Japan’s Emperor Akihito formally abdicated Tuesday during a historic ceremony in Tokyo, becoming the country’s first monarch to step down from the Chrysanthemum Throne in two centuries. https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/29/asia/japan-imperial-abdication-akihito-reiwa-intl/index.html

It seems everyone but Texas’ Greg Abbott is onboard with decriminalizing marijuana. https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2019/04/30/texas-decriminalize-marijuana-gop-support/

On Saturday an avowed neo-Nazi entered the Chabad of Poway synagogue in San Diego County, California, shouted anti-Semitic… https://truthout.org/articles/amid-latest-synagogue-shooting-trump-abets-white-supremacist-violence/

Texas would become the 25th state in the U.S. to remove the threat of being jailed as a punishment for possessing small amounts of marijuana under a bill approved by the state House of Representatives on Monday. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomangell/2019/04/29/texas-lawmakers-approve-marijuana-decriminalization-bill/#36a5d5ba126a

The latest white nationalist killing comes after the Department of Homeland Security disbanded its domestic terrorism… https://www.democracynow.org/2019/4/29/headlines/trump_admin_disbanded_domestic_terror_unit_amid_rising_far_right_violence

Last week, R. Kelly lost his civil suit case for sexual assault by default after the singer failed to show up to court. Now, Kelly’s legal team is fighting back against the judge’s ruling, citing his learning disability as the biggest reason to reverse the court’s decision, TMZ reports. https://www.vibe.com/2019/04/r-kelly-fights-civil-case-learning-disability-reading

Former Vice President Joe Biden recently reached out to Anita Hill prior to entering the presidential race.  https://www.democracynow.org/2019/4/26/headlines/anita_hill_i_am_not_satisfied_by_bidens_apology_over_handling_of_clarence_thomas_allegations

second federal judge has blocked a gag rule that would have stripped federal funding known as Title X for Planned Parenthood and other clinics that refer patients for abortions or even mention abortion as an option. https://truthout.org/video/trumps-anti-choice-agenda-is-killing-thousands-in-the-us-and-globally/

In the past six weeks, churches, mosques and a synagogue have been targeted in a series of shootings and bombings spanning three countries. https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/28/world/san-diego-synagogue-christchurch-mosque-sri-lanka-church/

As states continue to legalize marijuana for medicinal or recreational purposes, those state policies continue to inherently conflict with federal law. https://www.factcheck.org/2019/04/viral-claim-blurs-marijuana-gun-policies/