INTERNACIONAL
Blue cities U-turn on distributing drug supplies to addicts after progressive policies fail to stem epidemic
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
At least two major West Coast cities are rethinking their so-called harm reduction policies that have sought to address addiction, signaling that these areas are overhauling their strategy to combat the drug crisis as addiction challenges persist.
While cities including San Francisco and Seattle have previously adopted policies to distribute «safer» drug supplies like clean foil and pipes that could be used to smoke fentanyl or other substances, these cities are now implementing a new approach that imposes new limitations on the distribution of these supplies.
Seattle’s City Council passed its 2026 budget in November and included a provision that will «preclude any City support for the purchase or distribution of supplies for the consumption of illegal drugs, with the exception of needles.»
The provision was championed by City Council Member Sara Nelson, who said that while she supports needle exchange programs because they reduce the spread of diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C, she said she doesn’t see the benefit in using public resources to «help people get high» by distributing certain drug supplies.
Several packages containing drugs, possibly laced with fentanyl, displayed on a bed. (U.S. District Court of Rhode Island)
BLUE CITY DA SAYS REPEAT DRUG OFFENDERS ‘WILL NOT RESPECT THE LAW’ UNDER CURRENT SYSTEM
«I fail to see, however, the harm that’s being reduced by distributing supplies such as pipes and foil that are used to consume deadly drugs like meth and fentanyl,» Nelson said during a Nov. 16 budget committee meeting. «To me, it feels like it’s giving a loaded gun to somebody who is suicidal.»
Seattle isn’t the only city taking such steps to scale back how it distributes «safe» drug supplies to its community.
Earlier in 2025, San Francisco unveiled a new policy that would require individuals to receive treatment counseling — or be connected with such services to receive treatment options — before receiving any drug use supplies from the city or city-funded programs. Additionally, the new policy barred providing these supplies in public spaces.
San Francisco unveiled a new policy that would require individuals to receive treatment counseling before receiving any drug use supplies from the city or city-funded programs. (Jeff Chiu, File/The Associated Press )
TRUMP UNLEASHES ‘TOUGHEST FENTANYL CRACKDOWN IN HISTORY’ AS GOP VOWS ‘CONSEQUENCES’ FOR CHINESE PRODUCERS
The policy went into effect April 30, and applied to any city-funded public health program that provided drug use supplies like sterile syringes and smoking kits.
«We can no longer accept the reality of two people dying a day from overdose. The status quo has failed to ensure the health and safety of our entire community, as well as those in the throes of addiction. Fentanyl has changed the game, and we’ve been relying on strategies that preceded this new drug epidemic, which ends today,» San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a statement in April. «Our new policy will connect individuals to treatment quickly, and that is a big step toward reclaiming our public spaces.»
Seattle’s City Council elections and San Francisco’s mayoral races are officially nonpartisan. However, both cities have strongly backed Democrats in state and local elections.
TRUMP POSTPONES FEDERAL TROOP DEPLOYMENT TO SAN FRANCISCO
Meanwhile, these drug policy changes aren’t popular with proponents of «harm reduction» policies. For example, Laura Guzman, executive director of the National Harm Reduction Coalition, said there may not be enough resources to comply with San Francisco’s new rule.
«It’s mandating or putting as a condition for people to receive life-saving supplies, to actually have long conversations about treatment that may not be available,» Guzman said in April, according to CBS News. «People who know in the field — researchers, doctors — are saying this is not good policy. We’re actually going against the grain because what we’re trying to do is have the perception that there is no drug use on the streets. But it’s not public health, it’s not science-based. It’s exactly the opposite of what we know works.»
The Seattle skyline is pictured from a Washington State Ferry in Seattle, Washington. (Jason Redmond/Reuters )
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Although both Washington’s King County, which includes Seattle, and San Francisco had fewer drug overdose deaths in 2024 than in 2023, the numbers for both cities are higher in comparison to 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
For example, 635 people died due to accidental drug overdoses in 2024 in San Francisco — down from the 810 that died in 2023, but up from the 441 that died in 2019, according to the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Drug overdose deaths are also down nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in February a nearly 24% decline in drug overdose deaths in fiscal year 2024, in comparison to the previous fiscal year.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has taken an aggressive approach to combat the influx of drugs into the U.S. For example, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in December designating illicit fentanyl a «weapon of mass destruction.»
drug and substance abuse,addiction,white house,blue city crime,san francisco
A principios de los años 2000, Robert Plant, cantante de Led Zeppelin, conducía por la costa de Oregón. Mientras escuchaba una emisora local, se encontró ante una situación inusual. El locutor propuso a los oyentes donar dinero con el fin de vetar “Stairway to Heaven” de la programación. Plant llamó, ofreció una suma considerable y la emisora aceptó el trato.
El músico, célebre por su voz en Led Zeppelin, explicó después que esta decisión respondió a su hartazgo. Llevaba décadas escuchando el tema en todos lados y quería poner fin a esa repetición. Esa acción marcó un punto de inflexión en su relación con la canción que lo acompañó durante gran parte de su carrera.
El episodio ocurrió en KBOO, una radio comunitaria de Oregón. Plant donó USD 10.000 para que el tema no volviera a sonar. “Estaba harto de escucharla”, confesó en una entrevista a NPR. No se trató de enojo ni desprecio, sino de saturación pura: su propio clásico se había convertido en una carga.
De acuerdo con Rock FM, Robert Plant enfatizó que la canción es una obra maestra en el aspecto musical. Sin embargo, con los años, se distanció del significado de sus propias letras. En 2019, reconoció que ya no podía identificarse con ellas. “Ya no escribiría esas líneas abstractas”, señaló. El cantante llegó a comparar la relación con su tema más célebre con la de un antiguo amigo: una figura cercana con la que no siempre se desea compartir momentos.
En 1988, Plant reafirmó esa postura. Declaró que sentía rechazo ante la posibilidad de tener que cantar “Stairway to Heaven” en todos los conciertos. Explicó: “Tuvo su importancia, pero después de tantos años, ya no es para mí”. Así justificó su negativa a interpretar el tema en vivo durante mucho tiempo, salvo en ocasiones excepcionales.
La reacción de la emisora ante la donación también sorprendió. KBOO solía recibir discos de Atlantic, la discográfica de Led Zeppelin, pero no dudó en aceptar el reto de Plant. Incluso, cuando Ahmet Ertegun, presidente del sello, conoció la historia, la consideró graciosa y la tomó con humor, según el propio Plant, en testimonios recogidos por Rock FM.
El contexto personal de Plant en esa época ayuda a entender su decisión. Después de años de giras multitudinarias y éxito global, el artista buscaba renovar su rumbo creativo. Iniciaba un nuevo capítulo junto a la banda Strange Sensation, con la que exploró raíces del blues y otros sonidos alejados de la nostalgia de Zeppelin.
Foto: REUTERS
Durante la gira Dreamland, Plant evitó la presión de recrear grandes éxitos del pasado. Eligió enfocar su energía artística en propuestas diferentes y así quedó reflejado en ese gesto simbólico: un portazo a “Stairway to Heaven”, pagando una suma para nunca oírla en esa emisora.
La historia confirma la relación singular que muchos artistas desarrollan con sus obras más famosas. En ocasiones, la demanda del público y de los medios puede volver agotador un éxito que, en su día, representó un hito en sus carreras.
Según Kenwyn House, guitarrista del evento benéfico en el que Plant volvió a cantar el tema en 2023, la interpretación en Oxfordshire partió de una subasta entre donantes. Alguien ofreció una suma significativa para escuchar la canción en vivo y el dinero benefició a una causa solidaria.
“Me gustaba la ideología de la canción, pero odiaba la idea de convertirla en un himno estático en cada concierto”, aseguró Plant. En 2007, durante el Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert de Londres, Led Zeppelin se reunió y él accedió a interpretarla, comprendiendo el valor excepcional del momento.
La reacción de Plant en Oregón representa un ejemplo inusual del poder transformador de la música en la vida de sus propios creadores. Optó por el humor y la decisión firme, priorizando el presente sobre la nostalgia. El episodio deja ver el lado humano detrás de la leyenda: la preferencia de seguir adelante antes que quedar atrapado en la repetición de un único éxito.
Esta experiencia destaca la singular conexión de Plant con su mayor clásico. Tras medio siglo de impacto cultural, el músico eligió el silencio sobre la repetición y confirmó, una vez más, la esencia inquieta que guía a los grandes artistas.
optamatchid:2367887,optauuid:ejlf5i7n6h5w5evd2wkx0wufo
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Former special counsel Jack Smith undercut claims made by Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide and Jan. 6 Committee witness, while testifying in a recent deposition to Congress.
Smith told the House Judiciary Committee this month that he evaluated Hutchinson’s explosive claims as part of his investigation and prosecution of President Donald Trump related to the 2020 election, according to a transcript published Wednesday.
Smith said they had deficiencies because Hutchinson did not offer firsthand information.
Asked during the deposition how he would have approached cross-examining Hutchinson, Smith said he would have moved to prohibit a portion of her testimony from being used.
JACK SMITH DENIES POLITICS PLAYED ANY ROLE IN TRUMP PROSECUTIONS AT HOUSE HEARING
Jack Smith, former special counsel, arrives for a closed-door deposition before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., Dec. 17, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«If I were a defense attorney and Ms. Hutchinson were a witness, the first thing I would do was seek to preclude some of her testimony because it was hearsay, and I don’t have the full range of her testimony in front of me right now, but I do remember that that was a decent part of it,» Smith said.
Smith was also asked about specific claims Hutchinson had made, including that Trump was aware that some of his supporters would be armed at his rally and that Trump attempted to grab the steering wheel of his driver out of anger.
Hutchinson «was a second or even thirdhand witness,» Smith said, adding that other witnesses gave «different perspectives» than her.
Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to Mark Meadows when he was White House chief of staff in the Trump administration, gestures toward her neck as she retells a story involving President Trump during House Jan. 6 select committee hearing on Capitol Hill June 28, 2022. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
«We interviewed, I think, the people she talked to, and we also interviewed, if my recollection is correct, officers who were there, including the officer who was in the car,» Smith said. «And that officer, if my recollection is correct, and I want to make sure I’m right about this, said that President Trump was very angry and wanted to go to the Capitol, but the version of events that he explained was not the same as what Cassidy Hutchinson said she heard from somebody secondhand.»
Smith noted that «a number of the things that she gave evidence on were secondhand hearsay, were things that she had heard from other people and, as a result, that testimony may or may not be admissible, and it certainly wouldn’t be as powerful as firsthand testimony.»
Hutchinson became a key witness in the Democrat-led Jan. 6 Committee’s investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack, testifying privately several times and publicly. Her testimony dominated headlines, but her claims became a point of scrutiny for Republicans, who found the committee’s work lacked credibility because its only Republican members were two vocal anti-Trump lawmakers.
Hutchinson served as a top aide to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in the final months of Trump’s first presidency, giving her an inside look at internal discussions among White House officials in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
JACK SMITH SUBPOENAED FOR DEPOSITION WITH HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
The Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in 2021. (Julio Cortez, File)
In a highly publicized hearing in June 2022, Hutchinson testified under oath about what she said were warnings inside the White House about the possibility of violence on Jan. 6 and Trump’s alleged awareness that some supporters attending his rally would be armed.
In another claim that was later disputed by other witnesses, Hutchinson also recalled conversations about how Trump attempted to grab the steering wheel from a U.S. Secret Service agent because he wanted to go to the Capitol and not the West Wing.
Hutchinson testified that she was told that the president «said something to the effect of, ‘I’m the effing president, take me up to the Capitol now,’ to which [the agent] responded, ‘Sir, we have to go back to the West Wing.’ The president reached up towards the front of the vehicle to grab at the steering wheel.»
Hutchinson had not mentioned that particular story in any of her prior interviews with the committee. She later said she withheld it at the direction of her former lawyer, Stefan Passantino.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Smith was asked about Hutchinson as part of a more than eight-hour closed-door deposition this month that centered on his investigations and prosecutions of Trump related to the 2020 election and Trump’s alleged retention of classified material.
Smith defended his investigative practices, including subpoenaing Senate and House lawmakers’ phone data. He also defended some of his prosecutorial decisions, including seeking gag orders against Trump and bringing an unusually slimmed-down superseding indictment against Trump after the Supreme Court ruled that Trump had some presidential immunity protections.
justice department,capitol protests,congress,washington dc,politics
INTERNACIONAL
Netanyahu warns of ‘eighth front’ ideological battle for American hearts and minds with Christian leaders
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a meeting with Evangelical Christian leaders in Florida today to underscore Israel’s reliance on faith-based allies in the United States, as divisions inside the U.S. over Israel’s war and U.S. support continue to surface.
The meeting came days after Netanyahu held talks on Monday with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, amid growing debate within conservative circles over the scope of American backing for Israel and the direction of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
Speaking to the leaders, Netanyahu said Israel has emerged «in many ways victorious» from what he described as a «seven-front war,» but warned that an additional front now looms in the West.
ISRAELI HOSTAGES FREED, IRAN HIT, CEASEFIRE HELD — 2025 SHATTERED IDEA THAT US WAS EXITING THE MIDDLE EAST
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with leaders of the Evangelical Christian community in Florida, accompanied by members of the Israeli delegation. (Amos Ben Gershom / GPO)
«There’s an eighth front,» he said, describing a struggle «for the hearts and minds of people, especially young people in the West, and for me especially in the United States.» He framed that effort not only as Israel’s fight, but as a broader one. «It’s our common Judeo-Christian civilization’s battle,» he said.
The prime minister argued that this ideological front requires the same resolve as military action. «There are some people who believe that faith should be silent and terrorism should be understood,» Netanyahu said. «Faith should speak its voice and terrorism should be confronted, not understood, confronted and defeated.»
Pro-Palestinian Muslim protesters hold a banner saying «From the river to the sea..» and chant at a demonstration calling for an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza. London, UK, Dec. 9, 2023. ( Andy Soloman/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Netanyahu repeatedly emphasized the historical and ideological bond between Christian Zionists and Israel. «You are representatives of the Christian Zionists who made Jewish Zionism possible,» Netanyahu said, crediting U.S. Christian support as central to the reestablishment of the Jewish state. «I can say that we have no better friends.»
TRUMP PICK FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ENVOY VISITS HOLY LAND, CITES STRONG US-ISRAEL BOND
President Donald Trump listens as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during an arrival at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Alex Brandon/AP)
Netanyahu told the group he had spoken with Trump the day before and described what he sees as global threats facing Israel and its allies. He pointed to «two forces,» identifying «radical Shiite Islam,» led by Iran, and «radical Sunni Islam,» which he said is led by the Muslim Brotherhood.
He also highlighted persecution of Christians in multiple regions, saying Christians are being targeted «in Syria, in Lebanon, in Nigeria, in Turkey, and beyond,» while arguing that Israel plays a unique protective role. «One country protects the Christian community, enables it to grow, defends it, and makes sure that it thrives,» Netanyahu said. «That country is Israel. There is no other. None.»
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
People hold an Israeli and US flag in front of a large group of anti-Israel protesters march outside The Grove shopping center on Black Friday, carrying a giant banner reading «Shut it Down for Palestine» in Los Angeles, Nov. 24, 2023. (David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images)
Netanyahu said Israel is working toward broader cooperation to assist Christian communities under threat worldwide. «We are joining an effort to have basically a United Nations of countries that support Christian communities around the world,» he said, adding, «Just as you are helping us, we want to help back.»
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, who attended the meeting, later wrote on X that Evangelical leaders’ commitment to Israel was «inspiring» and said shared values would «fortify the bond between both our nations.»
benjamin netanyahu,israel,donald trump,evangelical,christianity,wars
El día que Robert Plant pagó para “vetar” su clásico “Stairway to Heaven” en la radio
Wanda Nara celebró la llegada del 2026 con Martín Migueles en medio de rumores de crisis: “Amor verdadero”
MTV dejó de transmitir música después de 44 años: ¿Y ahora qué?
Con presencia argentina, los cuatro partidos que ofrece la Premier League para el 1 de enero
Allanamientos en la AFA: hallaron un contrato de exclusividad con una empresa vinculada a Javier Faroni
Más del 40% del precio de los alimentos son impuestos: así se forma el valor final
Calor extremo en el AMBA: cuándo la temperatura rozará los 40 grados
Calendario de pagos de ANSES de enero 2026: cuándo cobran jubilados, pensionados y beneficiarios de planes sociales
Quién era Charlie Menditéguy, el millonario argentino que conquistó a Brigitte Bardot y renunció a la Fórmula 1 por ella
Patricia Bullrich destacó la aprobación del Presupuesto 2026 y la ruptura del peronismo en el Senado
POLITICA2 días agoAxel Kicillof insistirá con la reelección indefinida de intendentes, pero evita el debate de la Boleta Única
- CHIMENTOS2 días ago
Jorge Lanata, a un año de su muerte: el periodista más original, influyente y popular de su generación
- POLITICA2 días ago
Documento clave: la empresa de Faroni pactó con la AFA quedarse con el 30% de sus ingresos comerciales en el exterior
