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By Kit Maher, Steve Contorno, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump said Monday that the White House is “very strongly” considering signing an executive order to reschedule marijuana to a lower drug classification, which would ease federal restrictions.

“We are considering that because a lot of people want to see it — the reclassification, because it leads to tremendous amounts of research that can’t be done unless you reclassify. So, we are looking at that very strongly,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Trump’s comments come a year after he suggested his return to the White House would usher in a new era for marijuana, one that would make it easier for adults to access safe products and give states greater leeway to pursue legalization.

Two sources told CNN the White House has been involved in discussions about reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug, which the Drug Enforcement Administration defines “as drugs with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.”

The DEA defines Schedule I drugs as those “with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Marijuana is in the same drug classification as heroin, LSD and meth.

People familiar with the matter said the White House has been involved in discussions with industry groups about an announcement on rescheduling as early as this week, though a White House official insisted Friday no final decisions have been made. CNN reached out to the White House again Monday.

Trump discussed the issue at a more than two-hour meeting in the Oval Office on December 9, two sources told CNN.

Among the attendees were chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff James Blair, White House counsel David Warrington, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, and White House Domestic Policy Council deputy director Heidi Overton, the sources said.

Also in the room, according to the sources, were Kim Rivers from cannabis company Trulieve; Jim Hagedorn, the CEO of Scotts Miracle-Gro, which has a cannabis division; and Howard Kessler, a Trump ally and advocate for expanded medical cannabis access.

The Washington Post first reported on the Oval Office meeting.

Trump first declared his support for changing federal marijuana policy in the 2024 presidential race amid an aggressive courtship of younger voters, saying he wanted to allow for weed companies to obtain bank accounts and for universities to research the drug.

Trump announced at the time that he intended to vote for a ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana in his home state of Florida. He then added that, as president, he would “continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug.”

Privately, the White House has spent much of 2025 researching whether and how to move ahead with rescheduling marijuana. CNN previously reported that Wiles requested affected agencies to weigh in, and their responses, compiled by Trump’s Domestic Policy Council, were presented to her over the summer.

CNN also reported in August that Trump told a small gathering of donors that the White House needed to look into loosening federal restrictions on the drug.

The internal debate over whether to proceed on rescheduling marijuana comes as Trump’s standing with young people is deteriorating heading into the 2026 midterms. Read more

By Eric Bradner, Nicky Robertson, CNN

(CNN) — Students and staffers at Brown University described a deep sense of fear and anxiety Monday as police continued searching for the shooter who killed two and injured nine Saturday on the university’s campus in Providence, Rhode Island.

With exams at the Ivy League school canceled, the university told students they were free to go home for the holiday break immediately — leading to what some students said was an eerie sense of vacancy on the snow-blanketed campus, with temperatures in the 20s on Monday. Those who remained on or near the university Monday told CNN they are on constant alert — particularly after police announced late Sunday that they were releasing a person of interest and continuing their manhunt.

“The fact that that person is still out there and they’re at large — it’s terrifying,” said Kerem Koyluoglu, a junior at Brown majoring in international and public affairs.

He said he and his friends are walking together to “make sure nobody’s alone.”

“I think people are a little bit scared also, just to see people who are walking by themselves,” Koyluoglu said. “There’s always that ‘What if?’ factor.”

Brown senior Anika Mahns — who was working at the gym on campus, which became a spot many ran for cover when the shooting took place before she and other colleagues barricaded the doors — said once classes resume after winter break, things on campus won’t be the same.

“I think scared is the only way to put it,” Mahns told CNN. “I think a lot of people are very paranoid, too, rightfully so.”

“It’s just hard to be able to walk around and live your life knowing that someone’s out there,” Mahns said.

Providence Mayor Brett Smiley told CNN there have been no credible threats in the area since the shooting late afternoon Saturday. However, with no firearm recovered at the scene, the shooter is still considered armed and dangerous, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha told CNN.

‘We are very angry’

The anxiety members of the Brown community described had intensified after a person of interest was released by authorities on Sunday.

Owen Tower, who is pursuing his PhD in physics and was in the Barus and Holley engineering building where the shooting took place about an hour beforehand, said he attended a vigil for the victims Sunday night — but if he’d known the shooter was still at large, he would have remained home.

He’s largely stayed at home since the shooting, but he described the anger in the community after a person of interest was released by police late Sunday night.

“I think we’re all pretty pissed off. Like, we’re very angry over the fact that this person has not been caught because Brown is really, really tight knit,” Tower said.

Cole Francis, a senior at Brown University who was inside the Barus and Holley building when the shooting occurred, said the situation is “terrifying.”

“I think that a lot of people found a lot of relief in knowing that the authorities had caught this person and recovered the weapons that this person may have used. And now to know that he may still be on the street is, is extremely scary and worrisome for a lot of people,” he told CNN.

Vanessa Orozco, a Providence resident who lives near the B

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SANTA BARBRA COUNTY, Calif. - Warm and sunny weather continues this work week with temperatures into the high 70s and 80s.

Gusty northeast winds will pick up during the warm weather as well, especially midweek.

Dense fog is still possible this week in the mornings and evenings though marine layer strength will weaken with the offshore winds through Wednesday or Thursday.

High pressure holds through Friday when onshore flow returns for the weekend and temperatures drop into the 60s.

Rain is looking increasingly likely around Christmas.

The post Warming up Tuesday, tracking rain chances appeared first on News Channel 3-12.