirit that gave rise to it. </p><p>In his view, the legitimacy of an institution does not only spring from its antiquity, legal authority, or established procedures. Legitimacy is conferred only when the institution continues to embody an ethical purpose. </p><p>The family, civil society, and the state are legitimate insofar as they give concrete expression to human morals and freedom. Their authority and activities are instruments through which these ethical purposes are realized, rather than ends in themselves.</p><p>Over time, institutions may become increasingly preoccupied with their own preservation and privileges. Officials may come to regard their activities as intrinsically valuable, even when they no longer serve the purposes for which they were created. </p><p>What began as a living expression of a moral or political ideal may calcify into an apparatus of administration and authority that serves no one but the officials and their cronies. </p><p>This distinction between living substance and empty form lies at the heart of Hegel&#8217;s understanding of history. Human societies evolve, and institutions that once embodied rational principles may become inadequate to changing historical circumstances. Their continued existence does not necessarily mean they continue to be legitimate. The persistence of an institution&#8217;s outward structure may conceal the fact that the historical conditions and ethical convictions that sustained them in the past are no longer operative. </p><p>Hegel&#8217;s discussion of the decline of Roman political life provides an illustration. Republican institutions and legal forms persisted after the civic spirit that had once animated them died, and the driving force in public life became the ambitions and whims of an increasingly selfish and reckless oligarchy. </p><p>Political participation became formal rather than substantive, while public authority became detached from the ethical life of the community. The preservation of institutional appearances could not compensate for the disappearance of their underlying ethical substance.</p><p>To be sure, Hegel did not regard institutional continuity as inherently suspect, nor did he believe that institutions should be discarded merely because they were old. On the contrary, he considered enduring institutions essential for the realization of freedom. </p><p>His concern was whether their established forms continued to embody a living ethical order. Reform or transformation becomes necessary when a contradiction develops between an institution&#8217;s professed purpose and its actual operation.</p><p>A government may retain its constitution, a university its academic ceremonies, a church its liturgy, or a court its elaborate procedures long after the humans who occupy these offices have ceased to believe in their founding tenets. In such circumstances, institutional continuity can become an illusion of legitimacy.</p><p>And so it is with the US government, which is now&#8212;with a few notable and decreasing exceptions&#8212;a coterie of ignorant and uncouth hucksters who neither understand nor care about the Constitution. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/midterms-despair-or-extinction?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/midterms-despair-or-extinction?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[“We Treat Patients with Symptoms, Not MRI Reports”]]></title><description><![CDATA[Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Erica Rowe Urquhart on arthritis, joint replacement, and why the clinical evaluation trumps imaging in aging shoulders, hips, and knees]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/we-treat-patients-with-symptoms-not</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/we-treat-patients-with-symptoms-not</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Peter A McCullough, MD, MPH]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2026 10:23:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/222810213/6f2af58398f9ed615fc9ddc011258ac9.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH</p><p>It seems like everyone I know over age 65 is running into a problem in one or more of the large joints:  shoulders, hips, or knees.  So I decide to reach out to an expert.</p><div><hr></div><h2>&#128203; Focal Points Interview Summary: Dr. Peter McCullough &#215; Dr. Erica Rowe Urquhart</h2><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-6ho!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d51ea8-a67f-4bc6-b36d-eb4b67a5480d_2442x1182.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-6ho!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d51ea8-a67f-4bc6-b36d-eb4b67a5480d_2442x1182.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-6ho!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d51ea8-a67f-4bc6-b36d-eb4b67a5480d_2442x1182.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-6ho!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d51ea8-a67f-4bc6-b36d-eb4b67a5480d_2442x1182.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-6ho!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d51ea8-a67f-4bc6-b36d-eb4b67a5480d_2442x1182.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-6ho!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d51ea8-a67f-4bc6-b36d-eb4b67a5480d_2442x1182.png" width="1456" height="705" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-6ho!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d51ea8-a67f-4bc6-b36d-eb4b67a5480d_2442x1182.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-6ho!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d51ea8-a67f-4bc6-b36d-eb4b67a5480d_2442x1182.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-6ho!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d51ea8-a67f-4bc6-b36d-eb4b67a5480d_2442x1182.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-6ho!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F24d51ea8-a67f-4bc6-b36d-eb4b67a5480d_2442x1182.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><h2>&#129516; Background: Dr. Erica Rowe Urquhart, M.D., Ph.D., MBA</h2><ul><li><p><strong>San Diego native</strong> &#8212; named &#8220;America&#8217;s Top Student Leader&#8221; by the NASSP and Science Student of the Year at the California State Science Fair before leaving for college</p></li><li><p><strong>Harvard National Scholar</strong> &#8212; B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Harvard College</p></li><li><p><strong>Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine</strong> &#8212; completed both M.D. and Ph.D. in molecular and cellular neuroscience in seven years. Met her future husband, Dr. Marc Urquhart (then an orthopedic surgery resident), at a brunch hosted by Dr. Benjamin Carson for newly admitted medical students</p></li><li><p><strong>Hospital for Special Surgery</strong> (Cornell-affiliated, Upper East Side NYC) &#8212; orthopedic surgery residency; national research fellowship during internship; OREF recognition for developmental biology research; completed residency as chief resident while having her son, Amari</p></li><li><p><strong>Private practice</strong> &#8212; joined her husband at <strong>Urquhart Orthopedic Associates</strong> in northern New Jersey for ~20 years of general orthopedic surgery and sports medicine. Daughter Alexis born 2006</p></li><li><p><strong>Oxford Said Business School MBA</strong> &#8212; earned after 15 years in practice to combat the insurance/billing bureaucracy</p></li><li><p><strong>Author</strong> &#8212; <em>The Invisible Hand Wielding the Scalpel: The Hidden Cause of America&#8217;s Healthcare Crisis</em> (private equity, consolidation, and the erosion of independent practice)</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h2>&#127897;&#65039; Interview Summary</h2><h3>The Structural Problem in Orthopedics</h3><ul><li><p><strong>Epidemiology of chronic joint disease:</strong> The two dominant age-related shoulder conditions are <strong>osteoarthritis/arthropathy</strong> and <strong>rotator cuff tendinopathy or tears</strong>. Hips and knees are dominated by arthritis (osteo-, post-traumatic, or inflammatory).</p></li><li><p><strong>&#8220;We treat symptoms, not MRIs&#8221;:</strong> Urquhart&#8217;s most important clinical maxim &#8212; studies show huge proportions (over 90%) of <em>asymptomatic</em> adults have rotator cuff abnormalities on MRI. &#8220;We don&#8217;t treat MRI findings.&#8221; Treatment targets pain, limited motion, and lost function &#8212; <strong>not imaging pathology</strong>. Orthopedic conditions are rarely life-threatening, but the surgeries carry real complications (typically &lt;1&#8211;2%, but &#8220;if it happens to you, that&#8217;s 100%&#8221;). Surgery demands corroboration between the diagnosis, functional limitation, <em>and</em> significant pain.</p></li></ul><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!joyg!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2b77fba5-9216-42bc-aa3a-fee737f1c4c1_2196x788.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!joyg!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2b77fba5-9216-42bc-aa3a-fee737f1c4c1_2196x788.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!joyg!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2b77fba5-9216-42bc-aa3a-fee737f1c4c1_2196x788.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!joyg!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2b77fba5-9216-42bc-aa3a-fee737f1c4c1_2196x788.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!joyg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2b77fba5-9216-42bc-aa3a-fee737f1c4c1_2196x788.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!joyg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2b77fba5-9216-42bc-aa3a-fee737f1c4c1_2196x788.png" width="1456" height="522" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!joyg!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2b77fba5-9216-42bc-aa3a-fee737f1c4c1_2196x788.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!joyg!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2b77fba5-9216-42bc-aa3a-fee737f1c4c1_2196x788.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!joyg!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2b77fba5-9216-42bc-aa3a-fee737f1c4c1_2196x788.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!joyg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2b77fba5-9216-42bc-aa3a-fee737f1c4c1_2196x788.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Ibounig et al &#8220;Incidental Rotator Cuff Abnormalities on Magnetic Resonance Imaging&#8221; Journal: JAMA Internal Medicine (published online February 16, 2026) DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.7903</figcaption></figure></div><ul><li><p><strong>The physical exam trumps imaging:</strong> Urquhart watches patients the moment they walk in &#8212; gait, posture, how they move. The exam is more important than the studies. But third-party payers force diagnostic confirmation (MRI) before approving treatment, which is why imaging gets ordered even when the clinical picture is clear.</p></li><li><p><strong>AI in the clinic:</strong> Her practice uses HIPAA-compliant AI ambient transcription for notes, freeing physicians to return to face-to-face patient interaction (versus keyboard-and-monitor charting). She draws a sharp distinction between <strong>machine learning</strong> (task-execution, transcription without improvisation) and <strong>AI</strong> (which is &#8220;taught to improvise&#8221; &#8212; hence <strong>hallucination</strong>, filling gaps with what it thinks happened).</p></li></ul><h3>On Media Bias &amp; AI Integrity</h3><p>McCullough cites the Wikipedia analysis showing <strong>~97% left-leaning editorial bias</strong> despite a 50-50 country, and warns about factcheck.org and similar &#8220;fact-checking&#8221; outfits entering language models. He uses <strong>Alter AI</strong> as the McCullough Foundation&#8217;s aligned AI because it vows not to inject bias &#8212; demonstrated by whether an AI answers the question posed or instead front-loads &#8220;safe and effective&#8221; promotion unprompted.</p><h3>Elon Musk: Robots Replacing Surgeons in 5 Years?</h3><p>Musk claims robots will replace the best surgeons within five years. Urquhart&#8217;s verdict: <strong>fascinating but the timeline is contracted &#8212; she&#8217;d say 20&#8211;25 years</strong> for truly independent robotic surgery. Robots already assist in total joints and spine (precise placement), and humanoid robotics (she cites <strong>Unitree</strong> in China, which she visited on a study tour &#8212; IPO ~$250B) are advancing exponentially. But robots cannot yet handle:</p><ul><li><p><strong>Surgical judgment</strong> &#8212; knowing <em>when not</em> to operate (McCullough: Parkland&#8217;s 5-year general surgery maxim)</p></li><li><p><strong>Real-time complication management</strong> &#8212; bleeding, unexpected pathology, adhesions, sutures that don&#8217;t hold, an assistant handing the wrong suture, a patient crashing in another organ system mid-case</p></li></ul><p>&#8220;Could a robot perform surgery independently without the supervision of a surgeon? At this point, no.&#8221;</p><div><hr></div><h2>&#128308; THE CORE SECTION: Chronic Nontraumatic Problems (Shoulders, Hips, Knees)</h2><h3>&#129460; Shoulder</h3><p><strong>Two dominant age-related conditions:</strong></p><ol><li><p><strong>Osteoarthropathy (arthritis)</strong> of the glenohumeral joint</p></li><li><p><strong>Rotator cuff tendinopathy / tears</strong></p></li></ol><p><strong>Treatment spectrum:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Rotator cuff issues</strong> &#8594; arthroscopic (camera) debridement/repair &#8212; same-day, less soft-tissue trauma, less pain</p></li><li><p><strong>Degenerative arthropathy</strong> &#8594; shoulder replacement. If the rotator cuff is also torn, a <strong>reverse shoulder replacement</strong> is needed, which requires opening the soft-tissue plane &#8212; a longer recovery with more involved pain management, though still possible in an ambulatory setting</p></li></ul><p><strong>Why the rotator cuff is so vulnerable:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Vascularity</strong> &#8212; the tendons depend on blood supply for healing after overuse/inflammation. As we age, that healing capacity declines, so what might have been a minor reversible injury becomes a <strong>permanent one</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>The musculotendinous junction</strong> &#8212; the margin between muscle and tendon is where the vulnerability lies</p></li><li><p><strong>Overuse is the #1 cause</strong>, though falls become more prevalent in older, higher-fall-risk patients</p></li><li><p><strong>Anatomy mismatch:</strong> the big muscles (deltoid, pectoralis) do the coarse, powerful work &#8212; pressing, overhead, abduction. The rotator cuff handles <em>finer</em> movements (internal/external rotation). Big lifts strengthen the big muscles; <strong>you don&#8217;t meaningfully &#8220;strengthen the tendons&#8221;</strong> &#8212; you strengthen the muscles. That&#8217;s why recovery from a supraspinatus tear (as McCullough&#8217;s wife is experiencing, and he has a marathon history) is so slow</p></li></ul><p><strong>Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis):</strong></p><ul><li><p>Comes up as a secondary problem after pain/injury &#8212; or seemingly out of nowhere in people in their 40s&#8211;50s (McCullough notes it&#8217;s well documented in diabetics)</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h3>&#129461; Hip</h3><p><strong>Etiology of hip arthritis is multifactorial, not just &#8220;wear and tear&#8221;:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Genetic</strong> predisposition, <strong>anatomy</strong> (ball-and-socket articulation problems &#8212; a patient &#8220;born with anatomy that doesn&#8217;t facilitate normal articulation&#8221;) other conditions that lead to life long poor biomechanics &#8212; leg length discrepancy, varus/valgus alignment, bow-legged/knock-kneed patterns; add excess loading with <strong>obesity</strong> and the result is a total hip replacement</p></li><li><p><strong>Post-traumatic</strong> &#8212; a fall years ago that injured cartilage, never treated, surfacing a decade later after pounds of weight gain over life.</p></li></ul><p><strong>Obesity&#8217;s dose-response effect on joint replacement:Journal:</strong> <em>American Journal of Epidemiology / Public Health</em> literature &#8212; PubMed 14580629 <strong>Design:</strong> Frequency-matched case-control, Utah, 1992&#8211;2000, <strong>840 hip</strong> and <strong>911 knee</strong> replacement patients (ages 55&#8211;74) vs. 5,578 matched controls</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><div class="image-link image2" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!61Jx!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdf4c6c6c-8deb-48d2-a01f-aaf909bcb41a_2184x358.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!61Jx!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdf4c6c6c-8deb-48d2-a01f-aaf909bcb41a_2184x358.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!61Jx!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdf4c6c6c-8deb-48d2-a01f-aaf909bcb41a_2184x358.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!61Jx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdf4c6c6c-8deb-48d2-a01f-aaf909bcb41a_2184x358.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!61Jx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdf4c6c6c-8deb-48d2-a01f-aaf909bcb41a_2184x358.png" width="1456" height="239" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/df4c6c6c-8deb-48d2-a01f-aaf909bcb41a_2184x358.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:239,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:69823,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222810213?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdf4c6c6c-8deb-48d2-a01f-aaf909bcb41a_2184x358.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!61Jx!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdf4c6c6c-8deb-48d2-a01f-aaf909bcb41a_2184x358.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!61Jx!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdf4c6c6c-8deb-48d2-a01f-aaf909bcb41a_2184x358.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!61Jx!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdf4c6c6c-8deb-48d2-a01f-aaf909bcb41a_2184x358.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!61Jx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdf4c6c6c-8deb-48d2-a01f-aaf909bcb41a_2184x358.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div></div></div></div></figure></div><p>That&#8217;s a <strong>16-to-19-fold increased odds of knee replacement</strong> in the severely obese. The knee effect dwarfs the hip effect &#8212; matching exactly what both Urquhart and McCullough said on air about the knee seeing a higher multiple of body weight.</p><p><strong>The &#8220;is walking bad for your hips?&#8221; question:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Activity is not the driver.</strong> People who run/walk their whole lives (McCullough&#8217;s 30-marathon history; his 93-year-old mother-in-law, a lifelong walker with zero hip pain) don&#8217;t automatically wear out their joints. There&#8217;s an <em>inverse</em> relationship in the literature &#8212; lifelong runners don&#8217;t line up for hip replacements.</p></li><li><p><strong>Williams&#8217; National Runners&#8217; Health Study</strong> at Berkeley Lab (&#8220;Effects of Running and Walking on Osteoarthritis and Hip Replacement Risk&#8221; Paul T. Williams, PhD &#8212; Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Journal: Medicine &amp; Science in Sports &amp; Exercise (2013) DOI link: PMC3756679 cited by Dr McCullough:</p><ol><li><p><strong>Running reduces OA and hip replacement risk</strong> by roughly 15&#8211;50%, with the benefit mostly achieved at modest volumes and persisting even at extreme mileage</p></li><li><p><strong>Running is not riskier than walking</strong> for joint health &#8212; the high-impact concern is largely myth</p></li><li><p>The protective effect is driven substantially by <strong>lower BMI</strong> (tying directly back to the obesity discussion) &#8212; but the mechanical/hormonal benefit of exercise appears genuine</p></li></ol></li></ul><p><strong>Hip replacement &#8212; where it is now:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Materials:</strong> no huge changes in ~15 years</p></li><li><p><strong>The real advance: robotic software/instrumentation</strong> for more precise, accurate prosthesis placement</p></li><li><p><strong>Ambulatory/outpatient surgery:</strong> the fastest-growing shift &#8212; roughly <strong>30% outpatient/70% in patient</strong>. Enabled by:</p><ul><li><p><strong>Regional nerve blocks</strong> &#8212; more specific anesthesia</p></li><li><p><strong>Local pain medication layered in at the surgical site</strong> by the surgeon</p></li><li><p>Patients <strong>bear weight and walk the same day</strong> (they have to, to get home)</p></li></ul></li><li><p>Pain is remarkably well controlled for the first days post-op as the body heals</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h3>&#129462; Knee</h3><p><strong>Same principles as the hip &#8212; but amplified:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Obesity plays an even bigger role</strong> in the knee because of mechanics &#8212; the knee sees a higher multiple of body weight with ambulation, stairs, etc.</p></li><li><p><strong>Outpatient split:</strong> roughly <strong>60% inpatient / 40% outpatient</strong> (more knees done same-day than hips)</p></li><li><p>Knee patients often present with a <strong>higher baseline level of functionality</strong> than hip patients</p></li><li><p><strong>Robotic assistance applies</strong> to knee instrumentation placement as well</p></li><li><p><strong>Materials last longer</strong> &#8212; patients live with their first knee replacement far longer than 20&#8211;30 years ago</p></li></ul><p><strong>Age limits:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Urquhart&#8217;s practice hasn&#8217;t done elective arthroplasty in anyone over ~88 (speaking of <em>elective</em> joint replacement, not emergency hip fracture surgery). McCullough recounts his wife&#8217;s father living to 98 with bone-on-bone knees, lamenting that by the time knee replacement went &#8220;prime time,&#8221; he was simply too old &#8212; and trapped in the resource-constrained Canadian system</p></li></ul><p><strong>The flexion contracture problem:</strong></p><ul><li><p>If patients don&#8217;t maintain their rehab range of motion, knees can develop a <strong>chronic flexion contracture</strong> &#8212; the patient can no longer stand erect. McCullough&#8217;s elderly mother, after two knee replacements, has exactly this: her knees are stuck in chronic flexion from years of not getting full extension</p></li><li><p>Urquhart&#8217;s nuance: some older patients develop joint contractures <em>regardless</em> of surgery (natural aging), and those with memory issues/dementia are especially prone &#8212; elbow and wrist contractures happen too</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h2>&#129656; Blood Clots &amp; the Pandemic</h2><p>McCullough pivots to DVT/PE risk, a topic central to his post-pandemic work:</p><ul><li><p><strong>Urquhart&#8217;s experience:</strong> She has <em>not</em> seen increased clot rates in her practice &#8212; because <strong>prophylaxis is much broader now</strong> (more anticoagulants approved for prevention). </p></li><li><p><strong>McCullough&#8217;s counter:</strong> The <em>secular</em> use of novel anticoagulants (Eliquis, Xarelto, Pradaxa) has <strong>skyrocketed since the pandemic</strong> &#8212; due to broad exposure to the thrombogenic spike protein with SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination.</p></li></ul><p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17512433.2025.2473613#abstract">Kurdi et al &#8220;Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the prescribing pattern of oral anticoagulants in the English primary care setting: a population-based segmented interrupted time series analysis of over 53 million individuals&#8221; </a><strong><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17512433.2025.2473613#abstract">Journal:</a></strong><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17512433.2025.2473613#abstract"> </a><em><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17512433.2025.2473613#abstract">Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics &amp; Outcomes Research</a></em><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17512433.2025.2473613#abstract"> (2025) </a>&#8212; DOI 10.1080/17512433.2025.2473613 <strong>Date window:</strong> March 2018 &#8211; March 2024 (covers pre-, during-, and post-pandemic rates of anticoagulation use rose &gt; 100%)</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17512433.2025.2473613#abstract" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jXMl!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f0274d0-0758-480c-b4d5-0be330c2a67f_1216x1328.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jXMl!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f0274d0-0758-480c-b4d5-0be330c2a67f_1216x1328.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jXMl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f0274d0-0758-480c-b4d5-0be330c2a67f_1216x1328.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jXMl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f0274d0-0758-480c-b4d5-0be330c2a67f_1216x1328.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jXMl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f0274d0-0758-480c-b4d5-0be330c2a67f_1216x1328.png" width="1216" height="1328" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8f0274d0-0758-480c-b4d5-0be330c2a67f_1216x1328.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1328,&quot;width&quot;:1216,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:294864,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17512433.2025.2473613#abstract&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222810213?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f0274d0-0758-480c-b4d5-0be330c2a67f_1216x1328.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jXMl!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f0274d0-0758-480c-b4d5-0be330c2a67f_1216x1328.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jXMl!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f0274d0-0758-480c-b4d5-0be330c2a67f_1216x1328.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jXMl!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f0274d0-0758-480c-b4d5-0be330c2a67f_1216x1328.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jXMl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f0274d0-0758-480c-b4d5-0be330c2a67f_1216x1328.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><ul><li><p>~97% of the population has had COVID; ~81% took a COVID vaccine that actively produced spike protein in the body long-term</p></li><li><p>One patient has had circulating Pfizer vaccine in his bloodstream for <strong>3.5 years</strong>, producing spike protein &#8212; and has suffered multiple DVTs, PE, and myocarditis</p></li><li><p>Example: <strong>Jalen Hurts</strong> &#8212; had ankle surgery in 2018 with no thrombosis, then after 2021 vaccines developed superficial thrombosis, DVT, and PE</p></li><li><p><strong>Spike detoxification:</strong> natural fibrinolytic/anticoagulant products &#8212; <strong>nattokinase</strong> (oral thrombolytic) and <strong>bromelain</strong> (natural oral anticoagulant, also a prescription eschar-removal ointment) &#8212; 30+ product rows on Amazon for &#8220;spike detoxification&#8221;</p></li></ul><div><hr></div><h2>&#127937; Closing</h2><ul><li><p>Urquhart emphasizes treatment <strong>doesn&#8217;t always have to be surgery</strong>, but as a surgeon she&#8217;s &#8220;biased toward clearly explaining to patients what surgical treatment would involve&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Contact:</strong> DrUrquhart.com (personal) and UrquhartOrthopedicAssociates.com (practice), northern New Jersey</p></li></ul><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div 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To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div><hr></div><p><strong>&#128221;</strong>Please subscribe to FOCAL POINTS as a paying ($5 monthly) or founder member so we can continue to bring you the truth. <a href="https://alter.systems/?ref=mf10">AlterAI</a> may be used to assist in searches, synthesis, and review.</p><p>Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH</p><p>President, McCullough Foundation</p><p>FOCAL POINTS has partnered with <a href="https://alter.systems/?ref=mf10">AlterAI</a> to support independent research and open inquiry. Subscribe to <a href="https://alter.systems/?ref=mf10">AlterAI</a> today and get a discount on unbiased and accurate AI! </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://alter.systems/?ref=mf10" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l5uh!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa570bd6d-c807-4054-b06b-fa9771f25be1_1672x941.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l5uh!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa570bd6d-c807-4054-b06b-fa9771f25be1_1672x941.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l5uh!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa570bd6d-c807-4054-b06b-fa9771f25be1_1672x941.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l5uh!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa570bd6d-c807-4054-b06b-fa9771f25be1_1672x941.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l5uh!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa570bd6d-c807-4054-b06b-fa9771f25be1_1672x941.png" width="1456" height="819" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l5uh!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa570bd6d-c807-4054-b06b-fa9771f25be1_1672x941.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l5uh!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa570bd6d-c807-4054-b06b-fa9771f25be1_1672x941.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l5uh!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa570bd6d-c807-4054-b06b-fa9771f25be1_1672x941.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!l5uh!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa570bd6d-c807-4054-b06b-fa9771f25be1_1672x941.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Widespread Cyberattacks Strike Supermarket Refrigerators Across Five European Countries]]></title><description><![CDATA[This comes just weeks after Bill Gates said &#8220;over the next year, we are going to have a lot of negative surprises&#8221; from AI cyberattacks.]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/widespread-cyberattacks-strike-supermarket</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/widespread-cyberattacks-strike-supermarket</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolas Hulscher, MPH]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2026 17:55:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YkZ3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faf5091ee-4476-40de-8765-ad3b0573c379_3456x1934.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>by <strong><a href="https://x.com/NicHulscher">Nicolas Hulscher, MPH</a></strong></p><p>A <strong><a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/temperature-soars-swedish-grocery-store-freezers-one-store-blames-hackers-2026-11-02/">new wave of cyberattacks</a></strong> has struck supermarket refrigeration systems across <strong>Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, and Estonia</strong>, allowing hackers to remotely manipulate refrigerators and freezers and causing large quantities of perishable food to be discarded.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;3cea224f-f073-40b7-bd8c-c9c914670e40&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>In some cases, attackers changed refrigeration settings to 50&#176;C (122&#176;F), disrupting temperature controls and triggering widespread food spoilage. The incidents occurred three weeks after a similar cyberattack compromised refrigeration systems at hundreds of supermarkets across France.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YkZ3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faf5091ee-4476-40de-8765-ad3b0573c379_3456x1934.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YkZ3!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faf5091ee-4476-40de-8765-ad3b0573c379_3456x1934.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YkZ3!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faf5091ee-4476-40de-8765-ad3b0573c379_3456x1934.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YkZ3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faf5091ee-4476-40de-8765-ad3b0573c379_3456x1934.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YkZ3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faf5091ee-4476-40de-8765-ad3b0573c379_3456x1934.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YkZ3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faf5091ee-4476-40de-8765-ad3b0573c379_3456x1934.png" width="1456" height="815" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/af5091ee-4476-40de-8765-ad3b0573c379_3456x1934.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:815,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:5941917,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/223198383?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faf5091ee-4476-40de-8765-ad3b0573c379_3456x1934.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YkZ3!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faf5091ee-4476-40de-8765-ad3b0573c379_3456x1934.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YkZ3!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faf5091ee-4476-40de-8765-ad3b0573c379_3456x1934.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YkZ3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faf5091ee-4476-40de-8765-ad3b0573c379_3456x1934.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YkZ3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faf5091ee-4476-40de-8765-ad3b0573c379_3456x1934.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Refrigeration is essential for limiting the growth of food-borne pathogens in perishable products. Prolonged refrigeration failures can force retailers to discard substantial quantities of food.</p><p>Just weeks before this latest wave cyberattacks, Bill Gates stated during a CNN interview:</p><blockquote><p>&#8220;Over the next year&#8230; we are going to have a lot of <strong>negative surprises</strong>. We&#8217;ll probably see most dramatically in the next year is <strong>cyberattacks</strong>.&#8221;</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;d8ca42e9-b594-4dec-8fc5-106bfdb9aba7&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div></blockquote><p>Days after that, Bill Gates said the COVID pandemic &#8220;<strong>didn't work the way I expected.</strong>&#8221; He proceeded to say, &#8220;<strong>over the next several years, certainly in the cyber domain, because there&#8217;s a business model there, you will see a lot of attacks different in terms of scale than anything we've seen in the past.</strong>&#8221;:</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;0934bcf7-7c21-4bb2-848c-ddb5a77f4254&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>The World Economic Forum has already been<strong><a href="https://2019.cyberpolygon.com/results/"> war-gaming cyberattacks</a></strong> since 2019. Through its Cyber Polygon initiative, it has conducted international cybersecurity exercises simulating large-scale cyber threats, including attacks on interconnected digital infrastructure and supply chains.</p><p>This is where Klaus Schwab declared, &#8220;It&#8217;s high time for a Great Reset,&#8221; and warned of a &#8220;cyber pandemic&#8221; that could make COVID look like a &#8220;small disturbance&#8221; by &#8220;halting our power supply, transportation, and hospitals.&#8221;:</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;88cd1917-abe9-4f5a-8f27-49ecb768aa15&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Meanwhile, multiple governments are <strong><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/31/world/video/governments-urge-citizens-to-stockpile-food-and-water-why-now">now encouraging</a></strong> citizens to maintain emergency supplies of food, water, and other essentials to prepare for potential disruptions. </p><p>Something is definitely afoot&#8230;</p><div><hr></div><p><strong><a href="https://x.com/NicHulscher">Nicolas Hulscher, MPH</a></strong></p><p>Epidemiologist and Foundation Administrator, McCullough Foundation</p><p>Support our mission: <strong><a href="https://mcculloughfnd.org/products/donate-1">mcculloughfnd.org</a></strong></p><p>Please consider following both the <strong><a href="https://x.com/McCulloughFund">McCullough Foundation</a></strong> and <strong><a href="https://x.com/NicHulscher">my personal account</a></strong> on <em>X</em> (formerly Twitter) for further content.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dr. Paul Brandenburg Arrested at Berlin Airport ]]></title><description><![CDATA[The prominent critic of German government&#8217;s pandemic policies has been jailed for &#8220;insulting&#8221; the Governing Mayor of Berlin in connection with drag queen convicted of disseminating child pornography.]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/dr-paul-brandenburg-arrested-at-berlin</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/dr-paul-brandenburg-arrested-at-berlin</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[John Leake]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2026 16:55:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ApDi!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0f579ed6-de48-4969-abbe-8fad029be180_924x588.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A few days ago I arrived on the island of Mallorca to attend the Freihafen (Free Harbor) conference to discuss ways to strengthen civil society against the encroachments of centralized state power. </p><p>The conference was organized by Dr. Paul Brandenburg &#8212; an emergency and intensive care doctor who became a prominent critic of the German government&#8217;s pandemic countermeasures.</p><p>The morning after I arrived, I went for a walk on the beach and thought of Dr. Brandenburg&#8212;a wonderfully cultivated and engaging man&#8212;and how much I looked forward to seeing him that evening. Approximately 5 seconds later, I received a text notification that he had, on October 28, 2026, been arrested at Berlin Brandenburg Airport on allegations that he insulted and defamed Berlin&#8217;s Governing Mayor, Kai Wegner. (NOTE: Berlin is both an administrative <strong>state</strong> and a <strong>city</strong>, hence the title Governing Mayor). </p><p>Dr. Brandenburg was placed in pretrial detention because the Berlin public prosecutor&#8217;s office claims he is a flight risk. <strong>It seems increasingly likely he will remain in detention for at least two weeks (total) before his initial hearing his held</strong>. </p><p>According to a written statement from the Berlin Public Prosecutor&#8217;s Office (Staatsanwaltschaft Berlin), published on October 30, Brandenburg is accused of: </p><p>1). Criminal insult (Beleidigung) &#167; 185 StGB</p><p>2). Defamation of a person in political life (Verleumdung gegen Personen des politischen Lebens) &#167; 188(2) StGB, which carry a statutory minimum imprisonment of six months. </p><p>The prosecutor alleges that Brandenburg published statements on the internet between October 30 and December 17, 2025, accusing Governing Mayor Wegner of being a fan of the Berlin drag queen performer who goes by the name &#8220;<strong>Jurassica Parka</strong>.&#8221; (NOTE: In the drag queen community, the name Jurassic Park is widely used as a reference to older drag performers).  </p><p>Parka was convicted of dissemination, acquisition, and possession of child pornographic materials in 2023, <strong>before</strong> being invited to host, perform at, or attend State and City of Berlin sponsored events. </p><p>The following is a timeline of relevant events: </p><p>&#8220;<strong>Jurassica Parka</strong>&#8221; (legal name is <strong>Mario Olszinski</strong>)</p><ul><li><p><strong>Summer 2021</strong>: Appointed ambassador for queer Berlin as part of the <em>Place2Be.Berlin</em> tourism campaign, sponsored by Berlin Tourismus &amp; Kongress GmbH, 15% owned by the State of Berlin.</p></li><li><p><strong>November 24, 2021</strong>: Parka uploaded a collage containing child pornographic material to Twitter (now X). Although the evidence of this illegal act was presented the moment Parka posted the images on Twitter, the Berlin police and prosecutor&#8217;s office took almost two years to take law enforcement action against him. </p></li><li><p>2022-2023: Berlin Police pursued some sort of investigation. Official case file was registered in 2023<strong> (</strong>court file number <strong>294 Ds 155/23</strong>) at the Tiergarten District Court. In notable contrast to the case of Dr. Paul Brandenburg<strong>, Jurassica Parka did not spend a single day in pre-trial detention</strong>, but remained free until he was convicted and ordered to pay a fine for his offense. </p></li><li><p><strong>July 3, 2023</strong>: Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner was photographed with Jurassica Parka (middle) at the <strong>Berlin Hoffest</strong> (the Berlin Court Festival) held at the Rotes Rathaus (Red Town Hall). NOTE: The Hoffest is co-hosted and organized by the Berlin Senate Chancellery (headed by the Governing Mayor of Berlin) in cooperation with Partner f&#252;r Berlin, the city's economic development agency. Based on published reports, it is not clear if Parka performed at the event or was merely invited to attend. </p></li></ul><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ApDi!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0f579ed6-de48-4969-abbe-8fad029be180_924x588.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ApDi!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0f579ed6-de48-4969-abbe-8fad029be180_924x588.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ApDi!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0f579ed6-de48-4969-abbe-8fad029be180_924x588.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ApDi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0f579ed6-de48-4969-abbe-8fad029be180_924x588.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ApDi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0f579ed6-de48-4969-abbe-8fad029be180_924x588.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ApDi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0f579ed6-de48-4969-abbe-8fad029be180_924x588.png" width="552" height="351.27272727272725" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ApDi!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0f579ed6-de48-4969-abbe-8fad029be180_924x588.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ApDi!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0f579ed6-de48-4969-abbe-8fad029be180_924x588.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ApDi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0f579ed6-de48-4969-abbe-8fad029be180_924x588.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ApDi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0f579ed6-de48-4969-abbe-8fad029be180_924x588.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><ul><li><p>October 2023: Jurassica Parka was convicted of dissemination, acquisition, and possession of child pornographic materials. Following &#8220;a confession and expressions of remorse,&#8221; the Tiergarten District Court court assessed a <strong>reduced penalty</strong> consisting of a fine of 160 daily rates of &#8364;70 each, totaling <strong>&#8364;11,200</strong>.</p></li><li><p>April 2024: Parka traveled to Tokyo, Japan, after being commissioned by the <strong>German Embassy in Tokyo</strong> to appear at the Tokyo Rainbow Pride event. During the visit, footage showed him doing face-painting and makeup on young attendees, some of whom appeared to be minors. As was subsequently reported,  the <strong>German Foreign Office</strong> funded the appearance (covering flights, accommodation, and a &#8364;6,000 fee). When confronted about this, the Foreign Office stated it was unaware at this time of his October 2023 conviction. </p></li><li><p>August 31, 2024: Parka was invited to perform as official stage host and master of ceremonies at the Queens &amp; Flowers Festival in Berlin's Steglitz-Zehlendorf district. The Festival received <strong>&#8364;40,000 in public tourism funding</strong>. </p></li><li><p><strong>March 26, 2025: Berlin Police received information concerning new allegations against Parka</strong>. </p></li><li><p>May 6, 2025: Berlin Public Prosecutor&#8217;s office initiated a second investigation of possession of child pornography. </p></li><li><p>July 14, 2025: Parka hosted and moderated a diversity and LSBTIQ+-themed <strong>Berlin Police Charity Gala (&#8220;Gemeinsambunt&#8221;).</strong></p></li></ul><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yw3W!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e81e098-25e3-4cee-90f3-dcdc26431584_936x626.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yw3W!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e81e098-25e3-4cee-90f3-dcdc26431584_936x626.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yw3W!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e81e098-25e3-4cee-90f3-dcdc26431584_936x626.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yw3W!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e81e098-25e3-4cee-90f3-dcdc26431584_936x626.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yw3W!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e81e098-25e3-4cee-90f3-dcdc26431584_936x626.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yw3W!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e81e098-25e3-4cee-90f3-dcdc26431584_936x626.png" width="530" height="354.46581196581195" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6e81e098-25e3-4cee-90f3-dcdc26431584_936x626.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:626,&quot;width&quot;:936,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:530,&quot;bytes&quot;:1320100,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222934999?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e81e098-25e3-4cee-90f3-dcdc26431584_936x626.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yw3W!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e81e098-25e3-4cee-90f3-dcdc26431584_936x626.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yw3W!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e81e098-25e3-4cee-90f3-dcdc26431584_936x626.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yw3W!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e81e098-25e3-4cee-90f3-dcdc26431584_936x626.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yw3W!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e81e098-25e3-4cee-90f3-dcdc26431584_936x626.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><ul><li><p>July 24, 2025: Berlin Police raided Parka&#8217;s apartment and seized electronic devices containing videos and images of illegal child sexual abuse/pornography. Forensic analysis of the seized hardware revealed: </p><ul><li><p><strong>131 video files</strong> totaling more than 5 hours and 25 minutes of footage.</p></li><li><p><strong>28 static digital images</strong></p></li><li><p>Though the electronic devices were seized and criminal charges were subsequently filed, there are <strong>NO</strong> indications that Parka spent <strong>any</strong> time in pretrial detention. </p></li></ul></li><li><p>October 30 and December 17, 2025: Dr. Paul Brandenburg allegedly published posts in which he characterized Berlin Governing Mayor Wegner of being &#8220;a fan of child molesters&#8221; and a &#8220;pedophilia ruler.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>September 23, 2026</strong>: The Tiergarten District Court (same in Parka&#8217;s first conviction) sentenced Parka to ten months' imprisonment, <strong>suspended</strong> <strong>on probation</strong>, for possession of child and adolescent sexual abuse material.</p></li><li><p>October 28, 2026: Dr. Brandenburg was arrested at Berlin airport for &#8220;<strong>insulting</strong>&#8221; Berlin Governing Mayor Wegner. Unlike Parka, who remained free pending his two convictions, Brandenburg was placed in pretrial detention, where he remains as of this report&#8217;s publication. </p></li></ul><p>The Berlin public prosector&#8217;s office claims that Brandenburg&#8217;s statements are defamatory assertions of fact rather than permissible political criticism or expressions of opinion. </p><p>Apparently Governing Mayor Wegner disputes Brandenburg&#8217;s characterizations. As Wegner apparently evaluates the matter, the fact that the State and City of Berlin&#8212;of which he is the supreme administrative authority&#8212;invited Parka to attend and even host events <em>after </em>Parka was convicted for dissemination, acquisition, and possession of child pornography does not mean that he is a fan of Jurassica Parka. </p><p>In a written response to journalist Alexander Wallasch on October 30, the Berlin prosecutor confirmed that Brandenburg was arrested at approximately 10:30 a.m. on October 28 pursuant to an arrest warrant issued by the Tiergarten District Court.</p><p>The prosecution claims that Dr. Brandenburg was arrested and put in jail (pretrial detention) on the grounds that he is a flight risk. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T4Cq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb098fd60-dfaa-470b-be46-2dcfde0bd5cf_496x392.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T4Cq!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb098fd60-dfaa-470b-be46-2dcfde0bd5cf_496x392.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T4Cq!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb098fd60-dfaa-470b-be46-2dcfde0bd5cf_496x392.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T4Cq!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb098fd60-dfaa-470b-be46-2dcfde0bd5cf_496x392.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T4Cq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb098fd60-dfaa-470b-be46-2dcfde0bd5cf_496x392.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T4Cq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb098fd60-dfaa-470b-be46-2dcfde0bd5cf_496x392.png" width="374" height="295.5806451612903" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b098fd60-dfaa-470b-be46-2dcfde0bd5cf_496x392.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:392,&quot;width&quot;:496,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:374,&quot;bytes&quot;:315115,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222934999?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb098fd60-dfaa-470b-be46-2dcfde0bd5cf_496x392.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T4Cq!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb098fd60-dfaa-470b-be46-2dcfde0bd5cf_496x392.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T4Cq!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb098fd60-dfaa-470b-be46-2dcfde0bd5cf_496x392.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T4Cq!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb098fd60-dfaa-470b-be46-2dcfde0bd5cf_496x392.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T4Cq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb098fd60-dfaa-470b-be46-2dcfde0bd5cf_496x392.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Dr. Paul Brandenburg</figcaption></figure></div><p>Dr. Brandenburg&#8217;s attorney, Markus Haintz, disputes the factual basis for describing his client as a fugitive.</p><p>Haintz states that Brandenburg was arrested while returning his ten-year-old child to Berlin and that he regularly travels to the city several times per month for family reasons. According to Haintz, both the Berlin police and prosecutors were aware of these visits.</p><p>Haintz and fellow defense attorney Viktoria Dannenmaier are seeking his release. Haintz characterizes the proceedings as a form of Majest&#228;tsbeleidigung (&#8221;insulting majesty&#8221;), suggesting that criminal law is being used to punish criticism of a political official.</p><p>German law expressly permits release on financial security (Kaution) or other conditions in place of pretrial detention. Section 116(1) of the German Code of Criminal Procedure (Strafprozessordnung, StPO) provides that a judge <strong>must</strong> suspend execution of an arrest warrant based solely on risk of flight when less restrictive measures can adequately achieve the purpose of detention. </p><p>Such measures include:</p><ul><li><p>Posting financial security.</p></li><li><p>Reporting regularly to police or judicial authorities.</p></li><li><p>Remaining at a specified residence or within a designated geographical area.</p></li><li><p>Accepting restrictions on travel or movement.</p></li></ul><p>The statutory language is important: when these less restrictive measures are sufficient, <strong>suspension of detention is mandatory, not merely discretionary</strong>.</p><p>The Berlin prosecutor claims the fact that Brandenburg spends much of his time in Switzerland is evidence that he is essentially a fugitive, but this assertion is inconsistent with Brandenburg&#8217;s frequent and regular visits to Berlin. Thus, it is unclear why financial security, travel restrictions, or mandatory reporting would be inadequate to ensure Brandenburg&#8217;s appearance for a scheduled trial. </p><p>Section 112(1) StPO requires both strong suspicion of a criminal offense and a legally recognized ground for detention. It also <strong>prohibits</strong> detention that is disproportionate to the seriousness of the case and the expected punishment.</p><p>Several circumstances make Brandenburg&#8217;s detention especially worthy of scrutiny.</p><ul><li><p>The six allegations concern statements published online rather than violence, threats of violence, or destruction of evidence.</p></li><li><p>Brandenburg&#8217;s reported regular returns to Berlin, particularly for family obligations, weigh against the assertion that he was hiding from authorities.</p></li><li><p>The existence of a foreign residence does not, by itself, establish that a defendant is evading prosecution.</p></li></ul><p>If will be interesting to see if Governing Mayor Wegner will claim he had no knowledge of the investigations and convictions of Jurassica Parka in the years 2021-2025. Strangely enough, Berlin Police spokeswoman Lena Kniphals has stated that&#8212;at the time of the July 14, 2025 police gala of which Parka was the master of ceremonies and under investigation by the Berlin police that would raid his apartment ten days later&#8212; &#8220;Neither police leadership nor the participating partners possessed relevant knowledge or information [about the investigations and convictions] at the time of the event.&#8221;</p><p>On a historical note: the German Penal Code&#8212;of which &#8220;criminal insult&#8221; (Beleidigung) is paragraph &#167; 185 &#8212;was passed on May 15, 1871, in the Reichstag and went into force on January 1, 1872. </p><p>Following the conventional customs, manners, and mores of the time, it was conceived as a judicial mechanism for punishing the act of making false public statements that injured a man&#8217;s honor. The rationale was to discourage the personal vendettas and duels that had been a feature of European society for centuries. </p><p>On the face of it, it strikes me as highly questionable that the Governing Mayor of Berlin&#8217;s honor was&#8212;as a matter of objective fact&#8212;injured by a few <strong>strongly worded</strong> <strong>X (formerly Twitter) posts</strong> from a dissident doctor. </p><p>If the Governing Mayor is so concerned about his honor, one wonders why he has presided over an administration that has consistently demonstrated not only extraordinary leniency, but also a celebratory posture towards Jurassica Parka&#8212;a man who <strong>posted images classified as child pornography on Twitter</strong> in November 24, 2021. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/dr-paul-brandenburg-arrested-at-berlin?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/dr-paul-brandenburg-arrested-at-berlin?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[BREAKING--Senator Chris Murphy Joins US Senate Premature Stroke Club after COVID-19 Vaccination]]></title><description><![CDATA[Neurologic damage documented in four vaccinated senators and not one has made the connection and neither has the press]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/breaking-senator-chris-murphy-joins</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/breaking-senator-chris-murphy-joins</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Peter A McCullough, MD, MPH]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2026 13:38:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0fo3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e35e718-f35c-4ad7-b244-ff9730675c21_2284x1328.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH</p><p>We learned the sad news this weekend that Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) suffered a premature stroke.  His doctors are predicting a good recovery.  Murphy is only 53 years old. Is this unusual?  Not for vaccinated US senators.  Here is the list.</p><ul><li><p><strong>Chris Murphy</strong> (D-CT) &#8211; <strong>53 years old</strong> (suffered a stroke in late October/November 2026), COVID-19 vaccinated 2021</p></li><li><p><strong>John Fetterman</strong> (D-PA) &#8211; <strong>52 years old</strong> (suffered a stroke associated with atrial fibrillation in May 2022 while campaigning for office).  Atrial fibrillation and likely heart failure discovered in 2017; was not on anticoagulation in 2022,   COVID-19 vaccinated 2021</p></li><li><p><strong>Ben Ray Luj&#225;n</strong> (D-NM) &#8211; <strong>49 years old</strong> (suffered a stroke in January 2022), COVID-19 vaccinated 2020</p></li><li><p><strong>Chris Van Hollen</strong> (D-MD) &#8211; <strong>63 years old</strong> (suffered a minor stroke in May 2022)  COVID-19 vaccinated 2021</p></li></ul><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;125f63ee-0bf5-4db1-800a-4c8d21efa1df&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:152.97307,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p>So 4/45 (8.9%) of the Democratic Caucus has suffered a premature stroke within a few years of their COVID-19 vaccine.  mRNA and other COVID-19 vaccines are associated with stroke because the spike protein produced from the shots causes vascular injury, promotes blood clots, and can trigger atrial fibrillation.  To make matters worse, Murphy probably like the others, contracted SARS-CoV-2 despite immunization, further increasing inflammation, vascular damage, and piling on more spike protein into the body.  Mead and colleagues have termed this a &#8220;spikeopathy.&#8221;  Yet no one in the Senate or the press has made the connection.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0fo3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e35e718-f35c-4ad7-b244-ff9730675c21_2284x1328.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0fo3!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e35e718-f35c-4ad7-b244-ff9730675c21_2284x1328.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0fo3!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e35e718-f35c-4ad7-b244-ff9730675c21_2284x1328.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0fo3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e35e718-f35c-4ad7-b244-ff9730675c21_2284x1328.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0fo3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e35e718-f35c-4ad7-b244-ff9730675c21_2284x1328.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0fo3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e35e718-f35c-4ad7-b244-ff9730675c21_2284x1328.png" width="1456" height="847" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0fo3!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e35e718-f35c-4ad7-b244-ff9730675c21_2284x1328.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0fo3!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e35e718-f35c-4ad7-b244-ff9730675c21_2284x1328.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0fo3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e35e718-f35c-4ad7-b244-ff9730675c21_2284x1328.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0fo3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7e35e718-f35c-4ad7-b244-ff9730675c21_2284x1328.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>&#128221;</strong>Please subscribe to FOCAL POINTS as a paying ($5 monthly) or founder member so we can continue to bring you the truth. <a href="https://alter.systems/?ref=mf10">AlterAI</a> may be used to assist in searches, synthesis, and review.</p><p>Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH</p><p>President, McCullough Foundation</p><p>FOCAL POINTS has partnered with <a href="https://www.functionalnurseacademy.com/">The Functional Nurse Academy</a> to bring you critical late breaking stories. Check out a new second career as a functional nurse at <a href="https://www.functionalnurseacademy.com/">The Functional Nurse Academy.</a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.functionalnurseacademy.com/" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ECUO!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe452d2e-ccc4-4aab-b05c-4a8db4102bc9_1940x1522.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ECUO!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe452d2e-ccc4-4aab-b05c-4a8db4102bc9_1940x1522.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ECUO!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe452d2e-ccc4-4aab-b05c-4a8db4102bc9_1940x1522.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ECUO!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe452d2e-ccc4-4aab-b05c-4a8db4102bc9_1940x1522.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ECUO!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe452d2e-ccc4-4aab-b05c-4a8db4102bc9_1940x1522.png" width="1456" height="1142" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fe452d2e-ccc4-4aab-b05c-4a8db4102bc9_1940x1522.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1142,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:775082,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.functionalnurseacademy.com/&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/223164702?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe452d2e-ccc4-4aab-b05c-4a8db4102bc9_1940x1522.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ECUO!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe452d2e-ccc4-4aab-b05c-4a8db4102bc9_1940x1522.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ECUO!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe452d2e-ccc4-4aab-b05c-4a8db4102bc9_1940x1522.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ECUO!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe452d2e-ccc4-4aab-b05c-4a8db4102bc9_1940x1522.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ECUO!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe452d2e-ccc4-4aab-b05c-4a8db4102bc9_1940x1522.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>Mead, M. N., Seneff, S., Wolfinger, R., Rose, J., Denhaerynck, K., Kirsch, S., &amp; McCullough, P. A. (2024). COVID-19 Modified mRNA &#8220;Vaccines&#8221; Part 1: Lessons Learned from Clinical Trials, Mass Vaccination, and the Bio-Pharmaceutical Complex. International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Research, 3(2), 1112&#8211;1178. https://ijvtpr.com/index.php/IJVTPR/article/view/101</p><p>Mead, M. N., Seneff, S., Rose, J., Wolfinger, R., Hulscher, N., &amp; McCullough, P. A. (2024). COVID-19 Modified mRNA &#8220;Vaccines&#8221;: Lessons Learned from Clinical Trials, Mass Vaccination, and the Bio-Pharmaceutical Complex, Part 2. International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Research, 3(2), 1246&#8211;1315. <a href="https://ijvtpr.com/index.php/IJVTPR/article/view/104">https://ijvtpr.com/index.php/IJVTPR/article/view/104</a></p><p>Mead NM, Rose Jessica, Seneff S, Rogers C, Craven B, Hulscher N, Cosgrove K, Marik P, <strong>McCullough PA</strong>. (2025). Compound Impacts of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Convergence of Diverse &#8220;Spikeopathies&#8221; and Other Hybrid Harms. Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 13, n. 11, nov. 2025. ISSN 2375-1924. https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/7087. doi:https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v13i11.7087.10.20944/preprints202508.1082.v1.</p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[OpenAI Faces Wrongful Death Suit after ChatGPT Advised Fatal Drug Taper]]></title><description><![CDATA[Bowen Wan, a 31-year-old epilepsy patient, died weeks after ChatGPT designed a schedule to take her off her anti-seizure medication and coached her to hide it from her doctors.]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/openai-faces-wrongful-death-suit</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/openai-faces-wrongful-death-suit</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Peter A McCullough, MD, MPH]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2026 10:53:37 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R7Ld!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25542161-4da2-4a32-ac06-98cf00d9718b_1988x1368.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH</p><p>More and more, the public is turning to artificial intelligence (AI) for medical advice.  What could go wrong?</p><h2>&#128680; When ChatGPT Became a Doctor, No License Required</h2><p><em>The case of Bowen Wan should terrify every family, and it should terrify the tech industry into an honest approach to personal health advice.</em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/openai-sued-alleging-chatgpt-gave-fatal-epilepsy-medical-advice" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R7Ld!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25542161-4da2-4a32-ac06-98cf00d9718b_1988x1368.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R7Ld!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25542161-4da2-4a32-ac06-98cf00d9718b_1988x1368.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R7Ld!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25542161-4da2-4a32-ac06-98cf00d9718b_1988x1368.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R7Ld!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25542161-4da2-4a32-ac06-98cf00d9718b_1988x1368.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R7Ld!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25542161-4da2-4a32-ac06-98cf00d9718b_1988x1368.png" width="1456" height="1002" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/25542161-4da2-4a32-ac06-98cf00d9718b_1988x1368.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1002,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:497970,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/openai-sued-alleging-chatgpt-gave-fatal-epilepsy-medical-advice&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222910606?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25542161-4da2-4a32-ac06-98cf00d9718b_1988x1368.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R7Ld!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25542161-4da2-4a32-ac06-98cf00d9718b_1988x1368.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R7Ld!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25542161-4da2-4a32-ac06-98cf00d9718b_1988x1368.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R7Ld!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25542161-4da2-4a32-ac06-98cf00d9718b_1988x1368.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!R7Ld!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25542161-4da2-4a32-ac06-98cf00d9718b_1988x1368.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><h2>The Story</h2><p>On <strong>October 27, 2026</strong>, the parents of <strong>Bowen Wan</strong> &#8212; a 31-year-old Chinese immigrant and Amazon software engineer living in Seattle &#8212; <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/openai-sued-alleging-chatgpt-gave-fatal-epilepsy-medical-advice">filed a wrongful death lawsuit against </a><strong><a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/openai-sued-alleging-chatgpt-gave-fatal-epilepsy-medical-advice">OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman</a></strong><a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/openai-sued-alleging-chatgpt-gave-fatal-epilepsy-medical-advice"> in California Superior Court, San Francisco.</a></p><p>The allegation is brutal in its specificity. ChatGPT didn&#8217;t just give vague health tips. According to the complaint:</p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;eef870fb-563e-4b40-b943-2925df4e34fd&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:604.6563,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Will Trump Resume Bombing Iran After Midterms?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Recalling President George W. Bush&#8217;s handling of the Iraq Battle of Fallujah during the 2004 election season.]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/will-trump-resume-bombing-iran-after</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/will-trump-resume-bombing-iran-after</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[John Leake]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2026 15:47:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8HQG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb77df21d-d054-4d06-93d9-6a7f02adbc3e_2380x1266.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The installment of Ahmed Al-Sharaa as President of Syria in January 2025 reminded me of the two Battles of Fallujah in 2004. Al-Sharaa  began his career with the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIL), joining the group in Iraq after the 2003 invasion. </p><p>For those that don&#8217;t remember ISIL: the group was formed in 2004 by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden, and was known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). </p><p>US Marine Corps veterans remember Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as a key leader in the insurgency that fought the Marines during the two battles of Fallujah in 2004, which included some of the hottest house to house fighting in US Marine Corps history. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8HQG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb77df21d-d054-4d06-93d9-6a7f02adbc3e_2380x1266.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8HQG!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb77df21d-d054-4d06-93d9-6a7f02adbc3e_2380x1266.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8HQG!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb77df21d-d054-4d06-93d9-6a7f02adbc3e_2380x1266.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8HQG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb77df21d-d054-4d06-93d9-6a7f02adbc3e_2380x1266.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8HQG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb77df21d-d054-4d06-93d9-6a7f02adbc3e_2380x1266.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8HQG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb77df21d-d054-4d06-93d9-6a7f02adbc3e_2380x1266.png" width="540" height="287.06043956043953" 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pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Indeed, the fighting got so fierce during the first battle in March 2004 that President Bush decided to pause it&#8212;ordering the Marines to pull back from the city and give up their initial gains&#8212;because it was creating political blowback in the US, and Bush was afraid it could hurt his reelection prospects. Two days after Bush was reelected in November, he sent the Marines back into the Fallujah meat grinder.</p><p>Not surprisingly, Iran&#8217;s influence in Iraq greatly expanded after the US overthrew Saddam Hussein in 2003. The removal of Saddam&#8217;s Sunni-dominated government created opportunities for Shiite political parties, some of which had longstanding relationships with Tehran, to acquire political power. Since the US and Israel started attacking Iran in February, Iran-aligned Iraqi militias have responded by attacking American interests and targets associated with American regional allies. </p><p>With Trump apparently determined to keep the US government&#8217;s tradition of pointless killing and mess-making in the Middle East alive and well, it wouldn&#8217;t surprise me if he resumes bombing Iran after the midterm elections on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Please let me know what you think in the comments section. </p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/will-trump-resume-bombing-iran-after?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/will-trump-resume-bombing-iran-after?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p> </p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Localized Stem Cell Injections Are Used for Orthopedic Injuries]]></title><description><![CDATA[Drs McCullough and Guirguis walk through the current practice&#8212;targeted joint and epidural injections, typical dosing, expected timelines, and what the evidence does and doesn't yet show.]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/how-localized-stem-cell-injections</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/how-localized-stem-cell-injections</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Peter A McCullough, MD, MPH]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2026 10:44:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-video.s3.amazonaws.com/video_upload/post/222623048/dcd3211b-e1f5-426c-afd1-c83c8b2c27ad/transcoded-05746.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH</p><p>For six months my wife has suffered with a limited partial tear of the supraspinatus tendon of the right shoulder.  It is natural to consider more exotic remedies after months of creams, therapies, cupping, dry-needling, and a series of doctors.  </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ikxn!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F841a0552-37bf-4a57-b783-849a76da1d96_1692x1216.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ikxn!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F841a0552-37bf-4a57-b783-849a76da1d96_1692x1216.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ikxn!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F841a0552-37bf-4a57-b783-849a76da1d96_1692x1216.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ikxn!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F841a0552-37bf-4a57-b783-849a76da1d96_1692x1216.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ikxn!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F841a0552-37bf-4a57-b783-849a76da1d96_1692x1216.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ikxn!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F841a0552-37bf-4a57-b783-849a76da1d96_1692x1216.png" width="1456" height="1046" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/841a0552-37bf-4a57-b783-849a76da1d96_1692x1216.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1046,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:587950,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222623048?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F841a0552-37bf-4a57-b783-849a76da1d96_1692x1216.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ikxn!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F841a0552-37bf-4a57-b783-849a76da1d96_1692x1216.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ikxn!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F841a0552-37bf-4a57-b783-849a76da1d96_1692x1216.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ikxn!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F841a0552-37bf-4a57-b783-849a76da1d96_1692x1216.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ikxn!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F841a0552-37bf-4a57-b783-849a76da1d96_1692x1216.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>So I decided to get educated on the orthopedic applications of stem cells by Dr. Dr Emad Guirguis of <strong>ZignaGenix</strong> is <strong>a company that specializes in regenerative medicine and advanced mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy</strong>. Headquartered with administrative and consultation services in San Diego, California, has its primary clinical and laboratory facilities located in <strong>Tijuana, Puerto Vallarta, and Canc&#250;n, Mexico.  </strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[CRISPR Gene-Edited Strawberries Have Entered the U.S. Food Supply Without Required Labeling]]></title><description><![CDATA[The genetically engineered fruit developed by SIMPLOT is being distributed through U.S. wholesale foodservice channels.]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/crispr-gene-edited-strawberries-have</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/crispr-gene-edited-strawberries-have</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolas Hulscher, MPH]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Oct 2026 16:16:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WGjW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1e19551-4a04-41b3-9b8b-32e043d3a73b_1122x1402.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>by <strong><a href="https://x.com/NicHulscher">Nicolas Hulscher, MPH</a></strong></p><p>CRISPR gene-edited strawberries have quietly entered the American food supply.</p><p>According to the <a href="https://cban.ca/gmos/products/not-on-the-market/strawberry/">Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN)</a>, agricultural giant J.R. Simplot confirmed in early 2026 that some quantities of its genetically engineered strawberries were being sold through its U.S. Wholesale Foodservice division.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WGjW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1e19551-4a04-41b3-9b8b-32e043d3a73b_1122x1402.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WGjW!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1e19551-4a04-41b3-9b8b-32e043d3a73b_1122x1402.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WGjW!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1e19551-4a04-41b3-9b8b-32e043d3a73b_1122x1402.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WGjW!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1e19551-4a04-41b3-9b8b-32e043d3a73b_1122x1402.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WGjW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1e19551-4a04-41b3-9b8b-32e043d3a73b_1122x1402.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WGjW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1e19551-4a04-41b3-9b8b-32e043d3a73b_1122x1402.png" width="1122" height="1402" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c1e19551-4a04-41b3-9b8b-32e043d3a73b_1122x1402.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1402,&quot;width&quot;:1122,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2563972,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222932565?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1e19551-4a04-41b3-9b8b-32e043d3a73b_1122x1402.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WGjW!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1e19551-4a04-41b3-9b8b-32e043d3a73b_1122x1402.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WGjW!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1e19551-4a04-41b3-9b8b-32e043d3a73b_1122x1402.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WGjW!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1e19551-4a04-41b3-9b8b-32e043d3a73b_1122x1402.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WGjW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc1e19551-4a04-41b3-9b8b-32e043d3a73b_1122x1402.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The company has not publicly identified which restaurants or foodservice establishments are purchasing the fruit.</p><p>Simplot partnered with Plant Sciences Inc. to develop strawberries using CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology. According to <a href="https://specialtycropassistance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S5-1_SCRA2026_Koch_Strawberry_Simplot_CaseStudy_260401.pdf">Simplot&#8217;s 2026 scientific presentation</a>, they disabled a flowering-regulation gene identified as <strong>Gn1</strong>, altering the plants&#8217; flowering patterns to extend their fruit-producing season.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zFOQ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc01bda9c-36dd-4903-9205-3132a7ef0ba7_1472x534.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zFOQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc01bda9c-36dd-4903-9205-3132a7ef0ba7_1472x534.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zFOQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc01bda9c-36dd-4903-9205-3132a7ef0ba7_1472x534.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zFOQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc01bda9c-36dd-4903-9205-3132a7ef0ba7_1472x534.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zFOQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc01bda9c-36dd-4903-9205-3132a7ef0ba7_1472x534.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c01bda9c-36dd-4903-9205-3132a7ef0ba7_1472x534.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:528,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1111101,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222932565?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc01bda9c-36dd-4903-9205-3132a7ef0ba7_1472x534.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zFOQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc01bda9c-36dd-4903-9205-3132a7ef0ba7_1472x534.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zFOQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc01bda9c-36dd-4903-9205-3132a7ef0ba7_1472x534.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zFOQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc01bda9c-36dd-4903-9205-3132a7ef0ba7_1472x534.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zFOQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc01bda9c-36dd-4903-9205-3132a7ef0ba7_1472x534.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The <a href="https://hfpappexternal.fda.gov/scripts/Fdcc/?id=0002&amp;set=GenomeEditedPlants">FDA officially documented the genetic modification</a> during a voluntary premarket meeting on December 4, 2024. In August 2020, the USDA determined that Simplot&#8217;s genome-edited strawberries were not subject to its plant-biotechnology regulations, as documented in the company&#8217;s <a href="https://specialtycropassistance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/S5-1_SCRA2026_Koch_Strawberry_Simplot_CaseStudy_260401.pdf">regulatory case study</a>.</p><p>Perhaps most concerning is that restaurants are NOT REQUIRED to disclose when they serve CRISPR-edited foods.</p><p>Under the USDA&#8217;s <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/resources/industry-fact-sheet-national-bioengineered-food-disclosure-standard">National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard</a>, restaurants and similar foodservice establishments are expressly exempt from mandatory bioengineered-food disclosures.</p><p>This means Americans could be consuming these genetically engineered strawberries without being informed that the fruit was produced using CRISPR technology.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong><a href="https://x.com/NicHulscher">Nicolas Hulscher, MPH</a></strong></p><p>Epidemiologist and Foundation Administrator, McCullough Foundation</p><p>Support our mission: <strong><a href="https://mcculloughfnd.org/products/donate-1">mcculloughfnd.org</a></strong></p><p>Please consider following both the <strong><a href="https://x.com/McCulloughFund">McCullough Foundation</a></strong> and <strong><a href="https://x.com/NicHulscher">my personal account</a></strong> on <em>X</em> (formerly Twitter) for further content.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[When the Host Becomes the Advocate: Why Grant Stinchfield Told Dr. McCullough to Check Testosterone Levels]]></title><description><![CDATA[New men&#8217;s hormone approach makes it private and personalized]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/when-the-host-becomes-the-advocate</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/when-the-host-becomes-the-advocate</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Peter A McCullough, MD, MPH]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:09:37 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/222531116/33c3c6c3105f5b97b524823bd4554470.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH</p><p>Please enjoy this update from Stinchfield the Podcast.</p><h2>Summary: Stinchfield the Podcast &#8212; Dr. Peter McCullough Segment (Oct 28, 2026)</h2><h2>&#127897;&#65039; Segment Overview</h2><p>Grant Stinchfield hosted cardiologist <strong>Dr. Peter McCullough</strong> in a wide-ranging interview that wove together three threads: <strong>mRNA/vaccine concerns</strong>, <strong>spike protein &#8220;detox&#8221; products</strong>, and &#8212; the pivot that defines the back half of the show &#8212; <strong>testosterone and men&#8217;s health</strong>. The conversation closed with Stinchfield directly recommending McCullough check his testosterone levels and consider replacement therapy, a moment that frames the broader theme of proactively managing male health in midlife.</p><div><hr></div><h2>&#129516; Thread 1: The Vaccine/Clot Narrative</h2><ul><li><p>McCullough argues &#8220;natural causes&#8221; death designations increasingly obscure what he believes is vaccine-related pathology &#8212; citing Jalen Hurts, Deion Sanders, Kirk Herbstreit and others all hit with COVID-19 vaccine blood clots.</p></li><li><p>He distinguishes <strong>mRNA from spike protein</strong>: the spike protein (whether from infection or injection) is what he claims drives &#8220;rubbery,&#8221; fibrin-rich clots.</p></li><li><p>McCullough positions himself against institutional denial &#8212; Mayo Clinic, FDA approval, and media &#8220;scrubbing&#8221; of vaccine-death mention.</p></li></ul><h2>&#129514; Thread 2: Product Push (The Wellness Company)</h2><ul><li><p><strong>Ultimate Spike Detox</strong> (nattokinase + bromelain): best hope for dissolving spike protein; McCullough endorses daily use.</p></li><li><p><strong>Zeus</strong>: a natural precursor product &#8220;stimulating the testicles to produce testosterone.&#8221;</p></li><li><p><strong>Peptides &amp; testosterone program</strong>: at-home testing, topical creams, compounded bioidentical hormones &#8212; the Wellness Company&#8217;s expansion into hormone replacement.</p></li></ul><h2>&#128170; Thread 3: The Testosterone Discussion</h2><p><strong>Stinchfield&#8217;s personal testimony</strong> &#8212; Stinchfield, one of Dallas&#8217;s most notable bachelors for years, started TRT in his mid-40s (now 57), describes improved energy, sleep, gym performance, libido, and <strong>mental clarity/focus</strong> &#8212; while honestly flagging downsides: initial edginess, relationship strain from over-prescription, and the need to monitor estrogen, LH, and hemoglobin.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hBoL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdac3bb5b-97fb-4426-9319-7c3158c1fc8c_858x1160.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hBoL!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdac3bb5b-97fb-4426-9319-7c3158c1fc8c_858x1160.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hBoL!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdac3bb5b-97fb-4426-9319-7c3158c1fc8c_858x1160.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hBoL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdac3bb5b-97fb-4426-9319-7c3158c1fc8c_858x1160.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hBoL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdac3bb5b-97fb-4426-9319-7c3158c1fc8c_858x1160.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hBoL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdac3bb5b-97fb-4426-9319-7c3158c1fc8c_858x1160.png" width="858" height="1160" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/dac3bb5b-97fb-4426-9319-7c3158c1fc8c_858x1160.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1160,&quot;width&quot;:858,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1458551,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222531116?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdac3bb5b-97fb-4426-9319-7c3158c1fc8c_858x1160.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hBoL!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdac3bb5b-97fb-4426-9319-7c3158c1fc8c_858x1160.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hBoL!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdac3bb5b-97fb-4426-9319-7c3158c1fc8c_858x1160.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hBoL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdac3bb5b-97fb-4426-9319-7c3158c1fc8c_858x1160.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hBoL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdac3bb5b-97fb-4426-9319-7c3158c1fc8c_858x1160.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>The 450 vs. 800&#8211;900 argument</strong> &#8212; He draws the key distinction that a general practitioner will call 450 ng/dL &#8220;normal,&#8221; while an anti-aging doctor treats that as suboptimal for a man who trains hard and operates at peak. He insists you must track <strong>both total AND free testosterone</strong>, never a single number.</p><p><strong>The direct recommendation to McCullough</strong> &#8212; Stinchfield exalts beyond McCullough&#8217;s &#8220;natural approach&#8221; (Zeus) alone, urging him to:</p><blockquote><p>&#8220;I think you ought to have your testosterone checked, consider a low dose of cream... and then you report back to me in two or three weeks and you tell me how you feel.&#8221;</p></blockquote><div><hr></div><h2>&#129686; Generalizable Takeaways for Military &amp; Overweight/Overstressed Men</h2><p>The exchange maps cleanly onto the military conversation McCullough himself raised (citing the JAMA data and Pete Hegseth&#8217;s pushback):</p><p>Population Stinchfield-McCullough Framing <strong>Military (70% overweight/obese)</strong> Low T framed as a silent readiness problem &#8212; the JAMA finding becomes an argument <em>for</em> screening and treatment, not scandal <strong>Overweight men</strong> Obesity named (by McCullough) as the leading modifiable risk factor for low T <strong>Overstressed/fatigued men</strong> Fatigue, poor sleep, low drive reframed as <em>treatable hormone deficiency symptoms,</em> not character failures or &#8220;just aging&#8221; <strong>The GP experience</strong> The central caution: reference-range &#8220;normal&#8221; (450) &#8800; optimized (800&#8211;900).</p><p><strong>Core principles that generalize:</strong></p><ol><li><p><strong>Low T is underdiagnosed, not overhyped</strong> &#8212; especially in sedentary, overweight, high-stress populations.</p></li><li><p><strong>Screening should be proactive, not reactive</strong> &#8212; test before symptoms become debilitating.</p></li><li><p><strong>One lab value is never enough</strong> &#8212; total + free T, plus estrogen, LH, and hemoglobin monitoring.</p></li><li><p><strong>Dosing is a &#8220;fine art&#8221;</strong> &#8212; start low, titrate, reassess; over-prescription causes the edginess/relationship issues Stinchfield experienced.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="http://www.twc.health/focalpoints" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sYgp!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b3131bf-9ef1-4c34-ad83-47b80db08822_1530x1512.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sYgp!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b3131bf-9ef1-4c34-ad83-47b80db08822_1530x1512.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sYgp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b3131bf-9ef1-4c34-ad83-47b80db08822_1530x1512.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sYgp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b3131bf-9ef1-4c34-ad83-47b80db08822_1530x1512.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sYgp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b3131bf-9ef1-4c34-ad83-47b80db08822_1530x1512.png" width="1456" height="1439" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5b3131bf-9ef1-4c34-ad83-47b80db08822_1530x1512.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1439,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:703879,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;http://www.twc.health/focalpoints&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222531116?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b3131bf-9ef1-4c34-ad83-47b80db08822_1530x1512.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sYgp!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b3131bf-9ef1-4c34-ad83-47b80db08822_1530x1512.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sYgp!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b3131bf-9ef1-4c34-ad83-47b80db08822_1530x1512.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sYgp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b3131bf-9ef1-4c34-ad83-47b80db08822_1530x1512.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sYgp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b3131bf-9ef1-4c34-ad83-47b80db08822_1530x1512.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div></li></ol><div><hr></div><h2>&#9878;&#65039; Closing Assessment</h2><p>Stinchfield&#8217;s pivot from host to patient-advocate is the show&#8217;s strongest device: his personal TRT testimony gives the &#8220;get checked, consider therapy&#8221; message a lived-in credibility that pure data lacks. Whether discussing the military, midlife civilians, or the host himself, the through-line is identical &#8212; <strong>men&#8217;s fatigue and dysfunction deserve active hormonal investigation, not passive acceptance.</strong></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">FOCAL POINTS (Courageous Discourse&#8482;) is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p><strong>&#128221;</strong>Please subscribe to <em>FOCAL POINTS</em> as a paying ($5 monthly) or founder member so we can continue to bring you the truth. <a href="https://alter.systems/?ref=mf10">AlterAI </a>may be used to assist in searches, synthesis, and review.</p><p>Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH</p><p>Chief Scientific Officer, The Wellness Company</p><p><a href="http://www.twc.health/focalpoints">www.twc.health/focalpoints</a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Five Examples of Viral Protein Persistence — Yet Denial of the Corollary to SARS-CoV-2]]></title><description><![CDATA[They&#8217;re demanding proof of spike persistence, yet they've been publishing that proof for decades &#8212; about other viruses]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/five-examples-of-viral-protein-persistence</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/five-examples-of-viral-protein-persistence</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Peter A McCullough, MD, MPH]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2026 20:54:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U01S!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1b1fbc45-d702-4d32-952d-7691c1bb7d4f_1166x1174.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH</p><p>As the world struggles with the persistence of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein causing long-COVID and vaccine injury syndromes&#8212;the medical establishment remains in denial.  The seminal paper by <a href="https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/7631">Hulscher et al </a>demonstrated vaccine spike protein after Pfizer mRNA injection lasts for years, yet vaccinologists say that&#8217;s impossible.  It is important to understand that SARS-CoV-2 is not the first virus to cause this type of problem.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/7631" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U01S!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1b1fbc45-d702-4d32-952d-7691c1bb7d4f_1166x1174.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U01S!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1b1fbc45-d702-4d32-952d-7691c1bb7d4f_1166x1174.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U01S!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1b1fbc45-d702-4d32-952d-7691c1bb7d4f_1166x1174.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U01S!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1b1fbc45-d702-4d32-952d-7691c1bb7d4f_1166x1174.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U01S!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1b1fbc45-d702-4d32-952d-7691c1bb7d4f_1166x1174.png" width="1166" height="1174" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1b1fbc45-d702-4d32-952d-7691c1bb7d4f_1166x1174.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1174,&quot;width&quot;:1166,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1211965,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/7631&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222840040?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1b1fbc45-d702-4d32-952d-7691c1bb7d4f_1166x1174.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U01S!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1b1fbc45-d702-4d32-952d-7691c1bb7d4f_1166x1174.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U01S!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1b1fbc45-d702-4d32-952d-7691c1bb7d4f_1166x1174.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U01S!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1b1fbc45-d702-4d32-952d-7691c1bb7d4f_1166x1174.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U01S!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1b1fbc45-d702-4d32-952d-7691c1bb7d4f_1166x1174.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h2>Beyond SARS-CoV-2: The Persistent Viral Remnant as a General Principle of Post-Viral Pathology</h2><p>The COVID-19 pandemic forced the world to confront an uncomfortable truth about a virus that most of the medical establishment had spent decades insisting behaved in a tidy, self-limiting fashion. The notion that SARS-CoV-2 could persist in tissues, shed fragments of its spike glycoprotein long after the acute infection resolved, and drive a chronic syndrome called &#8220;long COVID&#8221; was initially dismissed as fringe speculation. But the phenomenon was never unique to coronaviruses. It is, in fact, a general rule of virology that few in mainstream medicine are willing to state plainly: <strong>viruses leave parts of themselves behind, and those remnants matter.</strong></p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;cdbaa537-0bb6-420f-9c44-806fd136b008&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:680.2547,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Millions of Children Are About to Fill Their Halloween Bags With Arsenic-Contaminated Candy]]></title><description><![CDATA[I Joined Finnerty on NEWSMAX to discuss arsenic detections in a staggering 60% of popular candies tested.]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/millions-of-children-are-about-to</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/millions-of-children-are-about-to</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolas Hulscher, MPH]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2026 19:02:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/222828310/b7d527e2488f0721328afc44520a4ee0.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>by <strong><a href="https://x.com/NicHulscher">Nicolas Hulscher, MPH</a></strong></p><p>As millions of American children prepare to go trick-or-treating this Halloween, <strong><a href="https://exposingfoodtoxins.com/candy/">troubling findings</a></strong> from the Florida Department of Health are raising serious concerns about toxic contaminants in some of the nation&#8217;s most recognizable candy brands.</p><p>Through its <em><a href="https://exposingfoodtoxins.com/candy/">Healthy Florida First</a></em><a href="https://exposingfoodtoxins.com/candy/"> initiative</a>, Florida tested 46 popular candy products and reported detectable arsenic in 28&#8212;over 60% of those tested:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://exposingfoodtoxins.com/candy/" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!acbU!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F98b85804-2042-49f7-8059-62b0de44f823_2025x1306.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!acbU!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F98b85804-2042-49f7-8059-62b0de44f823_2025x1306.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!acbU!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F98b85804-2042-49f7-8059-62b0de44f823_2025x1306.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!acbU!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F98b85804-2042-49f7-8059-62b0de44f823_2025x1306.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!acbU!,w_2400,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F98b85804-2042-49f7-8059-62b0de44f823_2025x1306.png" width="1200" height="773.9010989010989" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/98b85804-2042-49f7-8059-62b0de44f823_2025x1306.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:false,&quot;imageSize&quot;:&quot;large&quot;,&quot;height&quot;:939,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:1200,&quot;bytes&quot;:1362263,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://exposingfoodtoxins.com/candy/&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222828310?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F98b85804-2042-49f7-8059-62b0de44f823_2025x1306.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:&quot;center&quot;,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-large" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!acbU!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F98b85804-2042-49f7-8059-62b0de44f823_2025x1306.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!acbU!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F98b85804-2042-49f7-8059-62b0de44f823_2025x1306.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!acbU!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F98b85804-2042-49f7-8059-62b0de44f823_2025x1306.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!acbU!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F98b85804-2042-49f7-8059-62b0de44f823_2025x1306.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I joined Finnerty on NEWSMAX to discuss these alarming findings and the potential health risks associated with arsenic exposure, particularly among children. Dr. Kelly Victory also joined the discussion to explain how arsenic can enter candy through contaminated ingredients and food-processing practices.</p><p>Inorganic arsenic is an established human carcinogen and a systemic toxicant capable of damaging multiple organ systems, including the brain, heart, liver, kidneys, and nervous system.</p><p>Particularly concerning are Florida&#8217;s extraordinarily low estimated annual consumption limits for certain candies.</p><h2>How Much Candy Can Children Consume Per Year?</h2><p>According to Florida&#8217;s published calculations, the following are the approximate annual consumption amounts for children before exceeding the state&#8217;s estimated arsenic exposure safety limit:</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Hershey&#8217;s Cookies &#8216;N&#8217; Creme: 1.2 bars per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Kit Kat: 2.4 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Snickers: 2.4 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; 3 Musketeers: 2.4 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; SweeTarts Ropes: 3 ropes per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Laffy Taffy Banana: 4 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Twizzlers Strawberry: 4 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Jolly Rancher Sour Apple: 6 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Jolly Rancher Strawberry: 6 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Twizzlers Cherry: 8 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Tootsie Rolls: 8 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Tootsie Roll Vanilla: 8 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Tootsie Fruit Chew Lime: 8 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Swedish Fish: 8 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers: 12 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Sour Patch Kids Watermelon: 12 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Dots: 12 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Black Forest Gummy Bears: 16 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Twizzlers Watermelon: 18 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Sour Patch Kids Tropical: 18 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Nerds Gummy Clusters: 24 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Sour Patch Kids Original: 36 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; SweeTarts Original: 48 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Original Skittles: 48 pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Nerds Grape: 96 individual pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; Nerds Strawberry: 96 individual pieces per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; SmartSweets Caramel: 1 bag per year</p><p>&#9888;&#65039; SmartSweets Sweet Fish: 1 bag per year</p><h2>Which Candies Had No Arsenic Detected?</h2><p>Thankfully, several recognizable candies had no arsenic detected in the tested samples, including:</p><p>&#9989; Reese&#8217;s Peanut Butter Cups</p><p>&#9989; Hershey&#8217;s Milk Chocolate</p><p>&#9989; M&amp;M&#8217;s</p><p>&#9989; Twix</p><p>&#9989; Milky Way</p><p>&#9989; Whoppers</p><h2>Conclusion</h2><p>It is deeply concerning that arsenic, a toxic element whose inorganic forms are established human carcinogens, was detected in so many popular candies consumed by children.</p><p>With Halloween approaching, parents would be well advised to avoid the <strong><a href="https://exposingfoodtoxins.com/candy/">specific candy products flagged in Florida&#8217;s testing</a></strong> until their arsenic levels and potential health risks are independently clarified.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong><a href="https://x.com/NicHulscher">Nicolas Hulscher, MPH</a></strong></p><p>Epidemiologist and Foundation Administrator, McCullough Foundation</p><p>Support our mission: <strong><a href="https://mcculloughfnd.org/products/donate-1">mcculloughfnd.org</a></strong></p><p>Please consider following both the <strong><a href="https://x.com/McCulloughFund">McCullough Foundation</a></strong> and <strong><a href="https://x.com/NicHulscher">my personal account</a></strong> on <em>X</em> (formerly Twitter) for further content.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Entire Population is Now Prone to Blood Clots]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dr McCullough is concerned about population wide exposure to the thrombogenic Wuhan spike protein]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/the-entire-population-is-now-prone</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/the-entire-population-is-now-prone</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Peter A McCullough, MD, MPH]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2026 09:59:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/222477201/e45d5c05c1b47cd5599e7808944f83fc.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH</p><p>The pandemic has ushered in a new era of thrombotic disease in human populations never seen before.  I brought this up on American Sunrise with Dr Gina Loudon.  Overall use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs)&#8212;a class that includes <strong>Eliquis</strong> (apixaban), <strong>Xarelto</strong> (rivaroxaban), and <strong>Pradaxa</strong> (dabigatran)&#8212;has <strong>increased significantly since 2021</strong>. However, their individual growth trajectories have diverged based on clinical trial evidence, dosing convenience, and market entry dynamics.  Fortunately in the US, Pradaxa and soon Xarelto will be generic.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GtYq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce7e4e84-f222-42df-8847-151775e2388d_1963x1270.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GtYq!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce7e4e84-f222-42df-8847-151775e2388d_1963x1270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GtYq!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce7e4e84-f222-42df-8847-151775e2388d_1963x1270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GtYq!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce7e4e84-f222-42df-8847-151775e2388d_1963x1270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GtYq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce7e4e84-f222-42df-8847-151775e2388d_1963x1270.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GtYq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce7e4e84-f222-42df-8847-151775e2388d_1963x1270.png" width="1456" height="942" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ce7e4e84-f222-42df-8847-151775e2388d_1963x1270.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:942,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1454108,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222477201?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce7e4e84-f222-42df-8847-151775e2388d_1963x1270.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GtYq!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce7e4e84-f222-42df-8847-151775e2388d_1963x1270.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GtYq!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce7e4e84-f222-42df-8847-151775e2388d_1963x1270.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GtYq!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce7e4e84-f222-42df-8847-151775e2388d_1963x1270.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GtYq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fce7e4e84-f222-42df-8847-151775e2388d_1963x1270.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The solution is to lower the burden the thrombogenic spike protein that was exposed to the world&#8217;s population via SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 vaccination, and for most both infection and vaccination during the pandemic years.  If micro-blood clots caused by spike protein are dissolved, then the larger ones never form.  As a proxy for interest and uptake, Amazon now lists many brands of spike detoxification with the best in class being the Ultimate Spike Detox from The Wellness Company.  This is all based upon the principles published in 2023 embodied in McCullough Protocol Base Spike Detoxification.</p><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/the-entire-population-is-now-prone?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading FOCAL POINTS (Courageous Discourse&#8482;)! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/the-entire-population-is-now-prone?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/the-entire-population-is-now-prone?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p><strong>&#128221;</strong>Please subscribe to <em>FOCAL POINTS</em> as a paying ($5 monthly) or founder member so we can continue to bring you the truth. <a href="https://alter.systems/?ref=mf10">AlterAI </a>may be used to assist in searches, synthesis, and review.</p><p>Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH</p><p>Chief Scientific Officer, The Wellness Company</p><p><a href="http://www.twc.health/focalpoints">www.twc.health/focalpoints</a></p><p></p><p>McCullough PA, Wynn C, Procter BC. Clinical Rationale for SARS-CoV-2 Base Spike Protein Detoxification in Post COVID-19 and Vaccine Injury Syndromes. Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons Volume 28 Number 3 Fall 2023, 90-93.</p><p>Hulscher N, Procter BC, Wynn C, McCullough PA. Clinical Approach to Post-acute Sequelae After COVID-19 Infection and Vaccination. Cureus. 2023 Nov 21;15(11):e49204. doi: 10.7759/cureus.49204. PMID: 38024037; PMCID: PMC10663976.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Buy, Buy, Buy — Then Silence]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jim Cramer's 2021 mRNA hype, zeal for mandates, his writer & nephew's death at 41, and the question he won't touch on air in 2026]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/buy-buy-buy-then-silence</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/buy-buy-buy-then-silence</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Peter A McCullough, MD, MPH]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2026 09:41:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N4FD!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1e206f6-0b89-46eb-9f68-9c3c221c72c2_1765x1268.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH</p><p>Everyday on the way to the office I listen to CNBC.  On Monday for the first time I heard Jim Cramer cry on air.</p><h2>The Silence of the Bull: Jim Cramer, mRNA Stocks, and the Deaths That Go Unmentioned</h2><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N4FD!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1e206f6-0b89-46eb-9f68-9c3c221c72c2_1765x1268.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N4FD!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1e206f6-0b89-46eb-9f68-9c3c221c72c2_1765x1268.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N4FD!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1e206f6-0b89-46eb-9f68-9c3c221c72c2_1765x1268.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N4FD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1e206f6-0b89-46eb-9f68-9c3c221c72c2_1765x1268.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N4FD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1e206f6-0b89-46eb-9f68-9c3c221c72c2_1765x1268.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N4FD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1e206f6-0b89-46eb-9f68-9c3c221c72c2_1765x1268.png" width="1456" height="1046" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N4FD!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1e206f6-0b89-46eb-9f68-9c3c221c72c2_1765x1268.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N4FD!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1e206f6-0b89-46eb-9f68-9c3c221c72c2_1765x1268.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N4FD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1e206f6-0b89-46eb-9f68-9c3c221c72c2_1765x1268.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N4FD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa1e206f6-0b89-46eb-9f68-9c3c221c72c2_1765x1268.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><h2>&#127897;&#65039; The Eulogy Cramer Gave &#8212; and the Question He Didn&#8217;t Ask</h2><p>In the wake of Cliff Mason&#8217;s death &#8212; Cramer&#8217;s nephew, co-author, and the head writer of <em>Mad Money</em> for two decades &#8212; Jim Cramer delivered an emotional on-air tribute. Mason died at 41, peacefully, in his sleep. No cause of death was publicly disclosed. That last part matters.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MCGH!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F640a8de7-4cc8-4000-84b6-9862a72d2dfc_2304x1096.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MCGH!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F640a8de7-4cc8-4000-84b6-9862a72d2dfc_2304x1096.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MCGH!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F640a8de7-4cc8-4000-84b6-9862a72d2dfc_2304x1096.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MCGH!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F640a8de7-4cc8-4000-84b6-9862a72d2dfc_2304x1096.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MCGH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F640a8de7-4cc8-4000-84b6-9862a72d2dfc_2304x1096.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MCGH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F640a8de7-4cc8-4000-84b6-9862a72d2dfc_2304x1096.png" width="1456" height="693" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MCGH!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F640a8de7-4cc8-4000-84b6-9862a72d2dfc_2304x1096.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MCGH!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F640a8de7-4cc8-4000-84b6-9862a72d2dfc_2304x1096.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MCGH!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F640a8de7-4cc8-4000-84b6-9862a72d2dfc_2304x1096.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MCGH!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F640a8de7-4cc8-4000-84b6-9862a72d2dfc_2304x1096.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" 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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[STUDY: Natural Soil Bacteria Combo Completely Eradicates Tumors Across Multiple Human Cancer Types in Mice]]></title><description><![CDATA[A-gyo and UN-gyo achieved 100% complete tumor regression in animal models of human colorectal, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer, with no observable systemic toxicity.]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/study-natural-soil-bacteria-combo</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/study-natural-soil-bacteria-combo</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolas Hulscher, MPH]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:27:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Du7s!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30e1a088-7b03-41a7-b57a-b2c35377197f_1122x1402.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>by <strong><a href="https://x.com/NicHulscher">Nicolas Hulscher, MPH</a></strong></p><p>A <strong><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-025-01459-9#Abs1">remarkable study</a></strong> published in <em>Nature Biomedical Engineering</em> reports <strong>100% complete tumor regression</strong> in mouse models of human colorectal, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer using a naturally occurring bacterial combination.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;45f67e3c-cf61-4ab2-84f9-4796b55d8222&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Researchers at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) demonstrated that two highly synergistic soil- and water-associated bacterial species could fully eliminate established tumors, even in mice with severely compromised immune systems.</p><p>The results were extraordinary across the tested human cancer xenograft models:</p><ul><li><p><strong>Colorectal cancer: 100% tumor elimination</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>Ovarian cancer: 100% tumor elimination</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>Pancreatic cancer: 100% tumor elimination</strong></p></li></ul><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Du7s!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30e1a088-7b03-41a7-b57a-b2c35377197f_1122x1402.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Du7s!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30e1a088-7b03-41a7-b57a-b2c35377197f_1122x1402.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Du7s!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30e1a088-7b03-41a7-b57a-b2c35377197f_1122x1402.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Du7s!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30e1a088-7b03-41a7-b57a-b2c35377197f_1122x1402.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Du7s!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30e1a088-7b03-41a7-b57a-b2c35377197f_1122x1402.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Du7s!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30e1a088-7b03-41a7-b57a-b2c35377197f_1122x1402.png" width="1122" height="1402" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/30e1a088-7b03-41a7-b57a-b2c35377197f_1122x1402.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1402,&quot;width&quot;:1122,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2236809,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222523953?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30e1a088-7b03-41a7-b57a-b2c35377197f_1122x1402.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Du7s!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30e1a088-7b03-41a7-b57a-b2c35377197f_1122x1402.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Du7s!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30e1a088-7b03-41a7-b57a-b2c35377197f_1122x1402.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Du7s!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30e1a088-7b03-41a7-b57a-b2c35377197f_1122x1402.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Du7s!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30e1a088-7b03-41a7-b57a-b2c35377197f_1122x1402.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h2>Two Naturally Occurring Bacteria Working Together</h2><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;6f4a2389-8932-454d-b6ee-251cab8c1a20&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Two intravenous doses of a bacterial combination consisting of <em>Proteus mirabilis</em> and <em>Rhodopseudomonas palustris</em> produced complete tumor regression in the experimental groups.</p><p>The researchers named this combination <strong>AUN</strong>, consisting of two complementary bacterial strains that perform distinct biological functions.</p><p><strong>1. </strong><em><strong>Proteus mirabilis</strong></em><strong> (A-gyo): The Primary Tumor Destroyer</strong></p><p>A-gyo is the principal tumor-destroying component of the combination. After administration, the bacteria selectively accumulate and proliferate inside tumor tissue, where they contribute to the destruction of tumor blood vessels, extensive tissue necrosis, and cancer-cell death.</p><p>Remarkably, the bacterial combination induces localized thrombosis, disrupting the blood supply that tumors depend on for continued growth:</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;422431d8-38c6-46ae-92cc-de6ef538b159&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>A-gyo also undergoes structural changes that increase its ability to move through and penetrate cancerous tissue:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!m8fa!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36d122c1-4ce2-45d7-8bfe-4bf75e93c049_1352x568.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!m8fa!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36d122c1-4ce2-45d7-8bfe-4bf75e93c049_1352x568.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!m8fa!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36d122c1-4ce2-45d7-8bfe-4bf75e93c049_1352x568.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!m8fa!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36d122c1-4ce2-45d7-8bfe-4bf75e93c049_1352x568.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!m8fa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36d122c1-4ce2-45d7-8bfe-4bf75e93c049_1352x568.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!m8fa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36d122c1-4ce2-45d7-8bfe-4bf75e93c049_1352x568.png" width="1352" height="568" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/36d122c1-4ce2-45d7-8bfe-4bf75e93c049_1352x568.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:568,&quot;width&quot;:1352,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:231227,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222523953?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36d122c1-4ce2-45d7-8bfe-4bf75e93c049_1352x568.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!m8fa!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36d122c1-4ce2-45d7-8bfe-4bf75e93c049_1352x568.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!m8fa!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36d122c1-4ce2-45d7-8bfe-4bf75e93c049_1352x568.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!m8fa!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36d122c1-4ce2-45d7-8bfe-4bf75e93c049_1352x568.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!m8fa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36d122c1-4ce2-45d7-8bfe-4bf75e93c049_1352x568.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>2. </strong><em><strong>Rhodopseudomonas palustris</strong></em><strong> (UN-gyo): The Protective Synergistic Partner</strong></p><p>UN-gyo suppresses A-gyo&#8217;s potentially harmful biological activity while promoting its transformation into highly motile, tumor-penetrating forms.</p><p>The researchers found that the presence of UN-gyo moderates bacterial activity, reduces hemolytic effects, and enhances cancer-specific activity.</p><p>The combination initially consists of approximately 3% A-gyo and 97% UN-gyo, illustrating how a relatively small population of tumor-destroying bacteria can operate alongside a larger population of regulatory bacteria.</p><h2>Complete Tumor Regression Without Observable Systemic Toxicity</h2><p>Despite its extraordinary anticancer activity, the bacterial combination demonstrated a favorable safety profile at the tested therapeutic doses in mice.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iC1d!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F792c9cb3-dc92-4768-be14-26491e7596d5_816x789.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iC1d!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F792c9cb3-dc92-4768-be14-26491e7596d5_816x789.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iC1d!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F792c9cb3-dc92-4768-be14-26491e7596d5_816x789.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iC1d!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F792c9cb3-dc92-4768-be14-26491e7596d5_816x789.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iC1d!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F792c9cb3-dc92-4768-be14-26491e7596d5_816x789.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iC1d!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F792c9cb3-dc92-4768-be14-26491e7596d5_816x789.png" width="816" height="789" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/792c9cb3-dc92-4768-be14-26491e7596d5_816x789.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:789,&quot;width&quot;:816,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:462533,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222523953?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F792c9cb3-dc92-4768-be14-26491e7596d5_816x789.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iC1d!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F792c9cb3-dc92-4768-be14-26491e7596d5_816x789.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iC1d!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F792c9cb3-dc92-4768-be14-26491e7596d5_816x789.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iC1d!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F792c9cb3-dc92-4768-be14-26491e7596d5_816x789.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iC1d!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F792c9cb3-dc92-4768-be14-26491e7596d5_816x789.png 1456w" sizes="auto, 100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Researchers reported <strong>no observable systemic toxicity or cytokine release syndrome</strong>, and long-term histological examinations conducted 150 days after treatment revealed no apparent tissue damage in major organs, including the heart, lungs, liver, spleen, and kidneys.</p><p>Importantly, safety depended on the precise bacterial ratio and dosing regimen. Excessive doses or improperly proportioned bacterial mixtures caused fatal reactions in mice, highlighting the importance of maintaining the naturally occurring 3:97 ratio of A-gyo to UN-gyo.</p><h2>Conclusion</h2><p>The central discovery is remarkable: two naturally occurring bacterial species, working synergistically, eliminated established tumors in multiple experimental cancer models while demonstrating favorable tolerability at the tested therapeutic regimen.</p><p>Nevertheless, this remains preclinical research. Human safety, optimal dosing, and clinical efficacy have not yet been established. Further research on this promising bacterial combo is urgently needed as cancer rates continue to climb.</p><div><hr></div><p><strong><a href="https://x.com/NicHulscher">Nicolas Hulscher, MPH</a></strong></p><p>Epidemiologist and Foundation Administrator, McCullough Foundation</p><p>Support our mission: <strong><a href="https://mcculloughfnd.org/products/donate-1">mcculloughfnd.org</a></strong></p><p>Please consider following both the <strong><a href="https://x.com/McCulloughFund">McCullough Foundation</a></strong> and <strong><a href="https://x.com/NicHulscher">my personal account</a></strong> on <em>X</em> (formerly Twitter) for further content.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The War’s The Thing]]></title><description><![CDATA[I voted for Trump because he promised &#8220;no more wars.&#8221; Holding a man to his most important promise about matters of life and death is what self-respecting grownups do.]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/the-wars-the-thing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/the-wars-the-thing</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[John Leake]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2026 13:10:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/youtube/w_728,c_limit/5BumE9rI6js" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Many readers were offended by my post <strong><a href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/both-sides-of-tds">Both Sides of TDS: </a></strong><a href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/both-sides-of-tds">Trump Derangement Syndrome is the obverse of Trump Dimwit Syndrome</a>. They apparently believe that Trump&#8217;s decision to break ten years of promises not to start new wars is a minor point. Others apparently believe that Trump always intended to vanquish the Iranian regime, which they believe &#8220;has been at war with the US since 1979.&#8221; They seem to believe that Trump never mentioned this intention because he assumed that prospective voters would understand that attacking Iran did not qualify as a &#8220;new war.&#8221;</p><p>I believe I have made it clear on this newsletter that I am opposed to war unless US territory is attacked. As all our Founding Fathers and many philosophers of great intellectual and moral distinction have remarked over the centuries, war is a calamity, and the decision to wage war is the most momentous, dangerous, and usually the most corrupt thing an executive can do. </p><p>Because only 0.4% of Americans serve in the military, 99.6% haven&#8217;t a clue about war and how terrible it is. Without knowing anything about it&#8212;and taking for granted that they and their children have little to no risk of being killed or maimed by it&#8212;they are &#8220;okay&#8221; with the US government/military killing foreigners and destroying their lands. </p><p>They don&#8217;t worry or lose sleep over young men who are killed by American weapons or the grief of the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends of these young men. </p><p>It doesn&#8217;t bother them when American bombs destroy cities and civilian infrastructure, disrupting the lives, jobs, food and fuel supplies of millions and wrecking their economies. </p><p>For readers who don&#8217;t understand why I have become so critical of President Trump, I will clearly declare it so that you can decide if you wish to continue reading my newsletter posts, which are delivered from &#8220;John Leake From Focal Points.&#8221;</p><ul><li><p>I do not share the tendency to be &#8220;okay&#8221; with killing people and dropping bombs on women and children and civilian infrastructure. </p></li><li><p>I believe that the perfidy and odiousness of the Democrats do not mitigate the gravity of Trump&#8217;s broken promise. </p></li><li><p>I believe that war is the most significant, dangerous, risky, and corrupt thing a US president can do, and that his domestic policies are of secondary importance. </p></li><li><p>In the matter of war&#8212;that is, the life, death, and property of millions&#8212;I expected President Trump to keep his promises. </p></li></ul><div id="youtube2-5BumE9rI6js" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;5BumE9rI6js&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/5BumE9rI6js?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/the-wars-the-thing?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/the-wars-the-thing?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Stanford Creates Human–Mouse Chimera Whose Cerebral Cortex Is 92% Human Brain Tissue]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mad scientists are now growing living human brain tissue inside animals until it occupies nearly their entire cerebral cortex.]]></description><link>https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/stanford-creates-humanmouse-chimera</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/stanford-creates-humanmouse-chimera</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nicolas Hulscher, MPH]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2026 13:05:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2ee6556b-8e5d-4f7f-884e-d248f8bb8dbc_1566x706.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>by <strong><a href="https://x.com/NicHulscher">Nicolas Hulscher, MPH</a></strong></p><p>This is beyond disturbing...</p><p>Stanford University researchers <strong><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-11032-2#Sec62">have created</a></strong> a human&#8211;mouse chimera whose cerebral cortex contains 91.9% human brain tissue.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;f5fa1066-8a85-4a80-9547-96171e87bd97&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>In a <strong><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-11032-2#Sec62">study</a></strong> published in <em>Nature</em>, scientists genetically engineered mice to develop without most of their cerebral cortex and hippocampus, leaving the animals with approximately 50% less total brain tissue than normal mice.</p><p>They then transplanted laboratory-grown human brain organoids into the vacant space. These organoids are three-dimensional clusters of living human brain cells grown from stem cells:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RC-x!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F872720d1-c9d8-495b-a4a4-043dab6c988a_1879x719.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RC-x!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F872720d1-c9d8-495b-a4a4-043dab6c988a_1879x719.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RC-x!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F872720d1-c9d8-495b-a4a4-043dab6c988a_1879x719.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RC-x!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F872720d1-c9d8-495b-a4a4-043dab6c988a_1879x719.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RC-x!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F872720d1-c9d8-495b-a4a4-043dab6c988a_1879x719.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RC-x!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F872720d1-c9d8-495b-a4a4-043dab6c988a_1879x719.png" width="1456" height="557" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/872720d1-c9d8-495b-a4a4-043dab6c988a_1879x719.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:557,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2176366,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222468352?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F872720d1-c9d8-495b-a4a4-043dab6c988a_1879x719.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RC-x!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F872720d1-c9d8-495b-a4a4-043dab6c988a_1879x719.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RC-x!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F872720d1-c9d8-495b-a4a4-043dab6c988a_1879x719.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RC-x!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F872720d1-c9d8-495b-a4a4-043dab6c988a_1879x719.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RC-x!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F872720d1-c9d8-495b-a4a4-043dab6c988a_1879x719.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The transplanted human brain tissue expanded nearly fivefold between two and three months after transplantation, eventually accounting for <strong>91.9% of the animals&#8217; combined cortical tissue volume</strong>:</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PcNw!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2715feb2-9fe7-40e1-89f1-0364a7ac42c9_1124x1354.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PcNw!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2715feb2-9fe7-40e1-89f1-0364a7ac42c9_1124x1354.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PcNw!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2715feb2-9fe7-40e1-89f1-0364a7ac42c9_1124x1354.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PcNw!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2715feb2-9fe7-40e1-89f1-0364a7ac42c9_1124x1354.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PcNw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2715feb2-9fe7-40e1-89f1-0364a7ac42c9_1124x1354.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PcNw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2715feb2-9fe7-40e1-89f1-0364a7ac42c9_1124x1354.png" width="1124" height="1354" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2715feb2-9fe7-40e1-89f1-0364a7ac42c9_1124x1354.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1354,&quot;width&quot;:1124,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1828602,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/i/222468352?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2715feb2-9fe7-40e1-89f1-0364a7ac42c9_1124x1354.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PcNw!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2715feb2-9fe7-40e1-89f1-0364a7ac42c9_1124x1354.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PcNw!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2715feb2-9fe7-40e1-89f1-0364a7ac42c9_1124x1354.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PcNw!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2715feb2-9fe7-40e1-89f1-0364a7ac42c9_1124x1354.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PcNw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2715feb2-9fe7-40e1-89f1-0364a7ac42c9_1124x1354.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The human neurons did not simply remain isolated inside the mouse brain. They developed organized electrical activity, formed connections with the surrounding mouse nervous system, and extended nerve fibers all the way into the animals&#8217; spinal cords.</p><p>Electrical activity within the transplanted human brain tissue was associated with the mice&#8217;s facial movements.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;8d200ad1-bb8d-4837-aee0-4d2887464dea&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>The animals underwent behavioral testing, including assessments of movement, coordination, and memory. Notably, mice containing human brain tissue performed above chance on a working-memory test, whereas mice missing most of their cerebral cortex without transplantation did not.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;b843cbbc-08fa-42ef-b29c-1a33f0a89314&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>Mad scientists are now growing living human brain tissue inside animals until it makes up nearly their entire cerebral cortex.</p><p>Where does the madness end?</p><div><hr></div><p><strong><a href="https://x.com/NicHulscher">Nicolas Hulscher, MPH</a></strong></p><p>Epidemiologist and Foundation Administrator, McCullough Foundation</p><p>Support our mission: <strong><a href="https://mcculloughfnd.org/products/donate-1">mcculloughfnd.org</a></strong></p><p>Please consider following both the <strong><a href="https://x.com/McCulloughFund">McCullough Foundation</a></strong> and <strong><a href="https://x.com/NicHulscher">my personal account</a></strong> on <em>X</em> (formerly Twitter) for further content.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thefocalpoints.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>