Thursday morning news: April 20, 2023

SCOTUS » The Supreme Court is extending the availability of the abortion drug mifepristone until Friday, while it considers what restrictions, if any, should apply during the ongoing legal battle over the drug’s availability.

NANCY PELOSI: What gives a Supreme Court justice or a member of Congress, the right to say that something was not rightly approved. It's, it would be ludicrous if it wasn't so serious.

Many have argued that the FDA did improperly approve the drugs when it used a faster approval process that didn’t adequately assess the drug’s risks.

Earlier this month, a federal judge in Texas revoked the FDA’s approval for mifepristone.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals then reinstated access to the drug with some restrictions.

The 5th Circuit is expected to hear the case in May.

Sudan »

SOUND: [University rescue]

The Sudanese army has rescued dozens of students and staffers after they were trapped inside their university for four days.

Fighting between the country’s two ruling generals broke out last Saturday, trapping the civilians inside and keeping them from basic necessities.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre:

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Their actions across Sudan have placed countless people at risk and set back the Sudanese people’s rightful call for a peaceful democratic transition.

The generals broke a 24-hour truce that was supposed to start Tuesday night. They agreed to another cease-fire yesterday.

As of Wednesday, nearly 300 people had been killed in the clashes, and more than 3,000 were injured. The United Nations says the number of dead may be higher since it’s unsafe to collect bodies from the streets.

Alabama » Officials have charged two teens and one adult with four counts each of reckless murder after a mass shooting in Alabama.

The shooters killed four people and wounded another 32 at a 16-year-old’s birthday party last weekend in Dadeville, Alabama.

District Attorney Mike Segrest says there will be more charges.

MIKE SEGREST- So when I tell you this is just the tip of the iceberg in forthcoming charges. Literally we’re going to make sure every one of those victims has justice, and not just the deceased.

Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Sgt. Jeremy Burkett:

JEREMY BURKETT: This is absolutely the beginning, this is not the end. There is a tremendous amount of work that is yet to be done.

Authorities have not disclosed a motive.

Debt Ceiling » House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday unveiled a budget proposal that would raise the national debt limit and cut spending.

KEVIN McCARTHY: This responsible legislation will be led by our budget chairman Jody Arrington would responsibly raise the debt limit into next year and provide more than $4.5 trillion in savings to the American taxpayer.

McCarthy’s plan would roll federal spending back to 20-22 levels and impose a 1 percent cap on spending increases for the next ten years. It would also raise the country’s debt limit by $1.5 trillion, allowing the U.S. to make it into next year without a default.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre criticized the proposal.

JEAN-PIERRE: They want increased costs for hardworking families take food assistance and health care away from millions of Americans and increase the debt.

The bill has a slim chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate. But it could serve as a starting point for negotiations.

Florida parental rights bill » Florida is telling teachers to stick to the script when teaching reproductive health. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: Last year, the state adopted a law protecting children in kindergarten through third grade from learning about sexual orientation and gender identity in school.

Now, the state Board of Education is suggesting similar regulations in fourth through twelfth grades.

Teachers can still instruct students about sex, gender, and reproductive health when required by existing state standards.

They just cannot deviate from the existing curriculum.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

North Korea » North Korea says it could soon launch its first spy satellite.

A date for the launch has not been announced, but North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the satellite would help his country counter perceived security threats from the U.S. and South Korea.

Previous tests seemed to demonstrate that the country has the ability to launch satellites into space. But critics say the photos from those test launches were low-quality.

Kim has ordered several more satellites to establish an intelligence-gathering network.

I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.