National Briefs
Abortion pills will be controlled substances in Louisiana soon
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana will become the first in the United States today to categorize two widely used abortion-inducing pills as “controlled dangerous substances.” Mifepristone and misoprostol are often referred to as abortion pills, but also treat miscarriages, induce labor and treat postpartum hemorrhaging. Doctors fear that the reclassification will cause delays in accessing the drugs in a state that already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation and has a near-total abortion ban. Opponents say the bill is another preventive measure for the crime of coerced abortion.
FBI to pay $22M to settle claims of sexual discrimination at training academy
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI has agreed to pay more than $22 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging female recruits were singled out for dismissal in training and routinely harassed by instructors with sexually charged comments about their breast size, false allegations of infidelity and the need to take birth control “to control their moods.” The payout to 34 women dismissed from the FBI’s training academy in Quantico, Virginia would rank among the biggest sexual misconduct settlements in the history of the bureau. The FBI did not immediately comment. Many of the allegations were confirmed in a 2022 internal watchdog report.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams accepted harmless ‘courtesies,’ not bribes, his lawyer says
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has launched a legal attack on the federal corruption case against him. His attorney asked a judge Monday to toss out bribery charges and then held a combative news conference accusing prosecutors of ethical lapses. The Democratic mayor has pleaded not guilty to accepting lavish travel benefits and illegal campaign contributions from a Turkish official and other foreign nationals in exchange for favors like pushing through the opening of a consulate building. The mayor’s attorneys say the cheap flights to overseas destinations, seat upgrades, free meals and free hotel rooms he got were not bribes as defined by federal law.
Movie armorer’s conviction upheld in fatal ‘Rust’ set shooting by Alec Baldwin
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A judge has rejected a request to throw out the conviction of a movie armorer in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer by Alec Baldwin on the set of the Western film “Rust.” The request to dismiss the conviction or retry Hannah Gutierrez-Reed came in response to allegations that prosecutors failed to share evidence that might have been exculpatory. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said Monday that the March 6 jury conviction should stand. She threw out the involuntary manslaughter case against Baldwin in early July. Baldwin was pointing a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal on a movie ranch in New Mexico in 2021 when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding the director.