Itsa few minutes after 6 p.m. on Thursday night, and as Donald Trump prepares to accept his nomination at the Republican National Convention, a weary-looking Stephen Colbert is rehearsing a few hundred miles away at the Ed Sullivan Theater.
Dressed in rumpled khakis and nursing a massive Starbucks coffee, the hostruns lines ahead of what will be his fourth live broadcast this week.The jokes playup the vibe of loopyexhaustion in the room:Hey, remember Monday? he asks, setting up a clip package. I dont.
As the nation has watched the surreal political theater unfolding in Cleveland, Colbert and his team at The Late Show have been pulling out all the stops each night at 11:35 p.m. (Or sometimes much later, thanks to RNC overruns). Theyll repeat the feat next week during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
Thursdays show features a return appearance by Jon Stewart, who has come out of quasi-retirement on his New Jersey farm to lend his old Comedy Central buddy a hand.
He temporarily borrows Colberts desk to deliver a vintage, destined-to-go-viral Daily Show-style rant inspired by the news that his longtime nemesis, Fox News chief Roger Ailes, is resigning amid sexual harassment allegations.
So far, at least, the sleep deprivation seemsto have been worth it. The live broadcasts enable Colbert to capitalize on his perceived strength as a political commentatorand helpThe Late Showdominateonline conversation throughout the convention.
We really felt that we fulfilled the mission of what were trying to do as a late-night show this week, says show runner Chris Lichtin an interview Friday afternoon. The former executive producer of CBS This Morning was brought on board The Late Show in April.One of the missions of this show is to be as topical and relevant as possible. We cannot do that during a convention week without being live.
The Late Show team is also leaning heavily on star power.Mondays episode included an appearance byColberts blowhard character from The Colbert Report,something that had previously been verboten, Licht notes. The decision to bring back Stephen Colbert is a reflection ofColberts growing comfort in his new role. Hes really getting into his groove lately.Its another tool in his toolbox he realized he could use in a limited way.
Stewarts two appearances create a feeling akin to a supergroup reunion.
At Thursdaysrehearsal, Stewart watchesColbert admiringly from a seat near the front of the Ed Sullivan Theater. In his off-duty beard and a backwardFDNY baseball cap, Stewartoccasionally weighsin with colorful words of encouragement and the odd reference to the Coen brothers film The Hudsucker Proxy.
Colbert runs through a monologue riffing on Trumps NATO blunder and awkward air kiss with running mate Mike Pence, virtually all of which is scrapped for convention coverage in the live show. (Sadly, a graphic reimagining Russian President Vladimir Putin as Game of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen doesnt make it to air.)
Then its time to address the other big news of the day: Ailes ouster. Stewart is summoned to the stage, where the seasoned TV veteranfeigns ignorance of production basicswhich way do I face? he asksin an affected Jewish grandma voice then crawls beneath Colberts desk.
When its finally time for him to emerge,Stewart usesFox News personality Sean Hannity as the central example in a blistering critique of conservatives embracing Donald Trump.
The bit playswell in rehearsal, its success fueledby the obvious chemistry between Stewart and Colbert, who popsout from below the desk to explain the Taylor Swift-Kim Kardashian feud and to admonish Stewart for mocking Arbys (a running gag from The Daily Show).The only problem is the episodeis running long by about six minutes. As a sound guy removeshis microphone, Stewartshakes Colberts hand. Well tighten it down. Well get it good.
Thanks to Trumps lengthy acceptance speech, Thursdays show doesnt actually begin untilFriday morning. At roughly12:16 a.m., the show begins with a cold open featuring the nights first guest, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and playing on the rumors shell be Hillary Clintons running mate.
Then Colbert takes to the Ed Sullivan stage. Despite the late hour, and in contrast to his subdued demeanor earlier in the evening, he is lively and energized. His monologue is fresh with jokes targeting Trumps acceptance shout and Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus.
During a commercial break, agaggle of producers distracts the audience by pretending to point at something awry in the ceilingwhile Stewart sneaks into position.Amazingly, it works.
Colbert sets up the Fox News segment by making the obviously disingenuous claimthat Ailes resignation gives him no pleasure. Then he asks to have the camera taken off him for a moment. Safely out of view,Colbertrubs his nipples suggestivelyand arches his back. The audience eats it up.
Stewarts appearance, moments later, is met with ecstatic applause.His takedown, though edited slightly, is an even bigger hit in the room at the Ed Sullivan Theater.Like many of The Daily Shows greatest hits, it usesconservatives own words against them, in this case arguing that criticisms leveled atPresidentObama for his supposed elitism and lack of experience, among other alleged shortcomings apply even more directly to candidate Trump.
Stewart adds to the live versiona pointed reference tothe lack of Republican support for 9/11 first responders, and a pithyrecap of the conventions key themes. He also keepsthe CBS censors on their toes with some basic cable-styleprofanity. (Luckily, theyre also well-caffeinated.)
TEX@CWS: Dominant Sale strikes out 14, ties ML record
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Things on the South Side are heating up. According to multiple reports, the Boston Red Sox are trying to negotiate a deal with the White Sox that would give them Chris Sale and David Robertson. Clearly, the Red Sox are going for broke.
If the White Sox can get more than a "king"s ransom" they would be foolish not to at least entertain the thought of this deal. Especially if the Red Sox are willing to give up their top prospect,Yoan Moncada.
Moncada, 21, is the Red Sox number one prospect. He plays second base, but could be developed into a third or even first basemen. This season in Single and Double-A Moncada is hitting .306 with 11 home runs and 54 RBIs in just 84 games.
It"s unclear if the White Sox are really willing to give up Chris Sale, but Jose Quintana and David Robertson aredefiantlyon the market, which could also be another option for the Red Sox.
If I had to guess Quintana and Robertson will be the players the White Sox part ways with before the deadline. Clearly, I"m not the only one that believes this.
The former KKK leader made the announcement on his website.
Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, an avowed white supremacist, officially signed up Friday to run for U.S. Senate in Louisiana, saying "the climate of this country has moved in my direction."
"I believe my time has come," Duke said after submitting his paperwork for the ballot. He added: "The people of this country, the patriotic, decent, G*d-fearing people of this country are now right with me."
Duke"s candidacy comes one day after Donald Trump accepted the GOP nomination for president, and Duke said he"s espoused principles for years that are similar to the themes Republicans are now supporting in Trump"s campaign, on issues such as immigration and trade.
He said the majority of Americans are "embracing the core issues I have fought for my entire life."
The launch of Duke"s campaign also comes as the state is grappling with deep racial tensions after the shooting death of a black man by white police officers and the killing of three law enforcement officers by a black man. Duke said he was "shattered" by the slayings of police and said they were "one of the things that tipped me to going for this race."
In a lengthy speech, Duke talked of the "massive racial discrimination going on right now against European Americans," and what he called a biased media working against him. He described the Black Lives Matter movement as a "terrorist organization."
He said his slogan remains "America first."
A registered Republican, Duke is seeking an open seat vacated by Republican David Vitter.
Nearly two dozen candidates have signed up for the Senate race. The seat is open because Vitter decided not to seek re-election on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Republicans at the state and federal level quickly denounced Duke"s Senate bid.
Roger Villere, chairman of the Republican Party of Louisiana, said in a statement the party "will play an active role in opposing" him.
"The Republican Party opposes, in the strongest possible terms, David Duke"s candidacy for any public office. David Duke is a convicted felon and a hate-filled fraud who does not embody the values of the Republican Party," Villere said Friday.
Ward Baker, with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Louisiana voters have several GOP candidates "who will have a great impact on the Bayou State and the future of our country."
"David Duke is not one of them. He will not have the support of the NRSC under any circumstance," Baker said in a statement.
Duke is a former state representative who represented suburban New Orleans for a single term more than two decades ago and was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress. His failed bid for governor in the 1991 race against former Gov. Edwin Edwards who was later convicted of corruption was one of Louisiana"s most high-profile elections, with Duke opponents proudly showing bumper stickers supporting Edwards that read "Vote for the crook. It"s important."
In a posting on his website, Duke said he"d been "urged by enormous numbers of people" in his district to run for United States Congress.
"With the country coming apart at the seams and no one willing to really speak the truth about what is happening, the majority population in this country needs someone who will actually give voice to their interests in the face of an increasingly violent hatefest launched by the media and political establishment against them," Duke"s website says.
Duke, a convicted felon, pleaded guilty in 2002 to bilking his supporters and cheating on his taxes. He spent a year in federal prison, but later denied any wrongdoing.
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Madden 17 News | Top 5 Running Back Ratings - Le"Veon Bell 94 OVR!
I really dont care if people smoke marijuana. I just dont.I think it should be legal. We waste hundredsof millions of dollars annually on it, arresting, prosecuting and locking people up.But it isnt legal in most places and isnt permissible bythe NFL. Therefore, players should find a way to avoid it.
Im not going to get on a soapbox because I believe people should be freeto make choices about their own lives.This isnt about players lacking character or morals. Its aboutplayers lacking intelligence and not caring about theirteammates.In other words, players getting suspended for smoking weed (ormissing a mandatory drug test) is a really dumb, selfish act.
Remember those discussions about whether the Steelers should signLeVeon Bell or Antonio Brown to a big contract extension?Yeah, well, that is no longer a discussion given the latest newsthat Bell is facing a four-game suspension for violation of the NFLssubstance abuse policy.
Bell was suspended for two games for his little adventure up McKnight Road with formerSteelers running back LeGarrette Blount in 2014,whichshould have been a wake up call but apparently wasnt.Bell, who has appealed this suspension, either tested positive or missedfour different drug tests, which tells me he either is too dumb tounderstand the rules or too arrogant to care about them.
That brings me back to the Bell and Brown contract extension discussion. Not only should the Steelers give the money toBrown, they shouldnt even offer a contract to Bell and maybe evenshould look to trade him.
To be clear, I thought Brown should get the money anyway because heis the Steelers best player (sorry Ray Fittipaldo) and one of the bestplayers in football. It has been proven time and time againthat you dont need an elite running back to win at a high level intodays NFL.The Steelers almost got to the AFC title game with Fitzgerald Toussaint at running back, so they will be fineoffensively.
Its ridiculous that a guy with millions on the line cant lay offmarijuana for a few months.And please, spare me the argument that he was medicating himself because heis in pain from playing such a brutal sport.That is nonsense and an excuse for players. If a guy is in pain, there are plenty of drugs availablefor pain that arent illegal and banned by the NFL.
It isnt that hard to know when a drug test is coming, so it shouldnt bethat hard to be prepared for one.Thats why I said either he isnt very bright, or he just selfish and doesnt care about his teammates. Either way, heneeds to go somewhere else and try again.
Bell is one of the best running backs in the league. There is noquestion about his talent.But he has been injury-prone and drug-prone,which means he is suspension-prone. Therefore, he isnt reliable.
The Steelers cant count on him, so they shouldnt pay himthe big money he wants.Sadly, some owner wont be able to help himself and will giveBell a big contract. Therein lies part of the problem: talented guys like Bell havebeen told their entire athletic life they are above the rules becausetheir talent trumps all else.
For Bells sake, I hope he figures it out, stops doing drugs andgoes on to a great career.I hope he breaks records and goes to the Hall of Fame and becomesa great role model for kids in terms of how to bounce back fromself-inflicted adversity.
All of that has to happen elsewhere. He cant stay withthe Steelers beyond the end of his current contract (after this season) because they cant count on him. He clearly hasnt learned his lessonfrom his first suspension.The Steelers would be foolish to sign Bell long-term, but if theydo, they deserve what they get. At this point, thats a talented yetunreliable tailback who may not be available on game day.
Suge Knight got emotional and lost his cool in court Friday saying he"s worried he"s going to die in jail.
The breakdown came as the judge on his murder case ruled he can"t get addresses for several key prosecution witnesses and will have to wait until a week before trial to get the names of three more confidential witnesses.
The delay was granted after prosecutors raised concerns he might try to intimidate the witnesses.
"My time is ticking some days because of the health problems I have, and right now I"m not getting a fair chance to prove my innocence," Knight told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald Coen.
Suge Knight"s harsh jail rules blamed on "massive scandal"
The co-founder of Death Row Records, 51, claimed he hasn"t been able to pay his lawyers, investigators or experts because he can"t call anyone other than his lawyers and can"t get visits from people outside his defense team, his parents and his four young children.
"If I don"t have the right to discuss my business or my own finances to take care of my own children, how do I have a right to defend myself? Because if I have no communication with the world, I cannot hire the right people," he said. "They"ve worked so far but they"re not getting paid."
He said it was "important" for Coen to listen to him because he feels he has "no one else to talk to."
"I hate to have to go through all this and die in jail," he told the judge.
Suge Knight seeks court approval to visit with sick mother
After his impassioned speech, Knight snapped at his lawyers in open court and could be heard raising his voice while waiting in a holding area during a break.
"I think all of this is just starting to take a toll on him both emotionally and physically. Obviously he"s been incarcerated over a year. He"s not getting the proper medical attention. And what you saw today was just a product of that," defense lawyer J. Tooson told the Daily News after the hearing.
In a filing opposing the defense team"s right to unredacted discovery, prosecutors argued that Knight is a dangerous criminal with gang ties who extorts a safety "tax" from rappers and once ordered a bodyguard to punch a woman.
In court, prosecutor Cynthia Barnes said she was worried that if Knight learns the identities of three confidential civilian witnesses in the case, he might go after them.
Suge Knight will be allowed to see sick mom after judge"s ruling
"The problem is, in county jail these reports get distributed and they have names in them. So if we give the defendant a report that has the name of a witness and he"s passing it around the county jail it puts that person"s name on blast to other gang members and other individuals that that person is a snitch and a potential witness," Barnes argued. "That creates more of a concern for the safety of that individual."
Knight"s fiancee Toi-Lin Kelly scoffed at the argument outside court.
She noted prosecution witness Cle "Bone" Sloan testified under an immunity deal at a preliminary hearing - and apparently hasn"t been targeted.
"Bone already testified and he"s fine, right? There are no reports of him being threatened or even contacted," she said after the hearing.
Sloan, a former gang member, was caught on tape fighting with Knight in the parking lot of a Compton burger stand in January 2015 before Knight hit the gas on his truck and ran over both Sloan and local businessman Terry Carter killing Carter.
Knight"s attempted murder charge relates to Sloan. When Sloan testified at the preliminary hearing he insisted over and over that he wasn"t a "snitch."
The protective order now governing Knight"s jail stay was filed by authorities under seal, so it"s not clear what alleged evidence they offered to justify the strict curtailments on Knight"s access to phone calls and visitors.
When he spoke to the judge Friday, Knight said he"s in bad health with blood clots in his arm and neck that landed him in the hospital.
"The doctor confirmed the blood clot in his neck was the size of a golf ball," Kelly said after the hearing.
Arguing for Knight"s right to unredacted discovery, his lawyers claimed that prosecutors gave up their right to withhold witness information when they allegedly shared case paperwork with a man believed to be a jailhouse informant.
Tooson and his co-counsel Antoine Williams said in court that a defense investigator interviewed alleged informant Daniel Timms and believed Timms was able to review unredacted copies of Knight"s case information.
They said the District Attorney failed to publicly refute Timms" claims after they surfaced in court filings last April and argued that if Timms is telling the truth, prosecutors forfeited their right to redact their discovery when they shared discovery with a convicted criminal.
Barnes blasted the suggestion prosecutors were working with Timms.
"Daniel Timms is a liar and a joke," Barnes told Judge Coen. "He"s not a jailhouse informant. They"re completely misinformed."
Knight, 51, has pleaded not guilty in the case, claiming he was the victim of an armed ambush and feared for his life when he mowed down Sloan and Carter.
The former music mogul fled the scene but later agreed to meet with police to tell his side of the story. He was arrested, charged and hasn"t been able to post his staggering $10.5 million bail.
His time behind bars has been marked by a series of medical woes including an emergency appendix surgery in March.
Tooson said Knight is on medication for his blood clots and diabetes and was rushed to a hospital by ambulance last week because jail personnel allegedly underestimated the seriousness of his condition.
"I don"t want you to die," Judge Coen told Knight in court Friday.
The judge said he would be happy to sign any medical orders brought to his attention by Knight"s lawyers.
Kelly said she"s still worried.
"His attorneys are successful attorneys with business to attend to and he can"t always get them on the phone," she said. "And what if he"s too ill to make that phone call?"
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Full Show - Munich Terror: No Rest For The "Religion Of Peace" - 07/22/2016
Screencap from The Alex Jones Channel/YouTube
Alternative media mogul Alex Jonesone of the most prominent opponents of the New World Order, scientific dictatorship, and the secret society that controls the policehas come a long way since he started his first radio show at KJFK in Austin, Texas.
The Alex Jones Show, which peddles far-right and libertarian leaning political and social views to its emotionally-invested listeners, is syndicated on over 160 AM and FM stations across the country, carried by the Americas Talk channel on internet radio juggernaut iHeartRadio, and distributed as a popular podcast on iTunes. His website Infowars, which runs various news stories and serves as a hub for his show, gets around 6 million unique visitors per month, according to web analytics firm Alexa.
He also seems to be doing a healthy business in dietary supplements.
Infowars Life: Because theres a war on for your life, reads the tagline.
The Infowars Store first appeared online in 2006, when Jones started selling a few books and other products. It now sells an impressive range of products, from books with titles like Bloodlines of the Illuminati and Controlling the Human Mind, to doomsday prepping gear like Survival Seed Vaults and radiation-eliminating water bottles. But perhaps the most curious expansion of the Alex Jones brand is the line of supplements branded Infowars Life.
The banner for Infowars Life. Image: Infowars Store
Some of the products are merely overpriced versions of supplements you could buy at nearly any natural foods store or pharmacy in the country, wrapped in fear-mongering marketing. On the Infowars site, the pages for Infowars Life products rarely provide scientific data or studies, often citing Joness own stamp of approval as the only reason to purchase the product. The other sources often cited are simply links to episodes of Joness show, usually with his go-to science guy, the naturopath and chiropractor Dr. Edward Group.
Dr. Edward Group, whose doctorate is actually in chiropractic medicine, is an alternative and holistic medical practitioner who runs the Global Healing Center. Quackwatch.com, a medical fraud watchdog site, lists the GHC in its Questionable Organizations list. Dr. Group has collected a number of degrees, but only in alternative medical areas and business and management programs. He also listed himself at one point as having earned a full Doctorate of Medicine from the Joseph LaFortune University School of Medicinethe same school that was sued by the Florida attorney general for defrauding nursing students who didnt realize the university wasnt accredited in the United Statesbut the degree was scrubbed from his website in mid-2015.
The reason the FDA has banned colloidal silver, Jones claims, is that its a threat to the pharmaceutical companies and a threat to doctors visits, because it works so good in the body.
Alex Jones and Infowars did not respond to repeated requests for comment. A spokesperson for the Global Healing Center addressed the various supplements discussed in this article, as Dr. Group promotes and recommends them in Jones videos. They noted, in response to iodine in particular that they wouldn"t discount the importance of research but would also throw in the caveat that there are financial reasons studies happen and financial reasons they dont.
Infowars Life sales pitch #1: Corporations have engineered a condition that makes you sick, therefore you need this product.
Whats amazing about Infowars Life is how well it integrates into the greater Infowars narrative. Take the $29.99 per bottle Secret 12, for example, which is simply liquid vitamin B12. This is a vitamin that plays a key role in the human body, affecting protein metabolism as well as the formation of red blood cells.
In a video from Alex Jones YouTube channel titled The B12 Conspiracy, Jones and Group explain the worldwide conspiracy that has led to a dire need for B12. Everyone is deficient in B12, Group says, because of all the pesticides and everything else thats been sprayed on the soil, 60 percent of the worlds soil is now deficient in cobalt, an ingredient in B12 formation.
Group and Jones cite a study from the Journal of Organic Systems about glyphosate, a chemical found in weed killers, causing various diseases. It mentions nothing about cobalt or B12. The two then digress into discussing the chemical war on America by corporations and the government: they know what theyre doing, theyre targeting us by foisting GMOs, fluoride, and other such chemicals on an unwitting public.
According to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, the adequate daily intake of B12 for an adult male is 2.4mcg, and it can be obtained through a variety of foods (fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk) or through almost any multivitamin found in drugstores.
The Office of Dietary Supplements says that most people in the United States get enough vitamin B12 from the foods they eat although anywhere from 1.5 percent to 15 percent of the population could be suffering from a vitamin deficiency, mainly due to conditions such as aging that prevent the body from absorbing B12 from food.
But if youre an Infowars fan, however, why would you trust these institutions?
Infowars Life sales pitch #2: The government is suppressing this highly effective product because it competes with the pharmaceutical industry.
Jones also peddles Silver Bullet, an oral colloidal silver solution that Jones calls the survival silver [that] is the perfect fit for you and your family"s routine and emergency supply.
There was a big crackdown on the medical claims for colloidal silver when it was popular in the 1990s for treating common ailments. Jones is careful not to make any specific medical claims on the Silver Bullet product page, merely saying its unique and has applications for both preparedness and regular use. But its in his video, titled Government Suppresses Ancient Natural Antibiotic, that he and Group make their claims about colloidal silver.
In 1999, the FDA released its final rule regarding over-the-counter drugs containing colloidal silver and silver salts. These products were to be marked as not generally regarded as safe for human consumption, because FDA is not aware of any substantial scientific evidence that supports the use of OTC colloidal silver ingredients or silver salts for these disease conditions.
The banner for Secret 12. Image: Infowars Store
In the Silver Bullet video, Dr. Group says that the FDA raided his offices because he was selling colloidal silver; the reason the FDA has banned it, he claims, is that its a threat to the pharmaceutical companies and a threat to doctors visits, because it works so good in the body. They also claim in the video that the FDAs banning of colloidal silver is the government trying to shut down anybody thats producing silver, because they know how effective it is.
In the video, Group says that colloidal silver is an amazing anti-microbial compound. The controversy around it has more to do with how the product is made, he says. If you make it with tap water, lets say, or if theres any salts in the water, you can end up with silver nitrates, which Group blames for health problems in people who have taken colloidal silver supplements.
Scientists have concluded, however, that colloidal silver does not have health benefits and could be dangerous. We emphasize the lack of established effectiveness and potential toxicity of these products, wrote the authors of a 1996 Journal of Toxicology article.
Colloidal silver can cause argyria, a condition that can turn the skin a bluish gray color due to silver granules being deposited in the skin. There was a particularly high profile case of argyria in Paul Karason, known in the media as Papa Smurf, who consumed a homemade colloidal silver solution after reading about it in an alternative health magazine and used a topical silver treatment on his face.
In the Infowars video promoting Silver Bullet, Dr. Group says that silver nitrates are to blame for argyria and it was proved that Karason brewed his silver the wrong way and consumed far too much of it in order to turn himself blue to get media attention.
According to Group, any virus, any bacteria, any organism thats harmful to the body and its non-resistant to iodine, its non-resistant to silver. The chiropractor keeps it vague when talking about the solutions health benefits. User reviews say it works like a charm against infections, colds, and a spot on my foot that wouldnt heal.
Rather than explain why each specific claim regarding colloidal silver was wrong, Sonya Angelone of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics simply told Motherboard that it is not recommended to take colloidal silver by mouth.
Infowars Life sales pitch #3: Our secret stash of a common product will stop the government from secretly poisoning you through the water supply.
Similar to Silver Bullet, another Infowars product called Survival Shield X-2 boasts a lot of claims that, in the end, dont say much of anything at all.
This product is a solution made with what Jones calls nascent iodine. In an Infowars video called The Iodine Conspiracy, Jones describes Survival Shield X-2 as a product that will block fluoride and other members of the halogen family that are so bad for you. Jones says that the government has been practicing eugenics by putting those products into the water supply, and that nascent iodine will protect you from it.
Of course, one of Jones top experts on the product is Dr. Group, whose Global Health Center page is the first Google result for nascent iodine. The GHCs page on nascent iodine says that the body can seamlessly absorb and utilize nascent iodine for metabolic and detoxification processes, making it more effective as a supplement for the body.
Not only is there no research to support nascent iodines supposed effectiveness or special fluoride-blocking characteristics, its supposed chemical makeup is not possible
Just as Jones refers straight to his expertise, Dr. Group provides no concrete data or research to back such claims. A spokesperson for the GHC told Motherboard that "[t]he importance of iodine is pretty well accepted but studies specific to nascent iodine, as I"m sure you"ve found, are light."
Dr. Group references a holistic health book called Iodine: why you need it, why you cant live without it by Dr. David Brownstein, which says nothing about nascent iodine but rather just addresses the basic, well-known role of iodine in the human body.
His second reference, a book on womens health from a Dr. Christiane Northrup, does mention nascent iodine, but only in passing and as just another way to consume iodine. Dr. Northrup makes no claims about nascent iodine being any better for womens thyroid health than another product. She links to www.thyroidnascentiodine.com, a broken website that isnt associated with the medical community. Dr. Northrup did not respond to a request for comment.
The final reference that Dr. Group has on his nascent thyroid page is to one of the only other names that tends to be associated with the product, a Dr. Edward Sircus, the founder of the so-called International Medical Veritas Association. Quackwatch.com lists the IMVA under its list of questionable organizations.
Jones. Photo: Sean P. Anderson/Flickr
Not only is there no research to support nascent iodines supposed effectiveness or special fluoride-blocking characteristics, its supposed chemical makeup is not possible. Sonya Angelone of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics referred Motherboard to ConsumerLab, an independent health and nutritional product testing group, which addressed nascent iodine in this post. They note that nascent iodine, which promotes itself as being a free, unbound iodine particle rather than diluted in a solution, is impossible if its in liquid form. To be in a liquid supplement like most nascent iodine is sold, it would no longer be atomic as many of these promoters label it. Therefore, if you are buying a supplement promoted as "nascent iodine", it is most likely sodium iodide or potassium iodide, she said.
Iodine is undisputedly essential to a healthy, working human body. Angelone explained iodines role to Motherboard as a key nutrient required by the thyroid gland. It helps convert T4, the inactive thyroid hormone, to T3 the active thyroid hormone. Most people get iodine from iodized salt, but those that dont may need supplements like Survival Shield X-2. But the Infowars product will have the exact same effect as most other iodine supplements on the market.
Whether or not Alex Jones truly believes in the products he sells is unclear, but this much is true: he knows his audience will throw money at anything he endorses. Many Infowars Life products are devoid of any real scientific data, and those that do have corroborating research to be found elsewhere are simply fancy packaged, branded, marked up supplements that can be found elsewhere online or at local vitamin stores. The rest, as we can see, is snake oil.
Alex Jones chief research buddy is a chiropractor with a similar allergy to scientific data and a penchant for charisma and marketing. Survival Shield X-2 wont save you from a nuclear holocaust, and Silver Bullet wont magically cure your immune system. But it will pad the pockets of Alex Jones and help him scheme up new ways to scare you into paying him all over again.
