Squad member Tlaib proposes pilot program to pay some homeless people $1,400 per month for 3 years
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., is proposing legislation that would provide homeless emancipated youth and adults under 30, more than $50,000 over the course of 36 months. The bill, dubbed the Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act, could provide homeless participants $1,400, or the adjusted fair market rent, for 36 months, while establishing a new way to take on youth homelessness in the U.S. The pilot program will provide direct cash assistance to homeless participants and study how the program affects things like housing and health. “We can’t keep repeating the same policy approaches that haven’t ended the youth homelessness crisis,” Tlaib said. “By providing direct cash assistance, we can address our housing crisis while respecting the autonomy and dignity of the folks receiving assistance.” HOLLYWOOD RESIDENTS GROW FRUSTRATED WITH LOCAL LEADERS OVER HOMELESS POPULATION The legislator said young people who have experienced homelessness helped craft the bill so that it meets the needs of those without homes. Tlaib’s office said in a press release that over 3.5 million young adults, and about 70,000 young people, experience some type of homelessness. Specifically, Tlaib said Black people have an 83% greater risk of being without a home, while LGBTQ+ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness, when compared to “others.” She also noted that there was a 17% increase in homelessness among 18- to 24-year-olds. LA PRIVATE SCHOOL FORCED TO CLOSE OVER INTRUSIONS BY HOMELESS DRUG USERS, ‘INDECENT EXPOSURE’ AROUND HOTEL “In the richest country in the history of the world, it’s time to eradicate homelessness,” Tlaib said. “The Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act brings us closer to that goal.” Fox News Digital reached out to Tlaib for further comment. Joining Tlaib as sponsors of the bill are Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo.; Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas; Barbara Lee, D-Calif.; and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The proposal comes as other members of “The Squad” make demands for similar measures. In fact, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., proposed last month that those who age out of foster care be paid $1,000 monthly for five years.
Biden on ice cream outing with Seth Meyers says he hopes for Gaza ceasefire by ‘end of the weekend’
President Biden said Monday a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip is close and hoped to see one materialize by “the end of the weekend.” The seemingly casual comments, carrying massive geopolitical significance, came during the president’s stop at an ice cream parlor near Peacock Network’s headquarters, where he had just wrapped up an interview with Seth Meyers on the “Late Night” show. Asked by a reporter when he expected the ceasefire to begin, Biden, with a mint ice cream cone in hand, said he hoped by at least “the end of the weekend.” “At least, my national security advisor tells me that we’re close. We’re close. It’s not done yet,” Biden said. “And my hope is by next Monday, we’ll have a ceasefire.” ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE KILLS 2 PEOPLE DEEP INSIDE LEBANON, HEZBOLLAH RESPONDS WITH 60 ROCKETS Biden also spoke about his planned trip to the southern border this Thursday where he will meet with border agents and discuss the need for bipartisan legislation. Biden joked that “my good friend” would be making a border stop as well, a subtle nod to GOP rival, former President Trump, who is traveling to the border as well. Biden’s visit comes after the murder of Augusta University student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus in Athens last week allegedly at the hands of an illegal immigrant. Her murder has reinvigorated calls for Biden to take more stringent border measures. The stop in Van Leeuwen came after a taped interview with Meyers, where dozens of pro-Palestinian activists were arrested for demonstrating in the lobby. Negotiations are underway for a weekslong cease-fire between Israel and Hamas to allow for the release of hostages being held in Gaza by the Iranian-backed terrorist group in return for Israel releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The proposed six-week pause in fighting would also include allowing hundreds of trucks to deliver desperately needed aid into Gaza every day. Negotiators face an unofficial deadline of the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan around March 10, a period that often sees heightened Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
India selects space travellers for Gaganyaan mission, these four pilots likely to make history
India will become the fourth country to send a human being into space if the mission proves successful.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom facing another recall threat, group says he’s ‘abandoned’ state
Opponents of California Gov. Gavin Newsom are making another attempt to recall him from office, citing the state’s looming budget deficit, among other policy issues that have negatively impacted the Golden State because of his alleged mismanagement. Rescue California, a citizen-led group, said it planned to serve Newsom’s office on Monday with recall papers, the first step in what could be a lengthy and expensive process to put the recall question before voters. The group said that Newsom’s response to a range of pressing issues – including homelessness, the increased cost of living, his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, illegal immigration and crime — has been largely inadequate. On their website, the group said Newsom “has abandoned the state to advance his Presidential ambitions.” BIDEN PRAISES NEWSOM, JOKES ABOUT CALIFORNIANS FLEEING STATE AS 2024 SPECULATION SWIRLS “California needs a full-time governor who is fully focused on the serious problems the state and its citizens are facing,” the campaign’s director Anne Dunsmore said in a statement. “This may be our last opportunity to rescue and restore our state, while we highlight for the rest of the country the destruction Newsom has left in his wake.” Newsom, a strong supporter of President Biden, has been seen as a likely choice to launch a presidential bid in the future. Future speculation about his aspirations arose after he visited Israel and China last year. Specifically, Rescue California criticized Newsom for approving legislation that provided 700,000 immigrants free health care at an annual cost of $3 billion to taxpayers, “while cutting vital programs for veterans, school children, the disabled and the homeless.” He also kept schools closed and ordered the release of criminals during the COVID-19 lockdowns and weakened public safety so much that it’s created an “epidemic” of smash-and-grab robberies that have plagued the state, the group said. In addition, Rescue California cited California’s high tax rate, increased home prices that have put home ownership out of reach for many and the spending of billions of dollars on homeless programs that have “repeatedly failed.” JOE ROGAN SAYS DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS ‘SETTING UP GAVIN NEWSOM’ FOR 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RUN The Democratic governor has faced attempts to oust him from office before. This will be the fifth effort against him. Newsom responded to news of the recall on X, formerly Twitter. “Trump Republicans are launching another wasteful recall campaign to distract us from the existential fight for democracy and reproductive freedom,” he wrote. “We will defeat them.” Fox News has reached out to the governor’s office, which cited his social media post. Newsom easily beat back the last recall effort in 2021 when he beat conservative radio host Larry Elder by a wide margin. Despite the governor’s success, Rescue California appears undeterred. “We did it before. We will do it again,” the group wrote on Facebook. The group will need about 1.38 million verified signatures by May for their recall effort to qualify for the November ballot.
Bill allowing religious exemptions for childhood vaccines passes West Virginia House
West Virginia would join 45 other states that allow religious exemptions from childhood vaccines required for school attendance under a bill that passed the House of Delegates on Monday. The religious exemption is included in a bill that would let private schools decide whether to implement vaccine mandates. It was added to the bill as an amendment that passed on Friday. The overall bill was approved Monday on a 57-41 vote and now goes to the state Senate, where its chances of passage are uncertain. But the Senate will have to act quickly: the 60-day regular session ends on March 9. Some medical experts in West Virginia, one of the unhealthiest states in the nation among adults, called the bill archaic. WEST VIRGINIA SENATE PASSES BILL THAT WOULD REMOVE MARITAL EXEMPTION FOR SEXUAL ABUSE “Legislators want to turn the clock back nearly 100 years and remove some of the safeguards in our vaccination policies,” said Dr. Steven Eshenaur, the health officer for the Kanawha-Charleston health department. “It escapes sound reasoning why anyone would want to weaken childhood immunization laws. Our children are more important than any agenda that would bring these horrific diseases back to the Mountain State.” The bill’s original intent was to eliminate vaccine requirements for students in public virtual schools. It was expanded in committee to allow private schools to set their own vaccination standards. Then came the religious exemption added in last week’s amendment. Amendment sponsor Todd Kirby, a Raleigh County Republican, said the exemption sends a message about existing guarantees of religious freedom. Kirby, who said his children are fully vaccinated, added that it would allow unvaccinated children to be welcomed into schools and day-care facilities and “to have the camaraderie and social interactions that we all know are so important.” Last year, Kirby co-sponsored a bill later signed by Republican Gov. Jim Justice that would create a test for courts to apply when people challenge government regulations they believe interfere with their constitutional right to religious freedom. About two dozen other states have similar laws. A federal appeals court last August upheld a 2021 Connecticut law that eliminated the state’s longstanding religious exemption from childhood immunization requirements for schools, colleges and day care facilities. And in Mississippi, a federal judge ruled in April 2023 that the state must allow such exemptions. Other states that currently don’t have religious exemptions for school immunization requirements are California, Maine and New York, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Unless they have a valid medical excuse, children entering school for the first time in West Virginia currently must be immunized against nine diseases or infections, including chickenpox, measles, whooping cough and tetanus. Kanawha County Republican JB Akers said he supports the religious exemption but doesn’t like how the bill would let private schools decide on student vaccine requirements while public school students currently must be immunized. “I think we are potentially creating an equal protection problem,” he said in voting against the bill. Students who compete in state-sponsored athletic competitions must be immunized and cannot receive a religious exemption under the bill. Kanawha County Democrat Mike Pushkin chided the House for meddling with the current school vaccine law. “We do not have the right to harm others,” Pushkin said. “This bill does harm.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, West Virginia’s life expectancy in 2020 was 72.8 years. Only Mississippi’s was lower at 71.9. West Virginia has the nation’s highest death rate from diabetes and heart disease, and has long had the nation’s highest drug-related death rate. It was among three states with an obesity prevalence of 40% or greater in adults in 2022, the CDC said.
Hungary parliament elects new president following scandal
Parliament approves appointment of Tamas Sulyok, 67, a Constitutional Court chief, to replace Katalin Novak. Hungary’s parliament has elected a political novice as president after the resignation of his predecessor, who caused outrage by pardoning a man convicted in a child abuse case. The affair has turned into the biggest political crisis that nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has faced since his return to power in 2010. Orban ally Katalin Novak resigned as president this month after it was revealed she had pardoned a convicted child abuser’s accomplice. Last week, ruling party Fidesz nominated Constitutional Court head Tamas Sulyok, 67, to replace Novak, Hungary’s first female president. On Monday, parliament, where Fidesz’s ruling coalition with the Christian Democratic People’s Party holds a two-thirds majority, approved his appointment, after which he took the oath of office. He will become president on March 5. Little known to the broader public, Sulyok became a Constitutional Court judge in 2014 and, two years later, the court’s head. The opposition has criticised the nomination of politically inexperienced Sulyok. About 3,000 people attended a Sunday protest by four opposition parties, calling for direct presidential elections. The post is largely ceremonial. ‘Duller presidency’ The Novak scandal broke this month when the news site 444 revealed that she had pardoned the former deputy director of a children’s home last year. The man was sentenced in 2022 to three years and four months in prison for helping to cover up his boss’s sexual abuse of children and adolescents there. Tens of thousands of people have protested against the presidential pardon in Hungary, whose government has long campaigned on a pledge to protect children. Orban has likened the resignation of Novak to a “nightmare” but stressed it was the right decision. When opening the parliament session on Monday, he described Sulyok as someone with “vast experience, respected knowledge and undisputed authority”. “I believe that Hungary needs such a president now,” he said. Under Sulyok, the Constitutional Court made several controversial rulings, including on teachers’ rights to strike. To calm anger over the pardon scandal, Orban has promised to tighten existing laws to bar convicted child abusers from receiving clemency. He also wants to vet those working with children to make sure they have passed the “appropriate suitability test”, covering “lifestyle, sexual deviance and psychological fitness”. Adblock test (Why?)
Suicide vs genocide: Rest in power, Aaron Bushnell
On Sunday, February 25, 25-year-old active duty member of the United States Air Force Aaron Bushnell set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in the US capital of Washington, DC, in a one-airman revolt against the US-backed slaughter currently being perpetrated by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip. Over the past 143 days, Israel has killed nearly 30,000 Palestinians in the besieged coastal enclave. In video footage recorded prior to and during his self-immolation, Bushnell states that he will “no longer be complicit in genocide” and that he is “about to engage in an extreme act of protest – but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonisers is not extreme at all”. To be sure, Palestinians have long been accustomed to, well, burning to death at the hands of Israeli weaponry, ever since the state of Israel undertook to lethally invent itself on Palestinian land in 1948. The Israeli military’s use of skin-incinerating white phosphorus munitions in more recent years has no doubt contributed to the whole Palestinian “experience”. After pertinently observing that US complicity in the genocide of Palestinians is “what our ruling class has decided will be normal”, Bushnell plants himself directly in front of the Israeli embassy gate – in full US military fatigues – and proceeds to douse himself with flammable liquid. As he rapidly burns to death, he repeatedly shouts: “Free Palestine”, while security personnel order him to get “on the ground”. One particularly helpful individual points a gun at the blaze. In the aftermath of Bushnell’s self-immolation, the New York Times announced: “Man Dies After Setting Himself on Fire Outside Israeli Embassy in Washington, Police Say” – a rather strong contender, perhaps, for the most diluted and decontextualised headline ever. One wonders what folks would have said in 1965 had the US newspaper of record run headlines like: “Octogenarian Detroit Woman Dies After Setting Herself on Fire, Police Say – An Event Having Nothing Potentially To Do With Said Woman’s Opposition To The Vietnam War Or Anything Like That”. Speaking of Vietnam War-related self-immolations, recall renowned US historian and journalist David Halberstam’s account of the 1963 demise in Saigon, South Vietnam, of the Vietnamese monk Thich Quang Duc: “Flames were coming from a human being; his body was slowly withering and shriveling up, his head blackening and charring. In the air was the smell of burning flesh; human beings burn surprisingly quickly… I was too shocked to cry, too confused to take notes or ask questions, too bewildered even to think”. And while such an intense and passionate form of suicide is no doubt bewildering to many, genocide should be all the more appalling; as Bushnell himself said, self-immolation is nothing “compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine”, where people know all too well how quickly human beings burn. In Bushnell’s case, the US political-media establishment appears to be doing its best to not only decontextualise but also posthumously discredit him. Time Magazine’s write-up, for example, admonishes that the US “Defence Department policy states that service members on active duty should ‘not engage in partisan political activity’” – as though actively abetting a genocide weren’t politically “partisan”. Furthermore, the magazine specifies, US military regulations “prohibit wearing the uniform during ‘unofficial public speeches, interviews’”, and other activities. Perhaps Bushnell’s ashes can be tried in military court. At the bottom of the Time article, readers are charitably given the following instructions: “If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental-health crisis or contemplating suicide, call or text 988” – which naturally implies that Bushnell was simply the victim of a “mental-health crisis” rather than someone making a most cogent and defiant political point in response to an extremely mentally disturbing political reality. At the end of the day, anyone who is not experiencing a serious “mental-health crisis” over the genocide going down in Gaza with full US backing can be safely filed under the category of psychologically disturbed. Of course, the US also perpetrated its very own genocide against Native Americans – another bloody phenomenon that has not been deemed worthy of diagnosis as a severe collective mental disturbance or anything of the sort. As per the official narrative, if you think it’s crazy for the US or its Israeli partner in crime to commit genocide, you’re the crazy one. Coming from a family of US Air Force veterans myself – both of my grandfathers participated in the carnage in Vietnam – I have personally witnessed the psychological fallout that can attend service as empire’s executioners. Aaron Bushnell was meant to be a cog in the killing machine, but his principles cost him his life. Indeed, according to a former colleague of Bushnell’s who worked with him to support the homeless community in San Antonio, Texas, he was “one of the most principled comrades I’ve ever known”. And while we journalists are supposed to be the ones speaking truth to power, suffice it to say that Bushnell has put Western corporate media to shame. Rest in power, Aaron Bushnell. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance. Adblock test (Why?)
Macron holds meeting in Paris to rally European support for Ukraine
The French president said Ukraine’s allies needed to ‘jump-start’ their support for Kyiv as the war enters its third year. French President Emmanuel Macron has told European allies that they must provide rapid support to strengthen Ukraine amid tougher Russian attacks on the battlefield as the war in Ukraine stretches into its third year. “We are in the process of ensuring our collective security, for today and tomorrow,” Macron said as he hosted 20 European heads of state and government and other Western officials in Paris for a show of unity for Ukraine, three years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. “Russia cannot and must not win that war,” Macron said at the meeting at the presidential palace, which included German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish President Andrzej Duda as well as leaders from the Baltic nations. “In recent months particularly, we have seen Russia getting tougher,” Macron said. “We also know that Russia is preparing new attacks, in particular to shock Ukrainian public opinion.” The conference also signals Macron’s eagerness to present himself as a European champion of Ukraine’s cause, amid growing fears that United States support could wane in the coming years. Ukraine’s allies needed to “jump-start” their support, Macron said. We are talking about our support for Ukraine and our collective security. A collective leap is necessary from all of us. pic.twitter.com/NViI9ntaVY — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 26, 2024 For Macron, the conference is also a chance to show European autonomy in security matters, which he called for even before Russia’s invasion. Scholz and Duda were among some 25 European heads of state and government present at the conference, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined virtually. After initial successes in pushing back the Russian army, Ukraine has suffered setbacks on eastern battlefields, with its generals complaining of shortages of arms and soldiers. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Zelenskyy said that leaders in Europe had realised “how dangerous” the war is for “the whole of Europe”. “I think they have realised that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will continue this war,” he said. But officials say Macron’s meeting is not an occasion to announce new weapons deliveries to Ukraine but more to brainstorm about how to be more efficient on the ground, as well as increase coordination between Ukraine and its allies. Ammunition supplies have become a critical issue for Kyiv. The European Union, though, is falling short of its target of sending Ukraine a million rounds of artillery shells by March. “We must be able to deliver more shells. The principle is that shells will be purchased where they are available,” said an adviser to the French president. “There is no dogmatic [French] position.” Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said on Sunday that half of Western military aid pledged to Kyiv is delivered late, lamenting that “commitment does not constitute delivery”. Without offering details, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has long opposed military supplies to Ukraine and has taken a position seen by some critics as pro-Russian, said ahead of travelling to Paris that several NATO and EU members were considering sending soldiers to Ukraine on a bilateral basis. Adblock test (Why?)
United Daughters of the Confederacy would lose Virginia tax breaks, if Youngkin signs off
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Legislation that would end tax benefits for the United Daughters of the Confederacy — the Richmond-based women’s group that helped erect many of the country’s Confederate monuments — is on its way to Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who hasn’t said whether he supports it. The Democratic-led House of Delegates gave final passage Monday to a bill that would eliminate both a recordation and property tax exemption for the group. A separate, companion measure that reached final passage last week also eliminates those exemptions. FLORIDA DEMOCRAT MAYOR SLAMMED OVER CONFEDERATE MONUMENT REMOVAL: ‘BLATANT OVERREACH’ The bills have moved through the legislature with mostly party-line support and relatively little debate. The few individuals who have spoken out against the legislation have called it discriminatory, while supporters argued the tax benefits have amounted to state-sponsored subsidies for Confederate monuments and are out of line with 21st-century values. “Since Virginia no longer supports the legacy of the Confederacy, we need to reflect that in our legislation,” Democratic Sen. Angelia Williams Graves of Norfolk, the sponsor of the Senate version of the bill, said in a legislative hearing. The group for over a century has “spread the lie” of the Lost Cause — an ideology that downplayed the role slavery played in the Civil War — and “instilled fear in marginalized groups by erecting Confederate monuments around the United States,” Williams Graves said. The nonprofit group, which owns a marble-clad Memorial Building positioned on a prominent Richmond boulevard with an assessed value of over $4.4 million, did not respond to requests for comment Monday. But last week, it told TV station WRIC the state created the property-tax exemption in 1950, also extending “an offer of land in Richmond” to erect the Memorial Building. The property tax exemption helps the group, which had members in the House gallery Monday, provide aid to other organizations, including the Wounded Warriors Project and homeless veterans organizations, the organization said. “It is our hope that Governor Youngkin appreciates the complicated history of this organization,” the statement said. The group added that it wanted the governor to see the bill as an “unfair and unwarranted tax-reform bill targeting and punishing the United Daughters of the Confederacy for simply existing.” Both bills would also end the property tax-exempt designation for two other groups related to the Confederacy: the Stonewall Jackson Memorial, Incorporated, and the Confederate Memorial Literary Society. United Daughters of the Confederacy was founded in 1894, and is open to membership by female descendants of individuals who served in the Confederate military or who “gave Material Aid to the Cause,” according to the group’s website. The group denounces white supremacy, is “grieved” that certain hate groups have adopted the use of the Confederate flag, and believes Confederate monuments are part of “our shared American history and should remain in place,” its website said. Articles and studies have found the group helped erect hundreds of monuments and other tributes to the Confederacy around the country. The group has also been involved in lawsuits in more recent years aimed at stopping the removal of monuments from public spaces. Many of Virginia’s Confederate monuments have been removed since the passage of a 2020 law that gave local governments control over their fate. Youngkin has not sought to restore removed monuments and did not strenuously object to the removal of a massive statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from state property during his 2021 campaign. But he has said he believes monuments that are removed should be placed in museums or battlefields. Youngkin will “review any legislation that comes to his desk,” said spokesman Christian Martinez when asked whether the governor supports the bills. In 2022, a teenager launched the push to remove the group’s exemption, according to reporting from The Virginian-Pilot, bringing the issue to Democratic Del. Don Scott, who is now speaker of the House of Delegates. Scott’s effort to repeal the benefits died last year — when the House was under Republican control — without a recorded vote after it was left in a committee. House speakers preside over the chamber and typically don’t sponsor many bills. This year, the House version was carried by Democratic Del. Alex Askew, who represents parts of Norfolk and Virginia Beach. “This bill does not attempt to challenge the UDC’s right to exist. It is not about free speech, about taking down monuments or which version of history is accurate. It’s about fairness and the financial priorities of the Commonwealth,” Askew said during a hearing, adding that the tax revenues being foregone now could help pay for schools, workforce development or mental health programs. Several female speakers who testified against his bill in a subcommittee hearing argued that it unfairly targeted the group. The Richmond Assessor’s Office told VPM News the group’s headquarters would be taxed at the city’s regular property tax rate if the bill passes. That would mean an annual tax bill of over $50,000.
Supreme Court debates state laws restricting social media content moderation: ‘A bunch of landmines’
The Supreme Court expressed strong concerns on Monday about the sweep of state laws restricting how large social media companies moderate user content, a digital free speech case with implications in the political and business arenas. Separate laws that passed in Florida and Texas and are now challenged in court would require Big Tech companies like X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook to host third-party communications but prevent those businesses from blocking or removing users’ posts based on political viewpoints. The regulations aim to address what some lawmakers call “censoring” of conservative messages, and banning politicians, like former President Trump, for violating subjective policies over offensive or “problematic” content. But tech firms claim a First Amendment right as private entities to editorially regulate the billions of daily voices on their platforms — from political discourse and recipe sharing, to incitement and obscenity. GOP AGS ASK SUPREME COURT TO PEEL BACK CONTENT MODERATION FROM BIG TECH IN LANDMARK FIRST AMENDMENT CASES Justices on both sides of the ideological spectrum openly questioned whether the regulations would make it impossible for private companies to operate as a forum for free speech and expression. “It covers almost everything,” said Justice Sonia Sotomayor of Florida’s law, which she said would affect what the arts and crafts retailer Etsy would have to allow on its digital marketplace. “That’s viewpoint discrimination. This falls under a whole lot of your listings and bans and disclosure requirements. Why are we imposing that on something like this?” “The First Amendment restricts what the government can do,” Chief Justice John Roberts told Texas’ solicitor general. “What the government’s doing here is saying ‘you must do this, you must carry these people — you’ve got to explain if you don’t.’ That’s not the First Amendment.” But there was widespread unease about the best approach they should take at this stage. Some justices suggested large companies that host wide-ranging speech platforms may be able to exercise greater editorial control, but that e-commerce sites like Etsy, Venmo, and Uber could be regulated by the states to some extent. “This is a sprawling statute and it makes me a little bit nervous,” said Justice Amy Coney Barrett, over how a court opinion could be applied across the infinite variety of digital media. She said the competing interests “had a bunch of landmines.” Others on the bench wondered what the effect the big tech companies have on public discourse. “There’s a lot of new terminology bouncing around in these cases, and just out of curiosity — and one of them is content moderation,” said Justice Samuel Alito. “is it anything more a euphemism for censorship?” JAN 6 RIOTERS, ABORTION, GUN RIGHTS: A LOOK AHEAD AT LANDMARK CASES SCOTUS WILL HEAR IN 2024 Alito also warned about resisting “the Orwellian temptation to recategorize offensive conduct in seemingly bland terms.” The Florida law would block a social media platform from engaging in censoring, prioritizing, or so-called “shadow banning” “based on the content.” It also would prevent “willfully deplatforming a candidate” for public office for material posted by or about that candidate. Both Florida and Texas would also require those companies to notify a user when their content has been modified or edited, along with an explanation for that action. The states argue social media companies have outsized influence over what news and information the public sees, and say they have a long tradition of ensuring their citizens have full access to a range of viewpoints, calling social media platforms the new “digital public square.” The Florida and Texas laws were passed shortly after Twitter/X and Facebook separately removed Trump for their platforms, for his posts related to the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots by his supporters. Trump and a coalition of Republican-led states are among those filing separate amicus briefs supporting Florida and Texas The Biden administration has opposed the state laws. GOP SENATOR URGES SCOTUS TO REIN IN BIG TECH’S CONTENT CENSORSHIP THAT DEFIES ‘LOGIC’ Trade groups representing big tech companies told the court the laws violate their free speech rights to decide what content meets their policies — saying their forums should not be an open-ended portal for offensive or dangerous speech — including school bullying, harassment, terrorist ideology, racial hatred, medical misinformation and voter fraud. In almost four hours of oral arguments stretching well into the afternoon, the justices weighed whether to offer a sweeping ruling on the First Amendment implications of the state laws, or a more limited approach that might have the lower courts take another look at how those content moderation policies would be applied. “Why isn’t that a classic First Amendment violation for the state to come in and say, ‘We’re not going to allow you to enforce those sorts of restrictions?’” asked Justice Elena Kagan. “In your opening remarks,’ Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked of Florida’s Solicitor General Henry Whitaker, “you said the design of the First Amendment is to prevent ‘suppression of speech.’ And you left out what I understand to be three key words in the First Amendment or to describe the First Amendment, ‘by the government,’” with Kavanaugh suggesting private companies should be given broader latitude to moderate their users content. Attorneys for the states told the court that social media companies lack free speech protection since they only “host” viewpoints, similar to the telecommunications industry — known as “common carriers” — which transmits speech with no editorial oversight. “Separating the wheat from the chaff here is pretty difficult,” said Justice Neil Gorsuch. Justice Clarence Thomas, who light-heartedly noted he was the only member of the court who pre-dated the widespread use of the Internet was especially animated in his extensive bench remarks on the implications, asking tough questions of both sides. “What do you do if it’s a deep-learning algorithm which teaches itself and has very little human intervention?” he asked at one point. “So who’s speaking then, the algorithm or the person?” After the arguments, Florida Gov. Ron De Santis — on Twitter/X no less — said,