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A Canadian man’s decision to end his life through the country’s medically assisted dying program left his son stunned by how quickly the process unfolded, and now he’s warning that the system has gone “way past appropriate.”Eric Edmeades, founder of Speaker Nation, a training platform for speakers that teaches presentation skills and more, told Fox News Digital this week that his father Baz, who was in his late 70s and struggling with a combination of medical problems, began discussing Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program after his health deteriorated in late 2023.But what Edmeades expected to be a months-long process suddenly accelerated, leaving the family with little time to prepare.I’M 25 WITH A TERMINAL DISEASE. WE NEED AN FDA COMMISSIONER THAT HEARS PEOPLE LIKE MEEdmeades said the family started taking the issue seriously in January, but at that stage, projections were that it would take at least six months. He and his wife traveled to Vancouver at the beginning of 2024 to visit his father. At that stage, it was still a speculative thing that was months away.”And then all of a sudden it was like, ‘No, it’s next week,’” Edmeades recalled.His father died via MAiD on Feb. 27, 2024.He had been experiencing a sharp decline in his physical health and independence, particularly during the COVID-era lockdowns, according to his son.”He had been incredibly healthy most of his life,” Edmeades said, describing a combination of symptoms that included epilepsy and neurological pain.Edmeades also questioned whether interactions between his father’s medications could have contributed to his deteriorating condition.”When the lockdowns came along, and he could no longer go out and walk all the time, it really had a marked decrease in his physical ability and his sense of freedom and all that kind of stuff,” he said.”And then there just came this point where life started sounding pointless to him,” Edmeades said.CATHOLIC NUNS SUE NEW YORK, SAY ASSISTED SUICIDE LAW FORCES THEM TO VIOLATE THEIR FAITHEdmeades said his father had previously spoken about suicide, making his initial interest in medically assisted dying less surprising to the family.”Given that it wasn’t the first time that he talked about suicide in his life, it wasn’t particularly shocking, but he also wasn’t talking about it in really alarmist terms. So, I wasn’t overly worried about it,” he said.Edmeades and his wife had already planned a trip to Vancouver and were able to spend time with his father before his death.”And one of the things I’m incredibly grateful for is that I had incidentally booked a trip out to Vancouver, and my wife and I got to spend time with him,” Edmeades recalled.He thought he and and his wife would have another opportunity to visit.NEW YORK NUNS’ CHALLENGE TO ASSISTED SUICIDE LAW IS ABOUT PROTECTING FREEDOM, LAWYER SAYSEdmeades said he was not in contact with his father’s medical providers at the time and did not fully understand what had happened until afterward.”It happened so quickly that I only really started to piece together what happened when it was done,” he said.Other family members and friends had also expressed concerns about his father’s decision, according to Edmeades. He recalled that his brother openly opposed the decision and that one of his father’s close friends spent approximately 45 minutes discussing the matter with him during his final days.”At that stage, you know, for him, the decision was made,” Edmeades said.The experience has left Edmeades questioning whether Canada’s assisted-dying program has adequate safeguards.He acknowledged that there may be circumstances in which medically assisted dying is appropriate but argued that Canada’s implementation has gone too far.”What I see happening in Canada is way past appropriate,” he said.Edmeades also raised concerns about the government’s role in overseeing the system, arguing that decisions about eligibility should be insulated from political influence and potential financial incentives.”If I had to press a button and decide whether the MAiD program existed or didn’t exist, I would say this,” Edmeades said. “It should only ever exist if, and I mean if the process for approving people, it would be completely independent of government, and there could be no benefit to those people in making that preference in making that decision. Because otherwise there’s a slippery slope, and we see that slippery slope.”According to the Government of Canada, individuals seeking medical assistance in dying (MAiD) must be at least 18 years old, capable of making their own medical decisions, and eligible for publicly funded healthcare. They must also voluntarily request the procedure without outside pressure and provide informed consent. To qualify, applicants must have a serious, incurable illness, disease or disability, be experiencing an advanced and irreversible decline in their abilities, and face persistent physical or psychological suffering they consider intolerable and that cannot be relieved in a way they find acceptable.The government also announced legislation on Oct. 27, 2026, that would allow advance requests while preventing the planned expansion of MAiD eligibility to people whose sole underlying medical condition is mental illness.According to the BBC, Canada’s MAiD law, which legalized euthanasia in 2016, is responsible for one in every 20 deaths in Canada.NEW YORK NUNS WILL NOT BE FORCED TO COMPLY WITH ASSISTED-SUICIDE LAW WHILE CASE PROGRESSESA report from the Canadian Medical Association Journal covered by EWTN News claimed that implementing assisted suicide will “save” the Canadian healthcare system between $34.7 and $136.8 million per year. The study noted that patients and physicians should not consider costs when making such grave decisions.In a statement to Fox News Digital, Ian McLeod, senior advisor for media relations and Conseiller principal for the Department of Justice Canada, said, “Canadian law is extremely clear: medical assistance in dying (MAID) requires a voluntary request, freedom from external pressure, and the person’s informed consent, among other stringent eligibility criteria and safeguards. Knowingly failing to comply with these eligibility criteria and safeguards is a criminal offence.”McLeod continued, “In the current MAID structure found in Canada’s Criminal Code, the mental illness exclusion is meant to exclude eligibility for MAID on the basis of a mental illness, including suicidal ideation. The proposed amendment to the mental illness exclusion in Bill C-41, the proposed Medical Assistance in Dying Safeguards Act, which was introduced on October 27, 2026, is meant to reinforce this.”McLeod added, “This is why the Bill reinforces that, in situations where a person has a mental illness and an eligible medical condition (e.g. physical or neurodegenerative illness), eligibility must be determined on the basis of the qualifying medical condition. A mental illness may contribute to a person’s suffering, but it cannot be the basis for determining that the MAID eligibility criteria are met. Importantly, having a mental illness does not, in itself, make a person ineligible for MAID.”McLeod said that patients whose natural deaths are not reasonably foreseeable must undergo eligibility assessments by two independent doctors or nurse practitioners, with at least 90 full days between the start of the first assessment and the assisted death.That waiting period, according to McLeod, can be shortened if both assessments are complete, both practitioners agree the patient is at imminent risk of losing the ability to consent, and the practitioner providing MAiD determines that a shorter period is appropriate.McLeod emphasized that federal requirements establish minimum safeguards, while provinces and territories oversee how MAiD is administered and may impose additional protections. He said questions about the program’s oversight and delivery should therefore be directed to provincial or territorial authorities.

Illinois head football coach Bret Bielema, who went 11-29 against the SEC during his five-year run at Arkansas, thinks his current program would be ranked … If it were in the SEC.Quite the spin!TIM BRANDO JOINS DAN DAKICH ON ‘DON’T @ ME’ TO DISCUSS INDIANA COACH CURT CIGNETTI’S CFP ‘BIAS’ COMMENTSNow, to be fair, Illinois is having a decent season. The Fighting Illini are coming off a 24-13 win over Nebraska Friday night, and sit at 6-3 as the regular season begins its final month. It’s been a good year for Illinois up to this point. Credit where it’s due, Bielema has the fellas playing well in 2026.For some reason, though, the SEC continues to be on the brains of every Big Ten coach in America right now. Earlier this week, Curt Cignetti took a shot at the conference after the initial CFP rankings was overloaded with SEC teams.BRET BIELEMA ROASTS NICK SABAN, SEC, AT BIG TEN MEDIA DAYS: ‘THEY WANT TO LIVE IN 2005 FOREVER’After last night’s win, Bielema joined the chorus, saying his unranked Fighting Illini would be in the mix if they played in the SEC.Take a look:”But to be in this job, where we’re at right now, 6-3, we beat another 5-3 team. If we were in the SEC, we’d probably be a top-15 team.”Thoughts? First impressions?So, Bielema is correct in the fact that if Illinois was currently 6-3 and played an SEC conference schedule, it would be ranked. Not sure it would be a top-15 team, but certainly ranked. I guess it depends who the wins/losses came against.But also, if Illinois played in the SEC … I’m not sure the Fighting Illini would be a 6-3 team right now. Their current wins have come against:One ranked win probably doesn’t cut it. Now, Illinois’ three losses? Purdue, Duke, and Ohio State (42-19). It doesn’t feel like an “SEC schedule,” at least not this season. The wins aren’t impressive, beyond beating an Oregon team that has no business being ranked with Dante Moore out.As for Bielema’s actual record in the conference he can’t get off his brain …He went 11-29 against the SEC over four years at Arkansas, including 0-8 in his first season. Not saying that was completely his fault because that roster certainly wasn’t his, but the numbers are still the numbers.And the numbers say Bret Bielema’s current team would be nowhere close to 6-3 in the SEC right now.It’s a down year for the Big Ten. Let’s just be honest for a second.That conference has dominated this sport for a few years now, but it’s just a down year. It happens. Ohio State lost its starting QB. Oregon did, too. Penn State stinks. Michigan stinks.Indiana is currently ranked fourth, but needed overtime to beat both Michigan AND Minnesota.Everyone wants to complain about the committee showing “SEC bias” in the initial batch of rankings earlier this week. That’s fine. That’s fair.But the options weren’t great.

If you’ve ever dated someone who stopped reaching out and responding to texts, without any conversation about ending the relationship, you’ve been ghosted.”Ghosting,” or the sudden absence or unresponsiveness of a potential partner, is more than just feeling ignored by someone you’re interested in, according to Monica Ricci, a Georgia-based relationship coach — it’s a complete disappearance without closure.Why do people ghost? Ricci suggested it’s a “classic avoidance behavior.” “It’s the same reason we procrastinate — we’re avoiding some kind of discomfort,” she said.THE MARRIAGE WARNING SIGN THAT MAY BE WORSE THAN FIGHTING — AND 4 WAYS TO TURN THINGS AROUND”It could be a fear of having a really hard conversation. It could be not wanting to disappoint a person,” Ricci went on. “Someone could ghost because they just don’t care enough. They’re just not invested enough that they believe it [would] warrant communicating to say, ‘Hey, this isn’t working for me.'”Those who do the ghosting may feel a sudden sense of relief, according to Ricci, but may also have lingering guilt around how the relationship was left unfinished.A new paper based on three studies, published in Sage Journals, suggests people who are ghosted underestimate the guilt and remorse felt by those who cut off contact.5 MARRIAGE MISTAKES COUPLES MAKE WITHOUT REALIZING IT — AND HOW TO AVOID THEM”There’s a part of you that may know that wasn’t the best way to handle it,” Ricci said. “And so it may stay with you a lot longer because it calls into question the kind of person you want to be.”It’s easy to take ghosting personally, she noted.”But the truth is, if you’re being ghosted, it says more about the person who ghosted you and their ability to have honest communication, their ability to step up in an uncomfortable situation and really choose their behavior over their discomfort.”After a ghosting, the brain will automatically begin searching for patterns and answers to “make things make sense,” Ricci said.WHY COUPLES SHOULD FLIRT WITH EACH OTHER EVERY DAY — PLUS THE ‘RED FLAG’ TO AVOIDAt some point, moving forward means accepting that you may never get an explanation and recognizing that being ghosted is not a reflection of your worth, according to the expert.”If a person can’t have a conversation with you at the beginning of a relationship that is honest and frank, they probably weren’t your person anyway,” she added.Ricci, whose expertise is based on the Gottman Method — an approach to couples therapy focused on building emotional intimacy, improving communication and managing conflict — said seemingly difficult conversations can be easier than people expect.CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES”When you want to communicate that this dating relationship is not a good fit anymore, it’s easiest to be very direct and brief,” she said.This can be as simple as sending a text saying, “I have enjoyed getting to know you. I’m not feeling the kind of connection that I need to move forward, and I wish you all the best in finding a great match.””You’re honest, you’re truthful, you’re not making it about them being a bad person,” she said. “You’re saying, ‘I’m just not feeling the kind of connection I need to move forward.'”CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTERAlthough being forthright is the respectful option, it’s not possible to control how the other person will feel or react, Ricci noted.”And this is sometimes where the ghosting comes from – we don’t want to make someone feel bad,” she said. “It’s this illusion that we have some control over how a person feels … But the reality is the least painful and kindest option is to just be direct.”TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZHowever, in a situation where you are being harassed, stalked or abused, ghosting may be the safest option, Ricci emphasized.”If someone is treating you really poorly, or harassing you, or stalking you … ghosting is absolutely the most appropriate,” she said. “Cutting a person off completely, not responding, is the safest, smartest way to go.”

President Donald Trump told reporters that the United States had hit Qeshm Island in Iran. He said that U.S. forces had carried out minor strikes.

The U.S. Central Command has created a new task force on Iran to prevent it from using ground routes to move advanced weapons and materials.

“Mercy For The Wolves”: California DAs Revolt After Newsom Wipes Out Death Row

California’s district attorneys are vowing to keep seeking the death penalty in new cases, and some are looking for a way to block Gov. Gavin Newsom’s commutation of all 548 death sentences in the state before it takes effect. As we reported, Newsom announced Thursday that he would commute every death sentence in California to life without parole, writing in a letter that “state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values.”Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer went first. Newsom’s commutations are “mercy for the wolves,” he said in a statement Thursday, before making the vow: “I, as the elected District Attorney of Orange County, have, and will, continue to pursue the death penalty.”Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer Issues Statement on Governor Newsom’s Commutation of All Death Sentences in CaliforniaClick here for full release: https://t.co/x65hY8HlvxSANTA ANA, Calif. – Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer issued the following… pic.twitter.com/xWsH1Y8eby— OCDA Todd Spitzer (@OCDAToddSpitzer) November 5, 2026Newsom’s own letter leaves them that opening. The commutations do not repeal the death penalty, so prosecutors can still seek it in new cases, as the Mercury News noted. San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe, whose office is seeking death against the man accused of killing seven farmworkers at a Half Moon Bay mushroom farm in 2023, told the paper he was “disgusted.” “It is contrary to two separate votes of the people of California,” he said. “What he’s done today is specifically undemocratic and serves his own personal philosophy.”

FILE PHOTO – The five-level East Block unit of San Quentin State Prison houses 500 of the state’s death row inmates Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015, in San Quentin, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

The bigger question is whether the commutations survive at all. The state constitution bars a governor from commuting the sentence of anyone convicted of more than one felony without the California Supreme Court’s approval, which covers 382 of the 548 cases, and the governor’s office says none of the commutations take effect until those legal steps are done. That is where prosecutors are looking. San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said her office is “researching any lawful remedies” for victims’ families, who she said were “deprived of any input.”San Diego County District Attorney @SummerStephan issued the following statement on Governor Gavin Newsom’s commutation of all death sentences in California: pic.twitter.com/cAW314gNmZ— SD District Attorney (@SDDistAtty) November 6, 2026Victims’ rights are the likeliest line of attack. San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said Newsom ignored Marsy’s Law, the victims’ rights guarantees in the state constitution: “I am not aware of any victims’ family members receiving notice of these commutations from the Governor.” He singled out Kevin Cooper, convicted of murdering Josh Ryen’s family and his friend Chris Hughes and leaving Ryen for dead. Cooper maintains his innocence, and Newsom ordered an independent investigation of his case. “Josh has never received a call from Gavin Newsom,” Anderson said, calling the commutations “arrogant and political showmanship.”Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho made the voters’ case. A blanket commutation stands “in direct conflict with the will of California voters,” he said. Californians have twice rejected abolishing the death penalty and in 2016 reaffirmed it through Proposition 66, the measure meant to speed up executions, Ho noted. It also ignores “the voices of victims who have waited decades for justice,” Ho said.A statement from Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho. pic.twitter.com/NuspYtYFci— Sacramento County DA (@SacCountyDA) November 6, 2026Marc Klaas, whose 12-year-old daughter Polly was kidnapped from her Petaluma home and murdered in 1993 by Richard Allen Davis, fears the commutations are a first step. “We’re all looking at the prospect of potentially them getting out someday, because they’re one step closer now,” he told the Mercury News. Spitzer made the same argument, pointing to state parole regulations that took effect Oct. 1 and, he said, make thousands of inmates serving life without parole eligible for parole. The governor’s office says the commutations release no one and make no one eligible for parole, and that the commuted prisoners are excluded from the parole board’s new commutation and resentencing rules.Not every prosecutor objects. Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen called the commutations “the right thing to do,” and Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton said they would “save California taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.” The state has also set aside $239 million to turn San Quentin, home of the old death row, into a rehab center, as we reported.Newsom leaves office in January and is weighing a 2028 presidential run. California has not executed anyone since 2006, and his successor, Xavier Becerra, has said he will extend the moratorium on executions Newsom imposed in 2019.
Tyler Durden
Sat, 11/07/2026 – 11:55