Politics

“On Juneteenth, we celebrate our freedom, our resilience, and our progress. Today we’re honoring all the Black folks who came before us – who helped build our country with their bare hands – who marched and fought to do everything they could to build a better future for us all. “This Juneteenth, let’s pledge to keep using our voices and …

The Associated Press reports: Florida has more than 700,000 medical marijuana patients and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis — who is battling a proposal to allow recreational use of marijuana — wants them all to know what a great job he’s doing. The Department of Health last week sent a blast email to its medical marijuana patient list boasting that DeSantis …

ABC News reports: In recent weeks, House Ethics Committee investigators have conducted a string of interviews behind closed doors with numerous women who were witnesses in the years-long Justice Department sex trafficking investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz, multiple sources familiar with the committee’s work tell ABC News. In the interviews, which have previously not been reported, some witnesses have been …

NBC News reports: YouTube has a pattern of recommending right-leaning and Christian videos, even to users who haven’t previously interacted with that kind of content, according to a recent study of the platform’s suggestions to users. Researchers created accounts and built mock user personas by searching for content, subscribing to channels and watching videos using those accounts. After having built …

NewsNation reports: The state of Maine is asking people to submit designs for a new state flag, with the winner being put up for a vote in November. The contest is part of an effort to create a more distinctive look for the state flag. Maine’s current flag shows the state’s seal, which depicts a man standing on each side …

The New York Times reports: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has dissolved his war cabinet, an Israeli official said Monday, after the departures of two significant members prompted demands from far-right politicians for representation in the influential group. The two members, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, quit Mr. Netanyahu’s small war cabinet last week amid disagreements over the direction …

Mediaite reports: Footage emerged Monday of Jesse Ventura, armed with a mic and sitting behind a stall for his THC edibles brand Retro Bakery, where he revealed, “I had a visitor in Tucson this winter, and apparently I came in second. Robert F. Kennedy came and visited me for three hours.” He continued: “I’ll say this, personally, I think Bobby …

Florida Politics reports: The intense rainfall across the southern part of the state has prompted Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency in more southern counties due in part to flash flooding. The downpour also caused significant standing water on those farms with many farms facing repairs due to the damage of the rushing water during the storms. …

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy writes: The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor. Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, and the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer …

Axios reports: Rep. Tom Cole’s shift to House Appropriations chair has created a quintessentially Capitol Hill problem: It’s left House Republicans without a private spot to enjoy cigars close to floor, and lawmakers are calling on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to find a solution. GOP lawmakers stressed to Axios the need for quiet places to gather off the House floor …

The Washington Post reports: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore will issue a mass pardon of more than 175,000 marijuana convictions Monday morning, one of the nation’s most sweeping acts of clemency involving a drug now in widespread recreational use. The pardons will forgive low-level marijuana possession charges for an estimated 100,000 people in what the Democratic governor said is a step …

Axios reports: The window for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to qualify for the first presidential debate on June 27 is closing rapidly. CNN, which is hosting the first debate, reported Saturday that “though not impossible,” it’s unlikely that any candidate other than President Biden and former President Trump will qualify. CNN said Kennedy is officially on the ballot in states …

Reuters reports: Three British opinion polls released late on Saturday presented a grim picture for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party, and one pollster warned that the party faced “electoral extinction” in July 4’s election. The polls come just over halfway through the election campaign, after a week in which both the Conservatives and Labour set out their manifestos, and …

The New York Times reports: There will be no opening statements. President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump will each have two minutes to answer questions — followed by one-minute rebuttals and responses to the rebuttals. Red lights visible to the candidates will flash when they have five seconds left, and turn solid red when time has expired. And …

Courthouse News reports: Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, the divisive official who was perennially at odds with most of the leading politicians in the region throughout his four years in office, sued the LA County Board of Supervisors on Thursday accusing the officials of libel and of violating his First, Fifth and 14th Amendment rights. The suit comes …

Bloomberg News reports: President Joe Biden and challenger Donald Trump face the same problem in their first debate: How to sway voters in a tight race where most Americans say they’ve already made up their minds. The candidates are already at work, conferring with close advisers before the first face-to-face showdown of 2024 on June 27 in Atlanta. That forum …

NBC News reports: The veteran organization the American Legion weighed in on the upside-down American flag controversy on Thursday, noting that flags should only be flown this way if there is “extreme danger to life or property.” The potential implications of flying an American flag upside down have been the subject of debate since reports emerged that an upside-down flag …

Politico reports: A Republican proposal to block a Biden administration policy that shores up troops’ access to abortion was added to the House Pentagon policy bill Thursday, a move that will jeopardize bipartisan support and complicate efforts to pass the legislation. In a 214-207 vote, lawmakers adopted Rep. Beth Van Duyne‘s amendment to overturn the Pentagon policy to reimburse troops …

Reuters reports: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned on Friday that a vote for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party would hand electoral victory to Labour, after a poll put the right-wing group ahead of Sunak’s Conservatives for the first time. Farage is one of Britain’s most recognisable politicians best known for his decades long – and eventually successful – crusade …

Ars Technica reports: Victor Miller is running for mayor of Cheyenne, Wyoming, with an unusual campaign promise: If elected, he will not be calling the shots—an AI bot will. VIC, the Virtual Integrated Citizen, is a ChatGPT-based chatbot that Miller created. And Miller says the bot has better ideas—and a better grasp of the law—than many people currently serving in …