President Trump signed an executive order reclassifying marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III to ease medical research and improve tax treatment for cannabis businesses while not legalizing recreational use. Claudio Neves Valente, the suspect in killings at Brown University and MIT, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in New Hampshire; the diversity visa lottery has been suspended pending review. The administration also proposed rules to restrict certain gender-related medical treatments for minors from participating providers in Medicare and Medicaid, prompting legal challenges. Other items include cultural stories from New York schools, a planned Kennedy Center rename and a New York Times feature on public shaming.
Cannabis Rescheduled, Campus Killer Found Dead, and New Rules on Gender Care: Key Headlines
President Trump signed an executive order to reclassify cannabis under the federal Controlled Substances Act, moving it from Schedule I to Schedule III. Officials say the change is intended to ease medical research and create more normal tax treatment for cannabis businesses, while not legalizing recreational use at the federal level.
Cannabis Rescheduling: What Changed and Why It Matters
Under the new order, marijuana will be removed from the most restrictive Schedule I category — reserved for substances deemed to have high abuse potential and no accepted medical use — and placed in Schedule III, a category that includes medicines such as ketamine, certain anabolic steroids and acetaminophen with codeine. Administrators and advocates say rescheduling will lower barriers to clinical research and allow state-licensed cannabis companies to claim ordinary business deductions for tax purposes.
"We have people begging for me to do this, people that are in great pain for decades," the President said, noting pleas from patients with chronic pain, cancer, seizure disorders, neurological conditions and veterans with service-related injuries.
Commentators cautioned the move does not legalize recreational marijuana. State-licensed cannabis businesses will remain subject to federal law, but the rescheduling may ease financial burdens that arise from rules aimed at firms that handle Schedule I or II substances.
Campus Killings: Suspect Found Dead
Authorities reported that Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national wanted in the killings of two Brown University students and one Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire. Valente had briefly studied physics at Brown in 2000–2001.
Investigators said Valente did not appear to have known the Brown students, but he may have had some relationship with the slain MIT professor, Nuno F.G. Loureiro. A Reddit user who claimed to have encountered the suspect provided a tip that helped guide authorities to Valente.
Following the killings, the administration announced a suspension of the diversity visa lottery program, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Officials and commentators noted the killings appear to be the act of an individual rather than proof of a systemic visa failure; no vetting-related red flags have been reported so far. In a modern twist, betting markets briefly offered wagers on whether suspects in violent crimes would be captured.
Scenes From New York Schools
After a schoolwide restriction on phones, teachers noticed students interacting more in person. In a Harlem school, dominoes became popular in the cafeteria, and at Brooklyn Technical High School students organized informal poker games during free periods, sometimes using hair ties for wagers. Students described renewed social engagement and playful trash talk rather than serious gambling.
Cultural Notes and Institutions
The White House announced the Kennedy Center will be renamed the Trump–Kennedy Center. The New York Times published a feature about Kristin Cabot, the woman seen on a Jumbotron embracing a colleague, exploring the dynamics of public shaming and why audiences seize on such moments.
Federal Moves on Gender-Related Medical Care for Minors
The administration proposed rules that could bar medical providers from participating in Medicare and Medicaid if they offer certain gender-related treatments to minors, including hormone therapy or surgeries such as mastectomies. The American Civil Liberties Union announced plans to sue. Separately, the Food and Drug Administration said it would pursue manufacturers of chest binders, alleging they are being marketed illegally to children as a treatment for gender dysphoria. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz criticized some providers, saying children with gender dysphoria had in some cases been treated like "lab mice."
What This Means
Together, these developments reflect a mix of policy shifts, criminal investigation updates and cultural stories that are likely to dominate headlines and legal debates in the coming weeks. Rescheduling cannabis could have immediate effects on research and taxation; proposed limits on gender-related care for minors are expected to trigger litigation; and the campus shootings have prompted renewed scrutiny of visa programs and public safety responses.
