Today’s edition of quick hits.
* A long-awaited decision: “A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld parts of a decision limiting access to a widely used abortion pill, but the ruling will have no immediate impact on the availability of the drug, mifepristone. In their ruling, a three-judge panel on the conservative-leaning U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Food and Drug Administration failed to adequately take into account safety concerns when it loosened access to mifepristone in 2016.”
* An important story out of Kansas: “Police had ‘insufficient evidence’ to raid the offices of a small Kansas newspaper — and seized belongings should be returned immediately, officials said Wednesday. Officers raided the Marion County Record on Friday, the newspaper said, in a case that infuriated press freedom watchdogs, who claimed that this law enforcement action was a blatant violation of constitutional rights.”
* These Americans’ only crime was doing their civic duty in a way extremists didn’t like: “The purported names and addresses of members of the grand jury that indicted Donald Trump and 18 of his co-defendants on state racketeering charges this week have been posted on a fringe website that often features violent rhetoric, NBC News has learned.”
* Meadows wasted very little time filing this paperwork: “Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, one of the co-defendants charged with racketeering in the Georgia 2020 election probe, filed court documents Tuesday seeking to move the new Fulton County case to federal court.”
* Harris County, Texas: “The Texas attorney general’s office on Tuesday appealed the decision of a judge to temporarily block a new law passed by Republicans to abolish Harris County’s elections chief position. The decision earlier Tuesday by a Travis County district judge ruled that the law is unconstitutional and would disrupt this fall’s elections. The Texas attorney general’s office filed its appeal in the Texas Supreme Court, keeping Travis County District Judge Karin Crump’s order from taking effect.”
* In Georgia: “A state agency is moving ahead with plans that will determine whether Lt. Gov. Burt Jones faces criminal charges as part of a scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Jones is one of 30 people who prosecutors said participated in a conspiracy to overturn the election but were not charged in a Fulton County indictment released late Monday. But Jones may yet face charges, and his fate will rest with a special prosecutor who will determine whether further investigation is needed.”
* The shutdown deadline is next month: “Congressional leaders are pitching a stopgap government funding package to avoid a federal shutdown after next month, acknowledging the House and Senate are nowhere near agreement on spending levels to keep federal operations running.”
* I see unexpected congressional stories all the time, but this one seemed especially odd: “Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) received backlash for ‘harassing’ a Republican activist on Tuesday after he told her to delete a ‘bigoted’ Twitter post about having ‘faith in Jesus Christ alone.’” For the record, the Ohio Republican ultimately apologized.
See you tomorrow.
