Domestic

New Jersey passed Public Question 1 of the 2020 ballot, legalizing cannabis for recreational use. Many politicians have reported that this decision was “long overdue,” as it has resulted in a high number of arrests and convictions. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, who has actively campaigned in favor of the vote, expressed triumph at the decision. After the general election season, 36 states have now legalized cannabis for medical use, and 15 of these for recreational as well.

Reports on Tropical Storm Eta indicate that it is set to soon move toward the U.S. coast. The hurricane’s main early targets include Nicaragua and Honduras, where tides surged up to 21 feet and catastrophic damages from rains, winds and flooding have been left; there, the storm was slow-moving and was classified as a Category 4 Hurricane on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The storm is expected to reemerge over the Caribbean Sea and likely move over Cuba by Sunday; this would lead Eta to the southeast coast, particularly Florida, in the next week.

International

Vienna, Austria suffered from a rare terrorist attack, resulting in four dead and 23 wounded this past Monday. As of Tuesday evening, the 20-year-old gunman was arrested and it was revealed that he was not only well-known by authorities but also for trying to join ISIS. During the attack, the assailant was armed with an automatic rifle, a pistol, a machete and a dummy suicide belt. The assailant’s publicized history of a prison sentence for an attempt at joining ISIS, and his overall high profile on the radar of Austria’s intelligence and law enforcement, paired with recent terrorist attacks in France, have led to questions about whether he should have been more closely watched.

The United Nations (UN) migration agency released a statement that a deadly shipwreck off Senegal resulted in the death of at least 140 immigrants. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the boat departed from Mbour, a coastal town in western Senegal and was bound for Spain’s Canary Islands when it caught fire; the boat capsized near Saint-Louise, on the country’s northwest coast. The purpose of this voyage was part of a larger effort to combat illegal trafficking and smuggling networks.