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Farmers dealing with depressed prices for plants that produce CBD are eager to take part in a statewide marijuana market expected to generate billions of dollars a year once retail sales start. They already know how to grow and process cannabis plants, since hemp is essentially the same plant with lower levels of THC, marijuana’s active ingredient. Now they’re waiting on rules for getting into the new market. There are about 700 hemp farmers in the state, with some growing the plant for textiles or food but most growing for CBD.

Mike Elliott is among many who celebrated his election as mayor of Brooklyn Center as the beginning of a new era. The inner-ring Minneapolis suburb is one of the most racially diverse places in the state and would for the first time be led by a person of color. A little more than two years later, Elliott is finding out just how difficult it is to turn the page on the nation’s racial history. The shooting of Daunte Wright, a Black man, by a white police officer has set off protests, political upheaval and painful reckoning about racism and representation in his small city.

A blistering internal report by the U.S. Capitol Police describes a multitude of missteps that left the force unprepared for the Jan. 6 insurrection. The report obtained by The Associated Press says riot shields shattered upon impact, expired weapons couldn’t be used, training courses had been skipped and an intelligence division had no set standards. The watchdog report was released internally last month. It provides new details about broader security and intelligence failures that Congress has been investigating. And it provides details about conversations between officials as they disagreed on whether National Guard forces were necessary to back up the understaffed police force.

A study of people's attitudes toward the press finds that distrust goes deeper than just partisanship and down to how journalists define their mission. Americans want their journalists to be more than watchdogs. The study was released Wednesday by the Media Insight Project, a collaboration between the American Press Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. It suggested that while Americans support journalists on their hunt for facts, they don't necessarily agree that the role of the press is to shine a light on problems for communities to solve them. The reports says the press' job is bigger and broader than it has been defined.

The teeming metropolis of Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra, the Indian state worst hit by the pandemic, face stricter restrictions for 15 days in an effort to stem the surge of coronavirus infections. Top state officials stressed that the closure of most industries, businesses, public places and limits on the movement of people doesn't constitute a lockdown. Last year, a sudden nationwide lockdown left millions jobless overnight and since then, state leaders have repeatedly stressed that another lockdown wasn’t on the cards. The distinction did little to allay fears of thousands of migrant workers waiting at a Mumbai railway station for a ride home. India has detected over 180,000 new infections in the past 24 hours, about a third in Maharashtra state.

When Prince Philip’s funeral takes place this weekend, it will be more than a focal point for national mourning. Many will also be watching for any signs of reconciliation between Prince Harry and the royal family, especially with his elder brother Prince William. It will be the first time that Harry comes face-to-face with the royal family since he and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, stepped away from royal duties last March and moved to California with their young son, Archie. Many observers believe that the funeral will provide an ideal opportunity for the monarchy to show a united front and for the royal brothers to mend their rift. But some say it will take more time than that to heal the hurt.

TOKYO (AP) — The president of Toshiba Corp. stepped down Wednesday, a week after the the Japanese technology and manufacturing giant said it was studying an acquisition proposal from a global fund where he previously worked. Nobuaki Kurumatani tendered his…

Willson Contreras struck back after getting plunked again by the Brewers, hitting a two-run homer in the eighth inning as the Chicago Cubs rallied past Milwaukee 3-2 on Tuesday night. Contreras has already been hit by a pitch from the Brewers three times this season. He got his revenge when he hit a towering drive off Brent Suter. Contreras turned himself around and flipped his bat back toward the Cubs dugout before beginning his trot. Contreras put his finger to his lips several times as if to hush Milwaukee fans. Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff hit Contreras earlier. When Woodruff was at the plate in the fifth inning, Cubs reliever Ryan Tepera threw behind him, and they exchanged words,

The Senate is poised to debate legislation confronting the rise of potential hate crimes against Asian Americans. The problem has grown during the coronavirus crisis in several high-profile attacks on Asian Americans in the U.S. The debate ahead will also test whether the Senate can push past partisanship or whether it will grind to a halt with a filibuster. On Tuesday, several leaders of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in Congress detailed personal stories of the racism they and their constituents have faced during the virus outbreak. Some have met with the families of the victims of deadly shootings last month in Atlanta.

Cleveland Indians first baseman Yu Chang shared some racist tweets he received after making a costly error in Monday night’s game in Chicago. The Taiwanese player posted some of the anti-Asian tweets on his Twitter account Tuesday while asking for tolerance. One of the messages referred to the shape of his eyes and another referred to the coronavirus. Indians manager Terry Francona called the tweets “stupid and ignorant" and said they have no place in baseball or "anywhere.“ The 25-year-old Chang's throwing error in the ninth inning allowed the White Sox to score the game-winning run in a 4-3 victory. I

President Joe Biden’s difficult balancing act on policing was put on vivid display over the course of a few hours as he tries to navigate criminal justice and civil rights. Biden mourned with the family of a fallen police officer at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. Later, he pledged at the White House to help end the epidemic of Black men being killed by police. The nation is awaiting the conclusion of the trial in Minnesota of the white police officer accused of killing George Floyd. Tensions have only been heightened by the shooting death this week of another Black man in Minnesota, Daunte Wright.

Anthony Mantha had a two points in his Washington debut, Alex Ovechkin scored the 728th goal of his NHL career and the Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-1. The East Division-leading Capitals went 3 for 3 on the power play as part of another offensive outburst. Mantha had a goal and an assist after a trade from Detroit. Ovechkin scored his team-leading 22nd goal of the season. The Capitals have won three in a row. The Flyers lost for the sixth time in eight games.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand announced Wednesday it is banning the export of live cows and other farm animals by sea due to welfare concerns. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said the ban would take up to two years…

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani security forces swinging batons and firing teargas moved before dawn Wednesday to clear sit-ins by protesting Islamists in the garrison city of Rawalpindi and elsewhere after five people died in earlier clashes, officials said. The…

Florida’s two Republican senators are steering clear of voicing support for Rep. Matt Gaetz. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott both say sex trafficking accusations against their fellow GOP Floridian are serious. But Rubio and Scott also say it's premature to say what should happen to the three-term congressman. The senators' cautious remarks were the latest instances of congressional Republicans taking neutral stances on Gaetz. Federal agents are scrutinizing him over allegations that include sex with a minor. That's according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity because they could not discuss details publicly. Gaetz has broadly denied the accusations.

The postponed Tokyo Olympics open in 100 days. Tokyo was awarded the Olympics 7 1/2 years ago because it billed itself as “a safe pair of hands.” Nothing is certain now. Organizers and the International Olympic Committee are pushing on despite COVID-19 risks, myriad scandals, and overwhelming public opposition in Japan to holding the games. Tokyo’s 1964 Olympics celebrated Japan’s rapid recovery from defeat in World War II. These Olympics will be marked by footnotes and asterisks. The athletes will aim high but the goals elsewhere will be modest: get through it, avoid becoming a super-spreader event, and perhaps stoke some national pride knowing few other countries could have pulled it off.

Kevin Durant scored 31 points on 11-for-15 shooting in his most productive performance in 2 1/2 months, as the Brooklyn Nets blew out the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-97. Durant played 27 minutes in his third game back from a strained hamstring that kept him out for 23 games. The game was rescheduled from the previous night, in the aftermath of a fatal police shooting of a Black man in a nearby suburb. The Timberwolves held a moment of silence before tipoff for 20-year-old Daunte Wright. The Timberwolves played without Karl-Anthony Towns on the one-year anniversary of his mother's death from COVID-19.

With the team facing a COVID-19 scare, Chicago Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday night after the right-hander indicated he wasn’t feeling well. The Cubs didn’t provide specifics about Hendricks’ health, saying only the move was made from “an abundance of caution.” Four Cubs were added to the COVID-19 injured list over the last two days. Cubs manager David Ross said before Tuesday’s game with the Milwaukee Brewers that none of his players have tested positive for the coronavirus. Infielder Matt Duffy went on the virus-related injured list Tuesday, one day after the Cubs put relievers Brandon Workman, Jason Adam and Dan Winkler on the list.