As an increasing number of states provide Americans access to legal cannabis, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to debate one of the less-obvious but hugely impactful implications of this country’s growing legalization movement: gun rights. Yesterday, the high court announced it would hear arguments in a narcotics-related case that could upend firearm access for millions at the request of the Trump administration. It’s a rare instance of this White House seeking to limit, rather than expand, gun ownership. 

‘Particularly notable’
At its core, U.S. v. Ali Danial Hemani questions whether Hemani, a dual U.S.-Pakistani citizen, can be charged with a firearms-related felony following an FBI investigation in which he “allegedly had a gun in his home” and “acknowledged being a regular pot user,” said The Associated Press. Although a lower court reversed Hemani’s felony charge after a 2022 Supreme Court ruling expanded gun ownership rights, the Trump administration petitioned the high court to take up the case. State legislatures have long “prohibited the possession of arms by drug users and addicts” — that is, people with a history of narcotics use — and “not just by persons under the influence of drugs” at the time of the incident, the Justice Department said in its court filing. 

Given how often this White House has “sided with gun rights advocates in other cases,” the fact that the administration is pushing to enforce tightened restrictions on gun owners is “particularly notable,” said USA Today. By favoring tightened rules for gun ownership, the White House’s stance is likely to “pit the Justice Department against some of President Donald Trump’s usual allies on culture-war issues,” said Bloomberg Law. 

‘Technical violations’
Since it was established in 1998, the federal gun background check system’s narcotics questions have “stopped more gun sales than any requirement other than the ban on felons and fugitives owning weapons,” said USA Today. But lawyers for Hemani say the law “makes no sense” in a country where an estimated “19% of Americans have used marijuana and about 32% own a firearm.” The “broadly written law” being debated by the court “puts millions of people at risk of technical violations,” given the prevalence of cannabis use and legalization in nearly half the states, said the AP. A ruling is expected in June.

China is dramatically tightening its control over crucial rare earth minerals, in what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent calls a “global supply chain power grab.” President Donald Trump, who is due to meet Xi Jinping in South Korea in a few weeks, has hit back by threatening 100% tariffs on all products from China. Beijing has accused Washington of “stoking panic” and making “grossly distorted” remarks. But China’s “chokehold on rare minerals,” said the BBC, will be its “key bargaining chip” in the trade talks.

What are rare earths? 
Seventeen metallic elements with similar characteristics are crucial and largely irreplaceable components in electronic products and green technologies. Despite their name, they are abundant in the Earth’s crust but hazardous to extract and purify. China controls 61% of rare-earth mineral production and 92% of the processing, according to the International Energy Agency.

“You may not be familiar” with the names of rare earths, but “you will be very familiar with the products that they are used in,” said Ayesha Perera at the BBC. Yttrium and europium are used in the manufacture of television and computer screens, cerium is used for polishing glass and refining oil, and neodymium is used to make the magnets in computer hard drives, EV motors and jet engines. 

Rare earths are also widely used in semiconductors, the building blocks of our digital world. Almost anything with an on/off switch will have dozens, even hundreds, of semiconductors inside. 

What has China done? 
The new restrictions will require all foreign companies to have the Chinese government’s approval for the export of even small quantities of rare earths, and those companies must explain what the intended use is. Beijing has been clear that export licenses may not be granted, particularly for those related to semiconductors or artificial-intelligence development. 

Chinese nationals and Chinese companies will also be banned from working with foreign companies on rare earth mineral extraction and processing without government permission. Some of these restrictions are already in place, while others begin in December. 

What does this mean? 
It marks a “nearly unprecedented export control,” said The Wall Street Journal. It gives China “more leverage” in trade talks, “ratcheting up pressure” on the Trump administration. And in addition to being an “escalation” in the U.S.-China trade war, it “threatens the supply chain” for the semiconductors that are the “lifeblood” of the world economy.

A Hindu devotee holds a diya, a traditional clay lamp, during Diwali festivities at a temple in Toronto, Canada. Millions of Hindus, Jains and Sikhs are celebrating the festival of lights, which symbolizes the victory of good over evil. 
Creative Touch Imaging Ltd. / NurPhoto via Getty Images

Americans seem to like shows about drug runners almost as much as they like the drugs themselves. And while many of the greatest narco stories are mostly police procedurals like “The Wire,” there are a handful of standout shows that focus at least as much on the criminals and cartels as they do on the cops or agents trying to catch them. Beware: These violent delights definitely have violent ends.

‘Weeds’ (2005-12)
Showtime’s “Weeds” is the story of suburban housewife Nancy Botwin (Mary Louise Parker), who becomes a marijuana kingpin when her husband dies unexpectedly. The hit show not only “played a role in shifting public attitudes about marijuana,” said Joshua Alston at The AV Club, but it also contributed to prestige-TV-era audiences expecting “high-speed narratives full of twists and shocking rug-pulls.” (Apple TV+, Prime)

‘Breaking Bad’ (2008-13)
Now considered one of the greatest TV series ever produced, AMC’s “Breaking Bad” (pictured above) stars Bryan Cranston as middle-aged high school chemistry teacher Walter White, who responds to a terminal cancer diagnosis by stumbling into the meth business. Watching the show “ended up being one of the best experiences of my life,” said Emily Nussbaum at New York magazine. (Apple TV+, Netflix, Prime)

‘Snowfall’ (2017-23)
Still mysteriously underappreciated, FX’s “Snowfall” is the story of the crack cocaine epidemic in 1980s Los Angeles, as seen through the eyes of young street dealer Franklin Saint (Damson Idris). “Rich with details,” the show demonstrates the ugly “cycle of the American government financially supporting the drug trade,” said Ben Travers at IndieWire. (Disney+, Hulu)