Hot days and methamphetamine are now a deadlier mix

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By ANITA SNOW and MARY KATHERINE WILDEMAN, Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — On just one sweltering day during the hottest June on record in Phoenix, a 38-year-old man collapsed under a freeway bridge and a 41-year-old woman was found slumped outside a business. Both had used methamphetamine before dying from an increasingly dangerous mix of soaring temperatures and stimulants.

Meth is showing up more often as a factor in the deaths of people who died from heat-related causes in the U.S., according to an Associated Press analysis of data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Death certificates show about one in five heat-related deaths in recent years involved methamphetamine. In Arizona, Texas, Nevada and California, officials found the drug in nearly a third of heat deaths in 2023.

Meth is more common in heat-related deaths than the deadly opioid fentanyl. As a stimulant, it increases body temperature, impairs the brain’s ability to regulate body heat and makes it harder for the heart to compensate for extreme heat.

If hot weather has already raised someone’s body temperature, consuming alcohol or opioids can exacerbate the physical effects, “but meth would be the one that you would be most concerned about,” said Bob Anderson, chief of statistical analysis at the National Center for Health Statistics.

The trend has emerged as a synthetic drug manufactured south of the border by Mexican drug cartels has largely replaced the domestic version of meth fictionalized in the TV series “Breaking Bad.” Typically smoked in a glass pipe, a single dose can cost as little as a few dollars.

At the same time, human-caused climate change has made it much easier to die from heat-related causes in places like Phoenix, Las Vegas and California’s southeastern desert. This has been Earth’s hottest summer on record.

Phoenix baked in triple-digit heat for 113 straight days and hit 117 degrees Fahrenheit (47.2 Celsius) in late September — uncharacteristic even for a city synonymous with heat. The triple digits have carried into October — this week, the National Weather Service again warned of excessive heat.

“Putting on a jacket can increase body temperature in a cold room. If it’s hot outside, we can take off the jacket,” explained Rae Matsumoto, dean of the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawaii in Hilo. But people using the stimulant in the outdoor heat “can’t take off the meth jacket.”

These fatalities are particularly prevalent in the Southwest, where meth overdoses overall have risen since the mid-2000s.

In Maricopa County, America’s hottest major metropolitan area, substances including street drugs, alcohol and certain prescription medicines for psychiatric conditions and blood pressure control were involved in about two-thirds, or 419 of the 645 heat-related deaths documented last year. Meth was detected in about three-quarters of these drug cases and was often the primary cause of death, public health data show. Fentanyl was found in just under half of them.

In Pima County, home to Tucson, Arizona’s second most populous city, methamphetamine was a factor in one-quarter of the 84 heat-related deaths reported so far this year, the medical examiner’s office said.

A fake watermelon, used to disguised a shipment of methamphetamines, is shown after a bust by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Otay Mesa, Calif. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection via AP)

In metro Las Vegas, heat was a factor in 294 deaths investigated last year by the Clark County coroner’s office, and 39% involved illicit and prescription drugs and alcohol. Of those, meth was detected in three-fourths.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration notes in its 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment that 31% of all drug-related deaths in the U.S. are now caused by stimulants that speed up the nervous system, primarily meth. More than 17,000 people in the U.S. died from fatal overdoses and poisonings related to stimulants in the first half of 2023, according to preliminary CDC data.

Although overdoses have been more associated with opiates like fentanyl, medical professionals say overdosing on meth is possible if a large amount is ingested. Higher blood pressure and a quickened heart rate can then provoke a heart attack or stroke.

“All of your normal physiological ways of coping with heat are compromised with the use of methamphetamines,” said Dr. Aneesh Narang, an emergency medicine physician at Banner University Medical Center in downtown Phoenix.

Narang, who sits on a board that reviews overdose fatalities, said the “vast majority” of the heat stroke patients seen in his hospital’s emergency department this summer had used street drugs, most commonly methamphetamine.

Because of its proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border, Phoenix is considered a “source city” where large amounts of newly smuggled meth are stored and packaged into relatively tiny doses for distribution, said Det. Matt Shay, a seasoned narcotics investigator with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

“It’s an amazing amount that comes in constantly every day,” Shay said. “It’s also very cheap.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized about 164,000 pounds (about 74,000 kilograms) of meth at the U.S.-Mexico border this last fiscal year ending Sept. 30, up from the 140,000 pounds (about 63,500 kilograms) captured in the previous 12 months.

And sellers often target homeless people, Shay said.

“It’s a customer base that is easy to find and exploit,” Shay said. “If you’re an enterprising young drug dealer, all you need is some type of transportation and you just cruise around and they swarm your car.”

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Jason Elliott, a 51-year-old unemployed machinist, said he’s heard of several heat-related deaths involving meth during his three years on the streets in Phoenix.

“It’s pretty typical,” said Elliot, noting that stimulants enable people to stay awake and alert to prevent being robbed in shelters or outdoors. “What else can you do? You have stuff; you go to sleep, you wake up and your stuff is gone.”

Dr. Nick Staab, assistant medical director of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, said brochures were printed this summer and distributed in cooling centers to spread the word about the risk of using stimulants and certain prescription medicines in extreme heat.

But it’s unclear how many are being reached. People who use drugs may not be welcomed at some cooling centers. A better solution, according to Stacey Cope, capacity building and education director for the harm reduction nonprofit Sonoran Prevention Works, is to lower barriers to entry so that people most at risk “are not expected to be absent from drugs, or they’re not expected to leave during the hottest part of the day.”

Wildeman reported from Hartford, Connecticut.

Holiday deals are here. Don’t let debt follow

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By Lauren Schwahn | NerdWallet

The unofficial start of the holiday shopping season has arrived. Thanks to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days and other retailers’ “early holiday” sales, shoppers don’t have to wait until Black Friday in November to start deal hunting. But a long shopping season can lead to a lot of spending — and debt.

Nearly 3 in 10 Americans who used credit cards to pay for holiday gifts last year (28%) still haven’t paid off their balances, according to a 2024 Holiday Spending Report from NerdWallet.

Creating a budget, building up your savings and comparing prices are some strategies you can use to avoid spending more than you can afford.

Use earmarked funds

Putting money in a special savings account or envelope just for holiday expenses reduces the risk of going into debt. You’ll have funds ready when it comes time to shop.

“Ideally, people should begin saving for the holidays as early as January,” Los Angeles-based certified financial planner Cynthia Jabr said in an email interview. “If not, then starting now is good, too.”

Holiday spending falls under the “wants” category of the 50/30/20 budget, which allocates 50% of your take-home pay to needs, 30% to wants and 20% to savings and debt repayment.

Setting aside $10, or any amount you choose, each week or day even for a short while can be a huge help.

Make a budget — and a list

Calculate a realistic holiday budget based on your monthly income, shopping fund (if you have one) and how much you expect to spend on other expenses during the holiday shopping period. Then, think about how many people you plan to shop for and set a per-person spending limit.

Make a list of specific gifts to get each person that fall within your limits. Remember to add your name to the list if you think you’ll buy something for yourself. <br><br>Keep track of your spending so you know where you stand. If you spend below your budget on one person, you can roll over the remaining money to someone else. For example, say you set a $50 limit for your nephew and find him a great gift that’s only $30. You could add an extra $20 to your budget for Grandma.

Go in on a group gift

If you feel like your budget won’t stretch very far, you might be considering taking on debt to pay for gifts.

According to the report from NerdWallet, 40% of holiday shoppers say they feel pressure to spend more money on holiday gifts than they’re comfortable spending. But splitting the cost with others could be a better solution.

Pooling resources with family or friends can ease the financial burden on everyone and ensure the recipient still gets a gift.

Resist the pressure to buy everything immediately

The fear of missing out on deals can lead to impulse buying. But as retailers begin to launch limited-time deals, remember that there will be more discounts ahead.

The main purpose of early sale campaigns such as Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days is to get people to buy before the competition gets too intense, says Luc Wathieu, a professor of marketing at Georgetown University McDonough School of Business.

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“What the companies are trying to do there is to shortcut the search, be there in front of you before you actually are in shopping mode,” he says.

Wathieu expects Black Friday and Cyber Monday will be the “sweet spots” for finding the best deals. Shoppers tend to be more active and price-conscious around this time, and retailers respond by offering competitive discounts.

Spreading purchases throughout the holiday shopping season can make costs more manageable. Pull up your shopping list before checking out sales and limit your search to those items. But if you wait until later in the season to shop, it’s a good idea to have a few backup items in mind.

“There might be more discounts as you get closer to Christmas, but the selection might not be as great as it is earlier in the season,” says Lauren Beitelspacher, a marketing professor at Babson College.

Understand your payment options

Paying with cash or debit is the best for avoiding holiday debt. With these payment methods, you pay in full with money you already have, which protects you from late fees and interest charges.

While credit cards and buy now, pay later plans from companies such as Afterpay and Klarna conveniently break purchases down into smaller payments, they can also make it easy to spend more than you can afford.

“If using something like Afterpay is the best way for you to provide for your family, that’s going to make you feel good about your family, then I think you could do that,” Beitelspacher says. “But still make sure that when the payment comes, that the money is there to make the payment.”

It’s also wise to avoid using several buy now, pay later plans at the same time. Losing track of how much you owe and when payments are due can lead to late fees and damaged credit. If you’re considering paying with a credit card or a buy now, pay later plan, make sure you fully understand the terms before you make the purchase.

Track down the best prices

Getting the items on your list at a discount can help you stay on or under budget. The prevalence of dynamic pricing, especially with online shopping, can make it difficult to know whether you’re seeing the best price. Use technology to point you in the right direction. Apps and browser tools such as Capital One Shopping or ShopSavvy can help you locate coupons and compare prices across retailers.

As you craft your shopping list, knowing which products are more likely to go on sale can also help you save money.

“Try to buy things that others will want,” Wathieu says. “It’s a little bit bizarre to think that way. But if companies predict that the demand will be hot on something, they also feel that other suppliers will fight for it, and so they will try to put their best foot forward.”

Wathieu and Beitelspacher expect some of the best deals in categories such as toys, games, electronics and kitchen items.

Review retailer return policies

Don’t let an attractive price persuade you to buy something you’re on the fence about. Do a little research first. You could be in a tough spot financially if you change your mind about the purchase later.

“The days of free returns and free shipping on returns are not as prevalent anymore,” Beitelspacher says.

She says that while a lot of retailers offered these incentives during the pandemic to stimulate sales and get through their excess inventory, many no longer do.

“If you’re making that rash decision and you’re telling yourself, ‘Oh, I’m just going to return it if I don’t like it,’ just know that you might not be able to get your money back,” Beitelspacher says.

Before you buy something, investigate the retailer’s return policy, and note whether the item is marked as “final sale.”

Start saving up for next year’s purchases

Planning for the current holiday shopping season is key, but thinking long-term is smart, too. Making room in your monthly budget for next year’s holiday expenses now can keep you debt-free.

To figure out how much you should save, Jabr recommends looking at your previous year’s holiday spending, then asking yourself, “Was it too much, or just enough?”

Digging up online order confirmations and reviewing past credit card statements can help you estimate last year’s total.

If you’re comfortable with the amount you spent, and your financial situation hasn’t drastically changed, make that your target. Here’s what that could look like: If your holiday spending totaled $1,000 last year, aim to save about $83 a month for the next 12 months. Future you will be glad you did.

Lauren Schwahn writes for NerdWallet. Email: lschwahn@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @lauren_schwahn.

Yes, voter fraud happens. But it’s rare and election offices have safeguards to catch it

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By ALI SWENSON

NEW YORK (AP) — You’ve heard the horror stories: Someone casting multiple ballots, people voting in the name of dead relatives, mail-in ballots being intercepted.

Voter fraud does happen occasionally. When it does, we tend to hear a lot about it. It also gets caught and prosecuted.

The nation’s multilayered election processes provide many safeguards that keep voter fraud generally detectable and rare, according to current and former election administrators of both parties.

America’s elections are decentralized, with thousands of independent voting jurisdictions. That makes it virtually impossible to pull off a large-scale vote-rigging operation that could tip a presidential race — or most any other race.

“You’re probably not going to have a perfect election system,” said Republican Trey Grayson, a former Kentucky secretary of state and the advisory board chair of the Secure Elections Project. “But if you’re looking for one that you should have confidence in, you should feel good about that here in America.”

What’s stopping people from committing voter fraud?

Voting more than once, tampering with ballots, lying about your residence to vote somewhere else or casting someone else’s ballot are crimes that can be punished with hefty fines and prison time. Non-U.S. citizens who break election laws can be deported.

For anyone still motivated to cheat, election systems in the United States are designed with multiple layers of protection and transparency intended to stand in the way.

For in-person voting, most states either require or request voters provide some sort of ID at the polls. Others require voters to verify who they are in another way, such as stating their name and address, signing a poll book or signing an affidavit.

People who try to vote in the name of a recently deceased friend or family member can be caught when election officials update voter lists with death records and obituaries, said Gail Pellerin, a Democratic in the California Assembly who ran elections in Santa Cruz County for more than 27 years.

Those who try to impersonate someone else run the risk that someone at the polls knows that person or that the person will later try to cast their own ballot, she said.

What protections exist for absentee voting?

For absentee voting, different states have different ballot verification protocols. All states require a voter’s signature. Many states have further precautions, such as having bipartisan teams compare the signature with other signatures on file, requiring the signature to be notarized or requiring a witness to sign.

That means even if a ballot is erroneously sent to someone’s past address and the current resident mails it in, there are checks to alert election workers to the foul play.

A growing number of states offer online or text-based ballot tracking tools as an extra layer of protection, allowing voters to see when their ballot has been sent out, returned and counted.

Federal law requires voter list maintenance, and election officials do that through a variety of methods, from checking state and federal databases to collaborating with other states to track voters who have moved.

Ballot drop boxes have security protocols, too, said Tammy Patrick, chief executive officer for programs at the National Association of Election Officials.

She explained the boxes are often designed to stop hands from stealing ballots and are surveilled by camera, bolted to the ground and constructed with fire-retardant chambers, so if someone threw in a lit match, it wouldn’t destroy the ballots inside.

Sometimes, alleged voter fraud isn’t what it seems

After the 2020 election, social media surged with claims of dead people casting ballots, double voting or destroyed piles of ballots on the side of the road.

Former President Donald Trump promoted and has continued to amplify these claims. But the vast majority of them were found to be untrue.

An Associated Press investigation that explored every potential case of voter fraud in the six battleground states disputed by Trump found there were fewer than 475 out of millions of votes cast. That was not nearly enough to tip the outcome. Democrat Joe Biden won the six states by a combined 311,257 votes.

The review also showed no collusion intended to rig the voting. Virtually every case was based on an individual acting alone to cast additional ballots. In one case, a man mistakenly thought he could vote while on parole. In another, a woman was suspected of sending in a ballot for her dead mother.

Former election officials say that even more often, allegations of voter fraud turn out to result from a clerical error or a misunderstanding.

Pellerin said she remembered when a political candidate in her county raised suspicion about many people being registered to vote at the same address. It turned out the voters were nuns who all lived in the same home.

Patrick said that when she worked in elections in Maricopa County, Arizona, mismatched signatures were sometimes explained by a broken arm or a recent stroke. In other cases, an elderly person tried to vote twice because they forgot they had already submitted a mail ballot.

“You really have to think about the intent of the voter,” Patrick said. “It isn’t always intuitive.”

Why voter fraud is unlikely to affect the presidential race

It would be wrong to suggest that voter fraud never happens.

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With millions of votes cast in an election year, it’s almost guaranteed there will be a few cases of someone trying to game the system. There also have been more insidious efforts, such as a vote-buying scheme in 2006 in Kentucky.

In that case, Grayson said, voters complained and an investigation ensued. Then participants admitted what they had done.

He said the example shows how important it is for election officials to stay vigilant and constantly improve security in order to help voters feel confident.

But, he said, it would be hard to make any such scheme work on a larger scale. Fraudsters would have to navigate onerous nuances in each county’s election system. They also would have to keep a large number of people quiet about a crime that could be caught at any moment by officials or observers.

“This decentralized nature of the elections is itself a deterrent,” Grayson said.

Today in History: October 10, Vice President Spiro Agnew resigns

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Today is Thursday, Oct. 10, the 284th day of 2024. There are 82 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 10, 1973, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, accused of accepting bribes, resigned his office and pleaded no contest to one count of federal income tax evasion.

Also on this date:

In 1845, the U.S. Naval Academy was established in Annapolis, Maryland, with an inaugural class of 50 students.

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In 1911, Chinese revolutionaries launched an uprising that led to the collapse of the Qing (or Manchu) Dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China.

In 1935, the George Gershwin opera “Porgy and Bess,” featuring an all-Black cast, opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 124 performances.

In 1964, the Summer Olympics began in Tokyo, the first Summer Games to be telecast around the world.

In 1966, the Beach Boys’ single “Good Vibrations,” written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, was released by Capitol Records.

In 2001, a month after the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. jets pounded the Afghan capital of Kabul while President George W. Bush unveiled a list of 22 most-wanted terrorists, including Osama bin Laden.

In 2014, Malala Yousafzai (mah-LAH’-lah YOO’-suhf-zeye), a 17-year-old Pakistani girl, and Kailash Satyarthi (KY’-lash saht-YAHR’-thee), a 60-year-old Indian man, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for risking their lives for the right of children to receive an education and to live free from abuse.

In 2018, Hurricane Michael, the first to strike the U.S. mainland as a Category 5 hurricane in 26 years, made landfall in Florida.

Today’s Birthdays:

Actor Peter Coyote is 83.
Entertainer Ben Vereen is 78.
Actor Charles Dance is 78.
Author Nora Roberts is 74.
Rock singer David Lee Roth is 70.
Country singer Tanya Tucker is 66.
Actor Julia Sweeney is 65.
Actor Bradley Whitford is 65.
Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre is 55.
Actor/TV host Mario Lopez is 51.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 50.
Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger is 50.