San Diego County has cut ties with the Harm Reduction Coalition, ending its naloxone distribution contract after financial mismanagement by an employee. The move raises concerns about access to life-saving overdose medication for vulnerable communities.

San Diego County

San Diego County has ended its contract with the Harm Reduction Coalition, a local nonprofit that distributed naloxone to address opioid overdoses. The termination followed the discovery of financial mismanagement by an employee within the organization, which was reported to authorities by the nonprofit’s leadership.

Despite the loss of county support, the nonprofit plans to continue its work using state funding and grants, though it anticipates challenges in meeting community demand. County officials stated they are working with other partners to ensure continued public access to naloxone and are reviewing the canceled contracts.

San Diego County ends naloxone contracts with local nonprofit

According to the D. E. A. More than 107,000 people lost their lives to drug overdose in 2023, nearly 70% due to opioids like fentanyl. Well, San Diego County has been in a contract with an organization that helps distribute life saving medication to those who are struggling with substance abuse. But that contract has now been terminated. A. B. C. 10 News reporter Yasmeen Ludhi shares reaction from the community and the potential fallout from this split. This is naloxone. To some, it looks like just a nasal spray, but to others, a shot of this up the nose is a lifesaver. But now that the county is ending its naloxone contract with a local nonprofit, it's raising some concerns. Just like I was fading instantly and I tried to tell them like something's wrong. I think I got out the words like like helper that day. Nikki Bracken thought she was using meth. But when she woke up 17 hours later, she realized it was fentanyl. I would be dead. I really would. It's terrifying, terrifying experience. She says naloxone, a medication used to rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose saved her life and helped her save others. So important because drug addiction is so much deeper than people realize. It's so much deeper and they're not going to be able to just stop using drugs just because there's no more Narcan. All we're going to have is a lot of dead people. On June 30th, San Diego County terminated their contracts with the Harm Reduction Coalition to distribute naloxone to address drug overdoses. Since then, we've struggled to be able to provide the amount of naloxone that the community members continue to reach out to us for. Tara Stamos is the founder and ceo of the organization. She says, while in the process of a private outside audit, she discovered one of her employees was not properly managing the money. So she notified the district attorney's office. Maybe we could have stayed operating the way we were, but I wasn't okay with fraud going on. I wasn't okay with mismanagement of things right now. The work will still continue through state funding and grant applications. We're gonna continue doing what we do. We are out on the streets some days, some weeks, seven days out of the week. But Tara says it will be like they're back to square one without the county's help. Five years ago, when I started, we didn't have any funds and we, you know, it was me doing it out of the back of my garage with donations. The county says it's working with partners to ensure the public has access to naloxone and is currently reviewing those canceled contracts. Yasmin Luti, abc 10 News.

An independent watchdog agency responsible for enforcing a law against partisan political activity by federal employees has opened an investigation into Jack Smith, the special counsel who brought two criminal cases against Donald Trump before his election to the White House last year.

Washington

Former Trump prosecutor Jack Smith faces probe by U.S. watchdog

New outbreaks of violence overnight into Sunday (August 3) rocked Syria straining a fragile ceasefire. Meanwhile residents in Sweida are calling access to more humanitarian aid.

As Suwayda

Humanitarian needs escalate in Sweida as truce frays

Parts of the European Commission's much-anticipated AI Act come into force this weekend. It's been hailed as the first piece of comprehensive legislation aimed at regulating AI globally, though critics say it doesn't go far enough.

Brussels

Rise of AI

EU's landmark AI act enters new phase

A Ukrainian lawmaker and a pair of local officials, as well as an unspecified number of National Guard personnel, have been caught in a major graft scheme that involved using state funds to buy drones and other military hardware at deliberately inflated prices in return for bribes.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Ukraine uncovers major drone procurement graft scheme

Over the past few days, Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad have released three videos showing two hostages seized during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. The videos sparked reactions from Israelis who are stepping up calls for a truce.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Israeli hostage families protest in Tel Aviv

Pope Leo XIV celebrated the concluding mass of one of the most important events of the Holy Year. A million faithful filled the Tor Vergata esplanade in Rome. Pope Leo sent a message of hope for the young people afflicted by wars and recalled the words of his predecessor.

Rome

Pope Leo urges Catholic youth to spread faith and enthusiasm

President Trump explained why he fired Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer on Friday. Government data showed fewer jobs were added to the U.S. economy last month than expected.

Global Tariffs

Trump announces new tariff rates, fires employment commissioner

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith, who ran two federal prosecutions of President Trump, is under investigation for allegedly violating a law barring federal employees from using their position to influence elections.

Jack Smith investigated for using position to influence elections

Montana authorities released a new surveillance image showing who they have identified as the suspect in a bar shooting in Anaconda. Meanwhile, nearly 2,000 miles away, police in Tennessee are searching for a quadruple homicide suspect.

Anaconda

Suspect on the run after Montana bar shooting

Los Angeles officials are praising an appeals court ruling limiting immigration stops, but the decision may only escalate a battle over transparency and control. Elise Preston has the latest information.

Los Angeles

Appeals court keeps restrictions on California ICE raids

Disturbing new video shows a severely malnourished Israeli hostage being held in what appears to be an underground tunnel. This comes as witnesses and aid workers say Israeli troops opened fire on hungry civilians at two Gaza food distribution sites.

Sderot

Middle East Conflict

Hamas propaganda shows malnourished Israeli hostage

U.S. President Donald Trump fired the U.S. commissioner of labour statistics after weak jobs numbers signaled tariffs weren’t yet leading to his promised economic boom.

Trump slams weak jobs numbers as 'rigged,' fires statistics chief

Donald Trump has ordered the repositioning of two United States nuclear submarines to “appropriate regions” relative to Russia, blaming a heated exchange with Dmitry Medvedev, Moscow’s military leader and former president.

Moscow

Trump sends nuclear submarines towards Russia

A mass shooting in Anaconda triggers community shock and concern, as witnesses share their experiences and the investigation unfolds amid rising tensions.

Community in shock following deadly shooting in Anaconda

U.S. President Donald Trump said he's ordered his administration to fire the commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, on the same day new data was released showing weak job growth in July. The Labor Department also sharply revised job growth for May and June down.

Trump orders firing of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner

U.S. President Donald Trump says he ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the "appropriate regions" as a response to comments made by Russia's former president. CBS News' Charlie D'Agata reports.

Trump says nuclear submarines moved in response to Russia

Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell has been transferred to a Bryan, Texas, prison, CBS News confirms. Maxwell was previously held in Tallahassee, Florida.

Bryan

Ghislaine Maxwell transferred to Texas prison

The announcement comes as international pressure mounts on Israel over the war in Gaza and the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.

Ljubljana

Slovenia becomes first EU country to ban arms trade with Israel

The United States imposed sanctions on Palestinian Authority officials just as other nations are stressing the importance of the PA in governing Gaza in the event of an end to the devastating war in the enclave.

New York

U.S. sanctions Palestinian Authority in growing diplomatic rift

Ukraine’s Parliament has reversed a controversial law signed last week by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which would have allowed the government greater control over anti-corruption agencies. The decision comes as the country faces one of its most significant political crises since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Ukraine parliament reverses bill on anti-corruption agencies amid crisis

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order increasing tariffs on Canadian goods that don't meet the terms of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement to 35 per cent.

Ottawa

Trump raises Canada tariff to 35%, grants extension to Mexico

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 31 in a bid to salvage Gaza truce talks and tackle a humanitarian crisis in the enclave, where a global hunger monitor has warned that famine is unfolding.

Jerusalem

Trump's envoy meets Netanyahu for Gaza aid, ceasefire push

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is visiting Israel as more countries join the call to recognize a Palestinian state in September. CBS News' Robert Berger has the latest.

Trump envoy in Israel as Canada joins call on Palestinian statehood

President Donald Trump says the U.S. will charge a 15% tariff on imports from South Korea as part of a deal that eases, for now, tension with a top-10 trading partner and key Asian ally.

Trump says U.S. will set 15% tariff on South Korean imports

U.S. President Donald Trump slapped a 50% tariff on most Brazilian goods to fight what he has called a "witch hunt" against former President Jair Bolsonaro, but softened the blow by excluding sectors such as aircraft, energy and orange juice from heavier levies.

Rio de Janeiro

Trump hits Brazil with tariffs, sanctions but key sectors excluded

Widespread damage from tsunami waves after one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded appears to have been largely avoided. Experts say this event should be used to gauge disaster preparedness for a more serious situation in the future.

Okinawa

Tsunami damage less severe than feared after Russian earthquake

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada will recognize a Palestinian state later this year if the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank, meets certain conditions.

Breakdown