Abu Dhabi-backed group ends bid to take over Telegraph newspaper
The move comes after the UK said it would bring forward legislation to block such state-backed takeover deals in media. An Abu Dhabi-backed group planning to take over Britain’s Telegraph Media Group (TMG) has said it will withdraw after the UK government moved to block the deal. RedBird IMI, a joint venture between US firm RedBird Capital and Abu Dhabi’s International Media Investments, struck a 1.2 billion-pound ($1.5bn) deal with TMG’s previous owners, the Barclay family, in November. The agreement, which has faced opposition over its potential impact on free speech given Abu Dhabi’s press freedom record, saw RedBird IMI pay off bank debts in exchange for control of the media group. However, last month the United Kingdom’s government said it would bring forward legislation to block such state-backed takeover deals in the industry, while Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer also considered a full regulatory probe. The regulatory hurdles appear to have prompted RedBird IMI to now abandon the endeavour to own and control TMG, which also includes The Spectator magazine. “RedBird IMI has today confirmed that it intends to withdraw from its proposed acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group and proceed with a sale,” it said in a statement on Tuesday. “We continue to believe this approach would have benefited the Telegraph and Spectator’s readers, their journalists and the UK media landscape more widely. “Regrettably, it is clear this approach is no longer feasible.” RedBird IMI said it now plans to bring certainty to employees and readers of the publications by seeking new owners for the titles. It said the titles “remain highly attractive” to potential suitors, with speculation they could be sold separately or as a package. ‘Cornerstone’ Frazer said she had acted to “ensure that media freedom was protected while there was an investigation into those concerns”. “I will now allow the parties to conduct an orderly transition and I will monitor the outcome with a view to taking any further regulatory action as required,” she added. “The free press is a cornerstone of our democracy, and we cannot take it for granted.” Frazer noted the government would continue to intervene “where necessary to protect the integrity and independence of these publications, given the unique role they play in our democracy”. RedBird IMI’s original ownership plans sparked an uproar in some British media circles, including among some lawmakers in the ruling Conservative Party. It has long enjoyed a close ideological relationship with the right-leaning Telegraph titles. The Spectator – once edited by former Tory prime minister and Brexit figurehead Boris Johnson – is widely considered the “Tory bible”. Redbird IMI is majority-owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vice president of the United Arab Emirates and owner of Manchester City Football Club. It is run by former CNN president Jeff Zucker. Adblock test (Why?)
ICJ rejects Nicaragua’s request to halt German arms sales to Israel
NewsFeed The UN’s top court has thrown out Nicaragua’s request to halt German arms sales to Israel. In its ruling the ICJ said the circumstances, as they present themselves now, do not require the exercise of power. However, the court said it remains “deeply concerned about the catastrophic living conditions” in Gaza and reminded all countries they have an obligation to abide by international law. Published On 30 Apr 202430 Apr 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
UN chief calls for independent probe into Gaza mass graves
Antonio Guterres says it is ‘imperative’ that independent investigators are allowed the immediate access to mass graves in Gaza to determine the circumstances behind the deaths. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has demanded an independent investigation into reports by Palestinian authorities of mass graves discovered in Gaza after bodies with hands tied or medical tubes attached to them were found in multiple sites, including two hospitals. “It is imperative that independent international investigators with forensic expertise are allowed the immediate access to the sites of these mass graves to establish the precise circumstances under which the Palestinians lost their lives and were buried or reburied,” Guterres said on Tuesday. The UN secretary-general also urged Israel against invading southern Gaza’s city of Rafah, the last refuge for more than 1.4 million Palestinians, after the Israeli prime minister said an offensive would go forward regardless of the outcome of truce talks with Hamas. A military assault on Rafah would “be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee,” he told reporters. He added that while there has been “incremental progress” towards averting “an entirely preventable, human-made famine” in northern Gaza, much more is urgently needed, including for Israel to follow through on its promise to open “two crossing points between Israel and northern Gaza, so that aid can be brought into Gaza from Ashdod port and Jordan”. He cited the lack of security for aid workers and civilians as the major obstacle to distributing aid across Gaza. “I again call on the Israeli authorities to allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid and humanitarian workers, including UNRWA, throughout Gaza,” he said. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told journalists on Tuesday that aid supplies into Gaza had improved in April, but listed a series of continuing difficulties including regular crossing closures “because they [Israel] are dumping released detainees or dumping sometimes bodies taken to Israel and back to the Gaza Strip.” Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the UN’s refugee agency for Palestinians, said that Israel had sent 225 bodies to Gaza in three containers since December that were then transported by the UN agency to local health authorities for burial, shutting the crossing temporarily. She did not have details of the circumstances of their deaths and said it was not UNRWA’s mandate to investigate. Palestinian authorities have previously said that Israel has returned bodies after confirming they were not hostages. They said they were trying to identify them and figure out where they were killed. Tensions are high between Israel and UNRWA, with the former accusing 19 UNRWA staff of involvement in the October 7 Hamas-led attack against Israel that killed at least 1,139 people, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on Israeli statistics. Israel’s allegations are being examined by UN investigators although a separate review found Israel has yet to provide evidence for accusations that hundreds of UNRWA staff are members of armed groups. More than 34,000 people have been killed in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 7, according to Palestinian authorities. Adblock test (Why?)
House Republicans urge Biden to press ICC not to charge Netanyahu, Israeli officials with war crimes
FIRST ON FOX – Three House Republicans from New York wrote a letter Tuesday imploring the Biden administration to prevent the “sham prosecution” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli government officials by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., spearheaded the letter co-signed by House GOP Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Rep. Marcus Molinaro, R-N.Y. to President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken citing “incredible concerning reports” that the ICC plans to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and several senior officials within the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). “As the Israeli government continues its military operations in the Gaza Strip with the goal of wiping out the terrorist group Hamas, the United States must remain steadfast in its support of our greatest ally,” D’Esposito, Stefanik and Molinaro wrote. “You both must ensure that any error, like your abandonment of Israel at the United Nations Security Council in March 2024, is not repeated when dealing with these accusations.” Critics charged Biden with abandoning Israel and the hostages taken by Hamas amid the administration’s failure late last month to veto a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for a cease-fire, putting further strain on the administration’s relationship with America’s closest ally in the Middle East. “Any misguided attempt by the ICC to prosecute leaders of the Israeli government in the midst of that nation’s justified defensive war against Hamas terrorists would be extraordinarily troubling, and I am calling on President Biden and the entire administration to do everything possible to defend our Israeli allies and demand the ICC investigate the proponents of the Oct. 7 terror attack,” D’Esposito said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Tuesday’s letter notes that the ICC has never been recognized by any presidential administration and neither the United States nor Israel have ever been a part of the court empaneled in The Hague, Netherlands. “If the Court does decide to move forward with these sham prosecutions, based on accusations leveled by terrorist organizations and corrupt foreign governments,” the three Republicans from New York warned “there must be consequences” and called on the Biden administration to “consider the harshest punishments for those involved with this prosecution if they do move forward.” ISRAEL IS CONCERNED ICC COULD ISSUE ARREST WARRANTS AGAINST NETANYAHU, SENIOR OFFICIALS: REPORT “The leadership of our greatest ally stands falsely accused of war crimes, ranging from disproportionate force to deliberately starving the Palestinian civilians within the Gaza Strip,” the letter says. “These accusations cannot be further from the truth. The civilian casualty ratio reported during these ongoing operations in the Gaza Strip is one of the lowest in any instance of urban warfare. That remains true even if you believe the figures coming from the Gaza Health Ministry.” The lawmakers said Israel has attempted to allow “as much well-vetted humanitarian aid in as possible under the current security situation, accompanied by direct aid deliveries from the United States and our allies” and asserted “with attacks by terrorist groups within Gaza on the humanitarian aid pier being constructed by United States military personnel, the ICC should consider who really does not want aid reaching the civilian population.” “There must not be any false equivalencies made between Israel and the barbaric terrorist organizations like Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the other members of the Palestinian Joint Operations Room who directly targeted and massacred Israeli civilians on October 7th, 2023,” the letter says. “In its operations in the Gaza Strip, Israel has attempted to minimize civilian casualties. In their terrorist attacks in Israel, members of the Palestinian Joint Operations Room did everything possible to maximize civilian harm.” CRITICS CHARGE BIDEN WITH ABANDONING ISRAEL, HOSTAGES AMID GROWING TENSIONS WITH JEWISH STATE Esposito, Stefanik and Molinaro told the Biden administration that the United States “must continue to pressure the ICC to prevent any of these warrants being issued for members of the Israeli government.” READ THE LETTER – APP USERS, CLICK HERE: “The ICC’s time and resources would be much better spent prosecuting the leadership of terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, who sit in lavish apartment blocks in Qatar, far away from the conflict, whose members have been well documented engaging in war crimes on October 7th,” the letter says. “If they do decide to move forward with these arrest warrants, it is our hope that the administration will stand with our ally Israel, reject any attempts to execute these warrants, and enforce severe consequences on those engaged in this sham prosecution. We look forward to a prompt reply and immediate action.” The letter comes as Israeli officials grow increasingly concerned that the ICC could issue arrest warrants against them as the Jewish state continues its more than six-month-long war against Hamas. The ICC was established in 2002 as the permanent court of last resort to prosecute individuals responsible for the world’s most heinous atrocities — war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression. The U.N. General Assembly endorsed the ICC, but the court is independent. Without a police force, the ICC relies on member states to arrest suspects, which has proven to be a major obstacle to prosecutions, according to The Associated Press. Netanyahu said Friday on the social platform X that Israel “will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defense.” “While the ICC will not affect Israel’s actions, it would set a dangerous precedent,” he wrote. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said late Sunday that it had informed missions abroad of “rumors” that the court could order the arrest of senior Israeli political and military officials. Fox News’ Benjamin Weinthal and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
NY v. Trump: House Judiciary investigates Bragg prosecutor who held senior role in Biden DOJ
FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee is investigating a top prosecutor on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against former President Trump for his past work as a senior Justice Department official during the Biden administration. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is demanding that Attorney General Merrick Garland turn over records related to the employment of Bragg prosecutor Matthew Colangelo amid a “perception” of coordination. Colangelo delivered opening arguments for Bragg in the Trump trial alleging “a criminal conspiracy and a cover-up.” BRAGG ‘ALLOWED POLITICAL MOTIVATIONS’ TO ‘INFECT’ PROSECUTION OF TRUMP, HOUSE JUDICIARY GOP SAYS “The Committee on the Judiciary is conducting oversight of politically motivated prosecutions by state and local officials,” Jordan wrote in a letter to Garland, obtained by Fox News Digital. “Since last year, popularly elected prosecutors—who campaigned for office on the promise of prosecuting President Trump—engaged in an unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority: the indictment of a former President of the United States and current leading candidate for that office.” Jordan pointed to Bragg’s indictment of Trump, charging the former president with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts. His unprecedented and historic criminal trial is underway for its third week. A charge of falsifying business records typically is a misdemeanor, but Bragg must convince the jury that Trump allegedly falsified those records in the furtherance of “another crime.” Prosecutors suggest that other crime is a violation of New York State Law — to prevent or promote election. On its face, as a stand-alone offense, that charge is also typically a misdemeanor. Coupling the alleged falsification of business records with alleged prevention or promotion of election becomes a felony crime, according to Bragg. “New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg is engaged in one such politicized prosecution, which is being led in part by Matthew B. Colangelo, a former senior Justice Department official,” Jordan wrote. “Accordingly, given the perception that the Justice Department is assisting in Bragg’s politicized prosecution, we write to request information and documents related to Mr. Colangelo’s employment.” Jordan claims that Colangelo’s employment history “demonstrates his obsession with investigating a person rather than prosecuting a crime.” NY VS TRUMP: THE EVIDENCE PROSECUTORS CAN PRESENT IF FORMER PRESIDENT TESTIFIES Jordan pointed to Colangelo’s work at the New York Attorney General’s Office, where he ran investigations into Trump and led a “wave of state litigation against Trump administration policies.” Jordan said on the first day of the Biden Administration, Jan. 20, 2021, Colangelo began serving as an acting associate attorney general. Colangelo then became the Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General. Colangelo joined Bragg’s office in December 2022, after the resignations of Mark Pomerantz and Carey Dunne — prosecutors who were investigating Trump and resigned in protest of Bragg’s initial unwillingness to indict the former president. “Bragg hired Mr. Colangelo to ‘jump-start’ his office’s investigation of President Trump, reportedly due to Mr. Colangelo’s ‘history of taking on Donald J. Trump and his family business,” Jordan wrote. “Mr. Colangelo is now a lead prosecutor in President Trump’s trial.” NY PROSECUTORS REVEAL ‘ANOTHER CRIME’ TRUMP ALLEGEDLY TRIED TO CONCEAL WITH FALSIFIED BUSINESS RECORDS Jordan reminded Garland that Bragg’s prosecution of Trump “concerns federal subject matter identical to a matter that the Justice Department closed in 2018, raising concerns that a state-level prosecutor is seeking to relitigate an issue on which the federal government previously declined prosecution.” Bragg’s prosecution relies “heavily” on testimony of ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations, making false statements to Congress and tax evasion. He was sentenced to three years in prison. “In the years since, Cohen has been vocal about his deeply personal animus toward President Trump,” Jordan wrote. Jordan went on to demand documents and information about Colangelo’s work at the Justice Department related to Trump and Cohen. “As the Committee has previously explained, Bragg’s politicized prosecution of President Trump has serious consequences for federal interests,” Jordan wrote. “That a former senior Biden Justice Department official is now leading the prosecution of President Biden’s chief political rival only adds to the perception that the Biden Justice Department is politicized and weaponized.” TRUMP TRIAL: FORMER PRESIDENT ‘INNOCENT,’ DEFENSE SAYS AS DA ALLEGES ‘CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY’ Jordan requested documents from January 2021 through December 2022 between or among Colangelo and any employee of Bragg’s office, New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office, Fulton County, Ga. District Attorney Fani Willis’ office or the Justice Department’s special counsel office referring or relating to Trump, the Trump Organization, or any other entity owned by or associated with Trump. Trump has argued that the cases against him in all jurisdictions — Bragg’s; Special Counsel Jack Smith’s election interference charges; Smith’s classified records charges; and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ charges — have been brought against him for the purposes of election interference and in coordination with President Biden. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Trump also was hit with a now-slashed $454 million judgment out of a non-jury civil fraud trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit. He is appealing that ruling. Meanwhile, Jordan is requesting all personnel files related to Colangelo; all communications between the DOJ and Bragg’s office relating to the prosecution of Trump; all records relating to the conviction of Cohen at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York. Jordan requested Garland produce the records by May 14. The investigation into Colangelo comes just days after the Jordan and Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee released their 300-page report saying Bragg “allowed political motivations and animus to infect its prosecutorial discretion.”
Obama-connected professor who led radical group that bombed US speaks at anti-Israel encampment
A retired professor with connections to former President Barack Obama and a history of involvement in far-left militant activism spoke at an anti-Israel encampment at the University of Chicago. An anti-Israel encampment formed on the Main Quadrangle or “Quad” of the University of Chicago Monday was visited by Bill Ayers roughly seven hours into the demonstration, according to reporting from the Chicago Maroon and the Hyde Park Herald. Ayers, listed on the University of Chicago’s website as a creative writing lecturer in the school’s Division of the Humanities, is best known for his co-founding of the far-left Weather Underground, a militant organization classified as a Domestic terrorist organization by the FBI that operated throughout the 1960s and ’70s and sought to overthrow the U.S. government. UNIVERSITIES CRACK DOWN ON ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS AS PROTESTERS CALL FOR ‘AMNESTY’ Ayers was hunted by the FBI for his alleged involvement in the 1970 bombing of the New York City Police Department headquarters, 1971 bombing of the United States Capitol building and the 1972 bombing of the Pentagon. The bombings caused no fatalities aside from three members of the group that were accidentally killed in one of the blasts, while charges against Ayers were later dropped due to the alleged illegal tactics the FBI used to pursue him. When asked over the years about the bombings, Ayers has defended them. The retired professor’s relationship with former President Barack Obama became a controversial element of Obama’s 2008 campaign after reports circulated that the then-candidate was a guest at Ayers’ home in 1995. The former president and Ayers also had overlapping service on the board of directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago between 1999 and 2002, though allegations of a close relationship between the two were disputed by Obama as well as several media outlets. ANTISEMITIC RIOT AT COLUMBIA REACHES BOILING POINT AS AGITATORS TAKE OVER ACADEMIC BUILDING, BARRICADE DOORS Ayers did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. The encampment at the University of Chicago was part of a wave of anti-Israel protests that have swept across U.S. campuses over the last week. Schools have been attempting to crack down on the demonstrations, including reports of law enforcement involvement in clearing the camps at Columbia, Harvard and Yale. Administrators at Columbia began suspending students who refused to abandon the encampments on Monday, resulting in a riot inside an academic building used by the dean and other top university officials.
Major GOP donor reveals how Trump’s former rival can boost him over Biden
As he aims to close his fundraising gap with President Biden in their 2024 election rematch, former President Trump is likely to get an assist from his former top rival for the 2024 GOP nomination. “I am very happy to have the full and enthusiastic support of Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida,” Trump proclaimed in a social media post Monday. As a result of a meeting over the weekend between the two GOP leaders, expect to see top dollar Republican contributors from the formidable DeSantis donor network show up in the coming days at a major Trump world donor summit in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump called his Sunday morning breakfast with DeSantis at a Hollywood, Florida, golf course “a great meeting” that aimed to thaw relations between the one-time bitter rivals on the presidential primary campaign trail. BREAKING THE ICE: FORMER BITTER RIVALS TRUMP AND DESANTIS MEET FACE-TO-FACE “The conversation mostly concerned how we would work closely together to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump detailed. The meeting appears to be the first time DeSantis and Trump have spoken, let alone met in person, since the governor ended his White House bid in January after a disappointing second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses that was far behind Trump. NEW POLL REVEALS WHICH PARTY IS MORE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT A TRUMP-BIDEN REMATCH The former president and his allies spent nearly a year repeatedly attacking DeSantis, who was viewed as the top threat to Trump in a presidential nomination field that last summer grew to over a dozen GOP White House contenders. DeSantis endorsed Trump as he suspended his presidential campaign just two days ahead of the New Hampshire primary. But, to date, DeSantis hasn’t campaigned on Trump’s behalf. During a February call with supporters, the governor took aim at Trump and his top political advisers. “I think he’s got people in his inner circle who were part of our orbit years ago that we fired, and I think some of that is they just have an ax to grind,” DeSantis said at the time. In response, top Trump campaign aide Chris LaCivita called DeSantis a “sad little man.” TRUMP AIMS TO LEVEL FUNDRAISING PLAYING FIELD WITH BIDEN – WITH HELP FROM TOP GOP DONORS While many on Trump’s team and his wider political orbit detest DeSantis, the former president may be more forgiving if it benefits him. In his read-out of their meeting, Trump said “I greatly appreciate Ron’s support” and appeared to praise the two-term conservative governor’s performance steering the Sunshine State, noting that “also discussed was the future of Florida, which is FANTASTIC!” While DeSantis was unsuccessful in dethroning Trump for the Republican nomination, he has been successful in assembling a wide network of wealthy donors who helped fund his convincing 2022 gubernatorial re-election and his 2024 White House bid. DeSantis said at a recent donor retreat with his contributors that he would raise money for the entire Republican field, from Trump to school board races, sources confirmed to Fox News. “He’s going to fulfill his pledge to help the party,” said Dan Eberhart, an oil drilling CEO and a prominent Republican donor and bundler who raised big bucks for Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign but who backed DeSantis in the 2024 nomination race. Eberhart, who is back supporting Trump and attended a major fundraiser earlier this month for the former president, said DeSantis is “absolutely still a formidable machine. Who in the party has raised more money than DeSantis except for Trump? “I absolutely think Gov. DeSantis can help put together some decent money for Trump, and Trump needs the money.” According to sources in Trump’s political orbit, the meeting between the former president and the Florida governor was proposed by DeSantis and his allies a couple of weeks ago and was orchestrated by Steve Witkoff, a Florida real estate broker Trump referred to as a “mutual friend.” Those familiar with the meeting told Fox News that Trump and DeSantis met for a couple of hours at Witkoff’s Shell Bay golf club “and ended with Gov. DeSantis committing to do whatever would be helpful.” While the meeting between Trump and DeSantis will likely pay short-term dividends for the former president as his general election showdown with Biden heats up, it may also benefit DeSantis down the road. DeSantis enjoyed nationwide support among conservatives as the Florida governor highlighted his battles the past couple of years against what he called “woke” culture in politics, business and education. But his brand took a major hit after the onslaught from Trump, which resulted in the governor dropping his White House bid. As DeSantis eyes his political future after his term-limited tenure as Florida governor comes to a close, which potentially may include another presidential run, sources in his political orbit say it would be difficult for him to succeed if he continued to have strained relations with Trump. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub
Biden admin will move to reclassify marijuana as ‘less dangerous drug’ in historic shift: AP
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced on Tuesday that it will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, The Associated Press has learned. The planned move by the Biden administration comes during an election year. This proposal, if passed, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use. The Associated Press contributed to this report. This is a breaking story. Check back for more details.
Biden admin will move to reclassify marijuana as ‘less dangerous drug’ in historic shift
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration announced on Tuesday that it will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, Fox News has confirmed. The planned move by the Biden administration comes during an election year. This proposal, if passed, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use. FETTERMAN HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR ‘SAFE, PURE, TAXED’ MARIJUANA IN 4/20 PUSH TO LEGALIZE WEED “Attorney General Garland is submitting a new rule to OMB as soon as today which would reclassify marijuana,” a Biden administration official told Fox New. The Department of Justice has declined to comment. The rule change means marijuana would no longer be a Schedule I restricted substance. However, it’s unclear at this point whether the new rule will classify marijuana as a Schedule II or III substance. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will start the rulemaking process, which could take months to complete. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., made his case for marijuana legalization earlier this month, emphasizing that safety is heightened when marijuana is regulated. “It needs to be safe, pure, taxed and available,” Fetterman previously told Fox News Digital, explaining that illegally purchased versions of the drug are difficult to trace and could be cut with dangerous substances, such as fentanyl. He has also lobbied Biden to deschedule marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), under which the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) currently lists it as schedule I. This schedule includes drugs “with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Marijuana is included in the list of schedule I substances, alongside heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ecstasy, and peyote, among others. CANNABIS SEIZURES AT CHECKPOINTS BY US-MEXICO BORDER FRUSTRATE STATE-AUTHORIZED POT INDUSTRY As the drug schedule changes – Schedule II, Schedule III, etc., so does the abuse potential – Schedule V drugs represent the least potential for abuse. Schedule III drugs have a lower misuse potential than I and II, according to CSA. Drugs in this category may cause physical dependence but more commonly lead to psychological dependence. Drugs in this category also require a prescription and all CSA record-keeping requirements would apply. However, this does not mean it is legal to sell without a Medical License and a DEA registration. It is the same as filling a prescription at a pharmacy. THESE ARE THE TOP HEALTH RISKS OF MARIJUANA USE, ESPECIALLY SMOKING CANNABIS According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, marijuana in small amounts has been made legal for recreational use by adults in 24 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and two U.S. territories. “Any adult should be allowed to do that legally without any criminal … blowback,” the Pennsylania senator said. Fetterman stressed he doesn’t believe “anyone [should] have their lives impacted criminally for a nonviolent marijuana charge.” “Republicans want legal weed. Democrats want legal weed,” Fetterman said. “And I think this is a [place] where we could come together in a bipartisan way to say, ‘Look, let’s do this and just get on with it.’” Marijuana is the most commonly used federally illegal drug in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with an estimated 48.2 million users nationwide in 2019, which has only increased since then, with states continuing to legalize recreational and medical cannabis use. Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson and Kyle Schmidbauer, Fox News’ Jake Gibson, David Spunt and Patrick Ward, as well as The Associated Press contributed to this report.
GOP lawmakers say MTG’s push to oust Johnson falling flat among voters
Members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus and their allies are signaling that the push by some GOP rebels to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is not gaining traction within the Republican base. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has for weeks insisted that the GOP voter base is infuriated with Johnson and is behind her push for his removal. But her resolution, known as a motion to vacate, has sat untouched for nearly 40 days. And after a week-long recess, even Johnson’s conservative critics returned to Washington on Monday saying they heard little to none from their constituents about the matter. “I think the GOP base wants Republicans to live up to what they ran on,” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. “Look, if you could go down any street in America and say, ‘What’s your top 10 priorities?’ Would [motion to vacate] come up? No. Will what they’re paying? Yes.” TENSIONS ERUPT ON HOUSE FLOOR AS CONSERVATIVES CONFRONT JOHNSON ON $95B FOREIGN AID PLAN Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., conceded that all lawmakers had to answer to their individual districts, but when speaking for his own, said voters were far more concerned about the border than about House GOP party politics. “You’ve got terrorists on known watch-lists coming from the north and south borders. And meanwhile, we’re talking about inner squabbling,” Mills said. “I’m sorry, but like, my constituents are less concerned about who’s sitting as speaker right now and are more concerned about securing the border and being able to afford how to live.” Another conservative Freedom Caucus ally, Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, similarly said he heard little from Republicans in his Texas district on the motion to vacate. 3RD REPUBLICAN CALLS FOR SPEAKER JOHNSON’S OUSTER OVER $95B FOREIGN AID PLAN “I don’t think the average citizen…is concerned about who the Speaker of the House is. They’re concerned about what I’m doing, and they’re concerned about the nation as a whole, but the speaker doesn’t impact them day to day,” Self said. “There are people who are very energized about it, don’t get me wrong, but the bulk are not.” One GOP lawmaker granted anonymity to speak freely said their constituents outright rejected Greene’s effort when they spoke with them back home. “Nobody is pushing it except [Greene],” the GOP lawmaker said. “At home, no one wants it.” House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Josh Brecheen, R-Okla., suggested that toppling Johnson could lead to a worse result for the GOP in the end. “I think what the base wants is just the opportunity for the things that we all believe in to start coming to fruition. That’s what the base cares about,” he said. “When you have the makeup of our conference like we do, I don’t know how we come out of a motion to vacate with a more conservative solution.” Greene filed her resolution in late March in protest of Johnson’s bipartisan work on government spending and foreign aid. Her resolution earned two co-sponsors in Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., after the House passed a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine earlier this month, but for the most part, it has fallen flat within the GOP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE CALLS JOHNSON’S FOREIGN AID PACKAGE HIS ‘3RD BETRAYAL’ OF AMERICAN PEOPLE Even Johnson’s critics in the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus have distanced themselves from the push to oust Johnson, signaling little appetite for the three weeks of chaos that followed the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., last fall. Greene told Steve Bannon on his “War Room” podcast last week that Johnson “betrayed” Republican voters and suggested they were as angry – if not angrier – than when former President Trump lost re-election. “This is different,” she said. “They’re angry on a whole other level. And here’s what really worries me. They’re done with Republican leadership like Mike Johnson, who totally sold us out to the Democrats.” Trump spoke out in support of Johnson last week. Fox News Digital reached out to Greene’s office for comment.