The incoming NRA President, Oliver North, recently offered his theory for the spate of school shootings in this country, blaming “a culture of violence” and the drug methylphenidate (Ritalin). “If you look at what has happened to the young people, many of these young boys have been on Ritalin since they were in kindergarten,” North said. 1 As a psychiatrist, I partly agree with North: there are cultural factors in the U.S. that may increase the risk for aggression or violence — including but not limited to bullying, gangs, and substances of abuse. But Col. North is way off base in blaming Ritalin for school shootings. This notion is part of a larger mythology that attributes mass shootings to psychiatric medications of various sorts, including antidepressants. But what is the evidence for such claims?: Oliver North’s Ritalin Myth
ATLANTA—Kicking around ideas ranging from an uptick in child kidnappings to a new link between laptops and cancer, senior CNN staffers held their regular daily meeting this morning to decide which topic viewers should panic about for the rest of the day. “It’s always kind of tough to get our meetings going each morning, but once we got some coffee in us, we were able to toss around a few ideas on what might absolutely terrify half a million or so viewers today,” said CNN Newsroom executive producer Eric Hall, adding that although the discourse was briefly derailed by a recounting of the previous night’s NFL game and discussions of staff members’ upcoming weekend plans, the team eventually spent 45 minutes debating which stories had the legs to prey on people’s anxieties for a full 24-hour cycle. “There was a lot of back-and-forth between those who really wanted to focus on scaring the hell out of people with a piece about the nation’s lack of preparedness for the next big earthquake and those who felt like we should try to stir up a frenzy over a potentially dangerous new teen trend called vamping, in which kids stay up all night texting with friends and posting on social media. Sarah pitched the threats posed by pit bulls, but she’s been pushing that thing since the day she started—at least she brought in Munchkins for everybody, though.” Sources confirmed that those objecting to going with a story about a horrific waterborne illness in Asia eventually acquiesced rather than let the meeting drag on into lunch: CNN Holds Morning Meeting To Decide What Viewers Should Panic About For Rest Of Day
John Oliver is a noted skeptic of royal weddings and the British monarchy — he suggested in February that Meghan Markle might want to consider calling off her wedding to Prince Harry, for her own sanity. But of course the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex did indeed get married on Saturday — “as you probably knew if you were anywhere within earshot of CBS’s Gayle King,” Oliver said on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight. He had video in case you weren’t within earshot. “Perhaps the most notable part of the service was Bishop Michael Curry, who delivered an impassioned ode to love — which led to some pretty awkward reaction shots,” Oliver said, focusing on the monarch herself. “Oh, that is the wrong room there, buddy. Because believe me, those are some of the most repressed people on Earth. Talking to the queen about love is like talking to her about the transformative power of the Taco Bell $5 Chalupa Cravings Box.” (And there goes his knighthood.) Last Week Tonight also had some unexpressed thoughts on all the American news anchors affecting British accents for the wedding, and you can watch (and likely cringe) below: John Oliver is amused at America’s — and the queen’s — reaction to Britain’s royal wedding
Bright, Shiny Objects! 
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