The Joe Rogan Drugs Situation Is Bigger Than You Think & What Kash Patel's Meltdown Just Exposed

TL;DR

A JAMA study shows Joe Rogan's ivermectin podcast doubled cancer prescriptions, while Kash Patel dodged drinking allegations and lying-to-Congress warnings before the Senate.

Key Points

• 1.Kash Patel's Senate hearing devolved into a public meltdown. Senator Van Hollen grilled the FBI Director over reports of frequent drunkenness and being impossible to locate, with Patel deflecting by attacking Van Hollen's El Salvador prison visit and a $7,000 staff holiday catering bill.
• 2.Van Hollen challenged Patel to take an alcohol audit test on the spot. Van Hollen later posted his own results publicly — 2–3 drinks per week with 'never' on all problem-drinking questions — and dared Patel to do the same; Patel refused.
• 3.Patel admitted firing Iran counter-espionage experts but claimed ignorance of specifics. When pressed by Van Hollen on whether fired staff had Iran counter-espionage experience, Patel said he terminated anyone who 'weaponized law enforcement' but didn't have the list in front of him.
• 4.A JAMA study found ivermectin and fenbendazole prescriptions doubled after a single Joe Rogan–Mel Gibson podcast. The January 2025 episode, with over 13 million YouTube views, featured Gibson claiming three stage-four cancer friends recovered using ivermectin; prescription rates among cancer patients rose over 2.5 times.
• 5.There is currently no clinical trial evidence that ivermectin treats cancer in humans. While animal studies show possible tumor inhibition, doctors warn the drug may be toxic at effective doses, interfere with proven treatments, and that over 90% of promising preclinical drugs fail in human trials.
• 6.Federal judges have ruled against ICE detentions over 10,000 times — roughly 90% of cases reviewed. More than 425 judges, including a majority of Trump's own appointees, ruled against the administration; ICE has continued detaining people in defiance of rulings, leading to an 18th detainee death in four months.
• 7.Trump arrived in China with Elon Musk, Tim Cook, and Nvidia's CEO, backing away from his promised hard-line tariff stance. After China cut off rare earth mineral exports in retaliation, Trump reached a tentative truce with Xi and is now focused on trade stability, potential soybean/Boeing deals, and a proposed US-China Board of Trade.
• 8.A Republican South Carolina Senate Majority Leader single-handedly killed Trump's gerrymandering plan by openly admitting it would increase Black voter turnout. Shane Massey spoke for 45 minutes against redrawing the map targeting Rep. James Clyburn's seat, citing federalism concerns but explicitly warning colleagues of 'down ballot repercussions' from energized Black voters.