Judge won’t toss lawsuit over ivermectin in Arkansas jail
March 18, 2023 GMTFAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit that says detainees at an Arkansas jail were given the drug ivermectin to fight COVID-19 without their knowledge.
The lawsuit contends detainees at the Washington County Jail in Fayetteville were given ivermectin as early as November 2020 but were unaware until July 2021.
Florida may ban girls’ period talk in elementary grades
March 18, 2023 GMTTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Legislation moving in the Florida House would ban discussion of menstrual cycles and other human sexuality topics in elementary grades.
US warns about fake, dangerous pills being sold in Mexico
March 18, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning about dangerous counterfeit pills being sold at pharmacies in Mexico that often contain fentanyl.
The travel alert posted Friday says Americans should “exercise caution when purchasing medication in Mexico.”
California, drugmaker partner to produce affordable insulin
March 18, 2023 GMTDOWNEY, Calif. (AP) — The state of California and a generic drug manufacturer announced a 10-year partnership Saturday to produce affordable, state-branded insulin that they hope will rival longtime producers and push down prices for a medication used by millions of Americans.
Wyoming governor signs measure prohibiting abortion pills
March 18, 2023 GMTWyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has signed into law the nation's first explicit ban on abortion pills since they became the predominant choice for abortion in the U.S. in recent years.
Gordon, a Republican, signed the bill Friday night while allowing a separate measure restricting abortion to become law without his signature.
New COVID origins data point to raccoon dogs in China market
March 17, 2023 GMTBEIJING (AP) — Genetic material collected at a Chinese market near where the first human cases of COVID-19 were identified show raccoon dog DNA comingled with the virus, adding evidence to the theory that the virus originated from animals, not from a lab, international experts say.
Flight attack raises questions about security, mental health
March 17, 2023 GMTLEOMINSTER, Mass. (AP) — The music was blaring on a February afternoon when Francisco Torres stopped by a Massachusetts barbershop, proclaiming he was half-angel, half-devil.
He wanted a dozen people to come outside the shop and shoot him with an automatic weapon stored in his car trunk.
California bill to protect doctors who mail abortion pills
March 17, 2023 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Doctors in California who mail abortion pills to people in other states would be protected from prosecution under a new bill announced Friday in the state Legislature.
The bill would not let California extradite doctors who are facing charges in another state for providing abortion medication.
Burundi officials detect polio outbreak linked to vaccine
March 17, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — Health officials in Burundi have declared an outbreak of polio linked to the vaccine, the first time the paralytic disease has been detected in the East African country for more than three decades.
US military moves to cut suicides, but defers action on guns
March 17, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a number of improvements in access to mental health care on Thursday to reduce suicides in the military, but held off on endorsing more controversial recommendations to restrict gun and ammunition purchases by young troops, sending them to another panel for study.
Regulators: Nuclear plant leak didn’t require public notice
March 18, 2023 GMTMinnesota regulators knew four months ago that radioactive waste had leaked from a nuclear power plant in Monticello — but they didn’t announce anything about the leak until this week.
New Mexico passes bill to safeguard abortion providers
March 18, 2023 GMTSANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico legislators raced against the clock Friday to advance hard-fought proposals aimed at safeguarding abortion access, delivering tax relief and reducing gun violence in the final hours of a 60-day legislative session.
Republican legislator Johnson sued for medical malpractice
March 18, 2023 GMTINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A Republican legislator who doubles as an emergency room doctor is being sued for medical malpractice in a patient’s death.
The Indianapolis Star reported Thursday that the lawsuit against Sen.
Lack of hugs caused US fentanyl crisis, Mexico’s leader says
March 17, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president said Friday that U.S. families were to blame for the fentanyl overdose crisis because they don’t hug their kids enough.
The comment by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador caps a week of provocative statements from him about the crisis caused by the fentanyl, a synthetic opioid trafficked by Mexican cartels that has been blamed for about 70,000 overdose deaths per year in the United States.
Police: Man shoots 2 women in parking lot, kills himself
March 17, 2023 GMTSTERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say a man shot two women in Sterling Heights before running away and killing himself.
Police said in a statement that the man shot two female acquaintances in a Ruby Tuesday restaurant parking lot Friday afternoon, the Detroit News reported.
State and US officials tout spending to plug ‘orphan wells’
March 17, 2023 GMTATCHAFALAYA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, La. (AP) — Stacks of valves, networks of pipes and hulking, two-story-tall tanks litter parts of the swampy landscape of Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin, rusting relics of sites where oil wells were drilled in the 1970s, an unwanted legacy of the energy industry that has long helped drive the Louisiana economy.
Veto of Kansas bill on trans athletes sets up override fight
March 17, 2023 GMTTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas bill banning transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly for the third year in a row Friday, setting up a hotly contested fight in the Republican-controlled Legislature to override her.
Elizabeth Holmes returns to court in bid to avoid prison
March 17, 2023 GMTSAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes on Friday made what might be her final court appearance before beginning a 11-year prison sentence, unless a judge grants her request to remain free while her lawyers appeal her conviction for masterminding a blood-testing hoax.
IndyCar clears Jack Harvey to race again at Texas
March 17, 2023 GMTINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — IndyCar on Friday cleared driver Jack Harvey to return to competition following a frightening crash in the season-opening race.
6 women who went missing in Mexico were killed, burned
March 17, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Prosecutors in Mexico confirmed Friday that six women who went missing on March 7 were killed and their bodies burned by a gang of armed men.
It was one of the largest collective killings of a group of women in recent years in Mexico.
Mother: Irvo Otieno was ‘brilliant and creative and bright’
March 17, 2023 GMTIrvo Otieno had realized his passion: making hip-hop. He could write a song in less than five minutes. And he was streaming his music under the moniker “Young Vo,” while working toward starting his own record label.
Lawmaker pauses filibuster on agreement to debate trans bill
March 17, 2023 GMTA lawmaker who has been holding up the work of the Nebraska Legislature for weeks to protest a bill that would ban gender-affirming therapies for minors has paused her persistent filibuster in a deal that will see lawmakers debate the bill next week.
Vermont Senate passes bill to protect abortion providers
March 17, 2023 GMTMONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont Senate on Friday passed a bill that aims to protect health care workers from disciplinary action for providing abortions and gender-affirming health care, and change insurance premium charges related to such care.
Indiana woman pleads guilty in fentanyl death of son, 2
March 17, 2023 GMTFORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — A northeastern Indiana woman has pleaded guilty to neglect charges after her two children ingested fentanyl last year, killing her 2-year-old son and sickening his older sibling.
North Carolina student in good condition after hit by Tesla
March 17, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina teenager who was struck by a car this week while departing a school bus in Halifax County is now in good condition, a hospital spokesperson said Friday.
Tillman Mitchell, a 17-year-old student at the Haliwa-Saponi Tribal School in Hollister, had just exited the school bus and was walking across the street to his house when he was hit by a 2022 Tesla Model Y, according to the State Highway Patrol.
Kentucky Senate passes bill to legalize medical marijuana
March 17, 2023 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Kentucky Senate voted Thursday to legalize medical marijuana in the state, delivering a breakthrough endorsement after years of resisting access to cannabis for people suffering from a series of debilitating illnesses.
Kansas push for medical marijuana appears done for this year
March 17, 2023 GMTTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators aren't likely to legalize marijuana for medical uses this year following a vote Thursday.
A Senate committee tabled a bill that would allow doctors to sign off on patients using marijuana products to treat 21 illnesses or conditions, including cancer, epilepsy, spinal cord injuries or chronic pain, starting in July 2024.
Kentucky lawmakers pass ban on youth gender-affirming care
March 17, 2023 GMTFRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kentucky passed a measure Thursday to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors, completing whirlwind voting on a repackaged proposal that triggered outrage and tears among opponents unable to stop the sweeping policymaking on a culture wars issue.
ST.. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota regulators said Thursday they're monitoring the cleanup of a leak of 400,000 gallons of radioactive water from Xcel Energy's Monticello nuclear power plant, and the company said there's no danger to the public.
Ivey signs spending plan for $1B in pandemic funds
March 16, 2023 GMTMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to a spending plan to use $1 billion in federal coronavirus funds largely on a mix of water and sewer infrastructure, broadband expansion and reimbursements to health care providers hit financially by the pandemic.
Mississippi governor OKs longer postpartum Medicaid coverage
March 16, 2023 GMTJACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed legislation Thursday to solidify a full year of Medicaid coverage for women after they give birth, saying it's part of a “new pro-life agenda” to help mothers now that abortion access is restricted.
Abortion ban injunction upheld by N. Dakota Supreme Court
March 16, 2023 GMTBISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The North Dakota Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a state abortion ban will remain blocked while a lawsuit over its constitutionality proceeds.
COVID-19 pill Paxlovid moves closer to full FDA approval
March 16, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill Paxlovid won another vote of confidence from U.S. health advisers Thursday, clearing the way for its full regulatory approval by the Food and Drug Administration.
Proposal to ban abortions at six weeks advances in Florida
March 16, 2023 GMTTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A proposal to ban abortions at six weeks in Florida received overwhelming approval from a state House committee Thursday with Democrats acknowledging there was nothing they could do to stop it from eventually becoming law.
NY cannabis agencies sued by medical marijuana providers
March 16, 2023 GMTALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A coalition that includes some of New York's medical marijuana companies sued state cannabis regulators Thursday in an effort to open up licensing to all retail dispensary applicants immediately.
Utah bans abortion clinics in wave of post-Roe restrictions
March 16, 2023 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Abortion clinics in Utah could be banned from operating under a law signed by the state’s Republican governor, setting off a rush of confusion among clinics, hospitals and prospective patients in the deeply conservative state.
Nurses, paramedics reach pay deal to end England strikes
March 16, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — Unions representing more than a million health care workers in England, including nurses and paramedics — but not doctors — reached a deal Thursday to resolve months of disruptive strikes for higher wages.
Georgia House OKs ban on some gender-affirming care for kids
March 16, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Most gender-affirming surgeries and hormone replacement therapies for transgender people under 18 would be banned in Georgia under a measure that received House approval Thursday.
Doctors could still prescribe medicines to block puberty under the bill that was approved 96-75.
US pregnancy deaths dropped in 2022, after COVID spike
March 16, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Deaths of pregnant women in the U.S. fell in 2022, dropping significantly from a six-decade high during the pandemic, new data suggests.
More than 1,200 U.S. women died in 2021 during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth, according to a final tally released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Thai police to get mental health checks after fatal standoff
March 16, 2023 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Police in Thailand will be subject to random checks of their physical and mental health, officials said Thursday, after a 27-hour standoff in which a senior officer holed up and fired a gun into the air until he was subdued by fellow officers.
Seeking Alzheimer’s clues from few who escape genetic fate
March 16, 2023 GMTST. LOUIS (AP) — Doug Whitney inherited the same gene mutation that gave Alzheimer’s disease to his mother, brother and generations of other relatives by the unusually young age of 50.
Long-used US abortion pill under threat in Texas lawsuit
March 16, 2023 GMTHere is what’s at stake in abortion medication case
March 16, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge heard arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit that poses a threat to the nationwide availability of a leading abortion medication. The hearing comes as a conservative Christian group seeks to reverse federal approval of the drug mifepristone.
NTSB: Wing parts from air ambulance fell far from wreckage
March 16, 2023 GMTLAS VEGAS (AP) — A new federal report says parts of the right wing on a medical transport plane that crashed last month in rural Nevada, killing all five people aboard, fell far from the main wreckage site.
Tennessee GOP advance new narrow abortion exemption bill
March 15, 2023 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Republican lawmakers on Wednesday took another swing at adding a narrow exemption to one of the strictest abortion bans in the United States.
Arkansas lawmakers send Gov. Sanders school bathroom bill
March 15, 2023 GMTLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Transgender people at Arkansas public schools would not be able to use restrooms that correspond with their gender identity under a bill lawmakers sent to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday.
8 children sickened at LA school after eating marijuana
March 15, 2023 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — Eight children were sickened at a Los Angeles school on Wednesday after eating marijuana gummies, authorities said.
Paramedics were called to Sun Valley Magnet School shortly before 1:30 p.m.
Biden says he’s focused ‘intensely’ on lowering drug costs
March 15, 2023 GMTLAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday said his administration was focused “intensely” on lowering health care costs and took aim at “MAGA” Republicans who he said are intent on dialing back Medicare coverage for millions of Americans.
North Carolina Medicaid expansion agreement clears Senate
March 15, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A bipartisan agreement to expand Medicaid coverage to more low-income adults while loosening or ending several regulatory hurdles to building more health care facilities could get its final votes next week after clearing the Senate on Wednesday.
Tree branch falls on benches at San Antonio Zoo; 7 hurt
March 15, 2023 GMTSAN ANTONIO (AP) — Seven people were injured, one seriously, when a large part of a tree broke off and fell on some occupied benches at the San Antonio Zoo on Wednesday, authorities and a witness reported.
Report: Toddler overdosing on fentanyl revived by officers
March 15, 2023 GMTPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Police officers in Oregon revived a 2-year-old girl suspected of overdosing on fentanyl this week, news outlets reported.
Texas judge in abortion pill case is a conservative favorite
March 15, 2023 GMTMedication abortions are under fire: Here’s how they work
March 15, 2023 GMTMedication abortions became the preferred method for ending pregnancy in the U.S. even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. They usually involve taking two prescription medicines days apart — at home or in a clinic.
What will happen if medication abortion challenge succeeds?
March 15, 2023 GMTMedication abortions in the United States usually involve two different drugs.
In the latest effort to limit abortion access, opponents of the procedure are seeking to ban one of those medications.
EPA ‘neighbor’ rule cuts downwind pollution by power plants
March 15, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A new “good neighbor” rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency will restrict smokestack emissions from power plants and other industrial sources that burden downwind areas with smog-causing pollution they can’t control.
Mexican president floats fentanyl ban, faults US drug policy
March 15, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president called anti-drug policies in the U.S. a failure Wednesday and proposed a ban on using fentanyl in medicine — even though little of the drug crosses from hospitals into the illegal market.
Committee advances $1 billion plan for relief funds
March 15, 2023 GMTMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a House-passed plan to use the state’s final $1 billion in federal pandemic relief funds largely on a mix of water and sewer infrastructure, broadband expansion and health care reimbursements.
Here’s how an AI tool may flag parents with disabilities
AP InvestigationMarch 15, 2023 GMTPITTSBURGH (AP) — For the two weeks that the Hackneys’ baby girl lay in a Pittsburgh hospital bed weak from dehydration, her parents rarely left her side, sometimes sleeping on the fold-out sofa in the room.
US issues travel alert for Spring breakers in Mexico
March 15, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert Wednesday for Americans planning to spend Spring break in Mexico.
The alert warns travelers to “exercise increased caution” especially after dark at Caribbean beach resorts like Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, which have been plagued by drug gang violence in the past.
West Virginia surpasses 8,000 COVID deaths during pandemic
March 15, 2023 GMTCHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia has surpassed 8,000 coronavirus deaths, according to state health figures released Wednesday.
According to the Department of Health and Human Resources’ website, 8,005 people have died in the state over the past three years since the pandemic started.
Fentanyl testing materials will be legalized in Mississippi
March 15, 2023 GMTJACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi will decriminalize materials that allow people to test illegal drugs to detect if they are spiked with fentanyl, a highly powerful synthetic opioid painkiller.
Gov. Healey: COVID-19 public health emergency to end May 11
March 15, 2023 GMTBOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced Wednesday that the state's COVID-19 public health emergency will end May 11.
The announcement comes ahead of the 45-day notice required by state law, allowing additional time for organizations affected by the change to prepare for the end of the public health emergency, Healey said.
Iran says 110 arrested over suspected schoolgirl poisonings
March 15, 2023 GMTDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian police said Wednesday that 110 suspects have been arrested in connection with the suspected poisoning of thousands of girls in schools across the country.
When will Medicare cover medical marijuana?
March 15, 2023 GMTMany older adults are using medical marijuana to treat a variety of conditions, but experts say that conflicting laws, unclear safety standards and complicated rulemaking processes mean it could be years before Medicare may cover the drug.
In nursing homes, impoverished live final days on pennies
March 15, 2023 GMTPHILADELPHIA (AP) — New pants to replace Alex Morisey’s tattered khakis will have to wait. There’s no cash left for sugar-free cookies either. Even at the month’s start, the budget is so bare that Fixodent is a luxury.
Not magic: Opaque AI tool may flag parents with disabilities
March 15, 2023 GMTPITTSBURGH (AP) — For the two weeks that the Hackneys’ baby girl lay in a Pittsburgh hospital bed weak from dehydration, her parents rarely left her side, sometimes sleeping on the fold-out sofa in the room.
NRL enforces 11-day stand down for players after concussions
March 15, 2023 GMTSYDNEY (AP) — The National Rugby League on Wednesday said any player diagnosed with a concussion will be automatically sidelined for 11 days in one of the biggest changes to its player safety protocols in nearly a decade.
Catholic system pulls out of Connecticut hospital merger
March 15, 2023 GMTPUTNAM, Conn. (AP) — A Catholic-run health care system has withdrawn its application to affiliate with Day Kimball Healthcare, an independent, financially struggling hospital and health care system in northeastern Connecticut.
Arkansas lawmakers OK anti-abortion monument at Capitol
March 14, 2023 GMTLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A monument marking the number of abortions performed in Arkansas before Roe v.
Abortion pill access case: Judge wants ‘less advertisement’
March 14, 2023 GMTAMARILLO, Texas (AP) — A federal judge overseeing a high-stakes case that could threaten access to medication abortion across the nation asked lawyers for the “courtesy” of not publicizing upcoming arguments, according to a court record released Tuesday that reveals new details of a move experts say is outside the norm for the U.S.
Minnesota Senate majority leader announces she has cancer
March 14, 2023 GMTST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic announced Tuesday that she has cancer.
The Minneapolis Democrat said in a statement that she had an abnormal Pap smear test in late December and underwent further tests.
Polish activist convicted for helping obtain abortion pills
March 14, 2023 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — A Warsaw court on Tuesday convicted a women's rights activist for helping a victim of domestic violence access abortion pills in Poland, and sentenced her to eight months of community service.
N. Carolina violence prevention office announced by governor
March 14, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday his administration is starting an office aimed at helping local law enforcement and public health officials reduce violence in their communities through training, model programs and help in getting funding from the federal government and elsewhere.
NC Senate approves increased drug distribution penalties
March 14, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's Senate unanimously passed legislation on Tuesday to increase criminal penalties for drug dealers whose distribution of fentanyl and other controlled substances causes an overdose death.
Medicaid agreement in North Carolina closes in on passage
March 14, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The details of a deal reached by North Carolina legislative Republicans to expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of low-income adults received overwhelming initial approval from the state Senate on Tuesday.
Woman who pretended to be sick Marine gets nearly 6 years
March 14, 2023 GMTPROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A former social worker at a Rhode Island veterans' hospital who used stolen patient information to brazenly pass herself off as a decorated Marine Corps veteran with cancer and fraudulently collect nearly $300,000 in benefits, charitable contributions, and donations was sentenced Tuesday to nearly six years in prison.
Georgia House panel: Make transgender-care doctors liable
March 14, 2023 GMTATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia House committee on Tuesday sought to make it easier to sue doctors, and possibly charge them criminally, if they violate a proposed law barring some kinds of gender-affirming care in the state for anyone younger than 18.
Mexican soldiers find 1.8 million fentanyl pills in Tijuana
March 14, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Defense Department said Tuesday that soldiers found over 1.83 million fentanyl pills at a stash house in the border city of Tijuana.
The department said in a statement that soldiers staked out the house Sunday after authorities received a tip that the site was being used for drug trafficking.
Nebraska lawmaker 3 weeks into filibuster over trans bill
March 14, 2023 GMTLINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — It was a mundane, unanimously supported bill on liquor taxation that saw state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh take to the mic on the Nebraska Legislature floor last week. She offered her support, then spent the next three days discussing everything but the bill, including her favorite Girl Scout cookies, Omaha's best doughnuts and the plot of the animated movie “Madagascar.”