New Airline Refund Rules To Save Americans $$
TikTok ban reality check; Supreme Court divided on emergency abortion case
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Good morning,
It’s National Park Week. To celebrate, we wanted to share one of our favorite Instagram accounts… theirs!
Check out some of the events and activities they are having this week and weekend!
Have a good one!
Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren
⚖️ SUPREME COURT DIVIDED ON EMERGENCY ROOM ABORTION CARE
Wednesday Supreme Court Arguments. Sketch by Bill Hennessy
The Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday on a hot issue in the national abortion debate: Should hospitals in states with abortion bans be required to perform one if a mother’s health is at risk?
The 6-3 conservative-majority court seemed divided along ideological lines. It appears Chief Justice John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett’s votes will likely decide the case.
HOW THE LAW IS WRITTEN
Idaho’s current law only allows abortion only if the life, not the health, of the mother is at risk. And doctors who perform abortions can face up to five years in prison, if it is determined they break that law.
An example of what could happen: A pregnant woman goes into an emergency room and has serious health problems, and carrying the fetus further could lead to the permanent loss of reproductive organs or issues that could eventually become life-threatening. Doctors might recommend getting an abortion. But, since technically their life is not currently at stake at that moment, state law prevents the procedure.
The White House argues that hospitals which receive federal Medicare and Medicaid funds are required — under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) — to provide emergency stabilizing care, including abortions in some cases.
EMTALA says that when a patient goes to the ER, hospitals must provide treatment to the patient or transfer the patient to a facility that can. It also says that federal law should override state law.
JUSTICES QUESTION
Members of the Supreme Court's conservative majority pushed back on the Biden administration’s interpretation of EMTALA during oral arguments. Many suggested that the federal government cannot force private hospitals that receive federal funds to violate a state law.
Idaho’s lawyer said the state follows EMTALA and the abortion ban allows emergency departments to provide care, but only if the woman’s life is at stake.
Conservative Justice Samuel Alito, focused on the fact the federal law does use the phrase “unborn child.”
“Doesn’t that tell us something?” he asked, suggesting it meant that “the hospital must try to eliminate any immediate threat to the child,” and that “performing an abortion is antithetical to that duty.”
Justice Elena Kagan summed up the liberal view against the ban, saying “It can't be the right standard of care to force someone onto a helicopter,” referencing reports of six pregnant women in medical emergencies needing to be airlifted to neighboring states to receive abortion care.
📲 TIKTOK BAN COULD TAKE YEARS TO BE IMPLEMENTED, IF EVER
President Biden signed the bill forcing TikTok’s parent company to sell the app or face a US ban yesterday. While it states the app’s Chinese-based parent company ByteDance has a year to find a buyer, experts say it could take several YEARS before the law actually takes effect... that’s assuming the courts decide the law is constitutional.
The measure is poised to face legal challenges, as well as resistance from China, which could block the sale or export of the technology. [Video: Mosheh breaks down the latest in 90 seconds.]
HOW WE GOT HERE
TikTok responded to Biden signing the bill into law saying… see ya in court. It is the first time the US government has passed a law that could ban a social media platform, and the move has sparked criticism from civil liberties groups and some Constitutional scholars.
TikTok’s case will likely center on the First Amendment. The company could argue that forcing a sale will trample on its users' freedom of speech.
Back in 2020 when the Trump administration tried to force a sale or ban the app, federal judges blocked the move because it would've essentially shut down a "platform for expressive activity."
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have loudly opposed the bill and say they also might jump into the legal fight.
The US government could argue that ByteDance's ownership of TikTok is a national security risk due to Chinese government connections, and that a sale is necessary to protect Americans.
FINDING A BUYER
Even if the law is found to be constitutional, selling the app would be the next challenge. Any company or group of investors eyeing TikTok would need the green light from the Chinese government. But, officials in Beijing have strongly resisted the idea of a forced sale.
NPR reports that Chinese officials have placed content-recommendation algorithms on what is known as an export-control list, which means the government has additional say over how the technology is ever sold.
The price tag: Analysts estimate that the price for the US portion of TikTok could be upwards of $100 billion. That hefty sum would narrow down the list of potential buyers. And big tech players like Meta or Google would likely face antitrust pushback.
REALITY CHECK: If you’re one of the 170 million Americans using the app, don’t worry too much about getting locked out. While all this legal and business drama unfolds, the app is expected to keep functioning for US consumers.
✈️ US ORDERS AIRLINES TO GIVE FULL CASH REFUNDS & STOP HIDING FEES
New rules from the Biden administration could save Americans big bucks when dealing with travel headaches. In an attempt to crack down on steep fees to check bags or change flights, the US Department of Transportation announced new regulations yesterday.
RULES AND REGULATIONS
The new airline rules are the latest action in the Biden administration’s broader battle against what the White House calls "corporate rip-offs."
The first rule requires airlines to show the FULL price of a flight when booking… no hidden fees or false advertising.
And when flights are canceled or significantly changed, the second rule requires airlines to automatically issue cash refunds — not vouchers. Goodbye paperwork and hours with customer service.
And now there’s a national definition of “significant” delays: When departure or arrival flights are delayed by three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international flights.
When they go into effect: Over the next two years.
MONEY MONEY MONEY
Airlines say they have already issued tens of billions of dollars in customer refunds over the last few years, and often “exceed” consumer protection regulations. An airline lobbying group argued last year that it would be too challenging for airlines to disclose charges more clearly.
The DOT said the rule will save consumers more than $500 million a year.
Up next: The White House wants to prohibit extra seating fees for parents trying to sit next to their children, make certain amenities mandatory, and expand accommodations for passengers who use wheelchairs.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Protests on college campuses spread; Crackdowns take place at UT-Austin, USC (AP NEWS)
📌 House speaker visit Columbia University met with hostility as he calls for president's resignation (AXIOS)
📌 Supreme Court will hear arguments on Trump’s immunity claim over 2020 election prosecution today (CBS NEWS)
📌 New evidence challenges the Pentagon’s account of a horrific attack as the US withdrew from Afghanistan (CNN)
📌 Dolphin dead after being repeatedly shot in Louisiana, $20,000 reward offered for information (NBC NEWS)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Hamas releases propaganda video of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin (CNN)
📌 Iranian Ayatollah and Hamas celebrate anti-Israel protests on college campuses (USA TODAY)
📌 Greek skies turn eerie orange as North African dust blows in (NBC NEWS)
📌 Top Israeli and Egyptian officials secretly meet to discuss possible Rafah invasion (AXIOS)
📌 Escaped army horses run amok in central London (BBC)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 NPR Chief defends coverage, accuses critics of ‘bad faith distortion’ of her views (WSJ)
📌 Surgeons perform first combined pig kidney transplant and heart pump (AP)
📌 U.S. orders cow testing for bird flu after grocery milk tests positive (CBS NEWS)
📌 Woman becomes 1st patient to undergo combined heart pump implant and pig kidney transplant (ABC NEWS)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Multiple crew members hospitalized after accident on set of Eddie Murphy film (GUARDIAN)
📌 Christina Applegate shares she started wearing diapers after eating salad contaminated with fecal matter (PAGE SIX)
📌 Reggie Bush getting 2005 Heisman Trophy back (CNN)
📌 Tupac Shakur’s estate threatens to sue Drake over diss track featuring AI-generated Tupac voice (BILLBOARD)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: APRIL 25
1945: 12 days after the death of FDR, newly-sworn in President Harry Truman was briefed on the full details of the Manhattan Project. He would use two atomic bombs to end WWII less than 4 months later.
1982: Jane Fonda released her first aerobics workout video.
1989: Motorola introduced the MicroTac personal cellular telephone priced at $2,995.
2014: The water supply of Flint, Michigan, was switched from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to the Flint River to save money, but leading to dangerously high levels of lead leaking into drinking water for residents.