AP-Newswatch

Supreme Court to weigh state moves to cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Wednesday it will consider South Carolina’s move to cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, the latest abortion-related case since overturning it as a nationwide right. The court took up an appeal from the state Wednesday, agreeing to consider the legal question of whether Medicaid patients can sue over their right to choose their own qualified provider. South Carolina moved in 2018 to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood, which uses the money for family planning rather than abortions. Lower courts have blocked the order, finding the law gives patients the right to choose their own providers.

Senate passes defense bill that will raise troop pay and aims to counter China’s power

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a defense bill that authorize significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members and boost overall military spending to $895 billion. It also strips coverage of transgender medical treatments for children of military members. The annual defense authorization bill usually gains strong bipartisan support and hasn’t failed to pass Congress in nearly six decades. But the Pentagon policy measure in recent years has become a battleground for cultural issues. Republicans this year sought to tack on priorities for social conservatives to the legislation. Still, all but a handful of Senate Democrats — as well as nearly all Republicans — voted Wednesday for the bill’s final passage, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden.

Federal Reserve cuts its key rate by a quarter-point but envisions fewer reductions next year

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point — its third cut this year — but also signaled that it expects to reduce rates more slowly next year than it previously envisioned, largely because of still-elevated inflation. The Fed’s 19 policymakers projected that they will cut their benchmark rate by a quarter-point just twice in 2025, down from their estimate in September of four rate cuts. Their new projections suggest that consumers may not enjoy much lower rates next year for mortgages, auto loans, credit cards and other forms of borrowing.

Families scramble to help after deadly cyclone rips through French territory of Mayotte off Africa

MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte (AP) — Relatives of families struggling after Cyclone Chido ripped through the French island territory of Mayotte expressed helplessness Wednesday, a day before France’s president and another 180 tons of aid were expected to arrive. Some survivors and aid groups have described hasty burials, the stench of bodies and the devastation of precarious informal settlements whose population of migrants makes it even more challenging to determine the number of dead. Mayotte in the Indian Ocean off Africa’s east coast, is France’s poorest territory and a magnet for migrants hoping to reach Europe. Already, France’s interior minister this week has proposed cracking down.

Wisconsin police go quiet on school shooting as search for answers continues

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin police did not plan any public updates Wednesday into the extremely rare religious school shooting that killed a teacher and a student and wounded six others, a day after the city’s mayor chastised reporters and urged them to leave victims alone. Police have been tight-lipped about why a 15-year-old student at Abundant Life Christian Christian School shot and killed a fellow student and teacher on Monday, before shooting herself. Madison’s police chief released the name of the shooter, Natalie “Samantha” Rupnow, hours after the shooting on Monday. But police have yet to release the names of the two people she killed.

Families of hostages endure uncertainty even as hopes rise for a ceasefire in Gaza

KIRYAT GAT, Israel (AP) — A released hostage in Gaza is fighting to save her boyfriend, who remains in captivity. Ilana Gritzewsky fears time is running out for her partner, Matan Zangauker, even as talks for a ceasefire deal progress. In the deal under discussion, mostly women and older people are expected to be freed first. That leaves uncertainty for young men like Zangauker. Gritzewsky was freed from Gaza herself last year after 55 days of captivity. She knows the harsh conditions and suffering those still held are experiencing. She and Zangauker’s mother have become vocal activists. They are urging Israel to secure the release of all hostages at once. Gritzewsky says she cannot begin to heal until her boyfriend and others are brought home.

What Americans think of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his health stances

WASHINGTON (AP) — New polling shows Republicans hold an overwhelmingly positive view of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and most approve of President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to put Kennedy in the incoming administration. But recent polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and AP VoteCast also shows that Americans overall are less positive about Kennedy. Also, there isn’t broad support for some of his stands, which include closer scrutiny of vaccine recommendations, additives in foods and pharmaceutical drugs. If confirmed by the Senate, Kennedy will be charged with leading the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency researches vaccines, approves prescription drugs and provides health insurance for roughly half the country.

Health officials say Louisiana patient is first severe bird flu case in US

NEW YORK (AP) — A person in Louisiana has been hospitalized with the first severe illness caused by bird flu in the U.S., health officials said Wednesday. The patient is in critical condition with severe respiratory symptoms. The person had been in contact with sick and dead birds in backyard flocks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Previous illnesses in the U.S. had been mild and the vast majority had been among farmworkers exposed to sick poultry or dairy cows. The CDC confirmed the Louisiana infection on Friday, but did not announce it until Wednesday. It’s also the first U.S. human case linked to exposure to a backyard flock.

Russia says it has detained a suspect in the Moscow bombing that killed a senior general

Russia’s security service says it has detained a citizen from Uzbekistan in the bombing that killed a senior general as he left his Moscow apartment — a bold assassination that was claimed by Ukraine’s security service. Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov was killed Tuesday by a bomb hidden on an electric scooter outside his apartment building, a day after Ukraine’s security service leveled criminal charges against him. His assistant, Ilya Polikarpov, also was killed. Russia’s Federal Security Service says the suspect said he was recruited by Ukraine’s security service and promised $100,000 and resettlement in a European Union country. The Associated Press couldn’t confirm the conditions under which the suspect spoke to the FSB.