Panel rejects psychedelic drug MDMA as a PTSD treatment in possible setback for advocates
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health advisers have rejected the first-ever proposal to use MDMA as a treatment for PTSD. The nonbinding vote is a potential setback for psychedelic advocates hoping to move the banned drugs into the mainstream. The experts cited flawed study data and potential safety risks of MDMA, including heart problems. The FDA is expected to make a final decision on the drug in August. The MDMA application is part of a resurgence of interest in the potential of psychedelics for hard-to-treat mental disorders like depression and addiction. But Tuesday’s negative vote could discourage investments and research in the fledgling industry.
Baseball star Shohei Ohtani says he has ‘closure’ after ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara’s guilty plea
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case. Ippei Mizuhara has admitted that he stole nearly $17 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts. Mizuhara entered the plea Tuesday in federal court in Santa Ana, California. Baseball fans from the U.S. to Japan were shocked when the news broke in March. Mizuhara was initially charged with one count of bank fraud and agreed to a plea deal. Authorities say there was no evidence Ohtani was involved in or aware of Mizuhara’s gambling, and the player is cooperating with investigators.
NY man charged in sports betting scandal that led to Jontay Porter’s ban from NBA
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York man has been charged in a sports betting scandal that spurred the NBA to ban Jontay Porter for life. The charges Tuesday against Brooklyn man Long Phi Pham mark the first known criminal fallout from the matter. Pham, who also uses “Bruce” as a first name, is accused of conspiring to defraud a sports betting company. He’s being detained after an initial court appearance. A message seeking comment was left for his attorney. Porter isn’t named in the court complaint, but its specifics about “Player 1” match the details of the former Toronto Raptors player’s downfall this spring. Brooklyn federal prosecutors declined to comment on whether Porter himself is under investigation. Contact information for Porter couldn’t immediately be found.
Alec and Hilaria Baldwin announce TLC family reality series
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria are the next family set to star in their own reality series. The actor and producer, who has seven kids under age 10 with his wife, announced the TLC reality show about their life as a party of nine. “The Baldwins,” the show’s working title, is set to release in 2025. Alec Baldwin says in an Instagram video posted Tuesday that the family is inviting viewers to watch “the ups and downs, the good, the bad, the wild and the crazy” of their family. The announcement comes as Baldwin prepares for trial for his involuntary manslaughter charge in the fatal shooting on the set of the film “Rust” in 2021.
Nebraska funeral home discovers hospice patient was still alive hours after being declared dead
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a Nebraska funeral home discovered that a 74-year-old hospice patient who was declared dead by her nursing home was actually still alive. The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office says upon their shocking discovery on Monday, funeral home workers started CPR and called 911. The woman was rushed to a Lincoln hospital, where she died hours later. Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said Tuesday that he couldn’t “imagine their shock” at finding the woman was alive after putting her on the embalming table. He says investigators are looking into what happened, but hadn’t found evidence yet that any laws were broken. Similar incidents have been reported at funeral homes in New York and Iowa in the past 18 months.
Feds seek woman who left bag of $120,000 as bribe with promise of more at home of food fraud juror
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal authorities in Minnesota are trying to determine who attempted to bribe a juror with a bag of cash containing $120,000 to get her to acquit seven defendants on charges of stealing more than $40 million from a program meant to feed children during the pandemic. They’ve confiscated cellphones and taken all seven defendants into custody. The case went to the jury Monday after the juror, who promptly reported the attempted bribe to police, was dismissed and replaced with an alternate. The judge replaced a second juror Tuesday after she called home to say she’d been sequestered, and a family member asked it it was because of the attempted bribe.
Muhammad Ali’s childhood home is for sale in Kentucky after being converted into a museum
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The pink house where Muhammad Ali grew up dreaming of boxing fame is for sale. The two-bedroom, one-bathroom home in Louisville, Kentucky, was converted into a museum offering a glimpse into the formative years of the man known as The Greatest. It went on the market Tuesday along with two neighboring homes. One was turned into a welcome center-gift shop and the other was to become a short-term rental. Ali’s childhood home became a focal point when hundreds of fans gathered for an emotional send-off as Ali’s funeral procession passed by in 2016. The owners are asking $1.5 million for the three properties.
Craft unfurls China’s flag on the far side of the moon and lifts off with lunar rocks to bring home
BEIJING (AP) — China says its spacecraft unfurled the country’s red and gold flag on the far side of the moon before lifting off with rock and soil samples to bring back to Earth. The mission was hailed as a success in China, which has made significant advances in a space program that aims to put a person on the moon before the end of this decade. The Chang’e-6 probe was launched last month and its lander touched down on the far side of the moon Sunday. China’s space agency said the probe’s ascender carrying the lunar samples entered a preset orbit around the moon Tuesday. The samples will be transferred to a reentry capsule that is due to return to Earth about June 25.
Service dogs helped ease PTSD symptoms in US military veterans, researchers say
Specially trained service dogs helped ease PTSD symptoms in U.S. military veterans in a small study that the researchers hope will help expand options for service members. The research was published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open. The dogs are trained to pick up a veteran’s physical signs of distress and can interrupt panic attacks and nightmares with a loving nudge. After three months, PTSD symptoms improved in both groups, but the veterans with dogs saw a bigger improvement on average than the veterans on the waiting list.
In Indonesia, women ranger teams go on patrol to slow deforestation
DAMARAN BARU, Indonesia (AP) — A female-led group of forest rangers in Indonesia are defying social norms to lead patrols in the jungle to combat deforestation. The patrol group was started by a woman who witnessed the devastating effects of deforestation on her local village in the province of Aceh. The members spend days at a time in the jungle monitoring wildlife, keeping a lookout for deforestation and engaging with farmers and poachers they meet in the jungle. The group said it’s seen a rapid decrease in deforestation in its area. Now they’re sharing their tactics with other women-led groups hoping to protect their own forests across Indonesia.
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