Beltway Insider: Trump/Psychedelics, Iran Peace talks, Hormuz Strait, LaGuardia Crash, Marine Heat Wave

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Category: Haute This Issue

Published on Saturday, 25 April 2026 16:42

Written by Janet Walker

President Trump, in an unusual move has signed an executive order to fast track the research into the effect of psychedelics including LSD, psilocybin, and Ibogaine, which are used by many veterans to treat post traumatic stress disorder.

The President's job approval rating, according to The New York Times for the period ending April 25, 2026, of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President increased by eight percentage points to 39% and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as president decreased by three percentage point to 58%. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.

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Trump Signs Psychedelics Fast Track Research Act

President Trump, who has appeared to make efforts to position some of his policies in a more liberal light has begun the push to draw the more than 15MM veterans and upwards of 3MM medical marijuana users closer to his camp with recent legislation.

This week the president ordered Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, to change the federal classification of medical marijuana, to a schedule III drug.  A Schedule III drug is defined by the DEA as having a moderate-to-low potential for physical/psychological dependence and an accepted medical use.

While the Trump administration has not endorsed or decriminalized recreational marijuana, the move suggests that the administration no longer considered marijuana a gate way drug. Currently 40 of the 50 states have legalized medical marijuana, and the presidents change in classification will enrich the booming marijuana industry and improve lobbying efforts.

The president second surprise shift in the illegal drug policy came by way of Podcaster Joe Rogan, an influential right wing radical, who has the ear of the president's team as they continue to gauge the pulse of the party and seek ways to create policy that will support and meet the needs of those marginalized groups. 

"Veteran organizations and psychedelic advocates have long contended that ibogaine has great promise for hard-to-treat conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and opioid addiction," The Hill reported.

When the president signed the executive order the podcaster was with him.

Immigration Pivots from Street Roundup to Denaturalization

The president continues his immigration efforts as his policy is shifting from street roundup, especially as the Department of Homeland Security, the agency in charge of implementing immigration street roundups currently remains unfunded, resulting in a partial government shutdown, stemming from acting in Minneapolis.

Until the DHS is again funded, the president has shifted to reviewing individuals who gained citizenship through deceptive measure, such as sham marriages.

"The Justice Department has identified 384 foreign-born Americans whose citizenship it wants to revoke, part of a push to increase the pace of denaturalization's by assigning the cases to prosecutors in dozens of U.S. attorney's offices across the country," The New York Times reported.

Those identified will be contacted by local law enforcement, as prosecutors will be forwarded the case files. Removing the immigrant in this manner is considered more humane, and the risk of others being injured are substantially lower.

World News: NATO Loses Influence Over US-Iran War

Iran Peace Deal Extended

President Trump has extended the U.S.-Iranian ceasefire three additional weeks, even as he cancelled the trip by his negotiators, after receiving what he felt was a less than acceptable deal.

"The 10-day ceasefire, which was due to expire on Sunday, has been only tenuously followed, with fewer but continued attacks by Israel and Hezbollah. Hezbollah has attacked an Israeli drone inside Lebanese territory but has so far refrained from firing at Israel directly. The Israel Defense Forces said it carried out strikes in Kherbet Selem and Touline in southern Lebanon on Friday," The Washington Post reported.

Trump, again, used his Truth Social platform to explain to Iranian officials his position, explaining the United States is holding all the cards, and the Iranians have none, and if they want to begin negotiations in earnest all they need to do is call.

Strait of Hormuz Packed with Mines

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced this week that the U.S. is maintaining the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and will control to exert control of the critical waterway until further notice.

"Both the United States and Iran have sought to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz since they agreed to a cease-fire. Iran says only ships that have permission from the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps will be allowed to pass. The United States Navy says it is intercepting all ships coming from or traveling to Iranian ports," The New York Times reported.

Even as the United States continued to exercise some control, the Iranians may have created a catch-22 situation, as Iran has created an underwater minefield, and sweeping the Strait will take six to eight months.

So, while both the Iranians and the United States suggest they are in control, the truth is that the Iranians known where the bombs are lain, and if they have actually been planted. If the posturing of an underwater minefield is a bluff, who is going to be the first to sail through.

The continual blockade of the Strait, which is a critical waterway for the world's oil, has already experienced a drastic drop in sea traffic. Annually approximately 30,000 ships pass through the Strait, since the beginning of the war, the standard 130 ships per day before the war has plummeted 95% to around five to eight ships, on a good day.

"Seeking out mines is one of the latest tactics announced by the Trump administration to get traffic moving again through the strait as rising energy prices and wider economic effects pose a political risk. The U.S. also has blockaded Iran's ports, seized ships tied to Tehran and planned to take part in a second round of ceasefire talks in Pakistan this weekend," Military.com reported.

World News: China (Wink, Wink) Emerges as Goodwill Mediator in US-Iran Conflict

Two CIA Agents Killed in Mexico Car Accident

Two agents from the Central Intelligence Agency were killed, along with two Mexican officials, when their car plummeted off the side of the road into a ravine and burst into flames.

"The four died as they were returning from meeting with Mexican officials in the aftermath of the operation to dismantle a clandestine drug lab in a remote area. Chihuahua's attorney general, César Jáuregui Moreno, told Mexico's El Universal newspaper that the Americans did not directly participate in the Mexican raid on the lab, which he called "perhaps one of the largest ever located," The Washington Post reported.

The Trump Administration has also ramped up its efforts to stop the illegal flow of narcotics from Mexico, especially the flow of meth and fentanyl, and to counter the cartels stranglehold on the local law enforcement. 

The CIA has become more active in the region, utilizing drone imagery to help locate cartel lab and to enhance the agency role in counternarcotics. The president has continued to increase U.S. presence in the Atlantic region to incept and destroy "fast boats," super-speed boats often used by cocaine and heroin traffickers.

Even as the president has made reclassified medical marijuana to a Schedule III drug, the policy change does not create an opening for foreign marijuana growers to ship crops across the borders.

Deadly LaGuardia Crash Blamed on Comms Failure

The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report of the deadly March 22, 2026 crash between an Air Canada passenger jet and a firetruck, which killed both Air Canada pilots, and injured dozens.

The NTSB has stated communications failures between the tower and the ground vehicles led directly to the crash. The firetruck, which was not the original lead vehicle, which was on route to the United Airlines, which had reported a foul odor.

The 15 page report explains how there were two Air Traffic controller on duty, and during the incident, only one was handling both air traffic and ground traffic, as the second Air Traffic controller was dedicated to assisting the United Airlines jet find a gate.

As the vehicles were approaching the runway dedicated to Air Canada Flight 8646 the control tower repeated verbal commands to have the firetruck stop before entering the runway. As the vehicles were not equipped with transponders, the Truck 1, the firetruck was unable to hear the conversations in the control tower, which limited their knowledge of the approaching Air Canada jet.

While it seems impossible to fathom that the driver of the firetruck was unable to visually detect the huge aircraft descending rapidly, preparing to land, on the runway was not visible or considered.

"Based on the available evidence, there is no way to know with certainty where the firefighters were looking in the seconds before the crash. The runway where the crash occurred is bidirectional, meaning planes can approach one at a time for landing in both directions. As a result, the firefighters would not necessarily have been able to assume the direction of oncoming planes," The New York Times reported.

The NTSB has concluded that if the ground vehicles has been equipped with transponders and were able to hear the Air Traffic Controllers, the accident likely would not have occurred. The report is considered preliminary, as the NTSB usually completes its investigations over the course of a year.

Tech News: Why AI Fails Small Businesses - Resolving the Readiness Gap

Coronavirus Total

At the order of the President of the United States, the U.S. no longer recognizes the value of The World Health Organization. The CDC has recommended every person from age six months, including senior citizens should receive at least one shot of an updated COVID-19 vaccine, annually.  The death toll from Covid-19 has dramatically decreased, as has transmission of the virus. Even as confirmed new cases continue each week, fewer are dying from each new variants.

For the 7 days ending April 25, 2026, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases reported by the World Health Organization increased by 5,841 to 779,213,537. The total worldwide death toll increased by 254 to 7,114,282 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data updated April 5, 2026, from the World Health Organization).

Earth Science: The Science Behind Beach Erosion

Marine Heat Wave Set to Disrupt Summer Weather

For decades climate scientist have explained the concern over rising oceanic temperatures, the idea that rising waters simply cause an increase in heat generated weather phenomena, such as tropical storms, hurricanes, and typhoons.

This marine heat wave is usually an indicator of the upcoming Atlantic Hurricane season, and the coastal pacific is not usually included, however this year, scientist are tracking a 5000 mile marine heat wave, which is causing pacific water to rise 6-to8 degrees.

For many this small rise in oceanic temperatures doesn't cause the level of concern it would if it were issued for the Atlantic coastline. For the 54 million pacific coastline residents, including Alaska and Hawaii, the rise in oceanic temperatures will create perfect conditions for the creation of an atmospheric river, and the two phenomena will merge to create potential for late summer monsoons.

"There's also increased potential for uncomfortable humidity levels — something that is unusual in the West. Warmer ocean waters increase evaporation, which can raise atmospheric moisture levels, especially along the coast. Then, later in summer, the marine heat wave and a forming El Niño could join forces to boost monsoonal thunderstorm activity across the West. This could enhance fire risks in the region — as dry lightning strikes can spark wildfires," The Washington Post reported.

The increased marine heat can also create the perfect conditions for the formation of pacific hurricanes, and increased land moisture, resulting in mud and rock slides and flash floods as vegetation from fires has yet to return to form a barrier and even further inland as Hurricane Hilary in 2023 dumped a deluge of rain even into Nevada.

Tech News: AI Content Conundrum and the Misinformation Age

For more information on President Donald Trump: Whitehouse.gov.

Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five award-winning screenplays "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has also published "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," a non-fiction narrative, "Days, Times, Seasons, and Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," and "Songs of Freedom: A Collection of Biblical Teachings," which can be purchased here. She is a member of the Authors Guild, the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a member of the International Federation of Journalists.