Trump orders U.S. military to ‘shoot and kill’ Iranian small boats choking Strait of Hormuz

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – U.S. President Donald Trump says he has ordered the U.S. military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines to choke traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s post on social media came shortly after the U.S. military seized another tanker associated with the smuggling of Iranian oil. That ratcheted up a standoff with Tehran over the strait through which 20% of all crude oil and natural gas traded passes. The Defense Department released video footage of U.S. forces on the deck of the oil tanker Majestic X, which was seized in the Indian Ocean.

EU approves a $106 billion loan package to help Ukraine after Hungary lifts its veto

BRUSSELS – The European Union has approved a massive loan package to help Ukraine meet its economic and military needs for the next two years. The decision comes after Russian oil began flowing again to Hungary and Slovakia through a key pipeline. The EU also approved new sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine. Hungary and Slovakia had opposed the loan and sanctions to a feud with Ukraine over halted Russian oil deliveries. Ukrainian officials blamed Russia, saying it had damaged the pipeline with drone attacks. Ukraine desperately needs the 90-billion-euro loan package to support its war-ravaged economy. Loan disbursements will start flowing soon, providing vital support for Ukraine’s budgetary needs.

Millions of Americans may now also be considered Canadian under new law

SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota – Potentially millions of Americans suddenly have a much easier path to Canadian citizenship. A change in the country’s laws has prompted a rush of Americans to explore their ancestry and file paperwork seeking dual citizenship. Since the new law took effect Dec. 15, immigration lawyers in the United States and Canada say they have been overwhelmed by clients seeking help submitting citizenship applications. For people like Zack Loud of Farmington, Minnesota, it was a surprise to learn that under a new law, Canada already considered him and his siblings citizens because their grandmother is Canadian.

Trump reclassifies state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug in a historic shift

WASHINGTON – A cannabis industry group calls President Donald Trump’s reclassification of state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug “the most significant federal advancement in cannabis policy” in decades. The American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp says the Trump administration action recognizes “cannabis is medicine.” The order the Republican president’s acting attorney general signed Thursday Iargely legitimizes medical marijuana programs in the 40 states that have adopted them and allows state-licensed medical marijuana companies for the first time to deduct business expenses on their federal taxes. Critics say marijuana is harmful and policy is being dictated by “CEOs, psychedelics investors, and podcasters in active addiction.”

– The Associated Press