Articles by Cara Brown McCormick

California’s legal cannabis industry, long weighed down by high taxes and regulation, is facing new threats: steep federal tariffs on key imports and a proposed statewide ban on disposable vapes.

Salt Lake City will continue using ranked choice voting (RCV) in its municipal elections, allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference rather than selecting just one. The City Council reaffirmed their commitment to the system, following positive feedback from the 2023 elections. ​

Facing the risk of defeat in a competitive Democratic primary, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on April 3 that he is withdrawing from the June 24 ranked-choice contest and will instead collect signatures to run as an independent in the November 4 general election.

The Nasdaq Composite has officially entered bear market territory—defined by a drop of 20% or more from its recent high—while the S&P 500 is nearing the same threshold today. Last week U.S. stock markets shed $6.6 trillion in value over a two-day span, triggered by President Trump’s larger-than-expected tariff announcement and China’s vow to match the tariffs on all American-made goods.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps millions of low-income families cover heating and cooling costs, faces serious disruption after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) laid off all federal staff overseeing the program.

Many have seen the story out of Wisconsin: Susan Crawford defied record-breaking spending by Super PACs to win the April 1 state Supreme Court election. “Crawford beat Musk,” is the headline after the world’s richest man poured millions into the race to defeat her, while liberal billionaires also opened up their own pocketbooks for Crawford.

Skokie voters went to the polls on April 1 amidst a closely watched mayoral election to decide whether or not to adopt ranked choice voting (RCV). With 100% of precincts reporting, 58% of participating voters said ‘Yes’ to changing how the city conducts elections. 

Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey made history with a marathon speech on the Senate floor, surpassing 24 hours in a sweeping protest against the policies of former President Donald Trump.

A popular and game-changing rescheduling proposal backed by Donald J. Trump to reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) remains formally active but administratively paused by a DEA judge.

According to Buying Time 2025 election spending data as of March 26, 2025, more than $81.4 million has been spent on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race between Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford and Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel, making it the most expensive state judicial election in US history.