May 29, 2020 - Health

Ruling allows Missouri's last abortion clinic to remain open

The Planned Parenthood facility in St. Louis, Mo. Photo: Michael Thomas/Getty Images

Missouri's only abortion clinic can stay open and operating according to a state administrator's Friday decision, the AP reports.

Why it matters: Without the Planned Parenthood facility in St. Louis, Missouri would be the first state in the U.S. without an abortion clinic since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling in 1974. But the facility was found to have “substantially complied” with state law, according to Missouri Administrative Hearing Commissioner Sreenivasa Rao Dandamudi.

  • Missouri made the case for not renewing the Planned Parenthood facility's license after state officials said that three "failed abortions" there called for additional surgeries while another led to life-threatening complications for the mother.
  • Planned Parenthood challenged Missouri's decision to not renew, arguing the threat of denying the license served as a plot to eliminate abortions in the state. Planned Parenthood's challenge resulted in an administrative hearing last October.

Worth noting: A federal judge in 2019 blocked a Missouri ban on abortions after eight weeks from going into effect.

What to watch: A Planned Parenthood spokeswoman said the decision will mean the clinic’s license is active through May 2021, per AP. It is unclear if the state will go to court to overturn Friday's decision.

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Rebecca Falconer
Aug 5, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Progressive activist Cori Bush beats incumbent Rep. William Lacy Clay

Cori Bush, who features in "Knock Down the House," about progressives who ran for Congress in 2018, canvasses in St Louis, Missouri, Monday. Photo: Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images

Progressive challenger Cori Bush, who featured in the Netflix documentary "Knock Down the House," defeated Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) in the Democratic primary late Tuesday, AP reports.

Why it matters: She'd be the first Black Congress member to represent Missouri if she were elected to the House in November, per the New York Times. Clay, who's been in office for nearly 20 years, beat Bush in 2018. The former homeless woman, now a nurse and ordained pastor, led protests in Ferguson, Missouri, over the 2014 fatal police shooting of Black teen Michael Brown. Bush was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Axios
Updated 28 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 6:15 p.m. ET: 30,611,684 — Total deaths: 953,820— Total recoveries: 20,836,867 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 6:15 p.m. ET: 6,756,781 — Total deaths: 199,090 — Total recoveries: 2,556,465 — Total tests: 93,150,052 — Map.
  3. Politics: In reversal, CDC again recommends coronavirus testing for asymptomatic people.
  4. Health: The dwindling chances of eliminating COVID-19.
  5. World: Guatemalan president tests positive for COVID-19 — The countries painting their pandemic recoveries green.
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Jacob Knutson
58 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Trump says he expects to announce a Supreme Court nominee "next week"

President Trump speaking prior to his departure from the White House on Sept. 19. Photo: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images

President Trump said Saturday he expects to announce a nominee for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's vacant Supreme Court seat “next week” and that the person will “most likely" be a woman.

What he's saying: "If somebody were to ask me now, I would say that a woman would be in first place, yes. The choice of a woman, I would say, would certainly be appropriate," the president told pool reporters.

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