Portland, Oregon’s largest city, declared a 90-day state of emergency to confront the fentanyl epidemic

In 2020, Oregon became the first US state to decriminalize all drugs, meaning police cannot arrest somebody for open drug use

On Wednesday, city, county, and state officials announced that fentanyl deaths in Portland are out of control: “Our state [has] never seen a drug this deadly addictive,” Oregon’s governor said

Officials now plan to crack down on drug dealing, invest more in addiction treatment, and more

Police in Canada charged four NHL players and one former player over an alleged group sexual assault in 2018

Two players on the New Jersey Devils and one player from both the Philadelphia Flyers and Calgary Flames are listed in the lawsuit. All intend to plead not guilty

The alleged assault occurred after a Hockey Canada Foundation event. The case became a scandal in 2022 when news broke that Hockey Canada had quietly settled with the accuser

Stocks suffered their worst day in months after Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell cast doubt that the Fed would begin lowering interest rates in March

Referring to confidence that inflation is beaten, Powell said, “I don’t think it’s likely that we’ll reach a level of confidence by the time of the March meeting”

The S&P 500 closed on the day down 1.61%, Nasdaq down 2.23%, and Dow Jones down .82%

The Pentagon said an Iran-backed, Iraq-based militia called Kataib Hezbollah was likely behind the deadly attack on US forces in Jordan on Sunday

On Tuesday, the group – widely seen as one of the most powerful Iran-backed militias – announced it would stop attacking the US

“We are announcing the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces [US troops] – in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government,” it said

“Actions speak louder than words,” a Pentagon official said in response to that announcement

During a Senate hearing on child safety online, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized for the harm his company’s platforms caused children

“No one should go through the things your families have suffered,” he said, addressing families present at the hearing

Zuckerberg testified alongside executives from X, TikTok, and Discord, many of whom presented conflicting views on how to best regulate social media to ensure children’s safety

Video credit: C-SPAN

Average ticket prices for this year’s Super Bowl are $9,815, the highest for the event ever, reseller TickPick reported

The price is 70% higher than last year’s game and 39% higher than the previous record of $7,046 for Super Bowl LV, which took place in Tampa, Florida in 2021

This year’s cost is driven by the fact that it is the first Super Bowl to be hosted in Las Vegas

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