Fentanyl

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday declaring "illicit fentanyl and its core precursor chemicals" a weapon of mass destruction, pitching it as a new front in the administration's border and drug crackdown even as the order's practical impact remained unclear. Trump Casts...

The Justice Department has classified Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, as a potential chemical weapon. This classification has led to the authorization of strikes on drug-smuggling boats. What Happened: The Justice Department’s classified brief, prepared by its Office of Legal Counsel, provides...

China firmly rejected responsibility for the U.S. fentanyl crisis on Tuesday, calling Washington’s punitive tariffs unreasonable even as broader trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies show signs of easing. What Happened: “The responsibility of tackling the...

The Feb. 1 White House Fact Sheet lists fentanyl as the top reason for President Donald Trump's tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, citing the ‘extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs’ as a ‘national emergency.'” The fact sheet refers to "Canada's heightened...

Following President Donald Trump's Saturday executive order imposing steep tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum swiftly implemented reciprocal measures. Sheinbaum instructed Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard to activate Mexico's contingency strategy...

Betting activity on Polymarket suggests significant skepticism about President-elect Donald Trump's promise to impose a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada. What Happened: As of now, market odds give the tariff's implementation only a 30% chance by the proposed Jan. 31, 2025 deadline,...

Editor’s note: The article has been updated to reflect the correct link to Sen. Vance’s C-Span comments. As part of JD Vance's campaign tour across Arizona this last week, the Ohio senator and Republican VP candidate spoke at the Generation Church in Mesa in an event co-hosted by...

In the midst of a worsening fentanyl crisis in the U.S., both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have been urged by experts, law enforcement officials and families to prioritize the battle against fentanyl. How, Pray Tell? Some say beefing up the southern border would...

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, co-founder of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel is in U.S. custody along with Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of the other cartel co-founder Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán, Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed in a press release. The two men were arrested Thursday in El Paso,...

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced a 10-count indictment against Los Angeles-based associates of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel, which is run by the sons of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is serving a life sentence in a supermax prison in Colorado. These associates...

A promising new startup, Ovax Inc., secured $10 million in funding to advance the development of a groundbreaking vaccine designed to prevent fentanyl-related deaths. The initiative focuses on commercializing academic research aimed at preventing the potent opioid from reaching the brain, reported...

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently announced it had seized nearly six tons of methamphetamine hidden in a shipment of green squash. Specially trained dogs sniffed out the drugs in the 1,419 packages of squash, the CBP said in a news release. The shipment was discovered in a...

U.S. Senator Tim Scott's (R-S.C.), effort to crack down on the illicit fentanyl supply chain was signed into law on Wednesday as a part of the national security supplemental package. Scott, a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, wrote and introduced the FEND Off...

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) has pointed out a stark contrast between fentanyl-related deaths in China and the U.S., emphasizing China’s involvement in the American fentanyl crisis. What Happened: On Tuesday, Krishnamoorthi, a member of the Select Committee on the CCP Democrats,...

Marco Troper, the 19-year-old UC Berkeley freshman and son of former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, was found unresponsive in his college dorm this past week. Family members, including his grandmother Esther Wojcicki, told local media that Troper's death was likely the result of a drug overdose. "...