Columbus, Ohio — Two more Ohio laws restricting abortions have been blocked by the courts as the legal impact of a 2023 constitutional amendment guaranteeing access to the procedure continues to be felt.

Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Alison Hatheway issued a preliminary injunction Aug. 29 that extends an existing order temporarily halting enforcement of a law banning use of telemedicine in medication abortions.

It also blocks another law prohibiting non-doctors — including midwives, advanced practice nurses and physician assistants — from prescribing the abortion pill mifepristone used in the procedure.

Hatheway’s decision followed a Columbus judge’s order blocking Ohio from enforcing several other laws that combined to create a 24-hour waiting period for abortion seekers. Any appeals by the state could eventually arrive at the Ohio Supreme Court, where three seats — and partisan control — are in play this fall and abortion is considered a pivotal issue.

In her order, Hatheway said it is clear “the status quo shifted drastically” when the amendment known as Issue 1 went into effect in December — likely rendering many existing Ohio abortion restrictions unconstitutional.

She said the state’s argument that the laws are vital to “the health and safety of all Ohioans” failed to meet the new legal mark while lawyers for Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region and the other clinics and physicians who brought the suit against the Ohio Department of Health are likeliest to prevail.

“The Amendment grants sweeping protections ensuring reproductive autonomy for patients in Ohio,” she wrote. “Plaintiffs have provided substantial evidence to prove by clear and convincing evidence that the Bans at issue here violate these newly enshrined rights in a manner that is not the least restrictive, and actually causes harm to Plaintiffs’ patients.”

Peter Range, senior fellow for strategic initiatives at Ohio’s Center for Christian Virtue, said it is now clear that the ACLU of Ohio, Planned Parenthood and others fighting Ohio’s abortion restrictions “are after every common-sense law which protects mothers and babies in our state.”

“This most recent ruling is just another example of how they want abortion on demand, without any restrictions whatsoever,” he said in a statement, calling for a “return to common sense laws which protect women and protect the preborn in Ohio.”

Ohio’s law targeting telemedicine abortions — conducted at home while a person meets remotely with their medical provider — had already been on hold under a separate temporary order since 2021. But the lawsuit was more recently amended to incorporate passage of Issue 1 and, at that time, objections to the mifepristone restriction were incorporated.

The reproductive rights amendment passed with almost 57% of the Ohio vote. It guarantees each Ohioan’s right “to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions.”

The 2024-5 NFL season is here, and the Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs game kicks things off. The reigning MVP Lamas Jackson faces the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs tonight, not to mention a whole host of Swifties cheering on Travis Kelce and Pat Mahomes.

Keep reading below to find out how and when to watch tonight’s Thursday Night Football game, even if you don’t have cable.

How and when to watch the Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs game

The Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs game will be played on Thursday, September 5, 2024 at 8:20 p.m. ET (5:20 p.m. PT). The game will air on NBC and stream on Peacock and on Sling TV and the platforms featured below.

How and when to watch the Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs game without cable

While many cable packages include NBC, it’s easy to watch the game if NBC isn’t included in your cable TV subscription, or if you don’t have cable at all. Your best options for watching are below. (Streaming options will require an internet provider.)

Sling TV is the most cost-effective way to stream the Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs game

If you don’t have cable TV that includes NBC one of the most cost-effective ways to watch tonight’s game, and all the major sporting events happening this fall, is through a subscription to Sling TV. To watch NBC on Sling TV, you’ll need a subscription to the Blue tier. We suggest leveling up your coverage to get more NFL games this fall with the Orange + Blue tier.

That Orange + Blue plan normally costs $60 per month, but the streamer currently offers a half-off promotion for your first month, so you’ll pay just $30. It’s your best NFL-watching option for the season, which includes ESPN, ABC, NBC and Fox.

The streamer is also currently offering big savings on four months of the Orange + Blue tier plus the Sports Extra plan when you prepay for the Sling TV Season Pass. The Sports Extra plan includes Golf Channel, Big Ten Network among others. Prepay for four months of the Sling TV Season Pass and spend $219, reduced from $300.

Because Sling TV does not carry CBS, Sling subscribers will want to add Paramount+ to their bundle.

Top features of Sling TV Orange + Blue plan:

• Sling TV is our top choice for streaming major sporting events like NASCAR.
• There are 46 channels to watch in total, including local NBC, Fox and ABC affiliates (where available).
• You get access to most local NFL games and nationally broadcast games at the lowest price.
• All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.
• You can add Golf Channel, NBA TV, NHL Network, NFL RedZone, MLB Network, Tennis Channel and more sports-oriented channels (19 in total) via Sling TV’s Sports Extras add-on.

Watch the Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs game free with FuboTV

You can watch every NFL game airing on network TV, including tonight’s game, on FuboTV. FuboTV is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to almost every NFL game of the season. Packages include CBS, Fox Sunday NFC games via “NFL on Fox”, NBC (Sunday Night Football), ESPN (Monday Night Football), NFL Network and more, so you’ll be able to watch more than just today’s games, all without a cable subscription.

To watch the NFL without cable, start a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. In addition to NFL football, FuboTV offers MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games. 

Top features of FuboTV Pro Tier:

• There are no contracts with FuboTV — you can cancel at any time.
• The Pro tier includes over 180 channels, including NFL Network. (You’ll need to upgrade to Ultimate for NFL RedZone.)
• FuboTV includes all the channels you’ll need to watch college and pro football, including CBS (not available through Sling TV).
• All tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
• Stream on your TV, phone, tablet and other devices.

Watch today’s game on Peacock

NFL fans can stream games airing on NBC on Peacock, in addition to getting access to Peacock-exclusive NFL games like the Week 1 Philadelphia Eagles vs. Green Bay Packers game scheduled to be played in São Paulo, Brazil. Peacock subscribers can also access Peacock originals like “Love Island” and the Annette Bening thriller “Apples Never Fall,” plus live NBC-aired content with a Peacock Premium Plus subscription, and Peacock’s library of on-demand content including “The Office.”

Your best value, you can get a year of Peacock Premium (with ads) for $80, or a year of Peacock Premium Plus (mostly ad-free) for $120. Or, get a monthly subscription: Peacock Premium subscription costs $8 per month, while Peacock Premium Plus is $14 per month.

Watch the Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs game on Hulu + Live TV

You can watch the NFL, including NBC, with Hulu + Live TV. The bundle features access to 90 channels, including both Fox and CBS. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch every game on every network with Hulu + Live TV, plus catch live NFL preseason games, exclusive live regular season games, popular studio shows (including NFL Total Access and the Emmy-nominated show Good Morning Football) and lots more.

Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+ for $77 per month after a three-day free trial.

Watch the Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs game live on your phone with NFL+

If you want to catch today’s game live on your phone, check out NFL+. The premium streaming service, starting at $40 per year (or $7 per month), offers access to NFL Network. And yes, that includes games being broadcast out-of-market. To boost your NFL experience even further, you can upgrade to NFL+ Premium with NFL RedZone and watch up to eight NFL games simultaneously.

Top features of NFL+:

• You get access to all NFL preseason games, including those that are out of market, on any supported device, including TV.
• NFL+ lets you stream local and primetime regular season games on your phone or tablet (but not your TV).
• It includes the NFL Network (and NFL RedZone with NFL+ Premium), so it’s a good option for those who are looking to stream football on the go.

Watch today’s game with a digital HDTV antenna

You can also watch sports airing on network TV with an affordable indoor antenna, which pulls in local over-the-air HDTV channels such as CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, PBS, Univision and more. Here’s the kicker: There’s no monthly charge.

For anyone living in a partially blocked-off area (those near mountains or first-floor apartments), a digital TV antenna may not pick up a good signal — or any signal at all. But for many homes, a digital TV antenna provides a seriously inexpensive way to watch sports without paying a cable company. Indoor TV antennas can also provide some much-needed TV backup if a storm knocks out your cable.

This ultra-thin, multi-directional digital antenna with a 65-mile range can receive hundreds of HD TV channels, including ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Fox, and Univision and can filter out cellular and FM signals. It delivers a high-quality picture in 1080p HDTV, top-tier sound and features a 12-foot digital coax cable.

If you’re anxiously waiting for today’s game to begin, now is a great time to check out Amazon’s NFL Fan Shop. The Amazon NFL Fan Shop is filled to the brim with officially licensed fan gear: You’ll find jerseys, team flags, T-shirts, hoodies and more, including tons of great gear for the NFL fan in your life. There are plenty of great deals awaiting you at Amazon, too, including some must-see deals on TVs for watching sports.

Tap the button below to head directly to the NFL Fan Shop page on Amazon and select your favorite team.

2024-5 NFL season Week 1 full schedule

Below is the full Week 1 schedule for the 2024-5 NFL season.  

Thursday, Sept. 5

Friday, Sept. 6

• Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles (in São Paulo, Brazil), 8:15 p.m. ET (Peacock)

Sunday, Sept. 8

• Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
• Arizona Cardinals at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
• Tennessee Titans at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
• New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
• Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
• Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
• Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
• Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
• Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)
• Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)
• Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)
• Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)
• Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)

Monday, Sept. 9

• New York Jets at San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC)

Washington — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump and special counsel Jack Smith are returning to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s courtroom Thursday for the first time since she regained control of the 2020 election-related case following the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on presidential immunity. 

The attorneys are poised to lay out their proposed paths for how pretrial proceedings should move forward in the wake of the July decision, which offered Trump and all former presidents protection from federal prosecution for “official acts.”

Trump is not expected to attend Thursday’s hearing and has waived his right to appear. 

Ahead of the scheduled status conference, the judge asked both sides to present their arguments for how the case should proceed. In a court filing last week, Smith left the exact timeline up to Chutkan and indicated the court should promptly apply the high court’s immunity ruling and make decisions accordingly. 

The former president’s legal team, meanwhile, urged Chutkan to give the parties more time to go over the potential legal questions and proposed a schedule that would extend pretrial proceedings in the case into the spring or fall of 2025, about two years after the charges were first filed and well after the November presidential election.

Trump’s lawyers said they plan to argue the indictment should be tossed out on the grounds that Smith’s appointment as special counsel and funding are unconstitutional.

They further believe that the case should be dismissed based on presidential immunity. In addition, they may seek to have two charges dismissed based on the Supreme Court’s decision in June limiting the scope of a federal obstruction charge, the former president’s legal team said in their filing.

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority ruled in July that presidents and former presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for “official acts” they take during their presidency. Some of the conduct alleged in Smith’s original indictment fell squarely under that umbrella, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority’s opinion. For other allegations, the court left it up to Chutkan to decide whether Trump was acting in his capacity as the president or as a private candidate for office.

Last week, in advance of Thursday’s hearing, Smith unsealed a superseding indictment against Trump removing the conduct that Roberts said was covered by presidential immunity. The former president still faces the same four federal counts — including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. — in a charging document that describes an alleged plot to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election. Prosecutors said they made changes to adhere to the Supreme Court’s decision.

Trump pleaded not guilty to the original 2023 indictment and authorized his attorneys to enter a not-guilty plea on his behalf to the new charging document. He has denied all wrongdoing.

Next steps in the Trump case

The way forward in the case remains uncertain as Trump and Smith’s teams laid out opposing views for the pretrial schedule. Trump’s team revealed in a court filing last week that they intend to file additional motions to dismiss the new indictment based on claims that the former president remains immune from prosecution on portions of the conduct included in Smith’s latest indictment, including social media posts, public statements, communications with state officials and interactions with former Vice President Mike Pence. 

Prosecutors are likely to argue they tailored the superseding indictment to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling. They wrote last week that they will seek to “distinguish [Trump’s] private electioneering activity from official action, and rebut the presumption of immunity as to any conduct that the court may deem official.” 

Trump has already prevailed in efforts to have a second set of federal charges in South Florida tossed out. He faced 40 counts related to his alleged mishandling of sensitive government records after leaving office and attempts to obstruct the Justice Department’s investigation.

But the judge overseeing the case granted Trump’s request to dismiss the indictment on the grounds that Smith was unconstitutionally appointed and his office unlawfully funded. The special counsel has appealed that decision to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.

Trump’s legal team said he will challenge the legality of Smith’s appointment in D.C. and cited a concurring opinion from Justice Clarence Thomas in the immunity case, in which he questioned where the special counsel was properly appointed.

“If this unprecedented prosecution is to proceed, it must be conducted by someone duly authorized to do so by the American people,” Thomas wrote in his nonbinding opinion, which was not joined by any of the other justices.