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Why this matters:

• The case before the court stems from a lawsuit Louisiana filed to roll back the Food and Drug Administration’s rules on how mifepristone can be prescribed. The state claims that the policy undermines the ban there, and it questions the safety of the drug, which has repeatedly been deemed safe and effective by FDA scientists.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

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• Justice Thomas hails US Constitution as common bedrock in divided America
  
  
• Supreme Court voting rights ruling fuels a new push to defend Black representation
  
  
• Florida court to consider whether new US House map violates state ban on partisan gerrymandering

POLITICS

Emails show FBI Director Kash Patel’s Hawaii trip included ‘VIP snorkel’ at a Pearl Harbor memorial

The FBI did not disclose the snorkeling session around the USS Arizona, revealed in government emails obtained by The Associated Press. Read more.

Why this matters:

• The swim comes to light amid criticism of Patel’s use of the FBI plane and his global travel, which have blurred professional responsibilities with leisure activities. An FBI spokesman did not answer questions about the snorkeling session. The Pearl Harbor visit, the spokesman said, “was part of the Director’s public national security engagements last August with counterparts in New Zealand, Australia, our Honolulu Field Office, and the Department of War.”

   

• With few exceptions, snorkeling and diving are off-limits around the USS Arizona. Still, since at least the Obama administration, the Navy and the park service have quietly allowed a handful of dignitaries, including military and government officials responsible for management of the memorial, to swim at the site.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• In new lawsuit, Justice Department challenges efforts to sanction Trump administration lawyers
   
• Lawyers urge judge to block Trump order that would create eligible voter list, limit mail ballots
  
  
• CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Raul Castro’s grandson in Havana, US and Cuban officials say
  
  
• Ex-aide to California Democrats admits guilt in scheme to steal campaign funds from health secretary 
  
  
• Xavier Becerra’s decades in public office are a blessing and a curse in his California governor bid
   
• Congress moves to raise retirement age for Capitol Police as threats against lawmakers mount
   
• Trump administration aims to roll back limits on toxic wastewater from coal-fired power plants
   
• Rep. Chuck Edwards faces House ethics investigation over harassment allegations
   
• US pledges $1.8 billion more for UN humanitarian aid even as it has cut foreign assistance overall

WORLD NEWS

Trump, Xi wrap up summit, claiming progress stabilizing US-China relations, but differences persist

President Xi Jinping welcomed President Donald Trump at his official residence, Zhongnanhai, on Friday for their final engagement of the summit before the U.S. leader’s return to Washington. Read more.

Why this matters:

• “It’s been really a great couple of days,” Trump told reporters. Xi called it a “milestone” visit. “We have established a new bilateral relationship, or rather a constructive, strategic, stable relationship,” he said. But the optimistic outlook collides with some difficult truths about the thorniest issues between the two superpowers on Taiwan, Iran, trade and other issues.