U.S. news in brief, 5/2
Harvey Weinstein will be retried
(Reuters) — Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein will be retried in New York, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said in court on Wednesday, a week after the state’s highest court threw out his 2020 rape conviction. Weinstein appeared in court before Judge Curtis Farber in a wheelchair and a black suit, more than four years after his conviction was hailed as a milestone for the #MeToo movement, in which women accused hundreds of men in entertainment, media, politics and other fields of sexual misconduct.
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VP Harris visits Florida as abortion ban limits women’s options
(Reuters) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris sought to blame Republican candidate Donald Trump for Florida’s six-week abortion ban that took effect on Wednesday, saying his Supreme Court picks when he was president cleared the way for the policy. The remarks in Jacksonville, Florida, were the latest effort by Harris and President Joe Biden to keep their re-election focus on abortion rights, an issue Democrats are hoping will galvanize voters to pick them.
Bird flu testing shows more dairy products are safe, US FDA says
(Reuters) — Preliminary results of tests on additional dairy products show that pasteurization inactivates the bird flu virus, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday. The FDA released further test results on foods including sour cream and cottage cheese, after reporting last week that preliminary results from testing showed pasteurization kills the H5N1 virus in milk and baby formula.
Republican-led US states sue to block gun background checks
(Reuters) — More than two dozen Republican state attorneys general sued the Biden administration on Wednesday to stop a new rule that would require gun dealers to obtain licenses and conduct background checks when selling firearms at gun shows and online. The lawsuits challenge a rule finalized last month that U.S. Justice Department officials said is aimed at closing the “gun show loophole.” Under the rule, those selling weapons at gun shows, other venues and over the internet are subject to the same requirements as gun stores to check the backgrounds of potential buyers.
US judge blocks some restrictions on abortion pill
(Reuters) — A federal judge has struck down parts of a North Carolina law restricting patients’ access to the abortion pill mifepristone, which has become the subject of legal battles nationwide. Chief U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles on Tuesday struck down the state’s requirements that mifepristone be prescribed only by doctors and only in person, as well as a requirement that patients have an in-person follow-up appointment. She said the requirements conflicted with federal law because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) previously considered and rejected them.
