Mifepristone, An Italian Brawl, El Niño, & Pharma Bro
June 14, 2024
Hello, readers – happy Friday! Today, we’re talking about reproductive rights, El Niño, a fight in Italy, President Milei’s win, “Trump Too Small,” Evan Gershkovich’s case, and Pharma Bro.
Here’s some good news: Scientists have developed a glowing dye that sticks to cancer cells and gives surgeons a “second pair of eyes” to remove them. Also, a common antimalarial drug could also be used to treat polycystic ovarian syndrome.
“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffett
One Step Forward After A Few Steps Back (And Then…Another Step Back)
Yesterday, almost exactly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the court (surprisingly) unanimously rejected a challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone, agreeing that the group of anti-abortion doctors challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s move to make it easier to access the pill did not have legal standing to sue. The court’s ruling also left in place decisions that allow women to obtain the pill within 10 weeks of gestation instead of seven, and for health care providers other than physicians to dispense the pill.
Unfortunately, that was the extent of the good luck for reproductive rights yesterday. As part of their ongoing campaign to get Republicans on the record about certain key policy points, Democrats put forth a bill that would guarantee access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) nationwide. The legislation failed to advance in a procedural vote held yesterday 48-47 – it would have needed 60 votes to advance. Republicans criticized the Democrat-led legislation as unnecessary overreach. “Why should we vote for a bill that fixes a non-existent problem? There’s not a problem. There’s no restrictions on IVF, nor should there be,” GOP Sen. John Cornyn told reporters. You may recall that just three months ago, IVF was at risk of being outlawed in Alabama…maybe there is a problem, John.
El Niño Says Adios
The latest El Niño has been declared over by scientists after a year of the planet-warming climate pattern. Scientists believe that La Niña (the opposite of an El Niño, if you couldn’t guess) could put a stop to the hot oceans and surface temperatures, but it won’t be enough to reverse the damage that’s already been done.
In a monthly update on what is known as the El Niño Southern Oscillation, scientists at NOAA wrote Thursday that they know El Niño is over because the unusual warmth that developed in Pacific Ocean surface waters last year has mellowed out. That heat in the ocean has a multitude of effects, causing extreme heat waves and drought in some areas and flooding storms in others.
In the same update, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center estimated about a 2-in-3 chance that La Niña forms sometime between July and September. La Niña has its own set of issues, including wet conditions across Southeast Asia and Indonesia, dry conditions in the Southern U.S., and cooler temperatures in southern Asia, eastern Africa, and western South America. The most significant impact, however, is a stronger hurricane season.
Javier’s Having A Good Week
- Argentina’s Senate passed sweeping proposals to slash state spending and boost President Javier Milei’s powers yesterday, which Milei called a “triumph” and “the first step toward the recovery of our greatness.” Data released by the government statistics agency also showed Argentina’s monthly inflation rate sat at 4.2% in May, the lowest rate since January 2022.
- Argentine sovereign bond yields went up 3.5% on the news, and its country-risk index dropped more than 6% when markets opened. Still, some parts of the bill were either removed or watered down after clashes between police and protesters in the capital of Buenos Aires. Using executive powers, Milei has also slashed subsidies for electricity, fuel, and transportation, leading to higher prices and dragging down the economy for many.
That’s A Spicy Parliamentary Meeting
- A fight broke out in the Italian Parliament over the far-right government’s plans to grant regions more autonomy, which critics say will lead to disunity. Five Star Movement deputy Leonardo Donno unfurled an Italian flag in front of regional affairs minister Roberto Calderoli of the pro-autonomy Northern League, and Calderoli’s fellow League deputies left their benches to descend upon Donno.
- The brawl involved about 20 men, and Donna had to be evacuated in a wheelchair before being sent to a hospital. Lawmakers from the Northern League and the Brothers of Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party, accused Donno of provoking the incident and even faking his injuries, while the Five Star Movement called it a “serious and shameful attack.”
More Mixed Nuts
- US submarine pulls into Guantanamo Bay a day after Russian warships arrive in Cuba (AP)
- Ship severely flooded after Houthi attack in Red Sea (BBC)
- Italy accused of scrapping safe abortion guarantee from G7 declaration (Guardian)
- Iranian authorities release French national Louis Arnaud, held for over 20 months (ABC)
- Armenia to withdraw from Russia-led military alliance, accusing members of plotting war (CNN)
Middle East Mixed Nuts
- Rescued hostage’s 1st contact was IDF soldiers dressed as Palestinian women, girlfriend says (ABC)
- Gaza: Israel denies hitting designated ‘safe zone’ following Palestinian news agency report (CNN)
No Case Is Too Small For The Supreme Court
- The Supreme Court doesn’t always get things right, but they have some fun days at least. On top of their mifepristone ruling issued yesterday, the highest court in the land also ruled that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office didn’t violate the First Amendment when it refused to register a trademark for the phrase “Trump Too Small.”
- The dispute stems from California lawyer Steve Elster’s attempt to register the phrase for use on shirts and hats in 2018. The trademark was denied due to a provision of the Lanham Act that bars registration of a mark that consists of the name of a living person without their consent.
A Broadcaster Behind Bars
- The Russian prosecutor’s office announced Thursday that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will stand trial on espionage charges, putting an end to the possibility of more pre-detention appeals. It also marked the first time prosecutors have publicly accused Gershkovich of working for the CIA.
- Prosecutors have alleged (without evidence) that Gershkovich was collecting “secret information” on a tank factory in the Sverdlovsk region. Gershkovich has denied he was involved in any espionage and the U.S. State Department has declared him to be wrongfully detained – he was arrested in March 2023.
More Nuts In America
- Florida braces for more rainfall after days of intense downpour and flash flooding (NBC)
- 8 climate protesters arrested during Congressional Baseball Game (ABC)
- Sen. John Fetterman ‘at fault’ for recent car accident, police report reveals (USA Today)
- Menendez defense tries to undercut ‘super weird’ story about a bell and his wife (Politico)
- President Joe Biden faces first lawsuit over new asylum crackdown at the border (AP)
- California voters may get chance to upgrade charges for some crimes (Guardian)
Secret Albums Rule Everything Around Me
- Cast your mind back about a decade to when Martin Shkreli, A.K.A. “Pharma Bro,” was all over the headlines. Well, guess what? He’s baaaack. Shkreli has been sued in New York by PleasrDAO, a digital art collective. They say they paid $4.75 million for “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” a one-of-a-kind album by Wu-Tang Clan, only to learn that Shkreli made copies and is releasing the music to the public.
- In 2017, Shkreli was convicted of defrauding hedge fund investors and scheming to defraud investors in a drugmaker. He had paid $2 million in 2015 for the album, but gave it up to partially satisfy a $7.4 million forfeiture order. He’s been on social media lately, however, playing the album and bragging about keeping the album. PleasrDAO argues that his actions violate the forfeiture order, amount to misappropriation of trade secrets, and “greatly diminishes and/or destroys the album’s value.”
More Loose Nuts
- A Billionaire Has a Plan to Save the Internet—Buying TikTok Is the Next Step (Wired)
- South Korean Buldak ‘fire noodles’ are too spicy for Denmark (CNN)
- Native American tribe wins right to hunt gray whales off Washington coast (Guardian)
- A community in Australia turned a crocodile from a threat into a feast (NBC)
- X now hides your ‘likes’ from other users, whether you like it or not (NPR)
- Atlanta Falcons forfeit fifth-round pick and fined for tampering with Kirk Cousins (NBC)
