What A Day: The Psychedelic Lunar Priestess Will See You Now
A woo-woo influencer will likely be America’s next surgeon general.
‘EMBRACE THE WOO-WOO’
Wellness guru? Psychedelic lunar priestess? Magic mushroom enthusiast? Whatever she may be, Casey Means is poised to become America’s top doctor.
Influencer Casey Means isn’t your typical nominee for surgeon general. She’s far more comfortable filming hyper-religious Instagram reels than seeing patients, and has a long history of strange beliefs and oddball behavior that helped propel her to internet fame. Her antics include tripping on mushrooms to find romantic love, talking to trees, and conducting “moon ceremonies.” One prominent conservative accused her of dabbling in “occult practices that amount to witchcraft.” Despite these highly irregular credentials, she looks all but certain to win Senate approval to become the nation’s top spokesperson on public health.
“I felt myself as part of an infinite and unbroken series of cosmic nesting dolls of millions of mothers and babies before me from the beginning of life,” wrote Means, who graduated from medical school but dropped out of residency, describing her psychedelic experiences.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a notorious anti-vaxxer and former heroin addict, might not be the looniest health official for much longer. During Means’s confirmation hearing this morning, she tried to convince lawmakers she isn’t totally cuckoo.
Consider Means’s response when asked if she’d encourage Americans to trip on shrooms. “I believe what I would say as a private citizen is, in many cases, different [from] what I would say as a public health official,” she replied.
That’s essentially the same intellectual sleight-of-hand that RFK Jr. used to ease lawmakers’ concerns about his own unorthodox views, before he repeatedly broke his promises. There’s no sign that Republicans have learned their lesson, and Means is widely expected to be confirmed.
Sure, Means is… eccentric, shall we say. But her medical views are also downright concerning. This is, after all, the woman who once titled a book chapter: “Trust Yourself, Not Your Doctor.”
Means once claimed that Americans “use birth control pills like candy,” and that the pills represent a “disrespect for life.” She said that giving the hepatitis B vaccine to babies is “absolute insanity” if their parents don’t have the disease. She dodged a question today about her support for the measles vaccine, saying that any patient needs to consult their doctor “before putting a medication in their body.” Asked about evidence showing that vaccines aren’t linked to autism, Means responded: “I do accept that evidence. I also think that science is never settled.”
Means’s meteoric rise comes as Americans’ health is under threat.
Childhood vaccination rates are falling nationwide, as the measles disease makes a worrying comeback. Just look at this live tracker from Johns Hopkins researchers: There are nearly 1,100 measles cases in the United States right now, from southern California to northern Maine.
“The nation is on the verge of losing the measles-elimination status it has held for 26 years, which would officially mean that the virus was once again routinely circulating in the United States,” The Atlantic writes. One recent study found that a drop in measles vaccinations by “just a few more percentage points could lead to millions more measles cases over the next 25 years,” the outlet continues.
That’s why many medical experts fear Means becoming America’s top health spokesperson. RFK Jr. and his team have systematically dismantled the country’s vaccine efforts, dropping the number of recommended vaccines for children and putting vaccine skeptics on the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel.
“We’ve seen what happens when we put unqualified anti-vax quacks in charge,” an advocacy group focused on electing scientists to public office, 314 Action, wrote in a statement. “The lives of millions of Americans depend on Republicans not making the same mistake twice.”
Fortunately, the vast majority of Democrats and Republicans still believe vaccines are safe, according to a new poll. Maybe this is all just a bad trip.
WHAT ELSE? 👀
Cuba’s border guard shot and killed four people on a U.S.-registered speedboat off the island’s coast today, after the boat’s occupants opened fire, according to Cuban officials. Per the New York Times: “A U.S. official initially said the firefight involved a U.S. civilian boat that was part of a flotilla to get relatives out of Cuba, adding that the vessel was not U.S. Naval or Coast Guard boat. But later intelligence confirmed that a single boat had been attacked.”
Anthropic, the AI company behind the Claude chatbot, is scaling back its safety commitments to prioritize “competitiveness and economic growth,” the company announced. The surprising move, however, comes shortly after a tense meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in which he presented Anthropic with an ultimatum: allow the Pentagon to use its AI for all legal military purposes, or lose its government contract.
Vice President JD Vance said that Donald Trump still prefers to make a deal with Iran to curb its nuclear program, rather than use the military. “The president has a number of other tools at his disposal to ensure this doesn’t happen,” Vance told Fox News. “I think most Americans understand that you can’t let the craziest and worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons.” I dunno man… between invading Venezuela and threatening Greenland, you might be a little more self-conscious about calling another regime crazy!
Capitol police arrested Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) State of the Union guest for refusing “to obey our lawful orders” to sit down during the speech, authorities said. The guest, Aliya Rahman, was previously dragged from her car in Minneapolis by federal agents, even though she told them she was disabled and driving to a doctor’s appointment. “The heavy-handed response to a peaceful guest sends a chilling message about the state of our democracy,” Omar said of last night’s arrest.
A pro-MAGA account on X with nearly 300,000 followers is being run by the same guy in charge of the White House’s rapid response account, Wired reports. The account has spread misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric: “They’re burning the American flag right now in Minneapolis … And they really expect you to believe that ICE shot an innocent civilian,” the account tweeted. The account also described the racist video that Trump posted of the Obamas as “a masterpiece.”
Billionaire Bill Gates apologized to the Gates Foundation staff for his ties to deceased child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, the Wall Street Journal reports. “To be clear I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” Gates said, while admitting that he had two affairs. He said his ex-wife, Melinda, sensed that the financier was sketchy: “To give her credit, she was always kind of skeptical about the Epstein thing.”
LIGHT AT THE END… ☀️
The Department of Justice isn’t allowed to search a phone and laptop seized from a Washington Post journalist who reported on the federal government, a federal judge ruled. “Allowing the government’s filter team to search a reporter’s work product — most of which consists of unrelated information from confidential sources — is the equivalent of leaving the government’s fox in charge of the Washington Post’s henhouse,” the judge wrote.
A bar in Washington, D.C. offered free Narragansett lager last night for customers watching the State of the Union, but only until Trump insulted someone. Attendees and bartenders thought it would last only 5 or 10 minutes… but it took 45 minutes. “If we’re going to have to hear this clown show, we might as well be around free alcohol,” one recent college grad said. Personally, I would’ve asked for something stronger!
As I mentioned yesterday, the Pod Save America guys went on Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show to break down Trump’s State of the Union speech. I laughed out loud when Jon Lovett cracked wise about mixing up the hockey players who attended the speech with characters from the “Heated Rivalry” TV show. “Not one of the hockey players kissed another hockey player,” he said. “I think you have it all wrong,” Kimmel responded.
A 37-year-old tax economist wagered his life savings ($342,195) in the Kalshi prediction market — betting that DOGE wouldn’t be successful in cutting government costs — and won. Let’s be clear: placing bets in a prediction market is a questionable idea, especially if your life savings are on the line. Even the economist agrees: “My wife knows that I’m not this type of person most of the time,” he said.
The 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame named its induction nominees, including Phil Collins, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, Shakira, Jeff Buckley, and the Wu-Tang Clan among others. I don’t know about you, but I’m hoping this means we’ll get an “In the Air” x “Hips Don’t Lie” collaboration pronto. (Also… Jeff Buckley, in 2026? What took so long?)
A Chilean telescope captured a stunning image of swirling, star-forming gases near a supermassive black hole. Photos like these help scientists better understand how galaxies evolve, one research said.
Sales of DVDs and Blu-rays are being revived by Gen Z and millennials, who enjoy the nostalgia of the media and collecting physical art. “If something gets deleted off an online platform, I will still be able to watch it because I have a physical copy,” one young shopper said. “It feels really precious to be able to own things physically and not be at the mercy of studios’ financial decisions.”
“I felt myself as part of an infinite and unbroken series of cosmic nesting dolls of millions of mothers and babies before me from the beginning of life,”
This regime and their ‘health policies’ are going to kills so many people who otherwise would likely live long lives. The GOP should never be able to live down rubber stamping these lunatics.
Seems like Casey is popping gummies like candy 🍭