A federal appeals court has revived the FDA's approval of the abortion drug mifepristone but allowed some restrictions to stand, potentially setting up a showdown in the Supreme Court. Also in the news: Fire warnings are in place in much of the country, and President Joe Biden returned to his ancestral home in Ireland. |
Now, here's Thursday's news. |
Court revives FDA mifepristone approval, but allows some restrictions to stand |
A federal appeals court late Wednesday paused part of a lower court ruling that had suspended approval of abortion medication mifepristone but allowed other parts of that decision to stand. The order from a divided three-judge panel in Louisiana allowed the FDA's 23-year-old approval of mifepristone to remain in effect but declined to stay the lower court's ruling that imposed significant restrictions on access to the drug. In a controversial ruling last week, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, appointed by former President Donald Trump, suspended the approval of mifepristone. The appeals court's decision potentially sets up a showdown at the Supreme Court. Read more |
Second of two Tennessee lawmakers expelled by Republican majority reappointed |
Justin Pearson, one of two Black Democratic state legislators whose expulsion earlier this month by Tennessee's Republican-led House provoked a national backlash, was reappointed Wednesday to his seat in the state's House of Representatives. Seven of Shelby County's attending commissioners unanimously voted for Pearson, D-Memphis, to fill the interim seat in Tennessee's District 86. With the vote, Pearson will join Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, who returned to the House Monday backed by Nashville's Metro Council. Both had been removed for leading gun-reform protests on the chamber floor following last month's mass shooting at a Nashville elementary school. Read more | Justin Pearson celebrates with supporters after being reinstated to the Tennessee House of Representatives by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners building in Memphis, Tenn., on Wednesday, April 12, 2023. Chris Day, AP |
| • | "Please don't punish him": Louisville shooting bodycam footage, 911 calls paint picture of desperate moments. | | • | How a "strange sisterhood" of #MeToo accusers is reacting to Trump's indictment in hush money case. | | • | Secret Service fights to shed politics, but Trump's indictment, 2024 election are major tests. | | • | "Monsters": Video purported to show beheading of Ukraine soldier draws outrage. | | • | On today's 5 Things podcast, Commercial Appeal Government Reporter Katherine Burgess has the latest after another expelled Tennessee lawmaker was reappointed. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker. | |
Police document detailing President Biden's security information found on Belfast street |
It was Northern Ireland's largest security operation in a decade, intended to protect President Joe Biden. Then a man identified only as "Bill" discovered a police planning document on a Belfast street. The document, discovered near the hotel where Biden was staying, included the names and phone numbers of police officers, as well as the streets where they were deployed and information such as street closures and security measures. The discovery embarrassed law enforcement officials but did not disrupt other events on the first day of Biden's three-day visit to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Read more | President Joe Biden holds a cellphone as he takes a picture with a members of the audience after making a speech about Northern Ireland's vast economic potential at the Ulster University's new campus in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Wednesday, April 12, 2023. Christophe Ena, AP |
Fire fears stretch across the country; storms possible in the Plains, Southeast |
A wildfire spread over thousands of acres in New Jersey this week, with firefighters facing 200-foot high flames. The flames, which could be caused by low humidity and high winds, prompted evacuations of about 170 homes. Red flag warnings and other fire advisories were in effect in more than a dozen states this week, with some warnings continuing into Thursday. Meanwhile, thunderstorms and heavy rainfall could threaten parts of the Plains and Southeast, winter storm conditions are expected to hit in the West, while parts of the East Coast may see record-breaking high temperatures in the coming days. Read more | Smoke billows from across Lake Horicon in Lakehurst where a major wildfire threatened the town early Wednesday, April 12, 2023. AMANDA OGLESBY, ASBURY PARK PRESS via USA TODAY NETWORK |
Feinstein, under pressure to resign, asks for temporary committee replacement |
Just hours after multiple House Democrats called for her resignation, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California asked to be temporarily replaced on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In a statement Wednesday, Feinstein said her shingles recovery has been delayed due to complications and she asked Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to allow another Democratic senator to serve in her committee seat. Feinstein, who is 89 and previously said she would retire at the end of 2024, gave no estimated date for her return, only saying she will do so, "once my medical team advises that it's safe for me to travel." Read more | U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) walks through the Senate subway at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 28, 2022. Drew Angerer, Getty Images |
Ariana Grande speaks out on weight scrutiny: 'You never know what someone is going through' |
Ariana Grande is the latest celebrity addressing discourse over their size — and her words are an important reminder that, in most circumstances, comments about someone's body are better left unsaid. On TikTok, the singer, 29, told fans concerned about her thinner figure that "there are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful" and that her previous appearance was "the unhealthiest version of my body." Grande reminded her followers that "you never know what someone is going through" and to refrain from commenting on other people's bodies. Experts agree even well-intentioned comments on someone's looks do more harm than good. Read more |
Photo of the day: President Biden visits UK and Ireland |
President Joe Biden returned to his ancestral home of Ireland on Wednesday, welcomed by thousands of cheering people who lined up for hours in hopes of getting a glimpse, a photo or even the slightest touch from him. |
In the town of Dundalk, Ire Biden declared: "I don't know why the hell my ancestors left here. It's beautiful." County Louth is the home of Biden's mother's family. |
Biden is spending three days in Ireland. Earlier Wednesday, he marked the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom. | President Joe Biden tours Carlingford Castle with Micheál Martin, Tánaiste of Ireland, in County Louth, Ireland, Wednesday, April 12, 2023. Patrick Semansky, AP |
Contributing: The Associated Press | | | |
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