A Republican proposal to legalize medical marijuana in Wisconsin is coming soon

SCOTT BAUER
Updated Thu, December 21, 2023 

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Vos said Republicans plan to introduce a bill in January to legalize medical marijuana in the state. (AP Photo/Harm Venhuizen)


MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Republicans plan to unveil a proposal soon to legalize medical marijuana in the state and could vote on it sometime in 2024, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said.

Republicans have been working behind closed doors for years on a medical marijuana bill. Along the way, they have rejected calls from Gov. Tony Evers and other Democrats to legalize all uses of marijuana, including medical and recreational.

Vos, in an interview Wednesday, said the proposal will be limited and modeled after the medical marijuana law that had been in place in neighboring Minnesota before it moved to full legalization.

“It is not going to be widespread,” he said. “We are not going to have dispensaries on every corner in every city.”

He said Assembly Republicans are on board in concept, but no one has seen the actual proposal yet. He expected to unveil it in January. Vos had said in April that he hoped to have the bill by the fall of 2023, but he said it took more time to find consensus.

“In concept most people are there, but I don’t want to guarantee anything until we have a wider discussion,” he said. “I feel pretty good that we’re in a place where I think it can get through our chamber."

Democratic state Sen. Melissa Agard, who has advocated for full marijuana legalization, said Thursday that she could support a more limited medical marijuana program, but “I remain skeptical as to whether or not this is it.” Agard, who has traveled the state calling for legalization, said she has offered to work with Republicans on the bill but has been rejected.

If passed by both the Senate and Assembly, it would have to be signed by Evers before taking effect. His spokesperson did not return a message Thursday seeking comment.

Senate Republicans have been less open to pot legalization than those in the Assembly. But in January, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said a bill to create a medical marijuana program could pass this legislative session — as long as regulations are put forward to ensure it’s for those in serious pain.

Vos has long backed some form of medical marijuana program, but no bill has ever received a vote in either the GOP-controlled Assembly or Senate.

Wisconsin remains an outlier nationally, with 38 states legalizing medical marijuana and 24 legalizing recreational marijuana. The push for legalization in Wisconsin has gained momentum, as its neighbors have loosened laws.

Marquette University Law School polls have shown large majority support among Wisconsin residents for legalizing marijuana use for years. Given that broad, bipartisan support, there should be full legalization, Agard said.



Medical marijuana bill coming back to Wisconsin in January. Here's what else is ahead on pot legalization in 2024.

Hope Karnopp, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Thu, December 21, 2023 


At the start of this year, it seemed possible that Wisconsin's marijuana laws could change, and the state would join 38 others in offering a medical-use program.

That prospect came and went in 2023. But the momentum could pick up again in the new year.

In a year-end interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Republicans will reintroduce a medical marijuana bill in January. He said lawmakers have been meeting six or eight times for a couple hours, hammering out answers to about 50 questions.

"People have been frustrated because they think it took us too long," said Vos, a Republican from Rochester. "Well, because it took us a long time to reach consensus. Because part of the problem that I fear is that Democrats want everything or nothing."

Republican leaders have said they were close to legalizing medical marijuana before. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said in January that his caucus was getting "pretty close" to supporting medical use. But unlike last year, that idea never got a public hearing.

LeMahieu, a Republican from Oostburg, told the Journal Sentinel earlier this month that the bill's author, Republican Sen. Mary Felzkowski of Tomahawk, had been meeting with Vos "to come to an agreement on what medical marijuana would look like."

Felzkowski didn't respond to requests for comment for this article. But LeMahieu sounded optimistic about the bill advancing next year.

"Depending on how that how that bill is drawn up, there's a potential of getting it through both houses, but I don't know," LeMahieu said. "I think they're just working through the details. So if they get on the same page, then potentially."

Beyond medical marijuana, what else happened in cannabis policy this year — and what could come next? We spoke to lawmakers at the forefront of the issue to look back and preview future developments:
One more of Wisconsin's neighbors legalizes recreational use of marijuana

Proponents of legalizing marijuana in Wisconsin have long called the state an "island of prohibition."

That became even more true this summer when Minnesota green-lit recreational cannabis use, joining neighbors Illinois and Michigan.

And nearby Ohio became the 24th state to legalize recreational marijuana, with the new law going into effect earlier this month. Ohio's citizen-driven referendum passed with 57% of voters supporting legalization.

More: Ohio voted to legalize marijuana and abortion. Could that happen in Wisconsin?

Recreational marijuana use remains illegal in Wisconsin. And although transporting marijuana across state lines is a federal crime, residents still do it.

In fact, a state estimate from March found Illinois collected $36.1 million in taxes from sales to Wisconsinites. Past estimates found legalizing weed in Wisconsin could generate $166 million in the first year.

And a majority of state residents want to see it happen. In the most recent Marquette Law School Poll, 64% supported legal marijuana. In 2019, the poll found 83% supported using marijuana for medical purposes.
Reintroduced bill reflects shifts toward decriminalizing marijuana

The latest cannabis bill in the Legislature, introduced by a Republican and two Democrats, wouldn't legalize marijuana but would reduce the fine to $100 for people possessing up to 14 grams.

Currently, marijuana possession is a misdemeanor and carries up to a $1,000 penalty and six months in jail. Convictions after that are raised to a felony, which can include up to $10,000 in fines and over 3½ years in jail.

Rep. Shae Sortwell, a Republican from Two Rivers, said the bill is a compromise to "try to bring together this wide range of disagreements related to marijuana policy."

More: Despite public support, marijuana is not legal yet in Wisconsin. Here's how some Milwaukee-area leaders feel about it.

The idea isn't new. A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a similar measure in 2017. And local governments in Wisconsin have already moved to lower penalties — including in Milwaukee County, where the fine was decreased to $1 in 2021.

In fact, the bill would raise penalties in municipalities like Green Bay, which has a $0 fine but $61 in court fees. It would require local governments to land between $100 and $250. Sortwell noted law enforcement can still charge higher — that can be the case for second offenses.

Sortwell said he didn't get "hard no's" on a hearing for the bill last time, but "they were kind of just waiting to kind of see what we were going to do in general." He hopes that, if the bill doesn't get a hearing this time, parts of it could be incorporated into the medical marijuana bill.

Vos said he doesn't support the decriminalization effort, believing it would be more difficult for Republicans to pass a medical marijuana bill if people are under the impression it would open the door to full marijuana legalization.

"I just think the problem in America is not too few people using drugs," Vos said, reiterating his opposition to legalizing marijuana for recreational use.
Senate could lose key Democratic champion

As Democrats continue pitching full legalization, they could lose a key lawmaker who has introduced bills to legalize recreational marijuana six times since 2013.

Sen. Melissa Agard, a Democrat from Madison, sees the decriminalization bill as "a good step forward, but I think it's also important that we don't just take a partial step when we know that the majority of the people in Wisconsin want full, responsible adult usage policy."

More: Democratic lawmakers head to Illinois dispensary to make a new pitch for legalized marijuana in Wisconsin

Agard, who stepped down as the party leader in her chamber as she runs for Dane County executive, said marijuana policy "is an issue that will continue to move forward after my time in the Legislature is gone."

While many of her legalization bills haven't gotten hearings, that could change if the Wisconsin Supreme Court's ruling on a redistricting lawsuit boosts Democrats' representation in the Legislature. She said marijuana legalization "would be on the list" of policies that a Democratic majority would change.

"I am hopeful, with the consideration of fair maps in the state of Wisconsin, with the gerrymandering lawsuit, that this, as well as many other situations that people in Wisconsin want us to move forward with, are actually more successful," Agard said.

Sortwell noted that turnover could lead to more Republicans coming into the Legislature whose views on marijuana are more libertarian, like his.

"From knocking on doors and talking to people, my colleagues included, they started to realize that this isn't just a Democrat issue. This is actually an issue that has widespread support among conservatives and moderates," he said. "I think that's going to shift sooner or later."

Molly Beck, Jessie Opoien and Tyler Katzenberger of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin medical marijuana legalization bill to return in January


Newark City Council puts six-month moratorium on new recreational marijuana applications

Kent Mallett, Newark Advocate
Thu, December 21, 2023 at 4:09 AM MST·3 min read

NEWARK − City Council approved a six-month moratorium on new locations dispensing recreational marijuana but exempted the three current medical marijuana dispensaries from the legislation.

Council approved the moratorium after a spirited discussion and considerable confusion at the Dec. 4 meeting but then amended the legislation Monday night to exempt the three current medical marijuana locations from the moratorium, which takes effect in January.

Medical marijuana became legal in Ohio in 2016, but Ohio voters just approved the legalization of recreational marijuana in the Nov. 7 general election.

Council voted 6-4 in favor of the moratorium, but the legislation had an emergency clause. The city charter requires seven votes to approve legislation as an emergency, but six votes is enough to approve an ordinance that takes effect in 30 days.

More: Ohio cities want to ban recreational marijuana dispensaries. Can they?

On Dec. 4, council members said the ordinance failed because it lacked seven votes.

“It was perceived it did not pass, but in fact if you have six votes, it still passes but not as an emergency,” council member Doug Marmie, R-6th Ward, said Monday night.

Council member Jonathan Lang, R-5th Ward, said the amendment was needed because the ordinance prevented existing businesses from expanding to allow recreational marijuana, also referred to as adult marijuana.

Law Director Tricia Klockner said the exemption may be a moot point because the state may allow medical marijuana dispensaries to distribute adult marijuana.

Council member Spencer Barker, R-at large, moved to approve the moratorium at the Dec. 4 meeting, during which Lang failed in attempts to amend and table the ordinance.

Jonathan Lang

“I have some serious concerns with passing what I think is a premature moratorium on applicants for zoning in the city of Newark,” Lang said.

“All we are doing in issuing a moratorium prematurely like this is telling these businesses we don’t want you to invest here, which is not the message we want to send, given the success with the medical dispensaries so far. A six-month moratorium — it’s going to have a chilling effect.”

The ordinance authorizes the moratorium on “the processing or approval of any application for certificate of zoning clearance, building occupancy permit, or any other permit or approval required under the zoning code for any premises that would enable the retail sale or dispensing, cultivating or processing of adult use marijuana for a period of 180 days.”

Spencer Barker

Barker, in his final council meeting after being defeated in the November election, said council should respect the city department that recommended the legislation.

“This was brought to our attention by our zoning department,” Barker said. “By changing any of this, we’re saying to our zoning department, ‘We don’t trust what you’re recommending.’”

More: When can I buy marijuana in Ohio? What to know about new recreational law

Council member Jeff Rath, R-3rd Ward, responded to Barker.

“I think that’s incredibly strong language,” Rath said. “That’s inappropriate.”

Council members joining Barker in support of the moratorium, were: Barker; Michael Houser, R-1st Ward; Beth Bline, R-2nd Ward; Mark Labutis, R-4th Ward; Brad Chute, R-at large; and Dustin Neely, R-at large.

The four in opposition to the moratorium were: Lang; Rath; Marmie; and Colton Rine, R-7th Ward.

kmallett@newarkadvocate.com
Twitter: @kmallett1958

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Newark City Council puts six-month moratorium on marijuana applications

Ukraine lawmakers vote to legalize medical marijuana and help ease stress from the war with Russia

Associated Press
Thu, December 21, 2023 

WOW MAN THIS IS GREAT FOR VAPING KUSH

Cadets practice putting on gas masks during a lesson in a bomb shelter in a cadet lyceum in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Writing on the wall reads: "Glory to Ukraine". (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)


KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s parliament voted Tuesday to legalize medical marijuana, after the war with Russia left thousands of people with post-traumatic stress disorder that many believe could be eased by the drug.

The new law, which will come into effect in six months’ time and which also allows cannabis to be used for scientific and industrial ends, passed by 248 votes in the 401-seat parliament in Kyiv. A full breakdown of the vote wasn't immediately available. The law was proposed by Prime Minister Denys Smyhal.

The possible legalization of medical marijuana has long been debated in Ukraine. Many people argued in favor of the benefits the treatment can bring, while others feared legalizing medical marijuana would lead to an influx of drugs on the streets of Ukrainian cities.


The debate gained new momentum after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The Kremlin’s forces have repeatedly used powerful missiles to blast civilian targets across the country, with devastating consequences.

Many people are believed to be suffering from stress and anxiety.

The legislation imposes strict controls on cannabis production and distribution. A doctor’s prescription will be required to obtain any medicine containing cannabis. Recreational use of cannabis remains a criminal offense.

Ukraine Moves to Legalize Medical Marijuana to Treat Veterans

Volodymyr Verbyany and Aliaksandr Kudrytski
Thu, December 21, 2023 


(Bloomberg) -- Ukraine’s parliament approved the legalization of medical cannabis as the nation responds to the growing ranks of war veterans requiring treatment for injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The legislation to regulate medical, scientific and industrial use of cannabis passed with a majority of 248 in the 450-seat assembly in Kyiv, lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said on Telegram. A total of 16 members opposed the motion.

Support to legalize medical marijuana has gathered steam in Ukraine as Russia’s invasion approaches its second year and discussion in the country centered on the drug’s benefits in treating severe pain and addressing mental health. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to sign the bill into law, which could go into effect some time in the second half of 2024, Zheleznyak said.

War Moves Ukraine Toward Medical Cannabis Legalization: The Dose

“For our citizens not to endure the pain, stress and trauma of the war, we must finally justifiably legalize treatment based on medical cannabis for everyone who needs it,” Zelenskiy told the assembly in June.

The move faced resistance among some political forces in parliament. The populist party led by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko argued legalization would trigger uncontrolled production — and said the matter should be put to Ukrainian voters in a referendum.

Cannabis has been legalized in many US states, where supporters say it can treat an array of conditions including chronic pain, depression and PTSD. The latter is particularly focused on those returning from war, where advocates have pointed at a much higher suicide rate among veterans than in the general public.

Ukraine legalises medical cannabis
Ukrainska Pravda
Thu, December 21, 2023 


The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ukrainian parliament) has adopted in the second reading bill No 7457 on legalisation of medical marijuana.

Source: MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak

Details: Zhelezniak posted a photo of the screen in the Rada with voting results on this bill in the second reading.

The Servant of the People faction gave 178 votes in favour, Voice – 19, Platform for Life and Peace – 10, Restoration of Ukraine – 12, For Future – 7, Trust – 12.

No one from the European Solidarity or Fatherland factions supported this bill.

A total of 238 MPs voted for the bill.

Zhelezniak says that the law regulates the circulation of cannabis only in medical, industrial, and scientific activities, and the distribution of marijuana for recreational use will continue to be considered a crime.

"Medicinal cannabis-based products can only be obtained with an electronic prescription. The doctor will prescribe it to the patient based on their condition, similar to the current practice with morphine," he wrote.

The law will come into effect six months after its publication.

Background:

MPs introduced 882 amendments to bill No 7457 on the legalisation of medical cannabis.


In July, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the bill in the first reading.


The Parliamentary Committee on National Health recommended the adoption of the bill on the legalisation of medical cannabis in the second reading with amendments.

Photos of US Air Force A-10s in action capture Warthog strafing runs and the bullet-riddled aftermath

Despite the power of the plane's weapons, the Air Force is planning to retire the A-10, which is over 40 years old

GIVE THEM TO THE UKRAINE

Lauren Frias
Thu, December 21, 2023 

US Air Force pilots recently practiced strafing runs in the A-10 Thunderbolt II, a close-air support plane also known as the Warthog.


The training took place at Grand Bay Bombing and Gunnery Range near Moody Air Force Base in Georgia.


Photos show the A-10 performing flight maneuvers and deploying flares.

US military photos from a recent training exercise captured US Air Force A-10s in action, showing a bit of what the attack aircraft sometimes described as a cannon with wings is capable of.

In early December, Air Force pilots practiced strafing runs with A-10 Thunderbolt II close-air support aircraft, also known as the Warthog. The ground-attack planes are known for their powerful cannon and, in some cases, the unique shark-inspired nose paint.

Strafing runs train pilots to attack ground targets using mounted automatic weapons. In the case of the A-10, the plane's GAU-8 Avenger 30 mm cannon can fire nearly 4,000 rounds a minute.

Photos from the recent training exercise show A-10s from the 74th Fighter Squadron flying above Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, deploying flares, executing gun runs, and performing impressive flight maneuvers.

Some of the A-10s that participated in the training featured a fearsome paint job on the nose of the plane resembling a shark.

A US Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II pilot deploys flares to intercept enemy heat-seeking missiles.US Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Devin Boyer/DVIDS

Not all A-10s get to sport the shark teeth war paint. Only planes that are part of the 74th, 75th, and 76th Fighter Squadrons have the shark nose art. It's a design specifically tied to the history of the squadrons.

"There are other A-10 units that have nose art, but not the iconic shark face," an A-10 pilot and commanding officer of the 74th Fighter Squadron previously told Business Insider's Ryan Pickrell.

The A-10 is a dedicated close-air support plane built to take out ground targets, including tanks.

A US Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II pilot deploys flares near Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.US Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Devin Boyer/DVIDS

The aircraft was first introduced in the 1970s and was built with Soviet armor, considered to be a threat to Western Europe during the Cold War, in mind.

The gun is so loud that pilots have to wear two layers of ear protection to muffle the sound of the plane's cannon.

A US Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II pilot conducts strafing runs over Grand Bay Bombing and Gunnery Range near Moody Air Force Base in Georgia.US Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Devin Boyer/DVIDS

The seven-barrel cannon on the A-10 is famous for the "BRRRT" sound it makes when fired, and it can be something of an intense experience for pilots.

An A-10 pilot previously told Business Insider it "feels like driving over railroad tracks" when the gun is fired. "You're sitting right on top of the gun," he said, "so it shakes the whole airplane."

The attack aircraft carry a little over a thousand rounds, which are fired in short yet devastating bursts.

A photo from the recent training of a bullet-riddled cargo container on the ground is evidence of the A-10's power.

A cargo container is covered with bullet holes at Grand Bay Bombing and Gunnery Range near Moody Air Force Base in Georgia.US Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Devin Boyer/DVIDS

The plane fires armor-piercing depleted-uranium rounds.

Alongside the GAU-8 Avenger cannon, the A-10 carries rockets, missiles, and bombs. The plane also has defenses, such as flares that can be used to intercept enemy heat-seeking missiles.

A US Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II pilot deploys flares over Grand Bay Bombing and Gunnery Range.US Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Devin Boyer/DVIDS

But the A-10 may not be flying for too much longer.

A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II flies over Grand Bay Bombing and Gunnery Range.US Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Devin Boyer/DVIDS

Despite the power of the plane's weapons, the Air Force is planning to retire the A-10, which is over 40 years old, because the aircraft "does not deter or survive against our pacing challenge, and we need to move forward," the military branch said in a past request to Congress, referring specifically to the threats posed by China.

The Air Force is looking to the new F-35A Lightning II to perform key A-10 missions like close-air support, but there are some questions as to whether or not it fully meets expectations there. For now, the Warthog is still flying, but its days are numbered.

Macron sparks anger with praise for rape-accused Depardieu

CHAUVINIST CULTURE CLAIMS RAPE IS SEDUCTION

Henry Samuel
Thu, 21 December 2023 

Emmanuel Macron's comments were made in a wide-ranging interview for France 5 broadcaster - LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP

Emmanuel Macron has said he is a “great admirer” of Gérard Depardieu, the French actor accused of rape and sexual assault, as he refused to take part in a “manhunt” against the scandal-plagued star.

The French president praised the 74-year-old as a film icon and someone who makes the country “proud”.

He added that he had no plans to strip Depardieu of the Legion of Honour, France’s highest order of merit.

Mr Macron’s remarks sparked immediate outrage among feminists and opposition politicians, one of whom accused the president of being the “promoter in chief of rape culture”.

“You will never see me participate in a manhunt,” Mr Macron told the France 5 broadcaster when asked about rescinding Depardieu’s honour.

“I hate that kind of thing,” he said during a wide-ranging interview on Wednesday night, adding that “you don’t strip someone of a Legion of Honour based on a report”.

The award, which the star of Green Card and Cyrano de Bergerac received in 1996, “is not a moral tool”, said Mr Macron, adding that he was “a great admirer of Gérard Depardieu ... an immense actor”.

“He has made France’s great authors, our great characters known throughout the world ... he makes France proud,” he added.

Gerard Depardieu denies the accusations against him - VALERY HACHE/AFP

Mr Macron’s comments were in stark contrast to those by Rima Abdul Malak, the culture minister, who last week said the actor “shamed France” after footage emerged of him making lewd and sexist comments.

She said that the grand chancery of the Legion of Honour would initiate a “disciplinary procedure” to decide whether to strip him of the award.

The controversy has reignited soul-searching in French cinema over its alleged tolerance of abusive and sexist behaviour.

In the interview, Mr Macron said: “You can accuse someone, there may be victims, but there is also a presumption of innocence.

“I simply want Gérard Depardieu to be able to defend his rights like everyone else… to continue to work and create,” he added.

Broadcaster France 2 aired a documentary earlier this month which showed the actor on a 2018 trip to North Korea, during which he repeatedly made explicit sexual comments in the presence of a female interpreter and sexualised a 10-year-old girl while she was riding a horse.

Depardieu, an actor with more than 200 films to his name, was charged with rape in 2020 and has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by more than a dozen women.

He has strenuously denied all of the allegations.

A torrent of outrage

Mr Macron’s comments unleashed a torrent of outrage.

Sophie Bussiere, a spokeswoman for the Greens, issued a social media post depicting the president as “promoter in chief of rape culture”.

François Hollande, France’s former Socialist president, said: “We’re not proud of Gérard Depardieu.

“It was expected of the president to talk about women, not just that Gérard Depardieu was a great actor,” he added.

“[Macron] has dubbed [women’s rights] the most important issue of his five-year term, and this is how he is dealing with the Gérard Depardieu question.”

Anne-Cecile Mailfert, the president of the Women’s Foundation, said: “When the president says ‘I won’t take part in a manhunt’, he is judging the women who have filed complaints or who have given evidence by saying that they are the ones whose stance is reprehensible.

“This is extremely serious. Emmanuel Macron has a voice that carries weight, and this has real consequences for women’s lives,” she added.

Since the documentary aired Depardieu’s family has denounced an “unprecedented conspiracy” against him.

Depardieu himself addressed the rape and sexual assault allegations in an open letter published in Le Figaro in October.

“Never, ever have I abused a woman,” the actor wrote. “To the media court, to the lynching that has been reserved for me, I have only my word to defend myself.”

Over the weekend, a Belgian municipality stripped Depardieu of the title of honorary citizen, several days after the Canadian province of Quebec revoked its top honour over his “scandalous” comments about women.

But Depardieu’s family has argued his treatment amounts to a lynching.

“Of course, we are often shocked by Gérard’s comments, but our father/grandfather/uncle is being the target of an unprecedented conspiracy,” several relatives, including his daughter, actress Julie Depardieu, said in a letter published in French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.

Deploring “this terrifying collective insanity”, they said that “in private, with his children, he is an extremely modest, delicate and even prudish person.”

Meanwhile, Paris’s Grevin Museum has withdrawn a life-size waxwork of Depardieu, which had been on display at the wax museum since 1981.

The statue was removed “following the negative reactions of visitors” passing in front of it, as well as comments “on social media”, it said.

Macron under fire for remarks defending film icon Depardieu

Jurgen HECKER
Thu, 21 December 2023 

Depardieu received the Legion d'Honneur in 1996 (Vincent AMALVY)

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday faced accusations of siding with sexual aggressors after saying film icon Gerard Depardieu, charged with rape and facing a litany of sexual assault claims, was the target of "a manhunt".

Depardieu, 74, who has made more than 200 films and TV series, was charged with rape in 2020 and has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by more than a dozen women.

He currently faces fresh scrutiny over sexist comments caught on camera during a trip to North Korea in 2018 that were broadcast for the first time in a documentary on national television earlier this month.

Asked in a television interview on Wednesday whether Depardieu should be stripped of France's highest state award, which he received nearly three decades ago, Macron said: "You will never see me take part in a manhunt. I hate that kind of thing.

"The presumption of innocence is part of our values."

Macron said he felt "huge admiration" for Depardieu, whom he called "an immense actor".

- 'Yawning abyss' -

But Generation.s Feministe, a feminist collective, said Macron's comments were "an insult" to all women who had suffered sexual violence, "first and foremost those who accused Depardieu".

The president's remarks were "not just scandalous but also dangerous", Maelle Noir of the Nous Toutes association told AFP, because the statements of victims were "disbelieved, and trampled on, with impunity".

"Between us and the president, there is not just a gap but a yawning abyss," she said.

Sandrine Rousseau, a Green party MP, said "Macron has picked his side -- that of the aggressors".

Anne-Cecile Mailfert, who heads association the Women's Foundation, added: "A single tweet is not enough to say how disgraceful and despicable this is towards the victims, and how behind the times."

- 'Not proud' -

France 2 television channel showed the actor on his 2018 trip to North Korea repeatedly making explicit sexual comments in the presence of a female interpreter and sexualising a small girl riding a horse.

Former president Francois Hollande told the France Inter broadcaster on Thursday he was "not proud of Gerard Depardieu" after seeing the footage.

Some voices, including cinema veterans who worked closely with him in the 1970s and 1980s, have defended the actor.

"I support Gerard, we must remain loyal to the people we love," said Fanny Ardant, a 74-year-old actor who won fame for her role opposite Depardieu in "The Woman Next Door", directed by Francois Truffaut. "What is happening is a death warrant," she told the RTL broadcaster.

Last week, French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak said the actor's behaviour shamed France, noting that he might be stripped of the Legion d'Honneur, the country's top award he received in 1996.

But in the interview on Wednesday, Macron said the minister may have "gone out on a limb" with her remarks.

"Sometimes people get carried away," he said.

"We don't take the Legion d'Honneur away from an artist on the basis of a TV report or whatever else, because if we started doing that, we'd have to take the Legion d'Honneur away from a lot of artists," he said.

The Legion of Honour "is not there to impose moral standards" on the recipient, Macron said.

But the left-leaning Liberation newspaper said it had been Macron who "not only went out on a limb himself but sank into indecency".

- 'Pathetic' -

Depardieu has created a number of scandals over the years, including by public brawling, drunk driving and urinating in the cabin of a commercial aircraft.

In 2012, he moved to Belgium to save on taxes, a decision the French prime minister at the time, Jean-Marc Ayrault labelled "pathetic".

In response to the gibe, Depardieu took Russian nationality the following year and has posted pictures of himself and President Vladimir Putin.

But last year, he denounced what he said were Putin's "crazy, unacceptable excesses" in the Ukraine war.

In 2017, Macron withdrew the Legion d'Honneur from Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein after a series of accusations of sexual harassment and rape.

Spain must legislate for future lockdowns as new pandemic ‘probable’

James Badcock
Thu, 21 December 2023 

The country decreed one of the world’s strictest lockdowns in March 2020, with mandatory curfews and limits on social gathering - Javier Cebollada/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Spain must legislate for future lockdowns as a new pandemic is “probable”, according to public health experts.

The country decreed one of the world’s strictest lockdowns in March 2020, but the legal basis for the move was later overturned by its constitutional court.

During the pandemic various Spanish courts revoked orders mandating curfews and limits on social gathering.


Following an audit of the country’s response to the pandemic, health experts urged officials to prepare for the next deadly pandemic by laying down legislation for lockdowns and other emergency action.

They said another highly serious respiratory virus pandemic in the short or medium term is “not just possible, but probable”.

Spain’s legislators should create “a clear and sufficient framework that provides legal certainty to decisions, whether through a new pandemic law or reforms of existing legislation”, they said.

Beaches once heaving with tourists were deserted during Spain's lockdown - DESIREE MARTIN

The report, titled Evaluation of the Performance of the Spanish National Health System against the Covid-19 Pandemic, found that Spain’s health system was unprepared for the events of 2020.

It supposedly lacked an effective early-warning system and the ability to scale up available treatment capacity.

The evaluation said that a special health crisis committee should be formed by the government at the start of a pandemic, advised by scientists.

The onset of Covid-19 saw criticism of decision-making in prime minister Pedro Sánchez’s government, which eventually admitted that no specific expert advisory committee had been formed.

Among other key recommendations are the need to strengthen local healthcare facilities and establishing a reserve of PPE materials and ventilators in intensive care units.

Work is also needed, the experts said, to develop an effective tech-based track-and-trace system, with Spain’s Radar COVID app having detected only 125,000 out of the 13 million infections that took place between August 2020 and September 2022.

The report also says that greater coordination between regional health services and care homes should be established.

Of Spain’s 122,000 dead from Covid-19, more than 34,000 were from care homes.

CLIMATE CHANGE IN REAL TIME

Extreme heat represents a new threat to trees and plants in the Pacific Northwest

Peter Beedlow, scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency, looks up at Douglas fir trees that died from insect damage following heat stress in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Scientists are investigating what they say is a new, woefully underestimated threat to the world’s plants: climate change-driven extreme heat.

NATHAN GILLES, Columbia Insight
Thu, 21 December 2023 

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — From June 25 to July 2, 2021, the Pacific Northwest experienced a record-breaking heat wave that sent the normally temperate region into Death Valley-like extremes that took a heavy toll on trees as well as people.

Seattle and Portland, Ore., recorded their hottest-ever temperatures, reaching 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42.2 Celsius) and 116 Fahrenheit (46.6 Celsius), respectively. In British Columbia, the small town of Lytton reached 121 degrees Fahrenheit (49.6 Celsius).

What become known as the “heat dome” is estimated to have killed hundreds of people in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.


As this human tragedy unfolded, a lesser-known ecological tragedy was happening, one that scientists warn has grim repercussions for the world’s plants and the many animal species that depend on them.

In a matter of a few days, the 2021 heat dome turned many of the green leaves and needles on the region’s trees to orange, red and brown.

But, as recent research suggests, tree foliage didn’t simply dry out in the heat. Instead, it underwent “widespread scorching.”

“A lot of this reddening and browning of leaves was just that the leaves cooked. It really wasn’t a drought story,” said Chris Still, professor at Oregon State University’s College of Forestry and a leading researcher on the effects of heat on trees.

Still is part of a growing number of scientists investigating what they say is a new, woefully underestimated threat to the world’s plants: climate change-driven extreme heat.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of a collaboration between The Associated Press and Columbia Insight, exploring the impact of climate on trees in the Pacific Northwest.

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In recent years, scientists in the Pacific Northwest have linked the decline of 10 native tree species to drought.

In many cases, conditions that have brought about the decline are known as “hot droughts.”

Driven by above-normal temperatures, hot droughts can be far more damaging to trees than droughts that result simply from a lack of moisture. Hot droughts not only dry out soil; they also dry out the air. This stresses trees, and can cause water-carrying tissues inside them to collapse — a process called “hydraulic failure.”

In a paper earlier this year in the journal Tree Physiology, Still made the case that damage to the region’s trees during the heat dome was triggered primarily by direct damage from heat and solar radiation rather than indirectly by drought caused by the extreme heat.

“I’m not trying to say that drought is not a huge and important factor,” said Still. “But I think with events like the 2021 heat wave becoming more common and intense, it’s important to look at the response of trees and other plants to these events and not just at drought, which has been the dominant paradigm.”

Still’s argument includes the observation that “foliage scorch” was primarily found on the southern and western sides of trees and forests -- a pattern that follows the track of the sun across the summer sky.

“Basically, it was like a sunburn across the entire forest. It was quite disturbing,” said co-author Daniel DePinte, U.S. Forest Service aerial survey program manager, who observed the phenomenon from an airplane.

Multiple tree species were scorched, DePinte said, noting that the role played by the sun became clear when the same trees were viewed from an orientation not exposed to direct sunlight.

“It almost appeared as if the forest damage disappeared,” he said.

The paper was written in response to an earlier study published in the same journal that argued a different position: that the heat dome led to widespread drought stress and hydraulic failure in Pacific Northwest trees. “Overall I agree ... that heat damage played a big role in the damage caused to trees (during) the 2021 PNW heat wave. But in my view, hydraulic failure was as important, if not more,” wrote that study's lead author Tamir Klein, professor of plant and environmental sciences at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel.

Exactly how hot is too hot for trees and other plants is the research focus of William Hammond, a plant ecophysiologist at the University of Florida.

Hammond called the scientific community’s current understanding of extreme heat’s effect on plants a worrying “blind spot.”

“One thing is for sure, we know a lot more about how dry is too dry for plant survival than we know about how hot is too hot,” he said.

What scientists call “thermal tolerances” have been established for just 1,028, or less than 1%, of the world’s 330,200 recognized land-based plants, according to a frequently cited 2020 paper in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

No single thermal limit fits all plant species, but in general extreme damage to plant tissues occurs around 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 Celsius), Hammond said.

“With those temperatures you might think ‘wow, the air doesn’t get that hot,’ but that’s the temperature of the plant, not the temperature of the air. And those things can be quite different,” he said.

Just how different is something Still has been tracking.

During the heat dome, he and colleagues recorded air temperatures around a Douglas fir tree reaching 112 degrees Fahrenheit (about 44 Celsius), the hottest ever recorded in the forest where the measurements were taken. The needles of the tree, however, reached 124 Fahrenheit (51.1 Celsius) due to exposure to direct sunlight.

Still says observations like this and similar ones in forests around the world dispute a common misconception even among some scientists that plants can withstand extreme temperatures and stay cooler than air around them, especially when given access to water.

“Plants can control their temperature to some degree, but if the heat is extreme enough, some plants won’t be able to get through it even if they have a ton of water,” he said.

Hammond has reached the same conclusion based on work in his lab. “If temperature gets high enough, heat stress can kill living plant tissues even if they have water,” said Hammond.

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Nathan Gilles is a science writer and journalist based in Vancouver, Washington.

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Columbia Insight is an Oregon-based nonprofit news website covering environmental issues affecting the Pacific Northwest.

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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Environmental Protection Agency weather monitoring equipment is attached to a tree in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Scientists are investigating what they say is a new, woefully underestimated threat to the world’s plants: climate change-driven extreme heat.

A dendrometer, a device to measure tree growth, is visible on a Douglas fir in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Scientists are investigating what they say is a new, woefully underestimated threat to the world’s plants: climate change-driven extreme heat.

Peter Beedlow, scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency, stands among a group of old-growth Noble fir trees in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Scientists are investigating what they say is a new, woefully underestimated threat to the world’s plants: climate change-driven extreme heat. 

A dendrometer surrounds a Douglas fir tree that died as a result of insect damage following heat stress in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Scientists are investigating what they say is a new, woefully underestimated threat to the world’s plants: climate change-driven extreme heat.

Peter Beedlow, scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency, holds the tip of a young Western Red Cedar tree in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Scientists are investigating what they say is a new, woefully underestimated threat to the world’s plants: climate change-driven extreme heat.

Light shines on leaves on a Big Leaf Maple tree in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Scientists are investigating what they say is a new, woefully underestimated threat to the world’s plants: climate change-driven extreme heat. 

Douglas fir trees that died as a result of insect damage following heat stress stand in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Scientists are investigating what they say is a new, woefully underestimated threat to the world’s plants: climate change-driven extreme heat. 

Sunlight hits the bark of a dead Douglas fir tree in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Scientists are investigating what they say is a new, woefully underestimated threat to the world’s plants: climate change-driven extreme heat.  

Peter Beedlow, scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency, stands next to a Douglas Fir in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Scientists are investigating what they say is a new, woefully underestimated threat to the world’s plants: climate change-driven extreme heat. 

Douglas fir tree bark is studied by scientists to examine insect damage that led to the tree's death following heat stress in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Scientists are investigating what they say is a new, woefully underestimated threat to the world’s plants: climate change-driven extreme heat. 

Peter Beedlow, scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency, holds the top of a young Western Red Cedar tree in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Scientists are investigating what they say is a new, woefully underestimated threat to the world’s plants: climate change-driven extreme heat. 

Mushrooms grow on a fallen Noble fir tree in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Scientists are investigating what they say is a new, woefully underestimated threat to the world’s plants: climate change-driven extreme heat.

 (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)

SOMEONE GIVE THIS KID A WHITE HAT

British teenager behind GTA 6 hack receives indefinite hospital order

Despite having his laptop confiscated, Kurtaj, carried out his cyber attack using an Amazon Firestick, his hotel television and a mobile phone

Nadeem Badshah
Thu, 21 December 2023 

Photograph: X

A teenager who stole 90 clips of the unreleased Grand Theft Auto 6 game as part of a hacking spree has been sentenced to an indefinite hospital order.

Arion Kurtaj, 18, who is autistic, was on bail for hacking the software firm Nvidia and BT/EE and also in police protection at a Travelodge hotel when he continued his hacking and breached Rockstar Games, the company behind GTA, a court heard.

Despite having his laptop confiscated, Kurtaj, carried out his cyber attack using an Amazon Firestick, his hotel television and a mobile phone. He broke into the company’s internal Slack messaging system to declare: “If Rockstar does not contact me on Telegram within 24 hours I will start releasing the source code.”

Kurtaj, from Oxford and part of the Lapsus$ hacking group, posted the clips and source code on a forum. He will remain at a secure hospital for life unless doctors deem him no longer a danger, Southwark crown court heard on Thursday.

The case has prompted City of London police to advise parents to be aware of their children’s internet usage.

The court heard that Kurtaj had been violent while in custody, with dozens of reports of injury or property damage. Doctors deemed him unfit to stand trial due to his acute autism and the jury was asked to determine whether or not he committed the alleged acts, not if he did so with criminal intent.

A mental health assessment used as part of the sentencing hearing said he “continued to express the intent to return to cyber-crime as soon as possible”, adding: “He is highly motivated.”

Another Lapsus$ member, who is 17 and cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty in the same trial of two counts of fraud, two Computer Misuse Act offences and one count of blackmail.

He was sentenced to a youth rehabilitation order at Guildford crown court in Surrey on Thursday.

As part of the order, he will have an 18-month supervision requirement, a six-month rehabilitation requirement and a three month intensive supervision and surveillance requirement.

DCS Amanda Horsburgh, from the City of London police, said: “This case serves as an example of the dangers that young people can be drawn towards whilst online and the serious consequences it can have for someone’s broader future.

“Many young people wish to explore how technology works and what vulnerabilities exist. This can include learning to code, interacting with like-minded individuals online and experimenting with tools.

“Unfortunately, the digital world can also be tempting to young people for the wrong reasons.”

The gang’s cyber attacks between August 2020 and September 2022 affected a telecoms company, a computer parts manufacturer, gaming companies and others.

Rockstar Games told the court that the hack cost it $5m to recover from in addition to thousands of hours of staff time.

UK

The corrupting influence of political donations laid bare


The Guardian
Wed, 20 December 2023 

Photograph: Dan Chung/The Guardian

Peter Mandelson is right (Blair felt under pressure to ban foxhunting after donation, says Mandelson, 15 December). I’ve known for many years that Labour’s Hunting Act 2004 was bought and paid for by a political donation, but I was surprised to see Mandelson admit it in an eruption of honesty. I know because in 1996 I was sent by Tony Blair’s chief of staff, Jonathan Powell, to the Draycott Hotel in Chelsea to meet Brian Davies, the founder of the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Standing on the doorstep, I collected from him a cheque for £1m made out to Labour. As he handed over the cheque, he was fiercely direct: “We have to stop hunting with dogs.”

At the time, I was running Labour fundraising with Jon Norton, a former banker who went on to marry the wonderful Mo Mowlam. Then Tony Blair appointed Michael Levy to run a Labour “high donor” campaign.

My focus with Norton had been on increasing Labour membership and using mailshots combined with growing internet use to bring in thousands of small donations. We also set up the “1,000 club” with the objective of attracting 1,000 members to donate £1,000 each. The target of £1m was seen as huge by cash-strapped Labour, a perspective that made Davies’ donation all the more astounding.


We set our faces specifically against attracting large donations because of the potential they carry for corrupting policy and people.

With Davies’ cheque warm in my mind, as soon as I was told that Blair wanted to concentrate on high-level donors, I went immediately to see the general secretary of the Labour party, Margaret McDonagh, and told her that I was resigning from fundraising. She asked me why. I said: “If someone gives you £100,000 they want something. If they give you £1m they demand it.”

It’s all a most terrible shame. Party political funding is deeply corrupting. We need state funding of political parties, combined with prison sentences for those who breach tightly prescriptive rules.
Brian Basham
Crowhurst, East Sussex

UK

Eco-activists’ right to protest under review after court clears group of smashing HSBC windows

Charles Hymas
Thu, 21 December 2023

An activist from Extinction Rebellion uses a chisel to smash a window at HSBC in Canary Wharf 

- JOHN SIBLEY/Reuters

The Attorney General has ordered a review of eco-activists’ rights to protest after a group of nine were cleared of smashing bank windows.

Victoria Prentis has asked Court of Appeal judges to rule on whether eco-protesters can use a defence of “lawful excuse” to cause criminal damage to banks, businesses and private property and avoid conviction at trial.

It follows the acquittal of Extinction Rebellion (XR) protesters who caused £500,000 worth of criminal damage to HSBC’s London headquarters. The nine women, all members of XR, sang as they shattered windows with hammers and chisels at 7am on April 22, 2021.

They were cleared after claiming that they honestly believed that the bank, whose property they damaged, would have consented to it if it had known more about the impact of climate change.

The review by the Court of Appeal judges will not reverse the acquittals in their case but if they decide lawful consent is not a legitimate defence, it will mean defendants in similar cases will not in future be able to rely on it to justify any criminal damage.

The group claimed the bank would have consented to the damage if it had known more about the impact of climate change 

- JOHN SIBLEY/REUTERS

It follows a similar referral to the court over the acquittal of four protesters who toppled the Bristol statue of the slave trader Edward Colston. The Court of Appeal ruled that their defence – that convicting them would be a breach of their human right to protest – was not legitimate in cases of “significant” criminal damage.
Lawful excuse defence

The nine women acquitted after vandalising the HSBC building are among several environmental campaigners who have been cleared in the past year after deploying the “lawful excuse” defence.

Sally Hobson, prosecuting in the HSBC case, told jurors that the defendants were guilty of unlawful conduct. “We say that, whatever the purpose behind them causing the damage, there was no lawful excuse for doing so.”

Under the Criminal Damage Act of 1971, a person who without lawful excuse destroys or damages any property belonging to another… shall be guilty of an offence.

But it allows for a “lawful excuse” if the defendant believes that the people who could give their consent to the damage “would have so consented to it…if they had known of the…damage and its circumstances”.

So, for example, it would be lawful to smash the window of a parked car, or a house, if people inside were in danger. It does not matter whether the defendant’s belief was justified or not, provided it was honestly held.

Ms Prentis said: “I have made this reference as it is important that the law is clear and fairly applied. I look forward to the Court of Appeal considering this issue and would like to emphasise that, regardless of the outcome of this reference, it cannot affect those who have been acquitted through the usual trial process.”

Guantanamo detainee waterboarded 83 times by CIA can sue UK Government

Danielle Sheridan
Wed, 20 December 2023 

Abu Zubaydah has been detained by the US authorities since his capture in Pakistan in 2002. In 2006, he was sent to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba where he has been held ever since - U.S. Central Command

A Guantanamo Bay detainee who was waterboarded 83 times by the CIA has won a Supreme Court appeal to use English law in his case against the UK Government.

Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn, a Palestinian man who is widely known as Abu Zubaydah, is bringing a claim against the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the Home Office and the Attorney General over alleged complicity in his torture.

Mr Zubaydah has been detained by the US authorities since his capture in Pakistan in 2002 and in 2006 was sent to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, where he has been held ever since.

The High Court previously heard Mr Zubaydah claim he was “arbitrarily detained” at CIA-run “black site” prisons in Thailand, Poland, Morocco, Lithuania and Afghanistan, where he was “subjected to extreme mistreatment and torture”.

Claims against UK Government

Mr Zubaydah argues that the FCDO, Home Office and Attorney General are “vicariously liable” for multiple wrongs against him, including conspiracy to injure and false imprisonment.

He has not suggested that UK forces were involved in his capture, rendition to the “black site” facilities or were present during his mistreatment and torture.

However, he claims that security services MI5 and MI6 were aware he was being subjected to extreme mistreatment and torture at the hands of the CIA from at least May 2002 and still sent “numerous” questions to the agency to be used in interrogations.

The High Court was previously asked to decide whether English law applies to Mr Zubaydah’s claim, or whether it should be the law of the six countries in which he was detained.

In a judgment in February 2021, a High Court judge ruled the law of the six countries in which he was detained applied to his case. This decision was overturned by the Court of Appeal last year and, in a majority ruling on Wednesday, the Supreme Court upheld the appeal court’s decision.

The Government departments have neither admitted nor denied that they knew where Mr Zubaydah was being held from time to time, or that they knew how he was being treated, arguing they cannot do so for national security reasons.

However, four justices at the UK’s highest court found there were “substantial factors” connecting the allegations with the UK.

Giving the majority ruling, Lord Lloyd-Jones and Lord Stephens said: “In our view, the claimant has established a compelling case in favour of the displacement of the general rule in the unusual circumstances of this case.”

However, in a dissenting judgment, Lord Sales said it was “highly significant that the claimant sustained his personal injuries and was imprisoned in the six countries”.