Suspect told officers he was homeless and that he'd been awake for "five days straight" due to something "possessing him."

American drug epidemic continues spiraling out of control

'We’re going to lose the election, we’re going to lose Michigan if we don’t turn this around,” says liberal filmmaker.

Book Recommendations interview Something Strange Is in The Garden: A Conversation With Clare Beams “What I wanted to do […] was to write a book about pregnancy as a haunted house.” By Rita Chang-Eppig | Published on April 30‚ 2024 Photo credit: Kristi Jan Hoover Comment 0 Share New Share Photo credit: Kristi Jan Hoover In the following interview‚ Rita Chang-Eppig‚ author of Deep as the Sky‚ Red as the Sea‚ speaks with Clare Beams on the real stories that inspired her gothic horror novel‚ The Garden. Rita Chang-Eppig: Thanks so much for chatting with me today. I loved The Garden—it was gothic and strange and just altogether hypnotic. The novel follows a pregnant character‚ Irene‚ and her ordeals inside a “hospital” that specializes in patients who have had multiple miscarriages. As I understand it‚ this hospital is loosely based off a real medical clinic that existed back in the day. Say a little bit about how you came across the information about this clinic and how that spawned‚ pun not intended‚ this particular novel.  Clare Beams: It wasn’t so much a real clinic as a real treatment‚ so the idea of this secretive house-hospital was really my invention. The drug itself is a real drug called diethylstilbestrol that was prescribed for decades in this country‚ and it was a husband and wife medical researcher team that pioneered the use of this drug in cases of repeated miscarriage as a preventative treatment. There were all kinds of flaws with the original study that are easier to see looking back‚ and there were a lot of early warning signs that this might be actually quite harmful. The idea was that if you gave women a really high dose of an artificial estrogen‚ you might even out some of the hormone swings that can occur around the time of miscarriage. That was what originally caught me when I came across the reference to this drug. This idea of “evening women out‚” I think‚ is often a harbinger of frightening things to come. And the idea of this woman researcher who would have had to fight to be where she was being involved in this tragic medical story also caught me. I came across the reference to this drug when I was researching alternate titles for The Illness Lesson. I was scouring strange medical corners of the internet‚ trying to see if there was something that would be inspiring for a title. When I came across the story of DES‚ I thought‚ this is not going to work for this novel‚ but maybe there’s something there that I might explore for a future thing.  Rita: On one hand‚ I’m a little bit sad to learn there wasn’t this creepy house where medical experiments were taking place. On the other‚ that makes me admire the book more because I think that the decision to situate it within this mansion adds so much more creepiness.  Clare: What I wanted to do‚ although I didn’t know this at the beginning‚ was to write a book about pregnancy as a haunted house. And so I needed a haunted house to make that work.  Buy the Book The Garden Clare Beams Buy Book The Garden Clare Beams Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget Rita: Well‚ let’s talk a little about that. Pregnancy is depicted in all of its complexities here in the book. In our society‚ people like to talk about pregnancy as this serene‚ natural experience. Even the language that we use to talk about it has an exaltational quality to it‚ like‚ “Oh‚ you’re glowing&;#33;” But everyone I know who’s ever gone through pregnancy and childbirth will tell you there are some parts that are terrifying. It’s painful‚ it’s clinical‚ and sometimes it’s just downright grody. What kinds of things were you trying to communicate regarding this idea of pregnancy as a haunted house&;#63;  Clare: I love how you’re getting into that because what I wanted to explore was the tension between our theoretical idea of pregnancy and the experience of pregnancy. My experience with being pregnant was there’s so much about it that’s truly fascinating and amazing. But it was such an anxious state for me‚ and so unlike previous ways I had felt in my body. I am a person who tends to live from the neck up a lot of the time‚ and this was such an insistently embodied time in my life‚ and such a time of understanding that I really wanted something that I had no control over. In each of my pregnancies‚ there was a little thing they found that was not normal. I am an anxious person who‚ when I’m anxious‚ tries to go learn more about whatever it is that I’m anxious about in order to feel better. And this was the first time that that strategy fully failed me‚ because the more I learned‚ the more afraid I became. There’s just so much that we don’t know about pregnancy. And some of that not knowing is tied up with what you were talking about before‚ this idea of the pregnant woman as this exalted‚ untouchable‚ and not-to-be-touched sort of presence‚ like there’s something sacred happening and we’d better not get too close to it. When you’re actually experiencing it‚ it can be maddening because nothing is assured in any way. So I found that all to be a very haunting experience.  Rita: I’m so glad that you mentioned the word “control” because I feel like the book is saying something interesting about the human desire to control fundamentally uncontrollable things. The doctors are trying to control their patients’ bodies with science‚ but the science only goes so far. The patients end up trying to control their own bodies through the magic of the garden‚ but that magic only goes so far. Do you mind saying a little bit more about how you imagine each major character’s relationship to control&;#63;  Clare: I love this question because this was so important to me‚ this idea that the doctors are trying one method of control‚ and then the women are trying their own. It’s a similar impulse‚ really. The women have seen enough to know that what the doctors are doing doesn’t seem to be working‚ and so their strategy is to cast around some more and see if they can find something else that might offer hope. In my process‚ I’m usually looking for a situation that will let me explore some dynamic that I think is still relevant in our present‚ but in a more extreme way‚ extremes being our friend in fiction a lot of the time. This desire to know that things are okay or to do something to make sure things are okay—when I was pregnant‚ I followed every rule I could find. So I was looking for a situation that would let me explore that dynamic‚ but at a time and a place when in some ways even more would be riding on it‚ when women’s options were even more limited to this one role. For our main character‚ this is her only job to do for her husband‚ right&;#63; This is what he wants from her‚ and this is all he really wants from her.  Rita: Let’s talk about Shirley Jackson for a sec. The first thing I thought after I read the opening was that the Haunting of Hill House vibes were strong. There’s this sense of suffocation that comes with your description of the house. Did you go into this book wanting to evoke that comparison or did that come later in the process&;#63; Clare: A little bit of both. For the novel to work‚ it’s important that these characters be effectively trapped. This place is so terrible that it needed to be clear why they would still be choosing to stay. They don’t have the freedom to leave because they believe that leaving would likely mean repeating the traumatic experience of miscarriage.  I had written a draft of this novel that was not as haunted‚ and that was in large part because the novel was divided in its perspective between Irene and Dr. Bishop‚ the woman doctor. The effect of going into Dr. Bishop’s mind was de-haunting because she knows more about the treatment than the patients do. Every time we went into her mind‚ we were seeing behind the curtain of this house-hospital. Once I had realized that this is a ghost story‚ that was when I leaned into Shirley Jackson. I also went and read Edith Wharton’s ghost stories to remind myself of the ghost story as a form—how could I play with those beats when it’s both an external and an internal haunting&;#63; In Haunting of Hill House‚ it’s certainly both external and internal. Rita: I love that it’s so often unclear if something is actually happening or if we’re dealing with an internal event. There’s an uneasy relationship between reality and fantasy. Sometimes it’s less scary to know that there is a monster going around‚ or at least it’s a very different kind of horror. What do you think is the value of uncertainty in fiction&;#63;  Clare: For me‚ what is frightening is uncertainty. Because as soon as you know the monster is there‚ then what you’re supposed to do becomes very clear. You might get away or you might not‚ but at least you know what the terms are. I think so much of our lives takes place in a zone of “Is that what happened or is that what I thought happened‚ and what are the implications of either one in terms of how I move forward&;#63;” For me‚ the stories that require the lens of fiction are the stories with that kind of complexity‚ where the story changes depending on who’s telling it. That is what fiction can do that other art forms can’t‚ that kind of interiority. The stories that draw me are the ones where interiority doesn’t just reflect the external world but is actually changing the external world in some way. Rita: Well‚ this novel definitely draws you in. I hope folks will pick up a copy of The Garden‚ out now.[end-mark] The post Something Strange Is in &;lt;i&;gt;The Garden&;lt;/i&;gt;: A Conversation With Clare Beams appeared first on Reactor.

News From From Season 3 Teaser Confirms the Horror Will Continue for Town’s Unwilling Inhabitants The true nature of the town will come into focus‚ if the third season’s promises are anything to go by By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on April 30‚ 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share The news that From is coming back for a third season was great news for fans‚ especially since season two ended on a cliffhanger. The show created by John Griffin (Crater)‚ and directed and showrun by Lost alums Jack Bender and Jeff Pinkner respectively‚ has been touted as one of the best shows you’re likely not watching. I confess I’m one of those people who has yet to watch From‚ but the series’ official synopsis paints an intriguing story: From unravels the mystery of a nightmarish town that traps all those who enter. As the unwilling residents fight to keep a sense of normalcy and search for a way out‚ they must also survive the threats of the surrounding forest—including the terrifying creatures that come out when the sun goes down. Season Two explores just how far the residents of this nightmarish place are willing to go to find answers‚ even as chilling new threats to their safety—and their sanity—begin to emerge. The teaser‚ which you can check out below‚ is suitably upsetting/terrifying‚ which confirms the show’s horror bona fides. We also know that season three‚ according to a past press release‚ will see escape “become a tantalizing and very real possibility as the true nature of the town comes into focus‚ and the townspeople go on offense against the myriad horrors surrounding them.” The cast is led by Lost alum Harold Perrineau and touts an ensemble cast that includes Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace‚ The Affair)‚ Eion Bailey (Band of Brothers‚ Once Upon a Time)‚ Hannah Cheramy (Under Wraps‚ Van Helsing)‚ Simon Webster (Strays)‚ Ricky He (The Good Doctor)‚ Chloe Van Landschoot (Charity‚ Skin)‚ Corteon Moore (Utopia Falls)‚ Pegah Ghafoori (The Perfect Wedding)‚ David Alpay (Castle Rock)‚ Elizabeth Saunders (Clarice)‚ Elizabeth Moy‚ and Avery Konrad (Honor Society). Season two added new series regulars including Scott McCord (East of Middle West)‚ Nathan D. Simmons (Diggstown‚ This Hour Has 22 Minutes)‚ Kaelen Ohm (Hit &; Run‚ Eumenides Falls)‚ Angela Moore (A Series of Unfortunate Events‚ Maid)‚ AJ Simmons (Reacher)‚ and Deborah Grover (My Next Door Nightmare‚ Jann). The third season of From is set to premiere on MGM+ sometime this fall. Check out the disturbing teaser below. [end-mark] The post &;lt;i&;gt;From&;lt;/i&;gt; Season 3 Teaser Confirms the Horror Will Continue for Town’s Unwilling Inhabitants appeared first on Reactor.

The Biden administration’s analysis of its revenue proposals for fiscal year 2025 argues targeted tax hikes that disproportionately affect white people would ease racial wealth inequality. Increasing taxes on capital gains and income-based wealth would reduce racial wealth inequality for black and Hispanic families‚ the Treasury Department outlined in the analysis published in mid-March. The Treasury points out that white families disproportionately hold assets subject to capital gains tax or are in a higher tax bracket‚ meaning a hike in those taxes would benefit black and Hispanic families. The Biden administration argues for taxing capital income for high-income earners at “ordinary rates‚” increasing the top rate from 37% to 39.6% for those who earn more than $1 million a year. Taxes on net investment income would also be hiked by 1.2 percentage points to 5% for those who make over $400‚000 per year‚ bringing the total top marginal rate to 44.6%. “Taxing capital gains at 44.6% at the federal level—not to mention state taxes—would be economic suicide‚” Preston Brashers‚ research fellow for tax policy in The Heritage Foundation’s Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget‚ told the Daily Caller News Foundation‚ adding: Before the tax ever took effect‚ investors would rush to pull their money out of equities subject to such exorbitant tax rates. U.S. businesses would be starved for capital‚ and business activity would slow to a crawl. Ultimately‚ corporate income and capital gains income would fall off a cliff‚ so the net result would be less tax revenue‚ not more. The middle class and working class would be slammed with mass layoffs and lower real wages. (Heritage founded The Daily Signal in 2014.) The Treasury estimates that white families are the recipients of 92% of the benefits of preferential rates on capital gains and qualified dividends‚ compared to 2% and 3% for Hispanic families. Only 0.4% of white families‚ less than 0.05% of black families‚ and 0.1% of Hispanic families will be affected by the proposed rule change on capital gains. “So‚ if President [Joe] Biden’s goal of redistribution is to make the rich poorer‚ his proposal would be successful‚” Brashers told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “But if the goal is to lift up the middle class‚ the plan would fail spectacularly. Note‚ even the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center uses estimates that imply that the revenue-maximizing long-term capital gains rate is about 28%‚ so it’s clear that Biden’s proposal is on the wrong side of the Laffer curve.” The proposal also calls for establishing a minimum 25% income tax that includes unrealized capital gains for those with wealth over $100 million. The Biden administration argues that the wealthiest taxpayers utilize their stake in unrealized gains to lower their total income and reduce their tax liability‚ but taxing unrealized gains may force many business owners to sell stakes in their company if they are not liquid enough to pay the burden. “The wealthy already pay far more than their fair share‚ while the tax burden on large corporations ends up landing on individuals across the economy‚ including low-income individuals‚” Chris Edwards‚ the Kilts Family Chair in Fiscal Studies at the Cato Institute‚ told the Daily Caller News Foundation. GOING STAGhttps://t.co/O1240CSl51— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 28‚ 2024 The Biden administration also calls for ending a “loophole” that allows families to postpone their estate tax burden by creating trust assets that benefit multiple future generations and are not taxed on the death of the beneficiary. Around 30% of white families receive an inheritance that would qualify as of 2019‚ compared to 10% for black families and 7% for Hispanic families. “Left-wing Biden economists seem unable to appreciate that raising taxes on capital hurts labor. Capital and labor work together to produce economic growth‚” Edwards told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “They are complements. The Biden economists seem to hold the Marxist view that capital and labor are bitter enemies‚ and that the only way that labor can win is for the government to crush capital.” The Biden administration is also proposing to expand the child tax credit‚ temporarily increasing the amount given per child and permanently restoring the full refundability provision. The Treasury argues that it will ease racial disparities since a disproportionate number of black and Hispanic kids have benefited from it in the past. “These proposals would also increase the fairness of the tax system by addressing some of the features that have historically reinforced racial disparities‚” the proposal reads. “Over time‚ these proposals are expected to increase wealth accumulation by low- and middle-income families and reduce racial wealth gaps.” The proposal was released in conjunction with calls from the Biden administration to drastically increase spending for fiscal year 2025‚ adding at least $14.8 trillion to the national debt by the end of a presumptive second term for the president. The national debt has continued to grow rapidly under President Joe Biden‚ totaling more than $34.55 trillion as of April 26‚ up from $34 trillion at the beginning of the year‚ according to the Treasury Department. Huge government spending is also putting the U.S. economy at risk of stagflation‚ with first quarter growth only totaling 1.6% while inflation remains high at 3.5% in March year-over-year. “This hints at the false view that sadly underlies much of the Biden administration’s economic policy: high-earners only achieve success through luck‚ and low-earners can only achieve success through government handouts‚” Edwards told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “That is an appalling‚ un-American view.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request to comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation The post ‘Economic Suicide’: Biden Admin Justifies Tax Hike Based on Racial Criteria appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Why Does Columbia University Bother Making Rules&;#63;

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