Across rural America, families are learning a hard lesson. The biggest threat to their local hospital or cancer clinic no longer comes from distance, workforce shortages, or regulation. It comes from private equity.Over the past two decades, private equity firms have quietly bought hundreds of cancer clinics, oncology practices, and community hospitals. They promise efficiency and stability. Many communities experience something else: consolidation, higher costs, fewer doctors, and the slow erosion of care. When profit targets fall short, clinics close. Patients travel hours for treatment — or go without it altogether.The same forces that hollowed out manufacturing towns and family farms are now targeting essential health care.This shift reflects a deeper failure: treating health care as a financial asset rather than a public obligation.Private equity follows a familiar playbook. Firms acquire medical practices with borrowed money, cut staffing, increase billing, extract profits, and sell within a few years. That model rewards investors. It fails patients who need long-term care and towns that depend on a single hospital or cancer center.The collapse of 21st-century oncology shows how destructive this approach can be. After private equity took control, the company expanded rapidly across the Southeast while piling on debt. Pressure to generate revenue intensified. Federal investigators later uncovered widespread abuse, including unnecessary testing and illegal billing. The company paid more than $86 million in fraud settlements to the federal government and patients before filing for bankruptcy.Entire regions lost access to cancer care with little warning. Investors exited. Patients were left to deal with the fallout.Rural communities suffer the most. In cities, the loss of a clinic often means longer wait times. In rural America, it can mean the end of cancer care entirely. Patients face long drives, delayed treatment, or impossible choices between health and family obligations.The same pattern appears in rural hospitals owned by Apollo Global Management through its control of LifePoint Health. After the acquisition, hospitals took on heavy debt. Executives sold real estate to raise cash, cut staffing, reduced services, and closed cancer centers. In New Mexico, state officials opened an investigation after reports that an Apollo-owned hospital denied or delayed cancer care for low-income patients.RELATED: The hidden hospital scam driving up drug prices, coming to a state near you amphotora / Getty ImagesDefenders of private equity claim these firms rescue independent practices from hospital monopolies. In reality, they replace local control with corporate control.Doctors lose authority to distant executives who never set foot in the affected communities. The language of independence disguises a transfer of power away from patients and physicians and toward investors.Conservatives should recognize this for what it is. An elite financial class is extracting wealth from essential local institutions and leaving weaker communities behind. The same forces that hollowed out manufacturing towns and family farms are now targeting essential health care.Cancer care should not function as a short-term investment. Rural hospitals should not exist to satisfy quarterly return targets. A system that allows this will continue to fail the people who rely on it most.The answer is accountability, not a government takeover of medicine. Regulators must enforce antitrust laws. Policymakers should strengthen protections that preserve medical judgment from corporate interference. Communities deserve transparency about who owns their hospitals and who controls decisions about their care.Health care depends on trust and continuity. When financialization dominates cancer care, rural Americans lose both. And once these institutions disappear, rebuilding them proves far harder than protecting them in the first place.

Late-night host and writer Conan O'Brien says Trump-deranged comedians need to step up their game.Speaking at the Oxford Union Society, the former talk-show host and "Simpsons" writer lamented that some in the comedy establishment have given up on laughs in favor of angry tirades about President Trump.'We don't have a straight line right now. We have a very bendy, rubbery line.'"I think some comics go the route of, 'I'm going to just say F Trump all the time' [and] that's their comedy. And I think, well, now, a little bit, you're being co-opted because you're so angry.""You've been lulled," added the Harvard alum, likening the allure of crowd-pleasing but joke-free anti-Trump material to a siren song. The comedian continued, "You've been lulled into just saying 'F Trump. F Trump. F Trump. Screw this guy.' I think you've now put down your best weapon, which is being funny, and you've exchanged it for anger."Finding the funnyThe 62-year-old noted that he has always prided himself on finding a way to be funny in any situation, and he did not give his peers an out when it comes to political comedy.RELATED: 'I wouldn't ask for no f**king charity!' Mickey Rourke blasts 'embarrassing' GoFundMe plea "Any person like that would say, 'Well, things are too serious now. I don't need to be funny.' I think, well, if you're a comedian, you always need to be funny. You just have to find a way," O'Brien told the audience at the esteemed student debating society."And you just have to find a way to channel that anger. ... Good art will always be a great weapon, will always be a perfect weapon against power, but if you're just screaming and you're just angry, you've lost your best tool in the toolbox."Playing it straightEarlier in the interview, O'Brien recalled that some of his most joyful memories in comedy were parodying different magazines or news outlets by mocking their tone and style. At the same time, he said it was impossible to parody something that doesn't follow a "straight line."He referred to the National Enquirer, describing the outlet's content as impossible to make fun of because it would print stories like, "Elvis found in Titanic lifeboat 105 years after sinking. He is now a woman, and he's married a giant peanut-butter sandwich.""How do you parody that? You can't," he explained. "And I think with Trump we have a similar situation in comedy, which is people saying, 'We've got a great Trump sketch for you. In this one, he's kind of talking crazy and he's saying stuff, and he tears down half the White House to build a giant ballroom, and he says it's going to be the new Mar-a-Lago.' Yeah, no, that happened yesterday," O'Brien joked. RELATED: How 'conservative' art can go from cringey to cathartic Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images"Comedy needs a straight line to go off of," O'Brien added. "And we don't have a straight line right now. We have a very bendy, rubbery line. We have a slinky. We have a fire hose that's whipping around, spewing water at 100 miles an hour or something else."

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis did her apparent best to throw President Donald Trump in jail and failed miserably.While Willis was disqualified in 2024 from the Georgia case regarding alleged 2020 election interference and the case was dropped late last year, the Democrat DA has proven unable to put the lawfare behind her.In addition to having to fight misconduct allegations, Willis now faces the possibility of having to shell out millions to the president in attorney fees and costs, thanks to legislation ratified in May by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R).'It's Fani Willis' fault.'The new law, which went into effect in July, provides "for the award of reasonable attorney's fees and costs in a criminal case to the defendant upon the disqualification of the prosecuting attorney for misconduct in connection with the case and the subsequent dismissal of the case by the court of a subsequent prosecutor."Although the law might appear perfectly tailored to Trump's case, the legislation had bipartisan support.RELATED: Fani Willis has ugly meltdown when confronted with how much her office paid her ex-lover to prosecute Trump Photo by Dennis Byron-Pool/Getty ImagesTrump is pushing for over $6.2 million in restitution. As the president's legal team has reportedly already been paid, most of the requested funds would go to reimburse Trump.Steve Sadow, Trump's lead attorney in the case, told WXIA-TV, "I feel for the people in Fulton County, because Fani Willis has involved herself in improper conduct. She's now set up a situation where her office, from funds that have been collected through Fulton County, will have to pay for it. It's Fani Willis' fault.""At the same time, maybe Fani Willis will tell us how much money she spent from her budget pursuing this politically motivated case against President Trump," added Sadow.Her office has since filed a motion to intervene in the matter, which states, "The statute raises grave separation-of-powers concerns by purporting to impose financial liability on a constitutional officer, twice elected by the citizens of Fulton County, for the lawful exercise of her core duties under the Georgia Constitution."Willis' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

In 1978 an indie band brilliantly mashed together a popular TV theme song and a rock classic. The band's lawyers were not amused. The post When Led Zeppelin Met Gilligan’s Island (Sort Of) appeared first on Best Classic Bands.

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Beverly D’Angelo has been a beloved presence in Hollywood for decades, known for her wit, talent, and memorable performances. One story from the set of National Lampoon’s Vacation stands out as a defining moment, showcasing both her confidence and generosity as a performer. In a recent interview, she revealed how she stepped in to support Christie Brinkley during a scene that tested the young model’s comfort on set. Now 74 and still working on new projects like the psychological thriller Sleepwalker, Beverly D’Angelo looks back on her career with honesty and humor. Her reflections highlight not just her achievements on screen but also the ways she helped colleagues navigate the pressures of Hollywood while staying true to her craft. Beverly D’Angelo Steps in for Christie Brinkley Beverly D’Angelo/Instagram During the filming of the 1983 comedy, Christie Brinkley was asked to go topless for a scene but hesitated, worried about her image as a model. Beverly D’Angelo immediately offered to take her place, saying, “I’ll do it. I’ll be the one to go topless!” This gesture allowed the scene to proceed smoothly while respecting Brinkley’s boundaries, demonstrating D’Angelo’s professionalism and confidence. Christie Brinkley/Imagecollect Beverly later explained that as an actor, she uses her body and expression as tools to tell a story. She described the choice as natural, believing it strengthened the scene’s humor and character rather than serving as mere spectacle. Her support made a lasting impression on Brinkley and the cast, reinforcing trust among colleagues. Career Lessons From Beverly D’Angelo Beverly D’Angelo/Instagram Reflecting on her career, D’Angelo revealed she would advise her younger self to take even more creative risks, including embracing nudity as part of storytelling. For her, confidence and authenticity were central to her success, and she credits these qualities with helping her navigate the challenges of Hollywood. NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VACATION, Chevy Chase, Christie Brinkley, 1983, (c) Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection Beyond the set, Beverly emphasized the camaraderie among the cast. She shared moments of care and support, from helping co-stars during injuries to creating a welcoming environment for newcomers like Brinkley. These stories illustrate the generosity and professionalism that have defined her decades-long career. Next up: Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show Secrets Revealed in New Book – Including His Show ‘Ban List’ The post Beverly D’Angelo Gets Brutally Honest About What She Wish She Did More Of In Her Career appeared first on DoYouRemember? - The Home of Nostalgia. Author, Ruth A