Arizona abortion ban, air pollution, and a gator in the kitchen.

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Big Stories

Arizona bans nearly all abortions

Arizona will have an almost-total abortion ban after the state Supreme Court upheld an 1864 law that made abortion a felony.

• The court's 4-2 ruling rejected arguments favoring the current 15-week abortion ban signed in 2022, opting instead to enforce the century-old law. While the law is set to go into effect in 14 days, the court referred the case back to a lower trial court to address concerns about its constitutionality.

• The law makes abortion a felony punishable by two to five years in prison for anyone who performs one or helps a woman get one. It includes an exception for “when it is necessary” to save a pregnant woman’s life.

• The law could shut down the eight remaining abortion clinics in the state, though it’s not clear how it will be enforced. State Attorney General Kris Mayes said she won’t enforce any bans, and a state executive order has been passed that bars attorneys from prosecuting women and doctors for performing abortions.

Parents of Oxford School shooter sentenced

James and Jennifer Crumbley, parents of Ethan Crumbley who committed a school shooting at Oxford High School in 2021, were each sentenced to 10-15 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter.

• Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to murder and received a life sentence without parole, while his parents were convicted of failing to address signs of their son's distress and purchasing him a handgun. It is the first time parents of a mass school shooter have been charged and convicted of serious crimes related to the incident.

• Prosecutors argued that the Crumbleys ignored signs of their son's distress and did not properly secure the murder weapon, highlighting their "chilling lack of remorse" after the shooting. Defense attorneys claimed that the Crumbleys were manipulated by their son and made mistakes any parent could make, pointing out their lack of threat to society.

• The Crumbleys are likely to appeal their sentences. Their son is expected to do the same.

Pregnancy may speed up biological aging

A recent study found that young women in their early 20s who have been pregnant might age quicker than those who haven't had a baby.

• Researchers looked at how certain parts of DNA change due to environmental or behavioral factors. The study of these changes — known as epigenetics — can help determine how fast someone is aging and their susceptibility to age-related diseases.

• Researchers looked at blood samples from about 1,700 young women. They found that young women who had been pregnant aged faster than those who hadn't been pregnant, especially if they had been pregnant more than once.

• Each pregnancy was estimated to make the women about 4 to 4.5 months older. The team didn't look at why pregnancy might speed up aging — more research is needed to answer this. Also, it wasn’t clear if being pregnant later in life would have the same effect.

Little Stories

• The EPA announced a new rule on Tuesday to slash toxic air pollution from over 200 chemical plants nationwide. Once enacted, the new standards for petrochemical plants will sharply decrease cancer-causing emissions, cutting cancer risk by 96% for nearby residents, according to the EPA. (More)

• The women's NCAA basketball final attracted more viewers than the men's championship game for the first time in history, according to Nielsen data. Nearly 18.9 million people tuned into the women’s final, compared to the 14.8 million viewers for the men's final. (More)

• A Florida mother, Aimee Harris, was sentenced Tuesday to a month in prison and three months of home confinement for stealing and selling President Joe Biden's daughter's diary four years ago to the conservative group Project Veritas. Harris pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in August 2022 and admitted to receiving $20,000 of the $40,000 for the diary. (More)

• Kit Harington has ruled out a Jon Snow sequel to "Game of Thrones," saying, "There are no plans for it at the moment." Despite speculation, the only spinoff so far is "House of the Dragon," set centuries before the original series. (More)

• Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US proposal for a hostage deal with Hamas is “serious” and urged the group to accept it. Hamas hasn’t rejected the proposal and said it would discuss it responsibly. The proposal involves releasing 40 hostages in exchange for a six-week ceasefire, along with Israel releasing 900 Palestinian prisoners, with other conditions attached. (More)

Extra Credit

What do A.M. and P.M. stand for? 

An 8-foot alligator crawled into a Florida home.

A United flight diverted after a dog stunk up the plane. 

Which states have the highest minimum wage in the US?