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☆ Access to abortion pill mifepristone at stake in federal appeals court hearing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Evelyn Hockstein | ReutersA federal appeals court will hear arguments Wednesday afternoon in a closely watched lawsuit that seeks to pull the abortion pill mifepristone from the U.S. market. The hearing at the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans comes 11 months after the Supreme Court ruled there was no longer a federal constitutional right to abortion. But if it refuses to hear an appeal, the 5th Circuit decision will be the final word on the drug's fate. Days later, the DOJ appealed Kacsmaryk's decision to the 5th Circuit, which handles cases arising from the Northern District of Texas. He said the Supreme Court will likely agree to take the case if the 5th Circuit panel decides to pull mifepristone from the U.S. market.

☆ Tangaraju Suppiah: Singapore executes man for trafficking two pounds of cannabis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Tangaraju Suppiah, a 46-year-old Singaporean, was hanged early on Wednesday in Changi Prison and the family have received a death certificate, his sister Leelavathy Suppiah told CNN. Tangaraju was first sentenced to death in 2018 for “abetting the trafficking of more than one kilogram of cannabis (1,017.9 grams),” according to a statement from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB). The court found he was in phone communication with two other men caught trying to smuggle cannabis into Singapore. “As is the case for many people currently on death row in Singapore, Tangaraju was forced to represent himself to seek a review of the Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold his conviction. Singapore has a strong reputation as a rule of law country so this concerning omission is not normal,” Perrett added.

April 13 (Reuters) - U.S. telehealth abortion providers scrambled on Thursday to keep their services available after a federal appeals court ruled that the abortion pill mifepristone could be distributed amid ongoing litigation but with significant restrictions. Mifepristone is used with another drug called misoprostol to perform medication abortion, which accounts for more than half of U.S. abortions. Jayaram Brindala, founder of Abortion Telemedicine, said the provider would "no longer be able to send the mifepristone medication by mail anywhere." Brindala added the company would still send the misoprostol-only regimen to states that allow it. Other telehealth practices that provide abortion medication said they were waiting to see what happens next in court before announcing any changes in policy.

☆ House Democrats call for immediate hearing on Texas abortion pill ruling
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Abortion rights advocates gather in front of the J Marvin Jones Federal Building and Courthouse in Amarillo, Texas, on March 15, 2023. Democrats on the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Wednesday requested an immediate hearing on a federal judge's order suspending the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. All 23 Democrats on the committee wrote in a letter to Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., arguing that the ruling undermines the FDA's authority over the drug approval process. They alleged that the FDA failed to follow Congress' "statutorily prescribed drug approval process" by approving mifepristone in 2000. "The FDA's lawless actions ultimately endanger women and girls seeking chemical abortions," the lawmakers wrote.

☆ Explainer: After COVID and drug shortages, EU revamps drug laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Commission aims to publish a draft - the biggest overhaul of existing medical laws in two decades - on April 26. A Commission spokesperson said: "The Commission will put forward a balanced and patient-centred proposal, whilst fully supporting an innovative and competitive industry." If the EU health regulator approves a new use for the medicine, they get another year, bringing the total to 11. Fourteen member states have written to the Commission, criticising the idea as costly and harmful for consumers as it could disrupt the generic drugs market. Once the Commission publishes the draft, the European Parliament, Commission and member states will thrash out final details.

Of the various potential rulings possible in the case involving the abortion pill mifepristone, either of those outcomes would be unprecedented judicial intervention in the agency's regulatory process. Some of the FDA's options could be politically and legally risky both for the agency and mifepristone suppliers, they said. The FDA said the pill was deemed safe after extensive studies and use, and that the challenge comes much too late. Under FDA statutes and regulations, drug approval withdrawal generally begins with an informal hearing, which can entail extensive document preparation and the convening of an advisory committee. Overseas provider Aid Access, an Austria-based service that ships abortion medication to U.S. patients, said it would continue providing the pill no matter how the FDA responds.

☆ Abortion pill mifepristone ruling in Texas case could hinge on 1873 Comstock Act
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A federal judge in Texas may try to invoke an obscure 19th-century law called the Comstock Act to roll back mail delivery of the abortion pill mifepristone. His rationale could hinge in part on the Comstock Act. The anti-abortion group's attorneys argued that the Comstock Act and other laws ban mail delivery of mifepristone. The Comstock Act has not been enforced in decades, said Rachel Rebouche, an expert on reproductive health law at Temple University. Congress passed the Comstock Act in 1873 after an anti-vice crusader named Anthony Comstock successfully lobbied lawmakers to declare "obscene" materials as not mailable.

☆ U.S. judge in Texas will soon rule on the abortion pill mifepristone. Here's what could happen
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The Alliance For Hippocratic Medicine wants Judge Kacsmaryk to nullify the FDA's medical approval of mifepristone, which would effectively ban the abortion pill across the US. Senate Judiciary Committee | YouTubeA Texas judge will soon issue a pivotal ruling in a closely watched case challenging the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. It's also possible that Kacsmaryk could order the agency to impose tighter restrictions on access to mifepristone but stop short of completely halting sales. Abortion rights groups and legal experts expect the judge will rule against the FDA in some form. Possible injunctionIf Kacsmaryk issues an order to withdraw mifepristone from the market, there are several ways such a ruling could be drafted.

☆ Idaho lawmakers are seriously considering absorbing Oregon's conservative rural counties if they can secede from the blue state
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Greater Idaho movement seeks to redraw state boundaries so rural Oregon can join Idaho. Moving the state boundary would require the approval of Oregon, Idaho, and the US Congress. Matt McCaw, a spokeperson for the group behind the Greater Idaho movement, told Insider they were confident the bill would pass Idaho's Senate in the coming weeks as well. McCaw said the Greater Idaho proposal would be a solution to the "longstanding problem" of the urban-rural divide. Proponents of Greater Idaho have said their plan is a way to avoid conflict, but it's unclear the impact moving the border would actually have.

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. — Hundreds of mourners gathered Wednesday night at a vigil outside the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, a typically quiet Los Angeles suburb now home to one of the worst tragedies in the county's history. "I'm honestly at a loss for words," said Andy Luu, who was born in Monterey Park. People participate in a community candlelight vigil at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, Calif., on Wednesday. Vice President Kamala Harris walks to lay flowers at the memorial outside the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, in Monterey Park, Calif., on Wednesday. Los Angeles artist Noah Reich helped build the altars for the Monterey Park victims.

SAN GABRIEL, Calif. — The elderly gunman responsible for the dance hall massacre in Monterey Park was out of step with other Asian immigrants who found joy and companionship in venues like the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, former friends said. “His ex-wife also likes to dance, so, many times, they would bump into each other in the party or at events. I don’t think his ex-wife was the cause of his massacre.”Nevertheless, Tran often blamed his ex-wife for the demise of his trucking business. Records show that Tran registered a business called Tran’s Trucking in Monterey Park in 2002 and that it was dissolved two years later. He also recalled seeing a white van parked on the modest property, not unlike the one in which Tran died.

“One of the worst things you can hear from your child is them screaming ‘I don’t want to die! Residents across the state are just beginning to understand the full extent of the damage, especially in marginalized communities, as they recover from the deluge. But instead of work, Naranjo and other farmworkers are faced with some 20,000 flooded farmland in Salinas, according to early estimates from the Monterey County Farm Bureau, a nonprofit association of farmers and ranchers. When asked if he would return to work soon, Naranjo answered: “I don’t know.”Cars driving through a flooded roadway in Planada, Calif., on Jan. 10. “In my head, I thought if it was that bad, someone would come tell us, but no one ever did.

It would turn into a nightmare as their 5-year-old son, Kyle, got swept away in raging flood waters while his mom drove him to school. San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office via TwitterKyle was lost to a succession of unrelenting rainstorms that have pummeled California over the last two weeks and contributed to 17 deaths. As water poured into her car, Lindsy told Kyle to unbuckle his car seat so they could escape. Nearby homeowners fetched rope and managed to rescue Lindsy, who was closer to the bank. “We continue to hope for the best,” said Grace Norris, a San Luis Obispo sheriff’s spokesperson.

Alicia Victoria Lozano / NBC NewsAmong her must-have accessories this semester is a heavy flashlight with a strobe function that doubles as a baton. Brandon Moore, a freshman at Washington State University in Pullman. “It definitely makes you more aware of everyone around you.”Koryn Damiano, a sophomore at Washington State University in Pullman. Alicia Victoria Lozano / NBC NewsDamiano said she shares a sense of relief that the suspect has been caught. At the University of Idaho, students will have the option to take classes in self-defense, vigilance and stalking awareness.

Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday as a powerful storm expected to bring heavy rain, snow and flooding began its potentially dangerous onslaught. Mandatory evacuation orders were in effect for several cities in Northern California, including Richmond in the Bay Area and Watsonville in Santa Cruz County. Several communities experiencing some of the biggest downpours were still cleaning up from flooding caused by a storm over the weekend. While the precipitation appears out-of-character for the drought-stricken state, California would normally expect to see this type of rainfall during an average winter, experts said. April 1 is a typical high point for snowpack in California, where snow melt feeds reservoirs in May and June.

Flood watches are in effect for 12 million people in Central and Northern California. The cyclone will send a pair of warm and cold fronts over Northern California, which is already rain-soaked. “When you have more water vapor in the air because the air is warmer — you can transport more water vapor quickly,” Ralph said. Although some smaller reservoirs in Northern California have filled up, larger reservoirs still have the capacity to absorb more. “I think we will have largely alleviated the short-term drought in Northern California," Swain said.

The city did nothing with the property, and it was transferred to the state of California and then to Los Angeles County. The county built its lifeguard training headquarters on the land, which includes a small parking lot. And then it turned into a tragic story for my family,” Anthony Bruce, the great- great-grandson of the Bruces, previously told NBC News. And unfortunately, my family was the victim of a hate crime and the prejudice that was around during those times. Hahn learned about the property’s history and launched the complex process of returning the property, including determining that two great-grandsons of the Bruces are their legal heirs.

Authorities have identified a 19-year-old man fatally shot Friday inside a department store in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, as Johntae Raymon Hudson. Hudson also told KARE 11 that when she learned her brother was shot, she held out hope he would survive. Several members of the New York Giants, who faced off against the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, were in the Mall of America when the shooting occurred. The mall told the station then that it was testing options “that may allow us to further enhance” security systems. Earlier this year, a man fired three shots in front of a store in the mall, KARE 11 reported.

Doug Ducey has agreed to dismantle a makeshift border wall that triggered a lawsuit by the federal government and rankled environmentalists. The agreement comes one week after federal officials filed a lawsuit against Ducey’s administration saying the border project was illegally built on federal land. Protesters spent weeks camping in freezing temperatures along the border wall, and had vowed to stay there until the containers were removed. Karamargin said the assurance from federal officials paved the way for Ducey to agree to remove the shipping containers. The shipping container project cost Arizona at least $82 million, Karamargin said.

David Ryder / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesCities throughout the country are opening warming centers this week, including Chicago, Houston, San Antonio, Atlanta and Albuquerque, New Mexico. The city’s Office of Emergency Management will transform the Denver Coliseum into a 24-hour warming center starting Wednesday. Recreation centers and libraries will remain open during regular operating hours and function as warming centers Thursday and Friday. The Seattle region is also opening warming centers across King County, including overnight shelters for families experiencing homelessness. San Antonio will also open warming centers.

A sexual battery case in California was dismissed and the victim's protective order terminated when a third-party vendor used by Riverside County Superior Court failed to summons any jurors. The case was among more than 1,000 that have been dismissed in the county in recent months, the Riverside County District Attorney's office said. The misdemeanor case stemmed from a complaint filed last year alleging the defendant groped her without her consent in October 2021. It was postponed for one day but by then no courtrooms were available, and the judge dismissed the case. Across Riverside County, located east of Los Angeles, more than 1,000 cases have been dismissed since early October, Hestrin's office said.

☆ US Attorney General Merrick Garland moves to end crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparities
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The sentencing guideline differences for crack cocaine and powder cocaine-related offenses is stark. In a memo, Garland told federal prosecutors that the disparity is "not supported by science." Under the current law, there is a five-year mandatory prison sentence for offenses involving 28 grams of crack cocaine, while the same mandatory sentence would apply to offenses involving 500 grams of powder cocaine. "The sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine has just one single purpose: to put Black Americans in jail. "There is no scientific justification for prosecuting and sentencing crack and powder offenses differently.

After a two-week standoff between protesters and construction crews building a border wall made of shipping containers, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Arizona, accusing it of trespassing on federal land. "Arizona has unlawfully and without authority failed to remove the shipping containers from lands owned by the United States or over which the United States holds easements, thereby damaging the United States," the complaint reads. In August, Ducey issued an executive order directing the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs to fill gaps in the existing border wall in Yuma County using shipping containers. Important waterways are being damaged or altered by the placement of shipping containers on land that serves as important habitats and crossings, including for endangered species, he said. "Under the Clean Water Act, they have created a dam with those shipping containers and it just looks like a junkyard now."

☆ Canceled lectures, no grades: University of California students face chaotic finals as academic workers strike
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | Alicia Victoria Lozano | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of thousands of undergraduate students at the University of California face a chaotic finish to their fall term as a strike by academic workers grinds through its fourth week. It’s definitely a weird situation.”University of California academic workers walk the picket line at the University of California, Los Angeles, on Nov. 28. Some campuses, including UCLA, have pushed back deadlines for submitting grades because faculty members rely so heavily on teaching assistants to assess student performance. Alicia Victoria Lozano / NBC NewsHernandez, a freshman, said teaching assistants help him with assignments and show him how to better tackle complicated subjects. Teaching assistants are integral to UCLA's "cluster" program that gives first-year students an opportunity to immerse themselves in smaller learning groups led by faculty and teaching assistants, he said.

The ex-Florida tax collector whose arrest led to a federal investigation into U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a former friend, was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in prison for sex trafficking of a minor and other offenses. Prosecutors said Greenberg paid at least one minor to have sex with him and other men. Joel Greenberg, then the Seminole County tax collector, during an interview at his office in Lake Mary, Fla., in 2019. His cooperation with federal officials could play a role in an investigation into whether Gaetz allegedly sex-trafficked a 17-year-old girl. Greenberg’s scandal-plagued term as Seminole County tax collector started in 2017, around the time he and Gaetz became friends.

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