Andrew Blake

Manhattan DA ends ‘needless criminalization’ of marijuana smoking, endorses full legalization

The district attorney for Manhattan said Tuesday that the New York Police Department has been instructed to stop arresting people for smoking marijuana in public effective Wednesday, Aug. 1.

July 31, 2018

Paul Nehlen, ‘pro-white’ GOP candidate, files FEC complaint over Twitter ban

Paul Nehlen, a self-described "pro-white" Republican candidate running for Congress, has accused Twitter of violating federal election law by banning him while he competes for the seat held by House Speaker Paul Ryan.

July 31, 2018

D.C. police chief pledges to keep protesters separated during slated ‘white civil rights’ rally

Authorities preparing for a "white civil rights" rally slated to be held outside the White House on Aug. 12 plan on keeping the event from turning violent by putting space between participants and counterprotesters, the D.C. chief of police said Monday.

July 31, 2018

Julian Assange lawyers brace for Ecuador evicting WikiLeaks publisher from embassy at any moment

Julian Assange's legal team is preparing to defend the WikiLeaks publisher against a possible U.S. extradition request in anticipation of Ecuador ejecting him from its London embassy at any moment.

July 28, 2018

Sean Spicer heckled during book signing, accused of using racial slur

President Trump's former press secretary Sean Spicer was accosted at a book signing Friday and accused of using a racial slur decades earlier.

July 28, 2018

Alex Jones attracts support of Fox anchors over YouTube, Facebook bans

Alex Jones has found allies in fellow right-wing media personalities Lou Dobbs and Tucker Carlson in light of YouTube and Facebook censuring the embattled Infowars publisher's accounts.

July 28, 2018

Judge skeptical of silencing Michael Avenatti in spite of Michael Cohen’s request

President Trump's former lawyer and longtime fixer Michael Cohen is unlikely to succeed in silencing Michael Avenatti, the media-friendly attorney representing the former adult film actress known as Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against the president, a federal judge indicated Friday.

July 28, 2018

Pope Francis accepts Cardinal McCarrick resignation amid sex abuse allegations

The Vatican announced Saturday that Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a former archbishop of Washington recently accused of sexually abusing a minor nearly 50 years earlier.

July 28, 2018

Marijuana bill protects jobs of federal employees caught smoking pot

Federal workers would be allowed to legally use marijuana without risking their jobs under a bipartisan bill proposed Thursday, the "Fairness in Federal Drug Testing Under State Laws Act."

July 27, 2018

Trump supporters would rather have Putin as president than a Democrat: Ron Reagan

President Trump's supporters would rather have his Russian counterpart in the White House than a Democrat, former President Ronald Reagan's younger son said Thursday.

July 27, 2018

Prince copyright questioned after video of thousands singing ‘Purple Rain’ disappears from Twitter

A photojournalist has cried foul after Twitter removed a video he filmed in downtown Minneapolis shortly following Prince's death in April 2016, arguing his footage of thousands of people singing "Purple Rain" should be protected from a copyright claim brought on behalf of the late artist's record label.

July 27, 2018

Jeff Sessions says states have a right to legalize marijuana, warns federal pot ban still in place

Attorney General Jeff Sessions gave credence Thursday to state and federal laws permitting and prohibiting marijuana, respectively, sending mixed signals more than six months after rescinding policies that helped legal pot flourish under former President Barack Obama.

July 27, 2018

Russia rebuffs Trump administration over rejecting Crimea annexation

Russian officials rebuffed the Trump administration after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo rejected Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula while testifying Wednesday on Capitol Hill.

July 26, 2018

Ron Wyden urges agencies to abandon Adobe Flash, citing ‘inherent security vulnerabilities’

Sen. Ron Wyden sent a letter Wednesday urging government agencies to start abandoning Adobe Flash, an antiquated and vulnerable multimedia software platform that will stop being maintained in nearly two years' time.

July 26, 2018

Devin Nunes suggests banning electronic voting systems to protect election integrity

Rep. Devin Nunes, the head of the House Intelligence Committee, has endorsed banning the use of electronic voting systems to reduce the risk of further election meddling.

July 26, 2018

Jason Kessler, ‘Unite the Right’ organizer, drops bid for Charlottesville rally, sets sights on D.C.

Jason Kessler, the organizer of last summer's deadly "Unite the Right" demonstration, said he will concentrate on coordinating a "white civil rights" rally outside the White House next month rather than returning to Charlottesville, Virginia.

July 25, 2018

New Jersey marijuana cases put on hold by state attorney general

New Jersey's top law enforcement official has asked county and municipal prosecutors to put a pause on all criminal marijuana cases as lawmakers look toward legalization.

July 25, 2018

Julian Assange prosecution would set ‘very bad precedent for publishers,’ warns NYT lawyer: Report

President Trump's administration would set a dangerous precedent for publishers by prosecuting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, The New York Times' top attorney told a room full of federal judges Tuesday.

July 25, 2018

Putin not welcome on Capitol Hill: GOP leaders

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not receive an invitation to address lawmakers on Capitol Hill if he visits Washington, D.C., the Republican leaders of the House and Senate said Tuesday.

July 25, 2018

Billy Joel says he wore Holocaust symbol to protest Trump’s remarks after Charlottesville riots

Billy Joel wore a Star of David on his jacket during a concert last August in response to President Trump's reaction to the deadly "Unite the Right" demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia, the singer-songwriter said in a recent interview.

July 24, 2018