The Supreme Court today heard arguments from Missouri and Louisiana, two Republican-led states that accused the Biden administration of violating the First Amendment by urging social media platforms to remove content that the government considered misinformation.
The majority of justices appeared to be entirely unconvinced. Many instead suggested that government officials should be able to try to persuade private companies not to publish information, so long as the requests are not backed by coercive threats. Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Elena Kagan, both former White House lawyers, said that similar interactions between the government and news outlets, which are not uncommon, are part of a valuable and legal dialogue.
The case arose from a barrage of communications from administration officials urging platforms to take down posts on topics like the coronavirus vaccines and claims of election fraud. A ruling on the case will most likely not arrive until June, when decisions on nearly all of the court’s biggest cases are announced.
In a separate but related case, a majority of the justices embraced arguments by the National Rifle Association that a New York State official violated the First Amendment by trying to dissuade companies from doing business with it after the 2018 Parkland school shooting, in which 17 people were killed.
In other Supreme Court news, my colleague Adam Liptak interviewed Justice Stephen Breyer, who retired in 2022 and wanted to sound the alarm over the court’s current direction.
Trump said he can’t secure a bond for his fraud judgment
Donald Trump’s lawyers said in a filing today that it would be practically impossible for the former president to secure a bond to cover the $454 million judgment imposed on him in his civil fraud case in New York.
If Trump is unable to come up with the financial backing by March 25, the New York attorney general’s office might move to seize some of his assets. Faced with that threat, he has asked an appeals court to pause the judgment or accept a bond of only $100 million.
Trump’s lawyers said that he had approached about 30 companies in search of a roughly half-billion dollar bond, but they all turned him down. Their reason appears to be that Trump, whose fortune is largely in real estate, does not have enough liquidity to cover such an enormous bond.
Putin doubled down on his Ukraine focus
During an event today celebrating his election victory, Vladimir Putin emphasized that his fight to add territory to his country wasn’t over, signaling that the war in Ukraine would continue to dominate his rule.
Russians at the celebration in Red Square braced for what might come next in a country at war led by a newly emboldened leader. The big concern now for many is of another military draft. “I worry about it, I worry about it every day,” said a government analyst who gave his name as Maksim. “We don’t know what will happen even tomorrow.”
In Russia, many residents say they back Putin. But it is far less clear what they might do if they were given alternatives.
Gambia voted to revoke a ban on female genital cutting
A vast majority of Gambia’s parliament voted today in favor of a bill revoking the country’s ban on female genital cutting. If the bill passes the final stages, which analysts say is likely, Gambia would become the first nation to roll back protections against the practice.
An influential imam led calls to repeal the ban, which was put in place in 2015 but not enforced until last year, when three practitioners were given heavy fines. He claimed that cutting is a religious obligation and culturally important. Internationally, the practice is considered a gross violation of human rights. It frequently leads to serious health issues and is a leading cause of death in the countries where it is practiced.
Shakira is back with an energizing album
Shakira, the Colombian pop superstar, has had a rough few years: She broke up with her partner of more than a decade, helped her father through a head injury and paid an $8.2 million fine to settle a tax evasion case. Those trials, especially the breakup, form the backbone of her first album in seven years, “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” (“Women No Longer Cry”), which is out on Friday.
Our critic talked to Shakira about what it was like to make such a personal album.
You might recognize these video game characters
A stream of actors who built their careers in Hollywood have recently taken their talents into the digital world. You can spot Idris Elba in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and Megan Fox in Mortal Kombat 1. A remake of the 1992 horror game Alone in the Dark will be released this week. It features Jodie Comer, of “Killing Eve” fame, and David Harbour, who is best known for “Stranger Things.”
“I hope that people are still watching two-hour movies decades from now,” Harbour said, “but I know they will be playing video games.”
Buy low and drink up
At a London pub called the 411, every Wednesday is a frenzy. That’s because of Wall Street Wednesdays: when the pub offers drink prices that fluctuate like the stock market. The young and the thirsty gather at the bar and wait for a market crash, during which they yell “buy, buy, buy” and grab up discounted drinks.
The event is part of a rise in what some call “competitive socializing,” where games take center stage at bars across the city. “People like gimmicks nowadays,” one patron said.
Have a playful evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew
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