Skip to content

Articles by Tom Howell Jr.

Store manager Josh Poole pours marijuana flowers onto a try at a Mango Cannabis medical marijuana dispensary, Monday, March 6, 2023, in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma voters will decide Tuesday whether to make the state one of the most conservative to green light cannabis use for adults. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Senate advances cannabis banking reform bill

A Senate committee on Wednesday approved legislation that would prohibit federal regulators from penalizing a bank for providing financial services to a legitimate cannabis business.

September 27, 2023
Bongs for sale are shown on display Tuesday, April 19, 2022, in a glass case at Mary Mart, a marijuana store in Tacoma, Wash., as armed security guard Austin MacMath stands watch outside. A surge in robberies at licensed cannabis shops in Washington state is helping fuel a renewed push for federal banking reforms that would make the cash-dependent stores a less appealing target. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Marijuana is banking that protection gains momentum in Senate

A Senate panel is set to advance revised legislation that would prohibit federal regulators from penalizing a bank for providing financial services to a legitimate cannabis business, a change that would check a major item on the pot industry's wish list if Congress can work through sticking points in the bill.

September 26, 2023
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at the Presidio Tunnel Tops before the signing of a new climate agreement in San Francisco on Oct. 6, 2022. California, a state known for its ambitious climate policies, could soon adopt new laws reducing emissions from buildings, easing the burden on taxpayers to clean up abandoned oil and gas wells, and requiring the most sweeping emissions reporting mandates for large companies in the nation. They are among the hundreds of bills lawmakers sent to Newsom's desk this year. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Trump’s autoworker rally? So what, says California’s Newsom

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday said he isn't worried that former President Donald Trump will swipe working-class voters from Democrats by skipping the second GOP presidential debate Wednesday and rallying with striking autoworkers.

September 25, 2023
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks at the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Former NATO commander: China is watching Zelenskyy visit

A former top Air Force general says "Chinese leaders are watching" to see if U.S. leaders support Kyiv when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visits the White House and Capitol Hill on Thursday to plead for more aid.

September 21, 2023