Politics
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek directs state police to crack down on fentanyl distribution, hold sellers accountable
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said Tuesday she has directed state police to launch new strategies aimed at disrupting the fentanyl supply chain and holding sellers of the frequently deadly drug accountable.
Kotek said in a statement that she made the announcement at a Tuesday meeting of her task force created to revitalize downtown Portland.
“I want all Oregonians to know that the state is moving forward with several new fentanyl strategic enforcement and disruption strategies,” Kotek’s statement said.
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The plans include increasing and reallocating state police staff to local drug enforcement teams, holding trainings with the Oregon Department of Justice to address potential biases and avoid unlawful searches, and leading interagency patrols that emphasize intercepting fentanyl using drug dogs and detectives, Kotek said.
She said a pilot project using a data-driven approach to identifying drug- and alcohol-impaired drivers would also be extended.
Tina Kotek speaks with members of the media at a rally on Nov. 8, 2022, in Portland, Oregon. Kotek has directed the state police to crack down on the state’s fentanyl crisis. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)
During one weekend in May, at least eight people in Portland died of suspected drug overdoses, according to the city’s police bureau. Six of the deaths were likely related to fentanyl, police said.
So far this year, the Oregon State Patrol has seized nearly 233,000 fentanyl pills and 62 pounds of powder, the statement said.
“As we work to cut the supply of fentanyl and hold dealers accountable for selling dangerous drugs, I also remain fully committed to expanding access to critical behavioral health services,” Kotek said.
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No details about expanding access to health services were released.
A synthetic opioid, fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49. More than 100,000 deaths a year in the U.S. have been tied to drug overdoses since 2020, and about two-thirds of those are related to fentanyl.
Illegally made fentanyl is often added to other drugs, including heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, to increase its potency. Some people are not aware they are taking it.
At the Family Summit on Fentanyl in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a speech that the U.S. Justice Department is sending out about $345 million in federal funding in the next year, including money to support mentoring young people at risk and increasing access to the overdose-reversal drug naloxone.
new video loaded: Schumer Condems Bigotry Against Jews in Senate Floor Speech
transcript
transcript
Schumer Condems Bigotry Against Jews in Senate Floor Speech
Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader and highest-ranking Jewish member of Congress, warned young people against “unknowingly aiding and abetting” antisemitism in the name of justice.
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I feel compelled to speak because I’m the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in America. In fact, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official ever in American history. And I have noticed a significant disparity between how Jewish people regard the rise of antisemitism and how many of my non-Jewish friends regard it. Antisemites are taking advantage of the pro-Palestinian movement to espouse hatred and bigotry towards Jewish people. But rather than call out this dangerous behavior for what it is, we see so many of our friends and fellow citizens, particularly young people who yearn for justice, unknowingly aiding and abetting their cause. Not long ago, many of us marched together for Black and brown lives. We stood against anti-Asian hatred. We protested bigotry against the L.G.B.T.Q. community. We fought for reproductive justice out of the recognition that injustice against one oppressed group is injustice against all. But apparently, Mr. President, in the eyes of some, this principle does not extend to the Jewish people.
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A campaign official for Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has joined Team Trump, Fox News Digital has confirmed.
Brian Swensen, Ramaswamy’s New Hampshire-based political director, has taken a new job with the Trump campaign and is a close ally to Trump senior adviser Susie Wiles.
Ramaswamy spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that Swensen’s responsibilities, which have been “pretty much exclusive” to the campaign’s New Hampshire operation, have been absorbed in recent months by senior adviser Mike Biundo, a longtime GOP strategist and veteran of the Trump 2016 campaign who joined the Ramaswamy campaign earlier this year.
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A spokesperson for Vivek Ramaswamy’s presidential campaign confirmed to Fox New Digital that its New Hampshire-based political director is joining Team Trump. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
McLaughlin told Fox News Digital “We love Brian” and “wish him the best.” She also rejected the notion that Swensen’s exit indicates a “death knell” for the Ramaswamy campaign.
“This is a positive move for all parties,” McLaughlin said.
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Former President Trump maintains a commanding lead in both national and state polls against the rest of the GOP field. (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)
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Former President Trump maintains a commanding lead in the GOP primary in both national and state polls. The latest Fox News national poll released earlier this month showed him with a whopping 62% while Ramaswamy came in at 7% — behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 14% and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s 11%.
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Govs. Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis will take the stage in Georgia on Thursday evening for a one-of-a-kind debate pitting California against Florida.
The televised event will highlight the different styles of governance of the two coastal states, which are politically distinctive. Democrats’ leadership of California will be contrasted with increasingly conservative Florida, where Republicans control state government.
Fox News Channel is hosting the event, which it’s dubbed “DeSantis vs. Newsom: The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate.” The program is set to begin at 6 p.m. Pacific. The debate will also be broadcast on Fox News Radio and livestreamed on FoxNews.com, but a cable subscription is required.
Sean Hannity will moderate the debate at a studio in Alpharetta, Ga., without a live audience. He is expected to prompt the governors on issues including the economy, the border, immigration, crime and inflation for a 90-minute discussion. After the debate, Hannity will host a 30-minute reactions roundtable with panelists.
The long-awaited debate comes more than a year after Newsom challenged the Florida governor in a tweet, saying, “Hey [DeSantis], clearly you’re struggling, distracted, and busy playing politics with people’s lives. Since you have only one overriding need — attention — let’s take this up & debate. I’ll bring my hair gel. You bring your hairspray. Name the time before Election Day.”
It is extraordinarily unusual for governors from different states to debate each other. But both DeSantis and Newsom are ambitious politicians who hunger for publicity.
DeSantis is trailing former President Trump in polling for the Republican presidential primary, and desperately needs a boost to his campaign. Newsom is not running for president next year but will be termed out of the governor’s office in 2027 and could toss his hat in the 2028 presidential race.
Both governors have gained national attention for their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, issues of race and their infamous lobbing of insults against each other. Newsom ran election ads last year in Florida, urging Floridians to “join us in California, where we still believe in freedom.” On a California campaign stop a couple months ago, DeSantis didn’t miss the opportunity to tie Newsom to the Biden administration: “What California is doing now is likely what a second Biden term would do, or God forbid Kamala Harris, or God forbid Newsom himself, who knows, right?”
Newsom has been a loyal surrogate for the Biden campaign, touting the president’s accomplishments in appearances around the country and helping Biden raise money from wealthy California donors.
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