WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court has agreed to review the case of a Missouri death row inmate who says his rare medical condition could cause him to choke on his own blood during an execution.

The justices on Monday said they would hear the appeal of inmate Russell Bucklew. The court blocked Bucklew’s execution in March after he argued that a tumor in his throat is likely to rupture and bleed during the administration of the drugs that would be used to kill him.

Bucklew argues that subjecting him to lethal injection would violate the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment because of his medical condition.

The issue is whether Bucklew has to show there is another method of execution available that would reduce the risk of needless suffering.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A man has been charged with a killing at a convenience store in southern Kansas City.

Jackson County prosecutors announced Sunday that 31-year-old Theodist Lewis, 31, of Kansas City, faces second-degree murder and armed criminal action charges in the death of 26-year-old Norez Brock.

Police say in court documents that surveillance video from the 7-Eleven shows Lewis confronting Brock in the store late Friday and then going to his vehicle. Police say Lewis shot Brock as he exited the store and then fled. Brock died later at a hospital.

A tip on Saturday led officers to a house where Brock was found hiding in a closet. Police say he appeared to be wearing the same clothes from the homicide.

Prosecutors have requested a $250,000 cash bond.

NEW YORK (AP) — T-Mobile and Sprint reached a $26.5 billion merger agreement Sunday that would reduce the U.S. wireless industry to three major players — that is, if the Trump administration’s antitrust regulators let the deal go through.

The nation’s third- and fourth-largest wireless companies have been considering a combination for years, one that would bulk them up to a similar size as industry giants Verizon and AT&T. But a 2014 attempt fell apart amid resistance from the Obama administration.

The combined company, to be called T-Mobile, would have about 127 million customers. Consumers worry a less crowded telecom field could result in higher prices, while unions are concerned about potential job losses.

In a conference call with Wall Street analysts, Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure acknowledged that getting regulatory approval is “the elephant in the room,” and one of the first things the companies did after sending out the deal’s news release was to call Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.

The companies stressed that they plan to have more employees following the combination, particularly in rural areas, than they do as stand-alone companies now.

They also emphasized that the deal would help accelerate their development of faster 5G wireless networks and ensure that the U.S. doesn’t cede leadership on the technology to China.

And they said the combination would allow them to better compete not only with AT&T and Verizon but also with Comcast and others as the wireless, broadband and video industries converge.

“This isn’t a case of going from 4 to 3 wireless companies — there are now at least 7 or 8 big competitors in this converging market,” T-Mobile chief executive John Legere said in a statement. He would be the CEO of the combined company.

The all-stock deal values each share of Sprint at slightly more than 0.10 T-Mobile shares. Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile’s parent, would own about 42 percent of the combined company. Japan’s SoftBank, which controls Sprint, would own 27 percent, and the remainder would be held by the public.

The companies said they expect the deal to close by the first half of 2019 and would result in about $6 billion in annual cost savings.

Investors have been anticipating a deal like this for some time. In addition to the thwarted attempt three years ago, the two companies were poised to combine in October, but the deal was called off after what analysts said was a disagreement over control of the combined company.

The deal will have to be reviewed by the Justice Department and the FCC.

National carriers had not been able to get a deal through under President Barack Obama. But the FCC in September deemed the wireless market “competitive” for the first time since 2009, which some analysts say could make it easier to present a deal.

The 5G aspirations are at the heart of the agreement, and the new technology could allow companies to provide faster service to people’s homes.

Sprint’s Claure likened going from 4G to 5G to switching from black-and-white television to color. The combined company plans to invest up to $40 billion in its network in the first three years, which executives said would drive more hiring and better service for customers.

Sprint has a lot of debt and has posted a string of annual losses. It has cut costs and made itself more attractive to customers, BTIG Research analyst Walter Piecyk said, but hasn’t invested enough in its network and doesn’t have enough airwave rights for quality service in rural areas.

T-Mobile, meanwhile, has been on a yearslong streak of adding customers. After the government nixed AT&T’s attempt to buy the company in 2011, T-Mobile led the way in many consumer-friendly changes, such as ditching two-year contracts and bringing back unlimited data plans.

Consumers are paying less for cellphone service thanks to T-Mobile’s influence on the industry and the resulting price wars.

Verizon and AT&T have been expanding their video-content businesses, while cable companies have been moving into wireless. That allows a single company to combine home and wireless internet and use content to support the communications businesses.

Comcast, the cable giant that finished buying NBCUniversal in 2013, offers customers wireless service by reselling access to Verizon’s network. So does another dominant cable company, Charter.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Missouri U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt says it is premature to call for the resignation of Gov. Eric Grietens.

Blunt, R-Mo., said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday that the criminal and legislative process should be allowed to continue and determine if Greitens stays in office.

Greitens has been charged with invasion of privacy in connection with an affair he had in 2015, before he was elected governor. Greitens has denied criminal wrongdoing.

Greitens is accused of taking a photo of a woman in a compromising position without her consent and threatening to release the photo if she revealed their affair.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Female inmates at the Topeka Correctional Facility are training service dogs to assist individuals with disabilities in more than 30 states.

KSDS Assistance Dogs has partnered with the women’s prison to offer the Pooches and Pals program since 2009.

Eleven dogs graduated from KSDS Assistance last week, all of which spent time in the women’s prison, said the nonprofit’s executive director Glenda Keller. The dogs were matched with people with disabilities in six states, she said.

Inmates teach the dogs practical tasks, such as opening a door and pulling a wheelchair.

The nonprofit trains the inmates to guide the service dogs. Participants can progress from an apprentice, to a secondary and then a primary.

Stephani Simon became involved in Pooches and Pals four years ago. Now, she’s president of the group in the women’s prison.

She called the program a comforting way to give back.

She said she’s learned patience, communication and leadership through the initiative. Simon said it has helped her rise above her past.

Clara Crosser recently earned “primaryship,” which allows her to take the lead on a dog’s progress.

Crosser said she takes pride in helping in the program because the dogs could potential save someone’s life.

“I have some time to do and I wanted to better myself, build myself up,” she said. “They (the dogs) heal you as much as you help them.”

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – A bill before the Missouri Legislature would ensure that anyone eating in the state would know if their meal contains real meat.

The Missouri House on Thursday approved a bill that would require companies that produce lab-grown meat products or meat substitutes to clearly note that their products don’t contain meat.

The proposal was supported by the state’s pork producers, the Missouri Farm Bureau and the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association.

Those that produce vegetarian-based meat-like products say they are already prohibited by federal law from misrepresenting their products. And they say creating a Missouri-specific law would require different labels sold than in all 49 other states.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports if the bill is approved, Missouri would be the first state to address the issue.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kanas agency says lawmakers approved an unconstitutional bill that may result in the state paying back $42 million to a former pizza magnate.

The Kansas Department of Revenue is accusing lawmakers of using a tactic attacked by transparency advocates and making other questionable moves to include more than one topic in the measure, which would violate the state constitution.

The agency’s argument comes as Gov. Jeff Colyer and lawmakers preach transparency values. Colyer and the Legislature have both tried to increase open government this year.

The 2016 law gives businessman Gene Bicknell a chance to fight a years-long dispute with the state over a $42 million tax bill stemming from the sale of hundreds of Pizza Hut franchises he owned.