Russian jet:Â A Russian fighter jet collided with a U.S. drone in international airspace over the Black Sea near Ukraine causing the drone to crash. The U.S. has protested to the Russians. The Russian jet at first dumped fuel onto the drone. There is some indication that the actual collision might have been accidental. Nevertheless, this is the latest in a series of incidents in which Russian planes have harassed U.S. aircraft in international airspace.
Abortion drug: AÂ federal judge in Amarillo, Texas, is today hearing arguments in a lawsuit attempting to overrule Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the drug Mifepristone. The drug is used to induce abortions and has been in widespread use for about 20 years. The judge, Matthew Kacsmaryk, is an outspoken conservative and pro-life advocate who was appointed to the bench by Donald Trump. He at first attempted to keep today’s court session secret but interested parties revealed it would be happening. A ruling by the judge overturning the FDA’s experts and rescinding the FDA’s approval would ban use of the drug anywhere in the U.S. and could have wide-ranging repercussions regarding the FDA approval of other drugs for use in the U.S.
Banking crisis:Â Fallout from the collapse of Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank in the U.S. continues to sweep across Europe, with European banking stocks falling. Switzerland’s second largest bank, Credit Suisse, appears to be going broke, with the Saudi National Bank, which has been propping up Credit Suisse saying it cannot put more money in because of banking regulations.
February retail sales:Â The U.S. Census Bureau reported this morning that U.S. retail and food services sales for February were $697.9 billion, down 0.4% from January but up by 5.4% from a year ago. The slight decline in February is seen as a reflection of U.S. consumers continuing to make cutbacks after January’s 1.4% increase in spending.
Legalizing Santos:Â Republican Congressman George Santos of New York has filed papers with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) saying that he is running for re-election. Santos has been raising campaign money and the FEC demanded that he either stop raising money or legally declare his intention to run.
Against what DeSantis said:Â Right-wing Republican Senators Lindsay Graham, John Cornyn, Marco Rubio and John Thune have come out against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for saying the U.S. should abandon the Ukrainians and let Russia take over Ukraine. Â DeSantis says that he’s following the lead of Donald Trump in siding with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
