OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. chose Nicole Shanahan on Tuesday to be his vice presidential pick as he mounts an independent White House bid that has spooked national Democrats.

Shanahan, 38, is a California lawyer and philanthropist who’s never held elected office. Shanahan leads Bia-Echo Foundation, an organization she founded to direct money toward issues including women’s reproductive science, criminal justice reform and environmental causes.

Kennedy, a former Democrat, made the announcement in Oakland, California.

“Nicole and I both left the Democratic Party," he said. "Our values didn’t change. The Democratic Party did.”

Without the backing of a party, Kennedy faces an arduous task to get on the ballot, with varying rules across the 50 states. He’s picking a running mate now because about half of the states require him to designate one before he can apply for ballot access.

In advance of an event Tuesday in Oakland, Kennedy and his aides circulated the names of several contenders, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-rfk-rodgers-ventura-453c6078714b867f5af736ee8f97d8fe">celebrities with no experience in politics</a>.

Two hours before Kennedy’s rally was scheduled to begin at a performing arts venue, a handful of supporters were lined up outside. Broken-down cars, discarded bicycles, tents and all manner of household goods took up the sidewalk and a park directly outside, a visual reminder of the housing crisis that has plagued California.

Dozens of men in black suits made up a heavy security presence for a candidate who has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-arrest-los-angeles-impersonation-dcd6a12a95ea4ba46df649989edecb2d">loudly complained</a>&nbsp;that he has not been granted protection from the U.S. Secret Service. Kennedy’s campaign has spent millions of dollars with the security company owned by Gavin de Becker, who has been a major donor to his campaign and associated super PAC.

Sarah Morris, a Kennedy supporter from Olympia, Washington, who flew to Oakland for the rally, said Kennedy should pick somebody who would “complement him well and balance him out.”

“It would be nice to see a VP who leans a little more right than he does,” said the 47-year-old real estate agent. “I just hope he picks a good partner. I hope he doesn’t pick somebody that’s polarizing.”

A list of speakers includes Angela Stanton-King, a woman pardoned by then-President Donald Trump for her role in a car theft ring that led to a 2004 federal conspiracy conviction and two years in prison; Metta World Peace, the NBA all-star player formerly known as Ron Artest; and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford Medical School professor who questioned the efficacy of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic and was part of Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential launch event last year.

Kennedy's campaign has spooked Democrats, who are fighting third-party options that could draw support from President Joe Biden and help Trump. As they head into a 2020 rematch, Biden and Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-2024-campaign-democrats-republicans-440088966619e68dbf89f745788bb372">are broadly unpopular with the U.S. public</a>&nbsp;and will compete for the votes of people who aren't enthusiastic about either of them.

The requirement is already bedeviling Kennedy's ballot access effort in Nevada, where Democratic Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar said in a March 7 letter to independent candidates that they must nominate a vice presidential candidate before collecting signatures. The letter came days after Kennedy's campaign announced he'd collected enough signatures in the state. If Aguilar's opinion survives a likely legal challenge, Kennedy will have to start again in collecting just over 10,000 signatures in the state.

"This is the epitome of corruption,” said Paul Rossi, a Kennedy campaign lawyer, in a statement Monday, accusing Aguilar of doing the bidding of the Democratic National Committee.

Kennedy has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-president-election-utah-ballot-863513ec2bf75d1efc9b202cb8ddcc4a">secured access to the ballot in Utah</a>. He and an allied super PAC,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dnc-fec-complaint-kenedy-trump-biden-09d42502ca757cd4656b4829c4b4c00d">American Values 2024</a>, say they’ve collected enough signatures to qualify in several other states, including swing states Arizona, Nevada and Georgia, but election officials there have not yet signed off.

Kennedy is a descendant of a storied Democratic family that includes his father, Robert F. Kennedy, who was a U.S. senator, attorney general and presidential candidate, and his uncle former President John F. Kennedy.

He began his campaign as a primary challenge to Biden but last fall said he'd run as an independent instead.

Kennedy was a teenager when his father, known as RFK, was assassinated during his own presidential campaign in 1968. RFK Jr. built a reputation of his own as an activist, author and lawyer who fought for environmental causes such as clean water.

Along the way, his activism has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e">veered into conspiracies</a>&nbsp;and contradicted scientific consensus,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-kennedy-election-vaccines-2ccde2df146f57b5e8c26e8494f0a16a">most infamously on vaccines</a>. Some members of his family have publicly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-joe-biden-2024-democrat-super-bowl-e4dee4be456e643be11735c6e4029377">criticized his views</a>. Dozens of Kennedy family members sent a message when they posed with Biden at a St. Patrick’s Day reception at the White House in a photo his sister Kerry Kennedy posted to social media.

An anti-vaccine group Kennedy led has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy took leave from the group when he announced his run for president but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.

RFK Jr. is leveraging a network of loyal supporters he's built over years, many of them drawn to his anti-vaccine activism and his message that the U.S. government is beholden to corporations.

The Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, is gearing up to take on Kennedy and other third-party options, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/no-labels-election-2024-2859270c8a1e52b8cb92d2e6fd166e5b">No Labels</a>, a well-funded group working to recruit a centrist ticket. The effort is overseen by veteran strategist Mary Beth Cahill, whose resume includes chief of staff to the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, another of RFK Jr.'s uncles.

Many Democrats blame Green Party candidates for Al Gore’s loss to George W. Bush in 2000 and Hillary Clinton’s loss to Trump in 2016.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-robert-f-kennedy-jr-rfk-097ac973a32ddf2e8e4edecd6a8f3153">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>&nbsp;plans to announce his running mate Tuesday as he races to secure a place on the ballot for his independent campaign for president.

In advance of an event Tuesday in Oakland, Kennedy and his aides have circulated the names of several contenders, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-rfk-rodgers-ventura-453c6078714b867f5af736ee8f97d8fe">celebrities with no political experience</a>. Those names include NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, “Dirty Jobs” star Mike Rowe and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, who was a wrestler and actor. Speculation most recently has centered on Nicole Shanahan, a lawyer and philanthropist who bankrolled a Super Bowl ad for Kennedy.

“This announcement is really going to shake up the political establishment,” Kennedy said in a video he posted on social media last week.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711485258873.png" alt="Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Nicole Shanahan during Tuesday's announcement in Oakland-courtesy image" />
 <figcaption>Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Nicole Shanahan during Tuesday's announcement in Oakland-courtesy image</figcaption>
 </figure>OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. chose Nicole Shanahan on Tuesday to be his vice presidential pick as he mounts an independent White House bid that has spooked national Democrats.Shanahan, 38, is a California lawyer and philanthropist who’s never held elected office. Shanahan leads Bia-Echo Foundation, an organization she founded to direct money toward issues including women’s reproductive science, criminal justice reform and environmental causes.Kennedy, a former Democrat, made the announcement in Oakland, California.“Nicole and I both left the Democratic Party," he said. "Our values didn’t change. The Democratic Party did.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711482633483.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Without the backing of a party, Kennedy faces an arduous task to get on the ballot, with varying rules across the 50 states. He’s picking a running mate now because about half of the states require him to designate one before he can apply for ballot access.In advance of an event Tuesday in Oakland, Kennedy and his aides circulated the names of several contenders, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-rfk-rodgers-ventura-453c6078714b867f5af736ee8f97d8fe">celebrities with no experience in politics</a>.Two hours before Kennedy’s rally was scheduled to begin at a performing arts venue, a handful of supporters were lined up outside. Broken-down cars, discarded bicycles, tents and all manner of household goods took up the sidewalk and a park directly outside, a visual reminder of the housing crisis that has plagued California.Dozens of men in black suits made up a heavy security presence for a candidate who has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-arrest-los-angeles-impersonation-dcd6a12a95ea4ba46df649989edecb2d">loudly complained</a>&nbsp;that he has not been granted protection from the U.S. Secret Service. Kennedy’s campaign has spent millions of dollars with the security company owned by Gavin de Becker, who has been a major donor to his campaign and associated super PAC.Sarah Morris, a Kennedy supporter from Olympia, Washington, who flew to Oakland for the rally, said Kennedy should pick somebody who would “complement him well and balance him out.”“It would be nice to see a VP who leans a little more right than he does,” said the 47-year-old real estate agent. “I just hope he picks a good partner. I hope he doesn’t pick somebody that’s polarizing.”A list of speakers includes Angela Stanton-King, a woman pardoned by then-President Donald Trump for her role in a car theft ring that led to a 2004 federal conspiracy conviction and two years in prison; Metta World Peace, the NBA all-star player formerly known as Ron Artest; and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford Medical School professor who questioned the efficacy of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic and was part of Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential launch event last year.Kennedy's campaign has spooked Democrats, who are fighting third-party options that could draw support from President Joe Biden and help Trump. As they head into a 2020 rematch, Biden and Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-2024-campaign-democrats-republicans-440088966619e68dbf89f745788bb372">are broadly unpopular with the U.S. public</a>&nbsp;and will compete for the votes of people who aren't enthusiastic about either of them.Without the backing of a party, Kennedy faces an arduous task to get on the ballot, with varying rules across the 50 states. He’s picking a running mate now because about half of the states require him to designate one before he can apply for ballot access.The requirement is already bedeviling Kennedy's ballot access effort in Nevada, where Democratic Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar said in a March 7 letter to independent candidates that they must nominate a vice presidential candidate before collecting signatures. The letter came days after Kennedy's campaign announced he'd collected enough signatures in the state. If Aguilar's opinion survives a likely legal challenge, Kennedy will have to start again in collecting just over 10,000 signatures in the state."This is the epitome of corruption,” said Paul Rossi, a Kennedy campaign lawyer, in a statement Monday, accusing Aguilar of doing the bidding of the Democratic National Committee.Kennedy has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-president-election-utah-ballot-863513ec2bf75d1efc9b202cb8ddcc4a">secured access to the ballot in Utah</a>. He and an allied super PAC,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dnc-fec-complaint-kenedy-trump-biden-09d42502ca757cd4656b4829c4b4c00d">American Values 2024</a>, say they’ve collected enough signatures to qualify in several other states, including swing states Arizona, Nevada and Georgia, but election officials there have not yet signed off.Kennedy is a descendant of a storied Democratic family that includes his father, Robert F. Kennedy, who was a U.S. senator, attorney general and presidential candidate, and his uncle former President John F. Kennedy.He began his campaign as a primary challenge to Biden but last fall said he'd run as an independent instead.Kennedy was a teenager when his father, known as RFK, was assassinated during his own presidential campaign in 1968. RFK Jr. built a reputation of his own as an activist, author and lawyer who fought for environmental causes such as clean water.Along the way, his activism has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e">veered into conspiracies</a>&nbsp;and contradicted scientific consensus,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-kennedy-election-vaccines-2ccde2df146f57b5e8c26e8494f0a16a">most infamously on vaccines</a>. Some members of his family have publicly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-joe-biden-2024-democrat-super-bowl-e4dee4be456e643be11735c6e4029377">criticized his views</a>. Dozens of Kennedy family members sent a message when they posed with Biden at a St. Patrick’s Day reception at the White House in a photo his sister Kerry Kennedy posted to social media.An anti-vaccine group Kennedy led has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy took leave from the group when he announced his run for president but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.RFK Jr. is leveraging a network of loyal supporters he's built over years, many of them drawn to his anti-vaccine activism and his message that the U.S. government is beholden to corporations.The Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, is gearing up to take on Kennedy and other third-party options, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/no-labels-election-2024-2859270c8a1e52b8cb92d2e6fd166e5b">No Labels</a>, a well-funded group working to recruit a centrist ticket. The effort is overseen by veteran strategist Mary Beth Cahill, whose resume includes chief of staff to the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, another of RFK Jr.'s uncles.Many Democrats blame Green Party candidates for Al Gore’s loss to George W. Bush in 2000 and Hillary Clinton’s loss to Trump in 2016.---------------OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-robert-f-kennedy-jr-rfk-097ac973a32ddf2e8e4edecd6a8f3153">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>&nbsp;plans to announce his running mate Tuesday as he races to secure a place on the ballot for his independent campaign for president.In advance of an event Tuesday in Oakland, Kennedy and his aides have circulated the names of several contenders, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-rfk-rodgers-ventura-453c6078714b867f5af736ee8f97d8fe">celebrities with no political experience</a>. Those names include NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, “Dirty Jobs” star Mike Rowe and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, who was a wrestler and actor. Speculation most recently has centered on Nicole Shanahan, a lawyer and philanthropist who bankrolled a Super Bowl ad for Kennedy.“This announcement is really going to shake up the political establishment,” Kennedy said in a video he posted on social media last week.Two hours before Kennedy’s rally was scheduled to begin at a performing arts venue, a handful of supporters were lined up outside. Broken-down cars, discarded bicycles, tents and all manner of household goods took up the sidewalk and a park directly outside, a visual reminder of the housing crisis that has plagued California.Dozens of men in black suits made up a heavy security presence for a candidate who has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-arrest-los-angeles-impersonation-dcd6a12a95ea4ba46df649989edecb2d">loudly complained</a>&nbsp;that he has not been granted protection from the U.S. Secret Service. Kennedy’s campaign has spent millions of dollars with the security company owned by Gavin de Becker, who has been a major donor to his campaign and associated super PAC.Sarah Morris, a Kennedy supporter from Olympia, Washington, who flew to Oakland for the rally, said Kennedy should pick somebody who would “complement him well and balance him out.”“It would be nice to see a VP who leans a little more right than he does,” said the 47-year-old real estate agent. “I just hope he picks a good partner. I hope he doesn’t pick somebody that’s polarizing.”A list of speakers includes Angela Stanton-King, a woman pardoned by then-President Donald Trump for her role in a car theft ring that led to a 2004 federal conspiracy conviction and two years in prison; Metta World Peace, the NBA all-star player formerly known as Ron Artest; and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford Medical School professor who questioned the efficacy of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic and was part of Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential launch event last year.Kennedy's campaign has spooked Democrats, who are fighting third-party options that could draw support from President Joe Biden and help Trump. As they head into a 2020 rematch, Biden and Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-2024-campaign-democrats-republicans-440088966619e68dbf89f745788bb372">are broadly unpopular with the U.S. public</a>&nbsp;and will compete for the votes of people who aren't enthusiastic about either of them.Without the backing of a party, Kennedy faces an arduous task to get on the ballot, with varying rules across the 50 states. He’s picking a running mate now because about half of the states require him to designate one before he can apply for ballot access.The requirement is already bedeviling Kennedy's ballot access effort in Nevada, where Democratic Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar said in a March 7 letter to independent candidates that they must nominate a vice presidential candidate before collecting signatures. The letter came days after Kennedy's campaign announced he'd collected enough signatures in the state. If Aguilar's opinion survives a likely legal challenge, Kennedy will have to start again in collecting just over 10,000 signatures in the state."This is the epitome of corruption,” said Paul Rossi, a Kennedy campaign lawyer, in a statement Monday, accusing Aguilar of doing the bidding of the Democratic National Committee.Kennedy has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-president-election-utah-ballot-863513ec2bf75d1efc9b202cb8ddcc4a">secured access to the ballot in Utah</a>. He and an allied super PAC,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dnc-fec-complaint-kenedy-trump-biden-09d42502ca757cd4656b4829c4b4c00d">American Values 2024</a>, say they’ve collected enough signatures to qualify in several other states, including swing states Arizona, Nevada and Georgia, but election officials there have not yet signed off.Kennedy is a descendant of a storied Democratic family that includes his father, Robert F. Kennedy, who was a U.S. senator, attorney general and presidential candidate, and his uncle former President John F. Kennedy.He began his campaign as a primary challenge to Biden but last fall said he'd run as an independent instead.Kennedy was a teenager when his father, known as RFK, was assassinated during his own presidential campaign in 1968. RFK Jr. built a reputation of his own as an activist, author and lawyer who fought for environmental causes such as clean water.Along the way, his activism has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e">veered into conspiracies</a>&nbsp;and contradicted scientific consensus,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-kennedy-election-vaccines-2ccde2df146f57b5e8c26e8494f0a16a">most infamously on vaccines</a>. Some members of his family have publicly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-joe-biden-2024-democrat-super-bowl-e4dee4be456e643be11735c6e4029377">criticized his views</a>. Dozens of Kennedy family members sent a message when they posed with Biden at a St. Patrick’s Day reception at the White House in a photo his sister Kerry Kennedy posted to social media.RFK Jr. is leveraging a network of loyal supporters he's built over years, many of them drawn to his anti-vaccine activism and his message that the U.S. government is beholden to corporations.The Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, is gearing up to take on Kennedy and other third-party options, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/no-labels-election-2024-2859270c8a1e52b8cb92d2e6fd166e5b">No Labels</a>, a well-funded group working to recruit a centrist ticket. The effort is overseen by veteran strategist Mary Beth Cahill, whose resume includes chief of staff to the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, another of RFK Jr.'s uncles.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces VP pick for White House bid

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/03/25/corsi-confirmed-as-ceo-of-nebraska-dhhs-despite-lawmaker-questions/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — The Nebraska Legislature on Monday confirmed Steve Corsi as CEO of the State Department of Health and Human Services, accepting Gov. Jim Pillen’s controversial pick.&nbsp;

The vote came after several senators led an organized opposition that raised questions about his past employment and concerns about where he draws the line between his private beliefs and his public job. He was appointed in August, between legislative sessions.

Democratic State Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha joined legislative conservatives in voting to confirm Corsi 28-8 after two hours of debate Monday in the officially nonpartisan Legislature.

State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha and her brother, John, led the questions about Corsi, including many raised from a packet she shared with senators about the nominee’s past actions while in public jobs.&nbsp;

State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, who chairs the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee, acknowledged his colleagues’ questions about Corsi but supported his confirmation.

“I did have some concerns beforehand,” Hansen said. “Those have been alleviated by his testimony. … So far I like the direction Dr. Corsi has taken the department.”

State Sen. John Cavanaugh asked Health and Human Services Committee members to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-dhhs-ceos-appointment-advances-from-committee/">explain their votes</a>&nbsp;to send Corsi to the floor: “What got you past these obvious concerns?”

Among the concerns the Cavanaughs highlighted was a lack of trust:&nbsp;

“It is clear that Dr. Corsi has exhibited unethical, unprofessional judgment over a decade-plus of his career,” Machaela Cavanaugh said. “Is this the right course for DHHS?”

Said John Cavanaugh: “Maybe there’s an innocent explanation.”

Opposing senators also discussed Corsi’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/02/08/confirmation-hearing-for-ceo-of-nebraska-dhhs-revolves-around-religion-sin-social-media/">social media posts</a>, including some he liked or shared that LGBTQ advocates and others described as condescending, rude or hateful.

Corsi has defended his actions on social media as reflecting his conservative worldview and faith. He has said, for example, abortion is not health care, homosexuality is a sin, and the only race is human.

During his confirmation hearing in February, he pushed back on concerns, which were expressed again Monday, that he might put the state at risk of creating a hostile work environment for some employees.

“I believe that everybody should be treated the same, should be cared for and loved and treated with respect and compassion,” Corsi said at the hearing, under questioning.

State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue, a candidate for Congress in Nebraska’s 1st District, criticized Corsi for liking or sharing such posts, saying they make him a questionable job candidate.&nbsp;

“More and more we have to look at what people’s social media says before we put them into executive positions,” she said. “It shows poor judgment, a lack of professionalism.”&nbsp;

Corsi is being paid $257,000 to manage the state’s largest agency, with a budget of over $3 billion. DHHS oversees programs including child welfare, juvenile detention, public aid, public health and health care oversight.

State Sen. Merv Riepe, a member of the DHHS Committee, echoed the most common testimony from defenders of the Corsi pick — that he was Pillen’s choice.

“I appreciate the background and research compiled by Senator Cavanaugh,” Riepe said of Machaela. “I thought the onion needed to be peeled. … The CEO is an important position in the state.”

Riepe, a former hospital administrator, said he found “Corsi to be a bright individual, who did seem to have a good temperament” and who had “knowledge of administrative accountability.”

Machaela Cavanaugh said Riepe overlooked how Corsi would be seen by someone from one of the groups Corsi has criticized.&nbsp;

“He makes his employees feel like they are wrong in existing,” she said. “That is a huge problem. That is an HR problem.”

State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha said he would have liked meeting with Corsi, as some other senators had, but said he would have only wanted to do so one-on-one, without staff present.

He said he would have liked to hear more about social media posts Corsi liked or shared about race and the history of slavery in the United States.&nbsp;

“I would love to have a frank conversation with him without staff around,” McKinney said.

Sens. Machaela Cavanaugh and Megan Hunt of Omaha have said they were told Corsi would only meet with them with staff present.&nbsp;

Criticism of Corsi continued on the legislative floor after the vote, with Hunt saying her colleagues had deferred too much to the judgment of the governor and the executive branch.

She filed a motion to reconsider the confirmation, but Speaker John Arch decides whether it will be scheduled.

“In 2024, we’re really talking about homosexuality as an opinion?” Hunt said. “That alone is disqualifying.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711459281486.jpeg" alt="Steve Corsi, CEO of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, right, testifies during his confirmation hearing in front of a legislative committee, Feb. 7, 2024, in Lincoln. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>Steve Corsi, CEO of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, right, testifies during his confirmation hearing in front of a legislative committee, Feb. 7, 2024, in Lincoln. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>Paul Hammel<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/03/25/corsi-confirmed-as-ceo-of-nebraska-dhhs-despite-lawmaker-questions/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — The Nebraska Legislature on Monday confirmed Steve Corsi as CEO of the State Department of Health and Human Services, accepting Gov. Jim Pillen’s controversial pick.&nbsp;The vote came after several senators led an organized opposition that raised questions about his past employment and concerns about where he draws the line between his private beliefs and his public job. He was appointed in August, between legislative sessions.Democratic State Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha joined legislative conservatives in voting to confirm Corsi 28-8 after two hours of debate Monday in the officially nonpartisan Legislature.State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha and her brother, John, led the questions about Corsi, including many raised from a packet she shared with senators about the nominee’s past actions while in public jobs.&nbsp;State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, who chairs the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee, acknowledged his colleagues’ questions about Corsi but supported his confirmation.“I did have some concerns beforehand,” Hansen said. “Those have been alleviated by his testimony. … So far I like the direction Dr. Corsi has taken the department.”State Sen. John Cavanaugh asked Health and Human Services Committee members to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraska-dhhs-ceos-appointment-advances-from-committee/">explain their votes</a>&nbsp;to send Corsi to the floor: “What got you past these obvious concerns?”Among the concerns the Cavanaughs highlighted was a lack of trust:&nbsp;<ul>
 <li>Corsi earned paychecks from two different state agencies in Missouri and did not stop accepting the double pay until months after saying he would.</li><li>He said he didn’t know about a restraint chair ordered by an employee he managed at a Wyoming juvenile detention facility.</li><li>He worked in 2023 as a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/pillens-office-defends-clarifies-nebraska-dhhs-appointment-after-contentious-hearing/">private consultant for Epiphany</a>, a Utah-based consulting and training firm, a position he left off his resume and application. Epiphany recommended Corsi to Pillen.</li><li>Years before working at Epiphany, the firm secured state contracts with state governments and a charity where Corsi worked.</li>
 </ul>“It is clear that Dr. Corsi has exhibited unethical, unprofessional judgment over a decade-plus of his career,” Machaela Cavanaugh said. “Is this the right course for DHHS?”Said John Cavanaugh: “Maybe there’s an innocent explanation.”<h2>Social media posts</h2>Opposing senators also discussed Corsi’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/02/08/confirmation-hearing-for-ceo-of-nebraska-dhhs-revolves-around-religion-sin-social-media/">social media posts</a>, including some he liked or shared that LGBTQ advocates and others described as condescending, rude or hateful.Corsi has defended his actions on social media as reflecting his conservative worldview and faith. He has said, for example, abortion is not health care, homosexuality is a sin, and the only race is human.During his confirmation hearing in February, he pushed back on concerns, which were expressed again Monday, that he might put the state at risk of creating a hostile work environment for some employees.“I believe that everybody should be treated the same, should be cared for and loved and treated with respect and compassion,” Corsi said at the hearing, under questioning.State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue, a candidate for Congress in Nebraska’s 1st District, criticized Corsi for liking or sharing such posts, saying they make him a questionable job candidate.&nbsp;“More and more we have to look at what people’s social media says before we put them into executive positions,” she said. “It shows poor judgment, a lack of professionalism.”&nbsp;Corsi is being paid $257,000 to manage the state’s largest agency, with a budget of over $3 billion. DHHS oversees programs including child welfare, juvenile detention, public aid, public health and health care oversight.<h2>Pillen’s choice</h2>State Sen. Merv Riepe, a member of the DHHS Committee, echoed the most common testimony from defenders of the Corsi pick — that he was Pillen’s choice.“I appreciate the background and research compiled by Senator Cavanaugh,” Riepe said of Machaela. “I thought the onion needed to be peeled. … The CEO is an important position in the state.”Riepe, a former hospital administrator, said he found “Corsi to be a bright individual, who did seem to have a good temperament” and who had “knowledge of administrative accountability.”Machaela Cavanaugh said Riepe overlooked how Corsi would be seen by someone from one of the groups Corsi has criticized.&nbsp;“He makes his employees feel like they are wrong in existing,” she said. “That is a huge problem. That is an HR problem.”State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha said he would have liked meeting with Corsi, as some other senators had, but said he would have only wanted to do so one-on-one, without staff present.He said he would have liked to hear more about social media posts Corsi liked or shared about race and the history of slavery in the United States.&nbsp;“I would love to have a frank conversation with him without staff around,” McKinney said.Sens. Machaela Cavanaugh and Megan Hunt of Omaha have said they were told Corsi would only meet with them with staff present.&nbsp;Criticism of Corsi continued on the legislative floor after the vote, with Hunt saying her colleagues had deferred too much to the judgment of the governor and the executive branch.She filed a motion to reconsider the confirmation, but Speaker John Arch decides whether it will be scheduled.“In 2024, we’re really talking about homosexuality as an opinion?” Hunt said. “That alone is disqualifying.”

Corsi confirmed as CEO of Nebraska DHHS despite lawmaker questions

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/pillen-to-send-nebraska-national-guard-state-troopers-to-southern-border/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — As promised, Gov. Jim Pillen will be sending another group of Nebraskans to patrol the southern border.

In early April, 35 members of the Nebraska National Guard will deploy for 90 days in Eagle Pass, Texas, in support of counterparts with the Texas National Guard, the Governor’s Office announced Monday evening.

In mid-April, 10 troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol will head south to work for two weeks alongside the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Last year, the Nebraska governor sent two separate deployments of Guard personnel and state troopers to the southern border&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/10/24/final-tally-for-first-pillen-border-deployments-totals-nearly-1-million/">at a cost of nearly $1 million.&nbsp;</a>

As he did last year, Pillen defended the deployment as a necessary step to address an “ongoing crisis” at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Every state is a border state, and what happens along our nation’s southern border affects us right here in Nebraska,” Pillen said in a press release.

The skills of those sent from Nebraska, he said, “will help stem the tide of illegal immigration and keep deadly drugs off our streets.”

All those being deployed from Nebraska are volunteers, the Governor’s Office said.

The deployment is in response to a request from the State of Texas through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which is used by states to request assistance from other states in the case of disasters.

Major Gen. Craig Strong, the adjutant general of the Nebraska National Guard, said that Nebraska troops are “always ready to respond.”

Col. John Bolduc, superintendent of the State Patrol, said the deployment is a continuation of its support and its response to a “call for help” from a law enforcement partner.

Pillen, in a press release, said that “lax federal border policies” led to a rise in illegal immigration and increased drug trafficking.

The Omaha Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, according to the Governor’s Office, reported an 83% increase in the number of fentanyl pills seized in 2023 compared to 2022.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711464804336.jpeg" alt="Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen greeted Nebraska National Guard members he deployed to the border last summer. (Courtesy of the Nebraska Governor’s Office)" />
 <figcaption>Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen greeted Nebraska National Guard members he deployed to the border last summer. (Courtesy of the Nebraska Governor’s Office)</figcaption>
 </figure>Paul Hammel<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/pillen-to-send-nebraska-national-guard-state-troopers-to-southern-border/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — As promised, Gov. Jim Pillen will be sending another group of Nebraskans to patrol the southern border.In early April, 35 members of the Nebraska National Guard will deploy for 90 days in Eagle Pass, Texas, in support of counterparts with the Texas National Guard, the Governor’s Office announced Monday evening.In mid-April, 10 troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol will head south to work for two weeks alongside the Texas Department of Public Safety.Last year, the Nebraska governor sent two separate deployments of Guard personnel and state troopers to the southern border&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/10/24/final-tally-for-first-pillen-border-deployments-totals-nearly-1-million/">at a cost of nearly $1 million.&nbsp;</a>As he did last year, Pillen defended the deployment as a necessary step to address an “ongoing crisis” at the U.S.-Mexico border.“Every state is a border state, and what happens along our nation’s southern border affects us right here in Nebraska,” Pillen said in a press release.The skills of those sent from Nebraska, he said, “will help stem the tide of illegal immigration and keep deadly drugs off our streets.”<h2>All volunteers</h2>All those being deployed from Nebraska are volunteers, the Governor’s Office said.The deployment is in response to a request from the State of Texas through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which is used by states to request assistance from other states in the case of disasters.Major Gen. Craig Strong, the adjutant general of the Nebraska National Guard, said that Nebraska troops are “always ready to respond.”Col. John Bolduc, superintendent of the State Patrol, said the deployment is a continuation of its support and its response to a “call for help” from a law enforcement partner.Pillen, in a press release, said that “lax federal border policies” led to a rise in illegal immigration and increased drug trafficking.The Omaha Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, according to the Governor’s Office, reported an 83% increase in the number of fentanyl pills seized in 2023 compared to 2022.

Pillen to send Nebraska National Guard, state troopers to southern border

BALTIMORE (AP) — A container ship rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap in a few places and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers were initially searching for at least seven people.

Two people were pulled from the waters, one in serious condition, according to Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace. He said authorities “may be looking for upwards of seven people” but he said that number could change. It was not clear if the two rescued were included in the seven.

The vessel appears to have crashed into one of the supports of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, according to a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The ship caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.

“This is a dire emergency,” Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press. Though he said it was too early to know how many people were affected, he called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”

The temperature in the river was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) in the early hours of Tuesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://buoybay.noaa.gov/locations/patapsco.">according to a buoy</a>&nbsp;that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Cartwright added that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the bridge, which spans the Patapsco River at the entrance to a busy harbor. The river leads to the Port of Baltimore, a major hub for shipping on the East Coast. Opened in 1977, the bridge is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency and said he was working to get federal resources deployed. The FBI was also on the scene.

Synergy Marine Group — which owns and manages the ship called the “Dali” — confirmed the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. while it was in control of two pilots. It said all crew members, including the pilots, were accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries.

Several vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck, according to Cartwright.

From a vantage point near the entrance to the bridge, jagged remnants of its steel frame were visible protruding from the water, with the on-ramp ending abruptly where the span once began.

A vessel called Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, as its final destination, according to Marine Traffic and Vessel Finder. The ship was flying under a Singapore flag, WTOP radio station reported, citing Petty Officer Matthew West from the Coast Guard in Baltimore.

Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. posted that emergency personnel were responding and rescue efforts were underway.

“All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured,” the Maryland Transportation Authority posted on X.

In 2001, a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in a tunnel in downtown Baltimore and caught fire, spewing black smoke into surrounding neighborhoods and forcing officials to temporarily close all major roads into the city.

BALTIMORE (AP) — A container ship rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap in a few places and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers were initially searching for at least seven people.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The Volunteer Firefighters from <a href="https://twitter.com/jmvfc8?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jmvfc8</a>, the Volunteer Swift Water Team and the <a href="https://twitter.com/HarfordCoDES?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HarfordCoDES</a> Special Operations Team are assisting the Unified Command at the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. <a href="https://t.co/ipoTR2HljY">pic.twitter.com/ipoTR2HljY</a>&mdash; Harford Co., MD Fire &amp; EMS (@HarforCoFireEMS) <a href="https://twitter.com/HarforCoFireEMS/status/1772531201904873564?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Two people were pulled from the waters, one in serious condition, according to Baltimore Fire Chief James Wallace. He said authorities “may be looking for upwards of seven people” but he said that number could change. It was not clear if the two rescued were included in the seven.The vessel appears to have crashed into one of the supports of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, according to a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. The ship caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.“This is a dire emergency,” Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press. Though he said it was too early to know how many people were affected, he called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event.”The temperature in the river was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) in the early hours of Tuesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://buoybay.noaa.gov/locations/patapsco.">according to a buoy</a>&nbsp;that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Cartwright added that some cargo appeared to be dangling from the bridge, which spans the Patapsco River at the entrance to a busy harbor. The river leads to the Port of Baltimore, a major hub for shipping on the East Coast. Opened in 1977, the bridge is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency and said he was working to get federal resources deployed. The FBI was also on the scene.Synergy Marine Group — which owns and manages the ship called the “Dali” — confirmed the vessel hit a pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 a.m. while it was in control of two pilots. It said all crew members, including the pilots, were accounted for and there are no reports of any injuries.Several vehicles were on the bridge at the time, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck, according to Cartwright.From a vantage point near the entrance to the bridge, jagged remnants of its steel frame were visible protruding from the water, with the on-ramp ending abruptly where the span once began.A vessel called Dali was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka, as its final destination, according to Marine Traffic and Vessel Finder. The ship was flying under a Singapore flag, WTOP radio station reported, citing Petty Officer Matthew West from the Coast Guard in Baltimore.Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. posted that emergency personnel were responding and rescue efforts were underway.“All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured,” the Maryland Transportation Authority posted on X.In 2001, a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in a tunnel in downtown Baltimore and caught fire, spewing black smoke into surrounding neighborhoods and forcing officials to temporarily close all major roads into the city.

🎥 Cargo ship hits huge bridge in Baltimore bringing it down

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Powerball jackpot increased to an estimated $865 million after no one won Monday night’s drawing, continuing a winless streak that dates to New Year’s Day.

The numbers drawn were: 7, 11, 19, 53 68 and red ball 23.

Since the last winner on Jan. 1, there have been 36-straight drawings without a big winner. It’s tough to win the Powerball jackpot because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-mega-millions-winning-odds-numbers-a3e5a8e8e7ed15d7500c1d6acdab6785">the odds are so long</a>, at 1 in 292.2 million.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mega-millions-powerball-jackpot-lottery-5e77fc75273d31b6991bbd3c8614d3f6">top prize up for grabs Monday night</a>&nbsp;was for an estimated $800 million.

The $865 million prize on the line for the next drawing Wednesday night is for a sole winner who is paid through an annuity, with an initial payment and then 29 annual payments. Most winners choose a cash payout, which for Wednesday night’s drawing would be an estimated $416 million.

The Powerball prize&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lottery-jackpots-mega-millions-powerball-80fcb836622ba8e18883ce778786c1cc">has mushroomed</a>&nbsp;at a time when Mega Millions, the other nearly national U.S. lottery game, has become even bigger, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mega-millions-jackpot-lottery-c0c579d6d29716483756f81646a7430f">an estimated annuity payout of $1.1 billion</a>. The next Mega Millions drawing will be Tuesday night.

Both games are sold in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball also is sold in Puerto Rico.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Powerball jackpot increased to an estimated $865 million after no one won Monday night’s drawing, continuing a winless streak that dates to New Year’s Day.The numbers drawn were: 7, 11, 19, 53 68 and red ball 23.Since the last winner on Jan. 1, there have been 36-straight drawings without a big winner. It’s tough to win the Powerball jackpot because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/powerball-mega-millions-winning-odds-numbers-a3e5a8e8e7ed15d7500c1d6acdab6785">the odds are so long</a>, at 1 in 292.2 million.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mega-millions-powerball-jackpot-lottery-5e77fc75273d31b6991bbd3c8614d3f6">top prize up for grabs Monday night</a>&nbsp;was for an estimated $800 million.The $865 million prize on the line for the next drawing Wednesday night is for a sole winner who is paid through an annuity, with an initial payment and then 29 annual payments. Most winners choose a cash payout, which for Wednesday night’s drawing would be an estimated $416 million.The Powerball prize&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lottery-jackpots-mega-millions-powerball-80fcb836622ba8e18883ce778786c1cc">has mushroomed</a>&nbsp;at a time when Mega Millions, the other nearly national U.S. lottery game, has become even bigger, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mega-millions-jackpot-lottery-c0c579d6d29716483756f81646a7430f">an estimated annuity payout of $1.1 billion</a>. The next Mega Millions drawing will be Tuesday night.Both games are sold in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball also is sold in Puerto Rico.

Powerball jackpot climbs to $865 million as long winless drought continues

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations Security Council on Monday issued its first demand for a cease-fire in Gaza, with the U.S. angering Israel by abstaining from the vote. Israel responded by canceling a visit to Washington by a high-level delegation in the strongest public clash between the allies since the war began.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the U.S. of “retreating” from a “principled position” by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the cease-fire on the release of hostages held by Hamas.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the administration was “kind of perplexed” by Netanyahu’s decision. He said the Israelis were “choosing to create a perception of daylight here when they don’t need to do that.”

Kirby and the American ambassador to the U.N. said the U.S. abstained because the resolution did not condemn Hamas. U.S. officials chose to abstain rather than veto the proposal "because it does fairly reflect our view that a cease-fire and the release of hostages come together,” Kirby said.

The 15-member council voted 14-0 to approve the resolution, which also demanded the release of all hostages taken captive during Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. The chamber broke into loud applause after the vote.

The U.S. vetoed past Security Council cease-fire resolutions in large part because of the failure to tie them directly to the release of hostages, the failure to condemn Hamas' attacks and the delicacy of ongoing negotiations. American officials have argued that the cease-fire and hostage releases are linked, while Russia, China and many other council members favored unconditional calls for a cease-fire.

The resolution approved Monday demands the release of hostages but does not make it a condition for the cease-fire for the month of Ramadan, which ends in April.

Hamas said it welcomed the U.N.'s move but said the cease-fire needs to be permanent.

“We confirm our readiness to engage in an immediate prisoner exchange process that leads to the release of prisoners on both sides,” the group said. For months, the militants have sought a deal that includes a complete end to the conflict.

The U.S. decision to abstain comes at a time of growing tensions between President Joe Biden's administration and Netanyahu over Israel’s prosecution of the war, the high number of civilian casualties and the limited amounts of humanitarian assistance reaching Gaza. The two countries have also clashed over Netanyahu’s rejection of a Palestinian state, Jewish settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the expansion of settlements there.

In addition, the well-known antagonism between Netanyahu and Biden — which dates from Biden’s tenure as vice president — deepened after Biden questioned Israel’s strategy in combating Hamas.

Then Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Biden ally, suggested that Netanyahu was not operating in Israel’s best interests and called for Israel to hold new elections. Biden signaled his approval of Schumer’s remarks, prompting a rebuke from Netanyahu.

During its U.S. visit, the Israeli delegation was to present White House officials with its plans for a possible ground invasion of Rafah, a city on the Egyptian border in southern Gaza where over 1 million Palestinian civilians have sought shelter from the war.

The vote came after Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution Friday that would have supported “an immediate and sustained cease-fire” in the Israeli-Hamas conflict. That resolution featured a weakened link between a cease-fire and the release of hostages, leaving it open to interpretation, and no time limit.

The United States warned that the resolution approved Monday could hurt negotiations to halt the hostilities, raising the possibility of another veto, this time by the Americans. The talks involve the U.S., Egypt and Qatar.

Because Ramadan ends April 9, the cease-fire demand would last for just two weeks, though the draft says the pause in fighting should lead to "a sustainable cease-fire.”

The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said the resolution “spoke out in support of the ongoing diplomatic efforts,” adding that negotiators were “getting closer” to a deal for a cease-fire with the release of all hostages, "but we’re not there yet.”

She urged the council and U.N. members across the world to “speak out and demand unequivocally that Hamas accepts the deal on the table.”

Thomas-Greenfield said the U.S. abstained because “certain edits” the U.S. requested were ignored, including a condemnation of Hamas.

The resolution, put forward by the 10 elected council members, was backed by Russia and China and the 22-nation Arab Group at the United Nations.

Under the United Nations Charter, Security Council resolutions are legally binding on its 193 member nations, though they are often flouted.

Algeria’s U.N. ambassador, Amar Bendjama, the Arab representative on the council, thanked the council for “finally" demanding a cease-fire.

“We look forward to the commitment and the compliance of the Israeli occupying power with this resolution, for them to put an end to the bloodbath without any conditions, to end the suffering of the Palestinian people,” he said.

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, told the council that the vote “must be a turning point” that leads to saving lives in Gaza and ending the “assault of atrocities against our people.”

Shortly before Monday’s vote, the elected members changed the final draft resolution to drop the word “permanent” from its demand that a Ramadan cease-fire should lead to a “sustainable" halt in fighting apparently at the request of the United States.

Russia complained that dropping the word could allow Israel “to resume its military operation in the Gaza Strip at any moment" after Ramadan and proposed an amendment to restore it. That amendment was defeated because it failed to get the minimum nine “yes” votes — with three council members voting in favor, the United States voting against, and 11 countries abstaining.

Since the start of the war, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations-security-council">Security Council</a>&nbsp;has adopted two resolutions on the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, but none has called for a cease-fire.

More than 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed during the fighting, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The agency does&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">not differentiate</a>&nbsp;between civilians and combatants in its count, but says&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/women-children-gaza-war-victims-un-inequality-f0f89a724543b99c2c22439e7af09405">women and children</a>&nbsp;make up two-thirds of the dead.

Gaza also faces a dire humanitarian emergency. A report from an international authority on hunger warned last week that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-18-2024-eefc526aec97821fe5f1e845801a6640">“famine is imminent” in northern Gaza</a>&nbsp;and that escalation of the war could push half of the territory’s 2.3 million people to the brink of starvation.

The United States has vetoed three resolutions demanding a cease-fire in Gaza, the most recent an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/un-israel-palestinians-gaza-ceasefire-resolution-vote-350c86ef261bf1a00a2515cf22764de5">Arab-backed measure</a>&nbsp;on Feb. 20. That resolution was supported by 13 council members with one abstention, reflecting the overwhelming support for a cease-fire.

Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution in late October calling for humanitarian pauses in the fighting to deliver aid, the protection of civilians and a halt to arming Hamas. They said it did not reflect global calls for a cease-fire.

They again vetoed a U.S. resolution Friday, calling it ambiguous and saying it was not the direct demand to end the fighting that much of the world seeks.

That vote became another showdown involving world powers that are locked in tense disputes elsewhere, with the United States taking criticism for not being tough enough against its ally Israel, even as tensions between the two countries rise.

Thomas-Greenfield accused Russia and China on Monday of using the Gaza conflict "as a political cudgel, to try to divide this council at a time when we need to come together.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711393596272.png" alt="U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the U.S. abstained because “certain edits” the&nbsp;U.S. requested were ignored, including adding a condemnation of Hamas." />
 <figcaption>U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the U.S. abstained because “certain edits” the&nbsp;U.S. requested were ignored, including adding a condemnation of Hamas.</figcaption>
 </figure>UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations Security Council on Monday issued its first demand for a cease-fire in Gaza, with the U.S. angering Israel by abstaining from the vote. Israel responded by canceling a visit to Washington by a high-level delegation in the strongest public clash between the allies since the war began.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the U.S. of “retreating” from a “principled position” by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the cease-fire on the release of hostages held by Hamas.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/USAmbUN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USAmbUN</a> Linda Thomas-Greenfield: &quot;We did not agree with everything in the resolution. For that reason we were unfortunately not able to vote yes...we fully support some of the critical objectives in this non-binding resolution.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/cfCUIWTzLQ">pic.twitter.com/cfCUIWTzLQ</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1772281310112862301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the administration was “kind of perplexed” by Netanyahu’s decision. He said the Israelis were “choosing to create a perception of daylight here when they don’t need to do that.”Kirby and the American ambassador to the U.N. said the U.S. abstained because the resolution did not condemn Hamas. U.S. officials chose to abstain rather than veto the proposal "because it does fairly reflect our view that a cease-fire and the release of hostages come together,” Kirby said.The 15-member council voted 14-0 to approve the resolution, which also demanded the release of all hostages taken captive during Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. The chamber broke into loud applause after the vote.The U.S. vetoed past Security Council cease-fire resolutions in large part because of the failure to tie them directly to the release of hostages, the failure to condemn Hamas' attacks and the delicacy of ongoing negotiations. American officials have argued that the cease-fire and hostage releases are linked, while Russia, China and many other council members favored unconditional calls for a cease-fire.The resolution approved Monday demands the release of hostages but does not make it a condition for the cease-fire for the month of Ramadan, which ends in April.Hamas said it welcomed the U.N.'s move but said the cease-fire needs to be permanent.“We confirm our readiness to engage in an immediate prisoner exchange process that leads to the release of prisoners on both sides,” the group said. For months, the militants have sought a deal that includes a complete end to the conflict.The U.S. decision to abstain comes at a time of growing tensions between President Joe Biden's administration and Netanyahu over Israel’s prosecution of the war, the high number of civilian casualties and the limited amounts of humanitarian assistance reaching Gaza. The two countries have also clashed over Netanyahu’s rejection of a Palestinian state, Jewish settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the expansion of settlements there.In addition, the well-known antagonism between Netanyahu and Biden — which dates from Biden’s tenure as vice president — deepened after Biden questioned Israel’s strategy in combating Hamas.Then Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Biden ally, suggested that Netanyahu was not operating in Israel’s best interests and called for Israel to hold new elections. Biden signaled his approval of Schumer’s remarks, prompting a rebuke from Netanyahu.During its U.S. visit, the Israeli delegation was to present White House officials with its plans for a possible ground invasion of Rafah, a city on the Egyptian border in southern Gaza where over 1 million Palestinian civilians have sought shelter from the war.The vote came after Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution Friday that would have supported “an immediate and sustained cease-fire” in the Israeli-Hamas conflict. That resolution featured a weakened link between a cease-fire and the release of hostages, leaving it open to interpretation, and no time limit.The United States warned that the resolution approved Monday could hurt negotiations to halt the hostilities, raising the possibility of another veto, this time by the Americans. The talks involve the U.S., Egypt and Qatar.Because Ramadan ends April 9, the cease-fire demand would last for just two weeks, though the draft says the pause in fighting should lead to "a sustainable cease-fire.”The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said the resolution “spoke out in support of the ongoing diplomatic efforts,” adding that negotiators were “getting closer” to a deal for a cease-fire with the release of all hostages, "but we’re not there yet.”She urged the council and U.N. members across the world to “speak out and demand unequivocally that Hamas accepts the deal on the table.”Thomas-Greenfield said the U.S. abstained because “certain edits” the U.S. requested were ignored, including a condemnation of Hamas.The resolution, put forward by the 10 elected council members, was backed by Russia and China and the 22-nation Arab Group at the United Nations.Under the United Nations Charter, Security Council resolutions are legally binding on its 193 member nations, though they are often flouted.Algeria’s U.N. ambassador, Amar Bendjama, the Arab representative on the council, thanked the council for “finally" demanding a cease-fire.“We look forward to the commitment and the compliance of the Israeli occupying power with this resolution, for them to put an end to the bloodbath without any conditions, to end the suffering of the Palestinian people,” he said.Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, told the council that the vote “must be a turning point” that leads to saving lives in Gaza and ending the “assault of atrocities against our people.”Shortly before Monday’s vote, the elected members changed the final draft resolution to drop the word “permanent” from its demand that a Ramadan cease-fire should lead to a “sustainable" halt in fighting apparently at the request of the United States.Russia complained that dropping the word could allow Israel “to resume its military operation in the Gaza Strip at any moment" after Ramadan and proposed an amendment to restore it. That amendment was defeated because it failed to get the minimum nine “yes” votes — with three council members voting in favor, the United States voting against, and 11 countries abstaining.Since the start of the war, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations-security-council">Security Council</a>&nbsp;has adopted two resolutions on the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, but none has called for a cease-fire.More than 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed during the fighting, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The agency does&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033">not differentiate</a>&nbsp;between civilians and combatants in its count, but says&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/women-children-gaza-war-victims-un-inequality-f0f89a724543b99c2c22439e7af09405">women and children</a>&nbsp;make up two-thirds of the dead.Gaza also faces a dire humanitarian emergency. A report from an international authority on hunger warned last week that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-18-2024-eefc526aec97821fe5f1e845801a6640">“famine is imminent” in northern Gaza</a>&nbsp;and that escalation of the war could push half of the territory’s 2.3 million people to the brink of starvation.The United States has vetoed three resolutions demanding a cease-fire in Gaza, the most recent an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/un-israel-palestinians-gaza-ceasefire-resolution-vote-350c86ef261bf1a00a2515cf22764de5">Arab-backed measure</a>&nbsp;on Feb. 20. That resolution was supported by 13 council members with one abstention, reflecting the overwhelming support for a cease-fire.Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution in late October calling for humanitarian pauses in the fighting to deliver aid, the protection of civilians and a halt to arming Hamas. They said it did not reflect global calls for a cease-fire.They again vetoed a U.S. resolution Friday, calling it ambiguous and saying it was not the direct demand to end the fighting that much of the world seeks.That vote became another showdown involving world powers that are locked in tense disputes elsewhere, with the United States taking criticism for not being tough enough against its ally Israel, even as tensions between the two countries rise.Thomas-Greenfield accused Russia and China on Monday of using the Gaza conflict "as a political cudgel, to try to divide this council at a time when we need to come together.”

🎥U.S. refusal to veto cease-fire resolution provokes anger from Israel

MARCH 25, 2024 (YORK, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested a New Jersey man after finding 20 pounds of cocaine during a traffic stop on I-80 in York County.

At approximately 12:15 p.m. Saturday, a trooper stopped an eastbound BMW X5 for speeding on I-80 near Waco, at mile marker 360. During the traffic stop, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity.

A search of the vehicle revealed 20 pounds of cocaine. The cocaine was found concealed inside several hidden compartments in the vehicle. The York County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the search.

The driver, Pablo Suruy Hernandez, 40, of Paterson, New Jersey, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to deliver. He was lodged in York County Jail.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711390972747.jpeg" alt="(Photo courtesy of Nebraska State Patrol)" />
 <figcaption>(Photo courtesy of Nebraska State Patrol)</figcaption>
 </figure>Cody ThomasNebraska State PatrolMARCH 25, 2024 (YORK, NEB.)&nbsp;&nbsp;— Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested a New Jersey man after finding 20 pounds of cocaine during a traffic stop on I-80 in York County.At approximately 12:15 p.m. Saturday, a trooper stopped an eastbound BMW X5 for speeding on I-80 near Waco, at mile marker 360. During the traffic stop, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity.A search of the vehicle revealed 20 pounds of cocaine. The cocaine was found concealed inside several hidden compartments in the vehicle. The York County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the search.The driver, Pablo Suruy Hernandez, 40, of Paterson, New Jersey, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to deliver. He was lodged in York County Jail.

Troopers Find 20 LBs of Cocaine in I-80 Traffic Stop outside of Waco

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>&nbsp; State's Newsroom

WASHINGTON — The same U.S. Supreme Court that overturned the constitutional right to an abortion will hear oral arguments Tuesday over access to mifepristone, a pharmaceutical used in both medication abortion and miscarriage care.

The nine justices will then decide whether to leave access to the drug intact or require the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to revert prescribing instructions to what were in place before 2016.

The court decision will affect the entire country, including states that have sought to shore up access to reproductive rights following the Dobbs ruling less than two years ago.

The Supreme Court opinion, likely not to come until late spring, will land in the middle of a presidential campaign in which Democrats are elevating the question of reproductive rights. The debate is also likely to affect GOP efforts to grow their majority in the U.S. House and flip the Senate red.

Medication abortion, a two-drug regimen that uses mifepristone and misoprostol, was used in 63% of abortions in the United States during 2023, according to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.guttmacher.org/2024/03/medication-abortion-accounted-63-all-us-abortions-2023-increase-53-2020?utm_source=Guttmacher+Email+Alerts&amp;utm_campaign=afd25dbc2c-march_provision_study_gupdate&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_9ac83dc920-afd25dbc2c-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D">report</a>&nbsp;released earlier this month by the Guttmacher Institute.

The new data shows a continued trend away from procedural abortions and toward medication abortion, which is approved up to 10 weeks gestation, that has been steadily increasing since the FDA originally approved mifepristone in 2000.

Medication abortions accounted for about 6% of pregnancy terminations in 2001, rising to 24% in 2011, before reaching 53% in 2020, according to Guttmacher.

During the last calendar year, the report says there were 1,026,690 abortions throughout the country, with 642,700 of those being medication abortions.

The numbers may not represent the full picture, however.

“The medication abortion counts for 2023 do not include self-managed medication abortions that take place outside of the formal health care system or abortion medication mailed to people in states with total abortion bans,” the Guttmacher report states. “While there are no comprehensive data on the number of self-managed medication abortions in the United States, evidence suggests they have been increasing in the past several years.”

The case about to go in front of the Supreme Court, Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, began in November 2022 when Alliance Defending Freedom sued the FDA on behalf of four anti-abortion medical organizations and four anti-abortion doctors.

In the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-judge-could-decide-soon-february-yank-abortion-pill-nationwide">original lawsuit</a>&nbsp;and numerous briefs since then, ADF argued that mifepristone leads to problematic situations for doctors who have to assist patients with complications from medication abortions. They’ve also made claims about safety, which have been repeatedly refuted by major medical organizations.

The lawsuit had called for the judicial system to overturn the FDA’s original 2000 approval of mifepristone, which U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas Judge Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk essentially agreed with, in his April 2023&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-administration-appeals-judges-ruling-ordering-abortion-pill-us-market">ruling</a>.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Louisiana, heard&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/three-judge-panel-us-appeals-court-hears-arguments-abortion-pill-case">oral arguments in the federal government’s appeal</a>&nbsp;of that ruling in May 2023 before issuing its decision a few months later in August.

That&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/abortion-pill-stay-market-until-us-supreme-court-ruling-after-appeals-court-order-0">three-judge panel said</a>&nbsp;mifepristone could stay on the market, but that when and how patients can access the drug should go back to what was in place before the FDA began making changes in 2016.

That would lower the maximum gestational age for using mifepristone from 10 weeks to seven weeks as well as remove the option for patients to get the prescription via telehealth and have it mailed to their homes.

Only doctors would be able to prescribe mifepristone, not health care professionals authorized to prescribe pharmaceuticals, like physician’s assistants or nurse practitioners.

Patents would have to go back to attending three, in-person doctor’s appointments in order to complete the process.

The dosage of mifepristone and the second pharmaceutical used in medication abortions, misoprostol, were different before the changes began to take effect.

The lower courts’ rulings never took effect and the appeals court’s ruling will remain on hold until the Supreme Court issues its opinion in the case, likely this summer.

Dozens of organizations, attorneys general and lawmakers have filed briefs with the Supreme Court seeking to inform the justices’ thinking in the case ahead of Tuesday’s oral arguments.

More than 15 major medical organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association, sought to reinforce the FDA’s determination that mifepristone is safe and effective in their brief.

“Restricting access to mifepristone will not only jeopardize health, but worsen racial and economic inequities and deprive women of the choices that are at the very core of individual autonomy and wellbeing,” the medical organizations wrote.

They noted that “major adverse events occur in less than 0.32% of patients,” and that the “risk of death is almost non-existent.”

About 145 Members of Congress from 36 states urged the court to restrict access to mifepristone in a separate brief filed with the court.

“Since 2016, the FDA has only required adverse events reporting for deaths resulting from chemical abortion drugs; reporting is otherwise voluntary,” the members of Congress wrote, making the argument that reports are not required for injuries or impairment. “This action was not only arbitrary and capricious, but it also raised safety concerns for women seeking chemical abortion drugs.”

Here’s a timeline of the case and States Newsroom’s coverage of the major events:

Original lawsuit and District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruling&nbsp;

Federal judge could decide as soon as February to yank abortion pill nationwide<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/41shPel">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/41shPel</a>

Attorneys general from Democratic-led states urge judge to keep abortion pill legal<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/41eyMsy">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/41eyMsy</a>

Attorneys general from 23 GOP-led states back suit seeking to block abortion pill<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/414ns2n">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/414ns2n</a>

How the judge who could ban the abortion pill won confirmation in the U.S. Senate<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3KSc9EX">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3KSc9EX</a>

As future of abortion pill is weighed, Democrats in Congress see little they can do<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3msjt0y">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3msjt0y</a>

Biden administration appeals judge’s ruling ordering abortion pill off U.S. market<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3KwWw4g">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3KwWw4g</a>

Biden after Texas ruling vows he will fight to ensure access to abortion pill<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3GA3GUi">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3GA3GUi</a>

Democratic leaders warn abortion pill ruling could endanger other FDA-approved drugs<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/43oIkmA">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/43oIkmA</a>

5th Circuit Court of Appeals stay of district court ruling&nbsp;

U.S. Department of Justice asks appeals court to pause abortion pill ruling<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/43tqqPQ">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/43tqqPQ</a>

Democratic attorneys general urge appeals court to keep abortion pill available<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3o6NGD1">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3o6NGD1</a>

Texas judge’s abortion pill ruling supported by 69 Republicans in Congress<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/41qFWtV">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/41qFWtV</a>

U.S. Justice Department to ask Supreme Court to reject limits on access to abortion pill<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3MHUAbZ">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3MHUAbZ</a>

U.S. Supreme Court stay of district court ruling&nbsp;

DOJ warns Supreme Court of ‘significant chaos’ in health care if abortion pill rulings stand<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3o5ObwS">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3o5ObwS</a>

U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocks limits to abortion pill access<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3A5RTcE">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3A5RTcE</a>

Anti-abortion organizations urge U.S. Supreme Court to keep limits on abortion pill<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3GSu7EV">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3GSu7EV</a>

U.S. Supreme Court holds off on abortion pill ruling until midnight Friday<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3GZ5gzn">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3GZ5gzn</a>

U.S. Supreme Court preserves access to abortion pill as lawsuit continues<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3B50QDB">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3B50QDB</a>

Congressional Democrats urge reversal of district court ruling on mifepristone<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3M5UrOM">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3M5UrOM</a>

Three-judge panel in U.S. appeals court hears arguments in abortion pill case<a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/285etkds">&nbsp;https://tinyurl.com/285etkds</a>

Abortion pill to stay on the market until U.S. Supreme Court ruling after appeals court order<a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/h4whm3xw">&nbsp;https://tinyurl.com/h4whm3xw</a>

U.S. Justice Department asks Supreme Court to take up abortion pill case<a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/msfa5dc2">&nbsp;https://tinyurl.com/msfa5dc2</a>

U.S. Supreme Court to decide fate of medication abortion access nationwide&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://tinyurl.com/5f5yk4w5">http://tinyurl.com/5f5yk4w5</a>

U.S. Supreme Court schedules March 26 oral arguments in abortion pill access case<a target="_blank" href="http://tinyurl.com/mry6ttvm">&nbsp;http://tinyurl.com/mry6ttvm</a>

Dozens of ‘friend of the court’ briefs backing abortion pill access arrive at Supreme Court<a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/299vsyrv">&nbsp;https://tinyurl.com/299vsyrv</a>

Who wants the U.S. Supreme Court to limit abortion pill access? Here’s the list.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/2z96n7nn">https://tinyurl.com/2z96n7nn</a>

Fear and confusion over abortion access persists as SCOTUS takes its first post-Dobbs case&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/yckkjf6m">https://tinyurl.com/yckkjf6m</a>

Study cited by Texas judge in abortion pill case retracted&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/397m2jxn">https://tinyurl.com/397m2jxn</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680967457500.png" alt="The nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court likely will not issue their opinion on the use of mifepristone until late spring. photo AP" />
 <figcaption>The nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court likely will not issue their opinion on the use of mifepristone until late spring. photo AP</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>&nbsp; State's NewsroomWASHINGTON — The same U.S. Supreme Court that overturned the constitutional right to an abortion will hear oral arguments Tuesday over access to mifepristone, a pharmaceutical used in both medication abortion and miscarriage care.The nine justices will then decide whether to leave access to the drug intact or require the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to revert prescribing instructions to what were in place before 2016.The court decision will affect the entire country, including states that have sought to shore up access to reproductive rights following the Dobbs ruling less than two years ago.The Supreme Court opinion, likely not to come until late spring, will land in the middle of a presidential campaign in which Democrats are elevating the question of reproductive rights. The debate is also likely to affect GOP efforts to grow their majority in the U.S. House and flip the Senate red.<h2>Trend toward medication abortion</h2>Medication abortion, a two-drug regimen that uses mifepristone and misoprostol, was used in 63% of abortions in the United States during 2023, according to a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.guttmacher.org/2024/03/medication-abortion-accounted-63-all-us-abortions-2023-increase-53-2020?utm_source=Guttmacher+Email+Alerts&amp;utm_campaign=afd25dbc2c-march_provision_study_gupdate&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_9ac83dc920-afd25dbc2c-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D">report</a>&nbsp;released earlier this month by the Guttmacher Institute.The new data shows a continued trend away from procedural abortions and toward medication abortion, which is approved up to 10 weeks gestation, that has been steadily increasing since the FDA originally approved mifepristone in 2000.Medication abortions accounted for about 6% of pregnancy terminations in 2001, rising to 24% in 2011, before reaching 53% in 2020, according to Guttmacher.During the last calendar year, the report says there were 1,026,690 abortions throughout the country, with 642,700 of those being medication abortions.The numbers may not represent the full picture, however.“The medication abortion counts for 2023 do not include self-managed medication abortions that take place outside of the formal health care system or abortion medication mailed to people in states with total abortion bans,” the Guttmacher report states. “While there are no comprehensive data on the number of self-managed medication abortions in the United States, evidence suggests they have been increasing in the past several years.”<h2>Alliance Defending Freedom suit</h2>The case about to go in front of the Supreme Court, Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, began in November 2022 when Alliance Defending Freedom sued the FDA on behalf of four anti-abortion medical organizations and four anti-abortion doctors.In the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-judge-could-decide-soon-february-yank-abortion-pill-nationwide">original lawsuit</a>&nbsp;and numerous briefs since then, ADF argued that mifepristone leads to problematic situations for doctors who have to assist patients with complications from medication abortions. They’ve also made claims about safety, which have been repeatedly refuted by major medical organizations.The lawsuit had called for the judicial system to overturn the FDA’s original 2000 approval of mifepristone, which U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas Judge Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk essentially agreed with, in his April 2023&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-administration-appeals-judges-ruling-ordering-abortion-pill-us-market">ruling</a>.The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Louisiana, heard&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/three-judge-panel-us-appeals-court-hears-arguments-abortion-pill-case">oral arguments in the federal government’s appeal</a>&nbsp;of that ruling in May 2023 before issuing its decision a few months later in August.That&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/abortion-pill-stay-market-until-us-supreme-court-ruling-after-appeals-court-order-0">three-judge panel said</a>&nbsp;mifepristone could stay on the market, but that when and how patients can access the drug should go back to what was in place before the FDA began making changes in 2016.<h2>Telehealth and prescriptions</h2>That would lower the maximum gestational age for using mifepristone from 10 weeks to seven weeks as well as remove the option for patients to get the prescription via telehealth and have it mailed to their homes.Only doctors would be able to prescribe mifepristone, not health care professionals authorized to prescribe pharmaceuticals, like physician’s assistants or nurse practitioners.Patents would have to go back to attending three, in-person doctor’s appointments in order to complete the process.The dosage of mifepristone and the second pharmaceutical used in medication abortions, misoprostol, were different before the changes began to take effect.The lower courts’ rulings never took effect and the appeals court’s ruling will remain on hold until the Supreme Court issues its opinion in the case, likely this summer.<h2>Briefs filed</h2>Dozens of organizations, attorneys general and lawmakers have filed briefs with the Supreme Court seeking to inform the justices’ thinking in the case ahead of Tuesday’s oral arguments.More than 15 major medical organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association, sought to reinforce the FDA’s determination that mifepristone is safe and effective in their brief.“Restricting access to mifepristone will not only jeopardize health, but worsen racial and economic inequities and deprive women of the choices that are at the very core of individual autonomy and wellbeing,” the medical organizations wrote.They noted that “major adverse events occur in less than 0.32% of patients,” and that the “risk of death is almost non-existent.”About 145 Members of Congress from 36 states urged the court to restrict access to mifepristone in a separate brief filed with the court.“Since 2016, the FDA has only required adverse events reporting for deaths resulting from chemical abortion drugs; reporting is otherwise voluntary,” the members of Congress wrote, making the argument that reports are not required for injuries or impairment. “This action was not only arbitrary and capricious, but it also raised safety concerns for women seeking chemical abortion drugs.”Here’s a timeline of the case and States Newsroom’s coverage of the major events:<h2>Original lawsuit and District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruling&nbsp;</h2>Federal judge could decide as soon as February to yank abortion pill nationwide<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/41shPel">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/41shPel</a>Attorneys general from Democratic-led states urge judge to keep abortion pill legal<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/41eyMsy">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/41eyMsy</a>Attorneys general from 23 GOP-led states back suit seeking to block abortion pill<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/414ns2n">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/414ns2n</a>How the judge who could ban the abortion pill won confirmation in the U.S. Senate<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3KSc9EX">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3KSc9EX</a>As future of abortion pill is weighed, Democrats in Congress see little they can do<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3msjt0y">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3msjt0y</a>Biden administration appeals judge’s ruling ordering abortion pill off U.S. market<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3KwWw4g">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3KwWw4g</a>Biden after Texas ruling vows he will fight to ensure access to abortion pill<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3GA3GUi">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3GA3GUi</a>Democratic leaders warn abortion pill ruling could endanger other FDA-approved drugs<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/43oIkmA">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/43oIkmA</a><h2>5th Circuit Court of Appeals stay of district court ruling&nbsp;</h2>U.S. Department of Justice asks appeals court to pause abortion pill ruling<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/43tqqPQ">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/43tqqPQ</a>Democratic attorneys general urge appeals court to keep abortion pill available<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3o6NGD1">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3o6NGD1</a>Texas judge’s abortion pill ruling supported by 69 Republicans in Congress<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/41qFWtV">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/41qFWtV</a>U.S. Justice Department to ask Supreme Court to reject limits on access to abortion pill<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3MHUAbZ">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3MHUAbZ</a><h2>U.S. Supreme Court stay of district court ruling&nbsp;</h2>DOJ warns Supreme Court of ‘significant chaos’ in health care if abortion pill rulings stand<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3o5ObwS">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3o5ObwS</a>U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocks limits to abortion pill access<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3A5RTcE">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3A5RTcE</a>Anti-abortion organizations urge U.S. Supreme Court to keep limits on abortion pill<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3GSu7EV">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3GSu7EV</a>U.S. Supreme Court holds off on abortion pill ruling until midnight Friday<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3GZ5gzn">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3GZ5gzn</a>U.S. Supreme Court preserves access to abortion pill as lawsuit continues<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3B50QDB">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3B50QDB</a><h2>5th Circuit Court of Appeals&nbsp;</h2>Congressional Democrats urge reversal of district court ruling on mifepristone<a target="_blank" href="https://bit.ly/3M5UrOM">&nbsp;https://bit.ly/3M5UrOM</a>Three-judge panel in U.S. appeals court hears arguments in abortion pill case<a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/285etkds">&nbsp;https://tinyurl.com/285etkds</a>Abortion pill to stay on the market until U.S. Supreme Court ruling after appeals court order<a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/h4whm3xw">&nbsp;https://tinyurl.com/h4whm3xw</a><h2>U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;</h2>U.S. Justice Department asks Supreme Court to take up abortion pill case<a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/msfa5dc2">&nbsp;https://tinyurl.com/msfa5dc2</a>U.S. Supreme Court to decide fate of medication abortion access nationwide&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://tinyurl.com/5f5yk4w5">http://tinyurl.com/5f5yk4w5</a>U.S. Supreme Court schedules March 26 oral arguments in abortion pill access case<a target="_blank" href="http://tinyurl.com/mry6ttvm">&nbsp;http://tinyurl.com/mry6ttvm</a>Dozens of ‘friend of the court’ briefs backing abortion pill access arrive at Supreme Court<a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/299vsyrv">&nbsp;https://tinyurl.com/299vsyrv</a>Who wants the U.S. Supreme Court to limit abortion pill access? Here’s the list.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/2z96n7nn">https://tinyurl.com/2z96n7nn</a><h2>More to know about the case</h2>Fear and confusion over abortion access persists as SCOTUS takes its first post-Dobbs case&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/yckkjf6m">https://tinyurl.com/yckkjf6m</a>Study cited by Texas judge in abortion pill case retracted&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/397m2jxn">https://tinyurl.com/397m2jxn</a>Researchers call for more abortion studies to be retracted&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/yjefc3c6">https://tinyurl.com/yjefc3c6</a>Medication abortion rates grew 10% over the last few years, report shows&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://tinyurl.com/4kjj9c4k">https://tinyurl.com/4kjj9c4</a>Study cited by Texas judge in abortion-pill case under investigation&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/study-cited-texas-judge-abortion-pill-case-under-investigation">https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/study-cited-texas-judge-abortion-pill-case-under-investigation</a>