Destination Pulse

💊 Big money for addiction recovery

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used his platform as HHS Secretary to announce $700 million in funding for behavioral health programs, with a pointed shift away from harm reduction strategies. Speaking at a treatment center in Michigan, Kennedy framed the investment as a departure from what he called the failures of the previous administration's approach to addiction.

🙏 Faith-based groups back in the picture

The centerpiece of the announcement is the STREETS program, which stands for Safety Through Recovery, Engagement, and Evidence-based Treatment and Support. It will distribute $96 million by awarding eight communities $3 million a year over four years. The money targets people who are homeless and dealing with substance use disorders or serious mental illness. Kennedy made a point of saying faith-based organizations are now welcome to apply again, claiming the Biden administration had actively discouraged their involvement.

⚠️ A direct attack on harm reduction

Kennedy didn't soften his criticism of needle exchanges and safe injection sites, saying harm reduction simply doesn't work and blaming those policies for what he called open-air drug markets spreading across the country. That puts him at odds with the National Institute of Drug Abuse, whose research shows needle exchange programs reduce infectious disease transmission without increasing crime nearby.

🧠 Spirituality as a recovery tool

Kennedy drew on the history of Alcoholics Anonymous to make a broader point about recovery. He recounted how Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung told Rowland Hazard that overcoming severe alcoholism required a spiritual shift, a story that eventually shaped how Bill Wilson built AA. Kennedy's argument is that 12-step programs work not because of religion, but because of the spiritual framework underneath them.

The remaining $612 million covers additional behavioral health programs beyond STREETS, though HHS has not yet detailed exactly where all of it goes.

Facts checked by

Sources:
Nexstar Media Inc., HHS press release on STREETS program, National Institute on Drug Abuse research on needle exchange programs

🕊️ A historic agreement between rivals

In a moment few could have predicted even months ago, President Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran ending the war between the two countries, doing so during a dinner visit with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles.

🤝 How the signing unfolded

The agreement was signed while Trump dined with Macron at Versailles. A photo of the signed document was sent to Iranian officials and the countries that mediated the deal. Senior administration officials had briefed reporters on the details of the MOU earlier that same Wednesday.

🌍 Iran confirms the deal

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei confirmed to Iranian state media that the agreement carried signatures from both Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, making it a mutual formal commitment from both governments.

📜 What this moment means in practice

The MOU marks the formal end of hostilities between two countries that have been adversaries for decades. The choice of Versailles as the signing location adds a layer of diplomatic theater, with France's Macron playing host to what could be one of the more unexpected foreign policy developments in recent memory.

Facts checked by

Sources:
Axios, reporting on the Versailles dinner and document transfer
Iranian state media via Esmail Baghaei, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman
Nexstar Media Inc. original reporting