Wednesday morning news: March 27, 2024

Bridge Collapse » A search and rescue in Maryland has become a search and recovery effort after the Francis Scott Key bridge crumbled into the river below on Tuesday.

Maryland Secretary of State Police, Ronald Butler:

BUTLER: At this point, we do not know where they are, but we intend to give it our best effort to help these families find closure.

Six construction workers went missing after a cargo ship lost power and slammed into a bridge support, triggering the collapse. They are now presumed dead.

The incident could have been even more tragic.

The ship’s crew issued a mayday call moments before the crash, enabling authorities to limit traffic on the bridge.

President Biden says Maryland will get any federal help it needs to rebuild.

BIDEN: Around 850,000 vehicles go through that port every single year. And we're gonna get it up and running again as soon as possible.

But it will likely take years to rebuild the bridge.

AUDIO: [Pro-abortion demonstrators]

SCOTUS on mifepristone » Demonstrators gathered outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday as the justices once again take up an abortion case.

This time, the high court heard arguments over the abortion drug mifepristone. The justices are weighting whether the FDA ran afoul of federal law when it approved distribution of the drug by mail without a doctor’s visit.

Attorney Erin Hawley with the Alliance Defending Freedom argued:

HAWLEY: On the merits, FDA failed to comply with basic EPA requirements. In 2021, it eliminated the initial in-person visit based on data it says elsewhere is unreliable. And in 2016, it failed to consider or explain the cumulative effects of its wholesale removal of safeguards. These actions fall far short of what the APA requires. This court should affirm.

But Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said the FDA was acting within its authority.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor:

SOTOMAYOR: The problem with all drugs is there are complications in virtually all of them.

PRELOGAR: Yes.

SOTOMAYOR: And at what level the cost benefit analysis tells you to stop prescribing something is a very difficult question, isn’t it?

PRELOGAR: And that’s a question that Congress has entrusted to the FDA.

It’s estimated that mifepristone was used in nearly two-thirds of all U.S. abortions last year.

The court is expected to issue a ruling on the case by this summer.

Israel-U.S. » Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin hosted his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, at the Pentagon Tuesday.

AUSTIN: Mr. Minister, I look forward to discussing how we can dramatically and urgently ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

It was the first high level meeting since the Biden administration chose not to block a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.

AUSTIN: Now, we continue to share the goal of seeing Hamas defeated. So we'll discuss alternative approaches to target Hamas elements.

Hamas has just rejected the latest cease-fire proposal. And Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer said that’s not surprising. He added, “They think they’re going to get a cease-fire without giving up the hostages because that’s what the resolution said.”

The measure called on Hamas to release Israeli hostages. But crucially the resolution demanded that Israel immediately lay down arms regardless of whether Hamas releases the roughly 100 captives it’s still holding.

Gallant told reporters:

GALLANT: Over the past six months, we have been fighting a way against a brutal terror organization, Hamas, which is the ISIS of Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predicted that the Biden administration’s decision not to block the resolution would hurt cease-fire talks and efforts to bring the hostages home. And he called it a clear retreat from America’s prior position.

In response, Netanyahu canceled plans to send a delegation to Washington this week.

Assange » Wikileaks founder Julian Assange got a reprieve as he fights possible extradition to the United States on espionage charges.

A British court said Tuesday that the UK won’t turn him over to U.S. authorities until they can guarantee that Assange will not receive the death penalty.

His wife, Stella Assange said the case against her husband should be dropped.

ASSANGE: This case serves no purpose other than to intimidate journalists all around the world, not just here, not just in the United States. It is sending a chilling effect.

But the U.S. government says Julian Assange’s actions went well beyond those of a journalist. He is accused of playing an active role in stealing classified military documents in 2010, not just passively receiving and publishing them.

The United States has three weeks to assure UK courts that it would not execute Assange for espionage.

Visa, Mastercard Agreement » Two credit card giants just agreed to settle in one of the biggest antitrust agreements in U.S. history. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

AUDIO (MC commercial): There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s Mastercard.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Mastercard and Visa just reached a $30 billion-dollar settlement agreeing to lower their swipe fees for five years. Those are costs that consumers usually don’t see. Merchants pay those fees every time a customer uses a Visa or Mastercard instead of cash.

But those costs are passed along to consumers, usually in the form of slightly higher prices.

An antitrust lawsuit accused the companies of colluding to keep swipe fees inflated.

The new agreement still needs court approval, and merchant groups may oppose it, as some say a 5-year reduction of fees is not enough.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Taliban stoning women » The Taliban's supreme leader says his de facto Afghan government will re-implement the practice of stoning women to death for adultery.

Public executions, including stoning, have resumed since the Taliban's takeover in August 2021, following a chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country.

The group says women’s rights as defined by the West violate its interpretation of Muslim Sharia Law.

A 2023 UN report revealed that at least 175 people received death sentences and at least 37 of them were stoned.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: The way forward for House Republicans on Washington Wednesday. Plus, World Tour.

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