America is facing a crisis that is forcing families to grapple with the heartbreaking effects of addiction. Cartels are smuggling fentanyl – a synthetic opioid – into our country and flooding communities from coast to coast with the deadly drug. 

Last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stopped 27,023 pounds of fentanyl from entering our country. That same year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) seized more than 77 million fentanyl pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder.

To put that into perspective, that is enough fentanyl to kill every single American. 

A deadly dose of fentanyl is considered to be two milligrams, roughly equal to 10-15 grains of table salt or the amount that would fit on the point of a sharpened pencil. According to the DEA, fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.

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Tennessee is now ranked fourth in the nation for the highest number of overdose deaths caused by synthetic opioids, and nearly 80% of drug overdose deaths in Virginia involve fentanyl. Fentanyl is killing Americans at record-high rates. This is a crisis that has touched every corner of our country. 

Before coming to Congress, one of us served as a U.S. attorney, the other as a federal law enforcement officer and CIA case officer. Our combined experience gives us critical insight into investigating and prosecuting drug dealers, as well as working narcotics trafficking cases and tracking cartels. 

We know well the harm that the criminal manufacturing of these drugs on a mass scale can bring to our communities, to our neighbors, and to their families. We also know that Congress must do more to prevent illicit substances – like fentanyl – from being sold on our streets.

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That is why we are working together to crack down on narcotics traffickers who use illicit pill presses to manufacture counterfeit drugs. 

DEA laboratory testing indicates that 7 out of 10 counterfeit pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. Counterfeits made in the United States typically use pill press machines that can easily be purchased online and – depending on size and capacity – can manufacture anywhere from 1,800 pills to more than one million pills per hour.

Many of the pill presses shipped to the United States come from China. The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on numerous Chinese entities for allegedly distributing pill presses and other equipment used to manufacture illicit fentanyl in the United States. Recently, under “Operation Artemis,” CBP officers at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York seized 14 pill press machines in five separate shipments that arrived from China.

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In the United States, pill press laws at the federal level are limited, and state laws are generally weak or nonexistent. Federal law currently prohibits the sale, possession, and use of unregistered pill presses. However, the registration process relies heavily on self-reporting, usually during the sale and transfer of machines. 

For instance, thousands of pill press machines have been sold through eBay, contributing to the current crisis. Current law also states that any person who possesses a pill press machine with the intent to sell shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not more than four years, a fine or both. We believe that the criminals who manufacture and traffic these deadly drugs should face clearer, harsher penalties.

For more than four years, we have led bipartisan legislation to make possession of a pill press mold with the intent to counterfeit schedule I or II substances a federal crime. Specifically, our Criminalizing Abused Substance Templates (CAST) Act would allow for criminals who possess a pill press and are planning to manufacture counterfeit pills – whether they have yet to do so or not – to be imprisoned for up to 20 years. 

By enacting this change, we would empower our law enforcement officers to crack down on these criminals and help save the lives of countless Americans.

While we may represent vastly different districts, we hear common stories – of Americans struggling with addiction, getting on the road to recovery, and of unimaginable grief. We’ve heard from too many heartbroken parents who have lost their children to an overdose.

In 2022, officials warned against “rainbow fentanyl” – fentanyl pills and powder that come in a variety of bright colors, shapes and sizes. The influx of these pills was an intentional effort by drug dealers and cartels to get American children and young adults hooked on opioids by making them look like candy. 

By punishing the criminals who use pill presses to make counterfeit drugs, we can take a momentous step forward in our effort to get fentanyl and other deadly drugs off our streets and out of our children’s hands. One death is one too many.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM REP. ABIGAIL SPANBERGER

Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, represents Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, and serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and House Agriculture Committee. 

BETHEL PARK, Penn – A Florida man was accused of making “written threats to kill” former President Trump and Sen. JD Vance and their families just days after a Pennsylvania man attempted to assassinate the 45th president.

The Jupiter Police Department announced that 68-year-old Michael M. Wiseman was arrested on Friday for charges for written threats to kill.

Authorities alleged that Wiseman wrote threats against the Republican presidential nominee and vice presidential nominee on his Facebook account and also made to members of the Trump and Vance families.

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The police department said it was notified of the threats, including bodily harm, by multiple members of the community.

Jupiter, Florida is about 20 miles, or an approximately 30-minute drive, north of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach.

“JPD coordinated the investigation with the United States Secret Service and the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office,” the department said. “JPD officers took Wiseman into custody without incident.”

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The threat came just days after Trump was shot at in a shocking attempt on the president’s life at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

On Saturday, July 13, as Trump was talking about immigration, the first shot from the would-be assassin was fired.

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Corey Comperatore, a firefighter, father and big fan of Trump, was shot in the head and killed.

Two other people — David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74 — were critically wounded.

Undated file photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks. Crooks is alleged to be the shooter in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

On Sunday, the FBI identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks. 

He was 20 years old and lived in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles from the rally site. 

He graduated with an associate’s degree in engineering from a local community college and worked at a nursing and rehabilitation center. 

So far, investigators have not revealed Crooks’ motive.

One guest at the Republican National Convention’s night two festivities quickly managed to steal the show, despite not even giving a speech. 

Babydog, the canine companion of Gov. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., stole the spotlight from her owner as onlookers fawned over the pooch, who was given her own chair on stage while the governor spoke. 

Chants of “Babydog!” followed the governor’s entrance to the stage on Tuesday night. “I know that a lot of you want to meet my little buddy,” said Justice. “So if Babydog could come on out here.”

His dog quickly trotted out to roaring applause before being set up in her own seat beside him. 

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Who is Babydog?

Babydog is one of three canines owned by Justice and his family. They also have two Boston terriers named Lucy and Ellie, according to the governor’s campaign website for his U.S. Senate bid in November. 

A spokesperson for Justice’s office told Fox News Digital she was born on October 27, 2019. The friendly canine is 4 years old and will turn 5 later this year. 

Justice’s son and daughter surprised their parents with Babydog for Christmas in 2019. “Since then, she has become a favorite among West Virginians across the state. Babydog travels with the Governor to nearly every stop and is the only one who rivals his popularity. She has truly become a mainstay in West Virginia politics,” a spokesperson said.

Babydog Justice was given her own seat on stage at the RNC. (Getty Images)

Babydog is an English bulldog. Like most bulldogs, Babydog is white, tan and brown, with stubby legs and an abundance of folds around her face. 

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Justice made Babydog a mascot for his vaccination sweepstakes. A website was even set up to encourage vaccinations for coronavirus, titled “DoItForBabydog.wv.gov.”

According to the West Virginia governor’s official website, “Whether it be special appearances on the biggest of stages, like the Governor’s State of the State address, or simply meeting people and shaking paws in her travels, Babydog always makes everyone smile everywhere that she and the Governor go.​”

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Babydog Justice walked out onto the stage after her owner called for her at the RNC. (Getty Images)

She has been accompanying her owner to events for several years. 

Babydog is also featured on Justice’s Senate campaign website, where she was given her own section. “At the heart of Jim Justice’s campaign team is Babydog, the beloved English bulldog,” the site reads. Babydog “symbolizes warmth, love, and connection,” his campaign says. She also “spreads cheer and fosters unity.” 

His campaign team is even selling merchandise featuring Babydog, including T-shirts, mugs and koozies. 

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s bulldog “Babydog” is traveling in a folding wagon during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images)

Justice has already won the Republican Senate primary in West Virginia, fending off an effort from Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va. He is expected to easily win the race for U.S. Senate in November against Wheeling’s Democratic Mayor Glenn Elliott. Non-partisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report rated the race, “Solid Republican,” with Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., not seeking re-election. 

The West Virginia governor previously told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade that Babydog will be accompanying him to the Senate if he is elected. “Absolutely,” he said, noting she may not be able to follow him into “all the different halls.” 

“But she’ll make the trip,” he said. 

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.