ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges.

On Wednesday, police in Atchison arrested 60-year-old&nbsp;James W. Schneider of Lawrence on a Douglas County warrant for alleged domestic battery, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

Schneider has a previous conviction for attempted aggravated assault in Johnson County, according to the Kanas Dept. of Corrections.&nbsp; He is no longer in custody in Atchison County, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682007695314.png" alt="Schneider-photo Atchison Co." />
 <figcaption>Schneider-photo Atchison Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges.On Wednesday, police in Atchison arrested 60-year-old&nbsp;James W. Schneider of Lawrence on a Douglas County warrant for alleged domestic battery, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.Schneider has a previous conviction for attempted aggravated assault in Johnson County, according to the Kanas Dept. of Corrections.&nbsp; He is no longer in custody in Atchison County, according to online jail records.

Police catch Kan. felon wanted for alleged domestic battery

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led House passed a bill Thursday that would bar federally supported schools and colleges from allowing transgender athletes whose biological sex assigned at birth was male to compete on girls or women's sports teams.

The legislation approved by a 219-203 vote is unlikely to advance further because the Democratic-led Senate will not support it and the White House said President Joe Biden would veto it.

Supporters said the legislation, which would put violators at risk of losing taxpayer dollars, is necessary to ensure competitive fairness. They framed the vote as supporting female athletes disadvantaged by having to compete against those whose gender identify does not match their sex assigned at birth. Opponents criticized the bill as ostracizing an already vulnerable group for political gain.

The House action comes as at least&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-sports-ban-north-carolina-e09882f3f3e2ace72de2004d2f438a7e">20 other states</a>&nbsp;have imposed similar limits on trans athletes at the K-12 or collegiate level.

The bill would amend landmark civil rights legislation passed more than 50 years ago. The amendment would prohibit recipients of federal money from permitting a person “whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.” The bill defines sex as “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”

The sponsor, Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., highlighted the case of Emma Weyant, a resident of his district and a 2020 member of the U.S. Olympic swimming team who finished second in the NCAA women’s 500-yeard freestyle championship last year. She was defeated by Lia Thomas, who had competed for three years on the University of Pennsylvania men’s swimming team before joining the women’s team.

“The integrity of women’s sports must be protected,” Steube said.

Rep. Aaron Bean, R- Fla, said that every time a male takes a lane in the pool or at the starting line, a female athlete loses the opportunity to compete.

“We are in a battle for the very survival of women’s sports,” Bean said.

Democrats said every child regardless of gender identify deserves the opportunity to belong to a team and that preventing competitors from doing so sends the message that they don’t matter.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who has a transgender daughter, said Republicans were cruelly scapegoating transgender children to score political points. She said three-quarters of transgender students report having experienced harassment or discrimination at school and many have considered suicide.

“These bills tell some of the most vulnerable children in our country that they do not belong," Jayapal said. "Shame on you.”

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., said most people in the United States don’t know anyone who is transgender and that can create fear for politicians to exploit. The bill, he said, does nothing to address the severe inequities in the resources dedicated to men’s and women’s sports.

He highlighted the stance taken by Gov. Spencer Cox, R-Utah, who last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-health-legislature-mental-health-utah-f0e76dad68c1dd9986cee0be1b057cef">vetoed</a>&nbsp;a bill banning transgender students from playing girls sports. Cox said: “I struggle to understand so much of it and the science is conflicting. When in doubt however, I always try to err on the side of kindness, mercy and compassion."

Pocan noted that in Utah at the time of the veto there were four transgender players out of 85,000 competing in high school sports, with only one competing in girls sports.

“There’s your raging national problem,” Pocan said. “What’s the Republicans response to this nonexistent issue? Hurt kids for being kids.”

In a message this week threatening a veto, the White House said that being part of a team is an important part of growing up, staying engaged in school and learning leadership and life skills. It said a national ban that does not account for competitiveness or grade level targets people for who they are and is discriminatory.

The administration also has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trans-athletes-sports-ban-2f6cf412d306e73e68efa2377fb5081a">issued a proposed rule</a>&nbsp;that would prevent any school or college that receives federal money from imposing a “one-size-fits-all” policy that categorically bans trans students from playing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity. Such policies would be considered a violation of Title IX.

Any limits would have to consider the sport, the level of competition and the age of students. Elementary school students would generally be allowed to participate on any teams consistent with their gender identity, for example. More competitive teams at high schools and colleges could add limits, but those would be discouraged in teams that don’t have tryouts or cuts.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682003635674.png" alt="House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. speaks ahead of the vote -photo courtesy House GOP" />
 <figcaption>House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. speaks ahead of the vote -photo courtesy House GOP</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led House passed a bill Thursday that would bar federally supported schools and colleges from allowing transgender athletes whose biological sex assigned at birth was male to compete on girls or women's sports teams.The legislation approved by a 219-203 vote is unlikely to advance further because the Democratic-led Senate will not support it and the White House said President Joe Biden would veto it.Supporters said the legislation, which would put violators at risk of losing taxpayer dollars, is necessary to ensure competitive fairness. They framed the vote as supporting female athletes disadvantaged by having to compete against those whose gender identify does not match their sex assigned at birth. Opponents criticized the bill as ostracizing an already vulnerable group for political gain.The House action comes as at least&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-sports-ban-north-carolina-e09882f3f3e2ace72de2004d2f438a7e">20 other states</a>&nbsp;have imposed similar limits on trans athletes at the K-12 or collegiate level.The bill would amend landmark civil rights legislation passed more than 50 years ago. The amendment would prohibit recipients of federal money from permitting a person “whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls.” The bill defines sex as “based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.”The sponsor, Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., highlighted the case of Emma Weyant, a resident of his district and a 2020 member of the U.S. Olympic swimming team who finished second in the NCAA women’s 500-yeard freestyle championship last year. She was defeated by Lia Thomas, who had competed for three years on the University of Pennsylvania men’s swimming team before joining the women’s team.“The integrity of women’s sports must be protected,” Steube said.Rep. Aaron Bean, R- Fla, said that every time a male takes a lane in the pool or at the starting line, a female athlete loses the opportunity to compete.“We are in a battle for the very survival of women’s sports,” Bean said.Democrats said every child regardless of gender identify deserves the opportunity to belong to a team and that preventing competitors from doing so sends the message that they don’t matter.Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who has a transgender daughter, said Republicans were cruelly scapegoating transgender children to score political points. She said three-quarters of transgender students report having experienced harassment or discrimination at school and many have considered suicide.“These bills tell some of the most vulnerable children in our country that they do not belong," Jayapal said. "Shame on you.”Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., said most people in the United States don’t know anyone who is transgender and that can create fear for politicians to exploit. The bill, he said, does nothing to address the severe inequities in the resources dedicated to men’s and women’s sports.He highlighted the stance taken by Gov. Spencer Cox, R-Utah, who last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-health-legislature-mental-health-utah-f0e76dad68c1dd9986cee0be1b057cef">vetoed</a>&nbsp;a bill banning transgender students from playing girls sports. Cox said: “I struggle to understand so much of it and the science is conflicting. When in doubt however, I always try to err on the side of kindness, mercy and compassion."Pocan noted that in Utah at the time of the veto there were four transgender players out of 85,000 competing in high school sports, with only one competing in girls sports.“There’s your raging national problem,” Pocan said. “What’s the Republicans response to this nonexistent issue? Hurt kids for being kids.”In a message this week threatening a veto, the White House said that being part of a team is an important part of growing up, staying engaged in school and learning leadership and life skills. It said a national ban that does not account for competitiveness or grade level targets people for who they are and is discriminatory.The administration also has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trans-athletes-sports-ban-2f6cf412d306e73e68efa2377fb5081a">issued a proposed rule</a>&nbsp;that would prevent any school or college that receives federal money from imposing a “one-size-fits-all” policy that categorically bans trans students from playing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity. Such policies would be considered a violation of Title IX.Any limits would have to consider the sport, the level of competition and the age of students. Elementary school students would generally be allowed to participate on any teams consistent with their gender identity, for example. More competitive teams at high schools and colleges could add limits, but those would be discouraged in teams that don’t have tryouts or cuts.

House passes trans athlete ban for girls and women's sports

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for an alleged violent attack on a man and woman.

On Sunday, April 9, deputies responded to a report of a disturbance with an assault in progress at a residence in the 5000 block of SE Adams Street in rural Shawnee County, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

Deputies located a man and woman with injuries.&nbsp;The male was treated at a local hospital for injuries to his face and head and the woman sustained minor facial injuries.

During the investigation, it was discovered that a 45-year-old female arrived at the residence and appeared to be suffering from a mental health condition. The male homeowner was attempting to help the woman when a man later identified as 20-year-old Brevin O. Canady of Topeka, arrived on scene. Canady then attacked the homeowner and the woman, unprovoked, before leaving the scene. 

Unknown to the homeowner, the woman who arrived at the residence had previously taken a vehicle from Canady. On April 15, 2023, an arrest warrant was issued for Canady.

On April 18, members of the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Warrant Unit took Canady into custody in the 4400 block of SE Adams Street, according to Christian. He is being held on requested charges of aggravated battery and battery.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681931667604.png" alt="Canady-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Canady-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for an alleged violent attack on a man and woman.On Sunday, April 9, deputies responded to a report of a disturbance with an assault in progress at a residence in the 5000 block of SE Adams Street in rural Shawnee County, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.Deputies located a man and woman with injuries.&nbsp;The male was treated at a local hospital for injuries to his face and head and the woman sustained minor facial injuries.During the investigation, it was discovered that a 45-year-old female arrived at the residence and appeared to be suffering from a mental health condition. The male homeowner was attempting to help the woman when a man later identified as 20-year-old Brevin O. Canady of Topeka, arrived on scene. Canady then attacked the homeowner and the woman, unprovoked, before leaving the scene. Unknown to the homeowner, the woman who arrived at the residence had previously taken a vehicle from Canady. On April 15, 2023, an arrest warrant was issued for Canady.On April 18, members of the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Warrant Unit took Canady into custody in the 4400 block of SE Adams Street, according to Christian. He is being held on requested charges of aggravated battery and battery.

Fugitive task force arrests Kansas man for violent attack on couple

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) — SpaceX’s giant new rocket blasted off on its first test flight Thursday but exploded minutes after rising from the launch pad and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.

Elon Musk’s company was aiming to send the nearly 400-foot (120-meter) Starship rocket on a round-the-world trip from the southern tip of Texas, near the Mexican border. It carried no people or satellites.

The plan called for the booster to peel away from the spacecraft minutes after liftoff, but that didn't happen. The rocket began to tumble and then exploded four minutes into the flight, plummeting into the gulf. After separating, the spacecraft was supposed to continue east and attempt to circle the world, before crashing into the Pacific near Hawaii.

Throngs of spectators watched from South Padre Island, several miles away from the Boca Chica Beach launch site, which was off limits. As it lifted off, the crowd screamed: “Go, baby, go!”

The company plans to use&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/spacex-musk-starship-launch-test-flight-11de145e989e0534b6399640bc437b8e">Starship</a>&nbsp;to send people and cargo to the moon and, eventually, Mars. NASA has reserved a Starship for its next moonwalking team, and rich tourists are already booking lunar flybys.

It was the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starship-space-launch-rocket-spacex-musk-c22f4b7dc476c6ca2d44522a2f9b68a5">second launch attempt</a>. Monday’s try was scrapped by a frozen booster valve.

At 394 feet and nearly 17 million pounds of thrust, Starship easily surpasses NASA’s moon rockets — past, present and future. The stainless steel rocket is designed to be fully reusable with fast turnaround, dramatically lowering costs, similar to what SpaceX’s smaller Falcon rockets have done soaring from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Nothing was to be saved from the test flight.

The futuristic spacecraft flew several miles into the air during testing a few years ago, landing successfully only once. But this was to be the inaugural launch of the first-stage booster with 33 methane-fueled engines.

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) — SpaceX’s new rocket, the biggest and most powerful ever built, blasted off Thursday on its first test flight, thundering into the South Texas sky in an attempt to orbit the world.

Elon Musk’s company launched the nearly 400-foot (120-meter) Starship rocket from the southern tip of Texas, near the Mexican border. The plan called for the booster to peel away and plummet into the Gulf of Mexico shortly after liftoff, with the spacecraft hurtling ever higher toward the east in a bid to circle the world, before crashing into the Pacific near Hawaii.

No people or satellites were aboard for this debut launch.

Throngs of spectators watched from several miles away from the Boca Chica Beach launch site, which was off-limits.

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) — SpaceX’s giant new rocket blasted off on its first test flight Thursday but exploded minutes after rising from the launch pad and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Liftoff of Starship! <a href="https://t.co/4t8mRP37Gp">pic.twitter.com/4t8mRP37Gp</a>&mdash; SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1649043715686793218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Elon Musk’s company was aiming to send the nearly 400-foot (120-meter) Starship rocket on a round-the-world trip from the southern tip of Texas, near the Mexican border. It carried no people or satellites.The plan called for the booster to peel away from the spacecraft minutes after liftoff, but that didn't happen. The rocket began to tumble and then exploded four minutes into the flight, plummeting into the gulf. After separating, the spacecraft was supposed to continue east and attempt to circle the world, before crashing into the Pacific near Hawaii.Throngs of spectators watched from South Padre Island, several miles away from the Boca Chica Beach launch site, which was off limits. As it lifted off, the crowd screamed: “Go, baby, go!”The company plans to use&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/spacex-musk-starship-launch-test-flight-11de145e989e0534b6399640bc437b8e">Starship</a>&nbsp;to send people and cargo to the moon and, eventually, Mars. NASA has reserved a Starship for its next moonwalking team, and rich tourists are already booking lunar flybys.It was the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starship-space-launch-rocket-spacex-musk-c22f4b7dc476c6ca2d44522a2f9b68a5">second launch attempt</a>. Monday’s try was scrapped by a frozen booster valve.At 394 feet and nearly 17 million pounds of thrust, Starship easily surpasses NASA’s moon rockets — past, present and future. The stainless steel rocket is designed to be fully reusable with fast turnaround, dramatically lowering costs, similar to what SpaceX’s smaller Falcon rockets have done soaring from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Nothing was to be saved from the test flight.The futuristic spacecraft flew several miles into the air during testing a few years ago, landing successfully only once. But this was to be the inaugural launch of the first-stage booster with 33 methane-fueled engines.--------------SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) — SpaceX’s new rocket, the biggest and most powerful ever built, blasted off Thursday on its first test flight, thundering into the South Texas sky in an attempt to orbit the world.Elon Musk’s company launched the nearly 400-foot (120-meter) Starship rocket from the southern tip of Texas, near the Mexican border. The plan called for the booster to peel away and plummet into the Gulf of Mexico shortly after liftoff, with the spacecraft hurtling ever higher toward the east in a bid to circle the world, before crashing into the Pacific near Hawaii.No people or satellites were aboard for this debut launch.Throngs of spectators watched from several miles away from the Boca Chica Beach launch site, which was off-limits.The company plans to use&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/spacex-musk-starship-launch-test-flight-11de145e989e0534b6399640bc437b8e">Starship</a>&nbsp;to send people and cargo to the moon and, eventually, Mars. NASA has reserved a Starship for its next moonwalking team, and rich tourists are already booking lunar flybys.It was the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starship-space-launch-rocket-spacex-musk-c22f4b7dc476c6ca2d44522a2f9b68a5">second launch attempt</a>. Monday’s try was scrapped by a frozen booster valve.

SpaceX giant rocket explodes minutes after launch from Texas

KANSAS CITY—A man is dead after an officer-involved shooting in Kansas City.

Just after 4:30p.m. Wednesday, police responded to East 27th Street near Brighton after a citizen reported an individual acting erratically and pointing a handgun indiscriminately at other people, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol

When officers arrived on the scene they encountered the suspect in the middle of the street who was armed with a handgun.  Officers told the suspect to drop the weapon and he refused to do so.  He was subsequently shot by one of the officers.

Life saving measures were attempted by the officers, however the suspect was fatally wounded.  No officers were injured during the incident.  This investigation is ongoing by the MSHP Division of Drug &amp; Crime Control.&nbsp; Police have not released the name of the man who died or additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681993393030.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation Wednesday -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation Wednesday -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—A man is dead after an officer-involved shooting in Kansas City.Just after 4:30p.m. Wednesday, police responded to East 27th Street near Brighton after a citizen reported an individual acting erratically and pointing a handgun indiscriminately at other people, according to the Missouri State Highway PatrolWhen officers arrived on the scene they encountered the suspect in the middle of the street who was armed with a handgun. Officers told the suspect to drop the weapon and he refused to do so. He was subsequently shot by one of the officers.Life saving measures were attempted by the officers, however the suspect was fatally wounded. No officers were injured during the incident. This investigation is ongoing by the MSHP Division of Drug &amp; Crime Control.&nbsp; Police have not released the name of the man who died or additional details.

Man dies in Kansas City officer-involved shooting

CHASE COUNTY –A strong storm with hail and tornadoes did considerable damage across Chase County, Kansas Wednesday night.

The storm damaged homes and businesses, downed power lines, trees and knocked out power to much of the county, according to the Chase County Sheriff's Department. 

Strong winds overturned a semi and also lifted a car off the ground and broke all the windows in the vehicle, according to the sheriff's office.&nbsp; There are no reports of serious injury.&nbsp;Power was back on in Cottonwood Falls early Thursday.&nbsp;

The National Weather Service began issuing tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings Wednesday evening in Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa, with forecasters warning people to find shelter.

Authorities said at least two people were killed in the small town of Cole in McClain County, Oklahoma about 25 miles south of Oklahoma City.&nbsp; Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma and an airport received damage before the tornado moved off and weakened.

Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681956822399.png" alt="National Weather Service radar image of the storm Wednesday over eastern Kansas." />
 <figcaption>National Weather Service radar image of the storm Wednesday over eastern Kansas.</figcaption>
 </figure>CHASE COUNTY –A strong storm with hail and tornadoes did considerable damage across Chase County, Kansas Wednesday night.The storm damaged homes and businesses, downed power lines, trees and knocked out power to much of the county, according to the Chase County Sheriff's Department. Strong winds overturned a semi and also lifted a car off the ground and broke all the windows in the vehicle, according to the sheriff's office.&nbsp; There are no reports of serious injury.&nbsp;Power was back on in Cottonwood Falls early Thursday.&nbsp;The National Weather Service began issuing tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings Wednesday evening in Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa, with forecasters warning people to find shelter.Authorities said at least two people were killed in the small town of Cole in McClain County, Oklahoma about 25 miles south of Oklahoma City.&nbsp; Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma and an airport received damage before the tornado moved off and weakened.Check the Post for additional details as they become available.The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Spring storm brings tornadoes, large hail to parts of Kansas 

SHAWNEE COUNTY–Law enforcement authorities investigating a second fatal shooting this week in Topeka have identified the victim as 55-year-old Troy Shepard ofTopeka and arrested 32-year-old Christopher F. Ray of Topeka in connection with the killing.

Just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, police responded to report of a shooting in the 900 block of SW 17th Street in Topeka, according to Lt. Ron Ekis.

Officers located Shepard suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound. He was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.&nbsp;

Ray is being held on requested charges of first-degree murder, according to Police Lt. Donna Eubanks.

On Monday 33-year-old Sherman Coleman Jr, of Topeka died from injuries in a shooting in the&nbsp;&nbsp;2300 block of SE Bellview Avenue in Topeka.

Police have not released&nbsp; possible suspect details in these cases.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681931386406.png" alt="Ray-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Ray-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY–Law enforcement authorities investigating a second fatal shooting this week in Topeka have identified the victim as 55-year-old Troy Shepard ofTopeka and arrested 32-year-old Christopher F. Ray of Topeka in connection with the killing.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681864464057.png" alt="-Police on the scene of the investigation Tuesday -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>-Police on the scene of the investigation Tuesday -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, police responded to report of a shooting in the 900 block of SW 17th Street in Topeka, according to Lt. Ron Ekis.Officers located Shepard suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound. He was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.&nbsp;Ray is being held on requested charges of first-degree murder, according to Police Lt. Donna Eubanks.On Monday 33-year-old Sherman Coleman Jr, of Topeka died from injuries in a shooting in the&nbsp;&nbsp;2300 block of SE Bellview Avenue in Topeka.Police have not released&nbsp; possible suspect details in these cases.

Police arrest suspect in Kansas homicide investigation

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — American-made Patriot missiles have arrived in Ukraine, the country's defense minister said Wednesday, providing Kyiv with a long-sought new shield against the Russian airstrikes that have devastated cities and civilian infrastructure.

The U.S. agreed in October to send the surface-to-air systems, which can target aircraft, cruise missiles and shorter-range ballistic missiles such as those that Russia has used to bombard residential areas and the Ukrainian power grid.

“Today, our beautiful Ukrainian sky becomes more secure,” Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in a tweet.

The missiles are the latest contribution from Western allies, who have also pledged tanks, artillery and some types of fighter jets as Ukraine gears up for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-counteroffensive-russia-war-oleksiy-danilov-interview-6e8e4fec0916bf10a9bcd642374103f9">an expected counteroffensive</a>.

Reznikov thanked the United States, Germany and the Netherlands, without saying how many missile systems had been delivered or when they arrived.

Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said late Tuesday that delivery of the systems would be a landmark event, allowing Ukrainians to knock out Russian targets at a greater distance.

Germany’s federal government website on Tuesday listed a Patriot system as among the military items delivered within the past week to Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock confirmed that to lawmakers Wednesday in Berlin.

Germany has also delivered the second of four medium-range IRIS-T air defense systems that it pledged last year, Baerbock said.

Reznikov said he first asked for Patriot systems when visiting the U.S. in August 2021, five months before Russia's full-scale invasion and seven years after Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula. He described possessing the system as “a dream” but said he was told in the U.S. at the time that it was “impossible.”

Ukrainian personnel have been trained on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-patriot-missile-system-explainer-b16125509161de8a7a3b4c38022534c7">Patriot battery</a>, which requires up to 90 troops to operate and maintain it.

“Our air defenders have mastered (the Patriot systems) as far as they could. And our partners have kept their word,” Reznikov wrote.

Experts have cautioned that the system’s effectiveness is limited and that it may not significantly change the shape of the war, even though it will add to Ukraine’s arsenal against its bigger enemy.

The Patriot was first deployed by the U.S. in the 1980s. The system costs approximately $4 million per missile, and the launchers cost about $10 million each, analysts say. At such a cost, it’s not advantageous to use the Patriot to shoot down the smaller, cheaper Iranian drones that Russia has been buying and using in Ukraine.

In other developments Wednesday, China denied recent reports that Chinese drones have been found on Ukraine battlefields. China has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-taiwan-weapons-germany-ukraine-2a51d2c64c12fca75683d20fbafba475">insisted that it will not help arm Russia</a>, one of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-china-defense-minister-putin-xi-military-cooperation-018129169d50f64df3a06793f89776c5">its key allies</a>.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement that Beijing maintains strict control over the export of drones in keeping with international standards preventing them from being used for nonpeaceful purposes.

China, which has repeatedly criticized the U.S. and other countries’ support for Ukraine as “adding fuel to the fire” of the war, has an “objective and fair stance” and seeks peace, the statement said.

Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-putin-285966d09f3b0659e29c3292ff957d3d">recently visited</a>&nbsp;Moscow-controlled parts of Ukraine’s southern Kherson and easternmost Luhansk provinces.

“The purpose of the trip was to meet with the military, whom I did not want to distract for a long time and a long distance from the deployment of the units they command,” he said.

Kyiv officials have reported daily civilian, but not military, casualties from Russian bombardment.

At least four civilians were killed and 27 others were wounded Tuesday and overnight, Ukraine’s defense ministry reported.

A 50-year-old man and 44-year-old woman were killed in a Russian airstrike on a border town in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said in televised remarks.

Russian forces launched 12 rocket, artillery, mortar, tank and drone attacks on Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, killing one civilian at a market in the center of Kherson, the region’s namesake capital, and a nearby school, Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said.

A woman was killed and another was wounded in northern Ukraine after Russian forces shelled the border village of Richki from multiple rocket launchers, the local military administration said.

Russian forces also fired exploding drones at Ukraine’s southern Odesa region.

___ Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, Christopher Bodeen in Beijing, and Geir Moulson in Berlin, contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673396092973.png" alt="Ukrainian troops trained at Oklahoma’s Fort Sill Army base operating and maintaining the Patriot missile defense system-Photo U.S. Defense Department" />
 <figcaption>Ukrainian troops trained at Oklahoma’s Fort Sill Army base operating and maintaining the Patriot missile defense system-Photo U.S. Defense Department</figcaption>
 </figure>KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — American-made Patriot missiles have arrived in Ukraine, the country's defense minister said Wednesday, providing Kyiv with a long-sought new shield against the Russian airstrikes that have devastated cities and civilian infrastructure.The U.S. agreed in October to send the surface-to-air systems, which can target aircraft, cruise missiles and shorter-range ballistic missiles such as those that Russia has used to bombard residential areas and the Ukrainian power grid.“Today, our beautiful Ukrainian sky becomes more secure,” Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in a tweet.The missiles are the latest contribution from Western allies, who have also pledged tanks, artillery and some types of fighter jets as Ukraine gears up for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-counteroffensive-russia-war-oleksiy-danilov-interview-6e8e4fec0916bf10a9bcd642374103f9">an expected counteroffensive</a>.Reznikov thanked the United States, Germany and the Netherlands, without saying how many missile systems had been delivered or when they arrived.Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said late Tuesday that delivery of the systems would be a landmark event, allowing Ukrainians to knock out Russian targets at a greater distance.Germany’s federal government website on Tuesday listed a Patriot system as among the military items delivered within the past week to Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock confirmed that to lawmakers Wednesday in Berlin.Germany has also delivered the second of four medium-range IRIS-T air defense systems that it pledged last year, Baerbock said.Reznikov said he first asked for Patriot systems when visiting the U.S. in August 2021, five months before Russia's full-scale invasion and seven years after Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula. He described possessing the system as “a dream” but said he was told in the U.S. at the time that it was “impossible.”Ukrainian personnel have been trained on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-patriot-missile-system-explainer-b16125509161de8a7a3b4c38022534c7">Patriot battery</a>, which requires up to 90 troops to operate and maintain it.“Our air defenders have mastered (the Patriot systems) as far as they could. And our partners have kept their word,” Reznikov wrote.Experts have cautioned that the system’s effectiveness is limited and that it may not significantly change the shape of the war, even though it will add to Ukraine’s arsenal against its bigger enemy.The Patriot was first deployed by the U.S. in the 1980s. The system costs approximately $4 million per missile, and the launchers cost about $10 million each, analysts say. At such a cost, it’s not advantageous to use the Patriot to shoot down the smaller, cheaper Iranian drones that Russia has been buying and using in Ukraine.In other developments Wednesday, China denied recent reports that Chinese drones have been found on Ukraine battlefields. China has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-taiwan-weapons-germany-ukraine-2a51d2c64c12fca75683d20fbafba475">insisted that it will not help arm Russia</a>, one of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-china-defense-minister-putin-xi-military-cooperation-018129169d50f64df3a06793f89776c5">its key allies</a>.The Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement that Beijing maintains strict control over the export of drones in keeping with international standards preventing them from being used for nonpeaceful purposes.China, which has repeatedly criticized the U.S. and other countries’ support for Ukraine as “adding fuel to the fire” of the war, has an “objective and fair stance” and seeks peace, the statement said.Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-putin-285966d09f3b0659e29c3292ff957d3d">recently visited</a>&nbsp;Moscow-controlled parts of Ukraine’s southern Kherson and easternmost Luhansk provinces.“The purpose of the trip was to meet with the military, whom I did not want to distract for a long time and a long distance from the deployment of the units they command,” he said.Kyiv officials have reported daily civilian, but not military, casualties from Russian bombardment.At least four civilians were killed and 27 others were wounded Tuesday and overnight, Ukraine’s defense ministry reported.A 50-year-old man and 44-year-old woman were killed in a Russian airstrike on a border town in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said in televised remarks.Russian forces launched 12 rocket, artillery, mortar, tank and drone attacks on Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, killing one civilian at a market in the center of Kherson, the region’s namesake capital, and a nearby school, Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said.A woman was killed and another was wounded in northern Ukraine after Russian forces shelled the border village of Richki from multiple rocket launchers, the local military administration said.Russian forces also fired exploding drones at Ukraine’s southern Odesa region.___ Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, Christopher Bodeen in Beijing, and Geir Moulson in Berlin, contributed to this report.

US-made Patriot guided missile systems arrive in Ukraine

OSAGE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on multiple allegations.

Just after 2p.m. April 16, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop at 6th and Jefferson in the city Lyndon for a traffic violation, according to Osage County Sheriff Chris Wells.&nbsp;

During the stop, the deputy found illegal narcotics and a child in the vehicle.

The driver of the vehicle, Calvin J. Graybeal, 35, of Lyndon, was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of&nbsp;Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Endangering a child, Driving while license cancelled/suspended/revoked, Driving while habitual violator and No liability insurance.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681761794893.png" alt="Graybeal-photo Osage Co." />
 <figcaption>Graybeal-photo Osage Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on multiple allegations.Just after 2p.m. April 16, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop at 6th and Jefferson in the city Lyndon for a traffic violation, according to Osage County Sheriff Chris Wells.&nbsp;During the stop, the deputy found illegal narcotics and a child in the vehicle.The driver of the vehicle, Calvin J. Graybeal, 35, of Lyndon, was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges of&nbsp;Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Endangering a child, Driving while license cancelled/suspended/revoked, Driving while habitual violator and No liability insurance.

Sheriff: Kan. man was transporting meth with child in the vehicle

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Salina woman was arrested for an alleged violent attack.

Just before 5p.m. Tuesday, police officers were sent to the 200 block of E. Iron Avenue in Salina for the report of a domestic dispute in a car, according to&nbsp;Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.

He said that a 20-year-old Wichita man and Melissa Baker, 20, of Salina, allegedly were having an argument inside a 2001 Buick Century that Baker was driving on E. Iron Avenue.

Baker pulled over in the 200 block of E. Iron Avenue to let the man out. He told police that at that point, Baker crawled over the console of the car and allegedly attacked him while he was trying to get out. He said she also allegedly stabbed him in his right arm with a pair of scissors. At one point, Baker also allegedly broke his cell phone.

Forrester said the man's injuries were consistent with what he told police. Baker also was allegedly found to be in possession of a personal use amount of marijuana, Forrester said.

Police arrested Baker on requested charges of Aggravated battery, Disorderly conduct, Domestic battery, Possession of marijuana, Possession of drug paraphernalia and Damage to property.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681908507297.jpeg" alt="Melissa Baker. Photo Saline County Sheriff's Office" />
 <figcaption>Melissa Baker. Photo Saline County Sheriff's Office</figcaption>
 </figure>By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostSALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Salina woman was arrested for an alleged violent attack.Just before 5p.m. Tuesday, police officers were sent to the 200 block of E. Iron Avenue in Salina for the report of a domestic dispute in a car, according to&nbsp;Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester.He said that a 20-year-old Wichita man and Melissa Baker, 20, of Salina, allegedly were having an argument inside a 2001 Buick Century that Baker was driving on E. Iron Avenue.Baker pulled over in the 200 block of E. Iron Avenue to let the man out. He told police that at that point, Baker crawled over the console of the car and allegedly attacked him while he was trying to get out. He said she also allegedly stabbed him in his right arm with a pair of scissors. At one point, Baker also allegedly broke his cell phone.Forrester said the man's injuries were consistent with what he told police. Baker also was allegedly found to be in possession of a personal use amount of marijuana, Forrester said.Police arrested Baker on requested charges of Aggravated battery, Disorderly conduct, Domestic battery, Possession of marijuana, Possession of drug paraphernalia and Damage to property.

Police: Kan. woman stabbed man with scissors during car fight

UPDATED 11:16 a.m. Thursday&nbsp;to update seat belt usage initially reported incorrectly by the KHP.

KIOWA COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Wednesday in Kiowa County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Chevy Tahoe driven by Jesse Eugene Hall, 18, Wisconsin, was was westbound on U.S. 54 fourteen miles east of Greensburg.

The driver, in an attempt to avoid a westbound vehicle stopped&nbsp; on the highway, traveled left of center into the eastbound lane. The Chevy and a 2006 Chrysler Pacifica driven by Cody William Metz, 19, Washington, Kansas, collided head-on.&nbsp; Both vehicles came to rest on the south shoulder of U.S. 54.

A passenger in the Chevy identified as Jaidyn&nbsp;Barz, 19, Wisconsin, was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to the Regional Forensics Center.&nbsp; 

EMS transported to Hall a Wichita hospital, Metz to the hospital in Pratt and a second passenger in the Chey Jonathan&nbsp;Gajeuski, 19, Wisconsin, to the hospital in Greensburg.&nbsp;

The driver and the passengers in the Tahoe were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

UPDATED 11:16 a.m. Thursday&nbsp;to update seat belt usage initially reported incorrectly by the KHP.KIOWA COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Wednesday in Kiowa County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2018 Chevy Tahoe driven by Jesse Eugene Hall, 18, Wisconsin, was was westbound on U.S. 54 fourteen miles east of Greensburg.The driver, in an attempt to avoid a westbound vehicle stopped&nbsp; on the highway, traveled left of center into the eastbound lane. The Chevy and a 2006 Chrysler Pacifica driven by Cody William Metz, 19, Washington, Kansas, collided head-on.&nbsp; Both vehicles came to rest on the south shoulder of U.S. 54.A passenger in the Chevy identified as Jaidyn&nbsp;Barz, 19, Wisconsin, was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to the Regional Forensics Center.&nbsp; EMS transported to Hall a Wichita hospital, Metz to the hospital in Pratt and a second passenger in the Chey Jonathan&nbsp;Gajeuski, 19, Wisconsin, to the hospital in Greensburg.&nbsp;The driver and the passengers in the Tahoe were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

19-year-old dead, 3 injured after head-on crash on Kan. highway

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' governor has vetoed legislation that would mandate clinics to tell patients that a medication abortion can be interrupted using an unproven drug regimen.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the bill Wednesday, again pushing back state GOP efforts to restrict abortion despite a decisive statewide vote affirming abortion rights last year.

The governor's action marked the second time this month that she vetoed an anti-abortion bill approved by the GOP-controlled Legislature.

Last week, she rejected a measure that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/born-alive-abortion-bill-kansas-legislature-45f8c977187656d8340eae5a44d87de0">could subject doctors to criminal charges and lawsuits</a>&nbsp;if they are accused of not providing enough care for infants delivered alive during certain abortion procedures, even if they are expected to die within seconds outside the womb because of a severe medical issue.

The vetoes mean that abortion access and providers in Kansas remain far less restricted for now compared to other states with GOP-controlled legislatures that have banned or severely restricted abortion procedures over the past year.

Abortion opponents in Kansas had the two-thirds majorities that will be necessary to override the veto of the bill on medical treatment for infants delivered alive during abortion procedures.

But Republican lawmakers may be able to override the bill vetoed on Wednesday in a vote later this month. If they do, patients asking for a medical abortion would get a state-mandated, written notice that they can interrupt their abortion, even though the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology says there is no scientific evidence that the “reversal” approach promoted by abortion opponents is safe or effective.

Abortion rights supporters contend both measures break faith with voters.

“We were told that we must listen to the people,” Kansas Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes said before her chamber passed the bill earlier this month, recalling the campaign ahead of the statewide vote in August 2022. “Nearly 60% of Kansans — Democrats, Republicans and independents — voted ‘no’ on giving elected representatives and state senators more power to pass laws regarding abortion.”

Even if Kansas lawmakers override Kelly’s vetoes, providers could ask state courts to block the new laws. Lawsuits have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-restrictions-lawsuits-kansas-3eb09cbcdfb18e06aee024e557f9814c">prevented Kansas from enforcing</a>&nbsp;a 2015 ban on a common second-trimester abortion procedure and a 2011 law from imposing extra health and safety rules on abortion providers.

Kelly also vetoed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/19a1ecdbd47d440397a870b0d41abfcd">an abortion medication “reversal” measure</a>&nbsp;in 2019.

Supporters of the so-called “abortion reversal” notification requirement cite individual women's cases to bolster their claims, but Kelly told lawmakers in a message in 2019 that the notification mandate represented “a government mandate that is not adequately supported by medical science.”

“The practice of medicine should be left to licensed health professionals, not elected officials,” she said in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2020/b2019_20/measures/documents/sb67_enrolled.pdf">her 2019 veto message.</a>

A least a dozen states enacted abortion “reversal” bans before the U.S. Supreme Court's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">decision in 2022</a>&nbsp;allowing states to prohibit abortion, though legal challenges put four states' laws on hold.

But in Kansas, the state Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3f479b218a6140719e1694fcfcdb8036">ruled in 2019</a>&nbsp;that access to abortion is a matter of bodily autonomy and a “fundamental” right under the state constitution. The vote&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-abortion-vote-recount-e874f56806a9d63b473b24580ad7ea0c">last year</a>&nbsp;rejected stripping out that protection.

Republican lawmakers and anti-abortion groups contend the vote last year doesn’t preclude “reasonable” abortion restrictions or rules for providers like the “reversal” bill.

“Basically, it's saying if you are a woman, if you are seeking an abortion, you do have the right to know that the is such a thing as APR, abortion pill reversal," state Senate health committee Chair Beverly Gossage, a Kansas City-area Republican, said before her chamber approved the measure earlier this month.

A majority of U.S. patients terminating their pregnancies do so with abortion medications. Since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last year, abortion opponents have sought to undercut access to the pills. The U.S. Supreme Court is considering&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-mifepristone-abortion-drug-3855bb5d5c791e4c0465958bae94519e">the legal status of mifepristone,</a>&nbsp;the first of two medications in the most common and most effective method.

The abortion “reversal” approach promoted by Kansas lawmakers involves giving women doses of the hormone progesterone after mifepristone is taken but before the second medication, misoprostol, is taken. Doctors use progesterone to try to prevent miscarriages.

Experts question the findings of the two anti-abortion doctors who began using the off-label “reversal” approach more than 15 years ago and see a 2018 study vouching for its effectiveness as seriously flawed. Republican lawmakers in Kansas have brushed aside the criticism.

“Medical knowledge is passed within our profession very much like political knowledge is passed here, peer to peer,” Republican state Rep. Bill Clifford, a southwestern Kansas eye doctor, told his colleagues during one recent debate. “It isn't always about studies, and you have to trust your colleagues.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681940196591.png" alt="The governor's action marked the second time this month that she vetoed an anti-abortion bill approved by the GOP-controlled Legislature.-file photo" />
 <figcaption>The governor's action marked the second time this month that she vetoed an anti-abortion bill approved by the GOP-controlled Legislature.-file photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' governor has vetoed legislation that would mandate clinics to tell patients that a medication abortion can be interrupted using an unproven drug regimen.Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the bill Wednesday, again pushing back state GOP efforts to restrict abortion despite a decisive statewide vote affirming abortion rights last year.The governor's action marked the second time this month that she vetoed an anti-abortion bill approved by the GOP-controlled Legislature.Last week, she rejected a measure that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/born-alive-abortion-bill-kansas-legislature-45f8c977187656d8340eae5a44d87de0">could subject doctors to criminal charges and lawsuits</a>&nbsp;if they are accused of not providing enough care for infants delivered alive during certain abortion procedures, even if they are expected to die within seconds outside the womb because of a severe medical issue.The vetoes mean that abortion access and providers in Kansas remain far less restricted for now compared to other states with GOP-controlled legislatures that have banned or severely restricted abortion procedures over the past year.Abortion opponents in Kansas had the two-thirds majorities that will be necessary to override the veto of the bill on medical treatment for infants delivered alive during abortion procedures.But Republican lawmakers may be able to override the bill vetoed on Wednesday in a vote later this month. If they do, patients asking for a medical abortion would get a state-mandated, written notice that they can interrupt their abortion, even though the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology says there is no scientific evidence that the “reversal” approach promoted by abortion opponents is safe or effective.Abortion rights supporters contend both measures break faith with voters.“We were told that we must listen to the people,” Kansas Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes said before her chamber passed the bill earlier this month, recalling the campaign ahead of the statewide vote in August 2022. “Nearly 60% of Kansans — Democrats, Republicans and independents — voted ‘no’ on giving elected representatives and state senators more power to pass laws regarding abortion.”Even if Kansas lawmakers override Kelly’s vetoes, providers could ask state courts to block the new laws. Lawsuits have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-restrictions-lawsuits-kansas-3eb09cbcdfb18e06aee024e557f9814c">prevented Kansas from enforcing</a>&nbsp;a 2015 ban on a common second-trimester abortion procedure and a 2011 law from imposing extra health and safety rules on abortion providers.Kelly also vetoed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/19a1ecdbd47d440397a870b0d41abfcd">an abortion medication “reversal” measure</a>&nbsp;in 2019.Supporters of the so-called “abortion reversal” notification requirement cite individual women's cases to bolster their claims, but Kelly told lawmakers in a message in 2019 that the notification mandate represented “a government mandate that is not adequately supported by medical science.”“The practice of medicine should be left to licensed health professionals, not elected officials,” she said in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2020/b2019_20/measures/documents/sb67_enrolled.pdf">her 2019 veto message.</a>A least a dozen states enacted abortion “reversal” bans before the U.S. Supreme Court's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">decision in 2022</a>&nbsp;allowing states to prohibit abortion, though legal challenges put four states' laws on hold.But in Kansas, the state Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3f479b218a6140719e1694fcfcdb8036">ruled in 2019</a>&nbsp;that access to abortion is a matter of bodily autonomy and a “fundamental” right under the state constitution. The vote&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-abortion-vote-recount-e874f56806a9d63b473b24580ad7ea0c">last year</a>&nbsp;rejected stripping out that protection.Republican lawmakers and anti-abortion groups contend the vote last year doesn’t preclude “reasonable” abortion restrictions or rules for providers like the “reversal” bill.“Basically, it's saying if you are a woman, if you are seeking an abortion, you do have the right to know that the is such a thing as APR, abortion pill reversal," state Senate health committee Chair Beverly Gossage, a Kansas City-area Republican, said before her chamber approved the measure earlier this month.A majority of U.S. patients terminating their pregnancies do so with abortion medications. Since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last year, abortion opponents have sought to undercut access to the pills. The U.S. Supreme Court is considering&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-mifepristone-abortion-drug-3855bb5d5c791e4c0465958bae94519e">the legal status of mifepristone,</a>&nbsp;the first of two medications in the most common and most effective method.The abortion “reversal” approach promoted by Kansas lawmakers involves giving women doses of the hormone progesterone after mifepristone is taken but before the second medication, misoprostol, is taken. Doctors use progesterone to try to prevent miscarriages.Experts question the findings of the two anti-abortion doctors who began using the off-label “reversal” approach more than 15 years ago and see a 2018 study vouching for its effectiveness as seriously flawed. Republican lawmakers in Kansas have brushed aside the criticism.“Medical knowledge is passed within our profession very much like political knowledge is passed here, peer to peer,” Republican state Rep. Bill Clifford, a southwestern Kansas eye doctor, told his colleagues during one recent debate. “It isn't always about studies, and you have to trust your colleagues.”___

Kan. governor vetoes another abortion regulation bill 

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Walking with a cane and speaking too quietly to be heard throughout a Liberty, Missouri, courtroom, 84-year-old Andrew Lester pleaded not guilty Wednesday in the shooting of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ralph-yarl-shooting-kansas-city-black-teen-154c4e3275732b83bc9f0026a9981b81">Ralph Yarl</a>, a Black teenager who mistakenly knocked on Lester's front door looking for his younger brothers.

The shooting has attracted presidential attention and renewed national debate about gun policies as people react with shock to a 16-year-old honor student being shot first in the head, then in the arm while making a routine stop in a residential neighborhood.

The case is among&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wrong-place-shootings-3c6e5061adb30d889ac3d071893ef129">three in recent days</a>&nbsp;involving young people who were shot after mistakenly showing up in the wrong places. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fatal-shooting-wrong-driveway-new-york-dd45b17e3a806abf11d1aaf5b235fb13">20-year-old woman was killed</a>&nbsp;in upstate New York when the car she was in pulled into the wrong driveway. In Texas,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-cheerleaders-shot-mistaken-location-4b5d0659a3768bc2a46b4756e6a5ee4a">two cheerleaders were shot</a>&nbsp;after one of them mistakenly got into a car thinking it was hers.

Yarl was shot at point-blank range in the head but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbs2tYWCXz4">miraculously survived</a>&nbsp;the bullet.

Some civil rights leaders and Yarl's family attorney, Lee Merritt, have urged prosecutors to charge Lester with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbs2tYWCXz4">a hate crime</a>, with Merritt noting that "was armed only with his Black skin."

Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson said first-degree assault is a higher-level crime, allowing a sentence of up to life in prison, which is more than a hate-crime charge would carry. Though activists have called for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate, it was unclear whether it would do so. Messages seeking comment from the department were not returned.

Lester remains free after posting $20,000 — 10% of his $200,000 bond — and agreeing to relinquish any weapons and have no contact with Yarl or his family. He also agreed to have his cellphone monitored.

Yarl’s relatives were not at Wedneday's hearing because they are emotionally exhausted, Merritt said. Lester’s attorney, Steve Salmon, did not come out of the courthouse to speak with reporters.

The shooting happened about 10 p.m. Thursday. Police Chief Stacey Graves said that Yarl’s mother asked him to pick up his twin brothers at a home on 115th Terrace.

Yarl, who is all-state band member as well as a top student, mistakenly went to 115th Street — a block away from where he meant to be. When he rang the bell, Lester came to the door and used a .32 caliber Smith and Wesson 1888 revolver to shoot the teenager.

Lester told police he lives alone and was “scared to death” when he saw Yarl on the porch because he thought someone was trying to break in, police said in court documents.

No words were exchanged before the shooting, but afterward, as Yarl got up to run, he heard Lester yell, “Don’t come around here,” the statement said.

Yarl ran to multiple homes asking for help before finding someone who would call the police, according to court documents.

Merritt said the teen is hardly an imposing figure.

“The question is, at 5-8 and 140 pounds, what did Andrew Lester look out and see?” Merritt asked at a downtown rally Tuesday. “And the answer is he saw a Black person. And for him, that was enough justification. And that would just be a tragedy except law enforcement agreed with him.”

Legal experts expect Lester to claim self-defense and cite Missouri's “Stand Your Ground” law, sometimes referred to as the “Castle Doctrine.” Missouri is among about 30 states with similar laws that say residents don’t have to retreat when threatened in their homes, but instead can respond with physical, even lethal force.

But Merritt said the law only applies if “someone’s on your property and they’re looking to do you harm .... We don’t have any evidence of that. The Castle Doctrine does not apply to this case.”

The shooting outraged many in Kansas City and across the country. President Joe Biden spoke with Yarl on Monday, and on Tuesday invited him to the White House.

“No parent should have to worry that their kid will be shot after ringing the wrong doorbell,” Biden tweeted. “We’ve got to keep up the fight against gun violence.”

Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who had remained silent on the shooting until Wednesday, accused Biden of politicizing it.

"I don’t want some 16-year-old kid to be getting shot because he went to the wrong house — we just don’t want those kinds of things to happen. It’s a tragedy,” Parson told the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article274486986.html">Kansas City Star</a>. “When the president of the United States is trying to make a political statement over a very serious tragedy, it is very unfortunate.”

Thompson, the prosecutor, said Monday that there was a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-black-teen-shooting-9602deefd974b9b91220aaa8a94f25c7">“racial component”</a>&nbsp;to the shooting but did not elaborate. Merritt said the Yarl family met privately with Thompson. The prosecutor said he was “echoing the words from law enforcement that obviously there’s a racial dynamic at play in this case,” said Merritt, who called the answer “shallow.”

“From this point forward, the state will be pushing to move this case forward as swiftly as legally permitted,” Thompson said in a statement after Wednesday's hearing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681844207619.png" alt="Lester from his Tuesday booking photo in Clay County" />
 <figcaption>Lester from his Tuesday booking photo in Clay County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — Walking with a cane and speaking too quietly to be heard throughout a Liberty, Missouri, courtroom, 84-year-old Andrew Lester pleaded not guilty Wednesday in the shooting of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ralph-yarl-shooting-kansas-city-black-teen-154c4e3275732b83bc9f0026a9981b81">Ralph Yarl</a>, a Black teenager who mistakenly knocked on Lester's front door looking for his younger brothers.The shooting has attracted presidential attention and renewed national debate about gun policies as people react with shock to a 16-year-old honor student being shot first in the head, then in the arm while making a routine stop in a residential neighborhood.The case is among&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wrong-place-shootings-3c6e5061adb30d889ac3d071893ef129">three in recent days</a>&nbsp;involving young people who were shot after mistakenly showing up in the wrong places. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fatal-shooting-wrong-driveway-new-york-dd45b17e3a806abf11d1aaf5b235fb13">20-year-old woman was killed</a>&nbsp;in upstate New York when the car she was in pulled into the wrong driveway. In Texas,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-cheerleaders-shot-mistaken-location-4b5d0659a3768bc2a46b4756e6a5ee4a">two cheerleaders were shot</a>&nbsp;after one of them mistakenly got into a car thinking it was hers.Yarl was shot at point-blank range in the head but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbs2tYWCXz4">miraculously survived</a>&nbsp;the bullet.Some civil rights leaders and Yarl's family attorney, Lee Merritt, have urged prosecutors to charge Lester with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbs2tYWCXz4">a hate crime</a>, with Merritt noting that "was armed only with his Black skin."Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson said first-degree assault is a higher-level crime, allowing a sentence of up to life in prison, which is more than a hate-crime charge would carry. Though activists have called for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate, it was unclear whether it would do so. Messages seeking comment from the department were not returned.Lester remains free after posting $20,000 — 10% of his $200,000 bond — and agreeing to relinquish any weapons and have no contact with Yarl or his family. He also agreed to have his cellphone monitored.Yarl’s relatives were not at Wedneday's hearing because they are emotionally exhausted, Merritt said. Lester’s attorney, Steve Salmon, did not come out of the courthouse to speak with reporters.The shooting happened about 10 p.m. Thursday. Police Chief Stacey Graves said that Yarl’s mother asked him to pick up his twin brothers at a home on 115th Terrace.Yarl, who is all-state band member as well as a top student, mistakenly went to 115th Street — a block away from where he meant to be. When he rang the bell, Lester came to the door and used a .32 caliber Smith and Wesson 1888 revolver to shoot the teenager.Lester told police he lives alone and was “scared to death” when he saw Yarl on the porch because he thought someone was trying to break in, police said in court documents.No words were exchanged before the shooting, but afterward, as Yarl got up to run, he heard Lester yell, “Don’t come around here,” the statement said.Yarl ran to multiple homes asking for help before finding someone who would call the police, according to court documents.Merritt said the teen is hardly an imposing figure.“The question is, at 5-8 and 140 pounds, what did Andrew Lester look out and see?” Merritt asked at a downtown rally Tuesday. “And the answer is he saw a Black person. And for him, that was enough justification. And that would just be a tragedy except law enforcement agreed with him.”Legal experts expect Lester to claim self-defense and cite Missouri's “Stand Your Ground” law, sometimes referred to as the “Castle Doctrine.” Missouri is among about 30 states with similar laws that say residents don’t have to retreat when threatened in their homes, but instead can respond with physical, even lethal force.But Merritt said the law only applies if “someone’s on your property and they’re looking to do you harm .... We don’t have any evidence of that. The Castle Doctrine does not apply to this case.”The shooting outraged many in Kansas City and across the country. President Joe Biden spoke with Yarl on Monday, and on Tuesday invited him to the White House.“No parent should have to worry that their kid will be shot after ringing the wrong doorbell,” Biden tweeted. “We’ve got to keep up the fight against gun violence.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">It is a tragedy anytime a 16-year-old is shot, and Ralph Yarl is no exception. I trust law enforcement to continue conducting a thorough investigation and expect a fair and just result.&mdash; Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovParsonMO/status/1648738567764443148?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who had remained silent on the shooting until Wednesday, accused Biden of politicizing it."I don’t want some 16-year-old kid to be getting shot because he went to the wrong house — we just don’t want those kinds of things to happen. It’s a tragedy,” Parson told the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article274486986.html">Kansas City Star</a>. “When the president of the United States is trying to make a political statement over a very serious tragedy, it is very unfortunate.”Thompson, the prosecutor, said Monday that there was a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-black-teen-shooting-9602deefd974b9b91220aaa8a94f25c7">“racial component”</a>&nbsp;to the shooting but did not elaborate. Merritt said the Yarl family met privately with Thompson. The prosecutor said he was “echoing the words from law enforcement that obviously there’s a racial dynamic at play in this case,” said Merritt, who called the answer “shallow.”Lester’s next court date is June 1.“From this point forward, the state will be pushing to move this case forward as swiftly as legally permitted,” Thompson said in a statement after Wednesday's hearing.

Homeowner who shot Black Kansas City teen pleads not guilty

NEW YORK (AP) — Democrat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/robert-f-kennedy-jr">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>, an anti-vaccine activist and scion of one of the country’s most famous political families, is running for president.

(click below to watch the announcement courtesy Kennedy campaign )

Kennedy filed a statement of candidacy earlier this month with the Federal Election Commission.

The 69-year-old’s campaign to challenge incumbent President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination is a long shot.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marianne-williamson-president-2024-biden-democratic-primary-14e59754bed9e0c54dad4fdfbbc1fa6b">Self-help author Marianne Williamson</a>&nbsp;is also running in the Democratic race.

Kennedy, a nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of his slain brother Robert F. Kennedy, was once a bestselling author and environmental lawyer who worked on issues such as clean water.

But more than 15 years ago, he became fixated on a belief that vaccines are not safe.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e">He emerged as one of the leading voices in</a>&nbsp;the anti-vaccine movement, and his work has been described by public health experts and even members of his own family as misleading and dangerous.

Kennedy had been long involved in the anti-vaccine movement, but the effort intensified after the COVID-19 pandemic and development of the COVID-19 vaccine.

His anti-vaccine charity, Children’s Health Defense, prospered during the pandemic, with revenues more than doubling in 2020 to $6.8 million, according to filings made with charity regulators.

His organization has targeted false claims at groups that may be more prone to distrust the vaccine, including mothers and Black Americans, experts have said, which could have resulted in deaths during the pandemic.

Kennedy released a book in 2021, “The Real Anthony Fauci,” in which he accused the U.S.’s top infectious disease doctor of assisting in “a historic coup d’etat against Western democracy” and promoted unproven COVID-19 treatments such as ivermectin, which is meant to treat parasites, and the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine.

His push against the COVID-19 vaccine has linked him at times with anti-democratic figures and groups. Kennedy has appeared at events pushing the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and with people who cheered or downplayed the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

A photo posted on Instagram showed Kennedy backstage at a July 2021 Reawaken America event with former President Donald Trump’s ally Roger Stone, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and anti-vaccine profiteer Charlene Bollinger. All three have promoted the lie about the 2020 election being stolen.

Bollinger has appeared with Kennedy at multiple events. She and her husband sponsored an anti-vaccine, pro-Trump rally near the Capitol on Jan. 6. Bollinger celebrated the attack and her husband tried to enter the Capitol. Kennedy later appeared in a video for their Super PAC.

Kennedy has repeatedly invoked Nazis and the Holocaust when talking about measures aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19, such as mask requirements and vaccine mandates.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-apology-anne-frank-comments-9a6855403b91f5debf98f23c6db90551">He has sometimes apologized for those comments</a>, including when he suggested that people in 2022 had it worse than Anne Frank, the teenager who died in a Nazi concentration camp after hiding with her family in a secret annex in an Amsterdam house for two years.

Kennedy has at times invoked his family’s legacy in his anti-vaccine work, including sometimes using images of President Kennedy.

His sister Kerry Kennedy, who runs Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the international rights group founded by their mother, Ethel, said her brother has at times removed some of the content at her request.

She&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e">told the Associated Press in a 2021 interview</a>&nbsp;her brother is “completely wrong on this issue and very dangerous.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Democrat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/robert-f-kennedy-jr">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>, an anti-vaccine activist and scion of one of the country’s most famous political families, is running for president.(click below to watch the announcement courtesy Kennedy campaign )<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EsuLBPjdt-w?start=160" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Kennedy filed a statement of candidacy earlier this month with the Federal Election Commission.The 69-year-old’s campaign to challenge incumbent President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination is a long shot.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marianne-williamson-president-2024-biden-democratic-primary-14e59754bed9e0c54dad4fdfbbc1fa6b">Self-help author Marianne Williamson</a>&nbsp;is also running in the Democratic race.Kennedy, a nephew of President John F. Kennedy and the son of his slain brother Robert F. Kennedy, was once a bestselling author and environmental lawyer who worked on issues such as clean water.But more than 15 years ago, he became fixated on a belief that vaccines are not safe.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e">He emerged as one of the leading voices in</a>&nbsp;the anti-vaccine movement, and his work has been described by public health experts and even members of his own family as misleading and dangerous.Kennedy had been long involved in the anti-vaccine movement, but the effort intensified after the COVID-19 pandemic and development of the COVID-19 vaccine.His anti-vaccine charity, Children’s Health Defense, prospered during the pandemic, with revenues more than doubling in 2020 to $6.8 million, according to filings made with charity regulators.His organization has targeted false claims at groups that may be more prone to distrust the vaccine, including mothers and Black Americans, experts have said, which could have resulted in deaths during the pandemic.Kennedy released a book in 2021, “The Real Anthony Fauci,” in which he accused the U.S.’s top infectious disease doctor of assisting in “a historic coup d’etat against Western democracy” and promoted unproven COVID-19 treatments such as ivermectin, which is meant to treat parasites, and the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine.His push against the COVID-19 vaccine has linked him at times with anti-democratic figures and groups. Kennedy has appeared at events pushing the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and with people who cheered or downplayed the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.A photo posted on Instagram showed Kennedy backstage at a July 2021 Reawaken America event with former President Donald Trump’s ally Roger Stone, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and anti-vaccine profiteer Charlene Bollinger. All three have promoted the lie about the 2020 election being stolen.Bollinger has appeared with Kennedy at multiple events. She and her husband sponsored an anti-vaccine, pro-Trump rally near the Capitol on Jan. 6. Bollinger celebrated the attack and her husband tried to enter the Capitol. Kennedy later appeared in a video for their Super PAC.Kennedy has repeatedly invoked Nazis and the Holocaust when talking about measures aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19, such as mask requirements and vaccine mandates.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-apology-anne-frank-comments-9a6855403b91f5debf98f23c6db90551">He has sometimes apologized for those comments</a>, including when he suggested that people in 2022 had it worse than Anne Frank, the teenager who died in a Nazi concentration camp after hiding with her family in a secret annex in an Amsterdam house for two years.Kennedy has at times invoked his family’s legacy in his anti-vaccine work, including sometimes using images of President Kennedy.His sister Kerry Kennedy, who runs Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the international rights group founded by their mother, Ethel, said her brother has at times removed some of the content at her request.She&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e">told the Associated Press in a 2021 interview</a>&nbsp;her brother is “completely wrong on this issue and very dangerous.”

🎥RFK Jr. launches 2024 presidential challenge to Biden

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has temporarily extended women's access to an abortion pill until Friday while the justices consider whether to allow restrictions on mifepristone to take effect as a legal challenge to the medication's Food and Drug Administration approval continues.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/041923zr1_kjfm.pdf">In an order</a>&nbsp;signed by Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday, the court indicated it will act by Friday night. Alito provided no explanation for why the court put off a more lasting decision.

The justices had given themselves a deadline on Wednesday in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-judge-matthew-kacsmaryk-abortion-pill-fda-75964b777ef09593a1ad948c6cfc0237">a fast-moving case from Texas</a>&nbsp;in which abortion opponents are seeking to roll back FDA approval mifepristone. used in the most common method of abortion in the United States

The drug first won FDA approval in 2000, and conditions on its use have been loosened in recent years, including making it available by mail in states that allow access.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mifepristone-ff152a443d8439e8fa5d9376070822b2">The Biden administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories</a>, the maker of the drug, want the nation’s highest court to reject limits on mifepristone’s use imposed by lower courts, at least as long as the legal case makes it way through the courts. They say women who want the drug and providers who dispense it will face chaos if limits on the drug take effect. Depending on what the justices decide, that could include requiring women to take a higher dosage of the drug than the FDA says is necessary.

Alliance Defending Freedom, representing anti-abortion doctors and medical groups in a challenge to the drug, is defending the rulings in calling on the Supreme Court to let the restrictions take effect now.

The legal fight over abortion comes less than a year after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">conservative justices reversed Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and allowed more than a dozen states to effectively ban abortion outright.

Even as the abortion landscape changed dramatically in several states,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-mifepristone-abortion-drug-3855bb5d5c791e4c0465958bae94519e">abortion opponents</a>&nbsp;set their sights on medication abortions, which make up more than half of all abortions in the United States.

The abortion opponents filed suit in November in Amarillo, Texas. The legal challenge quickly reached the Supreme Court after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">a federal judge issued a ruling</a>&nbsp;on April 7 that would revoke FDA approval of mifepristone, one of two drugs used in medication abortions.

Less than a week later, a federal appeals court modified the ruling so that mifepristone would remain available while the case continues, but with limits. The appeals court said that the drug can’t be mailed or dispensed as a generic and that patients who seek it need to make three in-person visits with a doctor, among other things.

The generic version of mifepristone makes up two-thirds of the supply in the United States, its manufacturer, Las Vegas-based GenBioPro Inc., wrote in a court filing that underscored the perils of allowing the restrictions to be put into effect.

The court also said the drug should only be approved through seven weeks of pregnancy for now, even though the FDA since 2016 has endorsed its use through 10 weeks of pregnancy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681934229833.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By MARK SHERMAN Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has temporarily extended women's access to an abortion pill until Friday while the justices consider whether to allow restrictions on mifepristone to take effect as a legal challenge to the medication's Food and Drug Administration approval continues.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/041923zr1_kjfm.pdf">In an order</a>&nbsp;signed by Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday, the court indicated it will act by Friday night. Alito provided no explanation for why the court put off a more lasting decision.The justices had given themselves a deadline on Wednesday in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-judge-matthew-kacsmaryk-abortion-pill-fda-75964b777ef09593a1ad948c6cfc0237">a fast-moving case from Texas</a>&nbsp;in which abortion opponents are seeking to roll back FDA approval mifepristone. used in the most common method of abortion in the United StatesThe drug first won FDA approval in 2000, and conditions on its use have been loosened in recent years, including making it available by mail in states that allow access.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mifepristone-ff152a443d8439e8fa5d9376070822b2">The Biden administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories</a>, the maker of the drug, want the nation’s highest court to reject limits on mifepristone’s use imposed by lower courts, at least as long as the legal case makes it way through the courts. They say women who want the drug and providers who dispense it will face chaos if limits on the drug take effect. Depending on what the justices decide, that could include requiring women to take a higher dosage of the drug than the FDA says is necessary.Alliance Defending Freedom, representing anti-abortion doctors and medical groups in a challenge to the drug, is defending the rulings in calling on the Supreme Court to let the restrictions take effect now.The legal fight over abortion comes less than a year after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">conservative justices reversed Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and allowed more than a dozen states to effectively ban abortion outright.Even as the abortion landscape changed dramatically in several states,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-mifepristone-abortion-drug-3855bb5d5c791e4c0465958bae94519e">abortion opponents</a>&nbsp;set their sights on medication abortions, which make up more than half of all abortions in the United States.The abortion opponents filed suit in November in Amarillo, Texas. The legal challenge quickly reached the Supreme Court after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">a federal judge issued a ruling</a>&nbsp;on April 7 that would revoke FDA approval of mifepristone, one of two drugs used in medication abortions.Less than a week later, a federal appeals court modified the ruling so that mifepristone would remain available while the case continues, but with limits. The appeals court said that the drug can’t be mailed or dispensed as a generic and that patients who seek it need to make three in-person visits with a doctor, among other things.The generic version of mifepristone makes up two-thirds of the supply in the United States, its manufacturer, Las Vegas-based GenBioPro Inc., wrote in a court filing that underscored the perils of allowing the restrictions to be put into effect.The court also said the drug should only be approved through seven weeks of pregnancy for now, even though the FDA since 2016 has endorsed its use through 10 weeks of pregnancy.Complicating the situation, a federal judge in Washington has ordered the FDA to preserve access to mifepristone under the current rules in 17 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia that filed a separate lawsuit.The Biden administration has said the rulings conflict and create an untenable situation for the FDA.In an order issued last Friday by Alito, the court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mifepristone-ff152a443d8439e8fa5d9376070822b2">put the restrictions on hold</a>&nbsp;through Wednesday to give the court time to consider the emergency appeal.If the justices aren't inclined to block the ruling from taking effect for now, the Democratic administration and Danco have a fallback argument, asking the court to take up the challenge to mifepristone, hear arguments and decide the case by early summer.The court only rarely takes such a step before at least one appeals court has thoroughly examined the legal issues involved.The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans already has ordered an accelerated schedule for hearing the case, with arguments set for May 17.Mifepristone has been available for use in medication abortions in the United States since the FDA granted approval in 2000. Since then, more than 5 million women have used it, along with another drug, misoprostol, to induce abortions.