This Week in the Legislature: Cannabidiol Oil, Teacher Pay Raises and Bentley Impeachment
There are only eight meeting days left in Alabama’s 2016 Legislative Session, and the Alabama State House saw a burst of activity this week. For an update from Montgomery, we talk with Don Dailey, host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television. To start, Dailey tells WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley about Leni’s Law, a bill the House passed Wednesday that would decriminalize a specific marijuana oil in a bid to help people coping with debilitating seizures. It’s named for Leni Young, a former Alabama resident who suffers from a seizure disorder.
Cannabidiol doesn’t cause a high like marijuana, and is being explored as a treatment for epilepsy. The bill would give people a defense from drug possession charges if they are using the oil to help with seizures. Lawmakers previously approved access to the oil through a study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, but some, including Young, couldn’t get into the study.
Additionally, the Alabama House of Representatives is expected to vote next week to establish a 15-person investigatory committee to probe the possible impeachment of Governor Robert Bentley.
Hundreds of South Koreans are among 475 detained in a Georgia immigration raid
"The business activities of our investors and the rights of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed," a foreign ministry spokesman said after about 300 South Koreans were detained.
Four Democratic senators urge Smithsonian to resist White House attempts to ‘bully the institution’
Sen. Alex Padilla of California and three other Democrats are reminding the Smithsonian's secretary that the institution "is the responsibility of Congress."
Greetings from Guhagar, India, where newly hatched turtles get some help into the sea
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.
Israel is blasting through Gaza City neighborhoods, but people have nowhere to go
Israel's military says it has gained "operational control" of 40% of Gaza City and plans to intensify its attacks in a large-scale ground offensive to fully occupy the city.
Horror, rom-coms and ‘Hamilton’ are all in theaters this weekend
This weekend, Hamilton is in theaters in honor of its anniversary, a new Conjuring horror film opens, and Dylan O'Brien stars in a twisty story about grief.
The U.S. added only 22,000 jobs last month, showing cracks in the labor market
The U.S. job market showed more signs of weakness Friday, as the Labor Department reported just 22,000 jobs added last month. Revised figures show the economy lost jobs in June, and the unemployment rate inched up to 4.3%.
