The Daily Populous

House passes bill to federally decriminalize marijuana

(CNN) The House has voted with a slim bipartisan majority to federally decriminalize marijuana.

The vote was 220 to 204.

Republicans Tom McClintock of California, Brian Mast and Matt Gaetz, both of Florida, joined the majority of Democrats in supporting the bill, while Democrats Henry Cuellar of Texas and Chris Pappas of New Hampshire voted against.

The bill, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, will prevent federal agencies from denying federal workers security clearances for cannabis use, and will allow the Veterans' Administration to recommend medical marijuana to veterans living with posttraumatic stress disorder, plus gains revenue by authorizing a sales tax on marijuana sales.

The bill also expunges the record of people convicted of non-violent cannabis offenses, which House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said, "can haunt people of color and impact the trajectory of their lives and career indefinitely.".

"It can result in difficulty finding employment, difficulty finding housing, denial of access of federal benefits, denial of financial aid at colleges and universities, and denial of the right to vote," Hoyer said.

"That's why we're dealing with this.". »

Overwhelming majority disapproves of job Congress is doing: Gallup

Authored by thehill.com

More than three-fourths of Americans say they disapprove of the job that Congress is doing, while only 21 percent approve of the legislators’ work, according to a new poll by Gallup.

Gallup notes that Democratic respondents are likely frustrated by legislative delays in social, infrastructure and voting rights bills despite the party holding majorities in both chambers of Congress, notes Gallup.

Congressional approval is even lower among independent voters and Republicans, as independents give Congress an 18 percent approval rating and Republicans only an 8 percent approval, reports Gallup. »

Ivermectin worthless against COVID in largest clinical trial to date

Authored by arstechnica.com

The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial was primarily designed to test if ivermectin could reduce the need for hospitalization among 1,358 COVID-19 patients at high risk of severe disease.

Ivermectin did not, according to the international team of researchers behind the trial, dubbed TOGETHER.

Ivermectin worthless against COVID in largest clinical trial to date. »

U.S. Tells India There Will Be 'Consequences' for Dodging Russia Sanctions

Authored by newsweek.com

India, one of Russia's main Cold War partners, is working with Moscow on a payment solution to work around Western sanctions.

The newswire reported on February 25 that India was exploring setting up rupee trade accounts with Russia to be able to continue trading with the country and avert Western sanctions.

Bloomberg reported on Thursday that Russia is offering India huge discounts to directly purchase oil at pre-war prices. »

A Country of Their Own

Authored by foreignaffairs.com

That is why it is all the more important for liberals not to give up on the idea of the nation.

They should recognize that in truth, nothing makes the universalism of liberalism incompatible with a world of nation-states.

The theory behind liberalism has great difficulties drawing clear boundaries around communities and explaining what is owed to people inside and outside those boundaries. »