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US Accuses Apple of ‘Broad, Sustained, and Illegal’ Smartphone Monopoly (Maria)
The author writes, “The US government on Thursday filed a sprawling antitrust case against Apple, alleging that the tech giant has illegally prevented competition by restricting access to its software and hardware. The case is a direct challenge to the company’s core products and practices, including its iMessage service and how devices such as the iPhone and Apple Watch connect with one another. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New Jersey, alleges that Apple has monopoly power in the smartphone market. … ‘Apple has maintained its power not because of its superiority, but because of its unlawful exclusionary behavior,’ US attorney general Merrick Garland stated.”
Jared Kushner Says Gaza’s ‘Waterfront Property Could Be Very Valuable’ (Sean)
The author writes, “His remarks at Harvard gave a hint of the kind of Middle East policy that could be pursued in the event that Trump returns to the White House, including a search for a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel.”
Montana Supreme Court Allows Abortion Ballot Proposal to Proceed (DonkeyHotey)
From the Montana Free Press: “After two months of litigation and consideration, the Montana Supreme Court on Monday overruled the state attorney general’s January finding that a constitutional initiative to explicitly protect abortion rights is ‘legally insufficient,’ resolving one of many obstacles to the proposal being placed before voters on the November ballot.”
A Coal Billionaire Is Building the World’s Biggest Clean Energy Plant and It’s Five Times the Size of Paris (Reader Jim)
From CNN: “The success of the Khavda Renewable Energy Park is critical to India’s efforts to reduce pollution and hit its climate goals while meeting the burgeoning energy needs of the world’s most populous nation and fastest-growing major economy. Coal still accounts for 70% of the electricity India generates.”
Global Ocean Heat Has Hit a New Record Every Single Day for the Last Year (Sean)
The author writes, “Global ocean surface temperatures started breaking daily records in mid-March last year, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, fueling concerns for marine life and extreme weather across the planet.”
Using AI to Spot Edible Mushrooms Could Kill You (Laura)
The author writes, “Now, a new assortment of AI-powered mushroom identifiers are popping up in the Apple, Google and OpenAI app stores. These tools use artificial intelligence to analyze photos or descriptions of mushrooms and compare them to known varieties. Like past mushroom identification apps, the accuracy is poor, Claypool found in a new report for Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. But AI companies and app stores are offering these apps anyway, often without clear disclosures about how often the tools are wrong.”
Cheetahs’ Unrivaled Speed Explained by Their ‘Sweet Spot’ Size, Finds Imperial Study (Mili)
From Science Daily: “Their findings suggest that there is not one limit to maximum running speed, as previously thought, but two: how fast versus by how far, muscles contract. The maximum speed an animal can reach is determined by whichever limit is reached first — and that limit is dictated by an animal’s size.”
