A 16th-century tea block

The Daily Beast reported Thursday that Dr. Bruce Davidson – who is a professor at Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine — listed “lines of evidence” claiming that the 79-year-old president had a stroke six months or so ago. He diagnosed it from photos and videos. If that isn’t unethical quakery, I don’t […] The post Quack Alert: Doctor Diagnoses the President with Video & a Photo appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

In a significant display of bipartisan unity, Texas GOP Congressman Randy Weber led a group of 59 lawmakers in a formal letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the Trump administration to maintain its forceful condemnation of the Iranian regime’s escalating violence. The letter comes amid harrowing reports that the theocratic government has transitioned from standard riot control to a campaign of lethal force, mass arrests, and systematic intimidation against its own citizens. The lawmakers highlight an alarming trend: the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure. Reports indicate that Iranian security forces have raided hospitals and medical clinics, not only to arrest injured demonstrators but to deny them life-saving care. The letter asserts that these actions constitute “serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.” The bipartisan coalition emphasizes that the ongoing protests represent more than just economic frustration; they are a rejection of both the current theocratic system and past monarchical dictatorships. According to the letter, the Iranian people are demanding a: Secular and democratic republic Non-nuclear state System grounded in political pluralism and human dignity Supporting the letter, Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) noted that the “Peace Through Strength” doctrine is already shifting global security, characterizing the current unrest as the “death spiral of the Ayatollahs.” Rep. Laurel Lee (R-FL) added that the United States has a moral obligation to ensure that the repression of civilians is not tolerated by the international community, telling the Washington Reporter, “The Iranian regime is engaging in a deliberate campaign to suppress political dissent through lethal force, mass detentions, and the obstruction of access to medical care—conduct that constitutes clear violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. The United States has an obligation to publicly condemn these actions, maintain sustained diplomatic pressure, and make clear that repression of civilians and abuse of state power will not be tolerated.” The letter serves as a strategic nudge to Secretary Rubio, historically one of Washington’s most prominent Iran hawks, to utilize a “whole-of-government” approach. As the administration reportedly weighs military and diplomatic options to assist anti-regime demonstrators, this congressional mandate reinforces America’s commitment to standing in solidarity with those seeking self-determination in the face of what some reports suggest is a death toll exceeding 10,000.

The Florida Panthers celebrated their Stanley Cup win in patriotic fashion at the White House Thursday with President Donald Trump. No boycotting, no bad-mouthing, just love and respect for the country many on the team call home. “On behalf of the whole organization and mainly the players, we are so honored to be here,” Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk told Trump. “Being an American, I know I said it last year, but I mean, nothing beats this. I’m so proud to be an American, and I’m so proud to be here with you and everybody else.” The back-to-back NHL Stanley Cup Champs have transformed the Florida franchise. Though Tkachuk scored two goals in the Panthers’ Stanley Cup Final series, hanging out with the President is at the top of his list of accomplishments. “The two Cups was pretty good, but that walk with you might’ve ‘Trumped’ it all there,” Tkachuk said, emphasizing the play on words. “That was pretty amazing.” .@FlaPanthers star Matthew Tkachuk: “The two Cups was pretty good, but that walk with you might’ve Trumped it all… Nothing beats this. I’m so proud to be an American, and so proud to be here with you.” pic.twitter.com/r3LXfIU5fQ — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 15, 2026 As an honorary Floridian himself, Trump praised the Panthers for their historic accomplishments, including bringing the first-ever Stanley Cup to South Florida. The President said he watched some of the Panthers’ games last season and the players “know how to win.” “It’s an honor to welcome to the White House the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers,” Trump said. “Unbelievable team, unbelievable athletes, players. These men are responsible for the greatest feats in Panthers’ franchise history.” The President pointed out that he should be welcoming the three-time defending champions, but the Panthers lost in the final in 2023. “The one that you didn’t make, what the hell happened to you? You should have won that game,” Trump said as the room erupted in laughter. The Panthers gifted Trump a No. 47 jersey, a flashy championship ring, and a golden hockey stick, which Trump said will be “good for slashing.” Trump loved the fact that the Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers, one of the NHL’s seven Canadian teams — a big win for the Team USA crowd. “You denied Canada the Stanley Cup for the 32nd straight year,” Trump said. “We have a little competition with Canada … We’re doing much better than Canada, but that’s okay. We want them to do well, and they’re going to do well.” Canada and the United States are just weeks away from competing in the Winter Olympics that start in February. Tkachuk, who was raised in Missouri, told Trump he cannot wait to put on the Team USA jersey. “Representing you and the millions back here next month in the Olympics will be one of the highlights of my life as well,” he added, while looking toward the president. The NHL will pause for the Olympics, but when the season picks back up at the end of February, Tkachuk told Trump to make room for another Panther’s championship ring in the White House. “We’re not stopping now, we hope to be here next year.”

Border czar Tom Homan said on Thursday that the Trump administration needs to be “better at messaging” on Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations to push back on what he called “false” legacy media narratives. Homan told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that recent polls showing growing disapproval for Trump’s massive deportation operations are “egged on by the press.” Recent surveys conducted by the Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, and Quinnipiac show Trump’s approval rating on immigration slipping, despite immigration being one of the top issues that helped him win the 2024 election. “Tom, are you concerned about the CNN and Quinnipiac polls that show declining public support for ICE and President Trump’s approach to immigration enforcement? Do you think those are accurate, or are they being egged on by the press?” Ingraham asked. “I think they’re being egged on by the press. I think there’s a lot of false media out there. And I think we need to be better at messaging at what we’re doing,” Homan replied. “Look, bottom line is 70% of everybody arrested is a criminal. We need to start advertising that every single day and put their pictures all over social media.” “We just gotta push back the lies because a lot of people don’t get the facts,” he added. “And we gotta be better about getting the facts out there.” As part of gaining an advantage in messaging, Homan also proposed creating a “database” of people who are arrested for impeding ICE operations. “These people saying, follow ICE, film ICE — you can protest, they have that right. But when you cross that line, and we’ve proven it, if you interfere or impede or assault an ICE officer, you will be prosecuted,” Homan said. He added that he wants to make people who are arrested for getting in the way of ICE operations “famous” and will have their faces “put on TV.” “We’re going to make their employers and their communities and their schools know who these people are,” Homan continued. Following the shooting death of Renee Good last week, protesters have followed ICE around the city, and in some cases, have confronted and impeded federal agents. Protesters in Minnesota were encouraged by Democratic Governor Tim Walz to record ICE activities to help the state “create a database of the atrocities against Minnesotans” that could be used for “future prosecutions.” Demonstrators surrounded federal law enforcement officers on Wednesday night following another ICE shooting, when an agent shot a Venezuelan illegal immigrant in the leg after the agent was attacked by three illegal immigrants, according to the Department of Homeland Security. During the protests following Wednesday night’s shooting, agitators threw fireworks at law enforcement, and authorities had to clear them out of the area with tear gas. Some federal law enforcement vehicles were also vandalized on Wednesday night, and one video showed agitators breaking into an agent’s equipment box, which was in the back of a vehicle. “If the hateful rhetoric doesn’t stop, there’s going to be more bloodshed. It’s not over,” Homan said. “What scares me the most is there’s going to be another death.”

Renee Good had apparent gunshot wounds to her chest, forearm, and possibly head, according to documents released by the Minneapolis Fire Department on Thursday. The fire department sent documents to media outlets, which stated that first responders “found two apparent gunshot wounds to the patient’s right chest [and] one apparent gunshot wound to the patient’s left forearm,” ABC News reported. The documents also stated that it’s possible she was struck on the left side of her head. Good, 37, was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis last week after she drove her SUV toward the agent during a confrontation with federal law enforcement. Video shows Good’s Honda Pilot striking ICE agent, Jonathan Ross, and three shots are heard before Good’s vehicle careens down the street and crashes into a parked car. Minneapolis officials said that after the shooting, first responders removed Good from her vehicle and moved her down the street “for a more workable scene, better access for ambulances, and separation from an escalating scene involving law enforcement and bystanders.” When first responders arrived, Good was “unresponsive, not breathing, with inconsistent, irregular, thready pulse activity,” according to the fire department’s report. She was transported to the hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. Good, who was actively involved in monitoring ICE’s actions in the city, was in the area of the ICE operation on January 7 as anti-ICE demonstrators followed the federal agents, with some people filming them. Good parked her car in the middle of the road as agents moved down the street in a convoy of vehicles. When one agent attempted to open her car door, Good put the car in reverse and then drove forward while another agent was standing in front of the vehicle. That agent then shot and killed Good. The shooting death sparked more than a week of protests in Minneapolis, which remain ongoing, as the city’s leaders condemn ICE and accuse President Donald Trump of “creating chaos” with his deployment of federal immigration agents. The Trump administration, meanwhile, has backed agent Ross and said that Good engaged in an act of “domestic terrorism.” Despite his administration labeling Good a domestic terrorist, Trump told CBS News earlier this week that “under normal circumstances,” Good was most likely a “very solid, wonderful person.” He added that her actions during the confrontation with ICE were “pretty tough.” “When you look at that tape, it can be viewed two ways I guess, but when you look at the way that car pulled away — there are a couple versions of that tape that are very, very bad,” Trump said. In the interview with CBS News, the president defended ICE’s actions and said that federal immigration agents are “working very hard” to detain illegal immigrants, but “their job is being made very, very difficult.”

Sleazy or satanic?

'A criminal penalty'

'Highly atypical'

News Tesseract Sam Esmail’s Next Sci-Fi Movie Will Star Glen Powell And that’s about all there is to know about Tesseract—so far By Molly Templeton | Published on January 16, 2026 Screenshot: Universal Pictures Comment 0 Share New Share Screenshot: Universal Pictures If you, like me, are a lightly obsessive fan of Sam Esmail’s series Mr. Robot, you are probably always curious about what the man is going to do next. He didn’t get far with his Battlestar Galactica reboot (which I very much wanted to see). His take on Metropolis got scrapped during the 2023 writers’ strike. He did manage to make an eerie adaptation of Rumaan Alam’s novel Leave the World Behind—a movie which crops up in my mind every time I see too many Teslas on one block. But that was in 2023. I have been waiting for a new Esmail project ever since. And now that, if slightly vague, news has come. The Hollywood Reporter says that Esmail has a new sci-fi project in the works called Tesseract, and it’s set to star the now-ubiquitous Glen Powell (Twisters, pictured above). Esmail will write and direct, and the film “has landed at Amazon MGM and United Artists” (producer Scott Stuber recently signed a deal with Amazon MGM). THR offers only one other detail: “The project does call for two other lead roles, both females, according to sources.” The movie is not greenlit, but may shoot over the summer in Europe. It’s not a lot to go on, but that title is intriguing, at least to Marvel fans and Madeleine L’Engle readers (and, I guess, geometry fans?). This is simply Tesseract, not The Tesseract; that title belongs to an existing film based on an Alex Garland novel. Esmail has one project to finish before Tesseract gets going: the thriller Panic Carefully, which he also wrote and directed. It stars Julia Roberts, Eddie Redmayne, Elizabeth Olsen, Joe Alwyn, Aidan Gillen, Brian Tyree Henry, and Ben Chaplin, and reportedly involves the hunt for a cyber-terrorist. No release dates have been announced for any upcoming Esmail projects. Yet.[end-mark] The post Sam Esmail’s Next Sci-Fi Movie Will Star Glen Powell appeared first on Reactor.