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Tag: Vice president Harris

  • Wrong-way driver passes vice presidential motorcade in Wisconsin

    Wrong-way driver passes vice presidential motorcade in Wisconsin

    A suspected drunken driver going the wrong way on the interstate nearly struck a vehicle containing Vice President Kamala Harris Monday night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Sister station WISN obtained video from about 8:20 p.m. Monday showing the driver getting onto Interstate 794 via an offramp. The white car heads west into the eastbound lanes just as the motorcade is approaching on what was an otherwise closed-off freeway. The vehicle is seen moving to the left lanes as the first squad at the head of the motorcade passes by. Each of the more than a dozen vehicles then drives past the car until the final ones, driven by Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Deputies, make a traffic stop. The driver has been identified as a 55-year-old Milwaukee man, whom WISN did not identify as of early Wednesday morning because he had yet to be formally charged. According to an arrest report obtained by WISN, when the man was told by a deputy he’d “almost struck a vehicle in the VPOTUS’ motorcade, he was extremely surprised and had no recollection of entering the freeway or coming close to striking another vehicle. He also stated he did not have any intention of harming Vice President Kamala Harris or anybody related to her campaign.” According to the report, the man failed several field sobriety tests and had an open beer can in his vehicle. He was arrested for drunken driving and second-degree recklessly endangering safety. He remained in jail Tuesday night without bail, awaiting a hearing. The Harris campaign referred any questions regarding the incident to the United States Secret Service. “The U.S. Secret Service is aware of the incident involving a motorist traveling in the opposite direction on the highway while the Vice President was in her motorcade. We are grateful to the Milwaukee Sheriff’s Office for their response which allowed them to stop the motorist and take the driver into custody for DUI,” Secret Service Spokesperson Joe Routh told WISN.

    A suspected drunken driver going the wrong way on the interstate nearly struck a vehicle containing Vice President Kamala Harris Monday night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

    Sister station WISN obtained video from about 8:20 p.m. Monday showing the driver getting onto Interstate 794 via an offramp. The white car heads west into the eastbound lanes just as the motorcade is approaching on what was an otherwise closed-off freeway.

    The vehicle is seen moving to the left lanes as the first squad at the head of the motorcade passes by. Each of the more than a dozen vehicles then drives past the car until the final ones, driven by Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Deputies, make a traffic stop.

    The driver has been identified as a 55-year-old Milwaukee man, whom WISN did not identify as of early Wednesday morning because he had yet to be formally charged.

    According to an arrest report obtained by WISN, when the man was told by a deputy he’d “almost struck a vehicle in the VPOTUS’ motorcade, he was extremely surprised and had no recollection of entering the freeway or coming close to striking another vehicle. He also stated he did not have any intention of harming Vice President Kamala Harris or anybody related to her campaign.”

    According to the report, the man failed several field sobriety tests and had an open beer can in his vehicle.

    He was arrested for drunken driving and second-degree recklessly endangering safety. He remained in jail Tuesday night without bail, awaiting a hearing.

    The Harris campaign referred any questions regarding the incident to the United States Secret Service.

    “The U.S. Secret Service is aware of the incident involving a motorist traveling in the opposite direction on the highway while the Vice President was in her motorcade. We are grateful to the Milwaukee Sheriff’s Office for their response which allowed them to stop the motorist and take the driver into custody for DUI,” Secret Service Spokesperson Joe Routh told WISN.

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  • Republican National Convention Night 2: Senate or Bust

    Republican National Convention Night 2: Senate or Bust

    MILWAUKEE – The United States Senate was on the mind of the Republican National Committee on night two of the Republican National Convention Tuesday night. Former Arizona gubernatorial candidate and current senatorial candidate Kari Lake joined a host of other Republican senatorial candidates in denouncing the job the Biden-Harris administration has done the past three and a half years. Lake and the others were looking to reinforce the need for Republican voters to help the GOP get a majority in the Senate, something that can go a long way to reaching goals like Project 2025, for example. 

    “Americans are much more united than you may believe,” said Lake during her speech, which also included pot shots at the “fake news” media. “You guys up there in the fake news have worn out your welcome,” she said.

    The speeches that were supposed to unify Americans of both parties, at least on this night, included takedowns from senatorial candidates galore. Wisconsin’s Eric Horde, who is running against Senator Tammy Baldwin, who has held her seat for over a decade, said, “Where Biden and Baldwin have failed, President Trump and I will succeed.” 

    Bernie Moreno of Ohio followed Horde on stage and commenced to denounce illegal immigrants despite his parents getting him and his siblings to the United States from their native Colombia when they were children. “Many years ago my parents brought me and my siblings to this country legally,” Moreno said with an emphasis on the word “legally.” 

    He spent the bulk of his five minutes on stage blaming the Biden-Harris administration for illegal immigrants entering this country. Moreno is running against Senator Sherrod Brown, a very popular and longtime member of the Senate. “A vote for Trump/Moreno is a vote to put America first,” Moreno said before leaving the stage and making way for Mike Rogers and David McCormick.

    Rogers, is a senatorial candidate in Michigan and McCormick, whose wife Dina Powell was the Deputy National Security Advisor during the Trump administration, is running against longtime Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey. The same talking points would be repeated by Republican senatorial candidates Jim Banks (Indiana), Sam Brown (Nevada), Tim Sheehy (Montana) and Hung Cao (Virginia).

    After making a pronoun joke, Sheehy, who is running against Jon Tester, said, “Jon Tester is the deciding vote for Biden’s America last agenda.” 

    Cao, a retired U.S. Navy veteran of 25 years, moved to the U.S. with his parents as a child and referred to the United States of America as having “saved my life.” His military experience is something he wears on his sleeve and is often mentioned during his public speaking appearances. “We will vote for love of God, love of family, and love for the greatest country on Earth,” he said. “I’m not done fighting for us.”

    Former presidential candidate Nikki Haley, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Florida Senator Rick Scott, and Lara Trump, the Republican National Committee, also spoke on Tuesday night.

    Donnell Suggs

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  • Things Are Heating Up For Cannabis This Summer

    Things Are Heating Up For Cannabis This Summer

    Temperatures aren’t the only thing warming up this summer – the cannabis market is heating up with potential changes.

    It is the time of year for high temperatures, travel, grilling, and more. And as a bonus this year, things are heating up for cannabis this summer.  The industry is holding its breath as the current administration lumbers toward rescheduling, Florida is setting the stage again for a fight between the governor and his residents and licenses are granted as Ohio opens the marijuana market.

    RELATED: California or New York, Which Has The Biggest Marijuana Mess

    The cannabis industry is starting to rise out of a mess caused by overexcitement, federal regulation and zero tax relief for mom and pop businesses. And, it seems, the Biden administration seems to be finally taking rescheduling serious with both President Biden and Vice President Harris using it as a talking point in speeches.

    The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) hasn’t be the most excited despite both Health and Human Services (HHS) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommending the change. Several key federal health agencies were part of conference recently to discuss the marijuana science and policy considerations for researchers navigating cannabis studies, but the DEA cancelled their participation. Currently, it is in a 60 day public comment period and they DEA will move afterwards. Fall seems to be the time a final decision will be made.

    Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

    Florida has voted on marijuana three times. The first time medical passed by 60% and the the then popular Governor declared it not enough. The second time it passed by over 70% and the Governor said the public was confused. Now they go for a third time and the Governor doesn’t want a vote and especially doesn’t want support from his citizens. But things have changed. Faced with soaring problems and a more negative view of his nanny state policies, DeSantis barely breaks 50% approval ratings. In a new Fox New poll, 66% of the state backs expanding legalization. Included in the poll is Republicans are at 57% for making the plant more available, it seems DeSantis is again swimming against what Florida wants.

    RELATED: Was There Marijuana In The Old West

    The state where 7 US presidents were born, Ohio, is gearing up to sell recreational marijuana in dispensaries. Ohio’s 132 medical marijuana dispensaries are now able to apply for recreational sales permits. It means marjijuana could be sold to the adult general public begin by mid July. And, most likely, it means most Buckeyes should have access by the later part of the summer. And it means the end of the year will be a boon for the states tax coffers. Smaller state Missouri did over $1 billion in sales in their first year, so the state budget should look good next year.

    Terry Hacienda

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  • The Perfect James Bond Martini

    The Perfect James Bond Martini

    Did James Bond make the martini famous? Or did the martini help make Bond cool?

    The classic line of “shaken or stirred” has been used by men for decades.  Bond instructs the bartender in the phrase “shaken and not stirred” in Diamonds Are Forever and Dr No and it has been in our lexicon ever since. But did Bond make the martini famous – or did the martini help Bond. And what is the perfect James Bond Martini?

    The history of the martini is murky, “Professor” Jerry Thomas, a famous and influential 19th century bartender, invented the drink at the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco, sometime in the late 1850s or early 1860s. As the story goes, a miner, about to set out on a journey to Martinez, California, put a gold nugget on the bar and asked Thomas to mix him up something special. Thomas produced a drink containing Old Tom (sweetened) gin, vermouth, bitters and Maraschino, and dubbed it the “Martinez” in honor of the customer’s destination.

    Related: California or New York, Which Has The Biggest Marijuana Mess

    The big question is gin or vodka? Purist insist it be gin for the classic martini, but numbers say vodka is preferred. Vodka sales are about $7.5 billion annually while gin is around $5 billion. If you order a classic martini, you will probably be served gin unless you say vodka. Bond seems fairly fluid in his choice, he orders 19 vodka martinis and 16 gin martinis throughout Fleming’s novels and short stories.

    Like Bond’s creator Ian Fleming, James Bond prefers his cocktails shaken and not stirred. A traditional martini is stirred rather than shaken, but Fleming’s biographer Andrew Lycett shared the author preferred martinis shaken since he believe it preserved the flavor.

    Internationally known celebrity chef Justin Khanna has his take on the martini.

    “The perfect Martini, to me, takes advantage of the “blank canvas” nature of this timeless cocktail. “Many cocktails restrict you to specific garnishes, and even fewer allow the liberty to swap the base spirit.

    With the Martini, a vodka base that’s heavy on the olives and light on the vermouth is just as “right” as one made with gin and a twist of lemon, even though they couldn’t be more different once you take your first sip. Accompanied by a bowl of olives, bleu cheese or salty potato chips to snack on, and I’ll savor this iconic cocktail in bliss.

    I personally love the body, complexity and herbaceous kick of vermouth, often making it a co-star in my version”

    The Khanna Martini

    Ingredients

    • 2 1/2 oz vodka
    • 3/4 oz dry vermouth
    • Ice
    • Lemon zest twist

    Create

    • Combine vodka and vermouth in a shaker with ice.
    • Shake for 10-20 seconds.
    • Strain into a chilled martini glass.
    • Garnish with a lemon twist, first rubbing it along the rim for a burst of citrus aroma.

    RELATED: Science Says Medical Marijuana Improves Quality Of Life

    Dean Martin, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis’s Margo Channing, FDR, Frank Sinatra, and Jessica Walter’s Lucille Bluth are all noted martini fans. One of the most fun is the great Megan Mullally’s Karen Walker from the show Will & Grace.

    The Karen Walker Martini

    Ingredients

    • 2.5 oz. High-end vodka
    • .5 oz. Dry vermouth
    • .5 oz. Olive brine

    Create

    • Pour all ingredients into shaker with ice cubes.
    • Shake well
    • Strain in chilled cocktail glass

    The Perfect James Bond Martini

    Ingredients

    • 2 ¼ ounces dry gin
    • 1 ounce dry vermouth
    • 1 lemon twist, for garnish
    • 1 olive (for garnish)

    Create

    • Combine vermouth and gin in a mixing glass filled with ice
    • Fill glass with ice and stir rapidly. Continue adding ice and stirring until the additional ice has been submerged within the cocktail
    • Strain the cocktail into the chilled martini glass
    • Express the lemon twist over the cocktail
    • Place expressed lemon twist and the skewered olive on the chilled rim

    As famed writer and wit Dorothy Parker shared about martinis:

    “I like to have a martini,
    Two at the very most.
    After three I’m under the table,
    after four I’m under my host.”

     

    Anthony Washington

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  • More Talk From Biden on Marijuana, But Where Is Action

    More Talk From Biden on Marijuana, But Where Is Action

    Biden’s Weed Tweet Got Numbers and Feedback

    Biden’s weed tweet got numbers and feedback. The campaign might want to pay attention to the legit comments.

    The post Biden’s Weed Tweet Got Numbers and Feedback appeared first on The Fresh Toast.

    Terry Hacienda

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  • Biden’s Weed Tweet Got Numbers and Feedback

    Biden’s Weed Tweet Got Numbers and Feedback

    His mentioning marijuana at the State of The Union was historic, but boy did he get some feedback when he tweeted.

    The State of the Union address for many years was referred to as “the President’s Annual Message to Congress“. It is believed George Washington started the tradition and the term “State of the Union” first emerged in 1934 when used by Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR). President Biden mention of marijuana was historic and also showed how the plants reputation has come a long way from the war on drugs.  And when he tweeted about it, things got spicy. Biden’s weed tweet got numbers and feedback – and the administration might be wise to pay attention.

    Related: California or New York, Which Has The Biggest Marijuana Mess

    The tweet on cannabis reached 14 million and had 12,000 comments and 104,000 likes.  The President mentioned his marijuana pardons which drew a significant amount of feedback. According to BDSA, a leading analytics firm covering cannabis, the industry generated $29.5 billion in revue in 2023.  When talking about a need to grow the economy and taxes, here is a fresh industry the public wants, but antiquated laws are punishing small businesses.

    When you subtract comments not relating to weed, they fall in three categories.  The first is the remaining resentment toward Vice President Harris for her historic stance on marijuana.  The industry was at first excited when Biden was elected as he indicated he would move opening up legalization for cannabis. His slow pace along with VP Harris’s previous role has frustrated the industry and it shows by the sharp remarks.

    Another large batch of comments were just about making a move already!  Science, the American Medical Association, and the federal departments of the Healthy and Human Services (HHS) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have all said there are benefits.  People are clamoring for him to act and act quickly. But, it seems to the public eye, the administration has been very slow in fullfilling this promise from over 2020.

    RELATED: Science Says Medical Marijuana Improves Quality Of Life

    The third big conversation is his perception his pardons did more than they actually did for prisoners.  Again, there is hard feelings about it and the online community want him to understand what he did and did not do.

    While the industry is expanding, it is still in growth mode and needs basic help in continuing to grow. Rescheduling would allow state cannabis operators to take federal tax deductions they’re currently barred from under an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E.  This would give immediate benefits to the cannabis industry which is 50+% small businesses.

     

    Sarah Johns

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  • More Talk From Biden on Marijuana, But Where Is Action

    More Talk From Biden on Marijuana, But Where Is Action

    More Talk From Biden on Marijuana, But Where Is Action

    It was historic for a sitting president, but was it more talk from Biden on marijuana, but where is the action?

    The post More Talk From Biden on Marijuana, But Where Is Action appeared first on The Fresh Toast.

    Anthony Washington

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