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President Joe Biden expanded a categorical pardon today for low-level marijuana offenders convicted on federal lands and in the District of Columbia, a move the White House says will ease the burden of a criminal record for thousands of people.

“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Biden said in a White House press release. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

In October of last year, the White House announced categorical pardons for those convicted of simple possession of marijuana on federal lands. Today’s announcement expands the eligible offenses.

Biden also commuted the sentences of 11 nonviolent drug offenders serving sentences that were much longer than they would have been if the prisoners had been sentenced today. They were convicted of cocaine and methamphetamine offenses.

On the campaign trail, Biden promised to fix some of the federal drug war’s most draconian policiesmany of which he was partly responsible forbut his administration was slow to act on those promises, leading to criticism from criminal justice advocacy groups.

As Reason ‘s Jacob Sullum wrote last year, Biden’s marijuana pardons were estimated to potentially benefit roughly 10,000 people, but they didn’t free a single one of the nearly 3,000 people serving long federal sentences for marijuana offenses. They also didn’t apply to noncitizens .

In his statement today, Biden urged state governors to use their clemency powers too. “Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely due to the use or possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either,” Biden said.

But as Sullum wrote , the logic of Biden’s position on marijuanathat possessing and using it should not be a crime, but selling it should remain illegalmakes no sense:

The moral logic of Biden’s distinction between simple possession and other marijuana offenses is hard to follow. He says using marijuana should not be treated as a crime. If so, how can helping people use marijuana justify sending anyone to prison? And why should people convicted of assisting cannabis consumption be saddled with felony records for the rest of their lives?

Still, the pardons reflect the continuing collapse of public support for prohibiting marijuana. Following the passage of ballot referendums in Ohio this November, marijuana is legal in 24 states. A Gallup poll last month reported that 70 percent of Americans favored legalizing marijuanaan all-time high.

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Sports

Braves’ Acuña homers on 1st pitch after year away

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Braves' Acuña homers on 1st pitch after year away

ATLANTA — Ronald Acuña Jr. crushed his first pitch 467 feet for a home run in his dramatic return to the Atlanta Braves on Friday night, almost one year after he tore his left ACL.

Acuña, in his customary leadoff position in the lineup, turned on a fastball from San Diego Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta and sent the ball into the seats in left-center. Acuña hesitated briefly on his jog around the bases for a shuffle step.

The homer by Acuña had an exit velocity of 115.5 mph. It was the hardest hit ball by a Braves player this season.

Acuña added a single in his next at-bat and also enjoyed a defensive highlight, throwing out Elias Díaz at second base in the eighth following Díaz’s single.

But San Diego’s Manny Machado hit a tiebreaking homer off Raisel Iglesias in the ninth inning to overcome Acuña’s homer and beat the Braves 2-1 to end a six-game losing streak.

Acuña said after the game “I had a feeling” about hitting a homer in his return.

When asked if he meant he had a feeling about a first-pitch homer, Acuña said: “Exactly how it happened. … To me that’s just the culmination of all the work I put in.”

Infielder Orlando Arcia, a 2023 All-Star, was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot for Acuña, who started in right field.

Acuña said through interpreter Franco Garcia that he was “super excited, super happy” to make his return and added “I couldn’t sleep that much” after receiving the news of his return Thursday.

Braves manager Brian Snitker announced after Thursday night’s 8-7 loss at Washington that Acuña would make his season debut Friday night.

Snitker said Friday it felt good to make out his first lineup of 2025 that included Acuña.

“He’s one of those players that you better not go get a beer or whatever because you might miss something really cool, you know?” Snitker said. “I mean, he’s that type of force, I think, in the game. I think he’s going to energize everybody. Going to energize the fans. Going to energize his teammates.”

Acuña, the 2023 NL MVP, hurt his left knee May 26, 2024, and had surgery on June 6. The 27-year-old played six games in the minors on a rehab assignment, going 6-for-15 with two home runs.

Acuña played in only 49 games last season, batting .250 with four homers, 15 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and a .716 OPS.

This is Acuña’s second comeback from a major knee injury. He tore his right ACL on July 10, 2021, and returned the following April. When asked Friday what is different about this rehabilitation process, he said, “Patience. The patience, for sure. … I just think I’m in a much better place.”

Atlanta is 24-26 after an 0-7 start.

“It’s huge,” third baseman Austin Riley said. “The talent is there. The energy he brings, having Ronald up there at the top of the lineup. … He can change a game at any point.”

Acuña was a unanimous NL MVP in 2023 when he hit .336 with 41 home runs, 106 RBIs and a league-leading 1.012 OPS. Acuña also stole 73 bases that year to become the only player with 40 homers and 70 steals in one season.

Arcia, 30, was a 2023 NL All-Star when he hit .264 with 17 homers and 65 RBIs. Arcia lost his starting job due to an inability to compensate at the plate while suffering a defensive decline. He hit only .194 in 31 at-bats this season.

Snitker said he hopes Arcia will accept a minor league assignment if he does not land another job in the majors.

“I think we all know that it’s a business,” Acuña said of Arcia getting cut. “I’m happy to be back but I’m sorry that’s the move.”

Nick Allen has taken over as the starting shortstop. Snitker said Luke Williams is the backup shortstop and Eli White, a part-time starter in the outfield, will see more time in the infield.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Skenes on trade chatter: ‘Anybody can play GM’

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Skenes on trade chatter: 'Anybody can play GM'

PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes didn’t hear Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington say that trading the reigning National League Rookie of the Year to give the last-place club an influx of much-needed position player talent is “not at all part of the conversation.”

When someone relayed Cherington’s comments to him, the 22-year-old ace laughed.

“It doesn’t affect anything,” Skenes told The Associated Press late Friday night after the Pirates rallied for a 6-5, 10-inning win over Milwaukee. “Anybody can play GM.”

If Skenes, who celebrated his first anniversary in the majors two weeks ago, has learned anything during his rise to stardom over the past three years, it’s that noise is not the same as news.

“There’s no substance to just all that talk that you hear on social media and news outlets and stuff like that,” Skenes said.

It’s one of the many reasons he makes it a point to try and block out all the noise.

There could be a time when Skenes moves on, either by Pittsburgh’s choice or his own. That time, at least to Skenes, is not coming soon.

Pittsburgh is last in the major leagues in runs with 157, and has no high-profile position player prospect ready to walk into the home clubhouse at PNC Park as a big leaguer anytime soon.

“Ben’s job is to create a winning team and a winning organization,” Skenes said. “So, what it looks like to him [is up to him].”

Skenes added if the Pirates make a highly unusual move by trading one of the sport’s brightest young stars, even though he remains under team control for the rest of the decade and isn’t eligible for arbitration until 2027, he wouldn’t take it personally.

“I don’t expect it to happen,” Skenes stressed. “[But Cherington] is going to look out for what’s best for the Pirates. If he feels [trading me] is the right way to go, then he feels that’s the right way to go. But you know, I have to pitch well, that’s the bottom line.”

Skenes has been every bit the generational talent Pittsburgh hoped it was getting when it selected him with the top pick in the 2023 draft.

The 6-foot-6 right-hander was a sensation from the moment he made his big league debut last May and even as the team around him has scuffled — the Pirates tied a major league record by going 26 straight games without scoring more than four runs, a streak that ended in a loss to the Brewers on Thursday — he has not.

Five days after throwing the first complete game of his career in a 1-0 loss to Philadelphia, Skenes kept the Brewers in check over six innings, giving up one run on four hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.

When he induced Sal Frelick into a grounder to second to finish the sixth, many in the crowd of 24,646 rose to their feet to salute him as he sauntered back to the dugout. He exited with a 2-1 lead, then watched from afar as the struggling bullpen let it slip away. The Pirates, in an all-too-rare occurrence, fought back, rallying to tie it in the ninth on Oneil Cruz‘s second home run, then winning it in the 10th when Adam Frazier raced home on a wild pitch.

Afterward, music blared and Skenes — who hasn’t won in a month despite a 2.32 ERA across his five May starts — flashed a smile that was a mixture of happiness and relief.

“It’s nice to see us pull it out, which is something that we haven’t done as much to this point in the year,” he said. “Hopefully, it’s a good sign.”

The challenge of trying to help make the Pirates truly matter is something Skenes has eagerly accepted. He’s as invested in the city as he is in the team.

Asked if the outside speculation that the club should move on from him so quickly is disrespectful to the effort he has given the Pirates, the former Air Force cadet shrugged.

“I don’t feel anything good or bad toward it,” he said.

It hasn’t been the start to 2025 that anybody associated with the Pirates has wanted. Skenes believes there has been a “little bit more fight” since Don Kelly took over as manager. He believes that he’s gaining more mastery over his ever-expanding arsenal. He believes he’s developing chemistry with catcher Henry Davis.

Skenes was asked about what it has been like to work with Davis, the top overall pick in the 2021 draft.

“Just really got to keep doing what we’re doing,” Skenes said, “continue learning and let everything take care of itself, I guess.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Companies turn to AI to navigate Trump tariff turbulence

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Companies turn to AI to navigate Trump tariff turbulence

Artificial intelligence robot looking at futuristic digital data display.

Yuichiro Chino | Moment | Getty Images

Businesses are turning to artificial intelligence tools to help them navigate real-world turbulence in global trade.

Several tech firms told CNBC say they’re deploying the nascent technology to visualize businesses’ global supply chains — from the materials that are used to form products, to where those goods are being shipped from — and understand how they’re affected by U.S. President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs.

Last week, Salesforce said it had developed a new import specialist AI agent that can “instantly process changes for all 20,000 product categories in the U.S. customs system and then take action on them” as needed, to help navigate changes to tariff systems.

Engineers at the U.S. software giant used the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, a 4,400-page document of tariffs on goods imported to the U.S., to inform answers generated by the agent.

“The sheer pace and complexity of global tariff changes make it nearly impossible for most businesses to keep up manually,” Eric Loeb, executive vice president of government affairs at Salesforce, told CNBC. “In the past, companies might have relied on small teams of in-house experts to keep pace.”

Firms say that AI systems are enabling them to take decisions on adjustments to their global supply chains much faster.

Andrew Bell, chief product officer of supply chain management software firm Kinaxis, said that manufacturers and distributors looking to inform their response to tariffs are using his firm’s machine learning technology to assess their products and the materials that go into them, as well as external signals like news articles and macroeconomic data.

“With that information, we can start doing some of those simulations of, here is a particular part that is in your build material that has a significant tariff. If you switched to using this other part instead, what would the impact be overall?” Bell told CNBC.

‘AI’s moment to shine’

Trump’s tariffs list — which covers dozens of countries — has forced companies to rethink their supply chains and pricing, with the likes of Walmart and Nike already raising prices on some products. The U.S. imported about $3.3 trillion of goods in 2024, according to census data.

Uncertainty from the U.S. tariff measures “actually probably presents AI’s moment to shine,” Zack Kass, a futurist and former head of OpenAI’s go-to-market strategy, told CNBC’s Silvia Amaro at the Ambrosetti Forum in Italy last month.

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“If you wonder how hard things could get without AI vis-a-vis automation, and what would happen in a world where you can’t just employ a bunch of people overnight, AI presents this alternative proposal,” he added.

Nagendra Bandaru, managing partner and global head of technology services at Indian IT giant Wipro, said clients are using the company’s agentic AI solutions “to pivot supplier strategies, adjust trade lanes, and manage duty exposure dynamically as policy landscapes evolve.”

Wipro says it uses a range of AI systems — both proprietary and supplied by third parties — from large language models to traditional machine learning and computer vision techniques to inspect physical assets in cross-border transit.

‘Not a silver bullet’

While it preferred to keep company names confidential, Wipro said that firms using its AI products to navigate Trump’s tariffs range from a Fortune 500 electronics manufacturer with factories in Asia to an automotive parts supplier exporting to Europe and North America.

“AI is a powerful enabler — but not a silver bullet,” Bandaru told CNBC. “It doesn’t replace trade policy strategy, it enhances it by transforming global trade from a reactive challenge into a proactive, data-driven advantage.”

AI was already a key investment priority for global firms prior to Trump’s sweeping tariff announcements on April. Nearly three-quarters of business leaders ranked AI and generative AI in their top three technologies for investment in 2025, according to a report by Capgemini published in January.

“There are a number of ways AI can assist companies dealing with the tariffs and resulting uncertainty.  But any AI solution’s success will be predicated on the quality of the data it has access to,” Ajay Agarwal, partner at Bain Capital Ventures, told CNBC.

The venture capitalist said that one of his portfolio companies, FourKites, uses supply chain network data with AI to help firms understand the logistics impacts of adjusting suppliers due to tariffs.

“They are working with a number of Fortune 500 companies to leverage their agents for freight and ocean to provide this level of visibility and intelligence,” Agarwal said.

“Switching suppliers may reduce tariffs costs, but might increase lead times and transportation costs,” he added. “In addition, the volatility of the tariffs [has] severely impacted the rates and capacity available in both the ocean and the domestic freight networks.”

WATCH: Former OpenAI exec says tariffs ‘present AI’s moment to shine’

Former OpenAI exec says tariffs 'present AI's moment to shine'

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