{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/102915", "News October 29", "2015-10-29", "2015", "2015-10", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "News October 29\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThursday, October 29, 2015\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tMarijuanaSanders says if elected president he would seek to remove marijuana from a list of drugs deemed illegal by the federal government, The Washington Post, The Associated Press, The Washington Post, NPR, The New York Times, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The Hill, The Huffington Post, MSNBC, ABC News and The Daily Beastreported. Too many Americans have seen their lives destroyed because they have criminal records as a result of marijuana use, Sanders said at a town hall with college student in Fairfax, Virginia. Under the plan, states seeking to regulate marijuana would remain free to do so under local laws governing the sales of alcohol and tobacco. Sanders would allow federal law enforcement officials to arrest and prosecute drug dealers for trafficking in marijuana sales. The Marijuana Majority, an organization which supports reform for the drug, says that Sanders' plan would be historic.LINK, LINK,LINK, LINK, AUDIO, LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK,LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK\r\nIslamophobia Sanders on Wednesday invoked his ancestors deaths in Holocaust concentration camps as he embraced a Muslim student and promised to lead the fight against racism, The Hill and ThinkProgress reported. Sanders chronicled racism and discriminations historical roots in American culture, arguing that groups have always tried to play one group off against each other. Our job is to build a nation in which we all stand together as one, he said. If we stand for anything we have to stand together and end all forms of racism in this country. I will lead that effort as president. LINK, LINK\r\nMarriage EqualityWith both Democratic contenders mostly in agreement on the topic today, Sen. Sanders is criticizing the former Secretary of States past positions, attempting to tie them to a broader critique that she does what is politically expedient,TIME reported. But his record on gay marriage is more complicated than he now makes it sound. While Sanders generally opposed measures to ban gay marriage, he did not speak out in favor of it until 2009. Thats still well ahead of Clinton, as well as most other Democratic Senators, but not as early as hes now casting it. LINK\r\nWorld\r\nIran Joins Syria TalksAccording toThe New York Times, Iran has accepted an invitation to join talks with the United States and Russia this week on a possible political resolution to the Syrian civil war, state news media reported on Wednesday.LINK\r\nNational\r\nSC Deputy Fired Over Student Arrest A white sheriffs deputy in South Carolina was fired Wednesday after county officials concluded he had acted improperly when, in a videotaped confrontation, he dragged and then threw a female African-American student across a high school classroom this week. The deputy, Ben Fields, was dismissed two days after the episode at Spring Valley High School, where students recorded an encounter that spread quickly across social media and became a vivid reminder of concerns about the treatment of black people by law enforcement officers, The New York Times reported. LINK\r\nThe Ryan Era Begins House Republicans nominated Rep. Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin as their next speaker Wednesday, tapping one of their partys brightest stars as the leader they hope will close out an era of GOP divisiveness and recrimination, The Washington Post reported. Ryan is set to be formally elected to succeed outgoing speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) in a House vote Thursday morning. Thanking his fellow lawmakers after Wednesdays closed-door party ballot, Ryan said his nomination begins a new day in the House of Representatives. LINK\r\nCruz and Rubio Win Debate Both Rubio and Cruz have won modest plaudits for their performances in the first two debates, but there was a demonstrable difference in what unfolded on the stage at the University of Colorado. They outshone Donald Trump and Ben Carson, the leaders in the polls, and Rubio overshadowed his onetime mentor, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, The Washington Post reported. Whether this was a unique moment for Rubio and Cruz or a foreshadowing of where the Republican nomination contest is heading is a matter of speculation, with the voters the ultimate arbiters starting early next year. But both candidates served notice Wednesday that they are ready for the next phase of a rapidly changing and increasingly fractious campaign. LINK\r\nVermont\r\nVermont Health Connect On Sunday, customers will begin shopping for their 2016 insurance plans on Vermont Health Connect, and that means judgment day for a new piece of software thats supposed to help the state avoid the technical glitches that plagued last years enrollment process. Administration officials say this time around, the exchange will be ready for prime time, Vermont Public Radio reported. LINK\r\nMarijuana LegalizationThough public opinion polls have consistently shown that Vermonters support legalizing pot  and several top politicians have recently come around to the idea  legalization faces a long road in the legislature next year,Seven Days Vermontreported. Among the questions lawmakers must consider: Who would be permitted to buy, sell and grow pot? What quantities would be permissible? How would the industry be regulated? How would it be taxed? Where would the revenue go? Could the state comply with federal guidelines? Would edibles be allowed?LINK", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/102915"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7924519013613462, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}