Supreme Court rejects COVID-19 vaccine appeals from nonprofit

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected two appeals related to COVID-19 vaccines from Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine nonprofit founded by independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The justices did not comment Monday in letting stand rulings against the group from the federal appeals courts in New Orleans and Philadelphia. In a case from Texas, the group joined parents in objecting to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s authorization to administer coronavirus vaccines to children. In a case from New Jersey, Children’s Health Defense challenged a 2021 Rutgers University requirement for most students to be vaccinated to attend courses on campus though Rutgers didn’t force faculty or staff to be vaccinated.

US is expected to send Ukraine $150 million more in munitions

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is expected to announce Tuesday it is sending an additional $150 million in critically needed munitions to Ukraine. This is according to two U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to provide details that have not yet been made public. The latest military aid package comes as Russia is accusing Ukraine of using U.S.-provided munitions to strike inside Russia or Russian-held territory. On Monday, Russia summoned the American ambassador to protest what it says was the use of U.S.-made advanced missiles in a Ukrainian attack on Crimea that reportedly killed four people and wounded more than 150. Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Mass shootings across the US mark the first weekend of summer

(AP) — The first weekend of summer brought a tragic yet familiar pattern for American cities wracked by gun violence as mass shootings left dozens dead or wounded at a party in Alabama, an entertainment district in Ohio and a grocery in Arkansas. It was the second straight weekend that saw an outbreak of mass shootings across the U.S., prompting mayors in places marred by the violence to plead for help. In Michigan, a deputy was fatally shot while pursuing a suspected stolen vehicle in what the county sheriff described as an ambush. A Philadelphia police officer was critically wounded Saturday after pulling over a car with four people. Police in Montgomery, Alabama, said hundreds of rounds were fired at a crowded party early Sunday, leaving nine people wounded. Interim Police Chief John Hall said investigators recovered more than 350 different spent shell casings.

Planned Parenthood says it will spend $40 million on abortion rights

WASHINGTON (AP) — Planned Parenthood’s political and advocacy arms will spend $40 million ahead of November’s elections to bolster the campaigns of President Joe Biden and leading congressional Democrats. The organization is betting that voters angry at Republican-led efforts to further restrict access to abortion can be the difference in key races around the country. The political entities of the nation’s leading reproductive health care provider and abortion rights advocacy organization shared the announcement with The Associated Press prior to its official release Monday. The effort will initially target eight states: Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Montana, New Hampshire and New York.