Supreme Court considers abortion pill access and major Baltimore bridge collapses: Morning Rundown
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The Supreme Court will hear arguments over whether the abortion pill mifepristone should remain on the market. Federal agents executed search warrants at properties belonging to rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. And the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani spoke for the first time since his former interpreter was accused of “massive theft.”
Here’s what to know today.
Supreme Court considers abortion pill access — and the FDA approval process
The Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a high-stakes challenge to the Food and Drug Administration’s drug approval process. At the center of the argument is the abortion pill mifepristone and whether access to the pill should remain.
The conservative-majority court, which overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, will consider the Biden administration’s appeal of lower court rulings that restricted access to the pill.
Mifepristone is part of a two-drug FDA-approved regimen for the majority of abortions nationwide.
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Almost a year ago, Texas-based U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk issued a sweeping ruling that completely invalidated the FDA’s approval of mifepristone. Then, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans narrowed his decision on appeal but left in place his ruling, finding that the FDA’s move to lift restrictions on the pill starting in 2016 was unlawful.
Those loosened restrictions included allowing people to be prescribed the drug without an in-person doctor visit, expanding the number of pharmacies that can dispense the drug and extending the time mifepristone can be used to up to 10 weeks of pregnancy.
The FDA has the backing of the pharmaceutical industry, which has warned that any second-guessing of the drug approval process by federal judges could cause chaos and deter innovation.
Ahead of the hearing, doctors and patient advocates raised alarm about what might happen if the high court decides to tighten access to the drug. “While there are alternatives that people could get if mifepristone is no longer available, it still means that most people seeking abortion are going to be impacted,” said Dr. Kristyn Brandi, an OB-GYN in New Jersey and former board chair of a reproductive rights advocacy group.
Supreme Court reporter Lawrence Hurley explains more specifics in the case. Read the full story here.
Major bridge in Baltimore collapses
A major bridge collapsed in Baltimore early this morning after it was hit by a container ship, sending several vehicles plunging into the water below.
Rescuers were searching for survivors after the ship collided with a pillar supporting part of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which carries Interstate 695 over the Patapsco River southeast of the Baltimore metropolitan area.
The incident was captured in dramatic video, which showed smoke billowing from the boat, as the bridge and road it held tumbled into the river. A livestream showed cars and trucks on the bridge just before the collision. The boat did not sink and its lights remained on.
The U.S. Coast Guard told NBC News it received a report at 1:27 a.m. ET that a “motor vessel made impact with the bridge” and confirmed it was a 948-foot vessel named the Dali, a container ship sailing under a Singaporean flag.
Julian Assange wins temporary reprieve from extradition as U.K. court asks U.S. for assurances
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could receive permission to bring a fresh appeal against extradition to the United States on espionage charges, after a ruling by the U.K.’s High Court in London Tuesday.
The court ruled that Assange can pursue his appeal at a full hearing, unless the U.S. provides “satisfactory assurances” on the questions of whether he was able to rely on the First Amendment of the Constitution and whether he could be subject to the death penalty. It added that he should not be prejudiced at trial or sentencing “by reason of his nationality.”
Assange has been fighting extradition for more than a decade, including seven years in self-exile in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and the last five in the high-security Belmarsh Prison on the outskirts of the British capital.
Trump team fails to push back hush money trial
Donald Trump had a rollercoaster day in terms of legal developments. His attorneys failed to persuade New York state Judge Juan Merchan to delay the April 15 trial start date in his hush money case, which revolves around a $130,000 payment from former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels, who alleged that she had an affair with Trump and was given the money to buy her silence during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Ahead of yesterday’s hearing, Trump called the case a “witch hunt.” During the hearing, he was seen furrowing his brow and growing increasingly frustrated as his defense failed to persuade Merchan that more time was needed to review documents in the case. Read about more key moments from Trump’s day in court.
In another case, Trump and his team netted a small win. A New York state appeals court ruled that Trump and his co-defendant in the civil fraud trial case now have 10 days to post a $175 million bond, down from the $464 million bond that was originally due yesterday. Last week, Trump’s team had called coming up with the larger bond a “practical impossibility.”
More coverage of Donald Trump:
Trump Media and Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, is set to make its debut on the stock market today, a development that could generate a windfall for the cash-strapped former president. It’s unclear exactly how much he stands to gain. Even so, Trump won’t be able to sell his shares for six months.
Trump said he “might” spend his own money on his 2024 presidential campaign, which he hasn’t done on his campaigns since 2016. Speaking to reporters, he added, “It’s none of your business.”
Homes of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs searched
Search warrants were executed yesterday at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ properties in Los Angeles and Miami, four law enforcement sources said, as the rap mogul faces a wave of lawsuits. Homeland Security officials also seized phones from Combs in Miami before he was scheduled to depart for a trip to the Bahamas, according to three law enforcement sources familiar with the warrant service.
A source familiar with the matter said Combs is the subject of a federal investigation. Three women and a man have been interviewed by federal officials in Manhattan in relation to allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms, the source said. Representatives for Combs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Combs has been the subject of multiple lawsuits. In one filed in November and settled a day later, Combs’ former romantic partner Cassie accused him of physically and sexually abusing her for years. Since then, three other women have come forward with lawsuits, alleging they were sexually abused.
Combs has denied each of the sexual assault allegations, calling them “sickening.”
Last night, hours after the searches were announced, music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones amended his civil complaint against Combs to add actor Cuba Gooding Jr., who is accused of sexually harassing and assaulting Jones. According to the amended federal complaint, Gooding groped Jones while on Combs’ yacht in January 2023. Gooding has not been charged with any crime.
Shohei Ohtani denies involvement in sports betting scandal
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani painted a picture of betrayal by his former interpreter, breaking his silence on a sports betting scandal that has gripped Major League Baseball since last week. In a statement to the media yesterday, Ohtani said that he did not bet on any sports or ask anyone to do it for him. Here’s what else Ohtani said.
Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, is accused of making several wire transfers from Ohtani’s account — totaling at least $4.5 million — to place bets with a bookmaking operation in Southern California. Mizuhara was fired last week after reports from ESPN and The Los Angeles Times revealed his name came up in a federal investigation of illegal gambling.
Cancer patients facing deportation to Gaza: ‘Our fate will be death’
A group of Palestinians from Gaza who have been receiving cancer treatment in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv now potentially face deportation back to Gaza, where the health care system has all but collapsed and basic medicines are scarce. Israel’s Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction last week to prevent them from being sent back to Gaza and will make its final decision next month.
While patients said they wanted to see their families, they feared what could happen in Gaza. “They would be sending us to the area of hell,” said Reem Abu Obeida, who has breast cancer. “Our fate will be death.”
Several children are among those facing deportation. That includes a 9-year-old girl who was brought out of Gaza to donate bone marrow to her sick brother. Now, she faces the prospect of returning to Gaza without her parents. Read the full story here.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a trip to Washington after the U.S. refused to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution that passed which demanded a cease-fire in Gaza for the remainder of the month of Ramadan.
Politics in Brief
Social media: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that would prohibit children younger than 14 from joining social media in the state.
Defamation suit: A Kansas man is suing Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee over social media posts that falsely identified him as an “illegal alien” and as one of the shooters in the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade.
Election integrity: The Justice Department is investigating dozens of threats made to election workers, federal officials said, and has charged 20 individuals so far.
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Staff Pick: The group bringing God to Ohio public schools
For the past year, as I’ve reported on fights over LGBTQ acceptance in classrooms, I’ve heard many Christian conservatives argue that America needed to “put God back in schools.” So I was surprised to learn recently that an Ohio nonprofit group was already doing it. LifeWise Academy promotes itself as a nonpartisan program to teach children good character through Bible stories. The lessons happen during the school day, and it’s legal, so long as they’re off-campus and not funded by tax dollars. Lots of parents love it, but others say injecting religion into the school day is creating problems.
I traveled to Ohio to see how the program works and to better understand LifeWise’s ambitious goals. — Mike Hixenbaugh, senior enterprise reporter
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