Monday,  April 14, 2014 • Vol. 16--No. 270 • 22 of 26

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though bus stations are a favored target of Nigeria's Islamic extremists.
• The Islamic extremists have been threatening to attack the capital, in the middle of the country and hundreds of miles from its traditional base in the northeast, where it has killed nearly 1,500 people this year.
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Medical marijuana measure in Florida a key test of pot's political potency for Democrats

• MIAMI (AP) -- Democrats in the nation's largest swing-state see the question of whether to legalize medical marijuana as a rare source of hope and high voter turnout in this year's midterm elections.
• Party operatives are pushing a constitutional amendment that would make Florida the first state in the South to legalize some pot use. Polls show the measure has widespread public support, and it's particularly popular among young voters -- a critical part of the Democratic coalition with historically weak turnout in non-presidential election years.
• "I wish that it didn't take medical marijuana on the ballot to motivate our young voters to go and vote because there's far too much at stake for them and their children," said Ana Cruz, former executive director of the Florida Democratic Party. "But listen, we'll take it any way we can get it."
• At stake is the Florida governor's office, as well as a handful of competitive House seats. But the nation's political world will be watching Florida's turnout in November for clues to whether pot on the ballot could draw young people to the polls.
• In 2012, both Washington and Colorado saw spikes in youth turnout when marijuana initiatives were on the ballot. This year, Florida could be a critical test case for whether those increases were an anomaly or the start of a trend in advance of the presidential election in 2016, when activists plan to launch legalization campaigns in at least six states, including battleground Nevada.
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Fed agency revisits safety rules after tragic college bus crash in Northern California

• RED BLUFF, Calif. (AP) -- Federal transportation authorities are investigating ways to minimize death and injuries in bus crashes following the fiery wreck leaving 10 dead when a FedEx truck slammed into a bus carrying high school students in Northern California.

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