Evening Summary
After an intense week of news, I am signing off of the Guardian’s live blog. Here are some of the biggest things to happen today. Thanks for joining us, and we wish everyone a peaceful holiday weekend.
A Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas has ordered a hold on the US approval of the abortion medication mifepristone, one of the two drugs commonly used for medication abortions, in a closely watched case brought by anti-abortion activists.
Kamala Harris spoke at Fisk University in Nashville to show support for the two Black lawmakers who were ousted following an anti-gun protest on the statehouse floor. During the last-minute visit, Harris reaffirmed the Biden administration’s consistent calls for Congress to impose a ban on assault weapons.
Kyrsten Sinema, the Arizona senator who flipped from the Democratic party to become an independent in December, is planning to defend her seat next year, the Wall Street Journal reported, setting up a three-way contest in the highly competitive state.
Supreme court justice Clarence Thomas defended himself after reports he accepted decades of undeclared hospitality from a Republican mega-donor. Thomas, a staunch conservative, says he didn’t believe he was required to disclose it.
The Biden administration released a proposal that would forbid schools and colleges across the US from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes competing in sports.
US officials say they suspect Russia is behind the leaking and posting on social media of top secret documents, including an assessment of the country’s progress in its war in Ukraine.
Republicans in Kansas voted to ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth, but the bill is likely to be vetoed by Democratic governor Laura Kelly.
Updated
A Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas has ordered a hold on the US approval of the abortion medication mifepristone, one of the two drugs commonly used for medication abortions, in a closely watched case brought by anti-abortion activists.
US district judge Matthew J Kacsmaryk signed an injunction directing the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to stay mifepristone’s approval while a lawsuit challenging the safety and approval of the drug continues. The immediate impact of the ruling was not clear, including how quickly access to the abortion pill might be curtailed.
In a statement on the ruling, Senator Elizabeth Warren called on Merrick Garland to swiftly appeal the decision:
“Because of today’s lawless ruling by an extremist Republican judge, women across the country could lose access to a safe and legal medication they’ve relied on for decades. Attorney General Garland should quickly appeal this decision in order to preserve access to medication abortion, and I urge the Biden administration to use every legal and regulatory tool in its power to keep this drug available.”
The case against the FDA was brought by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a Christian conservative legal advocacy group, arguing that the FDA exceeded its regulatory authority when it approved mifepristone more than two decades ago, in 2000.
In the complaint, the group argues that the drug puts the health of women and girls at risk and invoked a 19th-century law that made it illegal to send “obscene, lewd or lascivious” items through the mail, including pornography and abortifacients.
Updated
