Politics

NBC News reports: The mysterious neurological symptoms experienced by American diplomats in China and Cuba are consistent with the effects of directed microwave energy, according to a long-awaited report by the National Academies of Sciences that cites medical evidence to support the long-held conviction of American intelligence officials. The report, obtained Friday by NBC News, does not conclude that the …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: One of Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s campaign staffers died Friday, forcing her to cancel her plans to join Vice President Mike Pence in Savannah for a rally. Loeffler’s communications director issued a statement about Harrison Deal, who was also a close family friend of Gov. Brian Kemp and his family. Kemp and his wife also canceled …

Marijuana Moment reports: The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill to federally legalize marijuana in a historic vote on Friday. It’s the day that cannabis reform advocates have been building toward for years—a full floor vote to end prohibition in a chamber of Congress. Under the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, cannabis would be federally descheduled and …

NBC News reports: As the cannabis industry continues to take root state by state, Congress will consider whether to remove marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act once and for all. The House will vote Friday on the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act, or MORE Act, which would decriminalize cannabis and clear the way to erase nonviolent federal marijuana …

Politico reports: Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney was elected Thursday to lead the House Democrats’ campaign arm, charged with steering the caucus through an exceedingly perilous midterm with their control of the chamber on the line. Maloney, who represents a New York battleground district, defeated Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.) in a hard-fought — and closely watched — contest to lead the …

The New York Times reports: A United Nations commission voted on Wednesday to remove cannabis for medicinal purposes from a category of the world’s most dangerous drugs, a highly anticipated and long-delayed decision that could clear the way for an expansion of marijuana research and medical use. The vote by the Commission for Narcotic Drugs, which is based in Vienna …

The Independent reports: Over 2,300 people have pledged to show up to an “egg-throwing contest” on the same day as the unveiling of a statue of Margaret Thatcher in her hometown of Grantham. The £300,000 bronze statue of the controversial former prime minister will be placed on a 10ft-high plinth due to fears about vandalism, making the entire sculpture over …

The Hill reports: Georgia is emerging as an early proving ground for the 2024 presidential race, with a handful of potential Republican hopefuls flocking to the state to test their political coattails in its two Senate runoffs. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who just landed the chairmanship at the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is among the prospective 2024 contenders who have …

The Washington Post reports: Taiwan has seen lawmakers throw punches, chairs, eggs and even water balloons during periodic and spectacular bouts of parliamentary violence. But when pigs fly — that’s something unheard of, even by Taiwan’s standards. Members of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) on Friday threw pig hearts, intestines, lungs and other innards, leaving the chamber’s crimson carpet streaked with …

The New York Times reports: The arduous slog of recounting nearly 5 million Georgia ballots by hand got off to a smooth and rather mundane start Friday, as auditors began the process of checking basic math, and some voters’ intentions, in a race in which President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. leads President Trump by more than 14,000 votes. It continued …

The Daily Beast reports: Kansas billionaire Charles Koch now says that he regrets his partisan spending—admitting in his new book that it only made things worse, according to The Wall Street Journal. The 85-year-old tycoon’s book, Believe in People: Bottom-Up Solutions for a Top-Down World, says that he is shifting his focus from intense Republican partisanship to finding unifying answers …

Agence France-Presse reports: President Jair Bolsonaro drew criticism Tuesday for telling Brazilians not to deal with Covid-19 like “a country of fags,” the far-right leader’s latest controversial outburst on the pandemic. Bolsonaro, who has consistently downplayed the virus even as it has killed 163,000 people in Brazil,  made the comment during a meandering speech at the presidential palace in which …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday grappled with whether all of Obamacare should be thrown out in a challenge by Republican-governed states, backed by President Donald Trump’s administration, with two conservative justices suggesting the law should remain intact even if one provision is struck down. Chief Justice John Roberts and fellow conservative Brett Kavanaugh both asked questions that …

Axios reports: The Senate Democratic caucus re-elected Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and added Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) to its leadership ranks, a Senate Democratic source tells Axios. The re-election of the full Senate Democratic leadership team comes after a relatively disappointing general election in which the party failed to win outright control of the …

Cox Media Group reports: President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine announced Monday that he’s tested positive for COVID-19, making him the latest world leader to contract the viral infection. Monday’s announcement puts the Ukrainian president alongside President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who have also contracted COVID-19 in recent months. Other world leaders who …

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: Utah’s governor declared a new state of emergency late Sunday after the state’s most devastating week of the pandemic, as COVID-19 infections skyrocketed and deaths hit new highs. His big concern is the surge in hospitalizations that may soon overwhelm doctors and nurses. Gov. Gary Herbert issued a series of new restrictions, including a statewide …

CBS News reports: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger told reporters on Friday that the state will head to a recount due the small margin between former Vice President Joe Biden and President Trump. Biden pulled ahead in the state by a narrow margin of just over 1,000 votes as of Friday morning. “This process is and will remain open …

NBC News reports: Another wrinkle to the closely watched tabulation in Georgia: Before certifying results, Georgia election officials, under a new state law, will begin Friday what they’re calling a risk-limiting audit to ensure the votes were accurately counted. Under a risk-limiting audit (RLA), a statistically meaningful sample of ballots are examined by hand to see whether the declared winner …

The Associated Press reports: A statewide referendum that would shorten Rhode Island’s official name was approved by voters on Election Day. With 100-percent of precincts reporting, nearly 53-percent of voters approved a ballot question to remove Providence Plantations from its name. Advocates say the word plantation evokes images of slavery in the state. Opponents argued that the word instead is …

Marijuana Moment reports: Montana voters have approved a pair of marijuana legalization initiatives. The main statutory reform measure will establish a legal system of marijuana production and sales for adults in the state, while a separate constitutional amendment will stipulate that only those 21 and older can participate in the market. Opponents of the legalization attempted to quash the proposal …