THE NEWS

North Korea on Friday condemned an upcoming major U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise, calling it a war rehearsal and warning to respond with “overwhelming force.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered more than 16 pounds of fentanyl – with an estimated street value of nearly $240,000 – hidden inside an electric moped attempting to enter the U.S. at the southern border, authorities said.CBP said a 22-year-old Mexican national is facing federal charges following the seizure earlier this month.Officials said the man was driving a 2024 Revoo electric moped when he applied for admission into the United States on Aug. 3 and was referred for a secondary inspection.CBP SEIZES MASSIVE METH HAUL WORTH MILLIONS STASHED IN SECRET TILE SHIPMENTAccording to CBP, officers used a nonintrusive imaging system that detected anomalies beneath the rear of the moped.After a CBP canine alerted officers to the area, a physical inspection uncovered seven packages containing 16.53 pounds of white fentanyl powder with an estimated street value of $238,032.”Smugglers are employing innovative tactics to smuggle lethal drugs into the country,” San Ysidro Port Director Mariza Marin said in a statement.”Despite these challenges, officers remain vigilant while effectively utilizing their training, canine resources, and nonintrusive technology to thwart these smuggling attempts,” Marin added.TWO SUSPECTS ARRESTED AFTER CRASHING THROUGH CAMP PENDLETON GATE WITH 112 POUNDS OF COCAINE AND FENTANYLCBP officers seized the fentanyl, moped, a GPS tracker and a cellphone.The driver was arrested and will face federal prosecution for narcotics importation, officials said.The seizure comes after CBP officers stopped two separate vehicles and confiscated more than $300,000 worth of narcotics in a single day in May.Officers at the San Ysidro Port of Entry referred a 2013 Honda Civic for secondary inspection on May 17 after a scan detected anomalies in the vehicle’s firewall.FEDS SEIZE $6.4M WORTH OF COCAINE ABOARD OIL TANKER AT PORT OF LOS ANGELES, ARREST SUSPECTED CARTEL SMUGGLEROfficials discovered six packages containing white fentanyl powder worth an estimated $113,600, along with 8.4 pounds of cocaine valued at approximately $161,600.That same day at the Calexico East Port of Entry, about 100 miles away, officers referred a 2011 Nissan Cube for secondary inspection.A scan detected anomalies in the vehicle’s flooring, where officers subsequently discovered 63 packages of methamphetamine, according to CBP.Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno contributed to this report.

A New York City Police Department officer was found guilty on Thursday of strangulation and using a prohibited chokehold, marking the first time an NYPD officer was convicted under the city’s 2020 chokehold ban, enacted after the 2020 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin.Omar Habib was convicted of the misdemeanor established under the law prohibiting certain restraint tactics by police officers. He was also found guilty of second-degree felony strangulation and third-degree misdemeanor assault.The felony strangulation conviction carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. Bronx Criminal Supreme Court Judge Cynthia Isales ordered him held without bail.Habib, who was earlier suspended without pay, was terminated from the police department following his felony conviction after serving since 2007. The NYPD said his termination was required by law.NYC JUDGE SEEKS TO MAKE EXAMPLE OF OFFICER WHO THREW COOLER AT FLEEING SUSPECT, CAUSING FATAL CRASHHe was responding to a 911 call at a Bronx catering hall on July 28, 2023, when a drunk and disorderly man resisted arrest, according to Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark. Prosecutors said Habib put the man in a chokehold so tight that it impeded his breathing and circulation and caused him to lose consciousness.Habib’s attorney argued during the trial that other factors could have caused the man to pass out, such as drinking without eating enough food.Before his arrest, Habib had a history of substantiated misconduct complaints about excessive use of force and abusing his authority.The Civilian Complaint Review Board substantiated an allegation that Habib used a chokehold in a separate 2017 encounter. Habib was also accused of lying under oath and tampering with evidence in a 2016 gun raid, resulting in several defendants withdrawing their guilty pleas.The president of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, Patrick Hendry, denounced Thursday’s verdict.The officer’s conviction was “further proof of a grim reality: every second police officers spend on this job puts them at risk of criminal prosecution, and pervasive anti-police propaganda has made it incredibly difficult to receive a fair trial,” the police union boss said, according to the New York Daily News.Habib was charged under a 2020 city law that was passed after Floyd’s murder in May of that year, sparking racial justice protests and a push for police accountability across the country. The New York City measure criminalizes chokeholds and certain forms of pressure on an arrestee’s chest or back that compress the diaphragm while an officer is making or attempting an arrest.MAMDANI CLASHES WITH DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS’ PUSH TO ABOLISH POLICE AND PRISONSThe law was challenged by police unions but was upheld by New York state’s highest court in 2023.Police use of chokeholds was already prohibited in most cases by NYPD policy when the law was enacted, but officers who used them were almost never prosecuted.NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo lost his job but faced no criminal charges after a department disciplinary proceeding found that he used a prohibited chokehold on Eric Garner, who died during a 2014 arrest after repeatedly saying he could not breathe, fueling protests over police use of force.The Associated Press contributed to this report.

On Aug. 14, 2015, after 54 years, the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, was re-opened amid a thawing in relations.

Murder suspect Isabelle Johnson was arrested Thursday following a weeks-long multistate manhunt spanning Florida, Georgia and Alabama, authorities said.A U.S. Marshals task force arrested Johnson, 38, at a home in Cottondale, about an hour west of Tallahassee, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. She was wanted on a murder charge in the death of Jason Coulthart, whose body was found buried in a shallow grave in Florida on June 25.Authorities said Johnson was taken into custody without incident Thursday afternoon, capping a 45-day manhunt. She was booked into the Jackson County Jail and is expected to be extradited to Walton County. Officials said she could face additional charges.ACCUSED KILLER’S ALLEGED DISGUISES UNRAVEL AS SHERIFF RELEASES NEW CLUES IN MONTH-LONG MANHUNT”We got her,” the sheriff’s office said. “Isabelle Johnson is in custody.”Officials said the arrest stemmed from information developed by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit about Johnson’s whereabouts.Jackson County Sheriff Donald Edenfield said that after receiving the information, his deputies and members of the task force responded to an address off Peanut Road, just outside Cottondale.Walton County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Dustin Cosson praised the cooperation among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies that led to Johnson’s arrest.’AMERICA’S MOST WANTED’ FUGITIVE CAPTURED ON SAILBOAT OFF NJ COAST AFTER 20 YEARS ON THE RUN”It’s absolutely a good day,” Cosson said. “It’s really important, again, just want to stress to the public. She’s here, she’s in custody.””We can’t express the amount of appreciation for the work that’s been done,” he added.Cosson said investigators put in “tons and tons of man hours” during the roughly 45-day search for Johnson, while noting that the broader investigation has involved more than 40 subpoenas and over 20 search warrants.Coulthart was reported missing May 24 after he was last seen leaving the College Condominiums on East College Boulevard in Niceville.FLORIDA MAN ARRESTED AFTER SUSPECTED HUMAN REMAINS FOUND BURIED AT PROPERTY WHERE HIS FATHER LIVEDDuring the missing-person investigation, detectives developed information that led authorities to a property off Sunset Lane in Freeport. Investigators obtained a search warrant and found Coulthart’s body buried in a shallow grave on June 25, according to the sheriff’s office.Five other people have been arrested in connection with the case. Michael Ray White, Kathleen Morris, Bobbi Wagstaff, Martin Leaverton and Sandra Leaverton have been charged with accessory to a capital felony after the fact.Authorities said Thursday that they expect additional arrests in the case.During the manhunt, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office described Johnson as “cunning” and a “master manipulator” while warning anyone who may have been helping her to stop.Officials said additional details surrounding Johnson’s arrest could not immediately be released because the investigation remains active.Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.

Where Child Poverty Is Highest (And Lowest) In The OECD

Child poverty rates vary widely across OECD economies, ranging from less than 5% in Finland to nearly 30% in Costa Rica.

This visualization, via Visual Capitalist’s Melissa Garside, ranks OECD countries by the share of children ages 0–17 living below the poverty line in 2023. The poverty line is defined as half the median household income of the total population, meaning the measure is relative to living standards within each country. As a result, countries with the same poverty rate can differ in the absolute income levels of households classified as poor.

The data for this visualization comes from the OECD Income Distribution Database. It presents 2023 data, the latest available as of August 2026, covering OECD member countries as well as Bulgaria, Croatia, and Romania, which are currently in the accession process.

Costa Rica Has Highest Child Poverty Rate in OECD

Costa Rica stood well above the rest of the ranking. Its 29.6% child poverty rate was 6.4 percentage points higher than Israel’s, the next-highest country at 23.2%.

High living costs and a large informal labor market are among the factors that can leave households with children particularly vulnerable to poverty.

RankCountryLiving Below the Poverty Line
(%, Ages 0-17)
1🇨🇷 Costa Rica29.6
2🇮🇱 Israel23.2
3🇪🇸 Spain21.5
4🇺🇸 United States21.1
5🇧🇬 Bulgaria19.1
6🇷🇴 Romania17.7
7🇬🇧 UK15.8
8🇮🇹 Italy14.5
9🇨🇦 Canada14.0
10🇱🇺 Luxembourg13.5
11🇱🇹 Lithuania12.8
12🇸🇰 Slovakia12.8
13🇵🇹 Portugal12.5
14🇭🇷 Croatia12.3
15🇬🇷 Greece12.3
16🇫🇷 France12.0
17🇭🇺 Hungary11.3
18🇱🇻 Latvia10.0
19🇦🇹 Austria9.8
20🇩🇪 Germany9.1
21🇨🇭 Switzerland9.1
22🇨🇿 Czechia8.8
23🇰🇷 South Korea8.5
24🇸🇪 Sweden8.4
25🇳🇱 Netherlands8.4
26🇪🇪 Estonia8.2
27🇧🇪 Belgium7.9
28🇵🇱 Poland7.8
29🇳🇴 Norway6.9
30🇮🇪 Ireland6.8
31🇸🇮 Slovenia6.2
32🇫🇮 Finland4.6
The child poverty rate in Israel, one of the OECD countries with the youngest populations, is highly concentrated among two groups: Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jews and Israeli Arabs. Both groups have child poverty rates of nearly 50%.

One in Five American Children Live in Poverty

The United States had the fourth-highest child poverty rate among OECD countries at 21.1%, just behind Spain at 21.5%.

Despite the country’s high overall wealth, roughly one in five U.S. children lived in households with incomes below half the national median. This illustrates the distinction between national wealth and how income is distributed among households with children.

The number of households living in poverty also varies significantly by state.

Northern Europe Has Some of the Lowest Child Poverty Rates

At the other end of the scale, Finland had the lowest child poverty rate at 4.6%, followed by Slovenia at 6.2%, Ireland at 6.8%, and Norway at 6.9%.

The difference between the extremes is substantial: Costa Rica’s child poverty rate was more than six times Finland’s. Four countries in the ranking had rates above 20%, while 10 had rates below 9%.

Because the OECD measure is relative to each country’s median income, these differences reflect how children fare within their own national income distribution rather than differences in absolute living standards between countries.

If you found this topic interesting, read People With Dependent Children Face Higher Poverty on Voronoi.

Tyler Durden
Fri, 08/14/2026 – 02:45

Senate Democrats are calling for an audit of President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project on Wednesday.

The Great Decline Of Britain

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News,

Britain’s streets are rotting in plain sight. Road signs coated in years of grime, pavements choked with weeds, blocked drains, overflowing bins and potholes have become everyday features of life in what was once a first-world country.

Local authorities, funded by rising council tax, routinely fail to deliver the most basic maintenance. Ordinary people – including schoolchildren – are now having to do the job themselves.

All across the length and breadth of the country, from London squares to provincial roads, citizens are cleaning signs, restoring bins and clearing litter because the people paid to do it will not.

Four images that are commonplace across Britain:
??Rubbish everywhere.
??Weeds growing on pavements
??1 million potholes
??Blocked road drains
We are paying increased council tax and are not getting even the basics of infrastructure maintenance. The decay is everywhere. pic.twitter.com/ECM6Wd81Wl
— James Melville ? (@JamesMelville) July 22, 2026
The pattern is unmistakable: a country in visible decline, where the basics are abandoned while public money flows to ideologically driven schemes.

So many people are saying the same thing. The decay across Britain (especially since the Covid era) is noticeable almost everywhere. Weeds growing on pavements. Filthy streets and signposts. Potholes strewn everywhere. Overflowing rubbish bins. Dirty buildings. Blocked road… pic.twitter.com/V5D4wMKQ4K
— James Melville ? (@JamesMelville) August 4, 2026
James Melville has documented the decay repeatedly. Rubbish everywhere, weeds forcing their way through pavements, endless potholes, blocked road drains and filthy signposts appear in image after image. He notes that people are paying higher taxes yet receiving less, with local councils failing on core infrastructure.

Britain is decaying. Blocked road drains. Potholes. Rubbish strewn streets. Dirty buildings. Road signs covered in muck. We are paying increased taxes but local and national governments and authorities aren’t doing the basics.
It’s time for a Great British Clean Up. pic.twitter.com/i26ONqCS7Y
— James Melville ? (@JamesMelville) August 11, 2026
Another recent video shows conditions that simply do not belong in a first-world nation, asking whether the decline is reversible.

First World countries don’t look like this. Is this decline reversible…? pic.twitter.com/jexjQVIzdr
— Clean Up Britain (@cleanupbritain) July 24, 2026
Another focuses on a council that has left basic service standards unmet.

A new one on our travels around the country…
Another council failing to provide an acceptable ‘service’ to ratepayers. This time @WodcNews pic.twitter.com/wqg2FFcYbO
— Clean Up Britain (@cleanupbritain) July 27, 2026
Volunteers have stepped into the gap, proving that all it takes is a step ladder, cleaning spray and sponge to make filthy almost illegible road signs clear again.

Today with heavy rain all day I decided to go clean this road sign. Being wet with rain made cleaning much easier up a step ladder. Looks much better now pic.twitter.com/ihJisJJSpT
— Mike The Litterpicker (@mike56200) October 20, 2025

Yes it’s my work it was easy a spray with kitchen spray and wipe then rinse off. We don’t have to put up with it pic.twitter.com/I4heyf2NId
— Mike The Litterpicker (@mike56200) December 2, 2025

Well done to this man for cleaning up this road sign. Far too many of our road signs are covered in filth. The basics of maintenance are not being fulfilled by our local authorities. #GreatBritishCleanUp pic.twitter.com/varazRqVnI
— James Melville ? (@JamesMelville) November 18, 2025

What a pathetic government that leaves this to be done by citizens
— Nathan Rich ???? (@NathanRichHGDW) June 5, 2025
In London, Chad West fixed neglected garden square bins that the council had left unrepaired for years. He restored them in a few hours and later completed the full set of six, calling for people to take pride in their streets again.

For anyone still interested, all six bins in the park have now been restored ? pic.twitter.com/dE4ICw5Ykp
— Chad (@ChadWestTweets) August 9, 2026

True, but I’m raised old school, just get it done
— Chad (@ChadWestTweets) August 8, 2026
Even children are outperforming the authorities. In the seaside village of Millisle in Northern Ireland, brothers Jonah, 10, and Eli, 9, spent their school holidays scrubbing street signs with rubber gloves, cloths, sponges and soapy water. They set themselves a target of 50 signs and had already completed 36. They began after noticing dirty signs on the drive home and decided to clean them so people could actually read the names.

I saw an article about two boys who were using their school holidays to go around their town cleaning street signs.
They are not paid for it.
They just want to make a difference.
As soon as I saw the headline, I had a bet with myself that they were two white boys.
Jonah and… pic.twitter.com/b6TkYJl9ju
— Miss Jo (@therealmissjo) August 5, 2026
Jonah said: “We were driving home in my mum’s car and we saw some dirty signs so we decided to go clean them to allow people to be able to see them.” He added: “It’s very important to take pride in your village. Doing something small can make a big difference.”

Eli said they would keep going until the job was done, whatever the weather. Their mother Shelley said she was pleased they showed initiative and that it was something they would always remember and be proud of. Local residents praised the results, noting the signs were now legible again.

These acts of basic civic maintenance stand in sharp contrast to how councils choose to spend public money.

In Cambridge, England’s first “cycle street” on Adams Road cost £2.4 million. Yes, really. Look at it.

England’s first ‘cycle street’ forced to close over poor road markings despite £2.4million costhttps://t.co/LKq4J27YbJ
— GB News (@GBNEWS) August 11, 2026
It gave cyclists and pedestrians priority, narrowed the carriageway, added red surfacing and special signage. Within months the road markings proved inadequate. The street had to be closed for roughly two weeks so the contractor could remove and replace them. A Greater Cambridge Partnership spokesperson said a routine quality check revealed the markings were not up to the required standard and apologised for the inconvenience.

In London, Camden Council installed four zebra crossings painted in the blue, pink and white colours of the transgender pride flag in Bloomsbury at a cost of £10,464. The stated purpose was to “help celebrate transgender awareness.”

London council faces legal action over trans flag pedestrian crossing@HJoyceGender: “The trans flag crossings… a costly exercise in celebrating a flag that represents unforgivable medical harms done to gender-distressed children in name of ‘progress’.” https://t.co/86cgI4u2Dg
— Sex Matters (@SexMattersOrg) July 7, 2025
A local resident, Blessing Olubanjo, argued that the crossings breach political neutrality rules under the Local Government Act 1986 and amount to unlawful political messaging. She said: “I brought this case because I believe in fairness, freedom of belief, and the proper role of public institutions. As a Christian and a taxpayer, I should not be made to feel excluded or marginalised by political symbols in public spaces. This crossing sends a message that only one viewpoint is welcome, and that’s not right in a truly democratic society.”

Now in the ?@theLDNstandard?
‘London council faces legal action after installing road crossing in colours of transgender pride flag’
?@christianlegal? https://t.co/suA2n3tv4e
— SEEN in Journalism (@JournalismSEEN) July 6, 2025
Andrea Williams of the Christian Legal Centre stated: “The crossing is a visual endorsement of a contested ideology, installed by a public authority in breach of its legal duties. This is not the role of local government.” Disability groups had previously warned that the colours could confuse visually impaired people and those with learning disabilities or sensory sensitivity.

Such rainbow and trans crossings have been installed in countless locations, particularly in London.

Meanwhile, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has poured millions into basketball courts and related programmes. City Hall has invested nearly £2 million to improve facilities, expand coaching schemes and create more opportunities for the sport.

Recent work includes partnership with NBA champion OG Anunoby and Camden Council to redevelop the Argyle Square court. Critics point out that many British people do not even play or watch basketball and that streets choked with weeds and filthy signs represent more immediate needs.

Don’t want basketball courts. Want… what shall we start with? Maybe streets that are not covered in 5ft weeds first please. Priorities. https://t.co/vyIIzDgCu8 pic.twitter.com/2b4xmHE2R5
— m o d e r n i t y (@ModernityNews) August 6, 2026
This is what decline looks like. First-world countries do not leave their road signs illegible for years. They do not require ten-year-olds to restore civic pride during the school holidays. They do not prioritise contested ideological symbols and niche sports infrastructure while the everyday environment decays.

I still can’t get over this … when did we become so shit at everything? pic.twitter.com/WLrQYlNYlw
— Becky Tallentire (@Bluestocking63) July 23, 2026
Britain is displaying the visual markers once associated with much poorer nations: neglect of the ordinary, indifference from those in charge, and citizens forced to improvise solutions.

Edinburgh – new postcard designs pic.twitter.com/PWw71m7vIz
— Edinburgh’s Disgraces (@EdiDisgraces) July 23, 2026

This is my town pic.twitter.com/yS2XGNklCD
— inkyblue (@brushworking) July 24, 2026

pic.twitter.com/Z9Y5amTnB1
— Simon Monckton (@SimonMonckton) July 23, 2026

That’s the ruse- stop maintaining the environment, let drains and gullets become blocked, let river channels silt up, make flooding more likely, call it climate change, scam the punter for more cash. pic.twitter.com/iGsARIViYW
— TrevorDistance (@TrevorDistance3) July 24, 2026

Bath’s Royal Victoria Park duck pond. 196 years old, left to die on the LibDem’s watch… So sad, so wrong…
Where is Wera Hobhouse MP when we really need her? pic.twitter.com/JeMypyaspb
— Mark S (@sidcot) August 4, 2026

The council have totally given up, pavement, what pavement? pic.twitter.com/H0IFpyIEF7
— Remote Viewer (@chess137) August 4, 2026

So true, parts of #Moray look like we have been living in an apocalypse for a few years. I think last year the councillors got a 40% increase and the CEO got a 23% increase; it must be so nice to be paid more for incompetence and failures. pic.twitter.com/mflhmtCAX6
— Glenden S Fawcett (@theFMofficer) August 4, 2026

Flooded roads, blocked drainage and deep potholes… We need a serious national discussion as to why our Councils are failing. It’s not just “lack of funds” it’s something more fundamental… lack of pride, turning a blind eye, amateur working practices and minimal… pic.twitter.com/RKiQOfwfjT
— Clean Up Britain (@cleanupbritain) February 23, 2026

We have lost the ability to look after and maintain anything in this country. Britain IS crumbling.
Litter, fly-tipping, neglected infrastructure and potholes.
Sadly, we have the lot… in spades. This cannot go on. pic.twitter.com/pcTGtusoYw
— Clean Up Britain (@cleanupbritain) October 22, 2025
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Tyler Durden
Fri, 08/14/2026 – 02:00

Three states are set to execute prisoners Thursday in Tennessee, Alabama and Oklahoma. Two of them didn’t fight their death sentences.

Three detransitioners claim they were pressured by doctors and hospitals when they were young to pursue gender transition, including medical treatment in two cases while they were minors, according to a new HHS-commissioned report.The stories of Clementine Breen, Soren Aldaco and Luke Healy were featured in the Department of Health and Human Services’ “Wolves in White Coats: How Doctors and Hospitals Pushed and Profited from the Fraud of “Gender Medicine” report released on Thursday. The HHS-commissioned report alleges financial incentives encouraged hospitals and doctors to provide gender transition treatments and identifies insurance billing practices that it says may be improper or warrant further investigation.Breen was only 12 years old and struggling with a changing adolescent body and unresolved trauma from earlier sexual abuse when the then-minor learned about gender transition online. Breen alleges, according to the HHS report, that doctors at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles told Breen’s parents the preteen was “100% trans” and at high risk of suicide without medical intervention.According to the report, Breen began puberty blockers at 12, testosterone at 13 and underwent a double mastectomy at 14.HHS OFFICIAL WARNS OF IRREVERSIBLE RISKS AS TRUMP ADMIN RESTRICTS FUNDING FOR YOUTH GENDER PROCEDURESBreen’s mental health later deteriorated, and the teen stopped taking testosterone at 18 after therapy led Breen to conclude that the distress surrounding gender identity was connected to earlier trauma, according to the report. Breen reported experiencing pain and irregular menstrual cycles and requiring estrogen.When Breen later sought breast reconstruction, doctors questioned the teen’s mental stability, and some stopped responding, according to the report.”She did not face this same scrutiny when seeking a mastectomy at 14,” the report states. HHS also said Breen discovered letters in the medical record claiming a lifelong history of gender dysphoria.Now studying theater at UCLA, Breen said in the report that the treatments and surgery continue to have physical consequences.”How can a child consent to losing fertility or the ability to breastfeed if no one checks whether she even understand what that means?” Breen said.Aldaco said gender-related distress emerged during adolescence and that online communities framed gender transition as the “appropriate response” to those feelings, according to the report.After talking to a doctor, Aldaco was prescribed testosterone with several specialists treating the then-teen for gender dysphoria, and the report says Aldaco gave no indication that providers considered alternative treatment options outside what it calls a “sex rejection” model.Aldaco began taking testosterone before receiving a double mastectomy to remove breast tissue. Aldaco then began suffering severe complications after surgery, causing pain the young person said “I don’t think I’ll ever forget.””Despite these negative developments, providers did not initiate a structured reassessment of her treatment plan,” the report says, adding that the support received after treatments was insufficient compared to the systems that pushed the life-altering decisions.”Soren’s experience reflects the imbalance of care for cases like hers,” the report reads. “While her pathway into sex rejection medicalization involved coordinated referrals, approvals, and interventions across multiple providers, the pathway out involved no comparable system of support.”Healy was just 10 years old when first learning of an online community where adults discussed transgender identities, according to the HHS report.Within three years, Healy says he came to identify as a girl. After discussing the issue with his parents, Healy was taken to a counselor to talk about it.”The only people who seriously asked what might have caused his distress were his parents,” the report reads. “Meanwhile, institutional figures … treated his new identity as settled and moved quickly to affirm it.””Luke’s parents refused to consent to puberty blockers or hormones while he was still a minor,” the report added. “Luke now describes their refusal as one of the bravest things they ever did.”Still wanting to be a girl at 18, Healy began pursuing transitioning treatments.Healy started with estrogen and began receiving consultations for surgical treatments before slowly starting to realize that the treatments were not easing psychological stress.JD VANCE CALLS ON DOJ TO PROSECUTE ALLEGED FRAUD IN TEEN TRANSGENDER TREATMENT”Each intervention led to pressure for further intervention,” the report reads. “In his view, the model was built around escalation rather than resolution.”Healy eventually began to question the procedures doctors were recommending.”One doctor quoted him approximately $200,000 for facial feminization surgery. Another, he says, spoke to him like a car salesman while encouraging tracheal shave,” the report said. “Luke came to realize he was being sold procedures, not psychological help.”Rather than continuing the efforts to become a girl, Healy focused on battling the substance abuse problems developed during the process, quitting drinking and drugs.”He recognized the same obsessive, destructive pattern in gender ideology that he had seen in addiction,” the report reads.