Introduction
Two courts made conflicting rulings on access to abortion pills. I’ll tell you what this means, and what might happen next. Plus…
How the war in Ukraine may affect these swimmers’ Olympic chances.
Those stories and more today on… Notice News Daily.
Abortion Pill Rulings
Hey everyone, Jonathan here at Notice HQ in Brooklyn. Our top story today…
Harris: There is no question that the president and I are going to stand with the women of America and do everything we can to ensure that women have the ability to make decisions about their health care.
That’s Vice President Kamala Harris addressing a federal judge’s ban on abortion pills, leading to a showdown that’s likely to reach the Supreme Court.
On Friday, a conservative-leaning judge in Texas ruled that the abortion drug mifepristone was improperly approved by the Food and Drug Administration more than 20 years ago.
Mifepristone is one of two drugs used for medically-induced abortions, and it’s used in more than half of all abortions in the U.S.
But the Texas judge’s ban came within minutes of another court decision out of Washington state,
Where a different federal judge ordered that the drug be made available in 17 states plus Washington DC
Legal experts believe the contradictory decisions out of Texas and Washington will make their way to the Supreme Court,
Which will have to determine whether or not a ban on mifepristone is allowed to remain in place.
The lawsuit that led to the Texas judge’s ban, brought by a conservative Christian group, claims that mifepristone is unsafe…
But according to the New York Times, the FDA and more than 100 scientific studies have concluded the drug is safe and effective.
Legal observers worry the Texas judge’s decision to overrule the FDA could lead to political attacks on the ability to approve and regulate medications,
Especially for drugs used in controversial practices such as emergency contraception or gender-affirming care.
The Biden administration appealed the Texas’ judge’s decision within hours of the ruling, and a final resolution could take months or years before reaching the Supreme Court.
Headlines
Here’s what else is making news right now…
At least four people are dead and eight others injured after a gunman opened fire at a bank in Louisville, Kentucky, yesterday. Police say the gunman, who had an AR-15 style assault rifle died at the scene.
Experts say classified documents that leaked online about the war in Ukraine could harm the US’s relationships with other countries. The documents reportedly showed just how much the US knows about the inner workings of the Russian military. And…
This isn’t your average vending machine – it’s stocked with wild bear meat. Hunters in Japan apparently came up with the idea to promote their hometown. Not a bad idea, considering we’re talking about it, thousands of miles away.
Ukrainian Athletes and the Olympics
Next year, the Summer Olympic Games will be held in Paris. It’s a moment athletes work towards for their entire life, but for some – war is derailing those plans.
This is Maryna and Vladyslave Aleksiiva, 21 year old twins from Ukraine and competitive artistic swimmers.
The twins were among thousands who fled the eastern city of Kharkiv last year after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.
Their sports complex in Kharkiv was damaged by a missile in September, and they say their training sessions are often interrupted by air raid sirens.
And while they’ve continued training – they don’t want athletes from the country that invade theirs – to compete.
Ukraine has threatened to boycott the Olympics entirely if Russian athletes are allowed to compete.
After Russia invaded Ukraine last year, the International Olympic Committee, or IOC, banned Russian athletes from competition.
However, the IOC has recommended Russians be allowed to return to international competition as neutrals, meaning they can compete, but won’t represent Russia.
Sound: “If the IOC allows Russia to take part in the Olympic Games, then these games are not about peace anymore, and what would be the message behind it? Even under a neutral flag. They were under the neutral flag on the last Olympic Games and it didn’t change anything, they started a war.”
Even before the invasion, Russian athletes had to compete as neutrals in Tokyo, after a doping scandal revealed a government supported doping system across many sports.
Despite the possibility of missing out on Paris, the twins have stuck to their rigorous training in Kyiv.
They won a bronze medal in the team competition in the 2020 Tokyo Games and had a successful 2022.
Despite the challenges they face, the twins remain committed to their training and hope to compete in Paris next year.
Conclusion
That’s it for today – but let’s see how closely you were paying attention. Go take the Notice News quiz on our website noticenews.com.
I’ll be back tomorrow with more from us, Notice News.