Category Archives: Progress

Photographer: Melissa Lyttle/Bloomberg

Photographer: Melissa Lyttle/Bloomberg

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Loretta Mester said the better-than-expected March payroll report was great but that a lot more progress is needed to get the economy to where it was before the pandemic.

It was a great report, its nice to see those numbers. Were still almost 8.5 million jobs below where we were before the pandemic so we need more of those kinds of jobs reports coming out, she said Monday in an interview on CNBC. It was the first public reaction from a Fed official to the jobs data, which was released on Friday.

Employers added 916,000 jobs last month, blowing past economists projections of a 660,000 increase. More widespread vaccinations, pent-up consumer demand and support from fiscal and monetary policy helped boost activity, Mester said. But the rosier outlook doesnt mean the Fed should begin tightening policy anytime soon, she added.

I think we need to be very deliberately patient in our approach to monetary policy and really focus in on hitting those goals that we have for monetary policy, Mester said. Im thinking that well see a very strong second half of the year but were still far from our policy goals.

The Cleveland Fed chief, who in the past has been among the more hawkish of policy makers in being worried about inflation, is not a voter this year on the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee.

The second half of the year is likely to be strong, and may cause temporary spikes in prices as economic activity returns in pandemic-suppressed sectors. But the inflation is unlikely to persist and the U.S. probably wont see runaway price increases, Mester said.

Nor was Mester troubled by the recent run-up in Treasury yields, which she said were orderly.

Im not concerned at this point in the rise in yields. I dont think theres anything for the Fed to react to, she said.

Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal.

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Fed's Mester Says Jobs Report 'Great' But Fed Will Be Patient - Bloomberg

Last June, as the nation convulsed with protests against racial inequality and the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many others, [hotlink]Nike[/hotlink] was in the same predicament as much of corporate Americapledging to help rectify societys mistreatment and exclusion of Black people, while simultaneously being called out for its own failings on that front.

Even as the sports-gear maker promised to prioritize racial inclusion, some of its own workers took to social media to decry racism at the company, citing microaggressions, lesser advancement opportunities for Black employees, and instances of Black shoppers being profiled at Nike stores. Nike stressed that the company prohibited discrimination based on race, but it encouraged workers to keep speaking out, and CEO John Donahoe admitted in a memo to staff that our most important priority is to get our own house in order.

Nine months later, Nike made its commitment to equity more tangibleby pegging some of Donahoes pay to it. In March, Nike announced that part of its executives long-term bonuses would be contingent on hitting specific diversity goals by 2025. Donahoes potential penalty for missing those targets: a six- or even seven-figure chunk of his compensation.

Business leaders have long been saying the right things about racial and gender inclusion, with only modest improvements to show for it. (There are still only five Black CEOs and 40 female CEOs in the Fortune 500, to cite but one metric.) But as diversity becomes an ever greater focus of Wall Street, employees, and the public, more corporate boards are aligning executives pay with their platitudes. The past years upheaval is causing companies to think, If were serious about this, we ought to make sure there is a visible link between what we say and do and how were rewarding our executives, says Don Lowman, a global leader at Korn Ferry who advises boards on compensation.

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This year alone, [hotlink]Apple[/hotlink], McDonalds, and [hotlink]Chipotle Mexican Grill[/hotlink] are among the boldface-name companies to make bonuses partially contingent on measurable progress on gender and racial equity. Alphabets [hotlink]Google[/hotlink] took a step in that direction, saying it will include such metrics in executive performance reviews. [hotlink]Uber[/hotlink], once criticized for its bro culture, linked bonuses to diversity two years ago; [hotlink]Microsoft[/hotlink], Intel, and utility [hotlink]FirstEnergy[/hotlink] have been doing so even longer.

The shift doesnt yet add up to a mad rush: A mere 97 of the companies in the Russell 3000 (or 3.2%) have at least one diversity goal for at least one top executive, according to compensation consulting firm Pearl Meyer, citing data from Main Data Group. Still, diversity and inclusion are joining climate-friendliness as areas where companies are being urged to prove their meritnot least by investors who want companies to meet environmental, social, and governance (ESG) benchmarks. (Fortune is part of this effort, partnering with financial data firm Refinitiv on a program called Measure Up, to help companies collect and report diversity and inclusion data.) Aalap Shah, a managing director at Pearl Meyer, says that as recently as 2018, when he spoke to executives and boards about diversity as a factor in compensation, hed get quizzical looks. But since last summer, companies are listening up, lest they be seen as out of step.

Companies are typically pegging 10% to 15% of bonuses to the goals. Bonuses account for about 20% of executive comp, according to leadership data firm Equilar, so the targets put only 2% to 3% of a C-suite dwellers pay at risk. Still, 3% of a CEO compensation package can add up to a pay cut thats symbolically large. In a regulatory filing in February, for example, McDonalds said progress on human capital metrics would determine 15% of bonusesand noted that missing those goals would have cost CEO Chris Kempczinski more than $300,000 in 2020.

Indeed, holding executives accountable on gender and racial equity is particularly crucial given the economic inequity embedded in the CEO-worker pay gap. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the ratio of CEO compensation to rank-and-file pay at public companies was 320 to 1 in 2019, with much of that gap reflecting the sky-high value of bonuses and stock options. Amid such glaring disparities, companies face pressure to show that their executives earn their riches by contributing to a greater good. Diversity targets could help activists apply such pressure. But its too early to tell what targets will work bestand whether the cost of missing them is high enough.

Newsletter-Red-Line-15

Its telling that many companies have linked pay to diversity following an outcry from their own employees. Google, for example, has faced internal backlash over its treatment of women and people of color; McDonalds is under withering scrutiny for a purportedly sexist management culture and for its treatment of Black employees and franchisees.

According to proxy-vote adviser Institutional Shareholder Services, 18.9% of 6,400 public companies it studied last year worldwide (and 8.3% of 2,800 companies in the U.S.) had tied compensation to at least one environmental or social incentive. What gets measured gets done, says ISS director of research Anthony Campagna.

But companies have struggled to decide how to measure progress on inclusion. Sustainability targets involve relatively objective factors like carbon emissions, water use, and waste reduction. But in diversity, hitting numerical goalssay, elevating a certain number of women or people of color to managementdoesnt ensure an inclusive culture. You can go out and hire 10 people tomorrow and satisfy that objective, but not really have made progress in your diversity practices, warns Korn Ferrys Lowman.

Courtney Yu, director of research at Equilar, says the most effective incentives will reward executives for building better pipelines to leadership for underrepresented groups. That could involve recruiting from a wider range of colleges, including historically Black colleges and universities; improving mentorship programs; and providing better family-care support to working mothers.

8.3%

Share of U.S. public companies tying executive compensation to at least one environmental or social goal

The challenge, Yu says, is measuring progress on such criteria in a way that boards are comfortable with. Some experts cite Microsofts approach as a model. CEO Satya Nadella and other executives earn bonuses both for hitting quantitative marks, such as drawing a certain percentage of suppliers and workers from underrepresented groups, and for more qualitative achievements, such as consensus in internal polling that the company provides a work environment where minorities can prosper.

Whatever metrics companies choose, theyll be more likely to result in enduring changes if theyre tied to long-term incentive packages rather than annual bonuses. Nikes decision to link long-term awards to 2025 goals is a testament to that strategy. (Nikes goals include buying $1 billion a year from suppliers in underrepresented demographics; elevating women to 45% of management jobs; and establishing pay equity between men and women.)

History suggests that CEOs who miss targets may not actually face a pay cut. Boards have wide discretion to change compensation based on extenuating circumstances. Among the companies that used that discretion to prop up pay after a COVID-rattled 2020 were theater chain AMC Entertainment, General Electricand Nike, which gave Donahoe a special cash bonus of $6.75 million last summer after the pandemic made it impossible for him to meet financial targets. (Nike said in a filing that it wanted to reward strong pre-pandemic performance and to ensure sustained employee engagement.)

Its possible, though, that boards wont attempt such maneuvers around diversity, since theyd risk losing the trust of their workforces, customers, and investors. Compensation experts note that companies actions on diversity already get plenty of public scrutiny, which in turn could fuel a virtuous cycle of adoption of concrete targets. Says Pearl Meyers Shah, This is a true cultural shift.

This article appears in the April/May issue of Fortune with the headline, "Want progress on diversity? Link it to pay."

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

Originally posted here:

Want progress on diversity? Link it to your CEOs pay - Yahoo Finance

CHENGDU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shanghai Stock Exchange listed biotech company HitGen Inc. (HitGen) announced important research progress in a collaboration with BioAge Labs, Inc. (BioAge), a private biotechnology company developing targeted small molecules for the treatment of diseases of aging. The companies have conducted collaborative research to identify and develop novel small-molecule compounds against a high-value and challenging biological target that is a critical component of the innate immune system. Dysregulation of this target is closely linked to the underlying cause of severe diseases in elderly humans, such as Alzheimer's and cardiovascular disease.

HitGen is a world leader in the development and applications of DNA encoded library (DEL) screening. The availability of over 1 trillion small molecules generated by DEL technology and the efficiency of the screening process have made it possible for HitGen to enable drug discovery projects for many organisations around the world.

According to the terms of the collaboration agreement, HitGen has successfully applied its DEL technology and discovered program compounds that met certain criteria, and BioAge has received an exclusive license to these compounds as well as associated IP for further development and commercialization. HitGen will be eligible for milestone payments and sublicensing income from BioAge as the project progresses, in addition to research payments and an upfront license fee already paid.

We are very pleased to collaborate with HitGen to find novel small-molecules against drug targets identified by BioAges platform, which analyzes samples collected over the lifespan to map the molecular pathways that drive human aging, said Kristen Fortney, PhD, BioAges Chief Executive Officer. HitGens DEL technology allows BioAge to discover novel, patentable molecules that modulate key aging pathways.

We are enthusiastic about having the ability to identify promising hit molecules in such a short time. said Paul Rubin, CMO and EVP Research and Development at BioAge. These earlier-stage discovery programs will complement and accelerate our parallel in-licensing efforts, allowing us to build an extensive portfolio of clinical-stage assets that target the molecular mechanisms of aging to treat severe diseases and extend healthy human life.

I am delighted to see the successful identification of novel compounds for this important biological target that BioAge has been pursuing, said Dr. Jin Li, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of HitGen. This research progress is made possible by the close interaction and collaboration of the scientists from the two companies. It also reinforces the role and reputation of HitGens platform in the rapidly developing field of DEL and its ability to discover novel small molecules against a variety of targets. We look forward to seeing BioAge research progress further in bringing transformative medicines to patients.

About BioAge Labs, Inc.

BioAge is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of treatments to extend healthy lifespan by targeting the molecular causes of aging. The company uses its discovery platform, which combines quantitative analysis of proprietary longitudinal human samples with detailed health records tracking individuals over the lifespan, to map out the key molecular pathways that impact healthy human aging. To date, BioAge has raised $127M from Andreessen Horowitz, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, and others. In early 2021, BioAge initiated Phase 2 clinical trials of two in-licensed drugs: BGE-117, a potent inhibitor of HIF PH, is being tested for unexplained anemia of aging, and will be developed for indications related to muscle weakness; BGE-175, a PGD2 DP1 receptor inhibitor, is being tested for COVID-19, and will be developed for disorders of the aging immune system. For additional information about BioAge, visit the companys website at http://www.bioagelabs.com.

About HitGen Inc.

HitGen Inc. is a rapidly developing biotech company headquartered in Chengdu, China, with subsidiaries in Cambridge, UK and Houston, USA. It became a publicly listed company in Shanghai Stock Exchange in April 2020 (ticker code 688222.SH). HitGen has established a drug discovery research platform for small molecules and nucleic acid drugs centered on the design, synthesis, and screening of DNA encoded chemical libraries (DELs), fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) and structure-based drug design (SBDD) technologies. HitGen's DELs currently contain more than 1 trillion novel, diverse, drug-like small molecules and macrocyclic compounds. These compounds are members of DELs synthesized from many hundreds of distinct chemical scaffolds, designed with tractable chemistry, and have yielded proven results for the discovery of small molecule leads against both precedented and unprecedented classes of biological targets.

Through its acquisition of Cambridge UK based Vernalis R&D Ltd, a leader in FBDD/SBDD, HitGen now has a research team of over 500 scientists and offers a full set of research capabilities including recombinant protein expression and purification, structural biology, assay development, screening, DEL synthesis, nucleic acid and small molecule chemical synthesis, computational and medicinal chemistry, biochemistry and biophysics, cell biology, in vivo pharmacology, DMPK, CMC, etc., to enable drug discovery research from target gene to IND filing.

HitGen operates a flexible business model, ranging from a single capability-based fee for services (FFSe.g., protein expression and purification, structural biology, bioinformatics, computational chemistry, medicinal chemistry, nucleic and organic chemistry, analytical chemistry biophysics, PK, PD, etc.), DEL screening, DEL design, synthesis and characterization, integrated drug discovery projects, risk sharing projects, collaborative ventures to program out-licensing. HitGen has approximately 20 in-house drug discovery programs at different stages of research & development. HitGen is collaborating with pharmaceutical, biotech and chemical companies, foundations and research institutes in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia to enable the discovery and development of novel medicines and agrochemicals.

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HitGen and BioAge Announce Research Progress in DNA-Encoded Library Based Drug Discovery Research Collaboration - Business Wire

An aggressive brush fire scorched its way across 60 acres of wildland in the remote Angeles National Forest on Monday south of the Antelope Valley community of Llano, near the Valyermo area, prompting a massive response from federal, state and Los Angeles County fire crews.

Fire teams were first dispatched to the area of Big Pines Highway and Big Rock Creek Road at about 4:05 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The fire quickly spread to 15 to 20 acres in the dense forest, fanned by winds traveling at about 20 to 30 mph, according to the U.S. Forest Service. It was later measured at 50-plus acres; and then about 60 acres just before 7 p.m. when the Angeles National Forest said on social media a strong air attack appeared to have limited the fires spread.

Several Cal Fire tankers were called in to combat the blaze. Some structures, including a fire training camp on Big Rock Road, were threatened by the fire, which was being pushed in an eastern direction, generally toward San Bernardino County.

There were no immediate reports of any injuries, and a cause of the fire was unknown.

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Progress reported in containment of wildfire in Antelope Valley area of Angeles National Forest - The Pasadena Star-News

SAN ANTONIO Jordan Spieth continues to look for an older version of himself.

The search shows moments of success. He shot 2-under-par 70 on a gusty Friday afternoon at the Valero Texas Open. He enters the third round with share of second place at 7 under par, two shots behind the leader, Cameron Tringale.

Winless since 2017, the 27-year-old Spieth will again be a factor on the weekend in 2021.

He often has been since early February at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. That was the week his work toward finding his older self the golf swing of his youth took a beneficial turn. He started rehearsing a move on the practice range at TPC Scottsdale in an effort to shallow the plane of his downswing. He wanted to swing like he was that freshman in 2012 at the University of Texas, beating Justin Thomas in the final match of the NCAA National Championship.

RELATED: Full leaderboard| Tringale leads by two at Valero Texas Open

A swing feel that's kind of like an artistic motion, is how he explained Friday, like I almost can see it happening from behind me as I'm feeling it.

The Valero Texas Open is his seventh start since embracing the drill. Hes had three Top 5 finishes, a tie for 15th and two wins last week at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play, where he lost in the Round of 16. For those anticipating a return to form for the 11-time winner from Dallas, the trend inspires hope.

He is trying, he said, to go back in time. He wants to find his swing of his 15-year-old self, or at least the one that brough him so much acclaim so soon. Spieth wants to reverse essentially everything, he said, all the bad habits I got into. He said his attack on the ball got too steep after 2017, when he won three tournaments, including The Open Championship. Then came all the questions and doubts.

I could sit here and tell you six different things Im thinking about, he said. I want it to be one or two.

He appears, at times, to have achieved that simplicity and purity. He shot 5-under 67 on Thursday at TPC San Antonio, seven birdies against two bogeys. He birdied his first two holes Friday. He was 2 under after nine.

He expected stress and it came. Texas in the springtime is a windy place. He made bogey at the 11thand the 13th. But he followed those with birdies at the next two, which included an approach on the 459-yard par-four 15thto 4 feet. Spieth coasted through the last three holes, wind and all, with straight pars.

I'm really pleased with where things are at, but they're not where I want them to be at, he said. I'm trying to kind of take it slowly and patiently and reward myself, be excited about the good ones and not get too down about the bad ones.

So on goes the search.

I'm really just trying to go back in time structurally to a place that I've been, he said.

Trying to work backwards.

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For surging Jordan Spieth, progress means a return to swing of his youth - pgatour.com

MORELAND HILLS, Ohio

Burglary-in-progress (unfounded): Giles Road

A resident thought that a neighbors house was being broken into shortly after 5 a.m. April 1 after she saw a car in the driveway and heard what were not normal noises for that time of day -- she figured it was too early for the neighbors to be getting ready for work.

A short time later, police found that the suspicious activity and sounds were those of the neighbors knocking snow off of their sally port.

Deer vs. motorcycle: Chagrin River Road

A motorcyclist escaped serious injury after colliding with a deer crossing the road around 8:30 p.m. March 30. The rider was reportedly up and walking around, then refused hospital transport after medics arrived on the scene. The motorcycle required a tow.

Road hazard: South Woodland Road

A dump truck was hit by a large tree branch that fell into the roadway, blocking the eastbound lane of Ohio 87 near Hogsback Cemetery shortly after 4 p.m. March 30. No injuries were reported. The village service department had the roadway cleared within 10 minutes.

Departmental information: Lancaster Court

A resident reported receiving an unusual text message March 30, asking if they wanted to sell their house or if they had any tenants. The residents were advised by police that it was probably a scam. Extra patrols were requested.

Theft: Wiltshire Road

An officer was called into the police station shortly after noon March 31 to take an unspecified theft report.

Damage to property: Jackson Road

A resident called the police station directly around noon on March 31, with information taken for an unspecified property damage report.

Traffic detail: Old Farm Road

A construction crew was advised March 30 to have all their vehicles parked on the job site and not blocking the cul-de-sac.

Animal (miscellaneous): Ellendale Road

Police received a complaint of a loose dog going to the bathroom in peoples yards around 8 a.m. March 31.

Read more from the Chagrin Solon Sun.

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Burglary-in-progress proves to be Mother Natures April Fool: Moreland Hills Police Blotter - cleveland.com

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Hash Bash festival now in its 50th consecutive year hosted a live-streamed variety show featuring key political figures, athletes, musicians, business owners and other prominent voices in the pro-cannabis movement.

In accordance with public health guidelines, the organizers of Hash Bash encouraged participants to celebrate the festival from the comfort of their own homes. Despite these efforts, some enthusiasts took the initiative to host an in-person smoke-in on the Diag, Hash Bashs birthplace.

For any other pre-pandemic year, thousands of marijuana activists, protesters and enthusiasts from across the globe travel to Ann Arbor to light a joint while advocating for marijuana legislation and celebrating cannabis culture. Last years rally was held completely online after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person activity.

In Nov. 2018, the state of Michigan passed Proposal I, making it legal for those 21 and older to possess up to 2.5 ounces of recreational marijuana. Michigan was the first state in the Midwest to legalize recreational marijuana, following other states like California, Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada.

Both the in-person and virtual events commemorated the cannabis movements achievements while advocating for progressive marijuana legislation on the federal level.

The festival first began in 1972, four months after a freedom rally in protest of the conviction of longtime activist and poet John Sinclair, whom the Michigan Supreme Court sentenced to 9.5 to 10 years for the possession of two marijuana joints in 1971. Sinclair organized the first Hash Bash in protest of the Controlled Substances Act. Since then, Hash Bash has transformed into a large-scale festival drawing in social activists and cannabis enthusiasts from all across the state and country.

In an interview with The Michigan Daily prior to the event, Adam Rosenberg, University of Michigan Business School alum and founder of Green Wolverine an organization dedicated to exploring the cannabis industry echoed the importance of federal decriminalization and legalization.

When discussing his expectations for the event, Rosenberg said he hoped policymakers in attendance would promote further access to cannabis research and support for the SAFE Banking Act, which would allow cannabis companies to receive the same financial services and public listings as non-cannabis companies.

Most importantly, there needs to be an elimination of the contradiction between state law and federal law through federal decriminalization, which would eliminate the current law that essentially equates cannabis with heroin at the federal level, Rosenberg said. This conversation needs to come from our federal leadership.

The virtual festival kicked off at high noon with a Woodstock-style, Jimi Hendrix-inspired rendition of the national anthem played by The Voice finalist Laith Al-Saadi.

Emceed by Anqunette Sarfoh, former Fox 2 Detroit News anchor, Hash Bash featured a pre-recorded video from Sinclair.

In his statement, Sinclair said the cannabis movement is still protesting the same controlled-substances rhetoric as when Hash Bash began, in addition to the mass criminalization of people with marijuana-based offenses. According to the ACLU, Black people are 3.73 times more likely to be arrested on marijuana-related charges than white people in the United States.

Now that we legalized medical marijuana (in Michigan) in 2008, and we legalized recreational marijuana (in Michigan) in 2018, our big job is to get the police off our backs and get them out of the marijuana issue, completely and fully, Sinclair said. Thats my goal.

Reiterating Sinclairs call for decriminalization, the Michigan Cannabis Freedom Coalition spoke about Michael Thompson, whose story broke national headlines earlier this year. After being incarcerated for 25 years in Michigans prison system for charges related to selling marijuana, Thompson was released in January following widespread community support and lobbying efforts. Embraced by the cannabis community, Thompson found employment within the marijuana sector and is dedicated to reducing mass incarceration in Michigan.

I just hope somebody can hear me, thats dealing with prison reform because those guys are human beings, Thompson said in a video presented by the Michigan Cannabis Freedom Coalition. Its not just about me, its about thousands of guys that need help.

Through sponsorships and donations, this years Hash Bash promised to support the cannabis community by providing financial support for those impacted by the War on Drugs.

Thats why we are here today, Sarfoh said. Because of the support from people like you and support from our sponsors, we are able to give to a fund that can also help the other Michael Thompsons of the world out there because there are too many. One is too many. We want to make sure that all of them are out of jail and prison and their lives restored.

Despite the legalization of marijuana in Michigan in 2018, as of Dec. 2020, 250,000 Michigan residents have marijuana-related convictions on their records and some of them are still incarcerated.

Hash Bash also featured policymakers like Attorney General Dana Nessel and State Rep. Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor, who advocated for the cannabis movement on the legislative level.

In an interview with The Daily, LSA junior Ilan Elrom, chair of the Green Wolverines investment fund committee, said a major catalyst for the cannabis movements growth is ongoing support from state and federal leadership.

If you look at Hash Bash and how its evolved, I think it broadly speaks to the greater normalization of the cannabis industry, whether thats culturally, whether thats legally, Elrom said. It really just speaks to the change in the way that everybody thinks about the industry, and I think thats pretty evident in how Hash Bash has evolved but also in how more than half of the states now have a medical or an adult-use market.

Nessel, who spoke at the event, talked about her recent efforts to expunge marijuana-related charges.

My offices involvement in working with the legislature to draft the proper language for the expungement bills that passed and were signed into law recently is important to ensure fairness for so many individuals whove been convicted for something thats no longer a crime in our state, Nessel said.

Nessel also said she joined a coalition to urge Congress to pass the SAFE Banking Act that would allow cannabis businesses to access the Federal Bank system, protecting Michigans emerging marijuana industry and its consumers. To Nessel, these legislative initiatives work to remove the stigma of marijiana while further protecting marginalized communities.

Cannabis reform is needed to ensure restorative justice, Nessel said. Marijuana law reform would reduce the harm to people and communities of color who are disproportionately impacted by current cannabis laws, create jobs and economic opportunities as the legalization and regulation of marijuana bring one of the largest cash crops under the rule of law, save taxpayer dollars and allow already scarce law enforcement resources to be better used to ensure safe communities, while simultaneously reducing the burden on our courts and correction system.

In a pre-recorded statement, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., discussed progressive legislative efforts to support the cannabis community. The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019 proposed to remove marijuana from the list of federally controlled substances and to erase federal marijuana convictions and arrests. Though the MORE Act failed to pass the Senate in 2019, Dingell said she is confident the bill will succeed with the current Congress.

We have a moral responsibility to right the wrongs of our past and the economic opportunity to help our local communities grow in a rapidly expanding industry, Dingell said. We need to get these issues dealt with at the federal level, and Ill tell you, Im going to be one of the loudest voices saying, Its time. There are things that must be done.

While Dingell focused on the future of cannabis legislation, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer who also spoke at the event reflected upon the progress achieved under her tenure.

Legalization has been a long, difficult and, for some, painful process, Whitmer said. But we came together and voted for a different future here in Michigan. The progress weve made in the last two years excites me tremendously, and I cannot imagine where the industry will be in another two years, let alone another 50.

Despite Whitmers claims of progress, social and political activists attending Hash Bash said mass incarceration is one of Michigans most pressing social issues. As an organization that supports expungement and clemency efforts, the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association works closely with the Michigan Legislature to protect access to medicinal cannabis without fear of arrest.

Reflecting upon the progress made by the Michigan Legislature thus far, Robin Schneider, executive director of MiCIA, said though cannabis was legalized in Michigan in 2018, there is more work that needs to be done to ensure that laws are equitable.

Our mission is fair and equitable licensing in the cannabis industry as well as industry inclusion, Schneider said. Weve made a ton of progress over the last two years, but theres still a lot more work to be done. Were celebrating legalization, but many of us havent forgotten where we have come from.

As for the role that Hash Bash will continue to play in the cannabis movement, Adam Brook, known as Mr. Hash Bash for his involvement in the festival, encouraged activists to continue to protest on the first Saturday of every April for years to come.

We have a lot of misinformation to correct, Brooke said. Through opportunities like this, we can change some minds. I encourage you all to come out on the first Saturday in April on the Diag at high noon, smoke a joint and protest because thats what the Hash Bash is. Its a smoke-in and a protest.

In lieu of the official Hash Bash rally, around 300 people gathered at the University of Michigans Diag Saturday afternoon for a smoke-in protest to celebrate this years Hash Bash festival in-person.

At the start of Saturdays unofficial protest, former Hash Bash organizer Adam Brook told the crowd that the purpose of Saturdays protest was to advocate for Ann Arbor marijuana laws to legalize smoking marijuana in public, as well as rally the community to fight in unison for public marijuan use. According to Michigan law, you can only smoke marijuana in private, such as in your home or others.

Now theres a point to this, Brook told the crowd. And that is to show the world and the people that arent here that were here. And why are we here? Because we care.

Brook also told the crowd that those present on the Diag should follow COVID-19 rules, including social distancing and wearing masks, though a majority of attendees were seen without masks while participating in marijuana use. The in-person Hash Bash protest was held amid increasing COVID-19 cases in Washtenaw County and the state of Michigan. On March 31, U-M officials identified a noticeable uptick in University-related cases, which now represent 15% of the total cases in the county a 6% increase from March 23.

The Universitys Office of Public Affairs told MLive that the University supports free-speech gatherings, but U-M officials do not condone the use of drugs on our campus. Ann Arbor Police Chief Michael Cox also told MLive that public marijuana use is prohibited, especially during a pandemic.

In addition to his remarks during the official virtual livestream, Sinclair also attended the in-person event and addressed the crowd.

Were here today in solidarity, were leaders of human consciousness and human evolution, Sinclair said. Were healing ourselves, were doing emotional healing please heal, love embrace, accept, have radical acceptance of yourself and life itself.

Ann Arbor native Laith Al-Saadi who has performed the national anthem at Hash Bash festivals for over ten years spoke about ending the War on Drugs.

According to the ACLU, marijuana arrests make up half of all drug-related arrests in the United States, with most being low-level arrests for drug possession. Incarceration also disproportionately affects Black people who are 3.6 times more likely to be arrested for possession of mariuana compared to white people.

Many non-violent people that are in jail right now have had their liberties taken away and their lives ruined by this totally uncompassionate system that criminalizes and punishes addiction and drug problems, Al-Saadi said. And this is a major issue, so you know weve gotten far on this good fight and theres a long way to go. But this year, were gathered here for this protest, and I want to remind everybody because some people think this is a celebration weve made some progress, but until all prisoners of this War on Drugs are freed, we havent done our work.

Madison Heights resident Wayne Croutun told The Michigan Daily he attended Saturdays protest because he is passionate about the fight to legalize marijuana use in public.

The state? Theyre going in the right direction, but theres still a lot of work to be done, Croutun said. Free the weed!

Another speaker who goes by Brando the Weed Commando also addressed the audience, saying he has attended Hash Bash every year since the 1980s. He said the Hash Bash event is never a celebration, because though the marijuana community has had several victories over the past year, there is always more work to be done to legalize marijuana use in public.

You can celebrate if you want but just remember that the people that were here before that, the people that were growing during full prohibition, are the reason why were here today celebrating anything, he said. Now weve got to keep fighting.

Daily Staff Reporters Evan DeLorenzo and Meghana Lodhavia can be reached at evandelo@umich.edu and mlod@umich.edu. Daily Contributor Chava Makman Levinson can be reached at cmackman@umich.edu.

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In a dual celebration, Hash Bash marks 50 years of progress with both virtual, in-person events - The Michigan Daily

U.S. President Joe Biden stops briefly to talk to the press as he walks toward Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC.

Drew Angerer | Getty Images News | Getty Images

President Joe Biden delivered a warning even as he touted Friday's exceptionally positive jobs report and the accelerating pace of vaccinations in the U.S.: progress can still be reversed if Americans don't moderate their behaviors to stop the spread of Covid-19.

"Too many Americans are acting as if this fight is over," Biden said. "It is not."

The comments came on the heels of the news that nonfarm payrolls increased by 916,000 for the month, smashing economist expectations of an increase of 675,000, according to a Dow Jones survey. Biden also announced that the U.S. set a record for Thursday vaccinations to cap off the first seven-day period where the country administered 20 million shots.

But the President reminded Americans there is still a long way to go when it comes to both rebuilding the economy and ending the pandemic.

"While the earliest signs from this job report announcing today are promising and the American Rescue Plan is starting to make a real difference, today's report also reminds us how deep a hole we started in," Biden said. "After a year of devastation, there are still 8.4 million fewer jobs today than there were last March."

When it comes to containing the virus, Biden urged Americans "to buckle down and keep their guard up in this home stretch."

The President discussed his new $2 trillion infrastructure package unveiled on Wednesday as a way to ensure that the country continues to create jobs and strengthen the economy. The package has already faced pushback from Republicans, some of whom claim the bill is too sweeping, while some progressives from his own party think it does not go far enough.

Biden said he's open to discussion of his proposals, but that Congress must act.

"Changes to my plan are certain. But inaction is not an option," he said.

Despite Republican resistance to his infrastructure package, Biden said he thinks lawmakers will be urged by their constituents to act.

"I think the Republicans' voters are going to have a lot to say about whether we get a lot of this done," he said.

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Biden warns progress can still be reversed on heels of major jobs report and vaccination speed-up - CNBC

MIAMI The progress Ryan Yarbrough has made over four seasons with the Rays can be measured in many ways.

One obvious one? His ascension from primarily pitching behind an opener to a full-time spot in the rotation with the responsibility of shouldering a heavy workload and starting the second game of the season, which he will do Friday night.

Obviously, theres been a lot of work been put in over the years, Yarbrough said.

A lot of people have helped get me to this point, especially with the Rays and helped give me my development over the years to be able to be like this. So Im feeling really blessed. But at the same time, still got a lot of work to do.

Yarbrough got a win as a reliever last season but has a team record-tying 17-start winless streak, dating to Aug. 11, 2019.

Another issue Friday will be hitting. With an 0-for-3 career mark, he has a simple plan: Just make contact. I mean, lets not over-complicate things.

Tyler Glasnow wasnt sure what happened or why his back tightened up just before Thursdays start. While obviously pleased he was able to pitch through it and pitch well he was disappointed he didnt really get to hit after looking forward to it and talking about it with coaches for weeks. But Glasnow decided, smartly, he couldnt risk taking swings during his two at-bats. Instead, he stood at the plate statue-ing, he called it and struck out on five pitches both times. I was so excited to swing, he said. And then (Thursday) I was like, All right, Im not going to be able to. Unfortunate. Manager Kevin Cash praised Glasnow for finding a way to get through six innings. Two years ago, I dont know if hes able to manage that that way, Cash said. Hes certainly come a long way and understanding his body and understanding how much he means to our club.

This was the 37th 1-0 win in Rays franchise history, 13th with the run coming on a homer and first on opening day. (They had only one previous shutout win in an opener, 7-0 in 2000 at Minnesota.) Going into Thursday, there had been 43 1-0 opening-day wins overall in modern history (since 1901), 16 by road teams. The last American League team to win 1-0 on the road was the 1946 Indians, at Chicago, with Bob Feller starting. ... This was the second 1-0 win in an interleague opener, the Rangers beating the Rockies last year.

Opening day was a frustrating event for Rays fans who couldnt watch because Bally Sports Sun (formerly Fox Sports Sun) isnt carried by their provider, such as Frontier cable, Hulu or YouTube TV. We understand that many fans across Tampa Bay are unable to watch Rays baseball due to the current carriage dispute between Sinclair Broadcast Group (which owns Bally) and select providers, team president Matt Silverman said. We are very pleased that Spectrum carries Bally Sports Sun, and we support Bally Sports Sun working with all providers to make Rays baseball available in every home in Tampa Bay.

The Rays are 12-12 in openers. Thursday was their first on the road since 2009, ending a streak of 11 straight, and first against an NL team. With 7,062 fans, the stadium was at about 27-percent capacity, and Cash said they appreciated all of them: Well take whatever percentage these ballparks or cities allow. Its just a different game. Its a better game with our fans. . The Rays have shut out the Marlins in three of their last four games in Miami.

Staff writer John Romano contributed to this report.

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Rays Ryan Yarbroughs progress starting to show - Tampa Bay Times

Evidence is growing that Maine and the United States are at the front end of yet another surge of COVID-19 cases that could jeopardize progress the vaccination effort is making in fighting the disease.

With 283 new cases reported Thursday, the highest daily total in nearly two months, Maines seven-day daily case average increased to 232. It has not been that high since Feb. 9.

Over the past 15 days, cases have risen to more than 200 on 10 days. Over the previous 15 days, that happened only three times.

Asked Thursday what might be behind the current surge, Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, called it a $64,000 question. He said states are starting to see larger shares of coronavirus variants, especially Florida and Michigan, although Massachusetts is catching up.

The other reason is simply that more people are traveling, some to states where restrictions have been softened.

Which of those is really the main driver? Shah said. Thats what some epidemiologists across the country are trying to find out.

Maine has detected 15 cases of the variant known as B.1.1.7 that was first detected in the United Kingdom, but the actual number of cases is almost certainly higher because only 5 percent of positive COVID-19 cases are sequenced to determine if they are, in fact, a variant.

The variants are here, Gov. Janet Mills said. They are spreading to every region of the state and they are more transmissible and potentially more dangerous.

As a way to stay ahead of those variants, Mills announced Thursday she was moving up vaccine eligibility for all adults to next Wednesday. The date already had been moved ahead from May 1 a few weeks ago.

Maine is not alone. More than half of all states have seen their cases increase by at least 10 percent over the past week, according to data analysis by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The United States as a whole has reported an average of 65,000 new cases in the last seven days, according to U.S. CDC, which is an increase of about 10,000 cases per day from two weeks ago.

Vermont had its greatest single-day total of the pandemic last week, 283, and its seven-day case average of 178 cases has reached the same level as the post-holiday surge in January.

New Hampshires trajectory has been similar to Maines with the daily average creeping up to about 380 this week after bottoming out near 200 cases this time last month.

Michigan, where more than 1,000 cases of the U.K. variant have been detected, has been especially hard hit and has seen its daily average increase to about 5,400 cases levels not seen since mid-December.

National health experts have been sounding the alarm in recent days as data shows more people are traveling, including young people for spring break last month, and more states are easing pandemic restrictions.

Maine relaxed indoor and outdoor gathering limits last week and allowed bars and tasting rooms to open. Additionally, residents from all New England states can visit without having to quarantine or provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test. The state still has other safety measures in place, including a mask mandate in public.

Cases are showing up more frequently among young people. Bates College in Lewiston has imposed a temporary, campus-wide, in-room restriction to address 34 active student cases. This has resulted in 50 others being forced to quarantine. Cases also have been increasing within the University of Maine System.

Dr. Jane Carreiro, dean of the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, believes COVID-19 fatigue is largely to blame for the spike.

They are letting down some of their defenses and things they were doing, she said. The good news is: Hopefully this motivates people to go and get vaccinated.

Carreiro also said that as the spring wears on and summer approaches, case numbers wont be the most important metric. If hospitalizations and deaths decline, she said, cases alone arent as problematic.

Hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 have yet to rise with cases, but throughout the pandemic there has been a lag of at least two weeks, so its too early to tell if that will happen this time. Health experts are hopeful that those numbers will not increase substantially because many older people, who are at greater risk of hospitalization and death, have been vaccinated.

Still, there are about 40,000 people in the hospital with COVID-19 nationwide. And although deaths have dropped below 1,000 people per day for the first time since November, COVID-19 is still among the leading causes of death.

In Maine, there have been two days in the last week when five deaths were reported.

Hospitalizations, meanwhile, have been steady for the last two weeks, ranging from a low of 71 to a high of 80. On Thursday, there were 74 individuals in a Maine hospital with COVID-19, including 20 in critical care and five on ventilators.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. CDC, was emotional this week talking about the current trend.

Im going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom, she said during a White House briefing. We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are and so much reason for hope. But right now, Im scared.

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Maine's growing surge in cases threatens vaccination progress - Press Herald