West
'Dying before our eyes': Overdose deaths push Oregon lawmakers to end drug decriminalization 'experiment'
Oregon is ready to end its “experiment” with drug decriminalization, according to one state senator. This comes as skyrocketing overdose deaths and public drug usage compelled the state legislature to re-introduce criminal penalties for possession in the Beaver State.
“About four Oregonians a day are dying because of overdoses,” state Sen. Tim Knopp, a Republican and minority leader in the upper chamber, told “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Sunday.
“The voters of Oregon were sold a bill of goods through an initiative that was on the ballot, and it decriminalized all hard drugs – fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine,” he said.
OREGONIANS SUPPORT ENDING DRUG DECRIMINALIZATION AMID RISING OVERDOSES, ‘RADICALIZED SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENT’
The opioid epidemic continues to take America by storm. It even compelled Oregon lawmakers to walk back the state’s progressive drug decriminalization policy. (iStock)
“Instead of treatment that the voters thought they were going to get for their family and friends who are on drugs and addicted, they ended up getting unbridled drug use, drug sales all over our major cities across Oregon, and it turned into an exponential increase in overdose deaths.”
The three-year decriminalization “experiment” began in 2020 when nearly 60% of voters supported the passage of Measure 110, which decriminalized possession of small amounts of hard drugs like fentanyl, meth and heroin and made possession punishable by a maximum $100 fine.
VOTERS’ REMORSE: BLUE STATE SURVEY SHOWS MAJORITY WANT TO RE-CRIMINALIZE DRUGS: ‘WE MADE AN ENORMOUS MISTAKE’
Oregon HB 4002 is now headed to Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek’s desk. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer, File)
The measure has since lost popularity as widespread concerns over the fentanyl crisis, homelessness and a decrease in public safety have entered the spotlight.
“What we had is more crime, open drug use, open drug sales, and you see people pretty much everywhere on drugs, and, they were literally dying before our eyes on the streets of Portland and Eugene and Salem and major cities across Oregon. It’s been horrific,” Knopp said.
The Oregon Senate voted 21-8 in favor of recriminalizing hard drugs with HB 4002 on Friday, following in the footsteps of the state House with the bill receiving largely bipartisan support.
OREGON OPIOID DEATHS INCREASE 13X AFTER DRUG DECRIMINALIZATION LAW: ‘WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT’
According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, the bill also expands access to opioid withdrawal medications, creates addiction services facilities and enables prosecutors to “seek steep penalties for drug dealers.”
The bill now heads to Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek’s desk.
According to the report, Kotek has declined to make her stance on the bill clear, but she has previously signaled support for reinstating criminal penalties for drug possession.
Fox News’ Kassy Dillon contributed to this report.
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A Wyoming judge temporarily blocked the state’s newest abortion limit, halting enforcement of a law that prohibits most abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, generally around six weeks of pregnancy.
Natrona County District Judge Dan Forgey on Friday granted temporary injunctive relief against the Human Heartbeat Act while the case plays out in court.
The plaintiffs “made a sufficient showing of irreparable injury,” Forgey wrote, adding that “the state defendants did not persuasively argue otherwise.”
He also said the plaintiffs had made “a sufficient showing of probable success” under Article 1, Section 38 of the Wyoming Constitution, which protects individuals’ rights to make their own healthcare decisions.
VERMONT ACCUSED IN LAWSUIT OF TRACKING PREGNANT WOMEN CONSIDERED UNSUITABLE TO BE MOTHERS
Mark Gordon, governor of Wyoming, during the DC Blockchain Summit in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The ruling is the latest turn in Wyoming’s long-running abortion fight and comes just months after the Wyoming Supreme Court struck down two earlier abortion restrictions, finding they violated the state constitution’s healthcare autonomy protections. That January decision reshaped the legal landscape in Wyoming and prompted lawmakers to try again with a narrower ban tied to the detection of fetal cardiac activity.
The law, passed during the Legislature’s 2026 session and signed by Republican Gov. Mark Gordon on March 9, took effect in March. It bars abortion beyond roughly the sixth week of pregnancy, once a fetal heartbeat is detected. The measure includes exceptions for medical emergencies that threaten a woman’s life or health, but not for pregnancies caused by rape or incest.
“Where the act does not align to my pro-life stance is in the concern for specific vulnerable populations,” Gordon wrote in a letter to lawmakers Monday.
HOUSTON-AREA MIDWIFE ARRESTED FOR PROVIDING ILLEGAL ABORTIONS IN FIRST CRIMINAL CASE UNDER STATE BAN: TEXAS AG
It echoes his reservations and expected legal fight when signing the law in March.
“I resoundingly share the determination to defend the lives of unborn children and support the intentions behind the Human Heartbeat Act,” he wrote in a statement. “Regrettably, this Act represents another well-intentioned but likely fragile legal effort with significant risk of ending in the courts rather than in lasting, durable policy. Rather than finding a remedy that saves the unborn, I fear we have only added another chapter to the sad saga of repeatedly trying to force a specific solution.”
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Gordon’s signing made Wyoming the fifth state to bar most abortions at that stage of pregnancy, along with Florida, Georgia, Iowa and South Carolina. Thirteen other states bar abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
NFL Draft prospects rate themselves on Madden
USAT’s Chris Bumbaca asks some of the top NFL Draft prospects what they would rate themselves in Madden after their rookie year.
Sports Seriously
That’s a wrap for the 2026 NFL Draft. Three days of the top football prospects yearning to actualize their dreams of making it to the NFL, are in the books.
The San Francisco 49ers concluded their selection after adding eight new players through the draft including Mississippi receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, Texas Tech edge Romello Height and Indiana running back Kaelon Black.
All of the 49ers players were selected in the second round or later, after the team traded the No. 27 overall pick for extra selections.
“Our gut was to stay and pick. We really like De’Zhaun Stribling. Everything that he stands for. The player, the person. We have a deal, the highest standard as a 49er in our draft process is called the gold helmet. It’s checking every box, on the field, off the field, athleticism. De’Zhaun was one of the 16 that we gave this year,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said. “So to make that your first pick at wide receiver, the way that he plays, his physicality that he plays with, his speed, his size. We just love the whole package and it kept growing and growing to the point where we were proud to make him a 49er.”
The full list of 49ers draftees includes Oklahoma defensive tackle Gracen Halton, Washington offensive lineman Carter Willis, Washington defensive back Ephesians Prysock, Louisiana linebacker Jaden Dugger and Kansas offensive lineman Enrique Cruz Jr.
While some players in the draft immediately earn starting jobs on their new teams, the newest 49ers most likely won’t be. Between key starters returning and splash offseason signings, San Francisco’s incoming rookie class will look to earn time on the field starting as second- or third-string players.
Here’s a look at the projected depth chart for the 49ers following the 2026 draft:
Here’s a look at the San Francisco 49ers projected depth chart for the 2026 season, following the conclusion of the 2026 NFL Draft. Projected starters names are listed in bold, non-starters will have their respective string. *= 2026 draft class
Offense:
Quarterbacks
- Brock Purdy
- Mac Jones (2nd)
- Kurtis Rourke (3rd)
- Adrian Martinez (4th)
Running backs
- Christian McCaffrey
- Jordan James (2nd)
- Kaelon Black* (3rd)
- Isaac Guerendo (4th)
Wide receivers
- Mike Evans
- Ricky Pearsall
- Christian Kirk
- De’Zhaun Stribling* (2nd)
- Demarcus Robinson (2nd)
- Jordan Watkins (2nd)
- Jacob Cowing (3rd)
- Malik Turner (3rd)
- Colton Dowell (3rd)
- Junior Bergen (4th)
- Brandon Aiyuk (4th)
Tight ends
- George Kittle
- Jake Tonges (2nd)
- Luke Farrell (3rd)
- Brayden Willis (4th)
Fullbacks
Offensive linemen
- Trent Williams (LT)
- Carver Willis* (2nd)
- Vederian Lowe (3rd)
- Austen Pleasants (4th)
- Robert Jones (LG)
- Brett Toth (2nd)
- Connor Colby (3rd)
- Nick Zakelj (4th)
- Jake Brendel (C)
- Drake Nugent (2nd)
- Dominick Puni (RG)
- Colton McKivitz (RT)
- Enrique Cruz Jr.* (2nd)
- Brandon Parker (3rd)
- Isaac Alarcon (4th)
Defense:
Defensive edge
- C.J. West (left)
- Sebastian Valdez (2nd)
- Osa Odighizuwa (right)
- Gracen Halton* (2nd)
Defensive tackle
- Alfred Collins
- Evan Anderson
Linebackers
- Nick Bosa (WLB)
- Sam Okuayinonu (2nd)
- Romello Height* (3rd)
- Andrew Farmer II (4th)
- Dre Greenlaw (LILB)
- Luke Gifford (2nd)
- Garret Wallow (3rd)
- Nick Martin (4th)
- Fred Warner (RILB)
- Tatum Bethune (2nd)
- Jaden Dugger* (3rd)
- Jalen Graham (4th)
- Mykel Williams (SLB)
- Keion White (2nd)
- Cameron Sample (3rd)
- William Bradley-King (4th)
Defensive backs
- Deommodore Lenoir (LCB)
- Jack Jones (2nd)
- Darrell Luter Jr. (3rd)
- Eli Apple (4th)
- Renardo Green (RCB)
- Nate Hobbs (2nd)
- Ephesians Prysock* (3rd)
- Tre Tomlinson (4th)
- Ji’Ayir Brown (SS)
- Marques Sigle (2nd)
- Malik Mustapha (FS)
- Darrick Forrest (2nd)
- Derrick Canteen (3rd)
- Upton Stout (NB)
- Siran Neal (2nd)
Special Teams
- Eddy Pineiro (PK)
- Corliss Waitman (Punter, holder)
- Jacob Cowing (PR)
- Isaac Guerendo (KR)
- Jon Weeks (LS)
The 49ers weren’t done at the conclusion of the 2026 NFL Draft. San Francisco continued to build their roster by signing undrafted free agents.
Here’s a list of their undrafted free agent signings:
- Duce Chestnut, S, Syracuse
- Khalil Dinkins, TE, Penn State
- Mikhail Kamara, Edge, Indiana
- Will Pauling, WR, Notre Dame
- James Thompson, DT, Illinois
You can follow the complete team-by-team list for all 32 here.
NFL draft’s best undrafted free agents
USA TODAY Sports’ Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz provides a ranking of the top 10 best available undrafted free agents after the NFL draft.
Denver, CO
PHOTOS: Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of first-round NBA playoff series
The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Denver Nuggets 112-96 in Game 4 of their best-of-seven series in the first round of the NBA Playoffs at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Saturday, April 24, 2026. The Timberwolves took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series as the teams head back to Denver for game 5.
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