CAN ONE STATE sue a doctor in another state for providing an abortion pill (Shutterstock).

A doctor in New York who’s prescribed abortion pills to a woman living near Dallas, Texas, has been sued by the State of Texas

According to the Associated Press, this is one of the first challenges in the nation to laws passed in Democratic-controlled states that are seeking to shield doctors after the landmark 1972 Roe vs. Wade decision was overturned.

The AP is reporting that access to such prescriptions are a major factor in statistics that are showing that since that decision – which had created a national right-to-abortion – was negated, the number of abortions has increased.

The Texas law accuses Dr. Margaret Daley Carpenter of breaking the law by providing drugs to a patient in the Lone Star State, with a penalty of up to $250,000.

Crowds celebrate Assad’s ouster

AN ANTI-ASSAD demonstration in Syria (Wikipedai).

Crowds of tens of thousands of people are thronging the streets of Syrian cities, celebrating the overthrow and flight of the dictatorial President Bashar Assad.

United Press International is reporting that Assad has fled to Russia, which had been a primary supporter of the former president.

The New York Times is reporting that Russian aircraft, equipment and military advisors are leaving the country. Syria had been embroiled in a deadlocked 14-year war, but an uprising by rebels over 11 days has allowed them to seize control of most major cities – including Damascus – and expel Assad.

California emissions rules challenged

CAN ONE STATE have tougher anti-pollution rules than the rest of the nation? (Shutterstock).

Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court will allow a challenge to the State of California’s authority to set emissions standards for automobiles that are stricter than those in place nationally.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that a suit by producers of oil and bio-fuels had filed the lawsuit, which had been rejected by a lower court.

But now the high court will consider the lawsuit – Diamond Alternative Energy vs. Environmental Protection Agency – early in 2025.

California receives a waiver from the EPA to enforce stricter standards, and the new Trump administration may decline to do so, or the conservative majority court may declare it illegal.

Weather: Some rain on the way?

Cool temperatures will persist in our Orange County area over the weekend with an increased chance of some rain to follow. The forecast calls for a high of 65 (with a low of 49) under partly cloudy skies on Saturday. Sunday will be sunny and cool at 65 (44). On Monday a slight warming trend starts at 66 (44) and Tuesday at 68 (48) with a 10 percent chance of rain.

Great Thoughts

“Staying the same is going backward is this world, and you don’t have a day to stay the same.”

– Christian Press, women’s soccer player.