The Supreme Court ruled today that states do not have the power to disqualify a presidential candidate from running for office under the 14th Amendment, an authority Colorado, Illinois and Maine had tried to use to bar Donald Trump from their ballots. All nine justices said they agreed with the decision.
The court had been widely expected to reject the challenges to Trump’s ballot eligibility. Nevertheless, today’s decision was the most important ruling concerning a presidential election since Bush v. Gore handed the presidency to George W. Bush in 2000.
Though the justices provided different reasons, none took a position on whether Trump had engaged in an insurrection — which the states said made him ineligible under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. All nine said that states could not bar candidates from federal office, while five went further, arguing that Congress must act to give Section 3 force. Here are the highlights from the ruling.
In an interview on a conservative radio program, Trump said he was pleased by the outcome. “I was very honored by a nine-to-nothing vote,” he said.
U.N. found sexual assault likely occurred during Oct. 7 attack
A U.N. report released today said it found “reasonable grounds” to believe that sexual violence occurred against women during the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel, including rape and gang rape in at least three locations. It also said it had found “clear and convincing evidence” that hostages being held in the Gaza Strip were assaulted.
The report, issued by the U.N. secretary general’s special envoy on sexual violence in conflict, called for a full investigation. It also asked that Israel grant access to U.N. officials to investigate allegations that Palestinian women were assaulted while in Israeli detention.
Apple was fined $2 billion for thwarting competition
European Union regulators fined Apple nearly $2 billion today for using its role as the gatekeeper of its App Store to box out its music streaming rivals. Apple said it would appeal the ruling, which was the culmination of a five-year investigation set in motion by Spotify.
Apple will also be forced this week to comply with the E.U.’s Digital Markets Act, which will require iPhones in the bloc to allow competing app marketplaces and alternative payment systems for in-app sales.
France enshrined access to abortion in its Constitution
French legislators overwhelmingly approved an amendment today declaring abortion to be a “guaranteed freedom” under the nation’s Constitution. The move, which makes France the world’s only country with explicit abortion rights in its constitution, will make it difficult for future governments to alter the current laws that fully fund abortion up to the 14th week of pregnancy.
More top news
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Business: JetBlue said it would pay Spirit $69 million to terminate their $3.8 billion merger after it was blocked by regulators.
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Crime: Jack Teixeira, the airman who was accused of posting secret intelligence reports online, agreed to a 16-year sentence in a plea deal.
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Washington: Newly revealed messages detail how Trump’s “fake electors” scheme was meant to create a “cloud of confusion.”
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Haiti: Gangs who had vowed to oust the prime minister attacked two prisons, allowing inmates to escape.
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Court: Allen Weisselberg, the former Trump Organization finance chief, pleaded guilty to felony perjury charges.
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Tech: A study found that screen time for toddlers curbed face-to-face interactions at home, with long-term implications that could be worrisome.
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Texas: An elite team of veterinarians is helping to save animals from wildfires in the Texas Panhandle.
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Health: Excess weight can increase the risk of pregnancy complications, but little is known about the effects of drugs like Ozempic on a fetus.
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Alzheimer’s: New criteria could lead to a dementia diagnosis on the basis of a simple blood test, even in the absence of obvious symptoms. Not everyone thinks that it’s a good idea.
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Space: Jupiter’s moon Europa, thought to be one of the most habitable places in the solar system, has less oxygen than previously estimated — but it still might have enough for life.
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Sports: LeBron James and Drake invested in the PGA Tour as the organization struggles with a challenge from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, and they are expected to lend their marketing power.
At the Oscars, it’s a team effort to get audiences laughing
When the comedian Jimmy Kimmel takes the stage on Sunday to host this year’s Academy Awards, he will be armed with a script developed by a team of roughly two dozen writers. This year, that team is under a slightly brighter spotlight after Jo Koy’s uncomfortable Golden Globes monologue in January.
Even under normal circumstances, the writers’ task is a challenge: Nearly every joke goes through a battalion of publicists, managers and even spouses. “You want it to be a little bit edgy, but not so much that it turns off the grandparents,” one writer said.
Your next chicken could be the best ever
Chicken is a staple. Yet preparing one can still be intimidating, and even confident cooks sometimes serve dry breast meat. Luckily, the cookbook author and chef Sohla El-Waylly shared with us tips for mastering the basics of the bird.
In a video, she walks through every step from shopping and preparation — don’t wash your chicken, she insists — to browning and braising. Check it out.
What it’s like inside an A.I. brain
The browser-based video game Infinite Craft looks deceivingly simple: A selection of words appears on the screen and the player’s job is to combine them to generate a new term. That might not seem exciting, but some fans have spent hours engulfed in it.
The intrigue lies primarily in its hard-to-predict artificial-intelligence model that comes up with the generated words. By toying with countless inputs, players get a peek at the basic building blocks of the large language models that are behind tools like ChatGPT.
Have an imaginative evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew
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