Comment on The Last Word: This week’s top picks

Addressing the homeowners insurance crisis in Florida will require greater political will than we have seen in Tallahassee in recent years. Floridians face skyrocketing homeowners insurance premiums and many have received letters that their policies will not get renewed. Homebuyers struggle to find affordable insurance, which they need to close on a mortgage.

Here are the top stories for Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Get the weather forecast for today here. SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get our free Morning Update email. Sign up here. Several boaters seen on video dumping trash in the ocean identified, Florida wildlife officials say ‘Women are scared and angry:’ The reality of the Florida’s new six-week abortion law sets in As 41 snakes are released, ‘they’ll hopefully thrive out here’ to help restore ecosystem Climate change could virtually disappear in Florida — at least according to state law Want to live the ‘Palm Royale’ life?

As a Jewish alumnus of Columbia University (class of 1981), the latest news has been surreal. The video scenes of the 116th Street gates do not drip with nostalgia. I now watch only with sadness. Columbia is no stranger to student protest. However, when I was a student, the protests were against outside actors.

By Jennifer Peltz and Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The Justice Department proposal would recognize the medical uses of cannabis, but wouldn’t legalize it for recreational use. The proposal would move marijuana from the “Schedule I” group to the less tightly regulated “Schedule III.” So what does that mean, and what are the implications? WHAT HAS ACTUALLY CHANGED?

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, JAKE OFFENHARTZ, COLLEEN LONG and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER (Associated Press) NEW YORK (AP) — The first week of testimony in Donald Trump’s hush money trial was the scene-setter for jurors. This week, prosecutors are working on filling in the details of how they say he pulled off a scheme to bury damaging stories to protect his 2016 presidential campaign. Related Articles National News | What marijuana reclassification means for the United States National News | DeSantis laughs at Democrats’ claims President Joe Biden could do well in Florida National News | FDA finalizes rule to increase oversight of lab tests National News | US poised to ease restrictions on marijuana in historic shift, but it’ll remain controlled substance National News | 5 takeaways from the global negotiations on a treaty to end plastic pollution Prosecutors are setting the stage for crucial testimony from Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, who arranged hush money payments on Trump’s behalf before going to prison for campaign finance violations and other crimes. Trump denies any wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty. Here’s a look at how things are shaping up so far this week at the historic trial: JAIL THREAT Six months before the 2024 presidential election, the presumptive Republican nominee is being threatened with possible jail time — even before jurors decide whether he is guilty in the hush money case. Judge Juan Merchan raised the specter of time behind bars if Trump continues to violate a gag order barring him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and others connected with the case. In a ruling Tuesday fining Trump $9,000 for repeated violations of the gag order, Merchan wrote that as a judge he was “keenly aware of, and protective of” Trump’s First Amendment rights, “particularly given his candidacy for the office of President of the United States.” Former President Donald Trump and his attorney Todd Blanche return to the courtroom after a break for his trial at Manhattan criminal court in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2024.

By MATTHEW LEE and SAM MEDNICK (Associated Press) TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U. S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was meeting with Israeli leaders on Wednesday in his push for a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas, saying “the time is now” for an agreement that would free hostages and bring a pause in the nearly seven months of war in Gaza. He said Hamas would bear the blame for any failure to get a deal off the ground. Blinken is on his seventh visit to the region since the war erupted in October in his bid to secure what’s been an elusive deal between Israel and Hamas that could avert an Israeli incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering. The current round of talks appears to be serious, but the sides remain far apart on one key issue — whether the war should end as part of an emerging deal. “We are determined to get a cease-fire that brings the hostages home and to get it now, and the only reason that that wouldn’t be achieved is because of Hamas,” Blinken told Israel’s ceremonial President Isaac Herzog at a meeting in Tel Aviv. “There is a proposal on the table, and as we’ve said, no delays, no excuses.