Amna Nawaz:
Today’s other headlines begin in Washington, D.C., where a federal judge declined to give the Associated Press its spot back in the White House press pool for now.
But District Judge Trevor McFadden,a Trump appointee, urged the government to reconsider its ban of the wire service. The AP sued three senior Trump aides for barring its reporters from the Oval Office, Air Force One, and other areas after the AP stood firm in using the Gulf of Mexico in its coverage with an explanation that President Trump has moved to rename the body of water the Gulf of America.
The AP says the Constitution’s First Amendment prohibits the government from punishing speech. The White House argues that access to the president is a privilege, not a right.
The Supreme Court today declined to hear a pair of cases from abortion opponents over their right to protest near abortion clinics. The appeals center on laws in Illinois and New Jersey, which allow for buffer zones between protesters and clinics. Anti-abortion activists say the laws violate their First Amendment rights and that such restrictions aren’t necessary since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Cities say the laws help limit disturbing behavior outside of clinics. The court did not provide an explanation for declining the appeals, though conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas disagreed with the decision.
Apple says that it will invest $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years. That includes funding for a new factory in Houston, Texas, that will make servers to power Apple’s A.I. offerings, plus new commitments to film TV shows and movies for its Apple TV+ service in the U.S. Apple will also create 20,000 jobs across the country. The company has not said how much of today’s announcement is new funds and how much may have already been in the works.
On Wall Street today, stocks started the week on uneven footing. The Dow Jones industrial average added about 30 points for a minor gain. The Nasdaq dropped more than 230 points as major tech companies came under pressure. The S&P 500 also ended lower on the day.
And this Sunday’s Oscar race is looking wide open after the Screen Actors Guild awards delivered a pair of against-the-odds wins.
