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National briefs: Democrats set to elect chair Saturday

National briefs: Democrats set to elect chair Saturday

ATLANTA  — National Democrats will elect a new chair Saturday whose task is to steady a reeling party and capitalize on the widespread opposition to Republican President Donald Trump.

Leading contenders are former Labor Secretary Tom Perez and Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison. Supporters of both have acknowledged that a victory for Mr. Perez would come with a backlash from the left.

The chairman is part cheerleader, part fundraiser, part organizer, part recruiter and part public messenger. 

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Neither major party has had such a competitive chair election in recent history, but there’s a reason for Democrats’ existential lurching: They have as little actual political power around the country as they’ve had in 90 years, meaning virtually no American voter alive has ever seen Democrats so removed from controlling the nation’s policies.

Nevada plans pot sales

CARSON CITY, Nev.  — Despite warnings this week of a federal crackdown by President Donald Trump’s  administration on recreational marijuana use, Nevada officials said Friday the state  will launch recreational pot sales in July

Marijuana possession and sales are illegal under federal law, but in Nevada voters decided to allow those age 21 or older to use pot recreationally — becoming one of eight states to do so.

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The cannabis industry was rattled Thursday after White House press secretary Sean Spicer said he expects the Department of Justice to increase enforcement of federal laws prohibiting recreational pot, even in states where it’s legal. As a rationale for the greater enforcement, Mr. Spicer appeared to link the surge in opioid abuse to recreational marijuana use. 

 Marijuana advocates countered that pot does not have the same addictive or potentially lethal properties that opioids do and that Mr. Spicer’s implication that recreational marijuana use could lead to more dangerous drug use — commonly called the “gateway drug” theory — is controversial.

Struggle led to shooting

WASHINGTON — A District of Columbia police officer and a man he was pursuing exchanged gunfire Thursday night during a violent struggle, police said Friday, leaving the man dead and two officers wounded.

Details of the altercation remain murky, including who was shot by  whom. Police identified the man who was killed as Timothy Lionel Williams, 47. They did not say why Mr. Williams initially came to the attention of police but said he refused commands to stop.

‘Lone wolf’ apologizes

For years on social media and in online conversations, Mahmoud Elhassan touted himself as a “lone wolf,” a “sleeper cell” for the Islamic State group in the U.S.

On Friday, the 26-year-old Virginia man apologized to his family, to all Muslims and to American society as he was sentenced in federal court in Alexandria, Va., to 11 years in prison on terrorism-related charges. He pleaded guilty to helping a friend attempt to join the Islamic State in Syria and then lying to the FBI.

Elhassan said he wished hehad gotten help. His attorney said he suffered from untreated depression and post-traumatic stress disorder from his childhood. 

Also in the nation …

A military judge won’t throw out charges against Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, accused of abandoning his post in Afghanistan, despite scathing comments President Donald Trump made during the campaign.

First Published: February 25, 2017, 5:00 a.m.

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