Cocaine In a Can, By Any Other Name

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Surprise, surprise. In order to stay out of legal trouble, Redux Beverages, the maker of “Cocaine,” a provocatively-branded energy drink, is in search of a new name for its signature product. This because last month the FDA accused Redux of marketing the drink as an alternative to the street drug (ya think?), leading some states to pull the cans off store shelves.

While “Cocaine” the drink may be out, cultivation of the real thing couldn’t be more in, particularly among left-leaning South American leaders eager to flout the United States’ expensive (and largely ineffective) interdiction campaign. Get the blow by blow here and here.

—Koshlan Mayer-Blackwell

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Russian bots are impersonating us. Trump and his allies want to silence us. AI wants to (and does!) steal our content. The list goes on. But with 50 years of experience, we know we were built for this moment: We’re ready to keep diving deep and uncovering the truth, then getting that to you right here, completely accessible and never behind a paywall.

While our work is free to read, watch, and listen to online, it’s incredibly costly to make. Court documents, travel, research: It all adds up. Because we’re a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on reader support to fund our investigations. Will you stand with us in these extraordinary times, as headlines clamour for our attention and disinformation is rampant? We can’t get the truth out without you.

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