Senate Democrats to introduce pot decriminalization bill against odds
Senate Democrats introduced a bill Thursday that would federally decriminalize, regulate and impose taxes on cannabis products.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey and Ron Wyden of Oregon, the sponsors, revised the measure, which faces significant obstacles in the chamber, after circulating a draft version last year and receiving feedback from Senate committees.
Schumer said Thursday that views on legalizing cannabis have changed dramatically and about 90% of Americans live in a state that has legalized it. “It is time that Congress catches up with the rest of the country,” he said on the floor.
The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act would remove marijuana from the list of drugs covered by the Controlled Substances Act and eliminate federal prohibitions in states that have legalized it for individuals age 21 and older. However, states would retain control over whether production and distribution are allowed.
—Bloomberg News
Dramatic NASA photos reveal Lake Mead water levels at lowest point since 1937
LOS ANGELES — Recent satellite images from NASA show the dramatic water loss that has occurred over the last 22 years at drought-stricken Lake Mead, the nation’s largest reservoir and a lifeline for California, neighboring states and Mexico.
The images show how a deep blue strand of water snaking through the Nevada desert in August 2000 has drastically receded and narrowed amid the parched landscape by July of this year. Lake Mead and much of the Colorado River Basin are in the midst of a 22-year drought.
Water levels at Lake Mead — formed by the Hoover Dam — are at their lowest levels since 1937, when the reservoir was still being filled. As of July 18, the lake was at 27% capacity, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Lake Mead serves approximately 25 million people in the West, including California, Arizona, Nevada, tribal lands and northern Mexico. Approximately 74% of nine Western states are experiencing some form of drought, with 35% seeing “extreme drought,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
—Los Angeles Times
Amber Heard files to appeal defamation verdict in Johnny Depp trial
Amber Heard plans to ask a Virginia court to throw out a jury’s verdict against her in Johnny Depp’s defamation lawsuit over domestic violence allegations.
The “Aquaman” actress filed a notice to appeal Thursday, a week after a judge refused to grant her a new trial, according to online records from the Virginia Court of Appeals.
“We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment. We are therefore appealing the verdict,” a spokesperson for Heard told the Daily News in a statement. “While we realize today’s filing will ignite the Twitter bonfires, there are steps we need to take to ensure both fairness and justice.”
Last month, the 36-year-old Heard was ordered to pay her ex-husband more than $10 million in compensatory damages after a jury decided that she defamed him when she referred to herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse” in a Washington Post op-ed that did not name him.
—New York Daily News
New Italian elections triggered as president dissolves parliament
ROME — Italian President Sergio Mattarella signed a decree dissolving parliament, clearing the way for new elections in Italy in the wake of Prime Minister Mario Draghi's resignation.
"The dissolution of the parliamentary chamber is always the last choice," Mattarella said, noting that the political situation led to the move.
Election day was set as Sept. 25 at a meeting of the Council of Ministers in Rome, ANSA and Adnkronos news agencies reported, citing participants. Elections should have taken place in the spring of 2023.
The people of Italy face an unsettled election campaign period in the middle of the holiday season and as the country battles a severe drought, energy supply worries, high inflation and uncertainty caused by the Ukraine war.
Coalition negotiations could drag on depending on the outcome of the election. According to experts, there might not be a new government until November.
—dpa
