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Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

Anthony Delio, 36, falls asleep on a sidewalk after smoking fentanyl in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022. Use of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that is cheap to produce and is often sold as is or laced in other drugs, has exploded. Because it's 50 times more potent than heroin, even a small dose can be fatal. It has quickly become the deadliest drug in the nation, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. Two-thirds of the 107,000 overdose deaths in 2021 were attributed to synthetic opioids like fentanyl, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) **FILE**

Money, money, money: Big profits drive cartels’ fixation on fentanyl

Fentanyl made in clandestine labs has proved highly deadly and is increasingly found in a range of drugs other than heroin, including cocaine and fake prescription pills. Still, it raises the question: Why would suppliers be willing to kill some of their customers?

February 24, 2023
A display of the fentanyl and meth that was seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Nogales Port of Entry is shown during a press conference, Jan. 31, 2019, in Nogales, Ariz. (Mamta Popat/Arizona Daily Star via AP) ** FILE **

Survey finds partisan divide over biggest public-health threats

Republicans view opioids and fentanyl as the greatest threat to U.S. public health, while a roughly equal share of Democrats points to gun or firearm access as the biggest concern, according to a survey Thursday that revealed a partisan divide in health worries.

February 23, 2023
In this June 4, 2020, photo, Austin police keep watch as demonstrators gather in downtown Austin, Texas, to protest the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was in police custody in Minneapolis. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) **FILE**

Policymakers sound the alarm after Austin chaos, clashes with police

Republican lawmakers say Austin, Texas, is on a perilous path and needs to bolster its police force after street racers blocked a major intersection late Saturday to race and "drift" before throwing bottles and other objects at officers who intervened.

February 20, 2023
Jenn Bennett, who is high on fentanyl, sits on her skateboard with a visible black eye as her friend, Jesse Williams, smokes the drug in Los Angeles on Aug. 9, 2022. Use of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin, has exploded. Even a small dose can be fatal, and it has quickly become the deadliest drug in the nation, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) **FILE**

Families hurt by fentanyl want COVID-level drive

Grieving families and advocates say there is an alarming mismatch between the immediate and severe threat posed by fentanyl and the level of awareness across America, especially among young people who do not consume mainstream media.

February 17, 2023
Vice President Mike Pence officiates as a joint session of the House and Senate convenes to confirm the Electoral College votes cast in November's election, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool, File)

Former VP Pence to cite Senate role in fighting Jack Smith subpoena

Former Vice President Mike Pence reportedly plans to fight a subpoena from special counsel Jack Smith by saying his role as Senate president shields him from having to testify about former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

February 14, 2023