Liberals across the country are up in arms over the arrest last week of a Wisconsin judge accused of obstructing the apprehension and arrest of an illegal immigrant.
However, the Trump FBI's decision to take Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan into custody has found at least some degree of support from a seemingly unlikely source, namely, the man who served as acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under former President Barack Obama, as Breitbart reports.
Judge's arrests unfolds
As Fox News explains, Dugan was arrested on Friday morning on allegations that she endeavored to hide an illegal immigrant who had been previously deported in order to thwart his arrest by ICE agents.
Federal officers from a handful of agencies attempted to make the arrest of Eduardo Flores-Ruiz of Mexico after a court appearance before Dugan related to battery charges.
It was then that Dugan told the officers to go to the chief judge's office, and when Flores-Ruiz's hearing concluded, she allegedly escorted both him and his lawyer out via a restricted exit away from the public part of the building where agents were waiting to apprehend him.
As a result of her conduct, Dugan was charged with obstruction of an official proceeding and also with concealing an individual to prevent discovery and arrest.
Not surprisingly, the arrest has spurred a host of heated reactions on the left, including from Wisconsin Democrat Gov. Tony Evers, who alleged that the Trump administration is employing “dangerous rhetoric to attack and attempt to undermine our judiciary at every level, including disobeying the highest court in the land.”
Obama-era official weighs in
However, not every Democrat was so quick to jump to Dugan's defense, as John Sandweg, who served as acting director of ICE during Obama's tenure, outlined his objections to the judge's conduct on Friday.
During an appearance on NewsNation's Cuomo, Sandweg, while expressing concern over the impact on ICE cases such as this may have, noted that Dugan's actions were far from appropriate.
Sandweg said of what unfolded in Wisconsin last week, “I would like to see the ICE agents just pick him up outside the courthouse or pick him up as he leaves the courthouse. During the Obama administration, as you know, during the Biden administration, we had a sensitive location policy.”
“We couldn't arrest people in a courthouse. I think there are good reasons for that,” he added.
With respect to Dugan specifically, Sandweg said, “I'm not here to defend this judge. … I think she overstepped here. I think there are other ways to lodge her objections.”
Resistance persists
As Fox News noted separately, Dugan's fellow Wisconsin judge, Monica Isham, threatened not to hold court as a means of protesting what occurred on Friday, saying, “I have no intention of allowing anyone to be taken out of my courtroom by ICE and sent to a concentration camp, especially without due process. … Should I start raising bail money?”
Unfortunately, despite all the liberal exhortations that “nobody is above the law,” articulated endlessly during the campaign of lawfare against Donald Trump, it in fact appears that the lion's share of Democrats do believe that those who sit on the bench are entitled to an exemption from that supposedly foundational principle.
President Donald Trump pardoned health care executive Paul Walczak, whose mother was involved in the plot to expose Ashley Biden's diary, The New York Times reported. Walczak was convicted of tax evasion just two weeks ago.
Due to his conviction, Walczak was ordered to pay $4.4 million in restitution and serve an 18-month prison sentence. The executive allegedly used the money he withheld from the government to purchase luxuries, such as a yacht.
"Paul and his family are truly grateful to the president, and Paul looks forward to returning his focus to his lifelong passion for improving the country’s health care system," Raymond R. Granger, the attorney who drafted the pardon, said. Some believe Trump is rewarding his loyal allies through pardons.
Although he only donated $450 to Trump in the 2020 election, Walczak's mother, Elizabeth Fago, is a longtime Republican fundraiser who helped Trump in his 2020 presidential campaign. She was part of the Ashley Biden diary controversy, which was unrelated to Walczak and his conviction.
The Diary
In the runup to the 2020 presidential election, the contents of a diary kept by Ashley Biden, daughter of Joe Biden, were leaked to the press. Fago allegedly had a part in that as she was roped in as a donor and fundraiser for the GOP.
Sources close to the matter said that Robert Kurlander, who possessed the diary, reached out to Fago. She immediately saw it as an opportunity to undermine Joe Biden's campaign by releasing the information contained therein.
At a September 2020 fundraiser at Fago's Jupiter, Florida, Kurlander passed around the diary. Later, Fago made the most of the incriminating journal and tipped off Project Veritas about it.
The whistleblower organization paid Kurlander and another woman, Aimee Harris, $40,000 to purchase the diary. The Department of Justice later became involved because the property was considered stolen, and Kurlander and Harris were both convicted as a result.
Fago and her daughter were not convicted, nor was anyone from Project Veritas. However, the legal battle would eventually prove that the diary was indeed authentic and belonged to Joe Biden's daughter, who made some startling admissions.
Twisted Family
Once Joe Biden became president, his Department of Justice pursued criminal action against Kurlander and Harris. This proved that what recovering drug addict Ashley Biden wrote was true, at least in her own mind.
In pages released to the press, a handwritten note asking whether she "was molested" and later that she showered with her father and that it was "probably not appropriate." The X account Libs of TikTok shared it with a caption about Harris's conviction.
"Ashley Biden’s diary is real. A woman is now going to prison for selling it. Here’s a reminder of what she wrote," the April 9, 2024. post stated. "Joe Biden showered with his daughter. She felt it was “probably not appropriate” and also questioned if she was m*lested."
As the president, Trump can pardon anyone he pleases, just as Joe Biden did. However, the bigger story is that a man was elected president in 2020 who, at the very least, was privately implicated in some twisted interactions with his own daughter.
President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order Wednesday barring schools from applying diversity, equity, and inclusion when administering discipline, Breitbart reported. The White House said this will make schools safer as outcomes will be based on student behavior.
The White House touted the changes in a preview of the order. "The Order requires new guidance to local and state educational agencies regarding school discipline, emphasizing compliance with Title VI protections against racial discrimination and preferencing," it said.
"It calls for appropriate action against educational agencies that fail to comply with Title VI by continuing to use racially preferential discipline practices," the document said. The order also demands further study to ensure "federal funds do not support racially preferential policies, including through nonprofit organizations, and proposing model discipline policies rooted in American values."
This order reverses former President Barack Obama's guidance on school discipline. The 2014 policy required schools to "equalize disciplinary rates by race" rather than focusing on the behavior of individual students.
Flawed Guidance
According to the Federalist Society, Obama penned a "Dear Colleague" letter that used the threat of the federal government to urge schools to consider the "disparate impact" discipline has on racial minorities. It claimed that all disciplinary action should be color blind.
However, it then went on to recommend exactly the opposite in application. Schools were urged to examine the "disproportionate and unjustified effect on students of a particular race" before meting out any punishments.
Instead of behavior-based discipline, schools were forced to consider the racial makeup of the students getting caught. It claimed that "even if that policy is applied to students without regard to their race (i.e, there is no intentional discrimination), the policy might still violate federal law if it has a 'disparate impact,' i.e., a disproportionate and unjustified effect on students of a particular race."
Although it was never proven, some believed that this philosophy led to Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz falling through the cracks, Fox News reported in 2018. After committing vandalism as a middle school student, Cruz was never criminally charged and may have been put into a diversionary program called PROMISE.
However, the school district was cagey about his involvement in it after the shooting. "I was repeatedly told that the Parkland shooter was never in the Promise Program I was asking questions about. Now it turns out that in fact he was," then-Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio said.
Righting a Wrong
Trump's Executive Order, signed on Wednesday, was a step toward righting the wrong that Obama began, and then-President Joe Biden continued. Trump's executive assistant, Will Scharf, said the policy hindered proper discipline in schools.
"Basically, they focused on [Critical Race Theory] and diversity ideology, instead of actually just enforcing the rules in classrooms to ensure a safe learning environment," Scharf said. Eliminating the "disparate impact theory" is in line with Trump's effort ban all DEI.
"This is a theory that underlies a lot of the modern DEI and CRT-driven diversity culture. The basic idea is instructing your department and agencies to no longer rely on disparate impact theory as they're regulating, as they're issuing guidance, as they're making rules," Scharf went on.
"We want to focus on results, we want to focus on actual fairness, we want to focus on merit, not things like disparate impact theory and the whole sort-of diversity, equity and inclusion cult," Scharf said. This order will go a long way to restoring sanity with a single pen stroke.
The left believes that any outcomes unfavorable to racial minorities must be because of racism, and then they enact racist policies ostensibly to counter the effects. Thankfully, Trump is eliminating this philosophy from every corner of American life.
Sources say that Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were locked in a contentious debate over who should head the IRS, Newsmax reported. The sources say the tussle took place in the presence of President Donald Trump.
This sensational story was first published by the leftist news outlet Axios on Wednesday. The report allegedly came to the news outlet through "two witnesses and three sources who were briefed on the matter."
The two men were arguing about whether Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender or former acting Commissioner Gary Shapley should head up the IRS. This occurred at an Oval Office meeting on April 17, and witnesses likened it to a professional wrestling match, although there was no physical altercation.
"It was two billionaire, middle-aged men thinking it was WWE in the hall of the West Wing," a witness claimed. Bessent actually has a net worth of about $520 million.
Rumored Volatility
The report claimed that this was more than a fleeting exchange. "They were not physical in the Oval, but the president saw it, and then they carried it down the hall, and that's when they did it again," a witness said.
This would surely have angered Trump, especially considering the way a second witness described it as quite a spectacle. "It was quite a scene. It was loud. And I mean, loud," the source claimed.
When asked about the argument, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt admitted that "it's no secret President Trump has put together a team of people who are incredibly passionate about the issues impacting our country." Still, Leavitt tempered her sentiments with a truthful observation.
"Disagreements are a normal part of any healthy policy process. And ultimately, everyone knows they serve at the pleasure of President Trump," Leavitt said. The supposed manner of this disagreement plays into rumors of Musk's volatility.
Musk has locked horns with other administration officials, including Trade Adviser Peter Navarro, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. "Everyone thinks DOGE is great, but Elon's antics are just a bit much," a third administration official said about Musk's position as the outgoing head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
The President's Support
Amid these reports, Trump has remained publicly supportive of Musk. "He’s an incredible… brilliant guy. He was a tremendous help both in the campaign and in what he's done with DOGE," Trump said when asked by reporters on Wednesday.
Trump noted that Musk's Tesla company has suffered financial losses because of his willingness to work with the president. He went on to praise Musk for his achievements at SpaceX, as well as his character.
"When you see those rockets go up and come back and land in the same gantry, nobody else can do that but this man. So he's just an incredible person, and he's a friend of mine as a nice person too, as a very nice person," Trump said. Musk shared a clip of Trump's remarks on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.
Musk has done great things for the nation and for Trump by providing support and guidance. Even if these reports are true about a disagreement, it doesn't take anything away from that fact. The leftist media will want to make the most of it just the same.
Former ESPN play-by-play announcer Mike Patrick has passed away from natural causes at 80 years old, the Daily Caller reported. Patrick's career as an announcer spanned several sports over several decades before his retirement in 2018.
Local authorities confirmed Patrick's death on Tuesday. He is best remembered as the announcer for "Sunday Night Football" on ESPN, where he spent 18 years of his career.
Beginning his stint on the show in 1987, Patrick worked with other greats, including fellow broadcaster Paul Maguire and former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann. Patrick would tell ESPN that he ended his media career satisfied with his life's work.
“It’s wonderful to reflect on how I’ve done exactly what I wanted to do with my life. At the same time, I’ve had the great pleasure of working with some of the very best people I’ve ever known, both on the air and behind the scenes," he said when announcing his retirement.
Impactful career
According to ESPN, Patrick is a graduate of George Washington University, where he served as a commissioned U.S. Air Force Second Lieutenant. He began his broadcasting career at WVSC-Radio in Somerset, Pennsylvania, in 1966.
Patrick would become the sports director at a Jacksonville, Florida, television network and would become a Hall of Fame sports broadcaster for his coverage of Jacksonville University's basketball team. In 1975, Patrick used that experience in Washington, D.C., where as a weekend anchor and sports reporter for WJLA-TV.
Between 1975 and 1982, Patrick announced play-by-play for Washington and Maryland football and basketball from 1975 to 1978. Notably, Patrick also covered more than two dozen ACC basketball championships and called the NCAA Women's Final Four from the 1996 season to the 2009 season for the network.
However, Patrick would become an icon for his time in the broadcasting booth at SNF and become the iconic voice of the broadcast. The last time Patrick used his talents at ESPN was announcing the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, held on December 30, 2017.
Patrick died on Sunday in Fairfax, Virginia. His death was confirmed by his doctor as well as city officials in his native city of Clarksburg, West Virginia.
A legacy remembered
Patrick was remembered by some of the greats in broadcasting, including fellow college basketball sportscaster Dick Vitale. "I'm so sorry to learn about the passing of Mike Patrick," Vitale said Tuesday as news of Patrick's passing broke.
"I called him Mr. ACC as he had a great love for doing the big ACC games. Mike had great energy and a keen knowledge of ACC basketball, and I truly enjoyed sitting next to him calling so many special games over the years," Vitale said.
Basketball analyst Jay Bilas took to social media to remember Patrick. "So sorry to learn of the passing of the great Mike Patrick. Mike was the voice of ACC Basketball when I was a player, and I had the honor of working with him and calling him a friend. Mike Patrick was a pro’s pro. RIP Mike Patrick," Bilas posted to X, formerly Twitter, Tuesday.
Patrick was one of the greats in sports broadcasting, as even his colleagues have recognized. His passing is a sad day, but his legacy will live on as others attempt to fill his empty spot in the booth for years to come.
Former Fox News host Steve Hilton is running for governor of California as a Republican "to make California Golden Again," the Daily Caller reported. Hilton will attempt to unseat incumbent Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in November 2o26.
Hilton announced his candidacy in a video on X, formerly Twitter, on April 18. "It’s time to make California Golden Again," Hiton began the caption for his video.
"We need some balance here after 15 years of Democrat one-party rule. Positive, practical policies that actually help people, not ideological crusades. It's why I am running for governor of California," Hilton added.
An American story
Hilton's video outlines his life story, starting with his background growing up in Britain, to his 2012 move to the U.S. with his parents, and ending with the sad decline of California over the pandemic. "It all started with freedom," Hilton began.
"My parents fled communism in Hungary. So I was born in England, a free country, but a country in rapid decline," Hilton charged.
He went on to mention that he graduated from Oxford University and later worked for then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who remains well-respected by Republicans. "She unleashed the spirit of enterprise in England," Hilton mentioned.
"She inspired me. I started a business, even a couple of restaurants. That is a tough business. Later, I helped elect a prime minister and worked in 10 Downing Street," Hilton added. These achievements would set him up for his 2012 move to California.
However, Hilton said the Golden State in "America, the home of freedom," didn't turn out to be so, thanks to mismanagement. "Look at these pictures — the chaos, the crime, the collapse of the California dream. This is not just any other state. California means to America what America means to the world," Hilton said over images of the masking and pandemic closures.
Taking aim
Hilton's announcement took aim directly at the politicians like Newsom, whom he blames for the mess in California. His video also included images of former Vice President Kamala Harris, who is rumored to be a contender for the Democrats in 2026.
"It’s time to end the years of Democrat failure. Let’s make California an inspiration, again, the very best of America," Hilton added, targeting Harris.
"There’s only one way to do that. We’ve got to end the one-party rule that got us into this mess," he said. The state has been under Democratic control since 2011, but Hilton focused mainly on Harris in another interview.
"She’d bring a lot of attention to the race and the issues that California faces. And I think that’s important that we can have a really serious policy discussion about how we turn things around and make California what it should be, which is the best of America," Hilton said.
California is a deep-blue state, but the chances for Republicans seem to have improved with every Democratic policy failure. Hilton may or may not be the man for the job, but it's promising to see the GOP energized at all there.
Jay Sigel, one of the most decorated amateur golfers in history, died on Saturday at age 81 from pancreatic cancer.
Sigel was native to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He got an Arnold Palmer Scholarship to Wake Forest University and thought he would go pro, but a hand injury derailed those plans, but he continued to play amateur golf while pursuing a career in insurance.
He won the U.S. Amateur championship in 1982 and 1983 as well as the 1983 Mid-Amateur and two more by 1986. Those followed up the British Amateur in 1979.
He later said that he believed the hand injury was the "best thing that happened" to him.
"Hands down"
He was a nine-time member of the U.S. Walker Cup team, which he captained twice.
He participated in a record 33 Walker Cup matches, both in singles and foursomes. Of those, he won 18, tied 10, and lost only five.
Sigel was also the low amateur three times at the Masters as well as once at the U.S. Open and the Open Championship.
“He was a dear friend and somebody that we will remember forever, and take a lot of inspiration from,” USGA President-elect Kevin Hammer said to USGA’s David Shefter about Sigel. “Best amateur since Bobby Jones hands down."
PGA Tour Champions
When Sigal was 50, he finally turned professional and joined the PGA Tour Champions.
He took the tour by storm, winning Rookie of the Year in 1994.
In total, he won eight senior tournaments including the GTE West Classic his first year and the 1996 Senior Tour Championship.
He ended up with $9 million in winnings as a pro, even though he was a senior when he started.
He remained a Pennsylvania resident, but spent his winters in South Florida.
In his own way, Sigel made a huge mark on the golf world that could probably never have happened if he had gone pro as a young adult.
As Joe Biden's tenure in the White House fades further into the rear-view mirror, more information is emerging about the lengths to which his administration went to curtail the freedoms most Americans hold dear.
As Fox News reports, Tulsi Gabbard, now serving as Director of National Intelligence, recently declassified the details of a Biden-era scheme to battle against domestic terrorism that critics say would have facilitated government spying on American citizens.
Declassification spotlights troubling details
The declassification of information about the program came as a result of a push by conservative advocacy group America First Legal (AFL) after it learned, via litigation against the Department of Homeland Security, of the existence of the “National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism.”
This Biden-era plan was borne out of that administration's assertion that the greatest threat to Americans was “right wing domestic terrorism” initiated by supporters of Donald Trump.
AFL sought declassification of the Biden plan due to its concerns about weaponization of power “by censoring disfavored speech on the Internet by labeling such speech 'misinformation,' 'disinformation,' 'hate speech,' 'domestic terrorism.'”
In the wake of the Jan. 6 unrest at the U.S. Capitol, the Biden administration “directed the U.S. Department of State, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice, and Central Intelligence Agency to 'obtain from foreign partners foreign intelligence and information related to U.S.-based violent extremism,'” as AFL noted.
“In other words, the Biden administration planned to outsource surveillance of Americans to foreign governments,” AFL explained.
Gabbard's move yields key insights
In response to AFL's effort, Gabbard took to X to announce the declassification of documents pertaining to Biden's plan.
“As promised, I have declassified the Biden Administration's Strategic Implementation Plan for Countering Domestic Terrorism,” Gabbard wrote.
Gabbard also declared, “Under President Trump's leadership, @ODNIgov will bring transparency and accountability to end the weaponization of our intelligence community.”
Notably, Gabbard's declassification shed light on the Biden program that even spurred criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union, which opined that its provisions were reflective of “the government's ever-expanding authority to surveil and monitor American communities....”
The program, the ACLU warned, encompassed “law enforcement guidance that permits profiling on the basis of race, religion, or national origin; and the use of abusive tools such as the watchlisting system against people for constitutionally protected speech and association.”
Staggering scope of strategy revealed
As AFL explained, “The Biden Administration weaponized the entire intelligence apparatus -- the NSC, ODNI, CIA, FBI, DOJ, and the State Department -- to target, censor, and silence the very people it was responsible for protecting.”
Andrew Block, AFL's senior counsel opined, “The declassified plan is further proof of what we have known all along, which is that the Biden Administration used the full weight of the government to target American citizens. AFL applauds Director Gabbard for her leadership in declassifying this document,” adding that doing so will, "bring accountability to those responsible and help restore integrity and faith in the system,” and that is something millions believe is long overdue.
Former child actor Haley Joel Osment was caught on video spewing antisemitic slurs and calling a police officer a "f----- Nazi" during an April 8 arrest, the Daily Caller reported. The newly released police body camera footage showed the "Sixth Sense" actor being handcuffed for public intoxication.
The 37-year-old was busted at California's Mammoth Mountain ski resort. Osment was arrested for public intoxication, but police found cocaine residue in his ski helmet in the course of the arrest.
The "Secondhand Lions" actor was uncooperative and initially refused to give his name to the arresting officers. "I’m an American," he told officers flippantly.
"Well, you’re under arrest now," the officer told Osment. Police cuffed Osment, whose ski pants were inexplicably unbuttoned and falling down as he struggled to stand up and follow instructions. He was taken into police custody only briefly and was later released.
Embarrassing Situation
Osment found himself in an embarrassing situation after ski patrol and the police were called to the area around 2 p.m. for reports of an intoxicated individual, the New York Post reported. They encountered the former child actor, who was combative and sometimes uncooperative.
The police video was heavily redacted, but it showed Osment hurling insults at police. "I’ve been kidnapped by a f------- Nazi," Osment yelled at one point and insisted he was "being attack." He also said the officers were "torturing me."
However, officers were using restraint even as Osment was causing trouble for them as they tried to do their job. At one point, they had to tell him to "use your legs and stand up" while trying to take him into custody.
Once in the back of the police car, Osment continued his tirade, telling officers they were "f------ with my life." He also used an anti-Jewish slur at one of the officers, insisting, "I was decent to you and you, and you are a f------ k---," Osment said.
Unfortunate Turn
Osment's life has taken a turn for the worse, but this isn't the first time he's had a run-in with the law over substance abuse. In 2006, Osment was arrested for driving while intoxicated after he hit a mailbox and overturned his vehicle.
In a statement to The Post, Osment expressed regret about his behavior during the recent arrest and said he would "promise to atone for my terrible mistake." He explained that he has been in a bad way since he lost his home in January to one of the wildfires in Altadena.
"I’m absolutely horrified by my behavior. Had I known I used this disgraceful language in the throes of a blackout, I would have spoken up sooner," Osment claimed. "The past few months of loss and displacement have broken me down to a very low emotional place," he added.
"But that’s no excuse for using this disgusting word. From the bottom of my heart, I apologize to absolutely everyone that this hurts. What came out of my mouth was nonsensical garbage – I’ve let the Jewish community down and it devastates me," Osment said
Osment is not the only child star to have a tumultuous adult life, but that doesn't make it any better for him. Hopefully, this latest humiliating encounter will be a wake-up call for Osment.
A top National Institutes of Health food scientist has abruptly retired from the agency over disagreements about his research, the UK Daily Mail reported. Dr. Kevin Hall believes it was because outcomes "did not appear to fully support preconceived narratives" under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Washington, D.C. is reeling as Hall is a nutrition and metabolism scientist who was conducting studies on the impact of ultraprocessed food on obesity. He claimed in a post to X, formerly Twitter, that he was retiring because he received pushback on his research results.
Kennedy has been an outspoken critic of the food industry. He has postulated that the use of addictive additives that turn food into unrecognizable products that are hyperpalatable is causing significant health problems as America grows sicker and fatter.
However, Hall said his research study on ultraprocessed foods disputed the claims that these products are as addictive to consumers as drugs. Critics believe Hall's study was flawed, but the doctor disputes this claim, saying it's a matter of "censorship."
Public Departure
Hall pinned the post to his X account and laid out his case against the NIH. "After 21 years at my dream job, I’m very sad to announce my early retirement from the National Institutes of Health," he began his lengthy post.
"My life’s work has been to scientifically study how our food environment affects what we eat, and how what we eat affects our physiology. Lately, I’ve focused on unravelling the reasons why diets high in ultra-processed food are linked to epidemic proportions of chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity," Hall went on.
"Our research leads the world on this topic. Given recent bipartisan goals to prevent diet-related chronic diseases, and new agency leadership professing to prioritize scientific investigation of ultra-processed foods, I had hoped to expand our research program with ambitious plans to more rapidly and efficiently determine how our food is likely making Americans chronically sick," the doctor claimed.
"Unfortunately, recent events have made me question whether NIH continues to be a place where I can freely conduct unbiased science," Hall wrote. He went on to say that there was "censorship in the reporting of our research because of agency concerns that it did not appear to fully support preconceived narratives of my agency’s leadership about ultra-processed food addiction," Hall claimed.
Research Findings
Hall conducted a 2019 study that found people ate more when the foods were engineered to be highly palatable. He launched a 28-day study and found that when the additives that made the food more enjoyable were removed, consumption decreased.
In 2024, Hall was set to share his findings, but he claims he has been censored. Scientists throughout the U.S. are studying whether it's the processing, chemical additives, or overconsumption of fat, salt, and sugar that are to blame for poor health outcomes.
A Boston Children's Hospital researcher and endocrinologist believes that Hall's original study was simply too short to be useful. It's easy to get people to modify their behavior for short periods, but it's common knowledge among scientists that long-term change is more challenging.
Dr David Ludwig said Hall's study was "fundamentally flawed by its short duration" and thus unable to provide adequate information. "If they were persistent, we would have the answer to obesity," said Ludwig, who believes that consumption of junk carbohydrates is the "prime dietary culprit" and that worrying about the processing itself is "distracting."
While scientists squabble over these distinctions, Americans experience poor health outcomes that have increased rapidly. There is too much money in the ultraprocessed food industry for quick change, but continued study could eventually break the spell of Big Food.
