Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey says she is being treated for cancer

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced Thursday that she will receive radiation treatments for a cancerous spot on her lung.

The 74-year-old Republican governor said the spot was discovered in a routine exam and was later confirmed to be what she called a tiny, isolated malignancy. Ivey said she will have an outpatient procedure at the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Friday to prepare her to undergo a series of specialized radiation treatments.

"The good news is I am one of the fortunate ones where this was discovered early, and it is very treatable," Ivey said in a statement.

"Naturally, I welcome your prayers and your support. Just as so many others who have been affected by cancer, I am confident of God's plan and purpose for my life and feel extremely fortunate this was caught so early."

Ivey said her doctors have assured her the treatment plan has a high rate of success and will have minimal impact on her schedule. The governor said it will not interfere in her ability to serve as governor and "doing the work you elected me to do."

The governor announced the diagnosis in a statement and video released by her press office. She said she made the announcement because, "I always shoot straight with you."

Dr. William P. Saliski Jr. with Montgomery Pulmonary Consultants said Ivey was referred to him to review an abnormal spot on her lung, and a biopsy revealed an isolated malignancy.

"Upon consultation with our cancer team and reviewing all options available, Governor Ivey determined that these minimal radiation treatments are her preference. Governor Ivey has opted for the least invasive treatment which has an excellent cure rate. I expect her to make a full recovery," Saliski wrote in a statement released by Ivey's office.

Asked for the specific diagnosis, Ivey press secretary Gina Maiola deferred to statements by the governor and her physician. Maiola said Ivey will continue her duties as governor and will not need to turn the office, even temporarily, over to someone else. Maiola referred to the procedure at UAB only as an outpatient procedure.

Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth said Ivey will, "carry with her the prayers, thoughts, and well-wishes of millions of Alabamians."

"Throughout her career, Kay Ivey has proven herself to be a strong and determined woman who will confront any obstacle placed in her path. The courage and tenacity she has shown in the past will serve her well in the challenge that lies ahead," Ainsworth said.

During the 2018 election, Ivey faced thinly veiled accusations about her age and health. In the GOP primary, some of Ivey's younger male opponents challenged each other to release their medical records while simultaneously maintaining that they weren't questioning her health. Ivey typically responded with a quip that perhaps age brings wisdom.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed shooting down another of the U.S. military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.

The Houthis said they shot down the Reaper with a surface-to-air missile, part of a renewed series of assaults this week by the rebels after a relative lull in their pressure campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Bryon J. McGarry, a Defense Department spokesperson, acknowledged to The Associated Press on Saturday that “a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 drone crashed in Yemen.” He said an investigation was underway, without elaborating.

The Houthis described the downing as happening Thursday over their stronghold in the country's Saada province.

Footage released by the Houthis included what they described as the missile launch targeting the drone, with a man off-camera reciting the Houthi's slogan after it was hit: “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.”

The footage included several close-ups on parts of the drone that included the logo of General Atomics, which manufactures the drone, and serial numbers corresponding with known parts made by the company.

Since the Houthis seized the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the U.S. military has lost at least five drones to the rebels counting Thursday's shootdown — in 2017, 2019, 2023 and this year.

Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.

The drone shootdown comes as the Houthis launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, demanding Israel ends the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.

The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sank another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a U.S.-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat. American officials have speculated that the rebels may be running out of weapons as a result of the U.S.-led campaign against them and after firing drones and missiles steadily in the last months. However, the rebels have renewed their attacks in the last week.

A Houthi supporter raises a mock rocket during a rally against the U.S. and Israel and to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, April. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)