Gay marriage was made legal in Scotland.
ON Tuesday the Scottish Parliament voted to legalize gay marriage in the entire country. The vote was incredibly one sided with 105 members for and 18 against equal marriage laws. The law will take effect as soon as October 2014. Currently the country allows civil unions, and couples with civil unions will be able to convert to marriages when the law takes effect. Scotland is the 17th country in the world to legalize gay marriage, following suit of their neighbors England and Wales.
Check out a report on the topic here.
U.S. officials worry about terror plots at the Winter Olympics.
The winter Olympics began Thursday in Sochi, Russia and U.S. is on edge, warning Russia about the possibility of terrorists hiding bomb materials in toothpaste tubes on Russia bound planes. Russian forces are on high alert already responding to threats by Islamist militant groups based in north Caucasus. However, Russian officials insist that the games are just as safe as if they were held somewhere in the west.
Check out the games’ schedule here.
CVS discontinues sale of all tobacco products.
CVS is the number 2 U.S. drugstore chain and has 7,600 stores nationwide. Come October every single one of them will stop selling all tobacco products. This is an unprecedented decision that has other drugstore chains buzzing. The store feels like this move will give them a “better position as a healthcare provider.” They felt that the precedent they will be setting will be worth the projected $2 billion loss in annual sales.The decision has also won approval from President Obama, he said that ‘[T]oday’s decision will help advance my Administration’s efforts to reduce tobacco-related deaths, cancer, and heart disease, as well as bring down health care costs – ultimately saving lives and protecting untold numbers of families from pain and heartbreak for years to come.”
See how the ban could lower smoking rates in the U.S. here.
Hillary Clinton gears up for the 2016 elections.
Clinton’s lead has grown significantly in the past month, showing that she may actually be a contender in 2016. It hasn’t hurt her cause that possible opponent Chris Christie has been burdened with scandal over “bridgegate.” Although Clinton has not announced her candidacy, it is becoming more and more apparent it is indeed her plan to run. Polls show that the only remotely close democratic competitor may be Joe Biden. However, it is still insanely early to be talking about elections in 2016.
See Clinton speak at a Philly event here.