The Full Belmonte, 3/23/2023
Trump
“The grand jury that has been hearing evidence in the case pertaining to former President Donald Trump's alleged role in a scheme to pay hush money to an adult film star will reconvene today, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN. Expectations are high that New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, is getting ready to make a decision on a potential indictment against Trump any day now over a hush-money payment scheme to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Bragg has said little about the status of the probe or whether Trump will even be charged. As the investigation nears its final stages, sources say prosecutors are considering the historic nature of prosecuting a former president -- an unprecedented act. In another blow to Trump's legal team, one of his defense lawyers is scheduled to testify Friday in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents investigation after losing an appeal.” [CNN]
Trump's lawyer ordered to hand over documents in Mar-a-Lago probe
“A federal appeals court upheld an order Wednesday for the production of documents in a Justice Department investigation of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago, according to court records and news reports. Federal prosecutors are trying to force Donald Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran to testify about whether the former president misled him about the documents, which were seized under subpoena in June and during an FBI search in August, according to ABC News and Politico, based on anonymous sources.” Read more at USA Today
Supporters of former President Donald Trump protest near his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on March 21, 2023.
Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images
Fed hikes interest rate 0.25 point to curb inflation despite banking turmoil
“The Federal Reserve raised its key short-term interest rate by a quarter percentage point Wednesday, pushing ahead with its aggressive campaign to tame inflation despite financial turmoil following Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse. But acknowledging the crisis will constrain bank lending and weaken the economy and inflation, Fed officials are now forecasting just one more rate hike this year and even that move is uncertain. In a statement after a two-day meeting, the Fed acknowledged recent strains in the nation’s banks and said they will soften the economy but added the financial system is stable.” Read more at USA Today
Fed Chair Jerome Powell said "it's too soon to tell" how much the stricter bank lending will hobble the economy and tame inflation but said it could be more significant than expected and the Fed "may have less work to do."
Alex Wong, Getty Images
The government plans to overhaul the U.S. transplant system.
“Why? It’s had serious problems for years. Nearly 104,000 people are on the wait list, and 22 people die each day. Poor and minority patients are the most affected. Too many organs are wasted.
What’s the plan? To break up the monopoly of the organization that has managed it for the past 37 years, improve the system’s technology, and bring more oversight and transparency.” [Washington Post]
DeSantis to expand ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law to all grades
By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
DeSantis to expand ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law to all grades in Florida
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis′ administration is moving to forbid lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades, expanding the controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law.
“TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ′ administration is moving to forbid classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades, expanding the controversial law critics call ‘Don’t Say Gay’ as the Republican governor continues to focus on cultural issues ahead of his expected presidential run.
The proposal, which would not require legislative approval, is scheduled for a vote next month before the state Board of Education and has been put forward by the state Education Department, both of which are led by appointees of the governor.
The rule change would ban lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity from grades 4 to 12, unless required by existing state standards or as part of reproductive health instruction that students can choose not to take. The initial law that DeSantis championed last spring bans those lessons in kindergarten through the third grade. The change was first reported by the Orlando Sentinel.
DeSantis has leaned heavily into cultural divides on his path to an anticipated White House bid, with the Republican aggressively pursuing a conservative agenda that targets what he calls the insertion of inappropriate subjects in schools.
Spokespeople for the governor’s office and the Education Department did not immediately return an emailed request for comment.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the proposal saying ‘It’s wrong, it’s completely, utterly wrong.’ She called it ‘part of a disturbing and dangerous trend that we’re seeing across the nation’ of targeting LGBTQ people.
Last year’s Parental Rights in Education Act drew widespread backlash nationally, with critics saying it marginalizes LGBTQ people and their presence in society. President Joe Biden called it ‘hateful.’
DeSantis and other Republicans have repeatedly said the measure is reasonable and that parents, not teachers, should be broaching subjects of sexual orientation and gender identity with their children.
Critics of the law say its language — ‘classroom instruction,’ ‘age appropriate’ and ‘developmentally appropriate’ — is overly broad and subject to interpretation. Consequently, teachers might opt to avoid the subjects entirely for fear of being sued, they say.
The law also kicked off a feud between the state and Disney, one of the state’s largest employers and political donors, after the entertainment giant publicly opposed the law and said it was pausing political donations in the state.
At the governor’s request, the Republican-dominated Legislature voted to dissolve a self-governing district controlled by Walt Disney World over its properties in Florida, and eventually gave DeSantis control of the board. The move was widely seen as a punishment for the company opposing the law. The board oversees municipal services in Disney’s theme park properties and was instrumental in the company’s decision to build near Orlando in the 1960s.
Disney later this year will host a large conference on LGBTQ workplace representation with the group Out & Equal, continuing a longstanding relationship with the organization.
DeSantis has faced calls from at least one Republican presidential contender to go even further than the existing law, with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley last month saying the prohibition could be more stringent and extended into later grades.
The proposed rule change this year also signals the governor’s willingness to bypass even the compliant state legislature and instead leverage state boards in order to accomplish his high-profile political goals. Late last year, at DeSantis’ urging, state medical boards voted to ban children from receiving hormones or undergoing surgeries to treat gender dysphoria.
‘Everything he does is about what can further his own career ambitions,’ said Brandon Wolf, press secretary for the LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Florida. ‘And it’s clear he see the anti-LGBTQ movement as his vehicle to get him where he wants to go.’” Read more at AP News
President Joe Biden speaks during the White House Conservation in Action Summit in Washington, DC, on Tuesday.
Biden in Canada
“Later today, President Joe Biden will make his first visit to Canada since taking office to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and to address to the country's parliament, according to the White House. Traditionally, US presidents make a stop in the country's northern neighbor in the opening months after taking office. But Covid-19 restrictions and the war in Ukraine delayed Biden's first visit to Ottawa until more than two years into his term. The delay hasn't appeared to have dampened relations with Trudeau, a fellow liberal who is closely aligned with Biden on many policies. Still, there are some areas of disagreement on trade and immigration that will be hashed out during the visit, set to occur today through Friday.” [CNN]
Severe weather
“California is experiencing major weather whiplash after a yearslong, historic megadrought. Before the powerful atmospheric river storm this week, many people welcomed this season's heavy rain and snow that the state so desperately needed. But now, the storms keep coming -- and are leaving widespread destruction in their wake. A rare tornado hit a city near Los Angeles on Wednesday, injuring one person and damaging at least 17 buildings, officials said. With estimated peak winds of 110 mph, the National Weather Service confirmed it to be the strongest tornado to hit the region since 1983. In Northern California, at least five people have died in the San Francisco Bay Area as fierce winds lashed cities on Tuesday, toppling trees and power lines. Meteorologists are also keeping an eye on the Southern US, where severe weather threats are expected to increase today and peak on Friday.” [CNN]
Denver shooting
“Two faculty members at a Denver high school were shot by a student on Wednesday, prompting a frantic search for the 17-year-old suspect who fled the scene after firing his weapon. Authorities on Wednesday said they located a body a short distance from a vehicle connected to the suspect but have not identified it at this time. The student suspected in the shooting was under a school safety plan in which he was patted down each day, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said. During Wednesday's search, a handgun was retrieved and several shots were fired in an office area in the front of the school. The shooting occurred away from other students and staff, Thomas said, possibly averting a much more tragic outcome.” [CNN]
Isabella DeJoseph, 15, center left, is embraced by her mother Alana as they leave East High School after a school shooting, Wednesday, March 22, 2023, in Denver.
Hyoung Chang, AP
Antisemitic incidents hit record in 2022
Data: Anti-Defamation League; Note: The count includes criminal and non-criminal incidents (defined as vandalism of property, or as harassment or assault on individuals and/or groups) reported to ADL by victims, law enforcement, the media and partner organizations. Chart: Nicki Camberg/Axios
“Antisemitic incidents in the U.S. jumped to a record level in 2022, up 36% from the year before, Axios' Russell Contreras writes from an annual audit by the Anti-Defamation League.
Why it matters: It's the third time in five years that reported episodes of antisemitism — from the distribution of hate propaganda to threats, slurs, vandalism and assault — were the most on record since the ADL began tracking such incidents in 1979.
The big picture: The surge in antisemitic cases comes as the FBI and human rights groups warn about rising numbers of hate crimes in the U.S. — and amid concerns that some public officials and social media influencers are fueling the problem by normalizing incendiary rhetoric.
‘This report lays bare some data around why the Jewish community has been feeling so vulnerable,’ Oren Segal, vice president of the ADL's Center on Extremism, told Axios.
Between the lines: The alarming numbers are likely understating the problem: A rising number of law enforcement agencies are opting not to share hate crime statistics with the FBI.
By the numbers: The ADL found reports of 3,697 antisemitic incidents in 2022. Incidents skyrocketed in each of the major audit categories:
Antisemitic harassment rose by 29%. Antisemitic vandalism increased by 51%.
Activity doubled among organized white supremacist groups, which were linked to 852 incidents of distributing antisemitic propaganda.
Zoom in: States with the most incidents were New York (580), California (518), New Jersey (408), Florida (269) and Texas (211).” [Axios]
Biden to disband COVID team
White House COVID-19 response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha briefs in October. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
“The White House will shut down its COVID response team after the public health emergency ends in May — and Dr. Ashish Jha, the national coordinator, likely will leave the administration, The Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: ‘The nation avoided a feared winter surge of virus deaths earlier this year,’ The Post notes.” [Axios]
“Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping announced a deal to continue developing a key atomic technology. It’s an agreement that has the Pentagon on edge given its potential to upset the global balance of nuclear weapons. The announcement followed Xi’s visit to Russia and a flurry of other deals between the authoritarian governments, more closely aligned since Putin invaded Ukraine. But there was one crucial agreement Moscow didn’t get.” [Bloomberg]
Vladimir Putin, right, and Xi Jinping during a meeting at the Kremlin. Photographer: Alexey Maishev/AFP
“The World Bank increased its estimate of how much it will cost to rebuild Ukraine to at least $411 billion in an assessment that found that Russia’s invasion pushed 7.1 million people into poverty and reversed 15 years of development progress.” [Bloomberg]
Macron Defends Reviled Pension Reform
“On national television Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron defended his decision to push through wildly unpopular pension reforms. The reforms, which will raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, will have to be implemented by the end of the year, he said.
In the following weeks, the Constitutional Council will review the bill, which cannot progress without the council’s approval.
Macron, speaking publicly for the first time since using constitutional powers to push the bill through last week, called the legislation, ‘not a luxury, it is not fun, it’s a necessity for the country.’
Unions, meanwhile, have called for strikes and protests on Thursday, and transportation around the country is expected to be disrupted. French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT) union leader Laurent Berger accused Macron of lying by saying that unions were unwilling to compromise. Politicians on the left and right slammed Macron for both disregarding and inflaming French feelings.” [Foreign Policy]
“U.S. summons Israeli ambassador over settlements. Israeli Ambassador to the United States Mike Herzog was summoned to the State Department, an exceedingly rare move in U.S.-Israeli relations. The meeting followed a Knesset vote passing a law to allow resettlement of evacuated West Bank areas. A readout of Herzog’s meeting with Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said that Sherman ‘conveyed U.S. concern.’
In response, Netanyahu said that Israel did not actually intend to build settlements, but that the vote ended a ‘discriminatory and humiliating law that prohibited Jews from living in the northern Samaria’—a Biblical term used by Israel to refer to the West Bank— that some take as a sign of creeping annexation. Netanyahu noted that some figures in the opposition supported the legislation.” [Foreign Policy]
“Japan pledged support to Poland to help Ukraine. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has promised to provide development support to Poland to help it support Ukraine. He was hosted by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki after Kishida made a surprise visit to Kyiv, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Kishida said that Japan normally provides aid to developing countries, which Poland is not, but that, in this case, and given the extenuating circumstances, Japan would make an exception.
Meanwhile, Ukraine secured the first International Monetary Fund loan to a nation at war. The agreement is worth $15.6 billion and is expected to be approved in coming weeks.” [Foreign Policy]
“Marburg virus kills five in Tanzania. Following five fatalities, Tanzania has announced an outbreak of the Marburg virus, an Ebola-like virus that has hit the northwest of the country. The World Health Organization has said that about 161 people have been identified as being at risk of infection. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s regional director for Africa, said, ‘The efforts by Tanzania’s health authorities to establish the cause of the disease is a clear indication of the determination to effectively respond to the outbreak. We are working with the government to rapidly scale up control measures to halt the spread of the virus and end the outbreak as soon as possible.’
The virus was first discovered in Marburg, a small city in Germany, in 1967. It is from the same family as Ebola. Fatality rates vary from 24 to 88 percent. There are no vaccines or treatments, though rehydration and managing blood and oxygen levels can help chances of survival, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” [Foreign Policy]
“New anti-LGBTQ law passed in Uganda. All but two of Uganda’s 389 lawmakers voted to pass a new law that makes homosexual acts punishable by death. ‘The bill is ill-conceived, it contains provisions that are unconstitutional, reverses the gains registered in the fight against gender-based violence and criminalizes individuals,’ said Fox Odoi-Oywelowo, one of the two lawmakers who voted against it. Human rights campaigners described the bill as ‘hate legislation.’ Its passage follows an increase in reported attacks on LGBTQ people in Uganda; transgender Ugandans have been disproportionately impacted.
‘We shall continue to fight this injustice. This lesbian woman is Ugandan even this piece of paper will [not] stop me from enjoying my country. Struggle just begun,’ tweeted Kampala-based activist Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera.
Earlier this month, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni called homosexuality a ‘deviation,’ and said that whether it was the result of nature or nurture had to be investigated. The bill is not purely a product of local politics. As Caleb Okereke argued last week in Foreign Policy, politicized homophobia in Africa ‘has deep links to white evangelical Christianity and is an export of a made-in-the-USA movement and ideology that is polarizing African countries and harming and endangering LGBTQ+ people.’” [Foreign Policy]
“As bidders picks apart the remnants of Silicon Valley Bank, the merger between a small New England commercial bank and SVB is back in the spotlight. Meanwhile Apollo Global Management and Carlyle Group are zeroing in on about $10 billion in loans up for grabs now that the former parent company of SVB has filed for bankruptcy.
In more signs of anxiety at regional banks, PacWest moved to shore up liquidity by securing $1.4 billion from a financing facility. Customers have pulled about 20% of their deposits at the bank since the start of the year. Rising interest rates have depressed the value of regional banks’ fixed-income investments, and a sudden surge in customer withdrawals has forced them to sell assets at a loss. All of this uncertainty at regional banks, and the UBS takeover of Credit Suisse, is ushering in a new era in capitalism, write John Micklethwait and Adrian Woolridge in Bloomberg Opinion. It’s one where the government picks winners and losers.
Photographer: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg
Thousands of factory jobs could be at stake depending on how the US Treasury distributes tens of billions of dollars in EV tax incentives. The issue turns in part on where a critical part of the battery supply chain will be focused—in North America or Asia.
Top tech companies including Google, Meta and Apple are mounting a push to limit how US intelligence agencies collect and view texts, emails and other information about their users, especially Americans. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is up for renewal in Congress and there is a growing bipartisan consensus to make some changes after internal abuses were uncovered.
After becoming Europe’s largest center for trading equities in November, the French bourse has only widened the gap with post-Brexit London. In the wake of the split, the Paris stock market’s market capitalization of $3.13 trillion exceeds that of the UK capital by $250 billion.
The Iranian government has built a large and sophisticated cyber army with which to target domestic and foreign opponents. As the brutality of government crackdowns on widespread protests reverberates across social media, activists have asked tech companies to do more to limit the regime’s reach.” [Bloomberg]
Protesters in Iran on Sept. 21 after an Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, died in police custody. Photographer: AFP/Getty Images
TikTok enlisted influencers to influence—a.k.a lobby—Congress
“Twenty of the video-sharing app’s stars rallied in Washington on the company’s dime to send the message that a ban would cause widespread popular opposition. The Biden administration recently demanded that the app’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, sell its stake or risk a possible ban. Lawmakers have national-security concerns about how the company uses U.S. user data and how its algorithms might influence what they see. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to appear before a House committee tomorrow. TikTok says it isn’t beholden to Beijing and is a vital platform for 150 million American users. The influencers’ lobbying blitz portrayed the app as an avenue for launching small businesses and a discussion forum for social issues.” [Wall Street journal]
GM to stop making the Camaro but a successor may be in works
By TOM KRISHER
FILE - Justin Allgaier takes his Camaro through its paces as he drives in the NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race at Pocono Raceway, July 23, 2022, in Long Pond, Pa. The Chevrolet Camaro, for years the dream car of many teenage American males, is going out of production. General Motors, which sells the brawny muscle car, said Wednesday, March 22, 2023, that it will stop making the current generation early next year. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
“DETROIT (AP) — The Chevrolet Camaro, for decades the dream car of many teenage American males, is going out of production.
General Motors, which sells the brawny muscle car, said Wednesday it will stop making the current generation early next year.
The future of the car, which is raced on NASCAR and other circuits, is a bit murky. GM says another generation may be in the works.
‘While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro’s story,’ Scott Bell, vice president of Chevrolet, said in a statement.
The current sixth-generation Camaro, introduced in 2016, has done well on the racetrack, but sales have been tailing off in recent years. When the current generation Camaro came out in 2016, Chevrolet sold 72,705 of them. But by the end of 2021 that number fell almost 70% to 21,893. It rebounded a bit last year to 24,652.
GM said last of the 2024 model year of the cars will come off the assembly line in Lansing, Michigan, in January….” Read more at AP News
March Madness is back today with the men’s Sweet 16.
“What to know: There are four NCAA tournament games tonight and four tomorrow. Up first is Kansas State vs. Michigan State at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on TBS. (See the full schedule.)
Tomorrow: The two remaining No. 1 seeds play. No. 1 Alabama is up against San Diego State at 6:30 p.m. on TBS, and No. 1 Houston plays Miami at 7:15 p.m. on CBS.
In the women’s tournament: Sweet 16 games start tomorrow, with Miami and Villanova tipping off at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN. (See the full schedule.)” [Washington Post]
Miami's Destiny Harden (3) celebrates during the first half against Indiana.
Darron Cummings, AP
Roll over, Beethoven, because DNA analysis has revealed a family secret
“Analysis of saved locks of Ludwig van Beethoven’s hair revealed that the father of someone in his paternal line wasn’t the child’s biological parent. The revelation came when researchers compared the Y chromosome of the composer’s genome to those of five male relatives who all shared a common ancestor. Scientists were looking for the roots of his health issues and, while they didn’t identify a genetic cause for Beethoven’s deafness or stomach pain, they found genetic risk for liver disease and evidence of hepatitis B infection, which can cause cirrhosis. Severe liver disease led to his death in 1827. The musical great wrote a letter to his brothers, asking that details about his medical ailments be made public after he died.” [Wall Street Journal]
Researchers did DNA testing on strands of Ludwig van Beethoven’s hair—including the Hiller lock, believed to have been snipped on the day of his funeral—and made some unexpected findings. PHOTO: WILLIAM MEREDITH/IRA F. BRILLIANT CENTER FOR BEETHOVEN STUDIES, SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY
Musicians fight threat of Tennessee anti-LGBTQ, drag bills
By KRISTIN M. HALL
Maren Morris, left, and Alexia Noelle perform at "Love Rising," a benefit concert for the Tennessee Equality Project, Inclusion Tennessee, OUTMemphis and The Tennessee Pride Chamber, on Monday, March 20, 2023, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo by Ed Rode/Invision/AP)
“NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — When Tennessee lawmakers passed legislation this month targeting drag performances and transgender youth, many musicians living and working in the state felt their community, their audiences and their artistic expressions were also under fire.
The trend of conservative-led legislatures introducing laws limiting LGBTQ rights or using hateful rhetoric about trans people has led the tightly knit musical community in Tennessee to use their voices and songs to raise awareness and money, as well as encourage music fans to get out and vote.
Love Rising, a concert held on Monday in Nashville, featured Grammy-winning artists like Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell, Maren Morris, Hayley Williams and Brittany Howard alongside drag performers and trans and queer singer-songwriters. The following night, the effort continued with a second show, We Will Always Be, featuring a showcase of LGBTQ artists in collaboration with Black Opry.
LGBTQ people have long been a part of the state’s lucrative musical and entertainment industries and drag performers and shows have a storied history in Nashville and beyond.
Artists like Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton and Elvis Presley have inspired — or been inspired by — drag performances for decades. Parton once told an interviewer that she entered a drag show alongside performers dressed like her — and lost. Nashville has a street named after drag queen Bianca Paige, who was an advocate for those living with HIV.
But in a state that long championed its artistic and creative communities, some musicians now feel threatened by its laws. The bill that passed this year changes the definition of adult cabaret as ‘harmful to minors’ and says that ‘male or female impersonators’ now fall under adult cabaret, along with topless dancers and strippers.
On Monday night backstage at the Love Rising concert, Adeem the Artist, a non-binary singer-songwriter living in East Tennessee, pointed to their flowery blouse and their plum-colored lipstick and wondered if their stage outfit would run afoul of the new law starting April 1….
The bill bans adult cabaret from public property or anywhere minors might be present. While the ACLU of Tennessee has said the bill does not directly prohibit drag performance and that drag is not inherently obscene, the intent still has had a chilling effect on performers. Drag artist Justine Van De Blair wondered if just walking from a venue to the parking lot where minors might see her would be cause for arrest….” Read more at AP News
Headed for new life
The busts in 2019. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
“The broken remains of 42 giant presidential busts that were once on display in the short-lived Presidents Park just outside of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia will soon reopen to the public, writes Axios Richmond's Karri Peifer.
Catch up quick: A local businessman, running a concrete recycling outfit, rescued the busts in 2012 after he was contracted to destroy them.
The original park opened in 2004 and shuttered in 2010, per DCist. The busts were cracked and damaged. Weather and lack of funds also hurt the sculptures. (Reagan was hit by lightning.)
What's next: The busts will retain their haunted facades when the newly dubbed Ruines at Hankins Folly opens Memorial Day weekend.” [Axios]
‘The Young and the Restless’ celebrates 50 years of drama
By MARK KENNEDY
This image released by CBS shows Eric Braeden and Melody Thomas Scott the 50th Anniversary celebration for the daytime series ‘The Young and The Restless’ in Los Angeles. (Francis Specker/CBS via AP)
“NEW YORK (AP) — It all started on a late morning on a highway. A camera panned to the cab of a large semi-trailer truck. The driver wore a plaid shirt and a day’s growth of beard. Next to him was a mysterious hitchhiker in expensive clothes that were ripped and a fresh head wound.
He got out at Genoa City. And he stayed.
That’s how ‘The Young and the Restless’ began on March 26, 1973, and a lot of people also stuck around Genoa City. The soap opera celebrates its 50th anniversary this month as the No. 1 daytime drama for 35 consecutive years, with fans growing up alongside the actors….” Read more at AP News
“Lives Lived: In the early 1960s, scientists didn’t fully understand how marijuana got people high. The Israeli chemist Raphael Mechoulam sought to find out, earning the unofficial title “the father of cannabis research.” Mechoulam died at 92.” [New York Times]
Photo of the day: Ramadan celebrated around the world
“Ramadan began Wednesday and lasts through April 21. The Islamic holy month is a time for fasting, being with loved ones and prayer, including asking for forgiveness for sins. Muslims believe it was during this month God gave the Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad and told him he was in charge of carrying God’s message. Read more and and click here for more photos from the global observance of Ramadan. [USA Today]
Muslim devotees offer prayers marking the start of Islam's holy month of Ramadan at Al Akbar Mosque in Surabaya on March 22, 2023.
JUNI KRISWANTO, AFP via Getty Images