The U.S. Cracks Down on ‘Gas Station Heroin’
The Dispatch · RC · trust 38/100

The U.S. Cracks Down on ‘Gas Station Heroin’ Plus: The ‘Balkan Butcher’ dies, Trump renames Lake Ontario, and large rodents have a penchant for theft. Surya Gowda , James P. Sutton , Evan Spear , & Ross Anderson / August 28, 2026 Loading = 3 && ageInMonths 3 months old . Some information may be outdated.'; } else if (ageInMonths = 6 && ageInMonths 6 months old . Some information may be outdated.'; } else if (ageInMonths = 12 && ageInMonths 1 year old . Some information may be outdated.'; } else if (ageInMonths = 12) { const ageInYears = Math.floor(ageInMonths / 12); this.message = `This post is more than ${ageInYears} ${ageInYears === 1 ? 'year' : 'years'} old . Some information may be outdated.`; } } }" { this.tooltipOpen = false; }, 200); } }" class="relative" Audio Turn any article into a podcast. Upgrade now to start listening.
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Happy Friday! In his tweet responding to President Donald Trump’s decision to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney taught us a great new vocabulary word: hydronym, meaning the proper name of a body of water.
Surya Gowda is a Morning Dispatch Reporter, based in New York City. Before joining the company in 2026, she worked at USA Today and the political economy publication ProMarket. When Surya isn't writing for The Morning Dispatch, she's probably experimenting with watercolor paints or trying out a creative makeup look.
James P. Sutton is a Morning Dispatch Reporter, based in Washington D.C. Prior to joining the company in 2024, he most recently graduated from University of Oxford with a Master’s degree in history. He has also taught high school history in suburban Philadelphia, and interned at National Review and the Foreign Policy Research Institute. When not writing for The Morning Dispatch, he is probably playing racquet sports, reading a history book, or rooting for Bay Area sports teams.
Evan Spear is a Morning Dispatch Reporter, based in Washington D.C. Prior to joining the company in 2026, he graduated from the University of Chicago with degrees in history and political science. He has previously interned at The Dispatch and CNN. When not writing for The Morning Dispatch, he is probably playing golf, reading a book, or trying (and failing) to find a place to swim.
Ross Anderson is the Editor of The Morning Dispatch, based in London. Prior to joining the company in 2025, he was an editor at The Spectator, columnist at The New York Sun, and a Tablet fellow. When Ross isn’t working on TMD, he’s probably trying out new tech, lifting weights, or hanging out with his cat, Teddy.
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