World
AI Summary
- The U.S. reclassified medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug, potentially impacting the cannabis industry.
- Geopolitical tensions escalate as the U.S. Navy is ordered to confront Iranian boats, with oil tanker interceptions occurring across key maritime routes.
- The global economy is showing signs of a 'Mo Hire, No Fire' trend, with strong job growth juxtaposed against flat unemployment claims, while the airline industry faces challenges from rising jet fuel costs.
- European car sales are surging, driven by a significant increase in demand for electric vehicles, even as fuel prices remain a concern.
- Developments in energy markets include Russia's halt of oil flows to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline and fluctuating crude prices amidst record inventory draws, signaling a complex global energy landscape.
ZeroHedge
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Pot Stocks Soar As DoJ Reclassifies Medical Marijuana As Less Dangerous Drug
an hour ago
by Tyler Durden
Pot Stocks Soar As DoJ Reclassifies Medical Marijuana As Less Dangerous Drug Pot stocks are moving higher in premarket trading in New York after the Justice Department and DEA announced that FDA-approved marijuana-based drugs and state-licensed medical marijuana products will be moved immediately from Schedule I to Schedule III. This is a major shift in how the federal government classifies these types of cannabis products. > *DOJ RECLASSIFIES MEDICAL MARIJUANA AS A LESS-DANGEROUS DRUG: AP > > — zerohedge (@zerohedge) April 23, 2026 The classification is designed to expand access to approved therapies, support state-regulated medical marijuana programs, and make research easier, while still
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9th Circuit Kills California's ICE Unmasking Law
an hour ago
by Tyler Durden
9th Circuit Kills California's ICE Unmasking Law The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals handed the Trump administration a significant legal victory Wednesday, issuing a formal injunction blocking California's No Vigilantes Act from being enforced against federal law enforcement officers. The court ruled that the state law - which required non-uniformed federal agents to visibly display identification while performing their duties - likely violates the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images The No Vigilantes Act, part of a two-bill package signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September, was California's legislative response to immigration enforcement operations in Los
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Trump Orders Navy 'Shoot & Kill' Iranian Boats Laying Mines, As US Intercepts Tankers From Hormuz To Indian Ocean
an hour ago
by Tyler Durden
Trump Orders Navy 'Shoot & Kill' Iranian Boats Laying Mines, As US Intercepts Tankers From Hormuz To Indian Ocean SUMMARY * Iranian sources to Chinese state media says 'breakthrough' toward restarting US talks again could come 'tonight or tomorrow'. * Trump orders US Navy 'shoot & kill' small Iranian boats amid concern over mines in Hormuz. * Overnight, US military intercepted two more Iranian oil supertankers that tried to evade the blockade And in Indian Ocean US conducted a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran. * Media sources confirm based on prior Trump
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Futures Fall As Iran Talks Remain In Limbo, More Ships Intercepted
an hour ago
by Tyler Durden
Futures Fall As Iran Talks Remain In Limbo, More Ships Intercepted US equity futures are lower, but rapidly rising and now at premarket highs after a CCTV report that talks between Iran and the US in Pakistan may see a breakthrough "tonight or tomorrow"; still the optimism of recent days is being tested, with peace talks in limbo, software concerns reemerging and the bond market flashing warning signals. As of 8:15am ET, S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 contract both fell 0.1%, recovering almost all of their 0.8% overnight drop. Pre-market, Mag 7 are mostly lower with TSLA (-2.8%) and MSFT (-1.6%) lagging. Overnight,
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"Mo Hire, No Fire" Economy Emerges As ADP Surges With Jobless Claims Flat
2 hours ago
by Tyler Durden
"Mo Hire, No Fire" Economy Emerges As ADP Surges With Jobless Claims Flat Following the surge in ADP's weekly job additions index earlier in the week... Today we see that the number of Americans filing for jobless benefits last week was just 214k - hovering back near record lows... Continuing jobless claims inched back above 1.8 million Americans last week but remains near two year lows... So are we morphing from "no hire, no fire" to a "mo more, no fire" economy? Tyler Durden Thu, 04/23/2026 - 08:34
The Guardian
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British woman died in Ghana trying to recoup money from scammers, inquest told
a day ago
by Steven Morris
Devon, England, Scams, UK news, Ghana, Africa, World newsJanet Fordham died in crash after travelling to see man who claimed he would help to recover money from earlier scams A British woman who was scammed out of up to £1m in a string of so-called romance frauds died in a road crash after travelling to west Africa to try to recoup some of her lost fortune, an inquest in Devon has heard. Janet Fordham was cheated of her life savings and her home over a period of five years by fraudsters apparently based in the UK, Germany, the US and Ghana, the inquest in Exeter was told. Continue reading...
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Heatwaves, floods and wildfires pose rising threat to democracy, report finds
a day ago
by Mark Townsend
Global development, Climate crisis, Extreme weather, Africa, Asia Pacific, South and central Asia, Americas, Environment, World newsResearch shows natural hazards linked to climate crisis disrupted 23 elections in 18 countries in 2024 Democracy is under mounting threat from the climate crisis, with new analysis documenting how elections are increasingly shaped not only by political forces but also by floods, wildfires and extreme weather. At least 94 elections and referendums across 52 countries have been disrupted by climate-related impacts over the last two decades, researchers found. Continue reading...
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Trump officials consider sending 1,100 Afghans who aided US forces to Congo
2 days ago
by Victoria Bekiempis
Trump administration, US news, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, World news, AfricaDiscussions reportedly come after Trump’s decision to stop initiative that allowed group to apply to resettle in the US The Trump administration is in discussions to potentially send up to 1,100 Afghans who helped US forces during the war in Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a non-profit confirmed on Tuesday. The resettlement talks, first reported by the New York Times, come after Donald Trump’s decision to stop an initiative that allowed Afghans who assisted US war efforts to apply to resettle in the US. Continue reading...
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Taiwan president blames China for forced cancellation of Eswatini trip
2 days ago
by Reuters in Taipei
Taiwan, China, Eswatini, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Africa, Asia Pacific, World newsLai Ching-te abandons visit after Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoke overflight permission Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, has cancelled his trip to Eswatini, the democratic island’s only diplomatic ally in Africa, after his government said several countries had revoked overflight permits because of “intense pressure” from China. Lai was to leave on Wednesday for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession. Continue reading...
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Charlize Theron joins chorus of disapproval over Timothée Chalamet’s ballet comments
3 days ago
by Andrew Pulver
Film, Charlize Theron, Timothée Chalamet, South Africa, Ballet, Opera, Africa, Classical music, Culture, Dance, Music, Stage, World newsThe former ballet dancer said Chalamet’s comments were ‘reckless’ in an interview with the New York Times in which she also discussed her violent childhood Actor and former ballet dancer Charlize Theron has joined the chorus of disapproval aimed at Timothée Chalamet over his remarks that appeared to disrespect performers of ballet and opera. In an interview with the New York Times, Theron said: “Oh, boy, I hope I run into him one day,” adding: “That was a very reckless comment on two art forms that we need to lift up constantly because, yes, they do have a hard time. But in
South China Morning Post
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Trump reclassifies state-licensed medical marijuana as less dangerous drug
41 minutes ago
by Associated Press
US President Donald Trump’s acting attorney general on Thursday signed an order reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a major policy shift long sought by advocates who said cannabis should never have been treated like heroin by the federal government. The order signed by Todd Blanche does not legalise marijuana for medical or recreational use under US law. But it does change the way it is regulated, shifting licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I – reserved...
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EU approves US$106 billion loan to Ukraine after Hungary lifts veto
an hour ago
by Associated Press
The European Union on Thursday approved a massive loan package to help Ukraine meet its economic and military needs for the next two years, the bloc’s Cypriot presidency said, after Hungary lifted its veto. The EU also approved a new raft of sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine. The measures were prepared early this year and set to be announced in February to mark the fourth anniversary of the conflict, but Hungary and Slovakia opposed the move. Hungary and Slovakia have been locked...
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China can offer Gulf states more than just a security umbrella
2 hours ago
by Burak Elmali
The Iran war has delivered a systemic shock to the Gulf’s security architecture and economic miracle. Two taboos were rapidly broken. The Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption and close to a quarter of seaborne crude, was paralysed for sustained periods. Iranian strikes reached deep into Gulf territory, hitting ports, energy terminals and airports with a frequency that exceeded attacks on Israel. War-risk insurance premiums and tanker charter rates surged...
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Iran’s exiled crown prince Pahlavi splashed with red substance in Berlin
2 hours ago
by Associated Press
Iran’s exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi was splattered with red liquid on Thursday as he left a building in Berlin. Pahlavi had just departed a news briefing, during which he criticised the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, when the incident occurred outside Germany’s federal press conference building. He appeared unhurt by the liquid coating the back of his blazer and neck, and waved to his supporters before he got into a car that drove away. Police said the liquid appeared to be...
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Turkey passes bill to restrict social media access for under-15s
5 hours ago
by Associated Press
Turkish lawmakers passed a bill late on Wednesday that includes restricting access to social media platforms for children under 15, state media reported. The legislation is the latest in a global trend to protect young people from dangerous online activity. Its passage comes a week after a 14-year-old boy killed nine students and a teacher at a middle school in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey, in a gun attack. Police are investigating the online activity of the perpetrator, who also died, in a...
New York Times
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The Generals Who Are Now Running Iran
5 hours ago
by Farnaz Fassihi
Iran, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), Araghchi, Abbas, Ghalibaf, Mohammad Baqer, Khamenei, Ali, Khamenei, Mojtaba (1969- ), Pezeshkian, Masoud, Trump, Donald J, International Relations, United States International Relations, Appointments and Executive Changes, United States, Israel, Pakistan, Strait of Hormuz, Jalili, Saeed, Karroubi, Mehdi, Vaez, Ali, Vahidi, Ahmad, Vance, J DThe killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ushered in a new form of collective leadership in the country, with more power for the Revolutionary Guards.
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Who Is Running Iran, and How Doctors Cashed In on a Consumer Protection Law
4 hours ago
by Tracy Mumford, Will Jarvis, Margaret Kadifa, Jake Lucas, Ian Stewart and Sarah Kliff
Consumer Protection, US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), Iran, internal-open-access-audioPlus, the Labubus linked to forced labor.
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Navy Secretary John Phelan Is Leaving the Pentagon and the Trump Administration
9 hours ago
by Greg Jaffe, Eric Schmitt and Helene Cooper
Phelan, John C, United States Navy, Appointments and Executive Changes, Hegseth, Pete, United States Defense and Military Forces, Trump, Donald J, US and Israeli Attack on Iran (2026), Ships and Shipping, United States International RelationsJohn Phelan is leaving the Pentagon after months of tension with Pete Hegseth and other Pentagon leaders. The tumult comes as the Navy has been engaged in war with Iran.
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Combative, Defensive and Occasionally Contrite, Kennedy Walks a Fine Line
42 minutes ago
by Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Christina Jewett
United States Politics and Government, Medicaid, One Big Beautiful Bill Act (2025), Politics and Government, Measles, Vaccination and Immunization, Medicine and Health, Health and Human Services Department, Kennedy, Robert F Jr, Cassidy, Bill (1957- ), Diet and Nutrition, Trump, Donald JIn four days of congressional testimony, the health secretary sought to please the White House and his MAHA base at the same time.
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Senate Adopts GOP Budget, Laying the Groundwork to Fund ICE and Reopen DHS
2 hours ago
by Michael Gold and Megan Mineiro
United States Politics and Government, Illegal Immigration, Federal Budget (US), Budgets and Budgeting, Politics and Government, Prices (Fares, Fees and Rates), Deportation, Elections, Senate, Schumer, Charles E, Trump, Donald J, Graham, LindseyRepublicans pushed through a budget plan with a $70 billion increase for immigration enforcement after an overnight session in which they beat back Democratic proposals aimed at lowering costs.