The U.S. Supreme Court appears set to preserve access to the abortion pill mifepristone, which is used for roughly two-thirds of all abortions in the United States. Oral arguments were held Tuesday in a case brought by a group of anti-choice medical associations which have sought to overturn moves by the FDA to increase accessibility to the drug, which was first approved over 20 years ago. On Tuesday, several justices questioned if the doctors even had standing to bring the challenge. Abortion rights activists rallied outside the Supreme Court ahead of the ruling.

Laurie Woodward Garcia: “This decision should not be held by a couple of justices. It’s a decision between a doctor and a family, and that’s how it’s always been. And let’s be clear: It’s safe and accessible, and has been for over 20 years, with hundreds of thousands of people using this medicine.”

The official death toll in Gaza is nearing 32,500 as Israel continues its assault in defiance of a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a Ramadan ceasefire. On Monday, an Israeli airstrike killed Saher Akram Rayan, a longtime correspondent for the Palestinian news agency Wafa. His son was also killed in the attack. By one count, 136 journalists have been killed so far in Gaza.

On the humanitarian front, UNICEF’s James Elder says the hunger crisis in Gaza is worsening as Palestinian families struggle to find food to eat.

James Elder: “A week ago, I was in Kamal Adwan Hospital, where we’ve had those reports of 20-plus children dying of malnutrition and dehydration. When I was there, I saw a room full of mothers and carers — not always mothers, some mothers have been killed — carers shuddering over children who are paper thin, absolutely paper thin, incubators full of babies who are born prematurely because of the stress on mothers, also malnourished.”

On Tuesday, U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese accused Israel of committing acts of genocide. She spoke in Geneva about her major new report.

Francesca Albanese: “Following nearly six months of unrelenting Israeli assault on occupied Gaza, it is my solemn duty to report on the worst of what humanity is capable of and to present my finding, 'The Anatomy of a Genocide.' History teaches us that genocide is a process, not a single act. It starts with the dehumanization of a group as other and the denial of that group’s humanity, and ends with the destruction of the group in all or in part. The dehumanization of Palestinians as a group is the hallmark of their history of ethnic cleansing, dispossession and apartheid.”

In Washington, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday. Austin said the civilian death toll in Gaza has been “far too high,” but he vowed the U.S. would keep arming Israel.
A new report by the arms control group SIPRI found that 69% of all arms imported by Israel come from the United States. The group said U.S. weapons, particularly warplanes, have played a major role in Israel’s attacks on Gaza and Lebanon.

At the State Department, spokesperson Matt Miller said the Biden administration has not found Israel’s actions in Gaza to be in violation of U.S. or international law.

Matthew Miller: “We have not found them to be in violation of international humanitarian law, either when it comes to the conduct of the war or when it comes to the provision of humanitarian assistance.”

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke in Raleigh, North Carolina, Tuesday. A group of pro-Palestinian activists interrupted the president while he talked about his record on healthcare.

President Joe Biden: “A patient with a heart disease, diabetes, or a child with asthma couldn’t get coverage. Why? Because the insurance company considered those a preexisting condition that allowed them to deny coverage.”

Protester 1: “What about healthcare in Gaza?”

Protester 2: “What about the healthcare in Gaza?”

President Joe Biden: “Everybody deserves healthcare.”

Protester 2: “Hospitals in Gaza are being bombed! [inaudible]”

Protester 3: “Women are being raped!”

President Joe Biden: “They have a point. We need to get a lot more care into Gaza.”

In Lebanon, seven paramedics have died in an Israeli airstrike on an emergency health center in the town of al-Habbariyeh. Lebanon’s Health Ministry condemned the attack as a violation of the Geneva Convention. Hezbollah responded by firing dozens of rockets into northern Israel. One factory worker reportedly died in Israel.

Authorities in Maryland fear six missing construction workers died on Tuesday when the Francis Scott Key Bridge partially collapsed after a massive cargo ship crashed into a support column. Just prior to the accident, the crew on the 95,000-ton cargo ship sent an urgent mayday call after the ship lost power possibly due to contaminated fuel. The warning gave authorities on land the chance to limit bridge traffic. But eight construction workers were still on the bridge, where they had been fixing potholes. Only two of the workers were rescued on Tuesday. The missing workers include a Salvadoran father of three named Miguel Luna, a Honduran father of two named Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandoval, two Guatemalan men and at least one Mexican national. We’ll have more on this story later in the show.

A court in Russia has extended Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s pretrial detention until at least June 30. Friday will mark one year since Gershkovich was detained on espionage charges while he was on a reporting trip.

Police in India detained dozens of protesters Tuesday as they attempted to march to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence in New Delhi. The protest came in response to last week’s arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is a prominent critic of Modi. This all comes as part of a political crackdown ahead of national elections in India, which begin in April.

The New York judge presiding over Donald Trump’s hush money trial has imposed a partial gag order on the former president, barring him from attacking witnesses, jurors, court staff and others. In his order, Judge Juan Merchan noted Trump’s history of making “threatening, inflammatory, [and] denigrating” comments. The criminal trial begins April 15.

NBC News has reversed its decision to hire Ronna McDaniel, the former chair of the Republican National Committee. Her hiring had sparked a rare on-air revolt by many of the top anchors on NBC and MSNBC over her role in spreading Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.

In campaign news, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has tapped the massively wealthy Silicon Valley attorney Nicole Shanahan to be his running mate. Shanahan is the former wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin. She gave over $4 million to fund a controversial Super Bowl ad for Kennedy which resembled a 1960 commercial by his uncle John F. Kennedy. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s run for the White House has been widely condemned by other members of the Kennedy family in part due to his longtime advocacy against vaccines. Dozens of members of the extended Kennedy family met with Joe Biden at the White House last week to show their support for his reelection.

More details are coming to light about the federal probe into the music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. On Monday, federal agents raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami. The investigation is being led by a team at the Department of Homeland Security which focuses on human trafficking. In recent months Combs has faced five separate lawsuits over sexual misconduct, including one lawsuit by a woman who accused Combs of raping her and forcing her into sex trafficking. Combs’s lawyers have issued a statement proclaiming his innocence while criticizing federal agents for using what they called “military-level force” during the house raids.