The U.S. Department of Justice is challenging an Alabama law making it a felony for doctors to treat transgender people under age 19 with puberty blockers and hormones to affirm their gender identity.

The Justice Department on Friday filed a motion seeking to intervene in an ongoing lawsuit challenging the law and seeking to block it from taking effect on May 8. The Justice Department said the law discriminates against minors by denying them access to medically necessary care.

Alabama Republicans who support the law say it's needed to protect children. A spokeswoman for Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said her office is prepared to defend the legislation.

“The law discriminates against transgender minors by unjustifiably denying them access to certain forms of medically necessary care,” the complaint states. “As a result of S.B. 184, medical professionals, parents, and minors old enough to make their own medical decisions are forced to choose between forgoing medically necessary procedures and treatments or facing criminal prosecution."

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Prosecution witness and former Theranos lab director Adam Rosendorff stood by his earlier testimony during a court appearance in Elizabeth Holmes' fraud trial on Monday. Rosendorff's statements could pave the way for Holmes' sentencing in the case, which was postponed after Rosendorff sought to speak with Holmes following the trial.

Rosendorff made an uninvited visit to Holmes' Silicon Valley home in August, following her conviction for investor fraud. While he didn't speak to Holmes directly, Rosendorff told her partner William Evans that "he tried to answer the questions honestly but that the prosecutors tried to make everyone look bad" and felt "he had done something wrong," according to Evans' recollection of the conversation filed with the court.

Under questioning by U.S. District Judge Edward Davila, Rosendorff said his testimony in the trial was truthful. He said he felt remorseful about the possibility that Holmes' young child with Evans would be without her mother if Holmes is sentenced to prison.

Rosendorff added, without explanation, that "it is my understanding she is pregnant again." The Associated Press has not verified that information.

Under grilling by Holmes attorney Lance Wade, Rosendorff said flatly: "The government was trying to get to the truth of what happened -- what Elizabeth Holmes did."

"I don't want to help Ms. Holmes," Rosendorff added. "The only person that can help her is herself. She needs to pay her debt to society."

Holmes' legal team is relying heavily on Rosendorff's post-trial action to help the former entrepreneur avoid a prison sentence. Her lawyers filed a motion for a new trial in August based on Rosendorff's alleged statements to Evans.

Holmes, 38, is facing up to 20 years in prison for misleading investors about the progress her once-heralded startup Theranos was making with new blood-testing methods. She was supposed to be sentenced Monday, but the judge postponed that hearing once the Rosendorff questions arose. The judge had already set a new sentencing date for Holmes on Nov. 18 before the Monday hearing began.

CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati firefighter stepped up on a flight out of CVG when another passenger was experiencing a medical emergency.

Part of the way through the flight from Cincinnati to Salt Lake City, passengers started to notice another passenger needed help.

“It was clear that there was someone in distress. The flight attendants were asking around if there was anyone who had medical help,” another passenger on the plane, Blake Taylor, said.

A few rows in front of Taylor, another passenger had already taken charge of the situation.

"Once the flight attendants started going through their motions and their protocols, they brought me a medical bag that had everything I needed, there was a nurse there that was helping out," Kenny Christo said.

He's a Cincinnati firefighter and EMT at Station 23 in East Walnut Hills.

Christo was able to assess the passenger, get an IV started and monitor her until the plane landed and local EMTs took over.

"It happened very calmly, very efficiently and really impressive," Taylor said.

Christo said by the time he got on his connecting flight out of Salt Lake City, the woman was conscious and talking.

This isn't the first time he's stepped in to help someone when he's off the clock.

"It's just what we do. Especially Cincinnati firefighters. We're always on the ready, we're always there to help out," Christo said.

He said most of the time, firefighters in a situation like this are happy to help. They do what they can to make sure the stranger in need is okay, then do exactly what Christo did: turn around and go about their day, not looking for any credit.

There's new attention on ensuring an automatic external defibrillator, also known as an AED, is accessible in youth sports.

An AED helped save Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin's life when he went into cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game.

Sudden cardiac arrest is the number one killer of student-athletes.

Research shows that having an AED on-site increases someone's chance of survival from 8% to 80%.

Craig Goldenfarb runs the nonprofit organization Heart in the Game, which donates AEDs to venues that host youth sports.

He said money is just one of the major obstacles preventing organizations and schools from acquiring AEDs.

"Just like a fire extinguisher, you have to maintain it," he said. "You got to keep the batteries live. You got to keep the electrodes live."

He also notes that policies about where and how AEDs are stored have to be in place.

However, help could come from a bill moving through Congress. The Access to AEDs Act would allow the Department of Health and Human Services to give grants to institutions that put AEDs in schools.

Sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes is usually caused by an undiagnosed heart condition, according to the Sports Institute.

Craig said parents should be proactive to protect their children.

"When you go to your pediatrician, ask them if they have an EKG machine because that will catch any abnormality," he said. "It's not part of a normal routine, physical for a child, but it should be."

DAYTON, Ohio —

More than four years after a family from Mason was killed in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 75, the woman accused of killing them is on trial.

Abby Michaels, 25, of Xenia, faces six counts of murder and three counts of aggravated vehicular homicide. Last Friday, three additional counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and an OVI charge were dismissed.

On March 17, 2019, prosecutors said Michaels intentionally drove the wrong way on the interstate and crashed into another car killing Timmy Thompson, 51, his wife Karen Thompson, 50 and their 10-year-old daughter Tessa.

The Thompsons were on their way home to Mason after visiting family when they were hit head-on.

"By nightfall, that living family was no longer alive," assistant Montgomery County prosecutor Bryan Moore said in his opening statement.

Prosecutors said other drivers saw Michaels' car drive through an emergency turn-around and head north in the southbound lanes.

"And they watch in horror as that vehicle collides with the Thompson vehicle. That vehicle is being driven, controlled by Abby Michaels," Moore said.

Defense attorney Jay Adams called what happened tragic but said there is more to the story.

"This issue is whether or not Abby Michaels acted knowingly. That's the whole case," Adams said.

Adams said Michaels had suffered for years from a seizure disorder.

"At the end of this, Abby Michaels was involved in a tragic event with the Thompson family. That is very sad, but she didn't murder anybody. She suffered from a medical condition," Adams said.

One of the first people to testify Monday was Michaels' husband at the time of the crash, Kyle Pastorelle. He had filed for divorce two days prior and was not with Michaels that night.

Prosecutors showed surveillance footage of Michaels wearing a festive, green and white St. Patrick's Day hat at Ron's Pizza in Miamisburg.

Prosecutors pointed her out in the video leaving the restaurant at 7:43 p.m. that night.

Eleven minutes later, Pastorelle said Michaels called him asking to come over.

"I was pretty adamant on 'No, we're not doing this. It's not going to happen,' and that's when she told me that — she was driving at the time — and that's when she told me she was going to drive backwards on 75," Pastorelle said.

Pastorelle said Michaels sent him a text message a few minutes later and said, "Goodbye. I love you. I'm dying now."

By 8:10 p.m., Moraine police were dispatched to the deadly crash.

During cross-examination, Pastorelle testified to Michaels' medical issues.

"You were asked about seizures and whether you've actually seen any in the seven years. You know she's had them, correct?" Adams asked.

Pastorelle said, "Yeah."

Adams asked, "You know she's been hospitalized for them, correct?"

"Yes," Pastorelle answered.

The bench trial is expected to last most of the week.

A highly-anticipated Alzheimer's treatment is expected to become available this month. However, experts warn that accessibility will likely be a problem.

Lecanemab is the first treatment that appears to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. It's only for people in the early stages of cognitive decline.

Lecanemab is an infusion given every two weeks. It's estimated to cost $25,000 a year.

Those not wealthy or those not in clinical trials are expected to be left out.

"Another barrier to access stems from the fact Lecanemab is on accelerated FDA approval," said Dr. Michael Weiner.

He expects the FDA to announce whether the drug gets full approval later this year. If it is fully approved, the Center for Medicare Services will decide whether to cover it.

Once a drug is approved for Medicare, some insurance will pay for it and it is available through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"I think those of us in the field, who see these patients and know what's going on and see the effects of this treatment, think that this treatment should definitely be available to the population, and we ought to try to find a way to pay for i.," Weiner said.

In clinical trials, the drug has been shown to slow cognitive decline by about 25%. Weiner said that could mean six to nine months of independence for patients and caregivers.

COLUMBIA TWP., Ohio — The first medical marijuana dispensary in the Interstate 275-loop opened its doors Wednesday morning in Columbia Township.

Verilife, a medical marijuana dispensary company owned by the Illinois-based Pharmacann, opened the dispensary at 5134 Ridge Ave. between Pleasant Ridge and Oakley Wednesday at 11 a.m.

"We are looking forward to meeting the medical cannabis needs of Ohio's patients seeking relief," said Chaz Mize, general manager of the Cincinnati Verilife dispensary.

The dispensary offers a wide range of medical marijuana products for the medical needs of people in Cincinnati.

"Whether it's tinctures for the senior citizen with cancer receiving chemotherapy, or vaporizers for the patient with chronic pain, we want to ensure our patients are empowered to find what works to meaningfully improve their lives," said Mize.

Patient consultation rooms and access to patient care representatives are also available at the dispensary.

RELATED: What to expect from Ohio medical marijuana dispensaries

About Wellness, located in a strip mall at 1525 Genntown Dr. in Lebanon, Ohio, was the first of seven medical marijuana dispensaries to open in Greater Cincinnati.

“We believe there are folks that don't have dispensaries close to them," Mize said. "And then we believe that there are a considerable number of people here in the Cincinnati market that just haven't had the opportunity to use their card yet."

Michael Harris, a medical marijuana patient living in Hamilton County, said Verilife's new location is about 30 miles closer to his home than the Lebanon dispensary.

"I have chronic pain in my legs, in my shoulder and in my back," Harris said. "I have a herniated disc."

He said medical marijuana doesn't make his pain go away, but it makes it manageable, so he can live his life. He said living closer to a more accessible dispensary has made a big difference for him.

Ryan Hoover, another medical marijuana patient, said he uses medical marijuana to treat his PTSD, Crohn's Disease and IBS. He's tried different prescription drugs over the years, but said nothing has worked for him as well as medical marijuana.

"Medicines, some of them work," he said. "But it’s just a matter of time before they stop working or you catch a lot of the side effects from it. I don’t like taking pills so this is really going to help me.”

Medical marijuana is not a prescription, but the state of Ohio allows certified physicians to recommend medical marijuana to patients with certain medical conditions. Patients are provided a card, not a prescription to fill, and can purchase it from state-certified dispensaries.

Butler County could also see its first dispensary soon. Bloom Medicinals said it plans to open a dispensary in Seven Mile before the end of the month.

DENVER, Colo. — People rely on hospitals to help them when they need medical attention. Some of those hospitals are the very reason some of the best doctors get into the medical profession.

That is the case for Dr. Woosik Chung, who is the director of Spine Surgery at Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Denver, Colorado.

One of the newest spaces within their facility is the smartOR. It's where Dr. Chung does all of his spinal surgeries.

He's the brains behind incorporating some of the newest technologies within this space. However, he didn’t get to where he is by accident.

“Growing up with a dad that was a surgeon and a mom that was an OR nurse, you know, you kind of take it for granted, unfortunately," Dr. Chung said.

His story starts when he was about three years old and it was a celebratory holiday in South Korea.

“I remember I was playing with my friends. I believe we were playing hide-and-seek. I remember hiding behind a tractor and I remember the engine cover was open or it wasn’t there, and there was the propeller spinning and the fan belt around that propeller. I remember I was sitting on my tricycle and I was hiding and nobody could come and find me and I got bored and I saw the propeller moving around and I thought I could stop it," Dr. Chung said.

He severed both of his hands. Both were a clean cut.

“The next thing I remember— my dad is holding me and compressing my arms and I heard my mom say, 'I found them,' and she was referring to my limbs," Dr. Chung said.

They lived right near the hospital. His father had to step in as many doctors weren't working because it was a holiday.

“Luckily, thanks to my parents, my dad and the powers that be, I healed up and I was able to start using my hands again and I think it took me a long time to understand the significance of that," Dr. Chung said.

What could have turned into a tragic story, instead, was the beginning of a remarkable career.

“I was curious about the OR, I was curious about what my dad did because I knew that he had done my hand surgery and so I think it made me want to go to his hospital more when we were living in Malawi and check out what he was doing," Dr. Chung said. “He was as busy as ever so the only times I really saw him were if I visited him at the hospital and then I’d run around with him as he was making his rounds and then I’d kind of look in as he was operating outside of the OR.”

Those times of exploration, combined with his curiosity, gave him purpose to join the medical field.

“Wow, this is pretty unique and it’s an opportunity that doesn’t come by that often and so maybe the best thing to do is to try and use my hands to help somebody else," Dr. Chung said.

That’s exactly what he does now. Day-in and day-out, using his own hands, to change others' lives at this hospital. His outcome, is not the norm. Limb reattachment is far from a guarantee.

“I would still say it’s a rarity. And I would say this only happens in unique circumstances. And I think In my case, thank goodness I was a young kid, thank goodness the injury itself is what we call a clean cut, and thank goodness my father was able to take care of me so quickly right after the injury," Dr. Chung said.

People would never know Dr. Chung's story by looking at him but knowing it, makes people appreciate him as the doctor and surgeon he is.

“Get to know your doctor. Get to know your nurse. Get to know the people that want to take care of you because we want to be able to take care of you, we want to help," Dr. Chung said. “Helping others, and do whatever you can, even if all the odds are against you, and as long as you look at that goal and you work towards it as hard as you can, well sometimes amazing things can happen.”

CELEBRATION, Fla. — Almost half of the people who receive CPR, 45%, received it from a bystander. That’s why kids at one Florida high school are learning it.

Students at Celebration High School are getting a crash course in saving lives.

“As soon as the video is over, I’m going to explain to them what we are doing with the dummies and how they are doing CPR and how we’re checking them,” said Rokaia Collison, a teacher leading the training.

A new law in Florida now requires 9^th and 11^th graders to learn the lifesaving technique.

According to the American Heart Association, Florida is the 39^th state where CPR training is mandatory.

“Learning hands-only CPR teaches them skills outside of a high school setting and as they grow older, should they experience somebody experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, they might be able to assist them,” said Michelle Turnage with the American Heart Association.

Natasha Alejandro is a junior at Celebration High School. We followed her through the process of learning CPR.

She and her classmates got in line and when it was their turn, they stepped up to the dummies.

"It doesn’t seem hard, but I feel like if I was doing it to a real person, I’m not doing anything because I can’t feel the clicking,” she said.

It’s not a real-life experience, but now Alejandro and hundreds of other students have a little more know-how should they need it.

“Conditioning always conditions you for the main event, so I guess learning this beforehand does condition you to any certain event,” said Alejandro.

It’s a real-world skill that students like Brandon Gonzales are happy to have. He’s a funny kid, but he knows this is serious.

“That’s a life, got to save everyone, because everyone is equal,” he said.

You never know when you might be able to save a life

“He died on the gym floor and while we can’t say what the outcome would have been, he had absolutely no chance at survival in his situation when there’s no CPR and no AED used, then you have no chance," said Kristin Cobb Simpson.

She lost her nephew, Burke, in 2012 after he collapsed during a pickup basketball game. Burke had an enlarged heart and went into cardiac arrest.

Despite his condition, the family believes if CPR had been initiated, there’s a good chance Burke could have survived. In 2014, they lobbied the Louisiana legislature to pass the Burke Cobb Act, requiring all Louisiana high school students to learn CPR.

“Even that situation that Burke was in, those 20 to 25 friends could be potential lifesavers,” said Cobb Simpson.

The kids we spoke with in Celebration are happy about the new law in Florida.

“Enforcing this does give us a positive outlook when it comes to certain situations like this. Hey, I do know how to do this, hey I can be useful. Even if we called 911, it takes a while to get here,” said Alejandro.

While they’re waiting for professionals to arrive, kids in Celebration, and across the country will have the skills to help save a life.

Lily Beltran and her stepmother Katelyn Beltran like to admire all of Lily’s modeling photos on display throughout the house.

“She just popped this leg and looked all sassy,” Katelyn Beltran said.

Even when she’s not trying, Beltran says 16-year-old Lily has a natural talent for modeling. It all started when a photographer felt inspired during a family photo shoot.

“The photographer, it was the first we’d met her, and she was really taken aback by Lily’s potential versatility in photoshoots – just for being able to pull off a lot of different looks – and so she asked her to come and do another photo shoot afterward, and that’s kind of what kicked it off," Beltran said. "And then we were like ‘whoa, ok Lily, you got something there.’”

The greatest challenge has been finding dresses that fit because Lily has scoliosis.

“They make dresses very specifically," Beltran said. "If there weren’t like a keyhole that gave a little forgiveness in the zip-up, it wouldn’t fit her correctly.”

Lily says she wasn’t too bugged by the cosmetic issues. It was the chronic pain that eventually led her to surgery.

“A lot of the time in the middle of the night, my back would hurt, and so I would wake up, and then it was hard to go back to sleep because it wouldn’t go away," Lily said. "Or chores like dishes stuff where I’d have to lean over would hurt.”

“She was sleeping in such a broken way just to feel comfortable, and I know she wasn’t feeling comfortable, so she wasn’t getting good rest," Beltran said. "Therefore, she was exhausted at school – it was affecting her ability to perform well at school or to keep up with her friends.”

Back in December of 2019, Lily went through surgery to straighten out her back. Dr. Brian Shaw is her orthopedic surgeon at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

“She had two curves: one way up in her neck and then one longer one down in her thoracic and lumbar spine,” Dr. Shaw said.

He says scoliosis is a sideways curve or bend in the spine.

“It’s found in about three percent of all people.”

Dr.Shaw says scoliosis treatment has improved vastly even since his early years of training.

“For a whole year, they’d make a whole bed out of plaster that they’d keep people in," Dr. Shaw said. "And they would lose weight and get stiff and get bedsores, and today it’s come in, have surgery, go home two days later.”

The biggest risk with surgery is the possibility of infection. However, Dr. Shaw says most of the time, patients are completely fine. That was the case with Lily. Now in her modeling, her back is straight.

“That’s a super volatile industry and not always the best for self-esteem, and everybody knows that," Beltran said. "And we got really lucky to be working with photographers who were just so kind and so sweet about it. But I know that’s not always going to be the reality.”

Beltran says she believes Lily can now pursue modeling with less judgment. But she’s taught Lily to be comfortable in her skin – including the scar that runs down her back. In her future modeling endeavors, Lily says she hopes to continue finding photographers who celebrate what makes people unique.

“It’s more fun to go that route when they want to take pictures of my scar,” Lily said.

Cancer care for older Americans is getting a makeover.

When the elderly learn they have cancer, doctors have often assumed they're too frail for treatment. Or they instead recommend harsh therapies tested only in younger patients. But there's a move afoot to change that with special age-related fitness exams.

New guidelines from cancer specialists recommend the evaluations before making treatment decisions for Americans aged 65 and up.

The exams evaluate physical and mental health and social support. They also take into account the patient's desires for life-prolonging treatment regardless of how much time might be left. The idea is to find ways to help patients tolerate treatment, not rule it out.