A new report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is calling attention to an escalating crisis that’s threatening to ensnare the health, safety and lives of Americans — especially unsuspecting young people.

There’s a substance, 7-hydroxymitragynine, also known as 7-OH, showing up in gummies, tablets and even drink mixes, many of which are being sold at convenience stores and online.

Nicknamed “Gas Station Heroin,” it’s a concentrated byproduct of the kratom plant that produces opioid-like effects. It’s reportedly 13 times more potent than morphine. It’s also highly addictive.

The products it’s in promise to help buyers ease existing pain, relax, or even help them focus or elevate their mood.

Even though there are no FDA approved drug uses for the dangerous compound, many of the products are being label as “dietary supplements.” It’s a misleading and potentially deadly lie.

“They’re marketed for children,” warned Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). “They’re gummy bears. They’re bright colors. They’re candy flavored.”

“Vape stores are popping up in every neighborhood in America, and many are selling addictive products like concentrated 7-OH,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary.   “After the last wave of the opioid epidemic, we cannot get caught flat-footed again. We need regulation and public education to prevent another wave of the opioid epidemic.”

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, and his wife Jenna, have welcomed their first child into the world — a little girl named Millie Joleen Purdy.

In a joint post on Instagram, they shared a picture with the words, “Millie Joleen Purdy. Life just became a whole lot sweeter.”

The announcement came just a couple weeks after 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, and his wife Olivia, welcomed their first child named Colette Annalise McCaffrey.

In response to the pair of births, Purdy and McCaffrey’s teammate, 49ers fullback Kyle Juszcyzk, joked on Monday, “The guys have matured an incredible amount in the last couple days. And they both have terrible dad jokes.”

“They both got their dad strength overnight. Just so happy for both of them and their families,” he added. “They’re going to be incredible fathers. We’re all just so excited for them.”

The Purdys, who were married in March of 2024, hadn’t made it publicly known they were expecting their first child. The two met while attending Iowa State University, where Jenna was on the volleyball team and Brock starred as the quarterback.

Purdy hasn’t shied away from sharing his Christian faith in public. In an interview last year, Purdy said, “I believe that Jesus Christ did come down and died for my sins and rose again.”

“I believe that. It’s not just some story [or] fairy tale. It’s real,” he said.

World Athletics approved new testing protocols to keep men from entering women’s athletic competitions. The test keeps anyone who has experienced male puberty from participating in female events.

The new rule, announced in a press release, states, “All athletes wishing to compete in the female category at the World Championships are required to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime test for the SRY gene.”

The SRY gene is found on the Y chromosome. It “provides instructions for making a protein called the sex-determining region Y protein” which is “involved in male-typical sex development.”

The regulations call for a simple “cheek swab or blood test, whichever is more convenient.” The new regulations go into effect on September 1.

World Athletics is the international governing body for “the sport of athletics,” which includes track and field, cross country, race walking and road running events. The organization establishes rules and regulations for these sports, manages world records, organizes world championships and manages the Olympic program for athletics.

The announcement said the test is “extremely accurate, and the risk of a false negative or positive is extremely unlikely.” Individuals who test positive for the SRY gene will be advised to undergo “further medical assessment” to determine if they have undergone male puberty.

As a result, males who claim to be female will not be able to enter women’s track and field events at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

An important online forum of leading scientists and intellectuals refreshingly admits science has no real answer and only questions on when and how life began on earth. This is notable because we are often told science is about absolute knowledge while religion is about speculative faith. Of course, this is a false philosophical assumption.  Science must rely on faith and assumption itself.

These authors correctly admit science has uncovered remarkable truths: “Here in our own cosmic backyard, we’ve uncovered a tremendous amount of information about the Universe, discovering many fantastic facts and properties about reality that our long-ago ancestors could scarcely fathom.” This is the profound benefit of science which has a very close relationship with a biblical Christian worldview because both hold to an orderly, systematic universe that can be known and studied. Paganism does not hold such a view.

These scientists correctly admit life is “found only on Earth and not anyplace else we’ve ever looked so far” even as science has confirmed nearly 6,000 exoplanets beyond our solar system. They admit “many burning questions remain unanswered” by science as to how life developed in the first place. Their article presents five of the most pressing unanswered questions science is currently wrestling with.

1. Did life actually originate on Earth?

They admit life beginning on Earth is the most reasonable conclusion because life has only been found on Earth “and not any place we have ever looked so far.” But since science has no definitive record or explanation for how life arose on Earth.