I tried this experiment: I Googled the word “unpopular,” just the single word. Then I hit the “News” tab. I did no sorting. Here are the results, in order, from legacy media outlets,
CNN: Fact check: Trump falsely claims his highly unpopular big bill is the ‘single most popular bill ever signed.’
MSNBC: ‘Not hyperbole’: Trump’s ‘popular’ law is actually the most unpopular in 30 years.
HuffPost: The GOP’s Big Bill Is Massively Unpopular — If People Actually Know About It
Time: The ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Is Massively Unpopular and Democrats Plan to Keep It That Way
That’s just the first page of results, I could go on. The Time headline gets closest to the real story: the media/Democrats have concluded that the One Big Beautiful Bill must be unpopular, so that they will keep reporting that it is unpopular, in the fervent hope that it one day will become unpopular (cf. Russia Russia Russia hoax.)
The Huffington Post gives the game away with their subheadline,
One survey found that almost half the electorate hasn’t heard anything about Trump’s signature policy.
That’s an entirely rational response from the electorate. I didn’t bother myself, as it seemed for the longest time that nothing would be left of the bill after the Senate Parliamentarian finally finished her work. I’m sure the text has been available online for weeks. You could have sat through the 18-hour reading of the text on the Senate floor last weekend.
By why bother, until it was signed by the President, there was no guarantee it would even get to the finish line.
Consider HuffPo‘s framing,
The central ideas in the law — cutting taxes for the wealthy while slashing health and food aid for the poor and pouring money into an increasingly unpopular deportation machine and exploding the federal debt — are astoundingly unpopular.
“Increasingly,” “astoundingly.” Those adverbs are working hard. Who could possibly favor any of that? The rest of the article consists of Democrats and media pointing the fingers at each other over why the bill isn’t actually unpopular.
The results have some Democrats blaming journalists for not covering the legislation more — Center for American Progress head Neera Tanden declared on social media it meant the news media “failed” — even though those consuming news coverage have an overwhelmingly negative opinion of the bill.
If you are among the increasingly few people who consume news from legacy media, then you think the bill is wildly unpopular. What’s astounding is the admission that they are only reaching half the electorate, the half who already agrees with them.
When my husband Woody died by suicide in 2003, nothing made sense.
Everyone around me said the same thing: “He must have been depressed.”
But I lived with him. I knew him. And in the deepest part of me, that explanation didn’t fit.
Woody was outgoing, high-functioning, driven, and fully engaged in life. He was training for a marathon, logging his miles, showing up for work, and showing up for us. He wasn’t withdrawn or struggling in the ways people typically associate with depression.
The only thing that had changed was that, five weeks earlier, his doctor prescribed him Zoloft—an antidepressant—for insomnia due to his new dream job with a start-up company.
That was it.
We didn’t know much about antidepressants then. But after Woody died, we started digging. And what we found was shocking. One discovery led to another. We began connecting the dots. Ultimately, it led us to file a wrongful death/failure to warn lawsuit against Pfizer.
What we uncovered during that legal process changed everything.
That’s when I learned one of the most sobering truths of my life:
Truth often doesn’t come from the doctor’s office or the stories we’re told. It lives in the documents—in black and white, behind closed doors.
Documents don’t lie—they expose.
Once you’ve looked behind the curtain, you see it clearly: the system runs on spin, shields power, and protects profit—not people.
Some of my favorite Zoloft internal documents.
The BIO Leaked Memo: “It’s Time for RFK Jr. to Go.”
So when I read this article by James Lyons-Weiler for Brownstone Institute—a think tank I’ve come to respect for its commitment to questioning powerful systems and fostering honest dialogue—about the leaked BIO memo, where a pharmaceutical lobbying group discussed quietly removing RFK, Jr. and shaping public sentiment, I didn’t need convincing.
I’ve seen this before.
The names change.
But the machinery doesn’t.
The leaked internal document—reportedly from Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the powerful lobbying arm of the pharmaceutical industry—had just come to light. And when I read the April 3, 2025 steering committee document, it was déjà vu all over again.
Because it said the quiet part out loud:
“It is time to go to The Hill and lobby that it is time for RFK Jr. to go…”
Not because of policy disagreements. But because he posed a threat—to the business model. To public scrutiny. To transparency.
The memo outlined a strategic roadmap, naming “influential voices,” outlining investor fears, identifying messaging tactics, and spotlighting political allies like former FDA commissioner (now Pfizer board member) Scott Gottlieb and CMS Administrator Dr. Oz. As someone with a career in advertising and marketing, I recognized the blueprint instantly.
On one level, BIO was simply doing its job as a trade group protecting their clients’ interests. But on another, it reveals how calculated and controlled the public narrative can be, especially when profits and control are at stake.
This wasn’t about protecting science or public health.
This was about managing perception, neutralizing dissent, and maintaining their political capital.
This post isn’t about defending RFK, Jr. or debating the politics of the FDA or NIH. It’s not about red or blue. It’s about something deeper—and far more dangerous: how far industry will go to protect its pockets and control the narrative, no matter who’s in charge.
If you’ve followed my work, you know I’ve always said healthcare isn’t a partisan issue.
It’s purple—for people. For the unsuspecting public, like we were almost 22 years ago.
The Campaign Wasn’t Public Health. It Was Public Relations.
And the BIO memo isn’t the only example of this. There’s another document, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, that paints a similar picture. It wasn’t a science-led health strategy. It was a nationwide messaging campaign, designed not to support informed choice or foster open conversation, but to shape public behavior while shutting down questions and debate.
We were told public health messaging during Covid was about “following the science.” But what this FOIA-obtained document from Judicial Watch reveals is something very different:
A strategic communication campaign designed to shape perception, influence behavior, and saturate culture through entertainment and media—not evidence-based health dialogue.
Highlights from the internal HHS Public Education Plan included:
Vaccine “engagement packages” sent to entertainment talent and media agencies
Recruitment of late-night hosts, Hollywood comedy writers, and scripted TV shows
Partnerships with TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram influencers
Specials on Christian Broadcast Network and live TV programs like The Voice
Messaging amplified by the NFL, NASCAR, MLB, Disney Parks, and more
Algorithm-boosted content created with social media platforms
What that document reveals is not a public health education campaign. It’s a coordinated psychological marketing blitz. It read like a global brand campaign rollout, except the “product” was a government-endorsed vaccination one-size-fits-all program. And the goal wasn’t informed consent. It was compliance.
Every cultural and emotional lever was pulled. And unless you dug through FOIA documents like this one…you’d never know.
And again, this isn’t about being “anti-vax” or “pro-vax.” It’s about being pro-truth, pro-transparency, and pro-human choice.
I come from advertising. I know what a campaign strategy looks like.
And this? This was one of the most aggressive PR blitzes I’ve ever seen.
The fact that it had to be uncovered through FOIA says everything.
If this was truly about public trust, why wasn’t it public to begin with?
From Where I Stand
I’m not anti-medicine. I’m not anti-business. And I’m certainly not anti-progress.
I believe in innovation. I believe in transformation. I love what business can do when it’s aligned with purpose and integrity.
But I also believe in transparency over spin, and people over profit.
Because when it comes to healthcare, we’re dealing with human lives—not products, not campaigns, not quarterly gains.
And yet, healthcare remains one of the only industries where we’re taught to blindly trust and obey. No questions. No pushback. Just compliance.
We give our power away—because we believe “they” know better.
But here’s what I’ve learned through grief, advocacy, and the hard road of truth-finding:
No one will ever care more about your health or your loved one’s life than you.
And documents like these—whether uncovered through lawsuits, FOIA, or brave insiders—are the breadcrumbs we need to follow.
They don’t lie.
They don’t spin.
They just show us the parts of the story we were never meant to see.
A Final Thought
The truth doesn’t need to be protected. It needs to be revealed. And more often than not, the documents are where that truth lives.
Leading global drug safety advocate, Consumer Rep on FDA Advisory Committee, and speaker with over 25 years professional experience in advertising and marketing communications.
Daily CBD use at typical consumer doses led to significant liver enzyme elevations in healthy adults.
About 6% of CBD users had liver enzymes over three times the normal upper limit.
CBD use is common in the U.S. and should be part of routine medical screening in certain patients.
Daily use of cannabidiol (CBD) at doses commonly reported by consumers was associated with potentially dangerous increases in liver enzymes, a randomized clinical trial found.
Among 201 healthy adult participants followed for 28 days, eight (5.6%) of those randomized to CBD had liver enzyme levels greater than three times the upper limit of normal (ULN) compared with none in the placebo group, said a team of FDA scientists led by Jeffry Florian, PhD, of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Five individuals (3.3%) experienced peak aminotransferase levels greater than five times the ULN, and two (1.3%) had aminotransferase levels greater than 10 times the ULN, with the highest more than 18 times higher. These seven participants met criteria for drug-induced liver injury, Florian's team reported online in JAMA Internal Medicineopens in a new tab or window.
Eosinophilia was also observed in seven of the eight individuals with elevated liver enzymes. However, no participants experienced jaundice or clinical symptoms related to impaired liver function, and liver enzymes normalized within 1 to 2 weeks of discontinuing CBD, the researchers said.
"This clinical trial is part of the FDA efforts to understand the safety of CBD products and inform discussions about safeguards and oversight to manage and minimize risks with CBD products. These findings may have important implications for consumers who may otherwise be unaware of potential safety risks," Florian and colleagues wrote.
"Given the growing popularity of unregulated CBD-containing products in the market and the ability of CBD to cause liver enzyme level elevations, inclusion of CBD use as part of routine medical screening could be considered, particularly in patients with existing liver conditions or those taking medications metabolized by the liver," they added. "For patients presenting with elevated liver enzymes, CBD use could be considered in the differential diagnosis."
In an accompanying editorialopens in a new tab or window, Nathan Stall, MD, PhD, of the University of Toronto, and Kenneth Covinsky, MD, MPH, of the University of California San Francisco, noted that data from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicated that more than 20% of U.S. adults reported using CBD in the past year. "Given the high use and increasing access to CBD without a prescription, the study by Florian et al raises several important concerns," they wrote.
The results "underscore that clinicians should be aware of CBD-associated hepatoxic effects and screen patients with elevated liver enzyme levels for CBD use. Finally, regulators should balance the free market proliferation of CBD with the need for increased public awareness and clinical vigilance," Stall and Covinsky said.
The randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trialopens in a new tab or window was conducted from January to August 2024 using per protocol analysis. It included healthy adults recruited from a clinical pharmacology unit. Participants were randomized to CBD 5 mg/kg/d (2.5 mg/kg/d twice daily), or placebo for 28 days. Laboratory assessments were done weekly. The primary endpoint was the percentage of participants with an alanine aminotransferase or aspartate aminotransferase level elevation greater than three times the ULN during the study.
Limitations included that the study enrolled healthy participants between 18-55 years of age who were not taking other medications and who had no comorbidities that could have increased their susceptibility to hepatic enzyme level elevations, so impacts on populations outside these conditions were not captured. In addition, the study's short duration could not determine potential longer-term health effects. Because dosing was discontinued when elevated liver enzymes were observed, it is not known whether they would have resolved on their own or escalated further.
Finally, the researchers noted, the CBD dosing in the study was within the range of reported consumer use, but it was on the higher end and administered twice daily. "While many consumers report taking unregulated CBD more than once daily, most consume it less frequently. In addition, given the reports of inaccurate labeling of some over-the-counter CBD products, it is possible that individuals self-dosing CBD are consuming different doses than expected," they said.
Disclosures
The study was funded by the FDA.
Authors reported no relevant conflicts of interest.
Stall reported no relevant conflicts of interest. Covinsky reported grants from the National Institute on Aging.
Primary Source
JAMA Internal Medicine
Source Reference: opens in a new tab or windowFlorian J et al "Cannabidiol and liver enzyme level elevations in healthy adults: a randomized clinical trial" JAMA Intern Med 2025; DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.2366.
In a scathing attack, President Trump took to Truth Social to target any country that aligns itself with what he called "anti-American" policies, which he said are being pushed by the BRICS nations.
The BRICS countries, which include Brazil, China, Russia, and India, met over the weekend and condemned the attacks on Iran as well as unilateral tariffs.
In a joint statement, leaders took a swipe at Trump’s tariffs, saying they “voice serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO rules.”
Trump posted on Truth Social and said he would put an additional 10% tariff on any country that supports the "anti-US" stance of BRICS.
“Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “There will be no exceptions to this policy.”
Bloomberg News reports:
The comments come as the US prepares to send tariff letters to dozens of countries in the coming days, with the Trump administration’s 90-day pause on higher duties set to expire on Wednesday. Trump said in a separate post that the letters would start being delivered from noon Monday, Washington time.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among those who attended.
Trump’s post didn’t specify which policies he considers “Anti-American,” nor did it provide details on when any of those tariffs might be imposed.
“Trump’s comments are a warning shot for emerging market nations looking to go down the BRICS alignment path,” said Mingze Wu, a trader at StoneX Financial Inc. in Singapore, adding that they’re likely in response to what BRICS said about Gaza.
"I’m of the belief that we could very much,easily resolve the differences and conflicts with the United States through dialogue and talks," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Tucker Carlson, based on the full interview (done remotely) released by the Tucker Carlson Network on Monday.
Of course, Tehran and Washington were engaged in what were supposed to be several rounds of good-faith talks at the very moment Israel began its surprise attack, utilizing dozens of warplanes, on June 13 - and which followed for nearly two weeks.
Pezeshkian described that Iran's aim, prior to the June war starting, was to achieve "the framework or the basis for a deal in which the rights of all nations, the Iranian nation, would be respected." Iran has consistently insisted that it be able to keep enrichment, as a matter of national sovereignty and for peace domestic energy purposes.
"We never wanted anything beyond the respect for our rights - rightful rights," he told Carlson.
Carlson asked Pezeshkian if Iran will allow other countries to verify Iran's enrichment activities. Pezeshkian says "we are ready to hold talks" over monitoring and that "we stand ready" to accept it. However, the fact that Israel and the US just bombed the Islamic Republic has introduced major complications - not the least of which was Iran just days ago booting UN inspectors from the IAEA out of the country.
For this reason President Pezeshkian stressed that monitoring must await Iranian authorities allowing access to nuclear facilities. At least three - Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan - have likely suffered significant damage following the Trump-ordered B-2 raids using large bunker busting ordinance.
Sleeper cells in US cities? "This is what Israel is trying to put into your minds," the Iranian leader said.
Debate and speculation has been raging ever since over the degree to which the country's core nuclear capabilities have actually been set back.
On the question of future diplomacy, Pezeshkian said "I believe that the United States President can very well guide the region and the world to peace & tranquility. Or on the other hand to lead it to forever wars." He also said that the Islamic Republic is not seeking nuclear weapons.
"We see no problem in re-entering the negotiations," he continued, but then qualified:
"How are we going to trust the United States again. We re-enter the negotiations then how can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack us."
This appears to be precisely what happened in June. Axios and others also reported that the US had been secretly conspiring with the Israelis to greenlight the attack even as talks in Oman and Rome were happening. These reports present the nuclear dialogue as a ruse to lull the Iranians into thinking that all was okay, even up to the eve of the Israeli assault.
Did IAEA spy on Iran?
"My proposal is that the US administration should refrain from getting involved in a war that is not its war. It is not America's war," the Iranian leader said. "It is Netanyahu's war that is having its devilish machinations for the whole region." Carlson did not particularly challenge these assertions, also given in other recent episodes and interviews he himself has made the same point - that Washington should resist being dragged into Israel's foreign wars and entanglements.
At one point in the interview Pezeshkian was asked directly by Carlson whether Israel had attempted to kill him, to which the Iranian leader confirmed it, and added, "I’m not afraid to sacrifice my life for my country, for my country’s freedom. But will it bring security and peace to the region? It will only bring more bloodshed." He said this was an Israeli operation aimed at regime change:
"It was not the United States that was behind the attempt on my life. It was Israel. I was at a meeting, we were discussing how to move forward, and thanks to the intelligence and spies they had, they tried to bomb the area where the gathering was held. God decides who lives and who dies. We are not afraid to become martyrs."
Watch: attempted assassination of a sitting president...
At same time he sought to stress that Iran has never sought to assassinate President Trump, despite American media reports and the claims of some of the US administration's own officials.
"I would like to tell you and remind you that this is not Death to the American people or to the officials. Death to crimes and atrocities. To bullying. To the use of force," Pezeshkian said when pressed about why Iranians commonly chant this in the streets.
He also said that Iran hasn't invaded another country in 200 years. However, Iran in just the last could decades has seen the country to its immediate west (Iraq) and the country to its east (Afghanistan), suffer regime change and lengthy occupation by American-led forces.
On the question of sensational US headlines of Iranian terror sleeper cells in the United States, Pezeshkian responded that this "the first time I am hearing" of this concept. "This is totally untrue because Iranians are pro peace and tranquility." Historically at least, suicide bombing as a method of terror is more of a reality coming from Sunni radicalism, and not Shi'ism.
Stocks fell and the dollar rose as President Donald Trump said the US will impose a 25% tariff on imports from Japan and South Korea starting next month — sinking currencies of both nations. Longer-dated Treasuries underperformed on Monday.
The S&P 500 lost about 1%. While Japan and South Korea’s rates are largely in line with what Trump had already announced, he warned the nations against retaliation. Megacaps led losses, with Tesla Inc. down 7% as Elon Musk announced he’s formed a new political party, digging deeper into a pursuit that’s been a drag on his most valuable business.