Politics

The Washington Post reports: The House on Friday passed legislation that would remove marijuana from the federal schedule of controlled substances, a move that comes as an increasing number of states have passed decriminalization laws. The measure, H.R. 3617, is known as the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, or the MORE Act. The House passed similar legislation in December …

Gothamist reports: A Steuben County judge has struck down the recently redrawn congressional and legislative maps for New York, ordering the state Legislature to “submit bipartisanly supported maps” by April 11th. In an 18-page ruling, Acting State Supreme Court Judge Patrick F. McAllister said the maps, drawn every 10 years after the latest U.S. Census count, were unconstitutionally and politically …

From the editor in chief of The Hill: You’ve likely noticed some changes to our digital experiences. We’ve upgraded The Hill’s website, video player, newsletters, and mobile apps. These updates provide a solid foundation for our mission to provide free, relevant, trusted, and actionable information about policy and politics to more Americans. Our new website is responsive, which means it …

Fox News reports: Former Vice President Mike Pence’s advocacy organization is releasing a “Freedom Agenda” for conservatives focused on promoting a positive and traditional view of America, and pushing back against progressive policies being pushed by the Biden administration. Pence’s 501(c)(4), Advancing American Freedom (AAF), published the agenda Thursday. The group calls the agenda “a vision for restoring freedom and …

The New York Times reports: A Monaco-style casino atop Saks Fifth Avenue, across the street from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. A gambling den with East River views, alongside a popular wedding venue. A Hard Rock casino in the center of Times Square. In the next several days, as part of state budget negotiations, Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders may well …

The New York Times reports: Senator Susan Collins of Maine plans to vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, ensuring that President Biden’s nominee and the first Black woman to be put forward for the post will receive at least one Republican backer. After a second personal meeting with the judge on Tuesday afternoon, Ms. Collins …

Courthouse News Service reports: On April 5, voters in California’s 22nd Congressional District, located in California’s Central Valley, will head to the polls for a special primary election to determine who replaces longtime congressman Devin Nunes. If no candidate wins a majority of the votes the contest will head to a runoff on June 7, the day of the statewide …

CBS News reports: Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis on Tuesday night vetoed the proposed Congressional maps sent by the GOP-led legislature, as part of his push for a more aggressive Republican gerrymander and challenge to a predominantly Black district that covers Jacksonville and Tallahassee, Florida. Legislators will return to the state capital, Tallahassee, from April 19 to April 22 in …

Bloomberg News reports: Senator Elizabeth Warren and almost two dozen other Democratic lawmakers are demanding that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recuse himself from any cases involving 2020 election disputes or the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol after revelations his wife advocated actions to overturn the presidential election. Warren, Representative Pramila Jayapal and members of the House and Senate judiciary …

Politico reports: Former Rep. Scott Taylor (R-Va.) was on a trip several weeks ago to Belarus when a D.C. lobbyist, with whom he was sharing an Airbnb in Minsk, woke him up with alarming news: Russia was invading the country next door. The lobbyist with whom Taylor was rooming, Robert Stryk, described what happened next as something out of a …

CNBC reports: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Durbin, D-Ill., told NBC that Justice Thomas should recuse himself from any cases related to the Jan. 6 riot that come before the high court. Durbin said it would be “the ultimate conflict of interest” for Thomas to participate in a case “where his wife is frequently contacting the chief of staff for …

Politico reports: A new $1.4 billion stadium for the Buffalo Bills will receive a record public subsidy of $850 million between state and county funding, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday. The combined $850 million would set a record for the most public money ever spent on an NFL stadium, topping the $750 million recently spent in Las Vegas. Hochul said …

The Baton Rouge Advocate reports: U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy is seriously considering a run for governor next year, according to sources who have spoken to him, a move that would dramatically shake up the race to replace Gov. John Bel Edwards. Cassidy’s potential candidacy has been spurred by his break with former President Donald Trump after the 2020 presidential election, …

ABC News reports: Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should recuse himself from certain cases after it emerged his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, sent text messages to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows urging him to help overturn the 2020 election results. Klobuchar said it was “a …

USA Today reports: Sen. Richard Blumenthal is calling for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to “voluntarily” appear before Congress to answer questions about his wife’s communications with the White House regarding efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Blumenthal, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told CBS that Justice Thomas should “voluntarily appear” before the House Select Committee investigating the …

Baltimore’s NBC News affiliate reports: A Maryland judge on Friday rejected the General Assembly’s newly drawn Congressional district map. After a four-day trial, Maryland Court of Appeals Judge Lynne A. Battaglia on Friday ruled the 2021 plan violates Maryland’s Free Election Clause of the Maryland Declaration of Rights. As such, the judge ruled the 2021 plan is in violation of …

The Hill reports: Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on Friday said Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should recuse himself from any cases involving the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and, if former President Trump runs again, cases related to the 2024 election. Wyden said Clarence Thomas’s “conduct on the Supreme Court looks increasingly corrupt” in the wake of …

CNN reports: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was discharged from a Washington, DC, hospital Friday morning a week after he was admitted for what a court spokesperson described as an infection. Thomas, 73, entered Sibley Memorial Hospital last Friday after experiencing flu-like symptoms. The court’s public information officer did not say anything about Thomas’ condition when he was released and …

The Kansas City Star reports: The Missouri Senate approved a congressional map on Thursday, ending weeks of Republican infighting over how far to go in drawing GOP-leaning districts for partisan advantage. The map — approved in a 22-10 vote — was the result of a compromise among Republicans, including between GOP leaders and some members of the Conservative Caucus, a …

Axios reports: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Friday that he will vote in support of confirming Ketanji Brown Jackson to be a Supreme Court justice. Manchin’s support essentially guarantees Jackson’s confirmation to the court. What he’s saying: “After meeting with [Jackson], considering her record, and closely monitoring her testimony and questioning before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week, I have …