SCOTUS Justice Alito Halts Limits on Abortion Pill Access, Blocking Lower Court Rulings

Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito on Friday blocked lower court rulings that curtailed access to mifepristone while the court weighs a request from the Biden administration to defend the drug in court. The administration hopes to defend the drug’s approval in court in the face of a legal challenge from anti-abortion groups that had brought the initial suit, Reuters reported. Alito’s order asks both sides to submit arguments by Tuesday on whether the limits from the appeals court should take effect, pending litigation, the Associated Press reported.

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DOJ to Ask Supreme Court to Intervene in Abortion Pills Case

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is asking the Supreme Court to intervene in the Texas abortion pills case, it announced Thursday.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said Thursday that the DOJ “strongly disagrees with the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA.” On Wednesday night, the Fifth Circuit granted in part the government’s emergency motion for a stay pending appeal on a federal judge’s decision to suspend U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the abortion pill, allowing the suspension on relaxed rules introduced by the FDA after 2016 to stand.

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Feinstein Asks Schumer for Temporary Replacement on Judiciary amid Long Absence, Calls to Resign

California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced Wednesday that she intends to return to the Senate upon recovering from shingles, but she also asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to meanwhile appoint a temporary replacement for her on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Her absence from the committee, and her vote, has stalled the confirmation of President Biden judicial nominees – the biggest political concern among fellow Senate Democrats regarding her absence. 

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Biden HHS Transgender Official Rachel Levine Applauds Rise in Trans-Affirming Training in Medical Schools

An LGBTQ activist group’s video series features Biden’s top Health and Human Services (HHS) official Rachel [Richard] Levine, M.D. celebrating an influx of LGBTQ individuals into the medical field and the idea that gender ideology is now expanding in medical school training.

In a video from the series called “Authentic Voices of Pride,” produced by LGBTQ Nation, Levine, the assistant secretary for health at HHS, says it is important for healthcare providers to offer “culturally competent care,” a narrative of the Biden administration that uses the Marxist strategy of labeling a campaign that intends to be divisive with a seemingly innocuous name to make it easy to condemn those who disagree with it.

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Documents: Concert Promoter Giant Live Nation’s Subsidiaries Weren’t Eligible for Millions of Dollars in COVID Grants

Subsidiaries of behemoth concert promoter Live Nation Entertainment received $20 million in federal COVID grants that they were not entitled to, according to a Wisconsin Daily Star review of documents.

Madison-based Frank Productions Concerts, LLC and National Shows 2, LLC of Delaware, each received $10 million from the Small Business Administration’s Shuttered Venues Operator Grant (SVOG) program — funding that was clearly marked for independent operators, not subsidiaries of publicly traded companies.

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Commentary: Connecting People to a More Purpose Driven Life

Since being elected, I have become increasingly passionate about investigating ways government keeps people from reaching their full potential. As the former chair of the Senate Public Benefit Reform Committee, I became aware of many situations in which our current government benefit programs are doing just that.

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Inflation Rises Again in March, but at Slower Pace

Inflation rose again in March, but at a slower pace than previous months, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics latest consumer pricing data shows.

The Consumer Price Index rose 0.1% in March, contributing to a 5% rise over the last 12 months, about double what economists say is a healthy inflation rate. Price changes varied by the respective good and service.

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Commentary: Importing Poverty Is Making America Poor

For much of the post-World War II era, America has been expected by many of its citizens to be a benevolent King Midas to the rest of the world. We have attained unprecedented levels of prosperity, and we are expected to share that with anyone seeking to improve their conditions.

While such philanthropy may cause hearts to swell with good feelings, it often comes at a steep price. At a time when America is showing all the characteristics of an empire in decline, that price has now become a crippling burden.

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