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Big Stories

Abortion drug fight heats up

On Friday, two separate district court rulings were filed that may affect the accessibility of mifepristone, an FDA approved abortion medication that has been available for more than 20 years.

What’s going on?
John Waynisack, a US District Judge in Texas, ordered a hold on federal approval of mifepristone, challenging its safety. A move that appears to be politically motivated as dozens of studies have shown the drug to be as safe as over-the-counter pain medication. At nearly the same time, Washington State District Judge Thomas O. Rice ordered authorities not to restrict the medication in 17 Democratic-led states that have already sued to keep it available.

Why is matters: 
Mifepristone’s fate will likely end up in the hands of the Supreme Court. The final decision could have a lasting impact on how the law approaches issues like this in the future. If the Supreme Court decides to pull the drug off the market, it will virtually open any other other FDA-approved medication to similar attacks.

Zoom out:
Mifepristone will be available until Friday, after that it could potentially become an unapproved drug in US.

Little Stories

Business

*Tesla continues its expansion into the Chinese market by building a factory that will produce megapack batteries to help supplement its factory in California.

**Unemployment dropped to 3.5%. The resilience in the labor market will likely result in one more interest rate hike next month.

World

*An armed terrorist group slaughtered 44 citizens in Burkina Faso, near the northern border of Niger, Africa. The attack was in retaliation to two jihadists being hung for trying to steal cattle. A government organized army offensive has neutralized the terrorists.

*Iranian police will install smart camera technology to identify and penalize women in violation of hijab law — a strict Islamic dress code that forces women to wear head coverings while in public. 

Politics

*US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should be impeached for accepting luxury travel gifts from a Republican mega donor. However, she said impeachment is unlikely because of the House’s Republican majority.

Sports

*Spaniard Jon Rahm defeated Brooks Koepka in a marathon day at the Masters. Rain delays on Saturday forced the leaders to play 29 holes on Sunday instead of the regular 18. Koepka started the day off 4 strokes ahead of Rahm, but faltered as the day wore on, eventually losing by 4. This is Rahm’s second major title.

**Odell Beckham Jr. signed a 1-year $18 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

One Liners

*A $1.4 billion dollar probe will be launched into space to look for aliens on Jupiter’s moons.

**A rural Japanese town had an invasive bear problem…so they began catching the bears in traps and selling the meat out of vending machines.

***Small towns take back abandoned ski resorts and flip them into nonprofits.