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Saturday, January 3, 2026

'First-of-its-kind fentanyl vaccine' to prevent overdoses gears up for human trials

A vaccine to protect against fentanyl’s deadly effects is headed for clinical trials in humans.

The vaccine, which showed positive results in studies of mice and rats, is designed to block fentanyl from entering the brain, blocking its effects and preventing overdoses.

If approved, it would become the first treatment to prevent overdoses of fentanyl, which is the leading cause of drug overdose death, statistics show.

This is different than treatments like naloxone, which reverse the effects after an overdose.

How it works

The vaccine is designed to create antibodies against fentanyl, which keeps the drug from crossing the blood–brain barrier.

It contains a synthetic fragment of fentanyl attached to a protein called CRM197, along with dmLT, an immune-activating compound.

This combination stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies that capture fentanyl in the bloodstream before it can reach the brain, according to the University of Houston’s Colin Haile, co-founder and scientific adviser of ARMR Sciences, which licensed the vaccine.

“In a vaccinated individual, those anti-fentanyl antibodies are in the blood,” Haile told Fox News Digital. “So if they consume fentanyl, the antibodies grab onto the drug and prevent it from getting into the brain. They would feel no effects if they ingest fentanyl — absolutely none. And they would not overdose.”

Eventually, he said, the fentanyl would be eliminated from the body.

In the mice and rat studies, the animals still had antibodies against fentanyl six months after vaccination, added Haile, who is also a research associate professor of psychology at UH and a founding member of the UH Drug Discovery Institute.

While some have questioned whether such a vaccine would indirectly encourage drug use, Haile pointed out that for vaccinated people, the drug would have “no euphoric effects,” so those seeking a “high” would not get it.

The main benefit, according to Haile, is that the vaccine would reduce the potential health dangers of fentanyl.

“Respiratory depression is the primary effect that induces death from this highly potent synthetic opioid,” he said.

Headed for trials

Following successful testing in mice and rats, the first human clinical trial is slated to begin in early 2026 at the Center for Human Drug Research, which is associated with the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.

The small phase 1 trial will enroll about 40 participants, focusing on safety and immune response.

After the phase 1 trial for safety, a phase 2 trial will test whether the vaccine effectively blocks fentanyl’s effects in humans.

Potential risks and limitations

The primary limitation is that data is so far only available for mouse models, and it’s unknown how effective the vaccine would be in humans.

Haile told Fox News Digital that there were no adverse side effects reported in the animal study, likely because the ingredients of the vaccine are proteins that have already been used in other combinations in humans, so their safety profile is already known.

“Also, unlike other vaccines, we use extremely low doses of the components,” he noted. “We have put the vaccine into a lot of animals and have not seen any adverse side effects at all.”

Even in a toxicology study, during which the researchers administered 20 times the dose of the vaccine that would be given to humans, they still saw no overt signs of toxicity, according to Haile.

Potential use cases

Haile mentioned several different use cases for the vaccine, primarily those with opioid use disorder who want to quit using fentanyl. It could also be used by first responders and healthcare workers who want to reduce the risk of accidental exposure.

Military and national security personnel could also benefit from the vaccine, Haile said, as it could help protect against fentanyl and fentanyl-like compounds that have been used as chemical threats.

Finally, parents may be seeking protection for at-risk teens or young adults, as fentanyl has been known to be mixed with other substances, such as marijuana.

Looking ahead, Haile said this could pave the way for the approval of other anti-drug vaccines, such as cocaine and methamphetamine, which are already in the works.

“If we can tackle the primary ones — fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine — we will be saving hundreds of thousands of lives,” he added.

Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News, said the progress of the vaccine is a “very exciting advance with a huge upside.”

“I am very glad it is now entering human trials — it is being very well-studied,” he told Fox News Digital. “This is likely to prevent many overdoses where a patient is sedated and stops breathing as a result of fentanyl.”

The antidote for fentanyl (Narcan) is limited because fentanyl lasts for many hours, but the Narcan (an opioid antagonist) wears off after only a few hours and has to be readministered, Siegel pointed out.

“You want to make sure this vaccine is limited to those really at risk for opioid overdoses and addiction, because fentanyl is also a useful pain medication for cancer and a useful agent for anesthesia,” the doctor added.

The vaccine was developed with funding from the US Department of Defense and licensed to biotech startup ARMR Sciences.

https://nypost.com/2026/01/03/health/breakthrough-fentanyl-vaccine-prevents-overdoses-gears-up-for-human-trials/

Trump tells Post that US troops won’t be in Venezuela if Maduro VP ‘does what we want’

President Trump told The Post in an exclusive interview that US troops won’t be stationed in Venezuela so long as ousted strongman Nicolás Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, “does what we want” in the aftermath of a daring US raid that captured Maduro.

Trump made the clarification moments after a press conference where he said that “we are going to run the country” ahead of a democratic transition, introducing the prospect of a US occupation.

Asked by The Post if “US troops [will] be on the ground helping run the country,” Trump said: “No, if Maduro’s vice president — if the vice president does what we want, we won’t have to do that.”

“We’re prepared,” Trump added. “You know, we have a second wave that’s much bigger than the first wave.”

The president said that “we’ve spoken to her [Rodriguez] numerous times, and she understands, she understands.”

Rodriguez has been sworn in as Venezuela’s interim leader, Trump said at his press conference. Her precise whereabouts are unknown, but Reuters cited four sources as saying she was in Russia at the time of the attack.

The Trump-ordered surprise mission in Venezuela was conducted around 2 a.m. local time featuring more than 150 military aircraft — knocking out the power in Caracas before special operators captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, both of whom will face federal drug-smuggling charges.

No American troops died and no US equipment was lost, despite one aircraft being damaged, officials said.

Trump’s overnight mission caught the world by surprise and follows a US bombing campaign that began Sept. 2, targeting ships off the coasts of Venezuela and Colombia that allegedly were transporting cocaine.

‘Cuba is going to fall of its own volition’

Trump told The Post that he is not considering additional military action against Cuba, Venezuela’s longtime ally, which was heavily dependent on Caracas for economic support and fuel.

“No, Cuba is going to fall of its own volition. Cuba is doing very poorly,” Trump said.

Moments earlier, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at Trump’s press conference that “if I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned at least a little bit” — adding uncertainty about the future of US policy toward the communist island.

“Cuba was always very reliant on Venezuela. That’s where they got their money, and they protected Venezuela, but that didn’t work out too well in this case,” Trump told The Post.

“You know, many Cubans lost their lives last night. Did you know that? Many Cubans lost their lives. They were protecting Maduro. That was not a good move.”

Trump said he did not know the precise death toll among Cuban and Venezuelan forces.

Trump justified the US strike in Venezuela as protecting Americans from drugs and illegal immigrant gang members. He said US companies faced prior confiscation of resources from the Venezuelan government and would be involved in rebuilding the country’s oil infrastructure.

“The ‘Donroe’ doctrine is a Monroe Doctrine on steroids,” he said in the interview.

Machado ‘doesn’t have the support or the respect’

Trump’s proposed democratic transition in Venezuela remains murky — in part because he declared at the post-raid press conference that leading opposition figure Maria Corina Machado is ill-suited to replace Maduro, who ruled since 2013.

It would be very tough for her to be the leader. “She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect,” he said.

Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize in October — as the Norwegian committee snubbed Trump’s overt campaign to secure the honor for himself. In a conciliatory gesture, she dedicated the award to Trump.

Maduro’s ouster introduces significant uncertainty in Venezuela, which has seen an exodus of citizens and economic turmoil.

Maduro, a former bus driver and trade union leader, held power since revolutionary Hugo Chavez’s death from cancer. Chavez kicked off the nation’s left-wing “Bolivarian Revolution” after winning the 1998 presidential election.

Trump’s critics in Congress reacted with outrage over his raid to capture Maduro — expressing alarm at the fact that he didn’t notify them ahead of time, after his prior surprise bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites in June.

The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, and the War Powers Resolution of 1973 specifies that presidents must notify lawmakers of military actions within 48 hours and to gain authorization for engagements lasting more than 60 days.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), a longtime advocate for congressional approval of foreign wars, tweeted Saturday that he spoke with Rubio and is comfortable with Trump’s actions.

“This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack,” Lee pronounced.

Many Democrats blasted Trump, with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) accusing him of “flagrant disregard for the Article One war powers of Congress which is essential to our constitutional system of checks and balances.”

Courts in the past have refrained from intervening when members of Congress accuse presidents of exceeding their military authority — holding it a political question that can be resolved by legislative withholding of funds or other action.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a frequent Trump critic, said Saturday that “my main concern now is that Russia will use this to justify their illegal and barbaric military actions against Ukraine, or China to justify an invasion of Taiwan… dictators will try to exploit this to rationalize their selfish objectives.”

https://nypost.com/2026/01/03/us-news/trump-says-us-troops-wont-be-in-venezuela-if-nicolas-maduro-vp-delcy-rodriguez-does-what-we-want/

'We built Venezuela’s oil industry:' Trump vows US energy return after Maduro capture

President Donald Trump pledged a U.S. return to Venezuela’s oil industry following the stunning predawn capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, accusing the country’s socialist government of seizing American energy assets and dismantling an industry built with U.S. investment.

"We built Venezuela’s oil industry with American talent, drive and skill, and the socialist regime stole it from us," Trump said during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

"Venezuela unilaterally seized and sold American oil, American assets and American platforms, costing us billions and billions of dollars," he added. "They took all of our property."

Trump said U.S. energy companies could play a central role in rebuilding the country’s oil sector.

"We are going to have our very large United States oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken oil infrastructure and start making money for the country," he said.

Once home to major U.S. energy investments, Venezuela systematically pushed out Western oil companies under a nationalization campaign launched by Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez. Although Maduro claims to have won re-election to a six-year term in 2024, the U.S. and other international observers say his loyalists stole the election from Edmundo González.

Chevron was among the few energy titans that negotiated to remain, agreeing to operate as a minority partner under joint ventures led by the state-run oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), rather than exiting the country entirely.

Now the only remaining U.S. oil company operating in Venezuela, Chevron finds itself navigating a high-tension space between Washington’s takeover of Caracas and the world’s largest oil reserves.

"Chevron remains focused on the safety and wellbeing of our employees, as well as the integrity of our assets," a Chevron spokesperson wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital.

The company declined to comment on the broader security environment, saying only: "We continue to operate in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations."

Chevron has operated in Venezuela for roughly a century, but its ability to produce and export oil has been shaped in recent years by U.S. sanctions and time-limited Treasury licenses that strictly constrain its operations.

Roughly twice the size of California, Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves. At an estimated 300 billion barrels — about 20% of the global total and nearly four times U.S. reserves — that endowment dwarfs that of any other nation.

Yet its crisis-stricken economy and persistent political instability have sharply limited its ability to convert those reserves into sustained production, a dynamic also seen in countries such as Iran and Libya, where turmoil, sanctions and deteriorating infrastructure constrain output despite vast resource wealth.

Asked by Fox News’ Lucas Tomlinson in Mar-a-Lago about interest from countries such as Iran, Russia and China in Venezuela’s oil, Trump said the United States would sell Venezuelan crude to a range of countries.

As the United States weighs its next steps, Venezuela’s oil reserves remain both a prize and a paradox — immense in scale, but locked behind years of underinvestment, deteriorating infrastructure and political risk that would require billions of dollars and sustained stability to overcome.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/we-built-venezuelas-oil-industry-trump-vows-us-energy-return-after-maduro-capture

Five Takeaways From The US' "Special Military Operation" In Venezuela

by Andrew Korybko via Substack,

It was astoundingly successful and will likely serve to coerce the rest of the hemisphere into strategically capitulating to the US...

The US launched a half-hour-long “special military operation” in Venezuela on Saturday morning that culminated in Delta Force’s capture of President Nicolas Maduro. Several military sites were bombed, US helicopters flew freely over Caracas in a surreal display of the US’ aerial supremacy, and there were reportedly no US casualties. The US’ “special military operation” was therefore an astounding success regardless of one’s personal opinions about its merits. Here are five takeaways from this event:

1. The US’ Grand Strategic Goal Is To Build “Fortress America”
It was assessed here that the National Security Strategy’s prioritization of the Western Hemisphere is all about building “Fortress America”, which refers to the restoration of the US’ hegemony over the Americas in order for it to survive and even thrive if it loses control of the Eastern Hemisphere. It might not happen right away, but the US’ “special military operation” will likely result in it obtaining control over Venezuela’s oil reserves, the world’s largest. That would help make “Fortress America” a reality.
2. Maduro Should Have Taken Trump’s Deal In Hindsight
Trump earlier claimed that Maduro had “offered everything” to the US when asked about a report that the Venezuelan leader agreed to let American companies take control of his country’s resources. The only sticking point appeared to be Maduro’s political fate, with Trump wanting him to go into exile likely at the urging of Marco Rubio (his powerful Secretary of State and National Security Advisor), while Maduro seemingly refused. He should have taken Trump’s deal in hindsight to avoid this humiliating end.
3. The Ayatollah Is Likely Watching Everything Very Closely
Trump recently threatened military action against Iran in support of its latest protest movement, which assembled in response to the country’s deteriorating economy but is suspected of being orchestrated in part by foreign spy agencies in collusion with local agents. The US clearly wants Iran’s complete strategic capitulation after its arguable loss to Israel during last summer’s 12-day war, and if the US doesn’t get what it wants through diplomacy or a Color Revolution, then it might try to capture the Ayatollah too.
4. Adversarial Media Will Likely Try To Discredit Russia
Venezuela has an estimated $20 billion worth of Soviet/Russian arms, including Sukhoi fighter jets and S-300 surface-to-air missiles, yet none were used against the US (possibly due to it buying off top defense officials). Russia and Venezuela also ratified a strategic partnership pact late last year too, but it importantly didn’t contain any mutual defense clauses. Nevertheless, these two factors will likely be exploited by adversarial media to discredit Russia after the US’ “special military operation” in Venezuela.
5. Top Alt-Media Figures Once Again Discredited Themselves
Some top Alt-Media figures lie about the subjects of their geopolitical devotion like when they lied about how the Iranian-led “Resistance Axis” would destroy Israel in a war prior to their defeat at its hands last year. Many of the “usual suspects” did the same with regard to what Venezuela would do if the US attacked it, only to have once again discredited themselves, but Tim Anderson takes the cake after lying that Russia gave Venezuela Oreshniks with the innuendo that they’d be used if it was attacked.

The US’ astoundingly successful “special military operation” in Venezuela is a monumental geopolitical development that’ll likely serve to coerce the rest of the hemisphere into strategically capitulating to it, which could lead to “Fortress America’s” construction at an accelerated pace.

Iran might soon follow Venezuela even if the Ayatollah isn’t captured like Maduro just was.

The common thread between them is that the US has decided to take out its weaker adversaries across the world who refuse to submit to it.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/five-takeaways-us-special-military-operation-venezuela

Berlin fire could leave 45,000 without power until Jan 8

A fire on a bridge across the Teltow Canal in south-western Berlin could ‌leave up to 45,000 households without power ‌until January 8, grid company Stromnetz Berlin said on Saturday.

Local police said they are investigating the incident, which took ⁠place early in ‌the day, as a possible arson attack.

The fire near the ‍Lichterfelde heat and power station damaged several high-voltage cables.

"We expect a full restart of all customers by Thursday afternoon," ‌the company said in a statement, noting it would require the installation of new cables.

It said some 2,200 commercial entities were also affected and mobile ⁠phone services and landlines might also be impacted.

Firefighters had been alerted at 0545 GMT and put out the fire, ‍according ⁠to a police note posted on Twitter.

Criminal investigators and emergency services are ⁠on the scene, the police said.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/possible-arson-berlin-cable-cuts-094822857.html

Right Out of RIpley's: Dems Now Claim They Are The "Real" American Patriots

Leftists have never understood the phrase "If you can't beat em', join em'". Instead, they believe that if they can't defeat their political opponents in terms of logic, reason, morals, facts or the law, then their next best bet is to co-opt the enemy's message and image without actually adopting their values..

Voters witnessed the first tinges of this strategy in 2024 when Kamala Harris claimed her campaign wasn't woke (after years of saying Americans needed to be more woke) and Tim Walz pretended to be manly by talking about football and masculinity without knowing anything about either subject.

In 2025 going into 2026, however, the Democrats are taking their Talented Mr. Ripley routine to the next level. They don't just want to compete with conservative messages, they are trying to steal the conservative identity by proclaiming themselves to be the "real" American patriots.

The new activist narrative (largely organized and funded by NGOs) runs with 1776 symbolism, claims that the US military is really on their side, argues that they are the true guardians of the constitution and that their revolution is one that the Founding Fathers would applaud.

In tandem with the "No Kings" protests, Dems like Jasmine Crockett argued that MAGA is "unpatriotic" and anti-constitution. She believes Democrats are the true patriots and that they are the barrier protecting Americans from "fascism."

This theme has led to a number of protests which have abandoned woke symbols in favor of a carefully crafted "pro-America" costume. The theatrics often revolve around mass deportations of illegal aliens and lead to hilariously misguided grandstanding.

In a bizarre twist, leftists are proclaiming their patriotism by actively aiding a foreign invasion of the US. Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries co-opted the words of Republican President Ulysses S. Grant as a strange justification for Democrat driven civil unrest, noting that "There are but two parties in America right now, patriots and traitors..." (conservatives, in his version of reality, being the traitors).

Keep in mind, Democrat activists are the same people who have been celebrating the deconstruction of western culture for years and assert that the constitution is meaningless because it was "written by slave owners."

In 2022 at the height of their pandemic frenzy, Democrats in blue states and blue cities widely supported a flurry of freedom crushing mandates and pushed hard for the creation of a vaccine passport system which would effectively destroy the Bill of Rights by taking away citizen access to the economy if they refused to be injected with an experimental jab.

That same year, a Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey found that 48% of voters favored President Joe Biden’s plan to impose a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on the employees of large companies and government agencies. The same survey showed that a disturbing number of Democrats also supported "Chinese-style" punishments for people who refused to take the jab.

Around 55% of Democrat voters were in favor of government enforced fines for the unvaccinated. Nearly 60% supported forced home confinement for the unvaccinated. 48% of Democrats were in favor of fines and prison time for anyone who publicly questioned the efficacy of the vaccines. Around 45% of Democrats supported the idea of confining the unvaccinated to "designated facilities" (covid camps) until they complied. 47% of Democrats favored the use of digital tracking for the unvaccinated.

Around 30% of progressive voters suggested taking children away from parents who refused to vaccinate. The Biden Administration and Democrats were exposed for violating constitutional law in their efforts to pressure social media companies to silence and censor conservative critics of covid policies (among other things).

Anyone who stood against the mandates was accused of being a threat to democracy and a potential terrorist. The Democrats initiated a propaganda war against US patriots; a war which they ultimately lost. Now, they want you to forget all about their many trespasses and accept their new image as "freedom fighters" saving the country from Trump's tyrannical policies...which the majority of Americans voted for.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/democrats-now-claim-they-are-real-american-patriots

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