Danco seeks Supreme Court stay of ruling that pauses mail-order access to abortion drugs

By Ismail Shakil

May 2 (Reuters) - Pharmaceutical company Danco Laboratories filed an application with the U.S. Supreme Court on Saturday seeking a stay of an appeals court ruling that ‌temporarily blocks the abortion drug mifepristone from being dispensed through the mail.

The appeals court ‌ruling was issued unanimously by a conservative three-judge panel on Friday, significantly curtailing access to the drug nationwide and particularly in ​states that have banned abortion.

The temporary decision was made in a case brought by Republican-led state of Louisiana claiming the FDA in adopting a 2023 rule - which allows mifepristone to be dispensed through the mail - had ignored the risks of serious adverse events posed by the drug, including sepsis and hemorrhaging. ‌The panel ruled that Louisiana was ⁠likely to prevail in its challenge.

Danco, in its Supreme Court application, said the ruling "injects immediate confusion and upheaval into highly time-sensitive medical decisions—and it forces Danco, ⁠FDA, certified Mifeprex providers, patients, and pharmacies all to guess at what is allowed and what is not."

While that ruling is temporary, it is the first to significantly curtail access to mifepristone in a series of ​lawsuits ​challenging the drug's initial approval in 2000 and subsequent ​rules making it easier to obtain. The ‌2023 U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulation removed a requirement that mifepristone be dispensed in person.

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In states where abortion is legal and doctors are permitted to prescribe drugs via telehealth, fewer than 2% of prescriptions for abortion drugs are filled in person, according to research from the University of Southern California.

Drug companies GenBioPro and Danco Laboratories have intervened in Louisiana's lawsuit to defend the FDA regulation. The ‌brand-name version of mifepristone, Mifeprex, is Danco's only product.

The Supreme ​Court in 2024 took up a challenge to the ​mail-order rule by medical groups and doctors, ​but ruled that they lacked legal standing to sue. Missouri, Kansas and Idaho have ‌taken over that case, which is pending.

U.S. ​District Judge David Joseph in ​an April 7 decision had paused Louisiana's lawsuit pending a review by President Donald Trump's administration of the safety of mifepristone, which, according to media reports, has been delayed until after the ​November midterm elections.

The judge denied Louisiana's ‌request to block the 2023 rule but agreed with the state that it was ​likely unlawful, indicating he would rule that way when the case resumes.

(Reporting by Ismail ​Shakil and Tom Hals, Editing by Franklin Paul)

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May 03, 2026

Danco seeks Supreme Court stay of ruling that pauses mail-order access to abortion drugs

By Ismail Shakil May 2 (Reuters) - Pharmaceutical company Danco Laboratories filed an application with the U.S. Supreme Court on ...

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“Half Man” director on filming that Alby shocker: 'When I read the script, I gasped'

Half Man director Alexandra Brodski talks shooting that big Alby shocker in the episode 2 ending.

Key Points

• "When I read the script, I gasped," the filmmaker tells EW.

• Brodski explains how the wedding sequences were shot in about five different locations.

Warning: This article contains spoilers forHalf Manepisode 2.

Half Mandirector Alexandra Brodski, who helmed the first three of the six-episode limited series fromBaby ReindeerEmmy-sweeper Richard Gadd, shares her reaction to the big Alby reveal at the end of episode 2.

"When I read the script, I gasped," the London-based German-Russian filmmaker tellsEntertainment Weekly. "To be honest, I just did everything I could to communicate that feeling because I think it is so shocking."

Episode 2 chronicles young Niall's (Mitchell Robertson) move to university and the havoc Ruben (Stuart Campbell) wreaks on his life. With a gentle hand from his new classmate and potential boyfriend, Alby (Bilal Hasna), Niall begins to come to terms with his sexuality. Then Ruben, in a fit of rage, brutally bludgeons Alby in the common room until the boy is unrecognizable.

And just as viewers are left reeling from this violent moment, a time jump back to the wedding of the present shows Niall (Jamie Bell) is in fact marrying adult Alby (Charlie de Melo), who still bears the lingering facial scars from that same beating years prior. It's what makes Ruben's (Gadd) surprise appearance at the ceremony all the more frightening.

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The wedding shoot was "quite complicated," Brodski notes, because what looks like one location is really about five. "They're all quite spread," the director explains. "We'd be looking for this kind of stone and so many places would have one building like that and everything around it would be modern. We basically combined, like, five different locations."

The Alby reveal in the chapel was filmed at the end of the schedule, as a result.

"Some of the things we already knew when we were shooting and some of the things just developed later on," the director says, one of them being the song "Only You" by Yaz, which they inserted over the chapel scene in the editing phase. "It was a good combination of keeping it planned, but also keeping it organic...What we want to do is to really shock the audience, but also intrigue them to obviously keep watching and figure out the story of how this came about."

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

New episodes ofHalf Mancontinue to premiere on HBO and HBO Max Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

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“Half Man” director on filming that Alby shocker: 'When I read the script, I gasped'

Half Man director Alexandra Brodski talks shooting that big Alby shocker in the episode 2 ending. Key Points ...

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Giving families an extra £20 a week could cut children’s chances of entering care, study finds

An extra £20 per week could reduce the chances ofchildrenwho are living below the poverty line from entering the care system, a new study has found.

Researchers analysed data from six local authorities inLondonand south-east England and found that children living in the poorest households were more likely to experience repeat involvement with social care services and likely to be placed on child protection plans.

Across these areas, 300 additional child protection plans were associated with children in the most financially disadvantaged homes, highlighting the role of severe poverty in shaping child welfare involvement once families enter the system.

These plans are estimated to be costing local authorities around £3.6m over three years.

However, an examination of the £20 uplift to Universal Credit during the Covid-19 pandemic showed that children within those households were less likely to progress to child protection plans compared to those who weren’t eligible.

It also showed they were more likely to receive lower-level support, suggesting that modern increases in income can prevent escalation of social care.

Parents and carers who spoke to researchers said that they were struggling to make ends meet due to debt, rising living costs, childcare expenses, housing insecurity and related health challenges.

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Financial hardships was found to impact on children’s health, emotional wellbeing and school attendance, as well as contributing to stress felt by parents.

The study, which was led by Kingston University in collaboration with the National Children’s Bureau, Policy in Practice, the University of Sussex and Research in Practice, with funding from the Nuffield Foundation, has called for agencies to identify financial hardship at the earlier point of contact.

Professor Rick Hood from Kingston University London said: “This study shows that when families’ incomes fall, involvement with children’s social care can increase - and when incomes rise, it can reduce the need for more intensive intervention. Even relatively small improvements in income can make a meaningful difference to families under pressure.

“This has clear implications for policy. Decisions that reduce support for low-income families risk increasing demand on child protection services, while measures that strengthen family finances can help prevent problems escalating in the first place.”

They have called for social care teams to be equipped with training to identify financial hardship and for practitioners to hold respectful conversations about family finances, to help reduce stigma and encourage families to share information about their needs.

Keith Clements, senior researcher at the National Children’s Bureau, said: “During the course of this study, the social care professionals we spoke to described being powerless to support families at an early stage where addressing their financial needs might make a difference in preventing their problems from escalating.

“This clearly needs to change. But it must be done in a way that recognises the considerable stigma, judgement, and discomfort that parents feel when quizzed about their incomes by social care staff.”

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May 02, 2026

Giving families an extra £20 a week could cut children’s chances of entering care, study finds

An extra £20 per week could reduce the chances ofchildrenwho are living below the poverty line from entering the care system, a new stu...

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Man charged with possessing meth-making substances at Michigan State

LANSING, MI — A man has been accused of possessing substances to operate a methamphetamine lab after authorities found him inside the largest academic building at Michigan State University, police said.

Xin Tong, 31, was charged on April 29 with malicious destruction of property and possessing substances to operate a meth lab, according to the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office. Tong wasdiscovered inside Wells Hallat around 9:30 p.m. local time on April 26 after campus police responded to a call about a suspicious person, odor, and substances on the floor.

He was initially charged with misdemeanor trespassing after he was found carrying multiple bags in the building, according to court documents. After a search was conducted, officers found multiple substances that are known to be used to manufacture methamphetamine.

Authorities said he was also in possession of an expired student identification card but had no apparent current affiliation with the school

During an arraignment hearing on April 29, Ingham County Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Nicole Matusko told a judge that Tong wasnot a current studentat Michigan State University and had not been enrolled since 2022. Police and university officials have not responded to questions about how Tong gained access to the building or how often he frequented the building before April 26.

The announcement of Tong's arrest came two days after the universitysuddenly closed Wells Hallat the start of final exams week. The university initially said thebuilding would closefor the day on April 27 after an "unknown chemical" was found, but later shifted course and announced it would beclosed all week.

Michigan State University Vice President and Chief Communications Officer Emily Guerrant did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Tong's affiliation with the school, reported the Lansing State Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Damage still being assessed

Campus police listed his offense date in court records as April 10, 16 days before authorities said they found him in the building with chemicals and materials that can be used to manufacture methamphetamine.

Campus police said in a statement that Tong had sodium hydroxide pellets, hydrochloric acid, methanol, isopropyl alcohol, acetone, and butane, all of which can be purchased legally through retail stores or online.

Court documents said the substances caused an estimated $20,000 in damages, specifically in doors and flooring at the university. During a news conference on April 29, Michigan State University Police Chief Mike Yankowski said the damage is still being assessed, but is a "significant amount more than $20,000."

Tong is being held at the Ingham County jail on a $500,000 cash bond, according to court records. He would face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $25,000 if convicted on the methamphetamine lab charge, and up to 10 years and/or $15,000 or three times the amount of the destruction, whichever is greater, if convicted on the property destruction charge.

A jail inmate database indicates the U.S. Department of Homeland Security placed a bond hold on Tong, effective April 28. Tong is scheduled for a preliminary examination on May 14.

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700 pounds of meth found in cucumbers.Feds say smugglers use fruits, veggies as cover.

Michigan State University building evacuated hours after police found bags with unknown substances

Yankowski said officers responded to a malicious destruction of property call on April 23. Officers also responded to other calls about unknown substances found on floors and doors throughout Wells Hall, but Yankowski did not specify when those calls occurred.

When officers responded to a call on April 26, they found Tong on the fifth floor of the building with four to five bags, according to Yankowski. Officers received a search warrant to review the bags around 4 a.m. on April 27, at which point several labeled and unlabeled containers with unknown liquids were found, Yankowski said.

"All of this was occurring early on Monday morning, and because of the presence of those unknown substances, the MSU Police Department made the decision to evacuate Wells Hall so we could have a better understanding of what these substances are," Yankowski said.

The announcement that Wells Hall was being evacuated and closed came shortly after 10 a.m. on April 27, hours after a search warrant was obtained and after some students arrived at the building for final exams. He said the investigation continued from April 27 into April 28, when the building was closed again, and an additional search was conducted.

Yankowski did not say whether Tong was seen on the cameras entering the building. He said Wells Hall is typically open from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. local time during the week and closed on weekends, though it is sometimes open for events.

The investigation remains active and ongoing, and the department is continuing to review digital evidence and awaiting lab results from the Michigan State Police, according to Yankowski.

Campus police say they did not 'locate a methamphetamine laboratory'

In an update on the investigation on April 30, Michigan State University police said they "did not locate a methamphetamine laboratory inside Wells Hall."

"The suspect was found in possession of chemicals and/or equipment that could be used in the production of methamphetamine, which were contained within his personal property," according to campus police. "The felony malicious destruction of building criminal charge is based on allegations that between April 10 and April 26, the suspect intentionally damaged and/or destroyed property within Wells Hall."

Wells Hall was supposed to hold 50 exams on April 27 before the closure was announced. The building is just east of Spartan Stadium and about a half-mile walk away from the Breslin Center,where around a dozen graduation ceremonieswill be held at the university before the end of the weekend.

Bralyn Campbell told theDetroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, that he was halfway through the final exam in his second-year Japanese course when an alarm sounded inside Wells Hall on the morning of April 27. He said students had noticed a bunch of police officers outside, but did not learn until later that they were investigating whether there was a meth lab in the building.

"I thought it was interesting because we weren't told anything about what was going on, just that there was a potential, like, chemical leak," Campbell said. "When we saw the news that it was like a meth lab thing, it was like a couple days after."

Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY; John Wisely, Detroit Free Press

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal:Man accused of possessing materials to run meth lab at Michigan State

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May 02, 2026

Man charged with possessing meth-making substances at Michigan State

LANSING, MI — A man has been accused of possessing substances to operate a methamphetamine lab after authorities found him inside the l...

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Spirit Airlines is closing down. Thousands of employees and travelers are impacted.

Spirit Airlines is shutting down, in a move that will affect thousands of scheduled flights and nearly as many employees.

The troubled budget carrier cancelled all flights and announced an “orderly wind-down” of operations, effective immediately early Saturday.

“To our Guests: all flights have been cancelled, and customer service is no longer available,” the company said in a statement. “We are proud of the impact of our ultra-low-cost model on the industry over the last 34 years and had hoped to serve our Guests for many years to come,” it added.

Spirit, which has struggled to maintain consistent profitability since the Covid-19 pandemic, had been looking to emerge from its second bankruptcy in less than a year. But those plans were derailed amid soaring jet fuel costs sparked by the outbreak of the war with Iran.

Last month, Spirit approached the White House for financial assistance, and President Donald Trump initially appeared receptive. But on Friday, reports surfaced that a wind-down was imminent after negotiations between the company, its bond holders and the White Houseappeared to break down.

On the website dedicated to its shutdown, the airline said passengers should not go to the airport and that all Spirit flights are cancelled, directing them to a page for refund status and next steps.

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At its height of success in the mid-2010s, Spirit opened as many as 28 new routes in less than a year and the company was valued at as much as $6 billion. It attracted passengers with its “bare fare” offerings, where everything from drinks to overhead carry-on bags cost extra, while base airfare was kept to a minimum.

And while it only carried a small slice of the flying public, Spirit's profitability was, at one point, among the top three of major U.S. airlines.

Long the subject of takeover rumors in an industry known for them, Spirit attempted to sell itself to JetBlue in 2022 after it struggled to regain financial footing in the wake of the pandemic. Had that happened, it would have created the fifth-largest airline in the country.

But Biden-era officials at the Justice Department argued that the combination would violate federal antitrust regulations, and in 2024 a judge sided with them and struck down the merger agreement.

Within months, Spirit filed for bankruptcy protection for the first time to satisfy debt obligations — the first major U.S. airline to file for Chapter 11 since 2011.

A judge approved a reorganization plan in early 2025, only for the airline to file once again in August amid weakening demand among budget flyers and spiraling costs. Talks abouta proposed merger with Frontier Airlines emerged in December,but ultimately led nowhere.

Spirit traces its origins to a Michigan-based trucking company founded in the 1960s, with air operations starting up in the 1980s. In 1999, the company moved its headquarters to the Fort Lauderdale area in Florida, where it has been located ever since. At the end of 2025, it employed approximately 17,000 personnel.

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May 01, 2026

Spirit Airlines is closing down. Thousands of employees and travelers are impacted.

Spirit Airlines is shutting down, in a move that will affect thousands of scheduled flights and nearly as many employees. The tro...

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MAPA! Trump’s NASA Administrator wants to bring back Pluto as a planet in our solar system

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacmanwants to put an end to a decades-long debate among scientists. IsPlutoaplanetor not?

Isaacman says it should be — but it hasn’t been one for 20 years. That’s because of a decision fromthe International Astronomical Union, which said it met the definition of a dwarf planet due to the other objects that orbit chilly Pluto. But, critics point out that Earth and Jupiter share orbital space withasteroidsand research since 2006 has revealed more about Pluto.

“I am very much in the camp of [making] Pluto a planet again,” the billionaire SpaceX astronaut told Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran Tuesday in ahearingon Capitol Hill, adding that some papers were underway to “revisit this discussion.”

He had previouslyrespondedto aposton the social media platform X asking for him to make Pluto a planet again. “We are looking into this,” Isaacman wrote. The position also has continued support fromformer Administrator Jim Bridenstine.

However, experts on Pluto remain very much divided on the issue.

“While NASA administrators are free to wax nostalgic for the days when Pluto was a planet, the actual scientists working in the field will continue to try to explain and classify objects in the solar system in the way that actually helps us understand the world in which we live,” Mike Brown, a professor of planetary astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, toldThe Independentin an email.

Brown, who announced in 2016 that he had found evidence fora ninth planetat 5,000 times the mass of Pluto,had a handin the International Astronomical Union’s decision andwrote a book about killing Pluto’s status as a planet in 2011.

The union acknowledges that its decision continues to fuel intense emotions — but that its definition of what makes a planet remains accurate, a spokesperson also toldThe Independent.

“We understand that many people feel Pluto was ‘demoted; but in fact, Pluto became the leading object of a new family of solar system bodies,” Ramasamy Venugopal, press and media coordinator for the International Astronomical Union, wrote in an emailed statement. “...Scientific classifications are determined through international consensus and evidence-based processes. While they are not subject to unilateral change, they can be amended if the supporting evidence changes.”

Adam Frank, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Rochester, said that the science behind demoting Pluto was “really important and really exciting.” Frank wrote a pieceinForbeson Tuesday telling people to quit “whining” about Pluto’s fate.

“Pluto is part of the rest of the solar system, the outer parts that are construction debris left over from building the planets. We didn’t know this just 30 years ago,” he toldThe Independent.

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Still, others are not as settled on the terminology.

“Of course Pluto's a planet, butit isa dwarf planet, a subspecies of planet. The argument seems to swirl about those who wish to say whether dwarf planets are or are not planets. This is a waste of time,” Bill McKinnon, Director of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, toldThe Independent. “Pluto is part of the rest of the solar system, the outer parts that are construction debris left over from building the planets. We didn’t know this just 30 years ago.”

“Pluto is round, has an atmosphere, active geology and five (!) moons. What more does a planet need?” he asked, noting that he wasn’t trying to pretend it’s as big or in the same category as Mars or Earth.

Pluto was discovered in 1930 by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh and named – after the Greek god of the underworld – by an 11-year-old English girl named Venetia Burney, according toNASA. It was declared the ninth planet in our solar system.

Although it is only about 1,400 miles wide – half the width of the U.S. – recent findings show that itmay harbor a deep ocean,contain an “active” heartandhave icy mountainsrising as high as 11,000 feet.

But, the thing is that there are many other dwarf planets out there. The union has only recognized five so far, butmore than 100may wait to be discovered, the space agency notes. And Ceres, which was also previously classified as a planet, is closer to Earth and is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

“It’s easier to have a solar system with eight planets than with, say, 12 or more if all the Pluto-sized bodies get in the mix. If Pluto is a planet again, things get complicated for all those other dwarf planets,” Adeene Denton, a geologist and planetary scientist who worked onresearchabout Pluto’s heart, toldThe Independent. “I personally subscribe to what’s sometimes called the geologic/geophysical definition of a planet – if it’s big enough to have its own active geology, it’s a planet!”

Denton’s colleague Erik Ian Asphaug, a planetary science professor at the University of Arizona, said that the formal definition of a planet “has a lot of problems.”

“If one day we discover an Earth-mass planet full of inhabitants, orbiting a super-Jupiter, it would not be a planet according to the IAU — how silly is that!” he said.

To once again be officially labeled one of the planets of our solar system, it would need the backing of the union. As of today, that looks largely unlikely.

But for many, Pluto has remained a planet — if only in heart and mind.

“When Pluto was discovered at Lowell Observatory in 1930, it was classified as a planet. In the hearts and minds of many scientists and the public, it has remained a beloved planet, despite its reclassification to a dwarf planet in 2006,” Amanda Bosh, the the Executive Director of Arizona’s Lowell Observatory toldThe Independent.

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May 01, 2026

MAPA! Trump’s NASA Administrator wants to bring back Pluto as a planet in our solar system

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacmanwants to put an end to a decades-long debate among scientists. IsPlutoaplanetor not? Isaacman say...

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David Allan Coe, who wrote 'Take This Job and Shove It' and other country hits, dies at 86

David Allan Coe, the country singer-songwriter who wrote the working class anthem “Take This Job and Shove It″ and had hits with “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” and “The Ride” among others, has died. He was 86.

Obit David Allan Coe

Coe's wife confirmed his death to Rolling Stone on Wednesday.

Whether he was labeled outlaw or underground, Coe was clearly an outsider in Nashville's music establishment, even throughout his successes as an in-demand songwriter and singer, eventually developing a core following around his raw, often obscene lyrics and a checkered and somewhat mysterious past.

His wife, Kimberly, posted on Facebook on in September 2021 that he had been hospitalized with COVID-19 and he made few appearances since then.

He did concert tours with Willie Nelson, Kid Rock, Neil Young and others. He wrote “Take This Job and Shove It,” a hit by Johnny Paycheck in 1977, and “Would You Lay With Me (in a Field of Stone),” a hit by Tanya Tucker in 1974. He was also the first country singer to record “Tennessee Whiskey,” penned by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, that has since become a genre standard and hits for George Jones and Chris Stapleton.

His own country hit recordings included “You Never Even Call Me by My Name,” written by Steve Goodman and an uncredited John Prine; “The Ride,” and “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile.” Coe also appeared in a handful of movies, including “Stagecoach” and “Take this Job and Shove It,” which was named after his song.

Coe, born in Akron, Ohio, spent time in reformatories as a youngster, and served time in an Ohio prison from 1963 to 1967 for possession of burglary tools. He also has said he spent time with the Outlaws motorcycle club, but some of the tales about his prison time and his personal life have been wildly exaggerated over the years.

“I’d have never made it through prison without my music,” he said in an AP interview in 1983. “No one could take it (music) away from me. They could put me in the hole with nothing to do but I could still make up a song in my head.”

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He recorded his first album, a blues album called “Penitentiary Blues,” using songs that he wrote in prison. He later told reporters that he tried not to lean too heavily on prison as a topic for songs because of the similarities to the backstory of Merle Haggard, but that his criminal history was all people seemed interested in focusing on.

Coe recorded next for Columbia Records and did the album “The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy,” which became his nickname after performing in a rhinestone suit and wearing a mask.

During the heyday of the outlaw movement, Coe placed himself at the center of the scene, with songs like “Longhaired Redneck,” which featured lyrics about performing in dive bars, “Where bikers stare at cowboys who are laughing at the hippies who are praying they’ll get out of here alive.”

He was featured in the acclaimed documentary about the outlaw country movement called “Heartworn Highways,” in which he performs a concert at a Tennessee prison.

Coe, himself heavily tattooed and sporting long hair, claimed a diverse fan base that included bikers, doctors, lawyers and bankers. His last record, released in 2006, was a collaboration with Dimebag Darrell and other former members of the heavy metal group Pantera.

He released two R-rated albums, 1978′s “Nothing Sacred” and 1982′s “Underground Album,” that he sold via biker magazines. The songs on these albums have been criticized for being racist, homophobic and sexually explicit. He told “Billboard” magazine in 2001 that author and songwriter Shel Silverstein convinced him to record the songs he had written, something he had come to regret.

“Those were meant to be sung around the campfire for bikers, and I still don’t sing those songs in concert,” he said.

In 2016, Coe was ordered to pay the IRS more than $980,000 in restitution for obstructing the tax agency and was sentenced to three years’ probation. Court documents say Coe earned income from at least 100 concerts yearly from 2008 through 2013 and either didn’t file individual income tax returns or pay taxes when he did file.

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May 01, 2026

David Allan Coe, who wrote 'Take This Job and Shove It' and other country hits, dies at 86

David Allan Coe, the country singer-songwriter who wrote the working class anthem “Take This Job and Shove It″ and had hits with “You N...

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