National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that the new BA.2 variant of COVID will cause an “uptick” of cases which might cause a return to requirements for wearing masks indoors.
Fauci said, “Obviously, there is concern that we are seeing an uptick in cases, as I mentioned over the last couple of weeks, that this is not unexpected, that you’re going to see an uptick when you pull back on the mitigation methods. If you look at the CDC calculation with their new metrics, it’s clear that most of the country, even though we’re seeing an uptick, is still in that green zone, which means that masking is not recommended in the sense of not required on indoor settings.”
He continued, “But as people pull back when you have a highly transmissible virus like the BA.2 variant, and you have pulling back on mitigation methods at the same time there’s waning immunity, we’re going to see an uptick.”
Fauci added, “What we’re hoping happens, and I believe it will, is that you won’t see a concomitant comparable increase in severity In the sense of people requiring hospitalizations and deaths. But the idea that we’re going to see an uptick, I think people need to appreciate that’s the case and follow the CDC guidelines because, remember, when the metrics were put forth, the new metrics looking at the guidance of masking, it was said that if we do start seeing an uptick, particularly of hospitalizations, we may need to revert back to being more careful and having more utilizations of masks indoors. Right now, we’re watching it very, very carefully, and there is concern that it’s going up, but hopefully, we’re not going to see increased severity.”
A new curriculum in New Jersey’s public schools will include lessons related to gender identity and climate change this fall.
Starting this fall, first and second graders in New Jersey’s public schools will be taught about gender identity and climate change according to the curriculum provided to parents in the Westfield school district.
New sex education guidelines were handed out to New Jersey parents at a meeting in February
A 30-minute lesson called ‘Pink, Blue and Purple’ teaches the students to define ‘gender, gender identity and gender role stereotypes’
The curriculum also includes instructions for teachers to tell students that their gender identity is up to them
Part of the lesson plan states, ‘You might feel like you’re a boy even if you have body parts that some people might tell you are ”girl” parts’
The materials were reportedly distributed to parents at a Feb. 22 meeting of the Westfield Board of Education
Former Gov. Chris Christie, and other Republican officials, slammed New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy for New Jersey schools planning to teach gender identity to children
The new state sex education guidelines go into effect in September
First-graders in New Jersey will be learning about gender identity with new sex education curriculum which includes a lesson that teaches children they can have ‘boy parts’ but ‘feel like’ a girl.
The new lessons, which are part of a broader, K-12 health and sex education curriculum adopted by the New Jersey Board of Education, are alarming some parents, Asbury Park Press first reported.
One of the 30-minute lesson plans, called ‘Pink, Blue and Purple,’ teaches the students to define ‘gender, gender identity and gender role stereotypes.’
Another lesson plan, this one for second-graders called ‘Understanding Our Bodies,’ tells teachers to instruct students that ‘being a boy or a girl doesn’t have to mean you have those parts, there are some body parts that mostly just girls have and some parts that mostly just boys have.’
‘Most people have a vulva and a vagina or a penis and testicles, but some people’s bodies can be different,’ the plan states. ‘Your body is exactly what is right for you.’
The new state sex education guidelines, which go into effect in September, were handed out to parents at the Westfield Board of Education meeting in February, and included instructions for teachers to tell students that their gender identity is up to them.
‘You might feel like you’re a boy even if you have body parts that some people might tell you are ”girl” parts,’ the lesson plan states.
‘You might feel like you’re a girl even if you have body parts that some people might tell you are ”boy” parts. And you might not feel like you’re a boy or a girl, but you’re a little bit of both. No matter how you feel, you’re perfectly normal!’
Many New Jersey parents are outraged over the new lesson plans, with some weighing the decision to remove their child from the public school system.
Dailymail.com has reached out to the Board of Education for comment.
New lesson plans in NJ instruct teachers to tell students their gender identity is up to them and that ‘being a boy or a girl doesn’t have to mean you have those parts’
Pink, Blue and Purple By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:1. Define gender, gender identity and gender role stereotypes. 2. Name at least two things they’ve been taught about gender role stereotypes, and how those things may limit people of all genders.Sample lesson: Tell students they are to decide whether what’s in the picture is something that only boys should play with, only girls should play with or that anyone can play with. Discussion Sometimes, when a boy does something that’s not on the ‘boy’ list, or when a girl does something that’s not on the ‘girl’ list, they’ll get teased or even bullied. For example, a boy who cries in front of his friends or likes to play dress up, or a girl who likes to climb or play with rockets.Explain that it is never okay to tease or bully someone else and it’s never okay for someone to tease or bully you.Understanding Our Bodies By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:1. Correctly identify at least four body parts of the female genitals. 2. Correctly identify at least four body parts of the male genitals. 3. Describe why it is important for them to know the correct names for the genitals. This lesson refers to ‘girls’ and ‘boys’ when identifying body parts. The use of a binary construct of gender as well as using gender (boys and girls) rather than the more accurate biological sex (male and female) is purposeful given the developmental stage of students.This lesson does, however, acknowledge that there are some body parts that mostly just girls have and some parts that mostly just boys have. Being a boy or a girl doesn’t have to mean you have those parts, but for most people this is how their bodies are. And, ‘Most people have a vulva and a vagina or a penis and testicles but some people’s bodies can be different. Your body is exactly what is right for you.’Tell students: ‘There are some body parts that mostly just girls have and some parts that mostly just boys have.’ ‘These body parts, which are usually covered by clothing or a bathing suit, are sometimes called private parts or genitals and today we want to make sure everyone knows the correct names for these parts and who has what body part.’ Display male body and female body on PowerPoint slides to go over which body parts are different and which ones are the same. Have the class label body parts on male and on female. By asking the class which body parts only girls have, only boys have and both have, the teacher can assess the knowledge of the class.An alternative assessment strategy is for the teacher to ask, ‘Who has a vulva? Girls, boys or both? Who has a penis?’ etc. and have the class respond. By asking students why it might be important to know the correct names for these body parts, the teacher can gauge student understanding by their responses.Source: Lesson plans from Rights, Respect, Responsibility: A K-12 Curriculum
Americans say that Biden administration policies are the No. 1 cause for the increase in fuel costs in the United State, according to a recent poll by Quinnipiac University. The poll found 41 percent of Americans say the Biden administration’s economic policies are to blame for the rise in gas prices. According to the survey,…
— Read on thehill.com/homenews/administration/600412-4-in-10-americans-blame-biden-administration-for-gas-pricespoll/
Today, Democrats are trying to deflect from Biden’s energy crisis by blaming oil and gas executives.
But Americans are smart.
They know Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats’ failed Far-Left agenda is responsible for this pain at the pump.
Fifteen out of 50 Republican Senators were willing to define “woman” when questioned by the Daily Caller, while some government officials, including all 50 Senate Democrats, have apparently stayed silent about their definition of the word.
“This is commonsense — as a father and grandfather — there are women and there are men,” Republican Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe said. “Anyone who refuses to answer that question is without a doubt seeking to defend far-left radicals who are trying to upend America’s values.”
“An adult female person. It’s not that hard,” Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott responded.
Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee said a woman is defined by “two X chromosomes,” with Cruz adding “homo sapien” as a qualifier.
“It is bizarre we have reached a point where the definition of a woman would be in doubt. But if need be, Merriam Webster defines a woman as ‘an adult female human being.’ I do not believe we should be trying to redefine that,” Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said.
Republican North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer referred the Daily Caller to his previous interview.
“The beautiful thing is I don’t have to, God already did it,” Cramer said to CNSNews.
Some of the responses included criticism of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, then-nominee for Supreme Court Justice, for dodging the question during her hearing. Jackson responded with “I’m not a biologist” when pressed to define “woman” during her hearing by Blackburn.
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 23: U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) listens to testimony from Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, March 23, 2022 in Washington, DC. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, President Joe Biden’s pick to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court, would become the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court if confirmed. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“You don’t need to be a biologist to answer this question. A woman is born with two X-chromosomes,” Republican Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley said.
Republican Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford referred to a statement he made previously about Jackson’s answer.
“It is about biology. Ironically she stumbled into the exact right issues. It’s basic biology, basic anatomy. That any sixth grader could actually get right…” Lankford said in an interview on the Brian Kilmeade Show
Senator James Lankford Calls Out Dems… YouTube video
Lankford added the “crazy far-left” doesn’t “state the obvious” because “they have their own agenda,” and that the inability to define “woman” affects girls that are competing against biological men in sports.
Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer competing in women’s swimming, has received backlash from competitors and team mates after dominating the swimming competition and winning the 500-yard freestyle at the national level. Thomas went from being #462 as a male at the national level to being #1 as a female in the 500-yard freestyle.
A spokesman for Republican Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker referred the Daily Caller to Wicker’s Tuesday tweet.
Most Americans can tell you what a woman is – it’s not difficult. But Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was totally unable to define what a “woman” is last week. It is a clear sign she is likeminded with the far left on issues involving the transgender movement.
— Senator Roger Wicker (@SenatorWicker) April 5, 2022
“It’s unlikely that Judge Jackson is actually unknowledgeable on these topics,” Republican Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall said, referring to Jackson’s unwillingness to define “woman” and if she knew whether a baby could feel pain at 20 weeks in the womb.
“These were glaring examples of her inability to go against the positions taken by the radical left and activists that pushed her resume to the top,” Marshall added, adding that his experience delivering babies as an OBGYN confirms that a woman is defined as “having two X chromosomes.”
“Can you imagine if you were out deer hunting and had a doe tag and shot a buck? The game warden shows up and asks ‘why did you shoot a buck?’ Can you imagine replying ‘I didn’t know. … I’m not a biologist.’ Ridiculous,” Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines said.
Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy referred the Daily Caller to his statement to why he would vote no for Jackson’s nomination, which claims that Jackson is supported by those who want an activist judge.
“President Biden chose Judge Jackson precisely because she is not a strict constructionist and because she had the strong support of those who prefer an activist judge. It is for these reasons that I will vote no,” Cassidy said.
Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi and Joni Ernst of Iowa also referred to their statements against Jackson’s nomination.
“I do not support nominees who believe the job of the Supreme Court is to make policy rather than apply the Constitution as written,” Rubio wrote.
“Judge Jackson’s record indicates a readiness to legislate from the bench, at times in a manner that risks some of the basic freedoms that are at the core of our Constitution. Such activism, for example, has threatened free speech rights and other individual American liberties,” Hyde-Smith said.
“Well folks, I’m not a biologist either, but it seems pretty common sense to me. … While I’m grateful Judge Jackson believes science is the basis for determining a woman, I’m deeply concerned that a fellow woman, who is set to define the contours of laws that are specific to women, has to even think about an answer to that question,” Ernst said.
Every other Republican Senator did not provide a definition despite receiving multiple requests.
But south of the border it’s unclear how safe the streets are after Mexican military arrested the top leader of a drug cartel, prompting a night of violence where trucks were burned, guns shot and grenades launched near the U.S. Consulate offices, according to Mexican officials.
States look for solutions as U.S. fentanyl deaths keep rising
by: GEOFF MULVIHILL, Associated Press
Posted: Apr 5, 2022 / 12:34 AM CDT
Updated: Apr 5, 2022 / 12:50 AM CDT
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As the addiction and overdose crisis that has gripped the U.S. for two decades turns even deadlier, state governments are scrambling for ways to stem the destruction wrought by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
In statehouses across the country, lawmakers have been considering and adopting laws on two fronts: reducing the risk to users and increasing the penalties for dealing fentanyl or mixing it with other drugs. Meanwhile, Republican state attorneys general are calling for more federal action, while some GOP governors are deploying National Guard units with a mission that includes stopping the flow of fentanyl from Mexico.
“It’s a fine line to help people and try to get people clean, and at the same time incarcerate and get the drug dealers off the streets,” said Nathan Manning, a Republican state senator in Ohio who is sponsoring legislation to make it clear that materials used to test drugs for fentanyl are legal.
The urgency is heightened because of the deepening impact of the drugs. Last year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the nation had hit a grim milestone. For the first time, more than 100,000 Americans had diedof drug overdoses over a 12-month period. About two-thirds of the deaths were linked to fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, which can be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, heroin or prescription opioids.Texas lawmakers failed to legalize fentanyl testing strips last year, but there’s still a push for access
The recent case of five West Point cadets who overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine during spring break in Florida put the dangers and pervasiveness of the fentanyl crisis back in the spotlight.
The chemical precursors to the drugs are being shipped largely from China to Mexico, where much of the illicit fentanyl supply is produced in labs before being smuggled into the U.S.
While users sometimes seek out fentanyl specifically, it and other synthetics with similar properties are often mixed with other drugs or formed into counterfeit pills so users often don’t know they’re taking it.
Advocates say test strips can help prevent accidental overdoses of drugs laced with fentanyl. The strips are given out at needle exchanges and sometimes at concerts or other events where drugs are expected to be sold or used.
Thomas Stuber, chief legislative officer at The LCADA Way, a drug treatment organization in Ohio that serves Lorain County and nearby areas, has been pushing for the test strip legislation. It also would ease access to naloxone, a drug that can be used to revive people when they’re having opioid overdoses.
“This is a harm-reduction approach that has received a lot of acceptance,” he said. “We cannot treat somebody if they’re dead.”
Since last year, at least a half-dozen states have enacted similar laws and at least a dozen others have considered them, according to research by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
In West Virginia, the state hardest hit by opioids per capita, lawmakers passed a bill this month to legalize the testing strips. It now heads to the governor.
The measure was sponsored by Republican lawmakers. But state Delegate Mike Pushkin, a Democrat whose district includes central Charleston, has also been pushing for more access to fentanyl strips. He said the situation got worse last year when a state law tightened regulations on needle exchanges, causing some of them to close.
Pushkin, who also is in long-term addiction recovery, is pleased with the passage of the testing strip bill but upset with another measure passed this month that would increase the penalties for trafficking fentanyl. That bill also would create a new crime of adding fentanyl to another drug.
“Their initial reaction is, ‘We have to do something,’” he said. “It’s not just about doing something, it’s about doing the right thing that actually has results.”
But for many lawmakers, making sure that tough criminal penalties apply to fentanyl is a priority.
California Assemblywoman Janet Nguyen, a Republican, introduced a measure that would make penalties for dealing fentanyl just as harsh as those for selling cocaine or heroin. The Republican represents Orange County, where there were more than 600 reported fentanyl-related deaths last year.
“This is sending messages to those who aren’t afraid of selling these drugs that there’s a longer, bigger penalty than you might think,” said Nguyen, whose bill failed to advance from her chamber’s public safety committee in a 5-2 vote last week. She said after the bill failed that she was considering trying again.
She said committee members stressed compassion for drug users, something she said she agrees with.
The same day her measure failed to advance, a Democratic lawmaker in California announced a different bill to increase fentanyl-dealing penalties.
The National Conference of State Legislatures found 12 states with fentanyl-specific drug trafficking or possession laws as of last year. Similar measures have been introduced or considered since the start of 2021 in at least 19 states, the Associated Press found in an analysis of bills compiled by LegiScan. That does not include measures to add more synthetic opioids to controlled substance lists to mirror federal law; those have been adopted in many states, with bipartisan support.
Fentanyl has been in the spotlight in Colorado since February, when five people were found dead in a suburban Denver apartment from overdoses of fentanyl mixed with cocaine.
Under state law, possession with intent to distribute less than 14 grams of fentanyl is an offense normally punishable by two to four years in prison. But fentanyl is so potent that 14 grams can represent up to 700 lethal doses, under a calculation used by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
He and a bipartisan group of lawmakers last week unveiled a bill also backed by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis that would increase penalties for dealers with smaller amounts of fentanyl and in cases where the drug leads to a death. The legislation also would increase the accessibility of naloxone and test strips while steering people who possess fentanyl into education and treatment programs.
Maritza Perez, director of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance, a group that advocates for harm-reduction measures, is skeptical of the legislation that would increase criminal penalties.
“We have the largest incarceration rate in the entire world and we’re also setting records in terms of overdose deaths,” she said.
Democratic governors are focusing primarily on harm reduction methods. Among them is Illinois Gov. Jay Pritzker, who released a broad overdose action plan last month.
Several Republican governors and attorneys general have responded to the rising death toll with administrative enforcement efforts and by pushing for more federal intervention.
Last year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey called for states to help secure the border with Mexico. Along with trying to keep people from entering the U.S., stopping the flow of fentanyl was cited as a reason. Several other Republican governors have sent contingents of state troopers or National Guard units.
The Texas Military Department said that from March 2021 through earlier this month, its troops near the border confiscated more than 1,200 pounds (540 kilograms) of fentanyl. By comparison, federal authorities reported confiscating about 11,000 pounds (4,990 kilograms) in 2021 — still a fraction of what entered the country.Gov. Greg Abbott brags about his border initiative. The evidence doesn’t back him up.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice filed about 2,700 cases involving crimes related to the distribution of fentanyl and similar synthetic drugs, up nearly tenfold from 2017. Even so, Republican state officials are critical of federal efforts to stop fentanyl from entering the country.
In January, 16 GOP state attorneys general sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling on him to exert more pressure on China and Mexico to stop the flow of fentanyl. Those are steps that Dr. Rahul Gupta, the director of National Drug Control Policy, said are already being taken.
In March, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey called on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland for more enforcement on fentanyl trafficking and harsher penalties.
“Fentanyl is killing Americans of all walks of life in unprecedented numbers,” Morrisey said in a statement emailed to the AP, “and the federal government must respond with full force, across the board, using every tool available to stem the tide of death.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
As the addiction and overdose crisis that has gripped the U.S. for two decades turns even deadlier, state governments are scrambling for ways to stem the destruction wrought by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
In statehouses across the country, lawmakers have been considering and adopting laws on two fronts:reducing the risk to users and increasing the penalties for dealing fentanyl or mixing it with other drugs. Meanwhile, Republican state attorneys general are calling for more federal action, while some GOP governors are deploying National Guard units with a mission that includes stopping the flow of fentanyl from Mexico.
“It’s a fine line to help people and try to get people clean, and at the same time incarcerate and get the drug dealers off the streets,” said Nathan Manning, a Republican state senator in Ohio who is sponsoring legislation to make it clear that materials used to test drugs for fentanyl are legal.
The recent case of five West Point cadets who overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine during spring break in Florida put the dangers and pervasiveness of the fentanyl crisis back in the spotlight.
The chemical precursors to the drugs are being shipped largely from China to Mexico, where much of the illicit fentanyl supply is produced in labs before being smuggled into the U.S.
While users sometimes seek out fentanyl specifically, it and other synthetics with similar properties are often mixed with other drugs or formed into counterfeit pills so users often don’t know they’re taking it.
Advocates say test strips can help prevent accidental overdoses of drugs laced with fentanyl. The strips are given out at needle exchanges and sometimes at concerts or other events where drugs are expected to be sold or used.
Thomas Stuber, chief legislative officer at The LCADA Way, a drug treatment organization in Ohio that serves Lorain County and nearby areas, has been pushing for the test strip legislation. It also would ease access to naloxone, a drug that can be used to revive people when they’re having opioid overdoses.
“This is a harm-reduction approach that has received a lot of acceptance,” he said. “We cannot treat somebody if they’re dead.”
Since last year, at least a half-dozen states have enacted similar laws and at least a dozen others have considered them, according to research by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
In West Virginia, the state hardest hit by opioids per capita, lawmakers passed a bill this month to legalize the testing strips. It now heads to the governor.
The measure was sponsored by Republican lawmakers. But state Delegate Mike Pushkin, a Democrat whose district includes central Charleston, has also been pushing for more access to fentanyl strips. He said the situation got worse last year when a state law tightened regulations on needle exchanges, causing some of them to close.
Pushkin, who also is in long-term addiction recovery, is pleased with the passage of the testing strip bill but upset with another measure passed this month that would increase the penalties for trafficking fentanyl. That bill also would create a new crime of adding fentanyl to another drug.
“Their initial reaction is, ‘We have to do something,’” he said. “It’s not just about doing something, it’s about doing the right thing that actually has results.”
But for many lawmakers, making sure that tough criminal penalties apply to fentanyl is a priority.
California Assemblywoman Janet Nguyen, a Republican, introduced a measure that would make penalties for dealing fentanyl just as harsh as those for selling cocaine or heroin. The Republican represents Orange County, where there were more than 600 reported fentanyl-related deaths last year.
“This is sending messages to those who aren’t afraid of selling these drugs that there’s a longer, bigger penalty than you might think,” said Nguyen, whose bill failed to advance from her chamber’s public safety committee in a 5-2 vote last week. She said after the bill failed that she was considering trying again.
She said committee members stressed compassion for drug users, something she said she agrees with.
The same day her measure failed to advance, a Democratic lawmaker in California announced a different bill to increase fentanyl-dealing penalties.
The National Conference of State Legislatures found 12 states with fentanyl-specific drug trafficking or possession laws as of last year. Similar measures have been introduced or considered since the start of 2021 in at least 19 states, the Associated Press found in an analysis of bills compiled by LegiScan. That does not include measures to add more synthetic opioids to controlled substance lists to mirror federal law; those have been adopted in many states, with bipartisan support.
Fentanyl has been in the spotlight in Colorado since February, when five people were found dead in a suburban Denver apartment from overdoses of fentanyl mixed with cocaine.
Under state law, possession with intent to distribute less than 14 grams of fentanyl is an offense normally punishable by two to four years in prison. But fentanyl is so potent that 14 grams can represent up to 700 lethal doses, under a calculation used by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.
He and a bipartisan group of lawmakers last week unveiled a bill also backed by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis that would increase penalties for dealers with smaller amounts of fentanyl and in cases where the drug leads to a death. The legislation also would increase the accessibility of naloxone and test strips while steering people who possess fentanyl into education and treatment programs.
Maritza Perez, director of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance, a group that advocates for harm-reduction measures, is skeptical of the legislation that would increase criminal penalties.
“We have the largest incarceration rate in the entire world and we’re also setting records in terms of overdose deaths,” she said.
Democratic governors are focusing primarily on harm reduction methods. Among them is Illinois Gov. Jay Pritzker, who released a broad overdose action plan last month.
Several Republican governors and attorneys general have responded to the rising death toll with administrative enforcement efforts and by pushing for more federal intervention.
Last year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey called for states to help secure the border with Mexico. Along with trying to keep people from entering the U.S., stopping the flow of fentanyl was cited as a reason. Several other Republican governors have sent contingents of state troopers or National Guard units.
The Texas Military Department said that from March 2021 through earlier this month, its troops near the border confiscated more than 1,200 pounds (540 kilograms) of fentanyl. By comparison, federal authorities reported confiscating about 11,000 pounds (4,990 kilograms) in 2021 — still a fraction of what entered the country.Gov. Greg Abbott brags about his border initiative. The evidence doesn’t back him up.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice filed about 2,700 cases involving crimes related to the distribution of fentanyl and similar synthetic drugs, up nearly tenfold from 2017. Even so, Republican state officials are critical of federal efforts to stop fentanyl from entering the country.
In January, 16 GOP state attorneys general sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling on him to exert more pressure on China and Mexico to stop the flow of fentanyl. Those are steps that Dr. Rahul Gupta, the director of National Drug Control Policy, said are already being taken.
In March, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey called on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland for more enforcement on fentanyl trafficking and harsher penalties.
“Fentanyl is killing Americans of all walks of life in unprecedented numbers,” Morrisey said in a statement emailed to the AP, “and the federal government must respond with full force, across the board, using every tool available to stem the tide of death.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
China is racing to stockpile nuclear weapons capable of striking North America, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
The communist nation is reportedly “accelerating” the development of “more than 100 suspected missile silos,” each reportedly able to house missiles with nuclear tips that have the ability to reach American shores, according to the WSJ report, which cited anonymous sources familiar with Chinese leadership strategy. (RELATED: ‘There’s No Recovery For Hong Kong’: Enforcer Of China’s Brutal National Security Law Poised To Rule City)
The silos are purportedly large enough to accommodate China’s state of the art DF-41 long-range missile, the WSJ reported.
Britta Pedersen/Pool via AP Since Elon Musk bought 9.2 percent of the shares of Twitter and has joined the board, he’s put the left in a panic over what he might do. Meanwhile, he’s excited the right with the thought that he might bring some more freedom of speech and fairness to the platform since he’s a free speech absolutist.
On Saturday night, Musk had everyone talking again with changes he was teasing on Twitter — and he even poked fun at Twitter itself.
He had a poll where he proposed turning Twitter headquarters in San Francisco into a homeless shelter because no one was going in to work anyway. Twitter management had promised that people could work remotely forever, if they wanted to.
More than 91 percent voted in Musk’s Twitter poll to turn it into a homeless shelter.
Musk also had a poll, trolling a little more, about removing the “w” from Twitter. He didn’t have “no” as an option.
Then he also gave people some idea that he was interested in major changes in staff/management, responding “Exactly” to a comment about breaking them up.
He questioned if Twitter was dying, when you have big accounts that don’t engaged on the site, and some of the people are more engaged on other sites like Instagram.
He also proposed changes to Twitter including cutting the subscription price for Twitter Blue from $3 to $2 a month, banning ads, offering an option to pay in Dogecoin, and getting an authentication checkmark. He also noted that Blue had a 20-second modifiable feature — not exactly an edit feature that some want, but a little bit more than what regular Twitter has.
Musk explained that he didn’t want ads, because he didn’t want companies to be able to control the platform, “The power of corporations to dictate policy is greatly enhanced if Twitter depends on advertising money to survive.”
Earlier on Saturday, Musk dropped the Washington Post with one word when they attacked him in an article, saying that rich people shouldn’t be controlling media. That was hilarious — given that the WaPo is owned by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, the second richest person in the world (behind Musk). Musk just laughed at their hypocrisy, “LMAO.”
It sounds like he may have some changes coming at Twitter, and that would be very welcome if he’s able to bring free speech back to the platform and less enforced, liberal political narrative. That sounds like the direction it’s heading, and you know that that’s going to drive the left bonkers if they can’t control everything.
The Trailblazing Patriot 