A powerful storm has left at least 11 people dead across the Caribbean and is anticipated to regain hurricane strength this weekend as it moves across the Gulf of Mexico toward Texas. In response, officials are urging coastal communities to prepare for potential impacts and have issued preemptive disaster declarations for 39 counties.

In a significant legal development, the Kansas Supreme Court has reaffirmed the state's abortion protections by rejecting two proposed anti-abortion laws. One of the rejected measures aimed to ban a common second-trimester procedure, while the other sought to impose stricter regulations on abortion providers compared to other healthcare professionals. Justice Eric Rosen emphasized that the state constitution safeguards a fundamental right to personal autonomy, which encompasses a pregnant person's right to terminate a pregnancy.