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Culture of silence around abortions for active-duty military intensifies, researchers say

Caitlin Russell poses with goats during one of her two deployments to Afghanistan, in 2012, while serving on the cultural support team in the U.S. Army. Speaking with active-duty service members about their experiences with accessing abortion has become more difficult in the current political environment, researchers say. (Photo courtesy of Caitlin Russell) Researcher Caitlin Gerdts planned to release a new study about abortion access for active-duty military service members, much like the one in 2019 that was published with input from 323 participants. But over a six-month period in 2024, in a new legal environment for abortion access, the research team was only able to find three service members who agreed to participate, even though their identities would be kept secret. With that few people, a study couldn’t be completed, and the group published an analytical essay instead. “It makes sense that this is a particularly difficult moment,” said Gerdts, vice president for resear...
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Trump rushed out of White House press event after apparent shots fired

Federal agents draw their guns out after an incident at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner April 25, 2026. According to reports, President Donald Trump, along with other government officials, were evacuated from the Washington Hilton after what sounded like gun fire. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images) President Donald Trump was evacuated from the White House Correspondents Dinner at a hotel in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night after what sounded like shots were fired, according to the press traveling with the president. The Associated Press  reported there did not appear to be any injuries. The pool report said that reporters heard the Secret Service say an “alleged shooter is in custody.” This is a breaking report that will be updated. From Alabama Reflector Post Url: Visit Author: Jane Norman
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At Virginia Giuffre memorial, friends and family urge justice for Epstein victims

Amanda and Sky Roberts, sister-in-law and brother of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, read from her posthumous memoir in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, April 25, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — Family and friends of Virginia Roberts Giuffre gathered in the nation’s capital Saturday to mark one year since her death, and to demand justice for victims of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. On a stage across from the Ellipse, with the White House in the background, family members, advocates and women connected to Giuffre through shared horrors of sexual abuse held a vigil for her.  They remembered the woman they say changed the world by sharing her story of abuse by the disgraced multi-millionaire who victimized roughly 1,000 women and girls, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Pam Dandridge, 67, of Alexandria, Virginia, holds a sign at a memorial service for Virginia Roberts Giuffre in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, April 25, 2026....
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Menopause coverage bills meet mixed fates in state legislatures

Several states are considering bills related to mandated insurance coverage for menopause and perimenopause, as well as other proposals, saying it improves quality of life and work productivity when people can access care to mitigate symptoms. Some states have already rejected the idea this session. (Getty Images) A handful of states are considering legislation this session related to menopause and perimenopause, including proposals to mandate coverage and others to include work protections for people experiencing symptoms related to the conditions. Others have already said no to similar bills. Menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, according to the  National Institute on Aging , with an average age of 52. The hormonal changes associated with menopause — when a woman stops having menstrual periods — can cause hot flashes, night sweats, joint problems, insomnia, mood changes and more. For several years leading up to menopause, women may also experience...
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Court ruling limiting adult gender-affirming Medicaid coverage could have national impacts

Transgender rights supporters and opponents rally outside of the U.S. Supreme Court as the high court hears arguments in a case on transgender health rights in December 2024 in Washington, D.C. An appeals court ruling in light of that case, U.S. v. Skrmetti, upheld West Virginia’s ban on Medicaid coverage for adult gender-affirming surgery. Experts say it could have broad implications. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) A U.S. appeals court ruling last month that upheld West Virginia’s ban on Medicaid coverage for adult gender-affirming surgeries could embolden other states seeking to impose similar restrictions. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in March overturned a lower court decision in Anderson v. Crouch that had reversed West Virginia’s ban on Medicaid coverage for adult gender-affirming surgeries. The lower court ruled that the ban was discriminatory. The decision came after the Supreme Court last year upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for youth in U...
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Alabama Department of Corrections abruptly cancels $1 billion health care contract

A prison cell in Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama, as seen on Oct. 22, 2019. The Alabama Department of Corrections abruptly canceled a $1 billion health care contract for what it said was the contractor's "failure to adequately fulfill its contractual duties." (File) The Alabama Department of Corrections has terminated a $1 billion health care contract with a troubled Tennessee company for what it called a “failure to adequately fulfill its contractual duties.” ADOC said it terminated the 5-year contract that it awarded in 2023 had with Tennessee-based YesCare after it was reported that the company could not meet payroll to pay its employees. “To ensure uninterrupted medical service, ADOC is working to execute an emergency agreement with NaphCare to provide inmate healthcare services,” Corrections said in a statement on Thursday. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE ADOC also said it would officially change the vendor to NaphCare on May 3. ...
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US Justice Department downgrades risk of state-licensed medicinal marijuana

Buds of marijuana on display inside Mother Earth Wellness in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) Medicinal marijuana products that are legal at the state level will see looser federal regulation under an order the U.S. Department of Justice published Thursday, while a process that could remove the drug in all forms from the federal list of the most dangerous drugs is set to begin in late June. The  order , signed by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, shifts many marijuana products from Schedule I — the Drug Enforcement Administration’s list of drugs with the greatest potential for abuse and least legitimate use — to Schedule III.  That will open the door to greater research and provide an effective tax break for businesses that sell medicinal marijuana that is legal under state law. The move follows President Donald Trump’s  executive order last year directing the DOJ to move toward rescheduling. “The Department of Justic...
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