Daily Briefing: The fate of a major abortion pill

Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY
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A case before a federal judge in Texas could have dramatic effects on abortion access nationwide as anti-abortion groups target the decades-long government approval of a key drug. Also in the news: The death toll in the massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria has eclipsed 20,000 and Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin made an emotional public appearance at the 2023 NFL Honors.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author.

Now, here we go with Friday's headlines.

Conservative judge to rule on abortion pill lawsuit

A decision is expected by Friday at the earliest in a Texas case attempting to reverse the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, a medication that can be used with another drug called misoprostol to end a pregnancy.

One thing to know: If the Amarillo judge rules in favor of the anti-abortion coalition, abortion access advocates say it could effectively ban mifepristone nationwide, creating severe consequences on people’s ability to access critical abortion and miscarriage care, especially after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

  • A ruling in the anti-abortion groups' favor could mean healthcare providers will be barred from prescribing mifepristone even in states where abortion is legal. In-clinic, procedural abortion care would not be affected by the ruling.

  • The FDA approved mifepristone for medication abortion in 2000. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists call mifepristone a safe and effective abortion medication and component of treatment and management for early pregnancy loss or miscarriage.

  • Trump-appointee U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk could grant an emergency injunction forcing the FDA to withdraw its approval of mifepristone and pull the drug off the market nationwide. While the FDA could choose to restart the approval process, this may take years.

👉 Keep reading our explainer on the legal case.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore, center, stands at the podium with lawmakers during a news conference at the statehouse, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023, in Annapolis, Maryland. State lawmakers announced support for measures protecting abortion rights, including a state constitutional amendment that would enshrine it.
Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-Baltimore, center, stands at the podium with lawmakers during a news conference at the statehouse, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023, in Annapolis, Maryland. State lawmakers announced support for measures protecting abortion rights, including a state constitutional amendment that would enshrine it.

Earthquake death toll over 21,000

The international effort to provide food and shelter to victims of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria four days ago intensified as emergency personnel rushed tents and equipment into the battered region. The United Nations said its first cross-border aid convoy arrived in northwest Syria on Thursday. Six trucks of “shelter items and non-food item kits, including blankets and hygiene kits,” reached Bab al-Hawa, the only border crossing authorized by the U.N. Security Council for aid delivery. In some locations where hope of finding survivors had vanished, crews began demolishing buildings. Read more

Rescuers and civilians look for survivors under the rubble of collapsed buildings in Nurdagi, in the countryside of Gaziantep, on February 9, 2023, three days after a deadly earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria.
Rescuers and civilians look for survivors under the rubble of collapsed buildings in Nurdagi, in the countryside of Gaziantep, on February 9, 2023, three days after a deadly earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria.

More news to know now

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Classified briefing shows Chinese spy balloon sought secrets

The Chinese spy balloon shot down Saturday had carried devices to intercept sensitive communications, the State Department said Thursday, offering the first proof that the balloon was on an espionage mission. The Pentagon flew high-altitude U-2 spy planes to examine the gear dangling from the 200-foot balloon and found that it had the ability to conduct "signals intelligence collection operations," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. The balloon's incursion into the United States caused a diplomatic rupture with China, prompting Secretary of State Antony Blinken's decision to cancel a trip to Beijing. Read more

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, Melissa Dalton, testifies before a Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Defense hearing "to determine what decisions went into how we dealt with the Chinese spy balloon," on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, February 9, 2023.
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, Melissa Dalton, testifies before a Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Defense hearing "to determine what decisions went into how we dealt with the Chinese spy balloon," on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, February 9, 2023.

Rescues of asylum-seekers soar

Statistics released this week by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency overseeing Border Patrol, show a sharp increase in border rescues: From 5,336 rescued migrants in fiscal year 2020 to 22,014 in the past fiscal year, which ended in September. A renewed emphasis on rescuing migrants – along with historically high numbers of asylum-seekers at the border – is leading to more rescues. Customs and Border Protection officials point to the ramping up of the Missing Migrants Program, an initiative started in 2017 aimed at assisting lost migrants and coordinating with local authorities to identify remains. Read more

Border Patrol agents in the Yuma Sector regularly rescue migrants in distress along the Barry Goldwater Bombing Range and Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, two rugged and remote areas in Yuma County.
Border Patrol agents in the Yuma Sector regularly rescue migrants in distress along the Barry Goldwater Bombing Range and Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, two rugged and remote areas in Yuma County.

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Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes named NFL MVP

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named the 2022 NFL MVP at Thursday’s NFL Honors. The 27-year-old quarterback was named a first-team All-Pro for the second time and received his fifth career Pro Bowl invitation this year. This season was Mahomes’ fifth as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback, and he's led the franchise to five straight home AFC championship games and three Super Bowl appearances, including Super Bowl 57 on Sunday in Glendale, Arizona. Mahomes earned the honor after pacing the league with 5,250 passing yards and 41 touchdowns in the regular season, the only quarterback to eclipse 5,000 passing yards and 40 touchdowns this year. Read more

AP Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs accepts his award on tape during the NFL Honors awards show.
AP Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs accepts his award on tape during the NFL Honors awards show.

📷 Photo of the day: Damar Hamlin at the 2023 NFL Honors 📷

Damar Hamlin made a surprise appearance at the NFL Honors awards show on Thursday. The entire medical staff that helped save Hamlin’s life was honored in Phoenix in what was a special moment. After the medical staff was celebrated on stage, Hamlin made a surprise appearance and spoke to the audience. “Every day I’m amazed that my experiences could encourage so many others across the country and even across the world," Hamlin said. Read more about his appearance and click here to see more photos from the ceremony.

Damar Hamlin speaks in front of University of Cincinnati Medical Center staff during the NFL Honors award show.
Damar Hamlin speaks in front of University of Cincinnati Medical Center staff during the NFL Honors award show.

One more thing

(L-R) Julia Stiles, Quinta Brunson, and Lindsay Lohan attend the Christian Siriano Fall/Winter 2023 NYFW Show at Gotham Hall on February 09, 2023 in New York City.
(L-R) Julia Stiles, Quinta Brunson, and Lindsay Lohan attend the Christian Siriano Fall/Winter 2023 NYFW Show at Gotham Hall on February 09, 2023 in New York City.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: abortion, Chinese spy balloon, Turkey-Syria earthquake, Super Bowl, Damar Hamlin: Daily Briefing