Braun: A Trump marijuana reclassification could add 'fuel to the fire' on Indiana legalization
At a news conference Aug. 11, Trump said his administration will make a decision in the next few weeks on whether to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug ― alongside non-medical, addictive narcotics and synthetic opioids ― to a Schedule III, along with codeine and anabolic steroids that are found in licensed pharmacies.
This wouldn't legalize recreational marijauana federally, but it would be the most significant policy change since marijuana was outlawed in 1970 with the Controlled Substances Act and make it easier to research.
Indiana's four neighboring states have all legalized some form of cannabis, while all forms remain illegal in Indiana. Braun has consistently said, and reiterated at a news conference Aug. 12, that his views on the subject would be dictated by the views of law enforcement, who would have to enforce any laws.
But he also acknowledged that some winds have shifted in the last few years. The legalization movement has gained steam within the Indiana GOP, and some even propped up a lobbying effort last year, encouraged by Braun's expressed openness to medical marijuana. It remains a divisive issue: though several Republicans filed decriminalization or legalization bills last session, several others filed bills banning marijuana billboards.
"I think you can kind of extrapolate what's happened over the last five to seven years if you're going to want to try to guage what may happen over the next few years," Braun said on Aug. 12. "So I think (Trump's comment) probably adds a little more fuel to the fire in terms of the speed with which it might occur."
Leaders in the legislature have been opposed to full marijuana legalization, with Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray expressing a litany of safety concerns and House Speaker Todd Huston long saying that the opportunity to draw in more revenue should not be a reason to make such a substantial policy decision. Bray has said, however, that he is open to discussing decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana.
Former President Joe Biden's Department of Health and Human Services first made the recommendation to reclassify the drug in 2023. In 2024, the Drug Enforcement Agency proposed a rule change, which has been on hold until now.
More: With a new governor and Republican-backed marijuana lobbying effort, will anything change?
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Los Angeles Times
28 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Putin praises Trump's efforts to end Ukraine war ahead of Friday summit in Alaska
LONDON — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday praised President Trump's efforts to end the war in Ukraine, more than three years after Moscow launched its invasion, as the two leaders prepared for a pivotal U.S.–Russia summit Friday in Alaska. Following a meeting Thursday with top government officials on the summit, Putin said in a short video released by the Kremlin that the Trump administration was making 'quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities' and to 'reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved.' Putin also suggested that 'long-term conditions of peace between our countries, and in Europe, and in the world as a whole,' could be reached under an agreement with the U.S. on nuclear arms control. In Washington, Trump said there was a 25% chance that the summit would fail, but he also floated the idea that, if the meeting succeeds, he could bring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Alaska for a subsequent, three-way meeting. In a radio interview with Fox News, Trump also said he might be willing to stay in Alaska longer, depending on what happens with Putin. Meanwhile, Zelensky and other European leaders worked to ensure their interests are taken into account when Trump and Putin meet in Anchorage. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Zelensky to London on Thursday in a show of British support for Ukraine a day before the critical Trump-Putin meeting. The two embraced warmly outside Starmer's offices at 10 Downing Street without making any comments, and Zelensky departed about an hour later. Zelensky's trip to the British capital came a day after he took part in virtual meetings from Berlin with Trump and the leaders of several European countries. Those leaders said that Trump had assured them that he would make a priority of trying to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine when he meets with Putin. Speaking after the meetings to reporters, Trump warned of 'very severe consequences' for Russia if Putin doesn't agree to stop the war against Ukraine after Friday's meeting. While some European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, praised Wednesday's video conference with Trump as constructive, uncertainty remained over how the U.S. leader — whose rhetoric toward both Zelensky and Putin has evolved dramatically since retaking office this year — would conduct negotiations in the absence of any other interested parties. Both Zelensky and the Europeans have worried that the bilateral U.S.-Russia summit would leave them and their interests sidelined, and that any conclusions could favor Moscow and leave Ukraine and Europe's future security in jeopardy. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov tamped down expectations for any breakthroughs from the Friday summit, saying there were no plans to sign documents and that it would be a 'big mistake' to predict the results of the negotiations, according to Russian news outlet Interfax. The Kremlin on Thursday said the meeting between Trump and Putin would begin at 11:30 a.m. local time. Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters that Trump and Putin will first sit down for a one-on-one meeting followed by a meeting between the two delegations. Then talks will continue over 'a working breakfast.' A joint news conference will follow. Trump contradicted the Kremlin, saying that no decisions have been made about holding a news conference with Putin. The uncertainty reflects just how much about the summit, including its schedule, remains unsettled. Starmer said Wednesday that the Alaska summit could be a path to a ceasefire in Ukraine, but he also alluded to European concerns that Trump may strike a deal that forces Ukraine to cede territory to Russia. He warned that Western allies must be prepared to step up pressure on Russia if necessary. During a call Wednesday among leaders of countries involved in the 'coalition of the willing' — those who are prepared to help police any future peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv — Starmer stressed that any ceasefire deal must protect the 'territorial integrity' of Ukraine. 'International borders cannot be, and must not be changed by force,'' he said. Kyiv has long insisted that safeguards against future Russian attacks provided by its Western allies would be a precondition for achieving a durable end to the fighting. Yet many Western governments have been hesitant to commit military personnel. Countries in the coalition, which includes France and the U.K., have been trying for months to secure U.S. security backing, should it be required. Following Wednesday's virtual meetings, Macron said Trump told the assembled leaders that while NATO must not be part of future security guarantees, 'the United States and all the parties involved should take part.' 'It's a very important clarification that we have received,' Macron said. Trump did not reference any U.S. security commitments during his comments to reporters on Wednesday. With another high-level meeting on their country's future on the horizon, some Ukrainians expressed skepticism about the summit's prospects. Oleksandra Kozlova, 39, who works at a digital agency in Kyiv, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she believes Ukrainians 'have already lost hope' that meaningful progress can be made toward ending the war. 'I don't think this round will be decisive,' she said. 'There have already been enough meetings and negotiations promising us, ordinary people, that something will be resolved, that things will get better, that the war will end. Unfortunately, this has not happened, so personally I don't see any changes coming.' Anton Vyshniak, a car salesman in Kyiv, said Ukraine's priority now should be saving the lives of its military service members, even at the expense of territorial concessions. 'At the moment, the most important thing is to preserve the lives of male and female military personnel. After all, there are not many human resources left,' he said. 'Borders are borders, but human lives are priceless.' Zelensky said Thursday that Ukraine had secured the release of 84 people from Russian captivity, including both soldiers and civilians. Those freed included people held by Russia since 2014, 2016 and 2017, as well as soldiers who had defended the now Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Zelensky wrote on Telegram. 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AP writers Lorne Cook in Brussels; Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Ukraine; Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England; Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Will Weissert in Washington contributed to this report.
The Hill
28 minutes ago
- The Hill
The House is awash in subpoenas as Epstein inquiry expands
Congress has been rightly criticized for not pushing back sooner against executive branch encroachments on first branch constitutional prerogatives. Congress's relative somnolence is understandable though not wholly excusable. The silence on the Hill has been due in large part to the unilateral party control of both houses of Congress and the presidency. There is a certain grace period observed at the outset of a new administration while it gets its ducks in a row on policy and legislative priorities. Missteps and overreach inevitably occur and usually are met by majority party tolerance and inaction on the Hill. This Congress has followed the norm and oversight was overlooked except by the lone voices of protest on the minority party side of the aisle. Last month we witnessed the first cracks in the stone dam. It occurred on July 22 in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. There, in the Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement chaired by Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.), ranking member Summer Lee (D-Pa.) offered a motion to subpoena the Justice Department for the complete files of Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died by suicide in prison in 2019. The motion surprisingly carried on an 8-to-2 vote with three Republican members joining all Democrats to adopt the motion. Two of the subcommittee's Republicans, including Chairman Higgins, voted against the motion. The subcommittee subsequently adopted by voice vote a motion offered by Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) to subpoena the deposition testimony of a host of former government officials from both parties, including former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, six former attorneys general and two former FBI directors. One of the subpoenaed former officials, Obama Attorney General Eric Holder, was asked on ' Meet the Press ' last Sunday whether he would comply with the subpoena. He wouldn't commit, explaining that conversations were ongoing to determine exactly what information the committee wanted. Program moderator Kristen Welker pressed him, noting that he was the first attorney general in history ever to be held in contempt of Congress in 2012 for his refusal to testify on 'Operation Fast and Furious,' tracking illegal gun sales. 'Do you have any regrets about that now,' and, 'will that be informing your decision now?' Holder explained that the information sought in that instance was 'confidential' internal executive branch communications and, presumably privileged (though only the president can invoke executive privilege). The White House and Justice Department did not attempt to prosecute Holder for criminal contempt of Congress in 2012. Whether the other subpoenaed former attorneys general and FBI directors will take their lead from Holder's decision this time will be interesting to watch. What makes the Epstein files disclosure demand especially unique today is President Trump's apparent flip-flop on the issue of disclosure from his previous use of it as one of the major issues on which he campaigned. It was a symbol of bringing down the ruling elites and draining the Washington swamp. That commitment has waned. As pressure grew, the president belatedly directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek release of sealed grand jury transcripts in the Epstein case. That request was denied by a Florida judge. Meanwhile, the president has put out the word that it's 'time to move on.' The Supreme Court's decision in McGrain v. Daugherty in 1927 held that Congress has an inherent right to compel testimony and conduct oversight as part of its constitutional lawmaking functions. The case was an offshoot of the Teapot Dome oil leasing scandal of the early 1920s. In that instance, a Senate select committee was inquiring into why former Attorney General Harry Daughety did not investigate the matter when it first broke. It had subpoenaed Mally Daugherty, the attorney general's brother and president of a bank at the heart of the scandal. When Mally refused to comply with the subpoena he was cited for contempt of Congress and found guilty. The Supreme Court reversed a lower court and upheld Mally's conviction. That 1927 decision did not turn off the spigot and witnesses today are still challenging subpoenas and inviting contempt citations. Whether a contempt citation is prosecuted is solely at the discretion of the Justice Department. The failure by the Justice Department to prosecute Holder's contempt of Congress citation in 2012 could well be a precursor to another prolonged battle of the branches. This time Congress could potentially wind-up with a sawed-off limb. Don Wolfensberger is a 28-year congressional staff veteran culminating as chief of staff of the House Rules Committee in 1995. He is author of, 'Congress and the People: Deliberative Democracy on Trial' (2000), and, 'Changing Cultures in Congress: From Fair Play to Power Plays' (2018).
The Hill
28 minutes ago
- The Hill
Noem claims 1.6M illegal immigrants have left US
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Thursday that the U.S. now has 1.6 million fewer illegal immigrants since the start of the Trump administration – a claim based on information from an anti-immigration group that said their own estimate may be overstated. 'In less than 200 days, 1.6 MILLION illegal immigrants have left the United States population. This is massive. This means safer streets, taxpayer savings, pressure off of schools and hospital services and better job opportunities for Americans,' Noem wrote in a tweet thanking President Trump. The claim, the Department of Homeland Security said, is based on a report from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), which describes itself as a 'low immigration' advocate. CIS identified several 'caveats' to its estimate, which it said is based on immigrants' willingness to respond to the Current Population Survey crafted by the Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which CIS said 'does not specifically identify illegal immigrants.' 'Given the recent stepped-up enforcement efforts, it is possible that immigrants have become more reluctant to respond to the CPS,' the report states. 'If this is the case, then our estimate of illegal immigrants based on the survey may be overstating the decline in their actual numbers. Further, our estimate of legal immigrants based on administrative data through July of 2025 is incomplete, further increasing uncertainty of our estimate of illegal immigrants. All this should be kept in mind when interpreting the figures presented here.' Estimates of the number of people unlawfully living in the U.S. typically hover around 13 million. The 1.6 million estimate from DIS would also represent a sharp jump from the Department of Homeland Security's previously released figures, as it has touted both deportations and voluntary departures. The Trump administration said in April that it had deported 135,000 people, but that figure has also come under scrutiny, with the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) saying the figures were ' gross exaggerations ' and that deportation figures at the time were actually around 72,000. TRAC also said immigration judges this year have ordered just over 360,000 people deported, though it's unclear when those removals will be carried out. The Trump administration has also started new programs encouraging immigrants to leave the country, offering a $1,000 stipend to those who register to leave through the CBP Home App, a redesign of an app started under President Biden allowing migrants to request an appointment to seek asylum.
