"As Venezuela’s economy sinks deeper into depression with a fourth consecutive year of recession to go along with hyperinflation, some ruling socialist party members are raising their voices to call for reforms."
"Around seven million people are living on the brink of famine and four million have no access to clean water. Save the Children estimates that even before the blockade began around 130 children were dying each day and that more than 50,000 will have died by the end of 2017. The Saudi-led military coalition has also been bombing the Houthis for more than two years in support of the internationally-recognised Yemeni government, but there is no end in sight to the fighting. Both the US and UK have supported the Saudi-led coalition with logistics and intelligence, despite accusations that the coalition was guilty of war crimes for bombing civilian targets."
"When presented with a list of expenditure categories, and polled about which should be the single top priority for budgetary cuts by Congress, 'US military actions in the Middle East' was far and away their top choice. But most Americans probably have little idea how enormous those costs truly are."
"In 2016, Alwaleed bin Talal, an influential Saudi prince called for an 'urgent' end to the ban, saying it is a matter not just of rights but economic necessity. He also detailed the 'economic costs' of women having to rely on private drivers or taxis, since public transit is not a viable alternative in the kingdom. Using foreign drivers drains billions of dollars from the Saudi economy, Alwaleed said. He calculated that families spend an average of $1,000 a month on a driver, money that otherwise could help household income at a time when many are making do with less."
"Pennsylvania is in the midst of a budget crisis. Seeing New Jersey success is raising revenue from Internet gambling, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives suggested that to avoid a tax increase, they would follow suit. This week, after years of haggling, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a measure to make Pennsylvania the fourth state to legalize online gaming – a move that is projected to bring in $426.3 million in tax revenue from 2017 to 2022. Michigan is also considering making a move, and guess who the chief opponent is?"
"This cruel intervention was about more than just 'the man' prevailing over embattled minorities. It was designed to stop the race mixing that people associated with dance clubs."
"It fixes the 'backdoor search loophole,' which now allows warrantless searches of the NSA-collected contents of Americans’ communications. It extends broad oversight powers to an independent agency. It guarantees the end of a controversial type of data search (called “about” searches) that the NSA suspended earlier this year. It improves judicial oversight of the government’s surveillance regime. It provides better transparency and requires stricter reporting."
"The brief filed in regards to the Kettle Falls Five notes that 'This court determined that Rohrabacher-Farr prohibits the Department of Justice from spending funds for the prosecution of individuals who engaged in conduct permitted by the state medical marijuana laws and fully complied with the laws.'"
"MDMA, aka ecstasy, is emerging as one of the most promising treatments for intractable post-traumatic stress disorder."
"Many people didn't realize the tribe owned land in the area. The 31-acre plot is small, but there's nothing small about the built-from-scratch NuWu Cannabis Marketplace on Paiute Circle."