In our news wrap Monday, the Supreme Court extended access to the abortion pill mifepristone as justices consider an emergency request to halt a lower-court ruling that would restrict access to the drug, the man accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents Dinner pleaded not guilty and a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine expires on Monday.
Geoff Bennett:
The U.S. Supreme Court is extending access to the widely used abortion pill mifepristone until at least Thursday. The pause gives the justices more time to consider an emergency request to halt a lower court ruling that would restrict access to the drug.
Justice Samuel Alito had issued an initial halt last week that was due to expire tonight. Today’s administrative stay means that health care providers can still prescribe mifepristone via telemedicine and deliver it through the mail.
The man accused of attempting to assassinate President Trump at last month’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner pleaded not guilty today. Cole Tomas Allen did not speak during a brief hearing in federal court. His lawyers entered a plea on his behalf.
They also asked that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro be barred from the case, arguing their presence at the dinner creates a potential conflict of interest, since they could be considered witnesses or victims. Allen faces four counts stemming from the attack. He’s due back in court next month.
Turning overseas now, a three-day cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine expires today, with both sides accusing the other of violating the U.S.-brokered pause. Russia says Ukraine has broken the truce more than 1,000 times. Meantime, Ukrainian authorities said today that Russian attacks have hit parts of the Kharkiv and Kherson regions, killing at least two people.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country is bracing for more violence to come.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President (through interpreter):
Today, there was no silence on the front line. Combat actions have continued. We have documented all of this. We also see that Russia has no intention of ending this war. And we are, unfortunately, preparing for new attacks.
Geoff Bennett:
The cease-fire was announced last week by President Trump to allow Russia time to hold Victory Day celebrations marking the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany.
In his remarks this weekend, President Vladimir Putin vowed that Russia would prevail on the battlefield. He later told reporters that the conflict is, in his words, coming to an end, though neither side has shown a willingness to give ground when it comes to negotiations.
Venezuela’s acting president is pushing back against comments by President Trump about her country becoming the 51st U.S. state. Mr. Trump told FOX News today that he is — quote — “seriously considering” the possibility.
In response, Delcy Rodriguez told reporters during a visit to The Hague today that Venezuela is not a colony, but a free country, and that Venezuelan and U.S. officials are working on what she called cooperation and understanding. Rodriguez assumed power earlier this year after a U.S. military operation ousted then-President Nicolas Maduro.
In Texas, medical officials believe that heatstroke was to blame for the deaths of six people whose bodies were found inside a shipping container this weekend. It happened at a rail yard in Laredo near the U.S.-Mexico border. Police believe the five men and one woman were immigrants from Mexico and Honduras, based on their cell phone data and I.D. cards.
They were discovered during an inspection on Sunday, when temperatures exceeded 90 degrees. Laredo is a busy trading port and a hub for illegal immigration, though authorities have not said that this was related to a smuggling operation.
On Wall Street today, stocks inched higher despite the latest rise in oil prices. The Dow Jones industrial average added 95 points to start the week. The Nasdaq tacked on nearly 30 points. The S&P 500 also managed a slight gain.
And Abraham Foxman has died. As director of the Anti-Defamation League for nearly three decades, Foxman was a tireless advocate for American Jews. He also counseled some of the world’s most influential people. And he would publicly call out antisemitic remarks or actions, while also leaving room for apology, as he recounted during his retirement speech back in 2015.
Rabbi Abraham Foxman, Former National Director, Anti-Defamation League:
Some of my most satisfying moments as director of the ADL when witnessing people who did bad things and said vile things turn around and become better people.
Geoff Bennett:
The ADL said that it deeply mourns the loss of its longtime director, but did not provide a cause of death. Abe Foxman was 86 years old.
