➡ President Joe Biden has pardoned thousands convicted of using or possessing marijuana on federal lands, aiming to remove barriers to employment, education, and housing. However, this pardon excludes those involved in marijuana selling, DUIs, or state law violations, and applicants must apply via the Department of Justice. The president’s measure extends to minor offenses committed on federal property and has wider implications with respect to racial disparities in drug sentencing. Criticisms revolve around timing (election year), selectivity of pardon (excluding sellers), and necessity of applying for proof.
➡ A lawsuit against the rock band Nirvana, involving accusations of child pornography over the ‘Nevermind’ album cover, has been revived. The case is brought by Spencer Eldon, the baby depicted on the cover, who alleges sexual exploitation and personal harm. Though legal disputes persist regarding time limitations for bringing forth the lawsuit, the band and its label, Universal Music Group, expect to prevail in defending the supposedly meritless case.
➡ The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed Japanese pitcher Yoshinovo Yamamoto to a record-breaking 12-year, $325,000,000 contract, leading to observations of an increasing Japanese influence in Major League Baseball. This marks the largest contract for a pitcher in the history of the sport.
➡ The Japanese pitcher, renowned as one of the most decorated in baseball history, made his debut at 18 with the Oryx Buffaloes. His impressive performance got him the largest pitching contract in MLB history, topping $325 million, surpassing the nine-year $324 million deal signed by Garrett Colt with the New York Yankees in 2019. The record-breaking contracts of two Japanese players with the Dodgers combined exceeded $1 billion.

Joe Biden. Joe Biden, during an upcoming election year, decided to pardon everything marijuana related. Let me bring y’all up to speed. All right, I think that’s it. There we go. Is pardoning thousands of people who were convicted of using or possessing marijuana on federal land. The president says criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities. The president is also granting clemency to eleven people serving what the White House called disproportionately long sentences for.

So essentially, Biden decided that he wanted to basically pardon possession convictions for marijuana. It goes on to say that he announced, and today, specifically today, he’s announcing that he’s issuing a federal pardon to every american who has used marijuana in the past, including those who were never arrested or prosecuted. He goes on to say the sweeping pardon applies to all U. S. Citizens and lawful permanent residents in possession of marijuana for their personal use and those convicted of similar federal crimes.

It also forgives pot users in the District of Columbia. It does not apply to individuals who have been jailed for selling the drug, which is illegal under federal law, or other marijuana offenses such as driving under the influence of an illegal substance. He also says that the implication of Biden’s pardon’s promises to have significant implications as criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities.

However, the pardons do not apply to people who violated state law, and anyone who wants to receive proof of a pardon will have to apply through the Department of Justice. He issued a similar pardon last year and promised future reforms. This year’s proclamation went further in that it forgave all instances of simple marijuana possession or use under federal law, including for individuals who have never been charged, and also expands Biden’s previous directive to include minor marijuana offenses committed on federal property.

He says that thousands of people with federal and DC convictions will be eligible for the pardons, which Biden announced three days before the Christmas holiday and in a statement said to Americans should not be sent to prison solely for using or possessing marijuana. He urged governors to forgive state offenses by saying criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities.

Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs. He also commuted the sentences of eleven people he said were serving disproportionately long sentences for nonviolent drug offenses and would have received lesser sentences if they were charged. Today, the Congressional Black Caucus said the pardons are a positive step forward in addressing long standing racial disparities in crack and powder cocaine.

Sentencing for generations has disproportionately imprisoned black Americans. They go on to say, it is our hope that clemency be granted to more black Americans who have been criminalized by decades old policies of the war on drugs era, the group said in a statement. So essentially, Biden is now advocating for and then pardoning and going on to have conversations that distract y’all from the real issues is what’s going on.

Because let’s be clear, first of all, you gotta go and apply at the Department of Justice. Secondly, they got to get the word out, so they got to advertise for it. Third, I don’t really think it’s going to make any real significant impact to your life because it has nothing to do with the people that was selling it and moving it, just the people that was arrested for smoking it, but you can go and get your pardon.

Fourth is during election year, so we all know black people like to get distracted with regard to that. And fifth, the real issues are the issues that he refused to speak of or address, which is the crisis at the border, the funding that we have going over to all of these countries, including Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel, and he’s holding up funding for the border in order to negotiate, to continue to fund things that have nothing to do with Americans.

So again, Biden has decided that he wants to make sure that he keeps you guys distracted from the things that’s not really relevant. And he’s doing it by making sure that he’s announcing it on Christmas, Christmas, ladies and gentlemen. So I wish he would address some things that really, really matter, but that’s probably not going to happen. In other news, Nirvana now everybody knows, anybody knows, whether you a hip hop head or you an alternative music listener or you from the 90s or anything like that, everybody knows what this iconic album is.

Now. If you scroll down a little bit more, it was one of the greatest and most iconic albums to ever hit shelves, in my opinion, in my entire life. A lot of people also remember that their lead singer wind up committing suicide, Kurt Cobain. But this is the Nirvana Nevermind album. It is actually up on my wall and is painted as a part of a commission painting project that a woman came in and she did it.

This is their Nirvana Nevermind album. But here’s the thing. This album back then caused a lot of controversy, and it still is to this day. According to Reuters, the court revived a Nirvana child pornography lawsuit over the Nevermind cover because it was a baby. And it’s funny because the actual guy that shot this cover, he came back and he did a new know he was the baby, the guy that’s on this platform.

And he came back and he did it when he was older too. But it says the US appeals court on Thursday, as though they ain’t got nothing else better to do, revived a lawsuit accusing the rock band Irvana of publishing child pornography by using a photograph of a naked four month old baby on a cover of his 1991 album. Never mind went on to say the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court’s decision that Spencer Eldon, the baby depicted on the COVID had waited too long to bring his lawsuit against the seminal Seattle grudge ban.

The court did not address whether the COVID of Nevermind constitutes child p. This procedural setback does not change our view, Nirvana attorney Bert Dexler said on Thursday. He said, we will defend this meritless case with vigor and expect to prevail. The elder’s attorney, Robert Lewis says that Eldon is very pleased with the decision and looks forward to having his day in court. Eldon, now 32, who is the baby that’s in the painting or on the COVID first sued the band and its label, Universal Music Group, in 2021, accusing them of sexually exploiting him through his depiction on the Nevermind cover and causing him personal harm.

Other defendants include surviving members of Nirvana, David Groak, Chris Noble select and lead singer late lead singer Kirk Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love and photographer Kirk wedding now Courtney Love is not even alive anymore. The lawsuit stemmed from Nirvana’s use of the photo taken by Weddell at a pasadenic aquatic center in California that depicted Eldon swimming naked towards a dollar bill on a fish hook. The US district judge in Los Angeles said last year that Eldon’s lawsuit must be dismissed because he did not sue within a ten year limitation period after learning of the COVID Everybody is out here for a money grab.

That’s really what it comes down to. Everybody is out here to get a money grab. Everybody is trying to get their monies and we’re going to get into the vin diesel thing in a minute. And so he’s suing in order to try to get some money and he 32 years old and nobody even recognize him from this cover. But you know how it is, people are trying to get their bag up.

And then last but not least, the Los Angeles Dodgers signs another japanese pitcher to a historic contract, one of the biggest in pitcher history. Let me bring you guys up to speed of what’s happening out here in these streets? Breaking news here on CBS Sports HQ. The rich get richer. Well, that’s not breaking news. The news is the fact that Yoshinovo Yamamoto is going to the LA Dodgers.

The Dodgers win the Sweepstakes because there were several teams in on Yamamoto, including the Yankees and Mets. The japanese pitcher headed to LA to play alongside his japanese teammate from the World Baseball Classic, Shohei Otani. The Dodgers have now spent over a billion dollars in the past two weeks between. I’m sorry, it’s not Courtney Love. Kurt Cobain is the one that’s passed away. He killed himself. I got you, Connie and Yamamoto.

The contract for twelve years. 325,000,000. Largest contract for a pitcher in major League Baseball history. Topping Garrett Cole’s deal with the Yankees by $1 million. So it looks like Japan is getting to the bag, but basically he’s one of the greatest pitchers in japanese history and he’s officially heading over into major League Baseball. He’s reportedly agreed to a twelve year, $325,000,000 contract with Los Angeles Dodgers, according to ESPN.

And the deal comes after the post was made available to MLB teams in November. He is second only to his japanese sports mate. All right. He leaves Japan and is arguably the most decorated pitcher in baseball history over there. He made his debut at the Oryx Buffaloes at the age of 18, proceeded to do really well. That performance earned him the largest pitching contract in MLB history. His $325,000,000 topped the nine year $324,000,000 deal that Garrett Colt signed with the New York Yankees in 2019.

The Dodgers also paid a $50 million posting fee to sign him. So they sent over 50 mil to be able to sign him. And then his homeboy got ten years and $700 million. So they basically setting records for japanese players and they get into the bag, they running it up, they getting all of the money and then they taking it back to their hometown. Two players combined deals of over $1,000,000,000.

02 players combined deal for over $1 billion. Both of them japanese, both of them going over to the Dodgers. .