NEWS OF THE DAY
_1 Family planning lawsuits: Two major organizations that promote birth control filed lawsuits in federal court Wednesday seeking to block the Trump administration from shifting national family planning policy to stress abstinence and potentially limit counseling for adolescents. One of the suits was filed by Planned Parenthood, which serves 41 percent of the 4 million low-income Americans who receive subsidized services through the Title X family-planning program. The other suit was filed by the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, which contends the policy shift would reduce access to the most effective contraceptive methods and result in more unintended pregnancies. _2 Voter ID law: Arkansas’ highest court on Wednesday said the state can enforce a voter ID law in the May 22 primary election despite a judge declaring the measure unconstitutional. By a vote of 6-1, the Supreme Court overruled a Pulaski County judge who had blocked the law’s enforcement. The state Supreme Court did not elaborate on its reasons for the decision in its one-page order.
_3 Plane crash: An Air National Guard C-130 cargo plane crashed onto a busy highway moments after taking off from an airport in Georgia on Wednesday, narrowly missing people on the ground but killing nine National Guard members from Puerto Rico. The plane crashed near the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. _4 Scouts new name: For 108 years, the Boy Scouts of America’s flagship program has been known simply as the Boy Scouts. With girls soon entering the ranks, the group says that iconic name will change. The Irving, Texas-based organization on Wednesday announced a new name: Scouts BSA, which will take effect in February. The parent organization will remain the Boy Scouts of America, and the Cub Scouts — its program serving children from kindergarten through fifth grade — will keep its title, as well. The Boy Scouts say current youth participation is about 2.3 million, down from 2.6 million in 2013 and more than 4 million in peak years of the past. The Girl Scouts say they have about 1.76 million girls and more, down from just over 2 million youth members in 2014. _5 No-fly list: The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan reinstated a lawsuit Wednesday by three men who say they were put on a nationwide “No Fly List” because they refused to be informants. The 2013 lawsuit filed by Muslim men in New York and Connecticut had sought unspecified damages after they were put on the list for individuals deemed a threat to airline safety. The appeals panel said the Religious Freedom Restoration Act permits individuals to recover money damages against federal officers sued in their individual capacities for violating sincerely held religious beliefs.