Dr Ruth Report Part 2 of 2, 9/28/26

Per Dr Ruth, "Here is the second half of this week's newsletter that is mostly focused on medical topics other than COVID.."

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Dr. Ruth Report, 9/28/26 Part II

Ruth Ann Crystal MD

55 minutes ago

Here is the second half of this week's newsletter that is mostly focused on medical topics other than COVID.

Other news

‘Pink Slime’ Is Infecting AI Chatbots Ahead of the Midterms | Politico 9/25/26

• Be careful when asking AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, or Grok about the upcoming midterms. A NewsGuard audit found that AI chatbots frequently cite “pink slime” sites when answering questions about candidates. Pink Slime sites are designed to look like independent local newspapers, but they actually run hidden political propaganda paid for by political groups, candidates, or dark-money organizations. Nearly half of the chatbot responses NewsGuard tested showed these biased sources right before the midterm elections.

Epstein–Barr Virus: More than Just an Infection | Viruses 9/21/26

• Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) causes infectious mononucleosis, a common childhood infection. A new review looks at some of EBV’s long lasting effects. The EBNA1 protein can trigger autoimmunity through molecular mimicry, cross-reacting with GlialCAM in Multiple Sclerosis, keratin in Rheumatoid Arthritis, and nuclear proteins in Lupus. EBV reprograms B cells to evade immune system surveillance. It has been implicated in pediatric emergencies such as HLH and Chronic Active EBV disease (CAEBV), as well as some lymphomas. They also briefly mention possible links between EBV reactivation and Long COVID.

The nucleoside analog kamuvudine-9 shows protective and therapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis | Science Translational Medicine 9/23/26

• Researchers at the University of Virginia found that the modified HIV drug kamuvudine-9 (K9) reversed vision loss and paralysis in a mouse model of Multiple Sclerosis by blocking inflammasome activation, a mechanism that drives destruction of myelin and axons. The drug showed efficacy both as a preventive and as a treatment after disease onset. A separate analysis of more than 3 million patient records linked related compounds (NRTIs) to lower MS diagnosis and relapse rates.

• Explainer article from the NIH: Modified HIV Drug Reverses Vision Loss and Paralysis in Multiple Sclerosis Model

A clinical trial of repurposed HIV antivirals in Long COVID | PolyBio Research Foundation

• Mount Sinai is recruiting patients for a Phase II study (NCT06511063) of two repurposed HIV antivirals (Truvada or Maraviroc) to see if they can reduce Long COVID symptoms. Truvada is a NRTI that can block SARS-CoV-2 replication in vitro and it also has activity against EBV reactivation. Maraviroc is a CCR5 inhibitor that reduces inflammaging.

Cytotoxic CD4+ T Cells Induce Age Associated Myelopoiesis Through CCL5 CCR5 Signaling | Nature Aging 8/26/26

• Scientists found that aging mice accumulate cytotoxic CD4+ T cells in bone marrow that release CCL5, driving aged stem cells to overproduce inflammatory neutrophils through the CCR5 receptor. Blocking CCR5 with the HIV drug maraviroc reduced neutrophil output and improved several markers of aging in the animals.

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The Gut Microbiome in Multiple Sclerosis | Neurology Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation 8/26/26 (November 2026)

• UCSF researchers reviewed evidence showing that people with Multiple Sclerosis carry a measurably altered gut microbial community that disrupts production of short chain fatty acids (SFCAs), tryptophan metabolites, and bile acids, three signaling classes that normally help regulate immune cells, the blood brain barrier, and glial function. Whether these microbial shifts actually drive MS progression or simply accompany it remains an open question.

Gut microbiome shifts in chronic systolic heart failure are associated with disease severity and clinical improvement | Nature Cardiovascular Research 9/24/26

• Stanford researchers profiled gut microbiomes and multi-omics in 59 heart failure patients vs. 50 healthy controls, finding depleted Bifidobacterium and reduced SCFA production in heart failure. Higher Bifidobacterium tracked with clinical improvement over time, linked to production of cardioprotective indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), suggesting a gut-heart mechanistic pathway and potential probiotic target.

Semaglutide and cardiovascular risk reduction: a mediation analysis of the SELECT trial | European Heart Journal 9/23/26

• GLP-1 drug Semaglutide cut major cardiovascular events by 20% in the SELECT trial, but why? Weight, waist size, inflammation (hsCRP), and glucose explained only part of the benefit suggesting semaglutide’s cardioprotection works partly through mechanisms beyond conventional weight and metabolic markers.

Effect of Screening with Multicancer Early-Detection Test on Late-Stage Cancer Diagnosis | New England Journal of Medicine 9/22/26

• A large NHS randomized trial tested a blood-based multicancer early-detection test (Galleri from Grail) against usual care in adults aged 50–77. Authors concluded, “we did not observe a lower incidence rate of stage III or IV cancers across 12 prespecified cancers after three screening rounds with multicancer early-detection testing [Galleri test] plus usual care than with usual care alone.”

Pre-diagnosis plasma cell-free DNA reveals early signatures of prostate and breast cancer risk up to eight years prior to clinical detection | Cell Genomics 9/26

• Genome-wide cfDNA methylation profiling of 491 pre-diagnosis plasma samples (some drawn 9 years before diagnosis) identified early cancer-associated epigenetic signatures. Silencer-region methylation predicted future prostate cancer (3.55-fold hazard increase), while enhancer hypermethylation flagged incident and late-stage breast cancer, pointing toward a liquid-biopsy early-warning approach.

Blood proteomics of menopause map to brain aging and dementia risk | Nature Medicine 9/22/26

• Analyzing blood proteomics across nearly 15,000 women, researchers found menopause drives inflammatory, synaptic, and Alzheimer’s-related protein changes tied more to hormone shifts than chronological age. A menopause proteomic score consistently predicted worse cognitive trajectories and dementia risk in four independent aging cohorts, positioning menopause as a discovery window for brain health.

Atrial fibrillation and retinal imaging-based oculomics: A cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of two large cohorts | PLOS Digital Health 9/10/26

• Across 90,000+ people in AlzEye and UK Biobank, thinner macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) on routine retinal imaging was consistently linked to both prevalent and incident atrial fibrillation. Each SD decrease raised AF risk 27%, suggesting inexpensive eye scans could flag silent cardiac arrhythmia risk.

Sudden Infant Deaths Have Increased Among Black Babies New Data Show | CIDRAP 9/25/26

• Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder analyzed nearly 58 million US births from 2003 through 2024 and found sudden unexpected infant death rates climbing for Black infants since 2020 while staying flat for white infants. Preterm birth explained part of the gap, but the rise itself was driven by SUID.

Standalone Salpingectomy for Primary Ovarian Cancer Prevention: A Cost Effectiveness Analysis | AJOG 9/18/26

• A Markov model across five age groups compared standalone salpingectomy with no surgery. For average-risk women, it was not cost effective, exceeding $239,000 per QALY. For women with a relative ovarian cancer risk of 1.5 or higher, it became cost effective, particularly at ages 45 and 50.

Jehovah’s Witnesses allow blood-derived products but keep ban on whole-blood transfusions | AP 9/18/26

• Jehovah’s Witnesses’ governing body says members may now decide individually whether to receive the four main blood components: red cells, white cells, platelets, and plasma. Members may also choose to donate blood for use as components. The organization still prohibits transfusions of whole blood; an earlier change this year allowed members to store their own blood for later treatment.

Smartphone Ownership and Eating Disorder Symptoms in Early Adolescence | JAMA 9/25/26

• A team led by UCSF’s Jason Nagata tracked roughly 9,000 US adolescents ages 12 and 14 and found smartphone ownership tied to eating disorder symptoms both at the same time point and two years later. The link held even after accounting for symptoms already present at baseline.

Lyme patients 4 times more likely to have antibodies to other tick-borne pathogens | CIDRAP 9/21/26

• Investigators at Quest Diagnostics and the University of North Carolina analyzed tick-borne disease tests from 193,260 people. Among those with Lyme antibodies, 29.5% also had antibodies to another tick-borne pathogen, versus 5.5% of those without Lyme antibodies. Antibodies alone do not establish an active coinfection however.

Th17 effector cytokines induce shared and distinct microglial and endothelial cell responses in a mouse model for post-streptococcal encephalitis | Nature Communications 8/11/26

• In a mouse model of PANS/PANDAS, a Columbia University team in New York studied mice after repeated group A strep infections and found inflammatory changes in brain immune cells and blood vessel cells, with blood-brain barrier disruption in female mice. Removing the IL-17 receptor from microglia partly restored barrier integrity, suggesting one possible pathway for post-infectious brain inflammation that still needs testing in people.

Nursing Home Beds Are Becoming More Scarce | KFF Health News 9/23/26

• National nursing home capacity dropped 5% from 2019 to 2024 even as the oldest baby boomers turn 80, a research team found. Facilities cite Medicaid reimbursement shortfalls and workforce gaps, with experts warning the shortage could worsen sharply as immigration and Medicaid policy shifts loom.

Check out this fun video that Justine Moore made “Marketing my cat like a new Apple product”:

Justine Moore@venturetwins

Marketing my cat like a new Apple product

4:39 PM · Sep 26, 2026 · 1.57M Views

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336 Replies · 8.4K Reposts · 76.2K Likes

And finally, it’s Fat Bear Week! You can vote for your favorite bear daily here.

 

Have a great week,

Ruth Ann Crystal MD

Dr Ruth Report, Part I - 9/28/26

Dr Ruth Ann Crystal has so much information for us this time that she's had to divide it into TWO newsletters! As she writes at the end of this newsletter, "Because there are so many interesting other medical articles this week, I’ve put them into a separate email so that it is easier to read. Please look for Part II of this newsletter."

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Dr. Ruth Report, 9/28/26 Part I 

Viral proteins and vascular inflammation, Stanford ME/CFS symposium, preventing dysautonomia after COVID, Long COVID claims show 2 to 3 weeks after ER surges, and more.

Ruth Ann Crystal MD

45 minutes ago

As we head into fall, the COVID wave may have peaked, but levels remain very high in parts of the US, especially the West and the Gulf states. According to Mike Hoerger, about 1 in 91 Americans had COVID nationally on 9/21/26. In the burgundy counties on the map below, more than 1 in 30 people are infected.

NBC news reported this week about what Mike Hoerger had been saying about changes in CDC reporting. The CDC quietly raised its benchmark for wastewater COVID levels last month, so a reading that once counted as high transmission may now register as moderate instead. COVID infections are still rising in more than half of US states, even though the recalibrated metric makes the picture look milder. Hoerger shows the difference in this tweet and notes that “This really makes a difference for early warning in the middle categories.”

The new COVID vaccines are available and many people qualify, including those who are physically inactive or who have asthma. Fortunately, the federal Vaccines for Children program, which covers more than half of American children, has finally allowed states to order updated COVID vaccines for kids. The FDA approved these shots on August 27th.

This week has a lot of non-COVID news, so I’ll be sending it as a separate email to keep things easy to read. That separate post covers multiple sclerosis, the gut microbiome, heart failure, early cancer detection tests, menopause, SIDS, “pink slime”, and much more.

COVID Variants

According to WastewaterSCAN on 9/24/26, the XFG variant represents 53.4% of variants, followed by LF.7 (21.7%) and BA.3.2 (8.6%).

Olfactory dysfunction after COVID

Localized SARS-CoV-2 Infection Triggers a Tissue-Wide Antiviral Response and Functional Impairment of Olfactory Sensory Neurons | BioRxiV 9/21/26

• In a small UC Davis study of mice, a localized SARS-CoV-2 infection in olfactory tissue triggered tissue-wide interferon signaling and dampened the metabolism of smell neurons. Even uninfected neurons responded poorly to odors, suggesting that the immune response, not viral damage, drives smell loss.

Vaccines

CDC Greenlights COVID Vaccines for Vulnerable Children After Nearly 1 Month Delay | CIDRAP 9/24/26

• The CDC has finally let states order updated COVID shots through the Vaccines for Children program, which covers more than half of US kids including those on Medicaid. Privately insured children had weeks of access before low income and uninsured kids could get them.

Booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine and its effectiveness against post COVID-19 condition in individuals with pre-existing immunity: a sequential propensity score-matched cohort study | eClinicalMedicine 9/25/26

• Researchers at the University of Gothenburg studied 1.39 million adults and found that receiving a fourth COVID vaccine dose was associated with a 31% lower risk of a Long COVID diagnosis over six months compared to three doses. Among high risk individuals the protective association was even stronger, reaching 38%, though the absolute risk reduction was small. Preventing COVID infections prevents Long COVID too.

Jeff Gilchrist and Paul Seaman made this Google doc about the Novavax COVID vaccine.

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Long COVID

Remnant virus proteins sustain vascular inflammation post coronavirus infection in mice and humans | Clinical Science 9/26/26

• Medical University of Vienna researchers found that SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins persist in the circulation and in organs for months after infection, even when specific antibodies were present. These viral fragment proteins directly trigger endothelial inflammation through TLR4 signaling. A high-N-protein patient subgroup (28 of 95 patients) showed elevated markers of endothelial activation and vascular inflammation. Prednisolone reduced this effect in mice.

The gut-lung axis in respiratory diseases: Mechanisms, microbiome dysbiosis, and therapeutic implications. A comprehensive review | Respiratory Medicine 9/25/26 (November 2026 issue)

• Researchers from Malaysia reviewed 146 studies on the gut-lung axis and how intestinal microbiota and metabolites regulate pulmonary immunity across asthma, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, respiratory infections, COVID, sleep apnea, and lung cancer. “SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with profound gut microbiome disruption, which can last for at least six months, with ongoing depletion of beneficial bacteria like B. pseudocatenulatum and F. prausnitzii linked to persistent respiratory symptoms.”

The 10th Annual Stanford Community Symposium on the Molecular Basis of ME/CFS presentations are available now online. So far, I have really enjoyed listening to talks from Bill Robinson and David Kaufman, but I look forward to catching up on the other presentations soon. Other speakers include Ron Davis, Rob Phair, Brayden Yellman, Rob Wurst, Nancy Klimas and others.

RECOVER-TLC Biomarker Studies | FNIH RECOVER-TLC 9/25/26

• Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) RECOVER-TLC scientists selected 82 blood based biomarkers spanning immune, vascular, inflammatory, metabolic, and neurological systems for inclusion in upcoming clinical trials. Hannah Davis commented on Twitter about the suggested Long COVID biomarker list saying that she was “happy to see: ptau-181, ET-1, NF-kB, OSM, DPP-4, S100B.” However, she has concerns that a 3-month symptom-duration threshold may be too short, that the list includes several biomarkers (D-dimer, P-selectin, CD14, CXCL10, CRP) known to normalize by 6-12 months, and that the proposed list includes 7 tests that RECOVER has tested already and found no difference. She also states, “Most importantly, so many known areas of study are missing: gut/gut integrity, coagulation/endothelial damage, complement, herpesvirus panels, persistent antigen, IFN-β, cortisol & testosterone, kynurenine/tryptophan, T cell exhaustion.”

An Open-Label Feasibility Study of Remdesivir in Long COVID: Results from the ERASE LC Trial | Oxford Open Immunology 9/16/26

• A group in the UK gave 73 people with Long COVID five days of IV remdesivir in a safety and feasibility study. The treatment was safe and almost all participants completed the treatment. Although the study was not designed to prove efficacy, there was improvement in patient reported outcomes and for physical tests like the 6 minute walk test.

Long COVID: The Problem Society Wants to Forget | JAMA 9/24/26

• In a podcast, JAMA Senior Editor Derek Angus spoke with Dr. Wes Ely on how millions of people continue to live with Long COVID even as public attention has largely shifted away from the condition. They examine the persistent challenges in defining the illness and delivering effective care, as well as emerging Long COVID research.

Dynamic changes in cardiac autonomic function persist in the postacute phase after SARS-CoV-2 infection in a hamster model of COVID-19 | Heart Rhythm Open 9/24/26

• Johns Hopkins University scientists found that “cardiac dysautonomia after SARS-CoV-2 infection is phase dependent” in hamsters. Early intervention during acute infection either by blocking innate immune signaling with the JAK/STAT inhibitor Ruxolitinib, or by blocking mitochondrial oxidative stress with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl was sufficient to prevent postacute autonomic dysfunction and ANS remodeling.

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Post-infection increases in Cardiometabolic Disease Staging (CMDS) scores are associated with increased odds of long COVID in a longitudinal retrospective cohort | Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice 9/22/26

• Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham studied 6,364 patients and found that worse cardiometabolic health following COVID infection was associated with 36% greater odds of developing Long COVID. Increases in BMI, blood glucose, and triglyceride levels each contributed independently to this risk.

Temporal, demographic, and geographic patterns of long COVID incidence in relation to SARS-CoV-2 variant emergence: Insights from the Texas all-payer claims database (TX-APCD) | International Journal of Infectious Diseases 9/24/26

• UTHealth Houston researchers analyzed data from 15.3 million insured Texans and found that Long COVID claims consistently emerged 2 to 3 weeks after surges in COVID related emergency department visits, with adults over 70, Medicare enrollees, and rural Texans bearing disproportionately higher documented rates. Long COVID affects 10 to 30% of people infected with COVID, representing approximately 400 million people worldwide.

Sex-specific patterns of symptom burden, psychological distress, and work productivity impairment in post-acute sequelae of COVID-19: a 10-month dynamic cohort study | BMC Pulmonary Medicine 9/21/26

• Hannover Medical School in Germany tracked 433 Long COVID patients over 10 months and found that women reported greater fatigue, anxiety, and workplace impairment and a lower quality of life than men even after statistical adjustment for other factors. “Females also had higher percent-predicted (pp) total lung capacity (p < 0.0001) and lower pCO₂ (p < 0.0001), whereas males had higher pp diffusion capacity (p = 0.001). Headache (p < 0.001) and chest tightness (p = 0.011) were reported more frequently by females.”

Single-cell multi-omics show disruption of blood and airway T-cells in pulmonary long COVID | European Respiratory Journal 8/27/26

• Pulmonary Long COVID (PLC) refers to residual respiratory symptoms after COVID infection. University of British Columbia researchers found elevated CD4+ T-cells in the lungs and blood of PLC patients. “In PBMCs, T cells expressing both CD4 and CD8 were elevated in PLC participants.” Upregulated antiviral and interferon signaling and increased autoantibodies to DNA, collagen II, and TIF1-gamma, point to T-cell driven autoimmunity.

Measles

CDC Measles Update:

• As of September 24, 2026, 3,659 confirmed measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026.

• The CDC now reports only 1 measles death in 2026 on their website although in reality, there have been 4 measles deaths in the last 2 months reported by Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Department of Health Measles Dashboard:

Johns Hopkins US Measles Tracker for the last 2 weeks (9/11/26 to 9/25/26):

Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

WHO: As of 9/23/26, there have been 7,890 Ebola cases in the DRC, with 3,799 deaths, and case fatality rate of 48%.

Other news

Because there are so many interesting other medical articles this week, I’ve put them into a separate email so that it is easier to read. Please look for Part II of this newsletter.

Have a great week,

Ruth Ann Crystal MD

Get Flu & COVID Shots Before October Ends

I got mine 2 weeks ago, and I stick to this schedule every year. 

Take note of the helpful chart in this article. 

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Get flu and COVID shots before the end of October, public health officials say
KJZZ | By Katherine Davis-Young
Published September 28, 2026 at 5:00 AM MST 

Respiratory virus season is on its way and health officials say it’s time to schedule seasonal vaccines for flu and COVID-19.

Arizona has reported more than 49,000 cases of flu and more than 20,000 cases of COVID-19 over the last year, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Respiratory viruses pose the highest risks to young children, adults over 65, and people with compromised immune systems.

But annual updated vaccines for flu and COVID-19 are beneficial for almost everyone, said Shane Brady, deputy assistant director of preparedness with the Arizona Department of Health Services.

“For flu and COVID in particular, it really does reduce your risk for severe disease. So even if you do end up getting sick, you’re less likely to get severely ill,” Brady said.

Brady said vaccination also slows the spread of these contagious diseases, which helps prevent vulnerable people from being exposed.

“It also can help protect those around you,” Brady said.

It can take your body about two weeks to build up immunity after a flu or COVID-19 shot. So medical experts recommend getting those vaccines before the end of October so that you’re protected well ahead of the peak of respiratory virus season, which is typically in December or January.

Leading U.S. medical organizations recommend annual updated flu shots for everyone 6 months and older. Annual updated COVID-19 shots are recommended for children 6 to 23 months, children 2 to 18 with certain risks or if desired, and all adults over 19. A one-time vaccine for RSV is also recommended for infants under 8 months, some pregnant women, adults 50 to 74 at increased risk, and all adults over 75.

American Medical Assoc. 

Antisemitism: A Brutal, Contagious Disease of The Ignorant & The Attention-Seeking

I keep reading about Jewish or Israeli tourists who are getting physically attacked, chased, spat at and called hateful names in foreign countries. They hate us, but they welcome our tourist dollars. So I'd like to propose a reverse boycott to stop visiting, wasting our money, and subjecting ourselves to unhinged abuse in countries that hate us and think we are the villain!

Just yesterday in The Times of Israel, I read this outrageous story:  

"Irish soccer team refuses handshakes, bows heads during Israeli anthem; wins the match 3-0. Players wear black armbands to mark Gaza war dead, one player boycotts, broadcaster strips down its coverage; Israel’s captain says Ireland players said unpleasant things during game: ‘Obviously they hate us. We don’t like them’"

Today there's a similar story from Brendan O'Neill, the chief political writer at Spiked. In his comment that "Ireland is destroying itself at the altar of a demented hatred for Israel", you can now replace "Ireland" with the name of any country. That's how bad it is.

Free Ireland from ‘Free Palestine’. Ireland is destroying itself at the altar of a demented hatred for Israel. 

"So even Ireland’s pubs aren’t safe from the Palestine mania. Even its snugs and Guinness-drenched bars have been ailed by the swirling malady of Israelophobia. Yesterday, around 140 of them refused to show the Nations League clash between Ireland and Israel. Picture it: pint-pullers acting as self-appointed commissars of the keffiyeh cult, protecting their punters’ eyes and ears from the demonic vision of men from Israel playing football. This is not normal. It’s a sickness. 

"For me, nothing better captures Ireland’s craven surrender to the soul-rot of Israel-hate than this dystopic spectacle of football-free pubs. Ireland actually played good football last night. They thrashed Israel three-nil. Yet around the country, legions of eejits deprived themselves of the joy of watching their team soar, preferring to nurse a lonely pint in sanctimonious darkness than risk eye contact with the tainted athletes of the Zionist entity. I remember when Irish pubs had their fair share of alcoholics – now they’re full of Gazaholics.

"Ireland is unwell. The land of ‘Céad míle fáilte’ – a hundred thousand welcomes – has morphed into an envious, embittered nation. It has succumbed like no other country on Earth – save, perhaps, Gaza – to the ideological intoxicant of Jew-state-phobia. It unites the Trinity grad and the village idiot, the turbo-smug tote-bag classes of Dublin 4 and the buffoon at the end of the bar in Skibbereen. All define their morality through their loathing of the Jewish nation. All talk pure shite. We need to free Ireland from ‘Free Palestine’. 

"A Mao-lite lunacy swept Ireland in the run-up to last night’s match. Bug-eyed leftists in mandatory keffiyehs stormed the streets to scream ‘Stop the Game’, to demand that ‘our boys’ be spared the indignity of playing footie with those genocidal demons. Sports stars and politicians wailed ‘Call it off!’, as if these young fellas were off to the Somme rather than to a crowdless stadium in Hungary for 90 minutes of sport.

"At one point a mob gathered outside Castleknock Hotel in Dublin, where the Ireland team was staying, and begged them with megaphones to boycott Israel. Sporting rictus smirks of the most curious loathing, they even badgered ordinary hotel guests to tell the team to cancel the match. Ireland’s manager, Heimir Hallgrímsson, threw some red meat to the Israel-haters when he said: ‘We’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide.’ Yet even that pious blather with its demented depiction of Irish footballers as the valiant saviours of the wretched was insufficient to placate the haters. And Israel fired back. ‘We’re not playing with ignorance, hypocrisy and stupidity’, said the Israel FA. ‘We’re playing against the coach who embodies them’. Touché.

"In the end, the game went ahead. Though the team couldn’t resist a spot of nauseating performative piety. They refused to shake the Israeli players’ hands. They wore black armbands for the victims of Israel’s ‘genocide’. They bowed their heads during Israel’s national anthem. What child-like, unsporting, narcissistic tomfoolery. If you agree to play a game, play by the rules of the game. Also, anyone care to explain why the keffiyeh classes were superbly unbothered when the Irish cricket team played Afghanistan just a few weeks ago – a nation where women are treated like animals, homosexuality is punishable by death and democracy is non-existent? I’m being rhetorical, obviously. Every living organism with a brain knows the answer.

"It breaks my Mick heart to watch Ireland bow and scrape to the Palestine cult. It long ago conquered Ireland’s universities, where you can’t swing a cat without hitting 50 arseholes who think Israelis are Nazis. The media elites have such a feverish obsession with Israel that I’m convinced future psychologists will study it. The journalist Laura Perrins analysed the output of four media outlets, including RTÉ, and found they published 3,007 reports about Israel / Palestine between January and May this year. That’s almost 20 a day. When Rosie O’Donnell, the failed US comedian who has decamped to Ireland, spouted the usual regime slop about Israel’s ‘genocide’ on RTÉ’s Late Late Show, RTÉ’s social-media feed chirped: ‘Get Rosie O’Donnell her Irish passport.’ Nothing to see here, just the literal state broadcaster tying Irishness to hatred for Israel.

"But that, increasingly, is what makes up Irishness, at least in the eyes of the Dublin, Cork and Galway tosserati. They define the Irish identity by its antipathy to the Jewish nation. Hence the media’s ruthless rescinding of Ed Sheeran’s Irishness when he failed to spit the correct amount of venom at Israel. From Kneecap to Sally Rooney and now the preening, head-bowed football team, every Irish cultural export is madly, loudly, bizarrely anti-Israel. They have no idea how insane they sound to normies the world over.

"Politics itself is infected by the mania. This is a country where politicians openly call Israelis ‘the Nazis of the modern world’. Where there are discussions in parliament about the ‘disgusting Zionist regime’. Where the government agitated for a watering down of the term ‘genocide’ in order that Israel might be found guilty of it. Where the then president Michael D Higgins used Holocaust Memorial Day to hold forth on Israel’s actions in Gaza, in comments as morally cheap as they were despicably provocative. And where Israel took the extraordinary decision to shut its embassy because of the ‘extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government’.

"The sanctimony of it all is suffocating. The Irish puff themselves up as the historic victims of colonialism and famine who now have a holy duty to rage against the nation supposedly committing those crimes today: Israel. It is vanity of the most imperious, grating kind. And of course they never mention that Israel was invaded by 6,000 Islamofascists on 7 October 2023. And that more than a thousand of its citizens were raped and murdered by the Jew-hating brutes of Hamas. And that one of the 250 people Hamas kidnapped was a nine-year-old Irish-Israeli girl called Emily Hand. She was held for 50 days in complete darkness and warned not to talk, only to be released to discover that her stepmother was slain in that murderous pogrom. Why didn’t the Irish football team wear yellow ribbons for Emily? Shameless, absurd people.

"Ireland’s descent into the cesspit of Israelophobia reveals far more about its own moral disarray than it does about Israel’s ‘evil’. ‘Free Palestine’ has become a magnet for every freak and tosser in the West. It’s the retirement loony bin for every lost cause, every clapped-out leftist, every gender whackjob, every bored aristocrat, every silver-spoon anti-Semite, every tiresome politician, every low-IQ Islamist. It’s like an army of the damned, all searching for the source of their moral wretchedness. And you won’t believe what it is: the Jews! That Ireland has so enthusiastically joined this depraved crusade is sad beyond belief."

Brendan O’Neill is spiked’s chief political writer and host of the spiked podcast, The Brendan O’Neill Show. Subscribe to the podcast here. His latest book – After the Pogrom: 7 October, Israel and the Crisis of Civilisation – is available to order on Amazon UK and Amazon US now. And find Brendan on Instagram: @burntoakboy. 

Terror Suspects Arrested at UK Fairford AFB Used by USAF

The BBC News reported at 11:14 that of course, "Prime Minister Andy Burnham has urged people not to speculate after five men were arrested on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offences.". After all, you don't want to offend anyone, and it's probably just Islamophobia anyway. Nothing to see here. Move along.

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NY Post, 9-27-26

Stripped down terror suspects arrested after ‘planning van bombings’ at UK base used by US bombers — as police eye Iran 

British cops on Sunday arrested five suspected terrorists accused of plotting a van bombing attack at a UK military base used by the US Air Force for its strikes on Iran.

Dramatic pictures show the suspects being held at gunpoint while stripped to the waist, after officers suspected they may have been wearing suicide vests for their alleged plot, according to reports.

Police believe that there could be a link to the Iranian regime, but are investigating several possible motives, the Telegraph reported.

 A bomb disposal robot was later seen moving between three vans after chemicals and suspected explosive devices were found during the operation at Royal Air Force Fairford in Gloucestershire, Southwest England, the UK Sun reported.

Cops were informed of three “suspicious vans” in the village of Whelford early Sunday morning, a local resident, Julian Tudsbery, told the Guardian.

The base, roughly 90 miles from London, is the US Air Force’s command outpost for operations from Europe, and has been used for American strikes on Iranian missile sites that have been attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in July previously issued a chilling warning to Britain’s government not to allow US bombers to fly from the base, which is home to the US 501st Combat Support Wing Headquarters and the 420th Air Base Squadron.

Cops evacuated locals from the nearby village of Whelford during the operation after declaring a major incident.

A roughly 400-yard cordon was placed around the three suspicious vehicles, with a total of 85 households evacuated while examinations took place.

Residents were woken at 6 a.m. local time by police banging on their doors and telling them to leave immediately, before they were taken to a nearby community center.

“[Police] were then banging on the door, so I went downstairs in my dressing gown,” Tudsbery said.

“There were several police, three police cars in the drive, and they said you need to evacuate, there’s been a major incident, said he couldn’t elaborate,” he added.

The five suspects are being held on suspicion of possessing explosives, with MI5 assisting counter-terror police.

Iranian agents are likely to have been directly involved in the suspected plot themselves, rather than operating through proxies, sources familiar with the investigation told the Telegraph.

Cops are continuing their investigations, but the threat is contained, according to Gloucestershire Police.

Some 30 emergency vehicles, including police cars, ambulances and fire engines, were spotted in the nearby village of Fairford, while a helicopter flew overhead.

A USAF spokesperson said US and British personnel “remain vigilant” and will take appropriate actions to ensure safety of all at the base

“For operational security reasons we will not discuss specific force protection measures,” the spokesperson said. “We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families.”

New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is being kept updated about the incident, a government spokesperson said.

Locals reported dramatically increased security measures around the base in recent weeks.

One noted “very heavy vehicles across all gates” and “great big concrete walls” going up at entrances to the base, the Guardian reported.

RAF Fairford has a particularly long runway, extending almost two miles, which has been reinforced to support heavy bombers such as the B-1 and B-52, that have been deployed in attacks on Iran.

With Post wires.

"American Voters, Beware an Islamist Takeover"

He's right, and we already see it happening.  Let's not wait till there's another September 11th.  Plus they're using the excuse of non-existent "Islamaphobia" to stop any criticism.

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From The Gatestone Institute 

American Voters, Beware an Islamist Takeover in America. Do Not Let What Happened to My Birth Country Happen Here.

by Majid Rafizadeh
September 26, 2026 at 5:00 am 

• A dangerous trend is unfolding in America: please do not let what happened in my home country happen here. Many people refuse to see the gradual creep of Islamist ideology into nearly every sector of American society: media, politics, community organizing, education, and public discourse. These are what the stages of an Islamic revolution look like. It advances quietly and methodically -- an ideology that prioritizes its religious doctrine over national identity, Sharia constitutions over non-Islamic ones that are made by made by man, not by Allah.

• "The Ikhwan [Muslim Brotherhood] must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and 'sabotaging' its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers..." – Mohamed Akram, for the Shura Council of the Muslim Brotherhood, "An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the Muslim Brotherhood in North America."

• Today, some of the most prominent voices rising in American politics and culture are far more open about placing Islamic identity, community priorities, or sharp criticism of the United States above national and American loyalty.

• Hasan Piker, the influential streamer who has campaigned alongside candidates including Abdul El-Sayed, said on a 2019 livestream, "America deserved 9/11, dude."

• An Islamist, however, regards religious doctrine as the only high authority. Religious projects take precedence, and the country's broader interests -- freedom, prosperity, women's rights -- are subordinated. Iran is the clearest modern example.

• Sadly, these promises have often accompanied movements whose real aims were quite different. Look at the former Soviet Union, Cuba and Venezuela. Once in power, the core ideology does not dissolve. It asserts itself.

• Every vote for these jihadists sends the country hundreds of years backwards -- just as happened in Iran after 1979, when they seized power in a matter of months and imposed their full Sharia rules. They evidently would like to do the same in the US.

Islamist-leaning influence is growing in America, in media, activism, local projects, and electoral politics. Consider figures such as Zohran Mamdani, now mayor of New York City; Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Michigan; Imtiaz Mohammad, a Republican candidate for the Florida House; and the influential streamer Hasan Piker, who has campaigned alongside these kinds of candidates. Pictured: El-Sayed speaks at a press conference on September 22, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Sarah Rice/Getty Images)

"A dangerous trend is unfolding in America: please do not let what happened in my home country happen here. Many people refuse to see the gradual creep of Islamist ideology into nearly every sector of American society: media, politics, community organizing, education, and public discourse. These are what the stages of an Islamic revolution look like. It advances quietly and methodically -- an ideology that prioritizes its religious doctrine over national identity, Sharia constitutions over non-Islamic ones that are made by made by man, not by Allah.

"If some will say that an Islamic takeover is impossible in the United States, that is just what they said about Iran before 1979. In the years leading up to the Islamic Revolution, even the sharpest experts -- both Western leaders and ordinary Iranians -- failed to grasp what was lying in wait for them. The forces that eventually seized power did not, carefully, declare their intentions from the start. They worked from the bottom up -- through mosques and civil society organizations, gradually gaining influence. They presented themselves as socialists, reformers or defenders of the people. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who founded the Islamic Republic of Iran through a revolution, originally promised democracy, equality for religious and ethnic minorities, women's rights:

"Islam cares more for women than men: it has given women more rights than men. What this means is that women have the right to vote. What we grant women is better than what West grants. Women have the right to vote and they have the right to be elected. All this will exist. Women will have authority over their own affairs ... they are free to work if they so choose."

"IranWire comments:

"The Islamic Republic then imposed the hijab on women and today opponents of forced hijab are routinely prosecuted."

"The change, when it finally came, was swift. Within months, a modernizing country was transformed into a medieval theocracy. Sharia rules were imposed on every aspect of life -- especially on women. The world was shocked. Those men who had been dismissed as "marginal" had prepared carefully for years.

"In Shiite Islamist traditions a key concept is taqiyya -- dissimulation or concealment. They is religiously permissible in the when it serves the higher goal of furthering Islam, "Until the cry, 'There is no god but Allah' resounds over the whole world...."

"That is part of what made them so effective at taking over of Iran: the ability to say what people wanted to hear while advancing rather a different long-term agenda. Once power was secured, religious law and "exporting the revolution" ranked above economic progress, any individual freedoms, or the welfare of ordinary citizens. Iran, a country rich in resources, has spent decades in poverty, with its leaders repressing its own people as a result.

"A similar movement can now be seen in parts of America. Islamist-leaning influence appears in media, activism, local projects, and electoral politics. Consider figures such as Zohran Mamdani, now mayor of New York City; Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Michigan; Imtiaz Mohammad, a Republican candidate for the Florida House; and the influential streamer Hasan Piker, who has campaigned alongside these kinds of candidates.

"What is especially striking is that these figures are not even attempting to hide their priorities the way the architects of the 1979 Islamic revolution did. In Iran, the Islamists practiced careful deception, taqiyya, presenting themselves as moderate reformers until they held power. Today, some of the most prominent voices rising in American politics and culture are far more open about placing Islamic identity, community priorities, or sharp criticism of the United States above national and American loyalty. Look at the record.

"Imtiaz Mohammad, the Republican nominee for Florida's House District 103, stood in 2018 at the Darul Uloom Institute and declared, "America run on hate... And the American people are the most uneducated nation in the world." When the clip resurfaced years later, he stood by the statement.

"Hasan Piker, the influential streamer who has campaigned alongside candidates including Abdul El-Sayed, said on a 2019 livestream, "America deserved 9/11, dude. Fuck it, I'm saying it."

"Zohran Mamdani, now mayor of New York City, has made his Muslim identity central and public: he visited dozens of mosques during his campaign, took his oath of office on the Quran, and has framed Islam itself as "a religion built upon a narrative of migration," using these texts to denounce ICE and President Trump's deportation of illegal and criminal migrants.

"The EPIC project in Texas (rebranded "The Meadow" after Governor Abbott accused the group of attempting to bring Sharia into the US) was openly marketed as a purpose-built community "to serve the growing needs of a Muslim community," complete with a mosque and Islamic school -- drew intense scrutiny from state officials, who warned against parallel societies and legal systems.

"These are not hidden agendas. They are public statements, campaign choices, and project designs that place Muslim identity, Islamic framing, or deep criticism of America front and center. That openness is what makes the current moment dangerous, as in 1979 Iran. For those who remember how quickly Iran changed once the mask came off, the openness is also more alarming.

"For many who hold a strong Islamist worldview, religious identity and the goal of advancing Islamic norms rank above national loyalty. An American leader, such as President Donald J. Trump, who places the country's founding principles and prosperity first will defend the Constitution, individual rights, and equal citizenship under US law. An Islamist, however, regards religious doctrine as the only high authority. Religious projects take precedence, and the country's broader interests—freedom, prosperity, women's rights -- must be subordinated. Iran is the clearest modern example of that.

"Voters, especially young voters, would do well to be extremely careful. Promises of free services, economic justice, or "representation" sound irresistibly appealing. Khomeini used similar language before 1979. He spoke of benefits for the people. Sadly, these promises have often accompanied movements whose real aims were quite different. Look at the former Soviet Union, Cuba and Venezuela. Once in power, the core ideology does not dissolve. It asserts itself.

"America is heading down an extremely dangerous and scary path, one that closely resembles how my birth country, Iran, and so many other places -- Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, to name just a few -- were suddenly overtaken by Islamists or an Islamic revolution. If voters continue supporting and electing them, they will soon transform this country as is the plan as stated in "An Explanatory Memorandum on the General Strategic Goal for the [Muslim] Brotherhood in North America":

"The Ikhwan [Muslim Brotherhood] must understand that their work in America is a kind of grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and 'sabotaging' its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers..."

"Every vote for these jihadists sends the country hundreds of years backwards -- just as happened in Iran after 1979, when they seized power in a matter of months and imposed their full Sharia rules. They evidently would like to do the same in the US (see here, here and here). They will use deception if they believe it might help to get there, and they will always prioritize their version of Sharia, their religious ideology, over American law and values to reach the heaven they believe their doctrine promises. Every such vote works against freedom, democracy, and the nation's founding values. It has happened elsewhere – after the quiet creeping stage, with a speed that is shocking."

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a political scientist, Harvard-educated analyst, and board member of Harvard International Review. He has authored several books on the US foreign policy. He can be reached at dr.rafizadeh@post.harvard.edu

The Four Lies Driving Antisemitism

This article I'm excerpting was written in 2023, but nothing has changed since then, and antisemitism has only grown uglier, more acceptable, and more blatant.

It infuriates me when Israel-haters like Mamdani, liberal celebrities, Democrats, and other ignorant people continually and obsessively spew these lies even when -- or maybe even because -- they know they have no basis in fact. But they also know there are violent consequences they incite against Jews, as we have seen time and time again, as in this 9-24-26 attack: A Brooklyn rabbi was brutally attacked and left bleeding outside of his home in Borough Park on Wednesday night.

The Jews were are still are the victims of genocide. The phrases "genocide" and "crimes against humanity" were used at the Nuremberg trials that held the perpetrators of The Holocaust responsible for their crimes. They committed actual genocide in using gas chambers to more efficiently murder at least six million European Jews.

Since so many Jew-haters refuse to believe that The Holocaust actually occurred, it's no wonder they still lie viciously today about the Hamas pogrom against Israel and Israel's response in which avoiding civilian casualties was an objective. 

------------------------------------------

American Jewish Committee, 12-28-23 (excerpt)

Four Big Lies Driving the Alarming Surge in Antisemitism  

This piece originally appeared in The Jerusalem Post.

"After Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis in the most barbaric ways imaginable, perpetrated horrific sexual violence, and kidnapped hundreds of civilians – it’s hard to imagine anyone excusing – or even worse – celebrating this attack.

"Unfortunately, many have.

"These celebrations and attacks on Jewish communities and institutions have caused a major uptick in antisemitism worldwide. If we are going to counter this post-October 7 surge, we must identify the forces driving it. There are four big lies we must tackle head-on if we are going to be successful.

"The first is the notion that “From the River to the Sea” means the liberation of Palestinians or a secular binational Palestinian state. This couldn’t be further from the truth. It is a rallying cry for the erasure of the State of Israel and its people.

"The second is that “intifada” is a legitimate form of resistance. Rather, calls to “globalize the intifada” are a celebration of brutally violent terror campaigns waged against Israeli civilians. Those who call for a global intifada are exhorting such acts worldwide to incite violence against Jews and those who support Israel.

"The third is the idea that Israel is a white settler-colonialist state. The opposite is true. Jews have called the Land of Israel home for millennia, as proven by historical and archaeological evidence. The majority of Israelis are people of color from the Middle East and North Africa. 

"Actual European colonists set out to enrich their mother countries and/or themselves, but Jews settling in Mandatory Palestine had no mother country; they were fleeing persecution and returning to their indigenous homeland.

"The fourth, and perhaps most egregious and dangerous, is the accusation that Israel is committing genocide. While we all can mourn the loss of innocent Palestinian life, we also must state the facts. The word “genocide” – first coined in response to the Holocaust – refers to acts “committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.”

"The Palestinian population has, in reality, quintupled since 1967. Calling Israel’s actions genocidal is a modern-day blood libel that purposefully distorts the Holocaust. The genocidal actor is, rather, Hamas, whose 1988 covenant calls for the murder of Jews worldwide."