Emmy award-winning journalist Brandi Kellam’s work has been featured on ProPublica, CBS, NBC, ESSENCE, BET and more. Explore coverage and interviews from national breaking news stories to subject matter on housing, transportation, cannabis, and social justice below.
The moment that has been on hearts and minds for nearly a month in the city of Minneapolis has finally arrived as it was announced on Tuesday afternoon a verdict has been reached in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in the death of George Floyd.
The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked protests nationwide against police brutality and racial injustice. CBS News’ Brandi Kellam spoke with local leaders in Minneapolis to find out what has changed in their community outreach in the aftermath of Floyd’s death.
Friday was the fourth day of protests and unrest in Minneapolis as demonstrators continue to call for charges against the police officer who pinned down George Floyd, resulting in his death. CBS News digital journalist Brandi Kellam joined CBSN with the latest.
Super Bowl champion Marvin Washington said he believes a “sensible non-prohibitive, non-degrading cannabis policy” is coming to the NFL when their collective bargaining agreement is up in 2021.
Time is ticking for New York's governor and state lawmakers as they continue to hash out a deal to fund the government for the coming fiscal year. As the Monday deadline approaches to approve the budget, the push for legalizing adult-use cannabis does not appear to have made the cut. The Albany Times-Union reported Thursday legalized marijuana appeared to be out of the budget. But at the start of the week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office told CBS New York's Marcia Kramer the governor was still "negotiating to legalize marijuana by the end of the legislative session in June."
With a majority of Americans in favor of legalizing marijuana and more states moving toward legalizing medicinal or adult-use programs, the need to decide how prosecutors handle marijuana-related offenses has become a growing issue. Last week, Baltimore State Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced her office will no longer prosecute marijuana possession cases.
The booming business of legalized marijuana may be seeing a favorable shift from the Trump administration. Attorney General nominee William Barr's testimony this week signaled potential relief for business owners in states that have enacted various laws legalizing cannabis products.
A new film highlighting the benefits of medicinal marijuana focuses on children whose lives have been improved by using cannabis treatment. The filmmakers hope to "remove the stigma" associated with the drug, director Abby Esptein told CBS News. Epstein and producer Ricki Lake spoke with CBSN's Reena Ninan about the children featured in their new documentary, "Weed the People."