State Releases 2019 Third Quarter Fatal Overdose Data

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Opioid Operational Command Center and the Maryland Department of Health have released their quarterly report on the opioid crisis in Maryland for the third quarter of 2019. The report includes preliminary data for unintentional drug- and alcohol-related intoxication deaths for the period between January and September 2019. The report also provides a summary of the state’s annual strategic plan for the heroin and opioid crisis and includes information on the grant programs that the OOCC administers to support Maryland’s fight against the epidemic.

From January through September of 2019, there were 1,574 deaths related to opioids in Maryland. Opioid deaths accounted for 88.7 percent of the 1,774 total unintentional intoxication deaths during this same period.

When compared to the first nine months of 2018, opioid-related deaths declined by 4.8% percent, and total unintentional intoxication deaths were down by 4.1 percent.

Top DOE official arrested for trying to set up sex with underage boy

A top deputy to city schools Chancellor Richard Carranza was busted in Wisconsin for allegedly trying to arrange sex with an underage boy online, police and sources told The Post.

Department of Education Deputy Chief of Staff David Hay was arrested getting off at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee Sunday on a charge of using a computer “to facilitate a child sex crime,” according to Neenah, Wisconsin, cops.

He allegedly intended to meet with a minor boy for sex, sources said.

Hay, who remained behind bars pending a bail hearing Monday, had been under investigation for several months, sources said.

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Is Social Media The New Tobacco?

If we set out to design a highly addictive platform that optimized the most toxic, destructive aspects of human nature, we'd eventually come up with social media.

Social problems arise when initially harmless addictions explode in popularity, and economic problems arise when the long-term costs of the addictions start adding up. Political problems arise when the addictions are so immensely profitable that the companies skimming the profits can buy political influence to protect their toxic products from scrutiny and regulation.

That describes both the tobacco industry before its political protection was stripped away and social media today, as the social media giants hasten to buy political influence to protect their immensely profitable monopolies from scrutiny and regulation.

It's difficult to measure the full costs of addictions because our system focuses on price discovery at the point of purchase, meaning that absent any regulatory measuring of long-term consequences, the cost of a pack of cigarettes is based not on the long-term costs but solely on the cost of producing and packaging the tobacco into cigarettes, and the enterprise side: marketing, overhead and profit.

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Freedom Loving Virginians Are Fighting Back, but Will It Be Enough?

Democratic governors of states with significant non-leftist populations tend to lean centrist. In part, it’s because they know they need the consent and at least some of the support of their state’s conservatives in order to win office and govern effectively. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, however, isn’t a centrist, but rather a radical left-winger made more radical – if that were even possible – by his constant need to grovel before the social justice wing of his party to “atone” for his blackface or KKK-robe-wearing medical school yearbook picture past.

It’s a problem for freedom-loving Virginians that only intensified when Democrats managed to narrowly take over both statehouses and chose to interpret their victory as a mandate to pass a radical leftist agenda that would make the likes of California, New York, and Oregon proud. In the most newsworthy of the various ways they intend to destroy the once-great state, Virginia Democratic lawmakers plan to pass a whole lot of unneeded gun control legislation in 2020, legislation that will make the lives of all its citizens significantly worse.

The scariest, so far, of all the proposals put forth by Governor Coonman and crew is a ban on commonly used semi-automatic firearms currently owned legally by thousands of thus-far law-abiding gun owners. In a gesture of purported acquiescence to the state’s significant non-leftist population, current gun owners will apparently be “grandfathered” in, but only on the condition that they register their firearms. How many who choose to comply with an action that everyone knows good and well would eventually lead to some sort of confiscation will determine how many formerly law-abiding Virginians will then be outside the law, in effect ‘outlaws’ simply waiting to be caught.

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Harris Announces $125,000 Substance Abuse Grant in Worcester County

WASHINGTON, DC: Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) announced the award of a $125,000 grant to treat and prevent substance abuse in Worcester County. The grant is through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the funds will be administered by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.

The $125,000 federal grant is to Mosaic Community Services, Inc., located in Pocomoke City, for the Berlin Prevention Works Coalition for Drugs and Alcohol-Free Communities.

The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention works with federal, state, public and private organizations to develop comprehensive prevention systems. The Center helps prevent the onset of illegal drug use, prescription drug misuse and abuse, alcohol misuse and abuse, and underage alcohol and tobacco use.

Congressman Harris made the following statement:

“Fighting the opioid epidemic remains a top priority for me in Congress. As a physician, I am proud to serve on the Committee on Appropriations subcommittee that funds the Department of Health and Human Services, and I applaud the award of this HHS grant in Worcester County. Congress should prioritize efforts to fight substance abuse over partisan politics, and I am committed to ensuring that local, rural communities on the Eastern Shore get needed resources to help afflicted families. The impact of substance abuse extends beyond individuals – this is a family and community-wide crisis. It is my hope that this federal investment in the Eastern Shore will help people get treatment and prevent addiction.”

Saudi Arabia arrests 200 people for violating 'public decency', wearing 'immodest clothing' and 'harassment' in first crackdown since the kingdom began relaxing social rules

Saudi Arabia has arrested more than 200 people for violating 'public decency' in the first such crackdown since the ultra-conservative kingdom began easing social regulations.

Some 120 men and women have been arrested over the past week for offending public morals, including by wearing immodest clothing and 'harassment', police said.

Another 88 people were arrested in various harassment cases, police added in separate statements, after several women complained on social media that they were harassed at the MDL Beast music festival in Riyadh earlier this month.

Other rules broken included wearing 'inappropriate clothes', Riyadh police said in a series of statements on Twitter since Tuesday.

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Joe Biden: ‘We’re All Dead’ if We Don’t Stop Using Fossil Fuels

Former Vice President Joe Biden claimed during a Sunday campaign event that “we’re all dead” if fossil fuels continue to be used as one of the world’s primary energy sources.

Biden made the apocalyptic pronouncement while discussing climate change before a crowd of supporters in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

“If we don’t stop using fossil fuels–” an attendee began a question to the candidate.

“We’re all dead,” Biden interrupted.

Earlier in the event, Biden vowed as president to hold energy giants liable for global warming and made a pledge to even jail executives.

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DEBT BUBBLE BURST IMMINENT

If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.

This seems self-evident, but as Jim Rickards noted in a recent article about the ever-growing levels of debt, people tend to ignore this indisputable truth.

Total global debt reached a record of over $250 trillion in the first half of 2019, according to an Institute of International Finance report published in November. Global debt surged by $7.5 trillion through the first half of the year. “With no sign of a slowdown, we expect the global debt load to exceed $255 trillion in 2019, largely driven by the US and China.”

According to SRSrocco, global debt has added $100 trillion in debt since the 2008 financial crisis

“Now, the majority of that debt went into the Stock, Bond, and Real Estate Markets. This is precisely why the US stock market has reached an all-time new high. Unfortunately, when the US and the global economy finally enters into a recession-depression, the asset values will crash while the debts remain.”

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LAST MAN STANDING | Funniest Politically Incorrect Moments | Tim Allen Series

"Don't Touch Kids You Pervert!": Biden Middle School Gymnasium Rally Melts Down Into Chaos

A Joe Biden event on Sunday at a New Hampshire Middle School gymnasium was interrupted by two protesters, who assailed 'quid pro Joe' with accusations of being a 'pervert' and making money in Ukraine.

"You've touched kids on video, and women," shouted one man, adding "We don't need another old white man running for president - time to have a minority candidate," to which Biden - who likely didn't hear the guy, said "I agree with ya man. I agree. Nice talkin' with you."

"You don't touch kids ever again, the man continued. "Don't touch kids, you pervert!" he continued, to which Biden shook his head.

"Look it up," the man told the gasping crowd. "Don't lie to them, 'creepy uncle biden,' look it up!"

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How Crisco Made Americans Believers in Industrial Food

Perhaps you’ll unearth a can of Crisco for the holiday baking season. If so, you’ll be one of millions of Americans who have, for generations, used it to make cookies, cakes, pie crusts and more.

But for all Crisco’s popularity, what exactly is that thick, white substance in the can?

If you’re not sure, you’re not alone.

For decades, Crisco had only one ingredient, cottonseed oil. But most consumers never knew that. That ignorance was no accident.

A century ago, Crisco’s marketers pioneered revolutionary advertising techniques that encouraged consumers not to worry about ingredients and instead to put their trust in reliable brands. It was a successful strategy that other companies would eventually copy.

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We don't know who to choose, Reagan or Trump?

Transgender Athletes Playing Competitive Sports Was a Rising Policy Issue in 2019

The year 2019 saw an uptick in male athletes besting females in female-only sports, citing their transgender identity.

Now, lawmakers in three states—Washington, Tennessee, and Georgia—have proposed legislation that would place restrictions on transgender athletes in sports. Might legislation quell this new wave of transgender activism and make sports fair again?

The Tennessee Star reports that state Rep. Bruce Griffey, a Republican, proposed HB 1572, a bill that would “require elementary and secondary school student-athletes to compete in sports based on their biological sex at birth.”

The legislation stipulates that if Tennessee public schools violate this requirement, they would no longer be eligible to receive taxpayer subsidies from the state or a local government.

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Kansas Cop Busted Faking Coffee Cup Hate Crime

A Kansas City police officer resigned on Monday after he was caught writing "F***ing Pig" on his own coffee cup at a Junction City McDonald's.

The ex-officer, who remains unidentified, brought the cup to the attention of the manager and was offered a free lunch. That wasn't good enough for the now unemployed 'pig,' as the story somehow wound up making headlines.

After a thorough review of video surveillance, however, the owner of the franchise, Dana Cook, said in a statement to KSNT that "the words were not written by one of our employees. My McDonald's have the utmost respect for all members of law enforcement and the military and were troubled by the accusation made," Cook added.

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Dramatic moment Russian security services used FBI tip-off to swoop on Russian terror suspects 'plotting New Year's attack' as Kremlin says Putin called President Trump to thank him

The Kremlin has released dramatic footage showing its security forces swooping on terror suspects after claiming they were given an FBI-tip-off of a New Year's attack.

Putin called President Donald Trump on Sunday to thank him 'for information transmitted through the special services that helped prevent the completion of terrorist acts in Russia,' the Kremlin said.

The detainees 'intended to carry out terrorist acts in crowded places in St. Petersburg during the New Year holidays', said the FSB.

Footage shows armed FSB operatives manhandling two suspects and uncovering shotgun shells and knives at the property in Putin's home city on Friday night.

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Homan: Prepare for 'out-of-control border' if Dem wins in 2020

Former acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] Thomas Homan warned Democrats seeking the White House in 2020 against "enticing" illegal immigrants with lax immigration policies, in an interview that aired Sunday, saying America could face an "out-of-control border" if a Democrat unseats President Trump.

"They say they care about these people, they care about children dying and women being raped... they need to look in the mirror because if you keep offering enticements... 'sanctuary cities'... free health care... in-state tuition... people are going to put themselves in harm's way to come to this country," Homan told Steve Hilton on "The Next Revolution."

"This president has gotten the border down 65 percent... on his own, and at the same time, you've got the Democrat Party throwing out more enticements," he continued.

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https://www.foxnews.com/media/tom-homan-ice-border-democrat-2020

THE IRS PLACED LIEN ON HUNTER BIDEN FOR ABOUT $113,000 IN UNPAID TAXES FROM YEAR HE SERVED ON BURISMA BOARD

The IRS placed a tax lien on Hunter Biden seeking $112,805 in unpaid taxes from 2015, according to records the Daily Caller News Foundation obtained.

The federal agency issued the previously unreported lien in November 2018 and it seeks unpaid taxes for a year in which Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, served on the boards of the Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings and the Chinese private equity firm BHR Partners.

“We have made a demand for payment of this liability, but it remains unpaid,” the IRS stated in the lien notice, which it filed with the Washington, D.C., Recorder of Deeds. “Therefore, there is a lien in favor of the United States on all property and rights to property belonging to this taxpayer for the amount of these taxes.”

The tax lien was issued against Hunter Biden and his ex-wife, Kathleen Biden, but was delivered to the same address Hunter Biden has on file with Connecticut’s Judicial Branch, an address that is also linked to his law firm, Owasco PC.

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This Firearms Instructor Is Reportedly The Hero Who Killed Texas Church Gunman With Single Head Shot

On Sunday, during what would otherwise likely be a quiet worship service at the West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement, Texas, an armed gunman entered the church and after talking to a man for several minutes in the corner, pulled out a shotgun and opened fire.

The gunman, as was witnessed in recorded video of the entire incident, barely managed to get off more than a few rounds before an armed security guard standing 50 feet away from the shooter drew his pistol and fired a single shot, instantly killing the gunman with what appeared to be a perfectly placed head shot.

Late Sunday night, reports began to emerge via social media that the hero who managed to severely mitigate the loss of life inside the church by quickly killing the gunman is reportedly identified as a local man by the name of Jack Wilson, who also happens to reportedly be a long-time, certified firearms instructor.

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Donald Trump praises 'wonderful statements' of Jewish leader who accuses AOC, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib of anti-Semitic hate speech

Donald Trump praised a Jewish leader Monday for 'wonderful statements about me' after he blamed Democrats for a rise in anti-Semitism and slammed Bill de Blasio and Andrew Cuomo in the wake of a mass stabbing at a Hanukkah party.

'There is a cause for hate speech. When you have the Farakahns of the world, when you have members of the United States Congress – Tliab, Omar, AOC – when you have them indulging in hate speech themselves – and to get away with it. You know there's a new standard, one is for anti-Semitism and one is for other type of hate,' Dav Hikind said on Fox & Friends Sunday morning.

'Unfortunately, people within my party – I'm a Democrat – within the Democratic Party, there's a double standard,' he said, claiming those on the left disparage any type of hate speech unless it's against Jewish people.

'The hate, the anti-Semitism that emanates from within the left – you don't hear anything, you hear very little,' he continued. 'Anything that comes from the other side, it's all – I mean, even the mayor of the city of New York has continued to call the hate coming from the right. All the hate in New York is coming from the left.'

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Affirmative Action is Racist | Change My Mind