Abortion Pill & IVF, Evan Gershkovich, and a White Buffalo.

Adam Rogers
June 14, 2024

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Big Stories

Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich will stand trial for espionage charges, according to Russian prosecutors.

He has been in a Siberian jail for over a year without formal charges or a trial, and the U.S. has designated him as wrongfully detained. Russia claims he collected information about a tank factory for the CIA but has not presented evidence.
The trial is expected to resemble other sham proceedings against Americans detained in Russia and Kremlin opponents. Moscow may use it to increase pressure on the U.S. in ongoing talks for a potential prisoner swap for Gershkovich. The indictment comes a day after U.S. sanctions targeted Russian defense entities, including the tank factory in question.
Gershkovich is one of several U.S. citizens held in Russia on charges denounced by the U.S. and international organizations. Former Marine Paul Whelan has been detained since 2018 on spying accusations, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, a U.S. dual citizen, has also been jailed for months.

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that abortion opponents lacked the legal right to challenge the FDA's approval of the abortion pill mifepristone.

The decision preserves access to mifepristone, which was used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. last year. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was part of the majority that overturned Roe v. Wade, said that federal courts are not the appropriate forum for the plaintiffs' concerns about the FDA's approval.
Abortion is currently banned at all stages of pregnancy in 14 states and after about six weeks of pregnancy in three others. Abortion rights advocates expressed relief but emphasized that the decision merely maintains the status quo, which they describe as a dire public health crisis.
Meanwhile, the Senate blocked a bill on Thursday that aimed to make in vitro fertilization (IVF) a national right. The bill needed 60 votes to pass but only got 48. The Right to IVF Act, sponsored by Democratic Senators Tammy Duckworth, Patty Murray, and Cory Booker, included four bills to make IVF a nationwide right and lower its costs to make it more accessible.

Eight protesters were arrested on Wednesday night during the annual Congressional Baseball Game.

U.S. Capitol Police officers quickly stopped and arrested the protesters as they tried to get onto the field. The protesters are being charged with interference with a member of the U.S. Capitol Police, a federal charge.
Climate Defiance took responsibility for the protest, posting pictures of protesters wearing "end fossil fuels" shirts on the field. The group said the protest was aimed at "shutting down the Congressional Baseball Game" to draw attention to fossil fuel use. An organizer said, "Congress and the fossil fuel industry have picked their side tonight: death and destruction for our entire planet."
A few other protesters holding a Palestinian flag in the stands left voluntarily after violating ballpark rules but were not arrested. The Congressional Sports for Charity group thanked law enforcement for keeping the event safe, which raised over $2 million for Washington charities.

Europol arrested forty people and seized eight tons of cocaine after a four-year international police investigation. The operation targeted a Balkan cartel smuggling cocaine from South America to Europe via West Africa and the Canary Islands. (More)

Argentina's Senate barely approved President Javier Milei's controversial economic plan. The vote happened while violent protests were going on outside Congress. Several people were injured, and the local media called the scene a "battlefield.” Right now, annual inflation is almost 300%, and more than half of Argentines are living in poverty. (More).

G7 leaders have agreed to create a $50 billion loan to help Ukraine in its war with Russia. They will use interest from Russia’s frozen bank assets as security for the loan. The U.S. government will guarantee most of the loan, which will be supported by profits from about $260 billion of Russia’s frozen assets. (More)

Tesla shareholders have approved CEO Elon Musk's $56 billion pay package, showing strong support for his leadership. They also decided to move the company's legal home from Delaware to Texas. (More)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is tracking two new H1N1 flu cases in the U.S. that are more resistant to the common cold flu treatment Tamiflu. However, the new strains are still sensitive to other flu medications, and doctors don’t need to change how they treat the virus, according to a CDC spokesperson. (More)

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