Investigative reporter Randall Fitzgerald, a pioneer in a wide variety of topics, shared his latest research into animal intelligence and the potential for incorporating luck into our lives. He challenged the 20th-century notion that animals were trainable but not particularly intelligent or creative, presenting recent studies that reveal a different, more hopeful narrative. He highlighted examples of artistic animals, such as a rescue pig dubbed "Pigcasso," who creates abstract paintings that sell for thousands, and an elephant named Suda, who paints self-portraits and landscapes. Animals, he emphasized, also display emotions like empathy and compassion, and a landmark Supreme Court decision upheld California's animal welfare referendum, defending the idea of animal rights. Many intelligent species, like pigs, he commented, deserve better recognition and protection.

Fitzgerald also explored the cognitive abilities of insects, noting their "hive mentality" and how they react to information almost instantaneously, drawing parallels to potential extraterrestrial intelligence. He emphasized that the concepts we see in insect intelligence "may someday play out in our interactions with other species in the universe." Whales, he continued, have a highly complex communication system, and may be another model for deciphering or detecting ET messages. Shifting to his book, "The Tao of Intuitive Luck," he shared a five-part formula for harnessing intuition and synchronicities to improve our lives' outcomes.

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In the latter half, transpersonal hypnotherapist Kaedrich Olsen discussed the reality behind popular paranormal movies, including Things Heard & Seen, Annabelle, The Haunting in Connecticut, and Kardec. Commenting on Hollywood's portrayal of the supernatural, he noted that filmmakers typically fictionalize or exaggerate details to increase the scariness factor. However, in real case histories, what is going on is often quite a bit more positive. He emphasized that actual paranormal experiences are often subtle and less dramatic than what is depicted on screen. For instance, in the real-life story behind the movie "Annabelle," he said the spirit involved was a lost little girl seeking help rather than a demonic force, and possibly was using the doll as a communication vessel.

Olsen suggested that the late investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who popularized the Annabelle case, as well as the Amityville Horror, often pushed demonological or sinister explanations to their investigations when they were more benign interpretations. Speaking about the eerie true story behind the Snedeker family's experience in Connecticut, which inspired the horror film "A Haunting in Connecticut," Kaedrich noted that after the family found out that their rental home was formerly a funeral parlor, their fear likely amplified the paranormal activity they experienced and made the situation worse. In the real case behind "The Exorcist," Olsen concluded that the boy who was supposedly possessed had a neurological condition, perhaps brought on by trauma, but after he was given the right mix of psychiatric medications, the "demonic" episodes stopped.

During the last half-hour, George featured a replay of an interview with the late direct voice medium Hans Christian King.

News segment guests: Douglas Mulhall, Kevin Randle