High court temporarily blocks restrictions on abortion pill
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is temporarily keeping in place federal rules for use of an abortion drug, while it takes time to more fully consider the issues raised in a court challenge. In an order signed Friday by Justice Samuel Alito, the court put a five-day pause on the fast-moving case so the justices can decide whether lower court rulings restricting the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the drug, mifepristone, should be allowed to take effect in the short term. President Joe Biden’s administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories, the maker of the pill, asked the justices to intervene.
Leak suspect yearned to join military but then regretted it
DIGHTON, Mass. (AP) — The Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of leaking highly classified documents that have caused an international uproar had set his sights on joining the military from an early age. But more recently he had expressed disillusionment about having enlisted. Two of his former classmates told The Boston Globe that Teixeira revered the military and showed an early interest in joining, and was especially focused in the history of war and weapons. But a member of an online chat group with Teixeira, who spoke to AP but declined to give his name, said Teixeira often expressed regret about joining the military.
Trump reports little income from Truth Social, $1M from NFTs
NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump says he’s not making much money from his social media network but estimates it is worth between $5 million and $25 million. That’s according to his personal financial disclosure form filed Friday. The report is the first glimpse into Trump’s finances since he left the White House and launched several new business ventures. Trump says he made less than $201 from his social media company, Trump Media & Technology Group. He also reported he made between $100,000 and $1 million for a series of digital trading cards he released in December that portrayed him in a series of cartoon-like images, including an astronaut, a cowboy and a superhero.
Explosion at Japan port during PM Kishida visit, no injuries
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s NHK television is reporting that a loud explosion occurred at a western Japanese port during Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit, but there were no injuries. Kishida was unharmed and evacuated to the Wakayama prefectural police headquarters, NHK said. The prime minister was visiting the Saikazaki port in Wakayama prefecture on Saturday and there was an explosion just before he was to begin his speech. A man believed to be a suspect was apprehended at the scene, and NHK footage showed several uniformed and plainclothes police officers gathered around the man and pressing him to the ground. The incident comes nine months after Kishida’s predecessor, Shinzo Abe, was assassinated while delivering a campaign speech.
In China, Lula seeks help to build back Brazilian industry
BEIJING (AP) — The trip by Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Beijing has made clear he is counting on China to help reinvigorate the South American nation’s ailing industrial sector. He’s hoping that China can help pick up the slack of exiting U.S. companies. After Lula met Friday with China’s President Xi Jinping, Brazilian finance minister Fernando Haddad told reporters the nations are planning a “leap forward”in their relationship. He said that Lula wants “a policy of reindustrialization” and is hoping for more “direct investments from China.” He added that Brazil still wants strong bonds with the U.S. as well, but noted with regret that some U.S. companies have been leaving Brazil recently.
Here’s why downpour in Florida just wouldn’t stop
Fort Lauderdale’s 25 inches of rain is a case of a strong thunderstorm not knowing when to say when. Normally storms fizzle out after 20 minutes or they move on. But Wednesday’s supercell didn’t. It poured for six to eight hours and was continuously fed by the nearby Gulf Stream. Other conditions also lined up. One more factor that put this week’s storm into the top three to hit major U.S. cities in a 24-hour period: the atmosphere in our warming planet can hold more moisture that comes down as rain.
Food or medicine? Inflation squeezing retirees in Argentina
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s government has announced that monthly inflation was 7.7% in March, up from 6.5% in the same month in 2022. Analysts project annual inflation — the measure used commonly internationally — will come in at 110% in 2023, one of the highest rates in the world. The impact has been devastating on Argentina’s retirees, 85% of whom receive a monthly pension averaging the equivalent of $265. This barely covers a third of their expenses for food, medicine and rent. After years of high inflation, Argentina’s minimum pension measured in U.S. dollars is one of the lowest in the region, just above Venezuela.
Online gaming chats have long been spy risk for US military
WASHINGTON (AP) — Step into a U.S. military recreation hall at a base almost anywhere in the world and you’re bound to see young troops immersed in the world of online games. The enthusiasm military personnel have for gaming — and the risk that carries — is in the spotlight after a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman was charged with illegally taking and posting highly classified material on a social media platform that started as a hangout for gamers. Online gaming forums have long been a particular worry of the military because of their lure for young service members. And U.S. officials are limited in how closely they can monitor those forums to make sure nothing on them threatens national security.
TikTok ban gets final approval by Montana’s GOP legislature
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana lawmakers have given final passage to a bill banning the social media app TikTok in the state. The measure now goes to Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte. He declined to say Friday whether he will sign it, but he has already banned TikTok from government-owned devices. The state House voted 54-43 to pass the bill, which goes further than bans in place in nearly half the states and the U.S. federal government that prohibit TIkTok on government devices. Supporters of the ban say TikTok can be used by China to spy on U.S. users. Opponents say it violates people’s First Amendment rights. A TikTok spokesperson has vowed a legal challenge to the measure’s constitutionality.
Transgender adults brace for treatment cutoffs in Missouri
An emergency rule introduced this week by Missouri’s Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey will impose numerous restrictions on both adults and children before they can receive puberty-blocking drugs, hormones or gender-affirming surgeries. Transgender rights advocates have vowed to challenge the rule in court before it takes effect April 27. But promises of swift legal action have done little to ease the worries of some trans Missourians who could see their care cut off because they have depression or another mental health diagnosis. National groups advocating for LGBTQ+ rights contend the Missouri regulation goes further than most restrictions enacted elsewhere.