The Other Stuff

This is an unequivocally good policy choice, though it will be small in actual impact. Most drug cases are handled through state and local courts, and Biden only has the ability to pardon those convicted in federal courts. This won't release any prisoners because there are no federal prisoners in on weed possession alone, but it will clear the criminal conviction from the records of 6,500 former federal prisoners.

Biden's executive order also calls on Governors to do the same, which is the right move. There have been efforts to move in this direction in Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

The big buried lede here is that Biden's also stated that he's making some baby steps towards re- or de-scheduling weed under the Controlled Substances Act, which could effectively legalize it nationally.

This is a big turnaround for Biden, who has previously been quite conservative on the weed issue despite the fact that marijuana is more popular than he is. My guess is that this is meant to pair with his new student debt policy to increase youth voting in the upcoming primaries.

Eugene:

That's James Maddison's flute. James Maddison owned over 100 slaves. Due to debts he had to sell land and slaves over his lifetime. By the time of his death he owned 36 slaves. No slaves were freed during his lifetime or in his will.

The power that this successful Black woman has over his legacy right now.

Not just playing his flute, but shaking her ass while playing his flute.

Oh, the white supremacists are so mad.

You know how often people play instruments that are hundreds of years old? Instruments are made to last hundreds of years. They're preserved through use. First chair violinists in major orchestras often use violins that are centuries old.

My aunt owns and sells instruments both young and old, and it's a huge dishonor to the memory of the creator to demand that the instrument go in a museum never to be used.

She invited Lizzo by @ her on Twitter because she saw Lizzo would be in town for her tour. Lizzo spent three hours touring the LoC and looking at historic flutes in the collection.

Carla Hayden was previously the head librarian of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, which is the city library organization for Baltimore. She kept the libraries open during the Freddie Gray riots so people would have a safe place to bring their kids.

For freedom.