California doctor is first to face private lawsuit under Texas abortion drug ban

By Daniel Wiessner

Feb 2 (Reuters) - A Texas man has accused a California doctor of prescribing abortion pills to his partner in violation of state law, in what appears to be the first test of a Texas law that took effect in December ​allowing private citizens to sue abortion providers on behalf of the state.

The man, Jerry Rodriguez, filed an amended lawsuit in Galveston, Texas, ‌federal court on Sunday seeking to block the doctor, Remy Coeytaux, from continuing to allegedly mail abortion drugs to patients in Texas.

The case represents another front in a nationwide legal battle ‌over the abortion drug mifepristone, whose use Republican-led states are working to curtail after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 opened the door for states to ban abortion. Mifepristone is used in 60% of U.S. abortions.

It could also test California's so-called "shield law" protecting healthcare providers against out-of-state investigations and prosecutions. More than a dozen other Democratic-led states have adopted similar laws.

Coeytaux has been indicted in Louisiana for allegedly prescribing mifepristone to women there. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, ⁠said last month that his state would not extradite ‌Coeytaux to Louisiana.

Rodriguez had sued Coeytaux last year for wrongful death of the fetus, claiming his partner had used abortion drugs prescribed by the doctor against his wishes. The amended complaint adds claims under a Texas law that took ‍effect in December known as HB 7, which bans the prescribing, transporting, mailing and delivery of abortion-inducing drugs and allows state residents to sue for violations.

Wrongful death cases against healthcare providers are complex and often difficult to win, requiring proof of negligence or deviation from accepted standards of medical care and that a provider directly caused a ​death. HB 7 only requires proof that a defendant engaged in conduct prohibited by the law.

Rodriguez said he would seek to recover at least $100,000 ‌in penalties from Coeytaux for each established violation of the law.

Rodriguez is represented by Jonathan Mitchell, a former Texas solicitor general who reportedly crafted the state's 2021 law known as SB 8 that prohibits aiding or abetting abortion, including a novel provision allowing private citizens to sue for violations. HB 7's private right of action is based on the 2021 law but allows for up to 10 times the monetary penalties.

Mitchell did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Coeytaux is represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, which said in a statement that the case is the first ⁠under HB 7 by a private litigant.

"Texas officials have already been going after doctors ​outside their borders, and now they've incentivized private citizens to do their bidding," said Nancy Northup, ​the group's president and CEO.

The office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, filed a lawsuit last week against a nurse practitioner in Delaware for allegedly violating HB 7.

Paxton's office last year won a $100,000 judgment against a New York doctor ‍accused of prescribing abortion pills in ⁠violation of the 2021 abortion ban, and is now trying to enforce it in New York. Texas is appealing a ruling by a judge that dismissed the case, citing New York's shield law.

The case is Rodriguez v. Coeytaux, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of ⁠Texas, No. 3:25-cv-00225.

For Rodriguez: Jonathan Mitchell

For Coeytaux: The Center for Reproductive Rights

Texas sues Delaware nurse practitioner to test abortion 'shield law'

US abortion pill access under fire: Lawsuits and regulatory battles ‌to watch in 2026

New York law seeks to shield doctors who provide abortion pills by mail

Texas moves to enforce judgment against ‌New York doctor over abortion pills

(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York)

byVincento Seyarto

in

February 02, 2026

California doctor is first to face private lawsuit under Texas abortion drug ban

By Daniel Wiessner Feb 2 (Reuters) - A Texas man has accused a California doctor of prescribing abortion pills t...

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USDA to release flies near US-Mexico border to fight screwworm pest

By Tom Polansek

CHICAGO, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture will disperse glow-in-the dark, sterile flies in Mexico, closer to the U.S. border, and in southern Texas, as officials race to keep flesh-eating New World screwworm pests from spreading in Mexico, the agency ​said.

Screwworms are parasitic flies whose females lay eggs in wounds on warm-blooded animals, often livestock. Once the eggs hatch, hundreds of screwworm larvae ‌use their sharp mouths to burrow through living flesh, eventually killing their host if left untreated.

The USDA has halted U.S. imports of Mexican livestock to keep out the pest, worsening a cattle ‌shortage that has pushed beef prices to record highs for consumers.

The agency also produces 100 million sterile flies per week at a facility in Panama and disperses them in Mexico to prevent wild screwworm flies from reproducing. Now, the agency says, it is going to take the same flies further north near the border.

The shift came after the USDA has reported 20 screwworm infestations since December 26 in animals in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, which borders southern Texas.

"Given that we need to protect ⁠Texas and the U.S., I think it's definitely something ‌that had to be done," Sonja Swiger, an entomologist at Texas A&M University, said on Monday.

MORE STERILE FLIES NEEDED

Experts said the USDA needs well more than 100 million sterile flies per week to eradicate the pest in Mexico. The agency announced ‍last year that it intended to build a production facility in Texas, but that could still be at least a year away from opening. Last month, the agency said it would spend up to $100 million on other projects that aim to boost sterile fly production and help fight screwworm.

For now, the USDA will start releasing sterile flies north of ​where Mexico has reported active cases to attempt to create a "buffer zone" to halt the pest if it continues moving north, according to a statement ‌issued late on Friday. The new dispersal area will include operations about 50 miles into Texas, along the U.S. border with the state of Tamaulipas, according to the USDA.

The northernmost active case in Mexico was about 200 miles away from the U.S. border, and cases have continued to spread in Tamaulipas and further south in Mexico, said Dudley Hoskins, a USDA under secretary.

"Our highest priority is protecting the United States from screwworm," he said in the agency's statement.

GLOWING FLIES

The USDA said it would apply fluorescent dye to sterile flies before they hatch so officials can distinguish them from wild flies that pose a threat. The sterile ⁠flies will glow under ultraviolet light and may also be visible to the naked eye, ​the agency said.

The U.S. decision to direct the release of sterile flies toward the border region ​was consistent with technical proposals Mexico has been making since November 2025, Mexico's government said in a statement.

The U.S. eliminated screwworms in the 20th century by flying planes over hotspots to drop boxes packed with sterile flies.

"They're pretty effective as long as ‍you can outnumber the population," said Max ⁠Scott, an entomology professor at North Carolina State University.

Screwworm can be detected in new areas when livestock are transported from an infested region. However, rising cases in Tamaulipas signal a local population of flies has likely started to establish there, experts said.

Unseasonably cold weather in Texas could temporarily ⁠help prevent the pest's movement, Tyson Foods COO Devin Cole said on an earnings call. The meatpacker's beef business has bled money as tight cattle supplies have raised costs.

"We don't really have ‌anything that would give us any insight as to when the government would open the border," Cole said.

(Reporting by Tom Polansek in ‌Chicago. Additional reporting by Cassandra Garrison in Buenos Aires; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

byVincento Seyarto

in

February 02, 2026

USDA to release flies near US-Mexico border to fight screwworm pest

By Tom Polansek CHICAGO, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture will disperse glow-in-the dark, st...

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Costco Recalls Beignets After a Major Labeling Error

If you're a Costco shopper and you have serious food allergies in your household, you'll want to be aware of the warehouse chain's latest recall. One of the store's popular bakery items has had its labels mixed up, which could lead to a dangerous situation,according to a recall letter posted to Costco's recall website. Here's everything you need to know about the recall.

What's Wrong with the Recalled Costco Bakery Items?

Costco just brought back its mini beignets in the bakery, and they've been sold with the wrong label.

According to the Costco recall letter, mini beignets that were filled with chocolate hazelnut spread were labeled as being filled with caramel instead. That means the allergen information on the labels was incorrect, which could lead to some people with serious nut allergies consuming the beignets filled with hazelnuts by accident. The mislabeled mini beignets contain tree nuts, a serious allergen that would normally be noted on the packaging.

According to the recall letter sent to Costco members who purchased the product, people with tree nut allergies "run the risk of severe life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product."

How Do I Tell if My Beignets Were Recalled?

The recalled Costco beignets are labeled as Mini Beignets Filled with Caramel, which is item #1181272. They were sold between January 16 and 30, 2026, in 22 states:

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• Alabama

• Arizona

• California

• Colorado

• Florida

• Georgia

• Hawaii

• Idaho

• Illinois

• Iowa

• Louisiana

• Michigan

• Missouri

• Nevada

• New Jersey

• New York

• Ohio

• Oregon

• Pennsylvania

• Tennessee

• Virginia

• Washington

If you purchased the recalled mini beignets, you probably have already gotten a letter from Costco. Some members are also reporting on Reddit that they have received a call from Costco alerting them of the recall as well.

"PSA I just received a call from Costco saying these were accidentally made with hazelnuts and that anyone with a nut allergy should not eat them,"explained one Costco member. Many others chimed in with the same experience.

What Should I Do if I Have the Recalled Beignets?

If you have a tree nut allergy and have purchased the recalled Costco Mini Beignets Filled with Caramel, do not eat them.

But because this is a labeling issue and not a problem with the beignets themselves, it should be OK to eat them as long as no one in your household has any allergies to any of the ingredients in the chocolate hazelnut filling. If there is any doubt, do not eat them, and do not give them to anyone else to eat.

Anyone who has purchased the recalled mini beignets can return them to Costco for a full refund.

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• Costco Restaurant Gift Card Seller Goes Bankrupt; 'This Should Be Illegal' — Synergy, a gift card company, will soon file for bankruptcy.

• Costco's $4.99 Rotisserie Chicken Is Facing a Lawsuit. Shoppers Are Still 'Team Chicken' — Some members are questioning whether the cheap chicken is as good as Costco has told them it is.

• The Costco Cheeses You Should Always Buy, According to Members — We looked to Reddit for recommendations from fellow Costco fans — and cheese lovers — on which cheeses to pick up for our next charcuterie board or pizza night.

byVincento Seyarto

in

February 02, 2026

Costco Recalls Beignets After a Major Labeling Error

If you're a Costco shopper and you have serious food allergies in your household, you'll want to be aware of the ...

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Victims complain of death threats as government says it's fixing redactions in Epstein-related files

NEW YORK (AP) — The Justice Department said Monday it had withdrawn several thousand documents and "media" related todisgraced financier Jeffrey Epsteinafter lawyers complained to a New York judge that the lives of nearly 100 victims had been "turned upside down" by sloppy redactions in the government's latest release of Epstein-related materials.

Justice Department Jeffrey Epstein

The department blamed the release of sensitive information that drew an outcry from victims and their lawyers on mistakes that were "technical or human error."

In a letter to the New York judges overseeing the sex trafficking cases brought against Epstein andconfidant Ghislaine Maxwell, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton wrote that the department had taken down nearly all materials identified by victims or their lawyers, along with a "substantial number" of documents identified independently by the government.

Clayton, who is based in Manhattan, said the department has "iteratively revised its protocols for addressing flagging documents" after victims and their lawyers requested changes to the process for review and redaction of posted records.

He wrote that documents are promptly pulled down from the public website when victims flag a concern that something should be redacted. He said the concern is then evaluated before a redacted version of the document can be reposted, "ideally within 24 to 36 hours."

Clayton's letter came in response to a letter sent Sunday to Judge Richard M. Berman from two lawyers for Epstein victims who had sought "immediate judicial intervention" because of what they described as thousands of instances when the government had failed to redact names and other personally identifying information.

The judge scheduled a conference for Wednesday, saying the lawyers could invite their clients and that he understood the concern of the lawyers and the urgency but also added: "I am not certain how helpful I can be."

He also encouraged the lawyers, Brittany Henderson and Brad Edwards, to "continue to resolve open issues in good faith."

In their letter to Berman, the lawyers included comments from eight women, including one who wrote that the records' release was "life threatening" and another who said she'd gotten death threats after 51 entries included her private banking information, forcing her to try to shut down her credit cards and accounts.

After Epstein took his own life in August 2019, Berman held a hearing in Manhattan federal court and allowed his accusers to speak. Berman, who presided over the sex trafficking case against Epstein, put the Sunday letter on the public docket on Monday.

Also Monday, a section of the Justice Department'sEpstein files websitethat had contained public court records from Epstein and Maxwell's criminal cases and civil lawsuits was no longer functioning.

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A message seeking comment on the website issue was left for the Justice Department.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in an interviewSunday on ABC's "This Week" that there have been sporadic errors in redacting, or blacking out, sensitive information but that the Justice Department has tried to work quickly to address them.

"Every time we hear from a victim or their lawyer that they believe that their name was not properly redacted, we immediately rectified that. And the numbers we're talking about, just so the American people understand, we're talking about .001 percent of all the materials," Blanche said.

The effect of errors in the document redactions was highlighted Monday morning at a sex trafficking trial in New York federal court when lawyers for twohigh-end real estate brokersand their brother asked Judge Valerie E. Caproni for a mistrial because of documents that were made public without necessary redactions.

Deanna Paul, a defense lawyer at the trial of Tal, Oren and Alon Alexander, said the "government through its own conduct has destroyed the possibility of a fair trial in this case" after the names of the brothers were included in several documents released on Friday. The brothers have pleaded not guilty to drugging and raping multiple girls and women from 2008 to 2021.

Paul said the Alexander brothers had now been "branded" with the "most toxic association."

The judge tentatively rejected the mistrial request but still confronted a prosecutor, asking: "Government, really?"

"Yes, I understand where the court's coming from," replied Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Espinosa.

She said she wasn't sure how the documents were "caught up in the universe of documents" related to Epstein but confirmed that at least one of the documents that mention the Alexander brothers "should have been properly redacted" and she said the documents had been withdrawn from public circulation.

As she spoke, Espinosa also gave an update on the general release of Epstein-related documents by the Justice Department, saying that the remaining documents to be released were "primarily related to civil litigation" that might require a judge's approval to be made public.

__ The AP is reviewing the documents released by the Justice Department in collaboration with journalists from CBS, NBC, MS NOW and CNBC. Journalists from each newsroom are working together to examine the files and share information about what is in them. Each outlet is responsible for its own independent news coverage of the documents.

byVincento Seyarto

in

February 02, 2026

Victims complain of death threats as government says it's fixing redactions in Epstein-related files

NEW YORK (AP) — The Justice Department said Monday it had withdrawn several thousand documents and "media" rela...

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All DHS officials in Minneapolis will wear body cameras, Sec. Noem says

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday all federal officers under DHS who are deployed in Minneapolis will receive body cameras.

"As funding is available, the body camera program will be expanded nationwide. We will rapidly acquire and deploy body cameras to DHS law enforcement across the country," Noem wrote in a message on social media.

Adoption of body cameras has been a core demand of Democrats who oppose continued funding for DHS, contributing to apartial government shutdownthis week as lawmakers stalemate over how the White House's immigration priorities get their funding.

Democrats have called for significant changes to DHS, specifically to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Proposals include banning masks for agents, requiring body cameras and visible identification, and ending some roving patrols, particularly in Democrat-led cities like Minneapolis.

RELATED STORY |Bystander videos highlight Trump administration's pattern of deception in Minneapolis

The immigration surge has led to a month of unrest in Minneapolis and led to the deaths of two U.S. citizens, who were shot by DHS officers. Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer and and Alex Pretti was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents in separate incidents weeks apart.

byVincento Seyarto

in

February 02, 2026

All DHS officials in Minneapolis will wear body cameras, Sec. Noem says

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday all federal officers under DHS who are deployed in Minneapoli...

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California doctor is first to face private lawsuit under Texas abortion drug ban

By Daniel Wiessner

Feb 2 (Reuters) - A Texas man has accused a California doctor of prescribing abortion pills to his partner in violation of state law, in what appears to be the first test of a Texas law that took effect in December ​allowing private citizens to sue abortion providers on behalf of the state.

The man, Jerry Rodriguez, filed an amended lawsuit in Galveston, Texas, ‌federal court on Sunday seeking to block the doctor, Remy Coeytaux, from continuing to allegedly mail abortion drugs to patients in Texas.

The case represents another front in a nationwide legal battle ‌over the abortion drug mifepristone, whose use Republican-led states are working to curtail after the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 opened the door for states to ban abortion. Mifepristone is used in 60% of U.S. abortions.

It could also test California's so-called "shield law" protecting healthcare providers against out-of-state investigations and prosecutions. More than a dozen other Democratic-led states have adopted similar laws.

Coeytaux has been indicted in Louisiana for allegedly prescribing mifepristone to women there. California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, ⁠said last month that his state would not extradite ‌Coeytaux to Louisiana.

Rodriguez had sued Coeytaux last year for wrongful death of the fetus, claiming his partner had used abortion drugs prescribed by the doctor against his wishes. The amended complaint adds claims under a Texas law that took ‍effect in December known as HB 7, which bans the prescribing, transporting, mailing and delivery of abortion-inducing drugs and allows state residents to sue for violations.

Wrongful death cases against healthcare providers are complex and often difficult to win, requiring proof of negligence or deviation from accepted standards of medical care and that a provider directly caused a ​death. HB 7 only requires proof that a defendant engaged in conduct prohibited by the law.

Rodriguez said he would seek to recover at least $100,000 ‌in penalties from Coeytaux for each established violation of the law.

Rodriguez is represented by Jonathan Mitchell, a former Texas solicitor general who reportedly crafted the state's 2021 law known as SB 8 that prohibits aiding or abetting abortion, including a novel provision allowing private citizens to sue for violations. HB 7's private right of action is based on the 2021 law but allows for up to 10 times the monetary penalties.

Mitchell did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Coeytaux is represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights, which said in a statement that the case is the first ⁠under HB 7 by a private litigant.

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"Texas officials have already been going after doctors ​outside their borders, and now they've incentivized private citizens to do their bidding," said Nancy Northup, ​the group's president and CEO.

The office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, filed a lawsuit last week against a nurse practitioner in Delaware for allegedly violating HB 7.

Paxton's office last year won a $100,000 judgment against a New York doctor ‍accused of prescribing abortion pills in ⁠violation of the 2021 abortion ban, and is now trying to enforce it in New York. Texas is appealing a ruling by a judge that dismissed the case, citing New York's shield law.

The case is Rodriguez v. Coeytaux, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of ⁠Texas, No. 3:25-cv-00225.

For Rodriguez: Jonathan Mitchell

For Coeytaux: The Center for Reproductive Rights

Texas sues Delaware nurse practitioner to test abortion 'shield law'

US abortion pill access under fire: Lawsuits and regulatory battles ‌to watch in 2026

New York law seeks to shield doctors who provide abortion pills by mail

Texas moves to enforce judgment against ‌New York doctor over abortion pills

(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York)

byVincento Seyarto

in

February 02, 2026

California doctor is first to face private lawsuit under Texas abortion drug ban

By Daniel Wiessner Feb 2 (Reuters) - A Texas man has accused a California doctor of prescribing abortion pills...

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Two more arrested in Minnesota church protest, Pam Bondi says

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Monday the arrest of two more people who werenamed in a federal indictment in connection to a protestat a Minnesota church.

In a Monday social media post, Bondi said Ian Davis Austin and Jerome Deangelo Richardson had been arrested. Both were among the nine people, including journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort,named in an indictmentthat a federal grand jury returned last week.

Lemon, a former CNN anchor, was arrested Friday in connection with his coverage of the Jan. 18 protest at The Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. The protest was aimed at the church's pastor, who according to demonstrators works for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security called the protest a coordinated attack on the church.

Last week's indictment charges all defendants with conspiracy against the rights of religious freedom at a place of worship and injuring, intimidating and interfering with the exercise of the right of religious freedom at a place of worship.

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"If you riot in a place of worship, we WILL find you," Bondi said inher social media post.

Last week, a federal magistrate released Lemon and other defendants who'd been arrested, rejecting a criminal complaint against them. The judge found the administrationlacked probable cause for the arrestsunder a federal statute that a top Justice Department official conceded had never been used previously in the context of a protest at a church.

Upon his release, Lemon vowed to continue covering the news, as he said he was doing at the church protest.

His attorney Abbe Lowell said upon Lemon's arrest that it was an "unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration."

The arrest of Lemon, a well-known journalist, has added to outrage over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Minnesota and the recent killings of two U.S. citizens by federal officers.

byVincento Seyarto

in

February 02, 2026

Two more arrested in Minnesota church protest, Pam Bondi says

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Monday the arrest of two more people who werenamed in a federal indictment in connec...

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