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Thursday's Best Deals: TriggerPoint Gold Box, Acer Gaming Laptop, Superior Bidet, and More

A workout Gold Box, Home Depot Christmas decor sale, discounted Anker car charger, and Batman: The Animated Series lead off Thursday’s best deals from around the web.

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Rapper Diddy Gets Real on IG, Says He Went Through 'Dark Depression' in 2019

While Sean “Diddy” Combs the influencer posted pics of himself to Instagram celebrating the New Year by holding a glass of Ciroc, the “Imma keep it real” Sean posted a video discussing his battle with depression and implored his fans to “lift each other up” in 2020.

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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Pardons Over 11,000 Marijuana Convictions

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has pardoned low-level marijuana convictions for more than 11,000 people, according to CNN.

Now that Illinois has become the 11th state in the nation to legalize adult-use cannabis, Gov. Pritzker has granted 11,017 pardons for people with low-level marijuana convictions. 

On New Year’s Eve, in a statement released by the governor, “Tomorrow when adult-use cannabis becomes legal, pay attention to the fact that we are beginning to accomplish four very important things: We are ending the 50-year-long war on cannabis. We are restoring rights to many tens of thousands of Illinoisans. We are bringing regulation and safety to a previously unsafe and illegal market. And we are creating a new industry that puts equity at its very core.”

“Every state that has legalized cannabis has seen high demand and long lines in its earliest weeks, and to be sure, our state will too. But unlike other states, in Illinois, we purposely built a system where the market has room to grow, so that entrepreneurs, including especially those from the communities devastated by the war on drugs, will have real opportunities in this industry.”

The bipartisan Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act provides multiple avenues to expunge convictions and arrest records for minor cannabis offenses. There are more than 700,000 records that will be eligible statewide for relief because of the new law.

“Today we took another step toward justice, as we continue to address the failed war on drugs and the disproportionate impact it had on communities of color,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. “Clearing records under this revolutionary new law will not only open doors for thousands of families but will create stronger, safer communities as well. I’m proud to work alongside Governor Pritzker and other leaders as we make criminal justice reform a top priority in Cook County and across Illinois.”

The first phase of the adult-use cannabis market started on Jan.1. Interested cannabis entrepreneurs were able to enter the next phase of the adult-use market by applying for a license through Jan. 2. An additional 75 dispensary licenses are available, and social equity applicants are encouraged to apply here: http://bit.ly/CannabisIL.

“Illinois is going where no other state has before, admitting the unjust errors of the war on drugs and giving so many Illinoisans greater opportunities to build good lives for themselves and the people they love,” said Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. “Our Restore, Reinvest and Renew program will direct 25% of the state’s cannabis revenue right back into the communities hit the hardest by decades of over-policing, disinvestment, disenfranchisement, and violence. In that effort, we’re lifting up the voices of the people who actually live in these neighborhoods, who know these blocks and exactly where our dollars will make a real difference.”

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Michelle Obama is Once Again ‘Most Admired Woman’ in 2019 Gallup Poll

In another election, Obama wins again! According to ABC News, former first lady Michelle Obama has been named the “most admired woman” in the world for the second time in as many years.

In the annual Gallup Poll, Obama earned that title with 10% of the votes and was the only woman on the list to compile a double-digit percentage. She has been named as the most admired woman the past two years after 25 years that saw Hillary Clinton finish first 22 times. Obama has had a higher percentage of the votes the past two years than during her eight years as first lady, never earning more than 8% of Americans voting for her.

Although she finished in the top spot this year with 10%, it was down from 15% last year. Current first lady Melania Trump received 5%, which lands her in second place with the queen of talk Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, and teen climate change activist Greta Thunberg—each named by 3% of U.S. adults who placed votes. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley rounded out the rest of the top 10.

In the same poll, former President Barack Obama, for the 12th time (a record he shares with former President Dwight Eisenhower), was named most admired man, which was a tie with the current president, who appears at the top for the very first time, Donald Trump. Obama’s 18% is in line with his 2018 (19%) and 2017 (17%) numbers, all of which are high for a former president. Eisenhower is the only other former president who received double-digit mentions at any point after leaving office.

As it has been with recent bipartisan politics, the results of the poll are sharply divided along party lines: 41% of Democrats named President Obama, while 45% of Republicans chose Trump. The former president also picked up 3% of Republicans and 12% of Independents while Trump drew 2% of Democrats and 10% of Independents.

Michelle Obama’s most recent book, Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice, was released on Nov. 19. It is a companion piece to her critically acclaimed memoir, Becoming.

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