‘Public health and law enforcement agencies around the U.S. are scrambling to blunt the impact of xylazine, a deadly new threat to Americans who use street drugs.

That effort is complicated — some critics say crippled — by the fact that no one’s sure who’s mixing the dangerous chemical into fentanyl, methamphetamines and other street drugs. It’s also unclear why they’re doing it.

“Why has it gone national? I don’t know why. Tough question out of the gate,” said Dr. Nabarun Dasgupta, a researcher at the University of North Carolina who tests street drugs collected around the country.

Xylazine, or “tranq,” is a horse tranquilizer used by the veterinary industry. Dasgupta says the mystery around it points to a wider public health problem: State and federal agencies lack the capacity to identify and track new drug threats in real time….’ (NPR)

‘As hate groups edge toward the political mainstream, experts say they’re employing new tactics and taking on new forms. In June, the Southern Poverty Law Center added 12 conservative “parents’ rights” groups to its list of extremist and anti-government organizations. SPLC’s Susan Corke joins John Yang to discuss why the center added organizations like Moms for Liberty to their list….’ (John Yang and Kalsha Young on PBS News Weekend)

‘The bright, red star Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion has shown some unexpected behavior. In late 2019 and 2020, it became fainter than we had ever seen it — at least in records going back more than a century. Briefly, it became fainter (just about) than Bellatrix, the third brightest star of Orion. This event became known as the “great dimming.”

But Betelgeuse has since become bright again. For a few days this year, it was the brightest star in Orion — brighter than we have ever seen it. Both events led to speculation about whether its demise in the form of an explosion was imminent. But is there any evidence to support this idea? And how would such an explosion affect us here on Earth?…’ (Inverse)

Social Media Reacts to Release of trump Jr.’s Derogatory Emails About Black New Yorkers and other minorities

‘Suspicions regarding donald trump Jr., the eldest son of the 45th president of the United States, seem to have been confirmed after a series of racist and derogatory emails were released in a lawsuit involving one of his friends.

The emails are from a lawsuit between trump Jr.’s friend Gentry Beach, a man who served as one of trump’s groomsmen in his wedding, and Beach’s former boss, Paul Touradji, the founder of Touradji Capital Management.

In them there are off-color jokes about hunting Jews, shooting Mexicans, and the influx of African-American families in predominantly white sections of Manhattan….’ (Atlanta Black Star)

‘This is the bizarre mystery of an abandoned Boeing 737, which remains planted in the middle of a field in Bali – and to this day, no one knows how it got there.

Situated in a limestone quarry near the Raya Nusa Dua Selatan Highway, it is only a short journey from the popular Pandawa beach.

As is often the case with the bizarre and unexplained, plenty of theories have circulated as to how the plane got there….’ (Unilad)