Recreational marijuana could be available for sale in Ohio by mid-June. That's after new rules creating a dual licensing system that will allow medical marijuana dispensaries to also sell non-medical cannabis cleared a key legislative hurdle Monday. Adult-use sales have been in limbo in the state since December, when an initiated statute approved by voters went into effect. Ohioans over 21 were immediately able to legally grow and possess cannabis at home, but they had nowhere to legally buy it.... Читать дальше...
Federal energy regulators have approved a rule to expand the amount of renewable energy such as wind and solar power that is transmitted to the electric grid. Transmission of clean energy is a key part of President Joe Biden’s goal to eliminate carbon emissions economy-wide by 2050. Monday's rule approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is intended to boost the nation’s aging power grid to meet surging demand fueled by huge data centers, electrification of vehicles and buildings, artificial intelligence and other uses. Читать дальше...
Impassioned supporters and opponents of a far-reaching Equal Rights Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution flocked to the State Capitol ahead of crucial votes aimed at putting it on the 2026 ballot. Democrats have the numbers in both chambers to put it on the 2026 ballot. If voters then agree, the amendment would guarantee some of the nation's broadest protections of abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. Dozens of green-clad ERA supporters held signs and sang outside the House chamber ahead of a Monday floor... Читать дальше...
At the apartment door where a Florida deputy shot and killed Senior Airman Roger Fortson, a small shrine is growing with the tributes from an Air Force unit grappling with his loss. There is a long wooden plank, anchored by two sets of aviator wings, and a black marker for mourners to leave their remembrances of the 23-year-old. Sitting at the door are an open Stella Artois beer, bouquets of flowers, combat boots and an American flag. As the unit took Monday to grieve and prepare for Fortson's funeral later this week... Читать дальше...
President Joe Biden has issued an order blocking a Chinese-backed cryptocurrency mining firm from owning land near a Wyoming nuclear missile base. The order forces the divestment of property operated as a crypto mining facility near the Francis E. Warren Air Force Base. It also forces the removal of certain equipment owned by MineOne Partners Ltd., a firm that is partly owned by the Chinese state. The move was made in coordination with the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.
Smoke from Canadian wildfires has prompted health warnings across the Upper Midwest for a second straight year. Smoke from fires burning in British Columbia and Alberta have settled over parts of Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued its first statewide air quality alert of the season. Wisconsin also warned of unhealthy air pollution levels until noon on Monday. The National Weather Service said smoke could reach as far south as Iowa and Chicago by late Tuesday. Читать дальше...
Melinda French Gates announced Monday that she will step down as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She helped found the foundation more than 20 years ago with her ex-husband Bill Gates. It's now one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the world. In a post on X, French Gates wrote, “This is not a decision I came to lightly.” Bill Gates thanked French Gates for her “critical” contributions to the foundations in a statement, saying, “I am sorry to see her leave." French Gates... Читать дальше...
The leaders of Greece and Turkey have met for talks that were supposed to underline their efforts to put aside decades-old disputes but also revealed deep divisions between them. Speaking at a Monday news conference in Ankara following the two-hour face-to-face summit, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan jumped on comments by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in which he described Hamas as a terrorist organization. “I do not see Hamas as a terror group, ” Erdogan said. The NATO allies have... Читать дальше...
Microsoft has announced its most substantial commitment yet to France. The company pledged on Monday to invest 4 billion euros or $4.3 billion this year to bolster the country’s burgeoning artificial intelligence sector. This move is part of a broader effort unveiled during President Emmanuel Macron’s pro-business Choose France event. The summit aims to attract foreign investments and stimulate economic growth. Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith visited the company’s French headquarters with Macron. Читать дальше...
Sen. Bob Menendez has arrived at a Manhattan courthouse for the start of his trial on charges that he accepted bribes of gold and cash to use his influence to aid three New Jersey businessmen. The 70-year-old Democrat was dropped off at Manhattan federal court with his lawyers at 8:15 a.m. Monday prior to the start of jury selection. He's a defendant with two of the businessmen. A third is cooperating and has agreed to testify at a trial slated to last up to two months. Menendez has pleaded not guilty to charges including bribery... Читать дальше...
The man at the center of the pandemic meme stock craze returned to the social platform X for the first time in three years and sent prices of those stocks surging overnight. Keith Gill, better known as “Roaring Kitty,” posted an image on Sunday of a man sitting forward in his chair, a meme used by gamers when things are getting serious. GameStop, which Gill turned into a hot stock after pitching the company on Reddit, is a video game retailer that in 2021 was struggling as consumers switched rapidly from discs to digital downloads. Читать дальше...
The sharp interest rate hikes of the past two years will likely take longer than previously expected to bring down inflation, several Federal Reserve officials have said in recent comments, suggesting there may be few, if any, rate cuts this year. A major concern expressed by both Fed policymakers and some economists is that higher borrowing costs aren’t having as much of an impact as economics textbooks would suggest. Americans, for example, aren’t spending much more of their incomes on interest than they were a few years ago... Читать дальше...
A tiny, low-priced electric car called the Seagull has American automakers and politicians trembling. The car, launched last year by Chinese automaker BYD, sells for around $12,000 in China. But it drives well and is put together with craftsmanship that rivals U.S.-made electric vehicles that cost three times as much. Tariffs on imported Chinese vehicles probably will keep the Seagull away from America’s shores for now. But the rapid emergence of low-priced EVs from China could shake up the global... Читать дальше...
Artificial intelligence voice-cloning technology carries so many risks of harmful impersonation that major technology companies are wary of letting people use it. But a team of Rhode Island doctors and their 21-year-old patient found that it can also hold tremendous benefits. Alexis Bogan felt she lost a part of her identity last year when she emerged from brain surgery unable to speak fluently. So doctors working with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI created a synthetic version of her old voice based on a 15-second video clip she recorded in high school. Читать дальше...
World stocks are mixed after Wall Street coasted to the close of another winning week. U.S. futures and oil prices were higher. Mainland Chinese markets fell following reports that the Biden administration is planning to raise tariffs on electric vehicles, semiconductors, solar equipment, and medical supplies imported from China. Data released over the weekend showed persisting weakness in Chinese lending. This week will bring updates on the Japanese economy and on U.S. inflation. On Friday, the... Читать дальше...
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump’s hush money trial is set to take the stand with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president. Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer, is by far the most important witness in the case. And his expected appearance in court on Monday signals that the trial is entering its final stretch. Prosecutors say they may wrap up their presentation of evidence by the end of the week. Defense lawyers... Читать дальше...
An Australian judge has lifted a ban on the social media platform X showing Australians a video of a bishop being stabbed in a Sydney church. The temporary ban was put in place on April 22, but the judge rejected the application from Australia’s eSafety Commission to extend the court order that would have expired Monday. The decision was a win for the company rebranded by Elon Musk when he bought Twitter last year. X was alone among social media platforms in refusing to remove video of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel being stabbed. Читать дальше...
The long-haul carrier Emirates says it saw record profits of $4.7 billion in 2023 as the airline fully took flight after the turbulent years of the coronavirus pandemic disrupted its operations. Emirates, owned by Dubai’s government, announced on Monday revenues of $33 billion, compared to $29.3 billion the year before. Profit the year prior had been $2.9 billion. The airline carried 51.9 million passengers in its 2023 financial year, as compared to 43.6 million the year prior. The Emirates’ results track with those for its base... Читать дальше...
Despite pro-Palestinian protests roiling some U.S. college campuses this spring, graduation ceremonies are going off largely peacefully so far. Only about 30 students at Duke University stood up against comedian and pro-Israel entertainer Jerry Seinfeld, who received an honorary doctorate Sunday. The vast majority of the 7,000 students there took no overt action as the crowd let out a mix of cheers and boos. At Emerson College in Boston, some students took off their graduation robes and left them on stage. Читать дальше...
The vast majority of the 7,000 students there took no overt action as the crowd let out a mix of cheers and boos.
The largest labor union in Nevada has ended a planned 48-hour strike meant to pressure Virgin Hotels Las Vegas to agree to a five-year contract on wages and benefits. It's hoping talks set to resume Tuesday will lead to a new five-year contract with Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. More than 700 workers with Culinary Union Local 226 walked off the job at the 1,500-room hotel-casino near the Las Vegas Strip early Friday and ended the strike early Sunday. Guest room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters... Читать дальше...
Workers at the first Apple Store to unionize have now also authorized a first strike against the tech giant’s retail operations. A statement from the union representing the workers at a store in Towson, Maryland says they voted late Saturday to authorize a strike. No date was set for the strike. The vote follows what the union called “over a year of negotiations with Apple management that yielded unsatisfactory outcomes.” The workers are seeking changes in what they call unpredictable scheduling... Читать дальше...
