A growing number of American parents are using cannabis, prompting questions about potential child exposure and safety, according to a new study.
Cannabis use increased substantially among parents between 2012 and 2024, with researchers estimating that at least 5.9 million U.S. children were living with a parent who used marijuana on most days in 2024.
By 2024, 8% of parents used cannabis on most days, 5.2% used it daily and 6.7% met the criteria for cannabis use disorder (CUD).
Daily cannabis use among parents was about four times as common as daily alcohol use, the study found.
While increases occurred across nearly all demographic groups, some of the largest were seen among younger and unmarried parents, those in lower-income households and those without a four-year college degree.
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, analyzed data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), involving nearly 482,000 U.S. individuals ages 12 and older.
The findings were published in the journal Addictive Behaviors.
"Marijuana has become so socially acceptable that people are starting to overlook the risks," Dr. Jarid Pachter, who specializes in family medicine and addiction medicine at Stony Brook Medicine in New York, told Fox News Digital.
"Just because it's legal doesn't mean it's harmless," added Pachter, who was not involved in the study.
The physician also expressed concern about the example parents are setting for their children.
"If marijuana use is a regular part of life at home, children may start to see it as something that's normal and relatively harmless," he said, pointing to studies that show children whose parents use marijuana are more likely to use it themselves as they get older.
"That doesn't necessarily mean the parent's marijuana use is causing the child to use, but there's clearly an association."
The doctor also cautioned that THC, the main psychoactive chemical in the marijuana plant, is known to affect attention, memory, coordination and reaction time.
"When you have young children, you need to be alert and able to respond to their needs," he said. "I'm not suggesting that someone who uses marijuana can't be a good parent. My concern is about being impaired when you're responsible for a child's safety."
"I also think we need to be careful about normalizing daily marijuana use," he went on. "We wouldn't automatically consider daily alcohol use harmless, and we shouldn't look at marijuana that way, either."
Pachter emphasized that accidental ingestion is another concern, especially with edibles like marijuana gummies or chocolate, which can look like regular candy to a young child.
"Some develop severe sedation, confusion and difficulty walking. In more serious cases, children can have breathing problems and require hospitalization."
The more frequently someone uses marijuana, the greater risk of developing cannabis use disorder, the doctor cautioned.
"We also know THC can affect memory, attention and coordination. Frequent use, particularly of high-potency products, is associated with an increased risk of certain psychiatric problems in susceptible individuals."
Smoking marijuana around children can also pose a risk of secondhand exposure.
"Marijuana smoke contains many of the same harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke," the physician said. "We know children can be exposed to THC through secondhand smoke, although we're still learning about the long-term health effects."
For those who use marijuana every day, Pachter suggests they ask themselves whether they can go without it, and whether it is affecting work, relationships or responsibilities.
"And if you're a parent, you need to consider whether your marijuana use is affecting your ability to care for your children."
The study had some limitations. The researchers did not assess parenting quality or childrenâs health, and the findings do not establish that parental cannabis use causes adverse child outcomes.
Additionally, the data relied on self-reported substance use, which could be subject to recall or reporting bias.
The researchers called for further studies examining whether the frequency of parental cannabis use, cannabis use disorder, household exposure and storage practices are associated with children's health or developmental outcomes.
The researchers reported funding support from the California Department of Cannabis Control, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Pope Leo XIV will need no further treatment for lung cancer after final tests confirmed the disease was localized, his doctors said Wednesday.
Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora announced the findings just over a week after surgeons removed a tumor from the pontiff’s right lung.
"The final histopathology and molecular testing reports on the tissue removed during the Holy Father’s surgery were issued today," the doctors said in a statement.
"The results confirmed that the tumor was a lung adenocarcinoma and that the disease was localized. A subsequent oncological assessment has confirmed that no further treatment is necessary."
Pope Leo underwent surgery Oct. 13 at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. The operation lasted about 90 minutes, with the pope spending approximately three hours in the operating room, according to the Holy See.
"The doctors said it was successful and there were no complications," the Holy See press office said after the procedure.
The pontiff awoke normally and returned to his hospital room following a brief observation period, Vatican News reported.
He was discharged Saturday after blood tests and a chest X-ray confirmed he was well enough to return to the Vatican. Thousands of supporters gathered outside the hospital, shouting "Papa!" as he departed.
Before leaving, Leo visited the children’s oncology ward, where young patients had sent him letters during his hospital stay.
Supplements are a daily wellness habit for many Americans — but experts warn more isn’t always better.
Some common nutritional supplements include zinc for immune function, ashwagandha for stress relief, fish oil for improving heart health and magnesium for better sleep, among others that have gained popularity on social media.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Jim LaValle, a clinical pharmacist and metabolic medicine expert based in Texas, said that supplements should be balanced with other medications and medical conditions.
For example, low magnesium has been associated with the development of metabolic syndrome. In that case, he said, taking a magnesium supplement could help to balance out levels.
"We assume that if you eat healthy, you're going to get those nutrients. But are the foods we're selecting actually rich in those nutrients?" he questioned.
LaValle recommends using supplements to address specific needs, starting with a blood test to pinpoint any deficiencies, rather than blindly treating symptoms.
Low iron and ferritin are common among people complaining of fatigue, LaValle said, yet some may instead turn to supplements like ashwagandha or rhodiola in an effort to boost their energy.
"They’re buying some kind of stimulant adaptogen to try to get their energy up," he said. "That’s pretty basic — you’re low in iron, and you never got a blood test."
LaValle noted that the number of biomarkers measured is less important than how well the results are interpreted.
After appropriate blood testing, the results can be used to identify "functional highs and lows" and help establish specific health goals, he said.
"If you're somebody who has a goal to get out there and get after it and do a Hyrox or an LT Games or a Tough Mudder, there could be supplements that would help improve your performance [or] reduce your risk of injury," LaValle said.
"It doesn't mean you [have to] take them all the time."
The expert reiterated that it’s easy to "overdo it," particularly with the influence of online health and wellness advice.
"When people are getting barraged with marketing between social media and friends telling them, 'I did this and it worked,' they'll lean in and go, 'Hey, if two is good, four is better, and why not do 10?'"
In one example, having low levels of certain nutrients, such as zinc, can disrupt key functions in the body, as zinc plays an important role in immune health, cell growth and metabolism.
But supplementing with too much zinc can cause digestive distress and even copper deficiency, which can lead to anemia and other neurological problems, according to the NIH.
"So having low zinc is not good, but you can overdo zinc," LaValle said. "You can overdo vitamin A. You can overdo vitamin D easily, and that could be potentially toxic if you're taking too much of it."
People should talk with a doctor or pharmacist before starting or combining supplements, particularly if they take prescription medications or have underlying health conditions. Blood testing may also be appropriate before supplementing certain nutrients, experts advise.
People diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) face a roughly 71% higher overall risk of early death compared to those without the condition, according to a new review published in JAMA Network Open.
However, taking prescription ADHD medication may offer a protective benefit, lowering overall risk of death, the review found.
Researchers analyzed data from 19 observational studies involving nearly 16 million people across three continents to evaluate the long-term effects associated with the condition.
The review considered both unnatural causes of death, such as injuries and suicide, and natural causes, including physical health conditions like cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Across all categories, individuals with ADHD experienced elevated mortality rates compared to those without the diagnosis.
"We found that people with ADHD face an increased risk not only of death by suicide and injury, but also of deaths by natural causes, adding to evidence that health inequalities faced by people with ADHD are broad and wide-ranging," senior author Joshua Stott, professor of aging and clinical psychology at University College London (UCL), said in a press release.
The risk of death from suicide was nearly doubled, showing an 89% increase, while the risk of dying from intentional or unintentional injuries, such as motor vehicle accidents, was 55% higher, the study found.
There was also a 27% higher risk of death from natural causes among people with ADHD.
The increased risk of death from natural causes was often tied to long-term health risks like smoking and substance use, as well as executive function challenges that can make it harder to manage chronic conditions, attend doctor’s appointments and follow treatment plans.
In one analysis, researchers checked whether medical treatment changed overall mortality rates.
Among people with ADHD, those taking prescribed ADHD medication had a 25% lower risk of death from any cause compared to those not taking medication, suggesting that effective treatment may lower some of the behavioral effects and health risks associated with the condition.
Despite these findings, the researchers emphasized several key limitations.
All included studies were observational, meaning the results show associations rather than direct cause-and-effect relationships.
The findings on ADHD medication came from just three of the 19 studies, so those results are still preliminary and based on a much smaller group of people.
Results also varied widely across individual studies due to differences in diagnostic criteria, healthcare access and tracking methods, while underlying factors such as socioeconomic status and other mental health conditions were not controlled across data sets.
"Our findings provide early evidence to suggest that medication may play an important role in supporting the health of people with ADHD, but this is based on a small number of studies and further research is needed to clarify this link," first author Lucy Corrigan, a research assistant in the University of Liverpool’s Department of Psychology, said in the same press release.
"Medication is just part of the story; many people with ADHD benefit from comprehensive, long-term treatment and support."
A Canadian man battling a debilitating neurological disease told Fox News Digital that hospital staff repeatedly raised the possibility of medically assisted death while he was fighting for the home care he says he needs to survive.
Roger Foley, who has spinocerebellar ataxia, told Fox News Digital in a recent interview that the conversations began in 2016 at Victoria Hospital, part of the London Health Sciences Centre in Ontario, where he says he has remained hospitalized for years while seeking a self-directed home-care arrangement.
In a July 7, 2026, letter obtained by Fox News Digital, Foley's attending physician said he could safely leave the hospital if the Ontario government authorized an individualized home-care arrangement.
"By any reasonable clinical standard, you could be discharged from our hospital if you had adequate support at home," wrote Dr. George K. Dresser, an attending internal medicine physician at London Health Sciences Centre.
Dresser said Foley has been medically stable for much of his prolonged hospitalization, despite suffering hospital-acquired infections, and argued that conventional home-care programs have failed to accommodate his complex medical needs.
"You have been at London Health Sciences Centre because the unique needs that you have cannot be met by existing programs in the community," the physician wrote.
Dresser described Foley as "a square peg in a round hole," arguing that the hospital's standardized approach to care is poorly suited to a patient who requires consistent caregivers and highly individualized assistance.
The physician also suggested that keeping Foley hospitalized may be unnecessarily expensive for Ontario's healthcare system.
"A community-based, self-directed arrangement would in all likelihood cost substantially less than continued acute admission, while delivering far better-matched care," Dresser wrote.
He urged Ontario's Ministry of Health to authorize funding that would allow Foley to recruit, train and manage his own personal support workers, potentially ending his yearslong hospitalization.
Foley alleged that assisted dying was raised again during a disputed discharge process in 2017, when he says he was threatened with daily hospital charges of approximately $1,500 if he did not accept the care arrangements being offered.
"I don't want to die," Foley told Fox News Digital, describing his determination to return to his apartment with caregivers of his choosing.
Foley also alleged that the hospital removed lighting accommodations for his neurological condition in May 2025, making it difficult for him to receive care and consume food and fluids.
Foley said the lighting dispute is particularly serious because his neurological condition makes him sensitive to certain wavelengths of light, including those emitted by fluorescent fixtures.
For years, he said, the hospital accommodated his condition with amber-spectrum lighting that allowed caregivers to assist him without triggering his symptoms.
But in May 2025, Foley alleged the hospital withdrew those accommodations and began requiring staff to provide care under fluorescent lighting.
He claimed the change has made it increasingly difficult to receive routine assistance, including help with eating and drinking, because he must wear large, heavy protective goggles that place additional strain on his already compromised neck.
Foley said he has sometimes relied on personal support workers from outside the hospital to help him consume fluids and that financial limitations have prevented him from arranging enough outside assistance to meet all his needs.
He further alleged that some hospital employees have been instructed not to provide care unless fluorescent lights are turned on, even though he says other staff members have been able to assist him using the amber lighting without difficulty.
Foley also claimed hospital personnel began asking him questions about suicidal thoughts again around the time his lighting accommodations were withdrawn. Unlike his earlier experiences, he said he refused to engage in those conversations because he no longer trusted the hospital's intentions.
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
He said he does not refuse to discuss his mental health in general, and is not opposed to mental health assessments or receiving appropriate mental health support. However, he said previous experiences with hospital staff have made him wary of engaging in such discussions, especially because he said medical assistance in dying (MAID) had previously been raised as an option.
The allegations mark the latest chapter in what Foley described as a nearly decade-long struggle to obtain the kind of care that would allow him to leave the hospital and return to his own home.
Despite his prolonged hospitalization, Foley said he has never given up his apartment, which he described as accessible and equipped with a ceiling lift to assist with his mobility needs.
"I have my own apartment. I still pay all my bills," he told Fox News Digital.
"The last 10 years I haven't given up my apartment and I have wonderful community [personal support workers] that are ready to start working for me as soon as I get the self-directed funding," Foley said.
Self-directed funding primarily refers to the Direct Funding (DF) Program for adults with physical disabilities and Family-Managed Home Care for broader home care services.
Under such a model, Foley explained, patients with disabilities would have greater control over choosing and managing their caregivers rather than relying exclusively on agencies selected through the provincial home-care system.
Foley argued that this would provide more consistent and safer care, particularly for patients with complex medical needs who require caregivers familiar with their individual conditions.
He said his physicians have supported his efforts to obtain alternative home-care arrangements, but he has been unable to secure the funding necessary to put his plan into action.
Foley said that the existing system has left him caught between remaining hospitalized indefinitely and accepting community-care arrangements he believes would place his health at risk.
"I'm not giving up," he said. "I don't want to die, my daughters know I don't want to die, my physicians have always been very explicit and direct that it's not safe to put me in that type of close model that I need direct funding."
In the letter from Dresser, Foley's attending physician, he writes in part, "I am therefore advocating that the Ministry to consider authorizing an individualized, self-directed funding arrangement that would enable you to be discharged from acute care and to arrange and direct your own care in the community. I am very willing to meet with Ministry staff, to provide whatever clinical documentation is required, and to work collaboratively on the design and safeguards of such an arrangement."
Before his illness progressed, Foley said he had built a career in banking, worked as a television host and comedian, and even trained as a professional wrestler.
He described earning recognition for his work before his deteriorating health eventually forced him to leave his career and go on long-term disability.
But Foley said he has continued looking for ways to contribute to society despite his physical limitations.
He is now involved with a project called "Bring Roger Home," which he said is working with a nonprofit organization to raise money for the care he needs to return to his community.
The effort also includes releasing music he recorded years earlier, with proceeds intended to support his home-care needs and eventually help other people facing similar circumstances.
One of the songs, "Limitless with Limitations," reflects the philosophy he said helped him come to terms with his condition.
"Just because you're not the person that you were doesn't mean that the person you are can't be limitless and achieve positive things and goals," Foley said.
He also urged people living with disabilities or chronic illnesses not to lose hope, even when their medical circumstances become overwhelming.
"Don't give up who you are at your core and believe in yourself," he said.
Foley said his ultimate goal remains unchanged: to return home, reconnect with family and friends, and live as independently as his condition allows.
His experience has also shaped his opposition to Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) system, which he argues cannot be adequately safeguarded when patients face serious gaps in medical care and social support.
According to the BBC, Canada’s MAID law, which legalized euthanasia in 2016, is responsible for one in every 20 deaths in Canada.
Foley contended that patients should have meaningful access to treatment, disability assistance and home-care alternatives before assisted death is considered.
For him, the central issue is not whether he has the ability to end his life, but whether he can obtain the assistance necessary to continue living it.
"Even in the darkest times," Foley said, "you can still find a light at the end of the tunnel to go towards."
Fox News Digital reached out to London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), which operates Victoria Hospital, Ontario Health atHome, the Ontario Ministry of Health, and Dresser, Foley’s physician, for comment but did not immediately receive responses.
Cheshire Independent Living Services declined to comment.
FLUSHING, N.Y. — Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz confronted employees at two New York City senior care centers over suspected Medicaid fraud, challenging their billing practices as Fox News Digital got an exclusive look at the crackdown in action.
Oz, accompanied by senior federal health officials, delivered warning letters to Kent Senior Care and Evergreen Adult Day Care in Flushing, Queens, during a broader fraud crackdown that involved the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the NYPD and other agencies.
The letters notified the facilities that their billing practices had raised concerns among federal authorities. The two visits by Oz were part of a broader crackdown in which CMS officials conducted more than 80 visits and delivered warning letters to providers across New York City on Tuesday.
Fox News Digital accompanied Oz as he pressed employees about questionable billing records and challenged their explanations for how taxpayer dollars were being spent.
"The whole experience was suspicious," Oz told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview following the visits.
Oz said federal authorities were conducting a broader crackdown that included arrests, search warrants and efforts to stop certain operators from billing Medicaid, although Fox News Digital did not independently witness those enforcement actions at either Queens facility.
Kent Senior Care declined comment during a phone call with Fox News Digital on Tuesday. Evergreen Adult Day Care did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Oz questions senior center director: 'We don't believe you'
The first stop came around 8:30 a.m. at Kent Senior Care, where Oz entered the facility and personally handed its director a letter from the federal government notifying the business that its billing practices were under scrutiny.
"The bills are much higher than they should be," Oz told the director. "The billing is for more people. It doesn't look very crowded here."
The director pushed back during the exchange, explaining that it was still early and additional seniors would arrive later in the morning, as Oz questioned whether the facility's Medicaid billing records accurately reflected its actual attendance.
The occupancy of the space was 70 persons, according to an observe posted maximum occupancy sign on the wall.
"The bills we're getting are as though it's completely full all the time," Oz said.
The director maintained that the facility billed only for seniors who actually attended, and that it required participants to sign attendance sheets.
"You're getting this letter from the U.S. Government because we don't believe you," he told the director.
During the exchange, Oz also questioned why the center's billing records appeared to reflect seniors attending five days a week when the director acknowledged that many participants typically attended only two or three days.
The director insisted the facility billed for actual attendance and said some seniors attended more frequently than others.
The confrontation intensified when Oz and other federal officials raised questions about specialized transportation services billed for seniors using wheelchairs.
"I don't see any wheelchairs here," Oz told the director.
Fox News Digital observed seniors inside the facility, including individuals using walking aids, but did not see anyone using a wheelchair during the visit.
Another official said billing records included charges for specialized wheelchair transportation, raising questions about whether the services had been provided and which company was responsible for submitting the charges.
The director said some seniors had mobility difficulties, including those recovering from strokes, and that the facility had wheelchairs available. He also said that workers could have copied information from previous files instead of properly updating the billing codes as it applied to wheelchair use.
"Probably he just copy and pasted," the director said.
During the visit, Oz walked over to several mahjong tables set up inside the facility, questioning whether taxpayer dollars were being properly spent on the recreational activities offered through the Medicaid-funded program.
"Should the American taxpayers be paying so folks can play mahjong?" Oz asked the director.
The director defended the activity, explaining that mahjong helps seniors exercise their fingers, socialize and improve their memory, particularly those experiencing cognitive difficulties.
"It's free for them, not free for the taxpayers," Oz responded. "Is that what our federal tax dollars for Medicaid is supposed to go to? Or is it life-saving heart surgery? Or, you know, new therapies for cancer?"
Oz raises concerns over seniors entering without signing in
Oz raised additional concerns about the facility's attendance records after observing seniors entering without signing in, despite the director's insistence that participants were required to document their attendance.
"People were just walking in there without signing anything," Oz said. "And then after I showed up and he saw what we were doing with my team, he started collecting these documents to be signed."
Oz said the apparent inconsistencies raised further questions about whether the facility's attendance records accurately reflected the services being billed to Medicaid.
Fox News Digital also witnessed several seniors enter Kent Senior Care without immediately signing attendance sheets. Additional seniors who arrived later were instructed to sign in.
Social adult day care programs can provide eligible seniors with structured activities, supervision, meals and social support. Medicaid reimbursement depends on applicable program rules, individual eligibility and documentation of services provided.
At the second stop, Evergreen Adult Day Care, Oz confronted a floor manager over another set of billing discrepancies before examining the facility's attendance records.
The manager told Oz that approximately 200 seniors attended the facility on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, compared with about 150 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, although it was unclear whether those figures represented total daily attendance or the number of seniors present at one time.
But Oz questioned those numbers after walking through the facility and observing significantly fewer people.
"So I look at maybe 25 people in the whole space now," Oz said.
The manager disputed that estimate, explaining that some seniors were participating in classes while others had left to shop, visit a pharmacy or attend medical appointments.
"The numbers don't seem to add up," Oz responded.
Oz also questioned the manager about wheelchair-related billing, asking how many participants used wheelchairs.
The manager initially indicated that none did before acknowledging that a small number of seniors used them.
"But you said there weren't any, were you?" Oz pressed.
He subsequently discussed the apparent discrepancy with other federal officials accompanying him.
"I'm struck by how few people are here as well," Oz said. "This makes me wonder how they sustain these billing levels."
The visit took another turn when Oz examined the facility's attendance books, which he said contained "fraud."
Fox News Digital observed sign-in sheets that appeared to contain names entered for Oct. 22, and Oct. 23, dates that had not yet occurred at the time of the visit.
The entries dated Oct. 22 and Oct. 23, both after the visit, raised questions about whether the facility was documenting attendance in advance, although Fox News Digital could not immediately establish whether the entries were completed attendance records or advance schedules.
Oz alleges organized crime ties to NYC Medicaid fraud
Oz said federal authorities believed organized criminal networks were exploiting the Medicaid-funded programs by offering seniors money to attend facilities and then billing the government for services that were not actually provided.
Oz alleged that individuals he described as being connected to the "Chinese mafia" were paying some seniors between $1,000 and $1,200 to participate in fraudulent billing arrangements, though the administrator did not identify a specific criminal organization or provide supporting evidence during the interview.
Oz said the federal government had identified significant spikes in billing across the industry and claimed that annual spending on the programs had approached $1 billion.
"We know from the billing here that there's no way this business is running in the way that they claim to be running without something being wrong," Oz told Fox News Digital.
"Is it an innocent mistake? A hundred times in a row, I don't think so."
Oz alleged that proceeds from fraudulent Medicaid billing schemes were being used to finance other criminal activities, including money laundering and human trafficking, although Fox News Digital had not independently verified those connections or established any such link to the two facilities visited.
"It's really a clubhouse for crime," Oz said while describing the alleged broader scheme.
He said fraud accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic and criticized the previous administration for failing to address what he described as rapidly rising spending and suspicious billing.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul acknowledged the crackdown on Tuesday, calling it part of a "massive effort to combat fraud and abuse" in Medicaid and confirming that state health officials had joined federal and state law enforcement in targeting suspected fraud at social adult day care programs.
While Oz personally delivered warning letters to the two Queens facilities, state, local and federal law enforcement officials were simultaneously conducting searches at other locations across New York City as part of the coordinated crackdown.
Specific details about the facilities targeted, individuals involved and evidence recovered were not immediately available as the investigations remained ongoing.
Kyle Kennedy, the granddaughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, has died at the age of 42.
Kennedy, the daughter of Michael Kennedy and Victoria Gifford Kennedy, died Sept. 21 at her Massachusetts home, according to an obituary published by Burke Funeral Homes.
Her cause of death remains pending, People reported.
Born in Washington, D.C., on July 6, 1984, Kennedy spent much of her upbringing in Cohasset, Massachusetts. She attended Milton Academy before earning a bachelor’s degree in history from Georgetown University.
She went on to pursue advanced degrees in education, earning a master of science in early education from Pace University and a master of education in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Kennedy began her professional life with Teach for America, teaching for two years in New York City public schools. That experience sparked a lifelong commitment to early childhood education and reform, according to her obituary.
Over the course of her career, Kennedy worked as an advocate for equitable elementary education and charter schools, collaborated with education technology companies on curriculum improvement, and served as an instructional coach for primary school educators.
An avid athlete and long-distance runner, Kennedy completed the 2019 Boston Marathon.
In 2020, Kennedy suffered a severe spinal cord injury that caused long-term paralysis and significant health obstacles.
Following her injury, Kennedy focused on disability rights advocacy, including testifying at the Massachusetts State House on healthcare discrimination against individuals living with disabilities.
Kennedy was preceded in death by her father, Michael, in 1997, and her infant daughter, Josie.
Kennedy is survived by her sons, Conor, 12, and Declan, 10; her ex-husband, Liam; her mother, Victoria (the daughter of Frank Gifford and Maxine Avis Ewart and Kathie Lee Gifford’s stepdaughter); her brother, Michael, and his family; and her sister, Rory, and her family.
There is a growing concern in Iowa that the increasing cancer rate (10% over the national average, including rates of prostate, breast, colorectal, melanoma and lung cancer) at a time when cancer onset is decreasing in all but three states, could be associated in part with toxins in the environment.
Iowa is a big producer of corn and soybeans and also raises hogs. Corn and soy production leads to nitrogen runoff, which can end up in river water used for drinking. The EPA doesn’t yet list nitrates, which come from chemical fertilizers and animal waste, as carcinogens, but they can be converted inside the human body via nitrosation into probable carcinogens. At the same time, there is concern about the use of pesticides and "forever chemicals."
The Make America Healthy Again movement, led by HHS Secretary RFK Jr., has put its big thumb on the scale in favor of decreasing exposure to these chemicals. Candidates on both sides of the political aisle are jumping on board.
MAHA Action President Tony Lyons told me that the need to decrease chemical exposure is crucial and that not all politicians in Iowa are as sincerely committed to change. He said that numerous studies have linked contaminated water, loaded with nitrates from fertilizer and manure, to cancer. Studies have also linked chemicals in many pesticides "to higher risk of colorectal, bladder, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and other cancers."
As Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn has said, "Any discussion that does not include water quality and the nitrate load when we’re talking about cancer isn’t a serious discussion. It doesn’t matter if you’re left or right, you’re drinking the water."
Keep in mind that state-funded research at the University of Iowa still shows that most — but not all — of Iowa's above-normal rates for several cancers can be explained by demographic and behavioral factors, such as smoking and binge drinking.
At the same time, the University of Iowa has also ramped up its cancer research because of the focus on the increasing cancer rate. Linda Jacobs, age 64, is a direct recipient of a medical miracle resulting from this research. She, along with her medical angel, Mohammed Milhem, MBBS, could easily have stepped right off the pages of my new book, "The Angels Among Us."
A decade ago, she had recurrent breast cancer necessitating a bilateral mastectomy and radiation therapy. Unfortunately, she developed an extremely aggressive and unresponsive angiosarcoma. Milhem injected her tumor with a genetically altered herpes virus he has been studying, and it rendered her cancer-free.
Of course, it would be better not to develop cancer in the first place. This is why the focus not just on lifestyle change but also on detoxifying the environment is so important.
A powerful new synthetic opioid said to be more potent than fentanyl has been linked to dozens of recent deaths in the U.S., prompting warnings from health officials.
Tennessee was an early hotspot, with the state’s health department announcing in March that more than 30 fatal overdoses had been associated with cychlorphine since October 2025.
An April 2026 notice from the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy cited at least 41 Tennessee deaths between July 2025 and February 2026 and at least 55 deaths nationally.
Fatal overdoses have also been reported in Illinois, California and Oklahoma, according to public health and law enforcement records.
"Cychlorphine is particularly dangerous due to its strength, where a very small amount can cause someone to stop breathing," the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in its advisory.
Nicholas Kardaras, Ph.D., CEO and chief clinical officer of the New York Center for Living in Manhattan and a clinical professor at Stony Brook Medicine’s School of Social Welfare, called cychlorphine "the new fentanyl on steroids."
Cychlorphine is a novel, unregulated synthetic opioid that activates the same receptors as fentanyl, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. It can cause profound sedation, slowed or stopped breathing, or death.
The drug is not approved for medical use and has been detected in illicit drugs and counterfeit pills.
Kardaras called cychlorphine "one of the most potent synthetic opioids" now appearing in the illicit drug supply.
"Fentanyl is about 50 times more potent than morphine or heroin," he told Fox News Digital. "Cychlorphine is reportedly up to 10 times more potent than fentanyl — so theoretically, about 500 times more potent than morphine or heroin."
"This new synthetic drug is making fentanyl look like yesterday's candy."
Cychlorphine is taken in various forms — people can ingest it as a pill, snort it in powder form or crush it and administer it intravenously, according to Kardaras.
"The problem has been, in addition to its potency, it's often put in other designer drugs and in counterfeit pills," he cautioned.
While some people seek out cychlorphine for its potency, others may ingest it unknowingly when it is mixed into other substances.
"Sometimes, by talking about how potent some of these substances are, we increase the allure of them for some addicts, unfortunately," Kardaras said.
While cychlorphine is primarily a street drug, it can also be purchased online or via "boutique designer-drug markets," according to the expert.
Cychlorphine can cause a fatal overdose in anyone, regardless of age. Kardaras said younger people may face greater exposure because some are more likely to experiment with drugs or purchase counterfeit pills.
"They’re buying something online … and all of a sudden, without knowing it, they’re ingesting fentanyl or another synthetic opioid," he said.
"Most drug tests have very specific chemical structures that they detect in any kind of synthetic or non-synthetic drug, and this new one hasn't quite been baked into the current testing strips," Kardaras noted.
The takeaway, he said, is that cychlorphine may be up to 10 times more potent than fentanyl, is not detected by standard fentanyl test strips or routine hospital opioid urine screens, and may require multiple doses of naloxone to reverse.
"So it's a triple whammy," he said. "It's a constant battle of keeping up with the latest iterations of new drugs."
Cancer can strike at any age, often without symptoms. For many cancers, routine screening remains the best way to detect the disease early and reduce the risk of death.
For lung cancer, screening guidelines can vary, as the disease doesn’t always show obvious signals and can occur in both smokers and never-smokers.
Daniel J. Boffa, M.D., chair of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and a thoracic surgeon at Yale University, noted that lung cancer screening is "one of the most powerful ways" to boost survival.
"It reduces the chance of people dying of lung cancer by 20%," he told Fox News Digital.
The share of Americans who are eligible for screening but don’t comply translates to "tens of thousands of preventable deaths every year," according to Boffa.
"I'm hoping that within four or five years, a screening CT scan will only be confirmatory after they have a positive blood test done at your doctor's office," he added.
That approach could make screening easier and potentially help detect more lung cancers, according to the doctor.
Potential symptoms
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Lary Robinson, M.D., an oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, noted that in most cases, early-stage lung cancer will not come with any symptoms.
In those who do have symptoms, however, the most common are related to the lungs, including a persistent cough, shortness of breath or coughing up blood.
Unexplained weight loss can result from any form of cancer, according to the oncologist. Neurological symptoms, like persistent headaches, may also warrant seeing a doctor.
Current guidelines
Current lung cancer screening guidelines recommend an annual low-dose CT scan for people between the ages of 50 and 80 who currently smoke or have a history of smoking or have at least a 20 pack-year history of smoking, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Before making the decision to get screened, individuals should speak with their healthcare providers about the purpose of the screening and how it’s done, as well as the benefits, limits and possible harms, ACS advised.
Those who still smoke should be counseled about quitting and offered interventions and resources to help.
Individuals with serious health problems that will "likely limit" their lifespan should not be screened, according to ACS, as well as those who won’t be able to get treatment if lung cancer is detected.
Although one out of seven lung cancers will affect someone who has never smoked, there is currently not a set screening guideline for never-smokers.
Finding individuals who would benefit from screening is an "intense area of research," according to Boffa. For now, people with a direct family history of lung cancer without smoking should consider annual screenings, as should higher-risk demographics like Asian women.
"I would anticipate that in the next year or two, we will have better guidance for people who are at risk for lung cancer, but never smoked," Boffa predicted.
What to expect
Boffa noted that advances in lung cancer treatment have improved survival, even at advanced stages, so screening should not be viewed as a pathway to a terminal diagnosis.
"People are really reluctant to be diagnosed with lung cancer because it does carry a stigma," Boffa said. "For years, there was a reputation that it was a terminal diagnosis. It's just been amazing what research has done for lung cancer."
Most screenings detect a lung nodule or other abnormality, which is more often an infection, scar or inflammation than a tumor, he said.
In about one-third of patients, lung cancer screenings also detect unrelated health issues, including the hardening of heart arteries or a nodule in another part of the body.
"The reality is over 99% of nodules are actually benign," Boffa said. "And so, you need to have a conversation about what you are going to do with that information."
"I think having that conversation ahead of time is really important so that expectations are set – it's not uncommon to find something. Most of the time, it's not something that's going to affect how long you live."
The doctor noted that the CT scan only takes a couple of minutes to perform and does not take place in an enclosed space like an MRI.
"People who get claustrophobic usually don't have a hard time with lung cancer screening," Boffa said. "And it usually takes a few days to get a report back."
For those who are over 50 with a history of smoking, Boffa reiterated that getting screened is "one of the most powerful things you can do to reduce your chances of having your life shortened by lung cancer."
Pope Leo XIV made a remarkable return to the Vatican on Sunday, appearing before thousands of Catholic faithful in St. Peter's Square just five days after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his lung.
The 71-year-old pontiff delivered his traditional Angelus prayer from a window overlooking the square, marking his first official engagement since being discharged Saturday from Rome's Gemelli hospital, where doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung.
Leo thanked the faithful for their prayers and support throughout his hospitalization, saying his recent health struggles had brought him closer to those suffering from illness. He also expressed gratitude to the doctors, nurses and hospital staff who cared for him following the operation.
The first American-born pope said he planned to gradually resume his regular activities with God's help and the continued prayers of the faithful.
During his Angelus address, Leo reflected on one of Jesus' best-known teachings, "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's," urging Christians to live with integrity and resist hypocrisy.
His return came sooner than expected after doctors initially anticipated a hospital stay of approximately one week following Tuesday's surgery.
As he departed the hospital on Saturday, the pope told a reporter in English that he was doing "much better."
Claire Holland, visiting from Jacksonville, Fla., told The Associated Press she felt "very blessed" to witness the pope's return.
"I think there have been millions and millions of prayers. And he is a strong determined man, and I am so happy that he is feeling well enough to do this," Holland said.
The surgery marked the first major health crisis of Leo's 17-month pontificate. Doctors confirmed that the tumor was adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer.
Doctors are conducting further testing on the tumor and surrounding lymph nodes to determine the extent of the disease and whether additional treatment, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted therapy, may be necessary.
The pope is scheduled to visit Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from Nov. 6 through Nov. 17, a demanding itinerary that includes a dozen flights and two helicopter rides to high-altitude destinations.
His surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, told Vatican News on Saturday that the pope appears well enough to go on the trip.
"The Holy Father has put his heart and soul into his recovery," Margaritora said, adding that he expected Leo to recover fully from the surgery "in another 10 days or so."
"As for a long trip involving air travel in about three weeks, I would say there are no clinical reasons why it should not take place," Margaritora said.
Fox News’ Courtney Walsh and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Thousands of supporters gathered outside Gemelli Hospital in Rome Saturday yelling "Papa!" after Pope Leo XIV was released after surgery to remove a cancerous node in his lung.
The Holy See announced early Saturday he would be leaving to return to the Vatican.
"Following the doctors’ assessment this morning, Pope Leo XIV will be discharged today from Gemelli Hospital, where he was hospitalized for surgery on his right lung," a statement from the Holy See read.
"He will leave the hospital in the early afternoon and return to the Vatican. Tomorrow, he will lead the Angelus prayer from the window of the papal apartment."
The pope received blood tests and a chest X-ray Saturday, both of which confirmed he is well enough to return to the Vatican, according to Vatican News.
Before he departed, Pope Leo reportedly visited the children's oncology ward. While in the hospital, the Pope received letters from some of the children in the ward.
"Pope Leo, our prayers are for you," a girl named Eleonora, who had been receiving treatment in the oncology ward, wrote to him, according to letters released by Vatican News.
"May God, the Most Holy Virgin, and the guardian angels always protect you," she added.
Eleanora's mother told the Pope that she was now healthy, according to the Vatican.
"Faith moves mountains," Eleanora wrote to Pope Leo. "God has heard our prayers."
After the successful surgery, doctors diagnosed him with lung adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer.
"The Pope was in the operating room approximately three hours, while the operation itself lasted about 90 minutes. The doctors said it was successful and there were no complications," a statement from the Holy See press office read.
"Pope Leo awoke normally after surgery and, following a brief period of observation, returned to his room on the hospital’s 10th floor," Vatican News added in a statement.
While recovering, Pope Leo called Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him to call for a ceasefire in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky.
"During the conversation, the Holy Father expressed his deep concern about the grave humanitarian situation in the city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region, and called for a ceasefire to allow the delivery of food and medical assistance and the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population," a statement from the Vatican read.
"Finally, the Holy Father reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to promoting dialogue and peace."
Russia has controlled the southern Ukrainian city since May and has not allowed any humanitarian food deliveries into the city. Oleshky also has no electricity, gas or running water, and the hospital is barely functional, according to previous Fox News Digital reporting.
Fox News Digital contacted the Holy See for further comment.
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