New Jersey voters approve legalizing recreational marijuana
New Jersey voters chose to legalize marijuana on Wednesday, though it could be months before adults 21 and over can legally buy and use cannabis.
Israel lead the world in vaccinations per capita, but isn’t vaccinating Palestinians
‘Our democracy remains under attack by the partisan and unpatriotic actions of those at the state level,’ writes Michelle Obama
Obama administration greatly expanded the use of drone strikes before later imposing checks
‘I’m always up for a good fight,’ says Trump ally
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stressed the significance of the role that city and county chief secretaries have in improving the lives of the people and carrying out his five-year economic policies, state news media KCNA said on Thursday. North Korea's drastic measures to contain COVID-19 have exacerbated human rights abuses and economic hardship, including reports of starvation, for its citizens, already battered by international sanctions, a United Nations investigator said. Kim said the city and county chief secretaries had responsibility for taking care of their residents and urged them to embark on a fresh "turning point" to help develop their areas in line with his new five-year strategy unveiled at the January party congress.
"Letting us create what we know is going to save our community." Ceyenne Doroshow founded Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society, or G.L.I.T.S., in 2015 to help trans and sex-worker communities with issues like housing and health care. In response, Doroshow and her team at G.L.I.T.S. began fundraising; they bailed LGBTQIA+ inmates out of COVID-ravaged jails and housed them in safe Airbnb rentals; secured rent money for the Black trans community; and ultimately bought a $2 million 12-unit residential building that would be a free safe place for Black trans folks to live.
Republicans in 43 states have introduced more than 250 bills restricting voting rights, underscoring urgency in Congress to pass sweeping elections legislation, Alex Woodward reports
Washington is releasing AP Comeback Player of the Year Alex Smith, a move that was expected but still provides a cold ending to the veteran quarterback's storybook tenure with the organization. The team informed Smith he's being released, according to a person with direct knowledge of the decision. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because Smith’s release was not yet official.
Olsen's famous older sisters, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, starred in the beloved sitcom with Stamos.
QAnon followers were expecting 'The Storm' on March 4. Unfazed by the failure, many are seeking redemption on a new day.
All Senate Republicans voted against even starting debate on the $1.9 trillion measure on Thursday.
At least 19 Myanmar police officers have crossed the border into India in the latest sign of growing dissent within the security forces and civil service officials who are opposed to the military coup. The first reported case of police fleeing the country came as one of the country’s top diplomats resigned from his post at the United Nations after being promoted to the role of ambassador by the junta. Tin Maung Naing, the deputy envoy, refused to take over from Kyaw Moe Tun, the current ambassador, who was fired last week by the generals after he urged countries at the 193-member UN General Assembly to use “any means necessary” to reverse the coup that ousted the nation’s elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. In Washington, Myanmar’s embassy also signalled a break with the military regime on Thursday, issuing a statement decrying the deaths of civilians protesting the coup and calling on authorities to “fully exercise [the] utmost restraint.” In Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw last month, nine ministry of foreign affairs officials were arrested after they joined a Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) which aims to prevent the military from being able to govern the country by organising nationwide strikes. Thousands have joined the CDM, which was initially started by the medical profession, but has now picked up bankers, civil servants and small pockets of police officers.
Social media has exposed long-standing hatred — and helped Asian Americans organize against it.
Data: FactSet; Chart: Axios VisualsOil and gas prices jumped on Thursday after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allied producers said on Thursday that they would extend production cuts into April.The big picture: Oil is being driven by the production cuts of OPEC, a consortium of the world's largest producers, and expectations for a rebound in global demand as more countries emerge from coronavirus lockdowns.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Crude oil has been a top performing asset this year, with variants like gasoline and diesel also delivering big gains in 2021 of 38.6% and 24.3%, respectively.The intrigue: OPEC has taken an incredulous approach to the massive rebound, suggesting prices could rise even more meaningfully in the coming months.Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz Bin Salman told journalists at a virtual press conference Thursday that the "jury is still out" on the future of the oil market. “At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, I would once again urge caution and vigilance."“Before we take our next step forward, let us be certain the glimmer we see ahead is not the headlight of an oncoming express train.”What's next: Gas prices in the U.S. already have risen to a one-year high and experts had predicted they could continue rising higher even before the unexpected extension of production cuts by OPEC.In addition to the price drivers see at the pump, this could have implications for the cost of air travel and the price of imported goods, which were already seeing increases thanks to global supply chain disruptions and increased inflation expectations.More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
Rosa Woods - Pool/Getty ImagesMeghan Markle has said she was not allowed to make her own choices when she was a member of the royal family.The comments were made in a new preview clip from Oprah Winfrey’s eagerly-awaited interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, which dropped Friday morning on CBS This Morning.In the new clip, Meghan said that she had not been “allowed” to give an interview before.In the clip, Oprah told Meghan that she recalled calling her before her wedding and asking for an interview.Meghan said: “I recall that conversation very well. I wasn’t even allowed to have that conversation with you personally. Right? There had to be people from the [communications team] sitting there…”Oprah then said: “You turned me down nicely…What is right about this time?”Meghan replied: “Well, so many things. That we are on the other side of a lot of life experience that’s happened. And also that we have the ability to make our own choices in way that I couldn’t have said yes to you then. That wasn’t my choice to make. So, as an adult who lived a really independent life, to then go into this construct, that is, um, different, than I think what people imagine it to be, it’s really liberating to be able to have the right and the privilege in some ways to be able to say, ‘Yes, I am ready to talk.’ To say it for yourself…. To be able to just make a choice on your own, to be able to speak for yourself.”Meghan’s new comments appear to reiterate a frequent complaint of hers that she was denied her voice and agency when she was a member of the royal family.The new clip came as tensions between Meghan and Harry and Buckingham Palace boiled over into all-out war, with reports in the British media suggesting multiple witnesses were ready to come forward and give evidence to a hastily-announced inquiry into alleged bullying by Meghan of her staff at Buckingham Palace.Meghan’s friends responded to the bullying claims by launching a social media fightback against Buckingham Palace today calling her a “warm, kind, caring person.”In a previous clip Meghan accused the palace of “perpetuating falsehoods” about them.An emotional Meghan said: “I don’t know how they could expect that after all of this time we would still just be silent if there is an active role that The Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
Social media has exposed long-standing hatred — and helped Asian Americans organize against it.
The FBI on Thursday arrested former State Department aide Federico Klein, a Trump appointee who worked on the former president's 2016 campaign, on charges related to the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, according to a court filing.Why it matters: The 42-year-old Klein is the first member of the Trump administration to be arrested in connection with the insurrection, which led to the former president's second impeachment and charges against over 300 people.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeDetails: Prior to resigning from the State Department on Jan. 19, Klein — whose arrest was first reported by Politico — worked in the Office of Brazilian and Southern Cone Affairs and possessed a "Top Secret" security clearance that was renewed in 2019, according to the FBI affidavit.Surveillance video from Jan. 6 allegedly captured Klein attempting to enter a Capitol tunnel with a mob of rioters. Police body cameras showed that Klein "physically and verbally engaged with the officers holding the line, thereby affecting their ability to disperse the crowd," according to the affidavit.Body camera and open-source footage captured Klein violently shoving a riot shield taken from an officer and "inciting the mob" — including by calling for "fresh people" at the front of the crowd — in his attempts to breach the police line.The bottom line: Klein was arrested on charges that include unlawful entry, violent and disorderly conduct, obstructing Congress and law enforcement, and assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon.Read the full affidavit. Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.
The one-tonne robot wiggles its wheels before rolling forwards across Jezero Crater's dusty terrain.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, who served as a House manager in Donald Trump’s last impeachment, filed a lawsuit Friday against the former president, his son, lawyer and a Republican congressman whose actions he charges led to January’s insurrection. The California Democrat’s suit was filed Friday in federal court in Washington. It alleges a conspiracy to violate civil rights, along with negligence, inciting a riot and inflicting emotional distress.
Trump was accused of sexual misconduct by at least 25 women and faced few calls to resign. Why, then, is there so much pressure on Cuomo to leave?