Marijuana Battles, Mass Deregulation, Artist Nikka Costa

Coming up on today’s show:

• Eight states have now legalized recreational marijuana use. As some start to roll out sales of the drug, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has threatened to enforce the federal ban. Mark Kleiman, a professor of public policy at the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management, explains the conflict between federal and state policy.

• Nevada is one of the states that voted to legalize recreational marijuana use in November. July 1st was the official start date for sales of the drug, but the state was unprepared for the level of demand that ensued. Tick Segerblom, a Nevada state senator who backed legalizing marijuana in his state, weighs in on the roll-out in his state.  
• Deregulation has been a main focus of the Trump Administration, but many of the individuals assigned to roll back regulations are appointees with potential conflicts of interest. Danielle Ivory, a reporter for our partners atThe New York Times and co-author of a new report on deregulation, explains. 

• Many small business owners have been excited by the prospect of deregulation. Bryan Keller, president and CEO of Keller Logistics Group, a trucking company in Defiance, Ohio, says he felt the pressure from the ramped up regulations rolled out under President Obama, and is hoping there will be more room to breath in the Trump era.

• As the FARC reintegrates into Colombian society, various actors are filling the vacuum in the areas the insurgency controlled for 52 years. One effect is massive deforestation. Adriaan Alsema, editor-in-chief of Colombia Reports, joins the Takeaway to share his reporting from Medellín.

• In 2016, there were a record number environmental defenders — people whose job or mission it is to peacefully protect land, water, and other natural resources — were killed. Gillian Caldwell, the CEO of Global Witness, has the details. 

• Singer Nikka Costa found fame as a child performer, and then took a soulful turn and found success in the pop world. She’s toured with Prince, Lenny Kravitz, and Britney Spears, and now she’s back with her first album in six years, called “Underneath and in Between.” She joins The Takeaway to discuss her career, and the childhood that started it all. 

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.