U.S. SUPREME COURT building in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday stepped into the tangled legal thicket of abortion drugs by leaving in place – for five days – the status quo on the federal government’s rules on the pills.

According to the Associated Press,  Associate Justice Samuel Alito issued the stay. The matter began on April 7 when U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk blocked the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone. However, a federal appeals court modified that action and the matter now goes to the high court.

The New York Times reports that the pause will preserve the “broad availability” of the pill while the issue is being settled. The Biden administration has made an emergency request to uphold the FDA’s approval.

At present, abortion pills are widely used and probably exceeds the number of surgical procedures for termination of pregnancy.

Guardman is arrested in leak

AN AIR GUARDSMAN is facing federal charges in the leak of classified documents (Shutterstock).

Jack Teixeira, 21, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, has been charged with illegal possessing and disclosing classified national security documents.

According to United Press International, he was arrested by FBI agents on Thursday. If convicted, he faces a federal prison sentence of up to 10 years.

The leaked documents were found on a computer gaming site and reportedly included “sensitive” information about the war in Ukraine.

Biden concludes Irish visit

President Joe Biden concluded his trip to Ireland on Friday, according to USA Today. “Being here does feel like coming home– it really does,” he said in remarks in County Mayo, where his great-great-grandfather lived before leaving for the U.S.

His audience there was estimated at 27,000 people, who called him “Cousin Joe.”

Sports: Angels fumble way to loss

The Los Angeles Angels outhit the Boston Red Sox 11-3 on Friday at Fenway Park, but fumbled away a chance for a win, losing 5-3.

They committed three errors, hit two batsmen and suffered a wild pitch and a passed ball. Worse, they were 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

The defeat put the Angels at 7-6, good for second place in the American League West one game behind the Texas Rangers (8-5).

Friday’s game in Chicago for the Los Angeles Dodgers was a rainout; a make-up split doubleheader is planned for Saturday.

Also in sports: The Anaheim Ducks fired head coach Dallas Eakins after the team finished the season with the worst record in the National Hockey League.

Weather: Sun makes a cameo

After all these cloudy days, the sun will make a brief appearance on Saturday in the West Orange County area. The forecast is for a daytime high of 73 and an overnight low of 53.  Partly cloudy conditions should return on Sunday and Monday, with highs of 73 and 69.