Trump Praised His A.G. Pick for Reducing Opioid Overdoses. In Reality, Drug Deaths Surged Under Her Watch.

“When President Donald Trump announced his nomination of Pam Bondi as attorney general, he extolled her “incredible job” in “work[ing] to stop the trafficking of deadly drugs and reduc[ing] the tragedy of Fentanyl Overdose Deaths.” Yet those deaths exploded on Bondi’s watch as Florida’s attorney general.”

“Bondi’s fans praised her for cracking down on “pill mills,” which may have made it harder for nonmedical drug consumers (as well as bona fide patients) to obtain prescription opioids such as hydrocodone and oxycodone. But the result was increased consumption of black market alternatives, which are much more dangerous because their quality and potency are highly variable and unpredictable. That hazard was magnified by the simultaneous proliferation of illicit fentanyl as a heroin booster and substitute—a development that likewise was driven by prohibition, which favors more potent drugs that are easier to conceal and smuggle.”

https://reason.com/2025/02/03/florida-drug-deaths-surged-on-pam-bondis-watch/

Two infants die of whooping cough in Louisiana as cases climb nationally

“Experts say they see peaks and valleys with these kinds of illnesses over the years, but there have been about 6,600 cases already in 2025, almost four times the number at this point last year.”

“Concerned about increasing cases, experts are urging vaccination.
The US had more than 200,000 cases of whooping cough every year before the vaccine was introduced. By 1948, the vaccine was widely used, and infection rates began to drop.”

“Boosters are recommended because protection from the vaccine can fade over time, which may be one reason for the ongoing outbreaks.

Declining vaccination rates are another reason. The percentage of US kindergartners who received the DTaP vaccine has steadily declined over the past five years, leaving thousands vulnerable to infection.

Organizers within the state say that although many people have become hesitant about vaccinations, another issue is a lack of access.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/two-infants-die-whooping-cough-205515737.html

A Year of Empty Threats and a “Smokescreen” Policy: How the State Department Let Israel Get Away With Horrors in Gaza

https://www.propublica.org/article/biden-blinken-state-department-israel-gaza-human-rights-horrors

Was the Las Vegas Bombing a Case of the Afghan War Coming Home?

“The attack on Nimruz was, in fact, worse than what came before. Rather than the usual strikes on empty buildings at night, the U.S. military bombed buildings full of people during the day, and it was “the first time that UNAMA had received allegations of civilian casualties of such a scale,” according to the UNAMA report.”

https://reason.com/2025/01/06/was-the-las-vegas-bombing-a-case-of-the-afghan-war-coming-home/

‘Pray for us. They’ve arrived’: How Syria descended into revenge bloodshed

“Monitoring groups including Syria Network for Human Rights (SNHR) – an independent UK-based group – said over 1,000 people died in the violence, more than half killed by forces aligned with the new authorities and others by Assad loyalists. SNHR said the dead included 595 civilians and unarmed fighters, the vast majority Alawite.”

“The mass killings were mostly carried out by gunmen from various factions aligned with the new government, including GSS, according to several of the witnesses.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/pray-us-theyve-arrived-syria-134559936.html

The Slow Approval of Self-Driving Cars Is Costing Lives

“more than 42,000 Americans die in collisions every year. Based on the above-mentioned research, AVs have dramatically lower bodily-injury rates. If governments slow approval of self-driving cars—or give local governments the ability to stop their use based on anecdotes and irrational fears—then we’ll likely have more deaths and injuries.”

https://reason.com/2025/01/17/the-slow-approval-of-self-driving-cars-is-costing-lives/