SCOTUS could make bad worse across the U.S.
You’ve heard by now that a container ship leaving Baltimore harbor struck and collapsed the Key Bridge at 1:28 a.m. Rescue operations are underway. A few people have been rescued from the water; others are believed missing.
The FBI’s Baltimore field office declared it saw “no specific and credible information to suggest any ties to terrorism at this time.” That did not prevent X shitposters from suggesting it. Sure, 1:28 a.m. would be the perfect time for a mass-casualty attack. Morons.
CNN (about 9:20 a.m. ET):
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed early Tuesday morning after it was struck by a 984-foot cargo ship.
Here’s what we know:
- What happened? Video shows the moment the entire bridge structure falls into the water, as the ship hits one of the bridges pillars. CNN analysis shows that the ships lights flickered and it veered off course before it hit the bridge.
- How many people are missing? Baltimore’s Fire Chief James Wallace said at least two people have been rescued, but they are searching for upwards of at least seven others. The Maryland Transportation Secretary also confirmed there were contractors working on the bridge at the time of its collapse. Officials noted that the number of missing people could change.
- How have authorities responded? Wallace said authorities are carrying out a search and rescue operation using sonar and infrared technologies as well as drones. He said they have identified vehicles submerged in the water. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency following the collapse of the bridge. The Baltimore branch of the FBI is also at the scene, however the Baltimore police chief said there was no indication of terrorism as a motivating factor.
- What was on board the ship? The ship was chartered by Danish shipping company Maersk and was carrying their customers’ cargo, the Danish shipping company told CNN. The company said no Maersk crew or personnel were onboard the vessel. It said the ship, DALI, is operated by charter vessel company Synergy Group.
Frightening video:
Stay tuned.
Just now, the Supreme Court began hearing arguments in a case brought to roll back FDA access to pharmaceutical abortion via widely used mifepristone, first approved in 2000 (Washington Post):
The justices will examine rule changes in 2016 and 2021 that, among other things, made the drug available by mail and from a medical provider other than a doctor. Their eventual ruling won’t remove mifepristone from the market but could make it harder to obtain.
At issue, via SCOTUSblog:
Issues: (1) Whether respondents have Article III standing to challenge the Food and Drug Administration’s 2016 and 2021 actions with respect to mifepristone’s approved conditions of use; (2) whether the FDA’s 2016 and 2021 actions were arbitrary and capricious; and (3) whether the district court properly granted preliminary relief.
Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine has political as well as medical implications:
It was a telling moment in abortion politics: A federal judge in Texas last year moved to cut off the most popular method to end a pregnancy — and Republicans skipped the celebration.
The reason for the muted response to the ruling, which suspended federal approval of the abortion pill mifepristone? Republicans didn’t want to talk about it because the abortion issue had already stung them politically. They were the proverbial dog who caught the car. They finally got the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade after decades of trying, and they soon found that Americans didn’t much like abortion rights being curtailed.
But starting Tuesday, it could become significantly more difficult for Republicans to ignore the electoral liability.
What a morning.
The live feed is here.
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