China is Poisoning Military-Aged Males
"Without even firing a shot, they're already taking a huge swath of our population out."
Happy Autumn! —
I know the title of this email is depressingly true, but I want to start on a positive note: This is a pretty exciting time of year, for a bunch of reasons.
Sure, it’s gloomy in DC today, but the weather this time of year is generally superb (next week will be perfect).
The NFL season is up and running, the baseball playoffs are about to begin (Go O’s!), my kids are back in school (yay!), and we are now just 40 days away from the presidential election.
As you can imagine, this means that I’ve been busy, too.
In a second, I want to fill you in on my latest offerings since leaving The Daily Beast.
… But first, I wanted to share an amazing conversation my wife, Erin DeLullo, just had with a former Army Intelligence officer named Dale King for her new project The Poisoning (the title is a reference to fentanyl poisoning, a plague that is killing more Americans than the Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam wars combined).
This clip is less than a minute long, and it’s worth your time. What King had to say about fentanyl poisoning was so blunt and shocking that I had to share it with you:
“Putting my old military hat on, it’s a very effective technique; China's killing them… Fentanyl poisoning is “the number one killer of military-aged males in our country,” King continued. “And from an asymmetric warfare [standpoint] without even firing a shot, they’re already taking a huge, huge swath of our population out.”
It’s no surprise that fentanyl comes from China, but I’ve never heard it put quite this way before.
Erin is interviewing a bunch of amazing Americans, including first responders, former addicts, experts on recovery, journalists, authors, grieving parents… you name it. If you are remotely interested in this topic, please subscribe to Erin’s substack and check out The Poisoning’s YouTube page and audio podcast.
This is an important topic, and there is much to learn, so check it out!
LIFE AFTER THE BEAST
As you might know, I left The Daily Beast this summer, after working there for about seven year. At first, I was a bit dejected.
But after drowning my sorrows in Sedona, Arizona (an extended family vacation), I eventually returned home to West Virginia, rolled up my sleeves, and started begging for work.
Amazingly, I’m now busier than ever.
These days, I’m writing a regular column for The Hill and another one for U.S. News and World Report.
Here's a quick rundown of my latest political columns:
THE HILL: By telling women, "I am your protector... You will no
longer be abandoned, lonely or scared…" Donald Trump is offering
female voters the right-wing version of the "Life of Julia."US NEWS & WORLD REPORT: Political scandals have existed for as long
as we have had politics, and scandals are certainly a bipartisan
phenomenon. But Trump is a magnet for controversy, attracting all
manner of scoundrels and oddballs to the GOP.
I’m also plugging away, creating audio and video content. Here are a few of my latest offerings…
Author and historian H.W. Brands talked with me about his new book, American First:
I did a quick response to scandalous news about North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson allegedly saying, “I’m a black Nazi.”
And lastly, Democratic strategist Joe Trippi and I interviewed David M. Rubenstein, cofounder and cochairman of The Carlyle Group, owner of the Baltimore Orioles, and author of the new book, 'The Highest Calling: Conversations on the American Presidency.'
If you’re not already subscribed to my YouTube channel, please sign up today, so you’ll be alerted when a new episode drops.
… Losing your job (technically, I “accepted a buyout”) can be a stressful time. Luckily, I was blessed with family and friends (like you!) who continued to support me. For this, I am eternally grateful.
Thank you for reading my newsletter — and for all you do.
Go Orioles!
Matt