News in brief

By The Associated Press

Toddler killed, mother injured during tornado in Detroit suburb

LIVONIA, Mich. | Officials say a tornado killed a 2-year-old boy and injured his mother when a tree fell on their house in suburban Detroit.

Livonia city officials said in a post on the city’s website that the quick-developing tornado struck several neighborhoods in the city on Wednesday afternoon.

Officials say a massive tree was uprooted, falling onto the family’s house and through the roof, landing on a bed where the woman and her 2-year-old were sleeping.

To the east in Maryland, emergency workers were responding to reports of collapsed structures with people trapped inside after a tornado was spotted in the area during rounds of strong storms Wednesday night.

Republicans

block bill to protect contraception access

WASHINGTON | Senate Republicans have blocked legislation designed to protect women’s access to contraception. They argued on Wednesday that the bill was just a political stunt as Democrats mount an election-year effort to put GOP senators on the record on reproductive rights issues.

The test vote came as the Senate has abandoned hopes for doing serious bipartisan legislation before the election. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats are trying to spotlight issues they believe can help them win the presidency and keep the Senate in November.

A similar vote on ensuring nationwide access to in vitro fertilization could come as soon as next week. It is also expected to fail in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to move forward.

—From AP reports