CVS, Walgreens to Sell Abortion Pills:

Good Afternoon, and welcome to your Top Stories Today:

Today’s Top Stories focus on Abortion, Trump, and Space:

CVS and Walgreens announced plans to begin selling the abortion pill mifepristone at select pharmacy locations this month. Walgreens stated it expects to start dispensing the pills within a week, in accordance with federal and state laws. The chain will begin sales in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California, and Illinois. CVS will start filling prescriptions for mifepristone in Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the coming weeks, and expand to other states where permitted by law on a rolling basis. The pharmacy giants made the decisions to offer the abortion pill following an FDA ruling last year that allowed retail pharmacies to sell mifepristone for the first time in the United States, reflecting an ongoing debate around abortion access in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

Today, two important hearings were held that could impact former President Donald Trump’s ongoing legal issues. In Florida, a federal judge heard arguments in the case involving classified documents found at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate after he left office. No new trial date was set during the morning session of this hearing. The special counsel’s office prosecuting the case would like a July 2023 start date, while Trump is proposing August 2023. Trump attended the hearing in person. In Georgia, a state judge heard closing arguments in the effort by Trump and his allies to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting the case regarding Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Defense attorneys argued that Willis should be removed due to an alleged conflict of interest stemming from her past romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she appointed to lead the investigation, Nathan Wade. Willis’ office argued that the motions to disqualify her should be denied. The judge did not make any rulings at either hearing but said he would take the matters under advisement. Decisions on important issues like the trial date in Florida and potential prosecutor disqualification in Georgia could come soon from the judges.

Gen. Stephen Whiting, the head of U.S. Space Command, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee that space has become an important domain for national security activities. He warned that China’s development of military space capabilities is progressing at a “breathtaking pace” and that within the next decade, China aims to achieve world-class status in almost all areas of space technology. Whiting noted China has more than tripled its satellite fleet since 2018 and is improving its ability to monitor U.S. operations in space. China is also developing counterspace weapons that could damage U.S. satellites, including antisatellite missiles. Whiting stated Russia also continues to pursue counterspace weapons such as directed energy weapons, satellite communication jammers, and offensive cyber capabilities intended to disrupt, threaten or destroy satellites. Russia views these counterspace arms as a means to deter adversaries reliant on space capabilities. Space Command, which was established as a separate entity during the Trump administration, is focused on addressing emerging security threats in Earth orbit but is also monitoring potential dangers beyond it. Whiting emphasized the urgent need for new U.S. space capabilities to maintain an enduring competitive advantage over rivals like China expanding their military presence in space.

This has been Volt News Network. Stay tuned for more stories from Volt News Network. Have a great day.