Hunter Biden's exes are called as witnesses in his federal gun trial to detail his drug use

Source: Associated Press

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Hunter Biden’s ex-wife and a former girlfriend testified Wednesday in his gun trial about finding his crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia as prosecutors sought to show he still had a substance abuse problem when he filled out a form to buy a firearm.

The courtroom grew quiet when Kathleen Buhle, who was married to Hunter for 20 years, walked in. She testified that she discovered her husband was using drugs when she found a crack pipe in an ashtray on their porch on July, 3, 2015, a day after their anniversary. When she confronted him, “he acknowledged smoking crack,” she said.

The trial has quickly become a highly personal and detailed tour of Hunter Biden’s mistakes and drug use. The proceedings are unfolding as the 2024 presidential election looms, and allies worry about the toll it will take on the president, who is deeply concerned about the health and sustained sobriety of his only living son. Prosecutors argue that the testimony is necessary to show Hunter Biden’s state of mind when he bought the gun.

Hunter Biden has been charged with three felonies stemming from the purchase of a gun in October 2018. He’s accused of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user and illegally having the gun for 11 days.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-trial-family-testimony-gun-charges-17e671d16f7b06b04b4e3b538f911d07

FDA panel rejects first MDMA treatment amid deep concerns about flawed trials

Source: NBC News

A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Tuesday declined to recommend the approval of MDMA as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, a major setback for advocates who have long pushed to include psychedelics in treating mental health disorders.

The two votes — one for the treatment’s efficacy and one for its safety, by the agency’s Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee — marked the first time that FDA advisers have considered a Schedule I psychedelic for medical use. If approved by the FDA, it would be the first new treatment for PTSD in more than two decades.

The votes reflected panel members’ struggle to balance the need for new PTSD treatments against serious concerns about the data submitted by drugmaker Lykos Pharmaceuticals, which was marred by inconsistencies, poor study design and allegations of misconduct.

“It sounds like MDMA has really impacted a number of people in positive ways, but it seems that there are so many problems with the data,” said Melissa Decker Barone, an adjunct assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna155325

India's Modi heading for reduced majority, early results suggest

Source: BBC

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's alliance is comfortably ahead in the general election vote count, but early results show it falling well short of the landslide exit polls predicted.

Mr Modi’s BJP-led alliance is leading in more than 290 of 543 seats up for grabs. The Congress and other allied opposition parties are on more than 220.

Many observers have been surprised by the strong opposition showing so far.

A slew of exit polls at the weekend showed the BJP-led NDA alliance on course for a super majority which would allow it to make changes to the constitution.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0vv93pz14zo?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bbbc.news.twitter%5D-%5Bheadline%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D&at_link_id=D238D982-2253-11EF-B992-EA271DB9FAF4&at_format=link&at_link_origin=BBCWorld&at_campaign_type=owned&at_link_type=web_link&at_ptr_name=twitter&at_campaign=Social_Flow&at_bbc_team=editorial&at_medium=social

West Virginia U.S. Senator Joe Manchin switches parties and registers as an Independent

Source: WTRF-TV

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has switched parties and registered as an Independent

Manchin released the following statement,”

“From my first day in public service in 1982, I have always focused on doing what’s best for my state and my country, without regard to party or politics. Throughout my days in elected office, I have always been proud of my commitment to common sense, bipartisanship and my desire to bring people together. It’s who I am. It’s who I will always be. I have never seen America through a partisan lens.”

“However, since becoming a United States Senator in 2010, I have seen both the Democrat and Republican parties leave West Virginia and our country behind for partisan extremism while jeopardizing our democracy. Today, our national politics are broken and neither party is willing to compromise to find common ground. To stay true to myself and remain committed to put country before party, I have decided to register as an independent with no party affiliation and continue to fight for America’s sensible majority,” said Manchin

Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wtrf.com/west-virginia/west-virginia-u-s-senator-joe-manchin-switches-parties-and-registers-as-an-independent/amp/

Protesting pro-Palestinian US college students have a new fan

Harvard board bars 13 pro-Palestine student protesters from graduating, overruling faculty

Source: The Hill

Harvard University’s governing board rejected an effort from faculty Wednesday to allow a group of 13 students sanctioned due to their participation in pro-Palestine protests to receive their degrees and graduate.

The Harvard Corporation veto of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) decision, which The Harvard Crimson described as “unprecedented,” underlines tensions between the university’s faculty and administration in the wake of mass pro-Palestine protests that have roiled college campuses this year.

FAS voted Monday to recommend that the 13 sanctioned students be allowed to receive degrees and graduate despite their disciplinary violations, going against a decision from the university’s administrative board last week. The corporation’s veto of that faculty vote again bars the students from graduating.

“Because the students included as the result of Monday’s amendment are not in good standing,” the corporation wrote in a statement, referring to the 13 students, “we cannot responsibly vote to award them degrees at this time.”

Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/homenews/education/4680598-harvard-board-bars-13-pro-palestine-student-protesters-from-graduating-overruling-faculty/amp/

All hail King Ludd!

Gov. Ron DeSantis signs bill to protect Florida’s cattle industry, stop lab grown meat

HARDEE COUNTY, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference Wednesday morning where he gave Hardee County officials a $6 million check to help build an industrial site in the region.

DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1084 at the Hardee County Cattleman’s Arena to ban the sale and manufacture of synthetic meat, which he denounced as “fake meat,” and also prevent local governments from regulating electric vehicle charging stations.

“Today, Florida is fighting back against the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals,” said DeSantis. “Our administration will continue to focus on investing in our local farmers and ranchers, and we will save our beef.”

More: https://www.local10.com/news/local/2024/05/01/gov-ron-desantis-holds-press-conference-with-department-of-agriculture-commish/

Biden Delays Ban on Menthol Cigarettes

Source: New York Times

The Biden administration said on Friday that it was delaying a decision on whether to ban menthol cigarettes as federal officials take more time to consider the move.

The White House has faced considerable opposition from the big tobacco companies that could lose billions of dollars from the move. But the proposal has also posed risks for President Biden in an election year because of his weakening support among Black voters, some of whom view it as heavy-handed.

“This rule has garnered historic attention, and the public comment period has yielded an immense amount of feedback, including from various elements of the civil rights and criminal justice movement,” Xavier Becerra, the health and human services secretary, said in a statement.

“It’s clear that there are still more conversations to have, and that will take significantly more time.”



Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/26/health/menthol-cigarettes-ban-biden-fda.html

Florida man had no idea he was being deported to Haiti amid surge of gang violence

Source: NBC Miami

An Orlando man, who built a life for himself in Florida, is now stuck in Haiti.

Gerson Joseph was on the deportation flight last week that went from Louisiana to Miami to Haiti.

Joseph had no idea he was being sent out of the country.

“I have no idea what I’m going to do,” he said on a phone call from Haiti. “I barely sleep man, I am not going to lie to you, I barely sleep, I am moving from place to place.”

Read more: https://www-nbcmiami-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/orlando-man-deported-to-haiti-trying-to-get-back-home/3294474/?amp=1&amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQGsAEggAID#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17140522013959&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcmiami.com%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Forlando-man-deported-to-haiti-trying-to-get-back-home%2F3294474%2F

Guess where a lot of these campus protesters will be August 19-22?

This had the potential to mske 1968 look like a church picnic.