EXCLUSIVE: Fentanyl deaths plunge 22% as Trump White House touts crackdown on deadly drug crisis
EXCLUSIVE: Fentanyl-linked deaths plunged 22% in a single year as the Trump White House credits its border crackdown, campaign against drug cartels and arrests of convicted fentanyl traffickers for helping drive down the deadly toll. Synthetic opioid deaths, which include fentanyl, fell from 48,913 in 2024 to 38,084 in 2025, according to CDC figures cited by the White House — a decline of more than 10,000 deaths. Total drug overdose deaths fell 14% during the same period, from 81,313 to 69,973. The Trump administration provided the figures to Fox News Digital in honor of National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day on Friday, pointing to the decline as evidence its border and counter-narcotics policies are disrupting the flow of fentanyl into American communities. PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DRUG CONTROL STRATEGY SETS THE PATH TO END THE DRUG CRISIS FOR GOOD “President [Donald] Trump targeted cartels who were profiting off the death of Americans, secured our border to stop Fentanyl and other illicit drugs from flowing into our communities and jump-started ICE to arrest illegal alien fentanyl traffickers,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital. “These policies delivered a 22% decline in opioid deaths in a single year. Thanks to President Trump, America is finally winning the fight against fentanyl,” she added. MASSIVE MEXICO-CALIFORNIA BORDER BUSTS UNCOVER EYE-POPPING AMOUNT OF DRUGS: ‘REMAIN VIGILANT’ The White House also pointed to a 45% decline in nationwide fentanyl seizures in fiscal year 2025 compared with the previous year. The administration characterized the drop as evidence that disruption further up the supply chain is reducing the amount of the drug reaching the U.S. border. DEA testing cited by the administration also found 29% of seized fentanyl pills contained a potentially lethal dose, down from 76% two years earlier. The White House attributed the declining potency to pressure on trafficking networks. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAYS FEDERAL AUTHORITIES HAVE ARRESTED MORE THAN 10,000 SUSPECTED GANG MEMBERS The administration also shared the cases of 11 foreign nationals arrested by ICE this year who the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says had previous fentanyl-related convictions. The administration highlighted the February ICE arrest of Julio Cesar Pimentel-German, a Dominican Republic national whom DHS says had previously been convicted in Massachusetts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, trafficking fentanyl and a firearms offense. ICE also arrested Ader Aldair Ramirez-Quiroz, a Honduran national DHS says was convicted of importing fentanyl in San Diego, and Yancarlos Marte-Morel, a Dominican Republic national convicted in federal court in Massachusetts of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, according to DHS. The arrests are part of what the administration says is a broader effort to remove convicted fentanyl traffickers from American communities while federal agencies target the drug trade at multiple levels. 5 MEXICAN CARTEL BOSSES CHARGED IN WEAPONS, DRUG TRAFFICKING, TIMESHARE FRAUD SCHEMES, DOJ SAYS Trump has also pursued the cartels through terrorist designations, financial sanctions and other federal enforcement tools. The president signed the HALT Fentanyl Act into law in July 2025, permanently placing fentanyl-related substances under Schedule I and giving federal prosecutors a permanent framework for targeting fentanyl analogs. Trump later designated illicit fentanyl and key precursor chemicals as weapons of mass destruction. FEDS SEIZE MOUNTAIN OF FENTANYL FROM ‘OPEN-AIR DRUG MARKET’ IN MASSIVE CRACKDOWN TARGETING GANG CREWS The White House also pointed to Justice Department prosecutions involving nearly 8,000 defendants in fentanyl cases as evidence of the scope of the federal crackdown. The decline comes after fentanyl helped fuel an overdose epidemic that killed tens of thousands of Americans annually and devastated communities across the country. The administration says the latest figures show that trend moving sharply in the opposite direction.
Singham-linked nonprofits fight House subpoenas, accuse lawmakers of McCarthy-era ‘witch hunt’
Two nonprofits subpoenaed in a House Ways and Means Committee investigation into communist tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham’s funding network have formally objected to the congressional subpoenas, accusing lawmakers of reviving “Red Scare” tactics to target them because of their political views. In letters from their attorneys to the committee, New York City-based BreakThrough News, a pro-China media outlet, and Peoples Forum Inc., a socialist activist group, argued the subpoenas violate the First Amendment. They claim lawmakers are targeting their free speech, journalism and political advocacy rather than conducting a legitimate tax-law investigation. In a statement to Fox News Digital, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., defended the investigation and criticized the organizations’ refusal to comply with the July 21 subpoenas. “Make no mistake: Compliance with a congressional subpoena isn’t optional, and the Committee will use all tools it has available to investigate whether foreign actors are exploiting our tax code to sow chaos and create division,” Smith said. HOUSE PANEL SUBPOENAS 3 LEFT-WING GROUPS IN PROBE OF $39M TIED TO MARXIST TYCOON NEVILLE SINGHAM In letters, attorneys for both organizations wrote in identical language, “A witch-hunt is not a valid legislative purpose,” arguing the committee’s public statements reflect “the language of the Red Scare.” Both organizations argue they are not required to comply with the subpoenas as presently framed, saying the committee’s demands are too broad and seek information protected by the First Amendment. They leave open the possibility of responding if the committee narrows its demands. The two responses, dated Aug. 7 and shared on the organizations’ social media accounts, closely mirror each other in tone and substance. Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, co-founder and executive director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund, a far-left nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., signed the letter from the People’s Forum. She co-signed the letter from BreakThrough News with Andrew Herman, an attorney also based in Washington, D.C. Both attorneys have represented the nonprofit groups through earlier inquiries and compared the current congressional investigation to the work of the House Un-American Activities Committee, which investigated suspected communist influence and subversion in the United States in the late 1940s and 1950s. According to digital records, the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund shares the same address at a Florida Avenue NW townhouse used by the ANSWER Coalition, a self-described communist group that also operates out of the People’s Forum headquarters on W. 37th Street in Midtown Manhattan. In both letters, the attorneys also argue the committee has strayed beyond its traditional role of overseeing tax law by venturing into foreign influence, national security and alleged propaganda issues. The committee, however, says in its July 21 subpoena cover letters that it’s seeking information about the organizations’ financing and structure to examine how Singham-linked money reached the tax-exempt groups and whether foreign influence was involved. The committee hasn’t accused any of the subpoenaed organizations of criminal wrongdoing or other illegal conduct. The cover letters describe $40.3 million in funding that flowed from Singham’s network to BreakThrough News, People’s Forum and a third nonprofit, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, which describes its work as rooted in “national liberation Marxism.” Tricontinental also submitted a response by the Aug. 7 deadline, according to a source familiar with the committee’s investigation. Fox News Digital reached out to Tricontinental and its attorney for comment and a copy of the letter but didn’t receive a response. JIM BANKS, GOP LAWMAKERS RALLY BEHIND DOJ PROBE INTO ALLEGED CCP-LINKED FUNDING NETWORK The committee alleges the Singham network routed money through shell companies and donor-advised funds in ways that obscured the original source of the contributions. It says the investigation is examining whether existing tax laws adequately account for those funding arrangements and whether legislative changes are needed to address potential gaps. Singham, a 72-year-old American who sold his software company, ThoughtWorks, for an estimated $785 million in 2017 and now lives in Shanghai, has directed at least $278 million into six core nonprofits that Fox News Digital previously reported promote socialist, communist and pro-China causes as part of a broader international network of media organizations, activist groups and think tanks. The committee said the organizations failed to produce requested documents, while the organizations argued they weren’t legally required to comply with the requests as they were framed because they violated First Amendment protections. In a five-part investigation, Fox News Digital traced how the six nonprofits into which Singham poured $278 million serve as key funding hubs in a broader international network of nonprofits, activist groups and media organizations. Of that funding, the Fox News Digital investigation found Singham pumped $22.44 million to People’s Forum, $16.76 million to Tricontinental and $1.098 million to BreakThrough BT Media Inc., the parent organization of BreakThrough News. The total amounted to $40.298 million. BreakThrough News and the People’s Forum subpoena responses ‘MCCARTHY TRIALS’: HASAN PIKER, FAR-LEFT FIGURES ERUPT OVER SUBPOENAS IN $39M SINGHAM PROBE In arguing they can’t be required to comply with the subpoenas as written, BreakThrough News and People’s Forum say the committee is demanding far more information than it needs to investigate their finances, including records they say would expose their journalism, political activity, donors and associations. The organizations argue they “cannot be required to respond” to a process that “seeks to punish, silence, expose, and condemn protected expression.” The committee disputes that argument, saying its investigation is examining whether existing tax laws governing tax-exempt organizations adequately account for foreign influence and whether Congress needs to strengthen those laws. Smith told Fox News Digital, “After months of delay, I am disappointed but not surprised to see yet another attempt by tax-exempt organizations connected to Shanghai Singham to evade scrutiny. Tax-exempt status is a privilege, not a right. When organizations that receive generous taxpayer-funded benefits refuse to comply with lawful congressional oversight about potential foreign influence, the American people have every right to know what they are hiding. And we will continue pushing until the truth is uncovered.” The committee hasn’t publicly said it has
LA socialist’s fumbled answer to Graham Platner question draws groans from Dem audience
Socialist Nithya Raman drew loud groans and hisses from a crowd of Democrats during the Los Angeles mayoral debate after she fumbled while explaining her decision to hire the political consulting firm behind disgraced former Senate candidate Graham Platner’s campaign. After winning the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Maine, Platner, also a socialist, dropped out of the race in July after several sexual misconduct allegations. Even before the allegations arose, Platner had stirred significant controversy over his history of inflammatory statements and a chest tattoo critics say resembles a well-known Nazi symbol. Though he continues to deny the sexual misconduct allegations and maintains his innocence, Platner remains an embarrassment for many Democrats after several prominent figures in the party endorsed and praised him. During the debate Wednesday night, Raman, a Los Angeles City Council member and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Los Angeles chapter, faced questions over her decision to hire the consulting firm Fight Agency. “[It was] reported that you’ve hired the same political consulting firm that managed Graham Platner’s campaign in Maine, who had to resign amidst sexual assault allegations. Is that true? And is that the best choice? And why did you make that decision?” the moderator asked. KAREN BASS RIPPED AFTER VIRAL VIDEO LAYS OUT TAXPAYER-FUNDED MATCH OF CAMPAIGN DONATIONS Raman responded by saying, “Well, I did hire an advertising agency to make my paid ads, who also worked with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s successful campaign.” At this, the crowd of several hundred people broke into loud moans as some hissed. Mamdani is another socialist politician backed by the DSA who won his race for New York City mayor last year. Raman pushed on, saying that the firm also worked on “many, many other successful campaigns across the entire city.” “Here’s what I do want to say, that I do want to win this race,” she said, adding, “I’ve retained most of my good campaign staff … we’ve made sure to invest in our team, and I hope that we can win this seat, and I’m going to work as hard as I can to win.” “Did you weigh the pros and cons of being associated with Graham Platner’s campaign?” the moderator pressed. “Absolutely. But we wanted to make sure that we were hiring good people to make our ads,” Raman responded. LA MAYORAL RACE HEADS TO NOVEMBER RUNOFF AS KAREN BASS FACES MAMDANI-STYLE SOCIALIST “We have to get talent to be able to run our team,” she said before briefly stumbling over her words and saying, “We we we we weighed the issues.” After that, Raman criticized incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, also a Democrat. She pointed to a recent case in which an advisor to Bass simultaneously did crisis communications work for a company facing scrutiny over a major Los Angeles warehouse fire, raising concerns about a potential conflict of interest. “That, to me, is a real, real, real problem,” Raman said. After that, the moderator turned to Bass and asked, “That wasn’t a good look, was it?” Bass responded, “Absolutely not,” adding it “should not have happened.” “However, I don’t know what the heck that has to do with the question that you asked her,” Bass told the moderator. “I guess it’s a question of judgment,” the moderator responded. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “Well, if I had known that person was doing that, that person would not have been advising me. When I realized it found out about it, they stopped advising me,” Bass said. A spokesperson for Fight Agency responded to the controversy by telling Fox News Digital, “We decided to make ads for the campaign that actually believes in taking on a broken status quo and a corrupt political establishment to finally make things work in L.A. again.” Bass and Raman are running in a competitive race to be the next mayor of America’s second-largest city. Raman secured a spot on the November ballot after narrowly edging out Republican candidate Spencer Pratt in a late election surge. Fox News Digital reached out to Raman and Bass for additional comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to Platner, the DSA and Mamdani’s office for comment.
Top Dems go silent after McCarthy vindicated for booting Swalwell off intel committee
“No concern.” “Pernicious nonsense.” “Spurious allegations.” A “frivolous, political exercise.” Those were among the defenses senior Democrats mounted on former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s behalf as former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy tried to force the California Democrat off the powerful House Intelligence Committee over his relationship with suspected Chinese intelligence operative Christine “Fang Fang” Fang. Now, newly declassified FBI records and a raid on his home are casting fresh light on Swalwell’s relationship with Fang that Democrats denied and previously argued did not justify McCarthy’s actions. The newly declassified records, released by the White House Government Transparency Task Force Monday, detail two FBI interviews with Swalwell, both conducted as part of a broader investigation examining Fang’s involvement with illicit campaign contributions, funneling interns to Swalwell’s office and other activity. DECLASSIFIED FBI DOCS REVEAL SWALWELL HAD SEX WITH ‘FANG FANG’ MULTIPLE TIMES Meanwhile, FBI agents seized Swalwell’s electronic devices at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday night, while his Washington, D.C., residence was subsequently searched the following day, as part of a probe into sexual misconduct. “I sat in on that briefing. And when Kevin McCarthy misrepresents it and does that disservice to the American people, it’s shameful,” then-Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said in January 2023 as McCarthy blocked Swalwell from returning to the Intelligence Committee. Schiff, who had chaired the House Intelligence Committee, added that Swalwell had “served honorably” on the panel, had “never been accused of any kind of wrongdoing” and called McCarthy’s criticism a “patently unfair smear.” “Mr. Speaker, I have rarely heard such pernicious nonsense as we heard from the minority leader a few minutes ago. He accused Mr. Swalwell of having a Chinese spy or Chinese agent in his campaign. I understand he has introduced a resolution to remove Mr. Swalwell from his committee for that purpose,” Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said during remarks from the House floor. “That is absurd. And I think Mr. McCarthy ought to be ashamed because he is an experienced campaigner — he knows this — for raising these spurious allegations.” SWALWELL RESIGNATION COLLIDES WITH CHINA-LINKED SCANDAL AS CRITICS DEMAND FILE RELEASE The newly declassified files show for the first time publicly that the FBI’s concerns about Swalwell went beyond just the fact he had a romantic relationship with Fang, which Swalwell admitted to in the interviews uncovered in the file. The declassified documents also showed agents had launched a full investigation tied to Fang examining possible bribery, foreign campaign contributions and efforts to trade access to Swalwell and congressional internships for political donations. The records also show how the FBI viewed Fang as a significant counterintelligence concern, suspecting ties to China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) and at one point attempting to recruit her as an FBI confidential source. PELOSI, CALIFORNIA DEMS SLAM SWALWELL OVER BOMBSHELL SEXUAL ASSAULT ALLEGATIONS: ‘INDEFENSIBLE’ Investigators ultimately did not find evidence that Swalwell participated in a quid-pro-quo scheme or committed federal corruption violations, and he was removed as a subject of the investigation in 2017. Separately, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee closed its investigation into Swalwell’s interactions with Fang in May 2023 without taking further action against him. Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also publicly defended Swalwell as the controversy first erupted in December 2020, saying, “I don’t have any concern about Mr. Swalwell” when asked about whether increased security should be tied to positions of influence in Congress. Her office separately said Pelosi had “full confidence in Congressman Swalwell’s service in the Congress and on the Intelligence Committee.” PELOSI DISTANCES HERSELF FROM ALLY SWALWELL AMID SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS Pelosi and McCarthy later received a classified FBI briefing on the matter in December 2020. McCarthy emerged from the briefing saying Swalwell “should not be on Intel,” while Pelosi continued to back the California Democrat, who was later reappointed to the Intelligence Committee in March 2021. “The knowledge that I have of what transpired and the actions that he has done and the behavior, especially when he’s gone to other countries, I would be very leery of him in any position of that can have sensitive information,” McCarthy previously told Fox News Digital earlier this year. “The recklessness in which he lived his life, the reports that have come back, I think it would be hard for him to ever even be considered as a governor candidate, period.” Then-House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer likewise dismissed McCarthy’s effort to remove Swalwell as a “frivolous, political exercise” intended to “attack the reputation of an outstanding Member of Congress.” Hoyer also described the Republican push as a “spurious attempt.” SENATOR GALLEGO SAYS LONGTIME FRIENDSHIP WITH SWALWELL ‘CLOUDED MY JUDGMENT’ AS RUMORS SWIRLED IN DC And in January 2023, then-Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., went further in defending Swalwell, saying on CNN that “the FBI has clearly stated that Swalwell … has been cleared.” Gallego said Swalwell and Schiff “have not done anything incorrectly” and rejected the suggestion that they posed a national-security threat. Fox News Digital reached out to the top Democrats mentioned in this article, but did not hear back in time for publication.
Ukraine’s ‘Equalizer’ bomb aims to blow up reliance on US, European weapons
Ukraine is buying a homegrown glide bomb that could help its pilots strike Russian forces from a safer distance while relying less on weapons supplied by the U.S. and Europe. The new weapon is called the Vyrivniuvach, or “Equalizer.” It was developed by Ukrainian company DG Industry with support from Brave1, a government-backed defense technology group. A Ukrainian military official told Ukrinform that the bomb has finished testing and is now being bought for the armed forces. Fox News Digital has reached out to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense for more details. Until now, Ukraine’s warplanes have relied heavily on U.S.-supplied JDAM-ER bomb kits and Small Diameter Bombs, as well as French-made Hammer bombs, for precision strikes from safer distances. The Equalizer could give Kyiv more control over its own supply of guided bombs as foreign military aid remains uncertain. ‘A NEW KIND OF WAR’: INSIDE UKRAINE’S HIDDEN FACTORIES MASS-PRODUCING COMBAT DRONES The Equalizer turns a conventional bomb into a precision weapon by adding wings and guidance systems. It is designed to be dropped from Ukraine’s MiG-29, Su-24 and Su-27 warplanes, allowing pilots to attack targets farther behind Russian lines while staying farther away from Russian air defenses. Brave1 told The War Zone that the bomb could eventually be used by Ukraine’s donated F-16 and Mirage fighter jets, but it needs additional certification before that can happen. Russia’s use of glide bombs has become one of the most punishing parts of the war for Ukrainian troops and towns near the front. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Russian forces dropped more than 8,300 guided aerial bombs in July — the highest monthly total of the war and an average of more than 267 bombs a day. Russia’s wider air assault has also intensified in recent days. A Russian missile-and-drone barrage on Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight killed at least 16 people and wounded about 40, Ukrainian officials said Thursday. The attack damaged homes, a school and a children’s hospital. RUSSIA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILE ATTACK ON KYIV HOURS AFTER ZELENSKYY WARNS OF MAJOR STRIKE The Equalizer does not make Ukraine fully independent from foreign supply chains. Brave1 said the bomb’s wings and flight-control software were made in Ukraine, but its chips and microcircuits come from abroad. The group said about 90% of the weapon’s parts come from Ukraine, Europe and the U.S. The weapons have helped Russia pound Ukrainian defensive positions and communities near the fighting. Ukraine has continued to press the U.S. and European allies for more air-defense weapons. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this month that the U.S. had agreed to send Patriot interceptor missiles each month, but he warned that the volumes were not enough to meet Ukraine’s needs. RUSSIA EXPOSES NATO WEAPONS GAP AS TOP COMMANDER WARNS ‘THE MATH IS NOT IN FAVOR OF THE WEST’ SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER It is not yet clear when the Equalizer will reach Ukrainian units in large numbers or whether it has been used in combat. Fox News Digital has reached out to DG Industry and Brave1 for comment.
Taxi, Auto drivers face 16-question Marathi test in Maharashtra: Check questions, rules and penalties
Drivers are being asked 16 practical questions based on everyday situations, such as speaking to passengers about destinations, fares, routes, meters and CNG stops, instead of a formal language test.
‘Foreign exchange saved, now importing sugar’: Arvind Kejriwal’s dig at Modi Govt
The government has amended the import policy for raw sugar under the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023. It said the import of up to 10 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of raw sugar will be allowed duty-free under a Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ).
Homework row turns tragic: 6-year-old LKG student dies, teacher seen slapping him on CCTV
The exact cause of death is yet to be established, with the post-mortem report awaited. Police are examining the footage and questioning those present as part of the investigation.
Citizenship Act: MHA issues fresh order, excludes Gujarat, Bengal, Punjab, Assam, 4 others
The latest order also rescinds two subsequent MHA orders issued on February 20 and March 2 this year.
Andhra Pradesh MP’s son booked after speeding Aston Martin kills woman in Hyderabad
The accused has been identified as Lingamaneni Sanjush, 21-year-old son of MP Lingamaneni Ramesh, who is from the Jana Sena Party (JSP), which is part of the ruling coalition in the southern state.