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After a bit of drama, Congress passed a critical defense policy bill. A Carnival cruise ship rescued six men stranded at sea. And why Oprah Winfrey's revelation about using weight loss drugs is a game-changer. |
π Hi y'all. Laura Davis here! Ready for Thursday's news? It's ready for you! |
House passes defense bill despite conservative grievances |
In a last-minute sprint to finish the crucial legislation, the House passed an annual defense bill Thursday, sending it to President Joe Biden's desk to approve $886 billion in spending. The National Defense Authorization Act, which Congress is required to pass every year, includes a 5.2% pay raise for troops and authorizes funding for Ukraine. The bill cleared the lower chamber by a bipartisan vote of 310-118 – but not without drama, a major source of which was the reauthorization of a controversial surveillance program. π Here's what to know. |
Is abortion access in peril – even where it's legal? |
The Supreme Court's decision to hear cases challenging the abortion pill could threaten access for hundreds of thousands of patients in states where abortion is legal and protected, experts say. |
| • | What's going on? The justices agreed Wednesday to review an appellate ruling that significantly restricted use of the drug mifepristone, rolling back the Food and Drug Administration's decision to make the pregnancy termination drug available to patients through telemedicine and the U.S. mail. | | • | What's next? The high court is expected to rule in the two mifepristone-related cases by June. If the majority determines the FDA overstepped its bounds by making abortion medication accessible through video appointments and mailed medicine, people would no longer be able to obtain these abortions in their first trimester remotely, regardless of state laws that protect access to abortion. | | • | Civil disobedience and the safety of the abortion pill: What to know. | |
Carnival Cruise Lines, at your service! The Carnival Vista cruise ship brought six men on board early Wednesday morning near the Dominican Republic after they got stranded overnight. The men had been in a small cargo vessel that capsized. After an emergency alert went out about the capsized vessel, the cruise ship's captain changed course, eventually locating the men on a life raft. Vista is on a six-day Caribbean cruise that departed from Florida's Port Canaveral on Sunday. π³️ See video from the rescue. |
Why it matters that Oprah's using weight loss drugs |
It started out with rumors and whispers. Are all those Hollywood stars really taking medication to lose weight? As more A-listers have started to share their experiences with these medications, weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have become a part of our cultural lexicon. Now an icon in her own right (but also, yes, an icon in the weight loss industry), Oprah Winfrey, has acknowledged using weight loss medication too, giving these drugs even more of a mainstream boost. Experts say revelations like this are part of a healthy trend of transparency about body transformations. Could it be a turning point in how our culture views weight loss medication? Here's what to know. | Oprah Winfrey stands next to her newly installed portrait in the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, during a portrait unveiling ceremony in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin, AP | | | | Hamas, since its inception in 1987, has called for armed resistance and the elimination of Israel. | | | |  | Antisemitism on Penn's campus and in the streets are testing Philadelphia's commitment to religious principles and freedom of speech. | | | | Deon Smith was delivering food to an apartment complex in Virginia when she said an 11-year-old and a teen pointed a gun at her and stole her car. | | | | For decades, we have allowed large corporations to entice children to eat foods and beverages designed to be overeaten, Sen. Bernie Sanders writes. | | | | Former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., bashed Donald Trump Wednesday, labeling him an "authoritarian narcissist." | | | | A bull ran loose on the NJ Transit train tracks before being captured, causing delays of up to 45 minutes. | | | | Sure, Al Michaels is low energy at times. Yes, he's a little too goofy. Sure his on air stories are awkward. But no one was better. Absolutely no one. | | | | There are 41 college football bowl games this postseason, starting on Dec. 16 and running through Jan. 1. We rank all of them from best to worst. | | | | Wu says the party has taken place for years to gather elected officials of color in the state, but it was mistakenly sent to the full council. | | | | When Taylor Swift hugged a 6-year-old girl from Arizona on a New York City sidewalk, the video went viral on TikTok. Here's the story of that night. | | | | | Sign up for the news you want | Exclusive newsletters are part of your subscription, don't miss out! We're always working to add benefits for subscribers like you. | | | | | | |
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