AFP USA

Global stocks were mixed Wednesday as markets weighed lingering worries about the Iran-Israel conflict while Nvidia surged to a fresh all-time high on bullishness over artificial intelligence.Analysts cited not only concerns that the ceasefire between Iran and Israel could break down, but leaked US intelligence that said strikes had set back Tehran’s nuclear program by just a few months.”Maybe the US bombardment didn’t destroy the Iran nuclear program,” said Jack Ablin of Cresset Capital Management, adding that that revelations about the Iran nuclear program suggested the Iran story is not a “new chapter.”The S&P 500 finished a choppy day flat, while the Dow edged lower and the Nasdaq advanced.”Investors are sort of catching their breath, since we had a very strong move on Monday and Tuesday,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment officer at CFRA Research. “Nvidia’s on everyone lips today.”The chip company shot up 4.3 percent to $154.31, giving it a market valuation of around $3.76 trillion — more valuable than Microsoft, Apple and other tech giants.The rise came as CEO Jensen Huang presented the company’s latest technologies at Nvidia’s annual meeting.Asian stock markets had closed higher earlier on Wednesday following rallies on Wall Street and in Europe the day before. But European stocks fell in Wednesday’s session.Oil prices, meanwhile advanced after two days of heavy losses following a US crude inventory report that showed a bigger than expected drawdown in inventory.The dollar continued to slide against the euro, with fewer benefits from the flight to safety due to unrest in the Middle East.While the Israel-Iran conflict has dominated global attention in recent days, markets are also shifting attention back to trade. Shares of FedEx fell 3.3 percent after the shipping company did not provide a full-year forecast, citing uncertainty about the global trade outlook and tariffs.Dozens of countries are locked in negotiations with Washington to clinch some sort of trade deal to mitigate the impact of US tariffs. Only Britain has been reached a deal, although Beijing and Washington have agreed to lower tariffs from the highest rates they imposed upon one another.- Key figures at around 2040 GMT -Brent North Sea Crude: UP 0.8 percent at $67.68 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 0.9 percent at $64.92 per barrelNew York – Dow: DOWN 0.3 percent at 42,982.43 (close)New York – S&P 500: FLAT at 6,092.16 (close)New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 19,973.55 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.5 percent at 8,718.75 (close)Paris – CAC 40: DOWN 0.8 percent at 7,558.16 (close) Frankfurt – DAX: DOWN 0.6 percent at 23,498.33 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.4 percent at 38,942.07 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.2 percent at 24,474.67 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.0 percent at 3,455.97 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1656 from $1.1609 on TuesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3664 from $1.3615Dollar/yen: UP at 145.32 yen from 144.94 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 85.26 from 85.27 penceburs-jmb/des

A medical panel appointed by vaccine-skeptic US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. opened its first meeting Wednesday under a cloud of controversy after a presentation it planned to review cited a non-existent study.The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), an independent body that reviews scientific evidence to recommend which groups should receive vaccines and when, rarely makes headlines.But its work has come under heightened scrutiny after Kennedy, who spent decades sowing vaccine misinformation before becoming President Donald Trump’s top health official, abruptly dismissed all 17 sitting ACIP members earlier this month, accusing them of conflicts of interest.He then appointed eight new members, including scientist Robert Malone, widely known for spreading false claims during the Covid-19 pandemic.The chair of the panel, Martin Kulldorff, was a co-signatory of the Great Barrington Declaration, which called for an end to lockdowns in October 2020 — months before Covid vaccines became available.The posted agenda signaled the panel would revisit long-settled debates around thimerosal, a vaccine preservative, and highlight rare side effects linked to measles shots, with no planned discussion of their enormous public health benefits.Lyn Redwood, a nurse and former leader of Children’s Health Defense — an anti-vaccine group formerly chaired by RFK Jr. — is set to present on thimerosal on Thursday.Scientists reviewing her slides, which are uploaded ahead of the meeting, found she had cited a 2008 study by RF Berman titled “Low-level neonatal thimerosal exposure: Long-term consequences in the brain.”In fact, no such study exists. While Berman did publish a paper that year, it appeared in a different journal and found no evidence linking thimerosal to autism. The presentation was quietly removed and replaced without explanation.- Revisiting established science – Opening the meeting, Kulldorff lamented his firing by Harvard University for refusing the Covid vaccine. He also announced the formation of a new working group to re-examine the wisdom of Hepatitis B shots for babies “at the day of birth.”Experts met the announcement with skepticism.”The rationale for Hepatitis B vaccination prior to hospital discharge (not day or birth) for neonates is well documented and established — but it’s another pet cause of the anti-vaccine movement,” Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University told AFP.During a discussion on Covid-19 vaccines, Malone suggested that mRNA shots may have triggered novel and poorly understood effects on the immune system.Sarah Meyer, a scientist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is overseeing the meeting, pushed back, saying the nation’s vaccine safety system would have detected such impacts if they had occurred.Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative long used in medicines, with no evidence of harm at low doses, is set to be discussed on Thursday.”Study after study showed that the ethylmercury in those vaccines never contributed in any important way to the burden of mercury that one is exposed to, living on this planet,” vaccine expert Paul Offit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia told AFP.- Measles running rampant -For childhood immunizations, US parents can opt for a combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) shot or two separate injections — one for MMR and the other for varicella.The combination spares children an extra jab but carries a slightly higher risk of febrile seizures, a rare and typically harmless side effect.Separating the shots is already recommended for the first dose at 12–47 months, leaving experts puzzled as to why the issue is being revisited.The United States, which declared measles eliminated in 2000, is currently experiencing its worst outbreak in decades, with more than 1,200 cases and three confirmed deaths.The panel’s recommendations could have broad consequences, shaping school vaccine mandates and insurance coverage.

President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Emil Bove came in for tough questioning from Democratic senators on Wednesday at a fiery hearing on his nomination to become a federal appeals court judge.”Mr. Bove has led the effort to weaponize the Department of Justice against the president’s enemies,” said Senator Dick Durbin, ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee.”Having earned his stripes as a loyalist to this president, he’s been rewarded with this lifetime nomination” as a judge on the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Durbin said.Bove, 44, a former federal prosecutor who is currently the third-ranking official in the Justice Department, rejected the characterization, saying he is “not anybody’s henchman.””I’m not an enforcer,” he said.Bove represented Trump in the New York case that ended in his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star.He also defended Trump in the two federal cases brought against the then-former president by Special Counsel Jack Smith.Bove was grilled by Democrats about a whistleblower’s claim that he had once told subordinates he would be willing to ignore court orders to enforce Trump’s plans to deport undocumented migrants.Bove denied the allegation.”I have never advised a Department of Justice attorney to violate a court order,” he told the committee.Bove also denied that his decision to dismiss corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams was in exchange for the Democratic mayor’s support for Trump’s immigration crackdown.”The suggestion that there was some kind of quid pro quo is just plain false,” he said.Bove’s order to federal prosecutors in New York to drop the bribery and fraud charges against Adams triggered a wave of protest resignations in the Manhattan district attorney’s office and at the Justice Department in Washington.Trump was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. He was also charged with mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House.The documents case was dismissed by a Trump-appointed judge while the election interference case was delayed by Trump’s claims of presidential immunity and never came to trial.

Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary is a seismic wake-up call for a party establishment out of step with younger Americans and failing to counter Donald Trump, analysts say.The little-known state legislator, a proud “democratic socialist,” is now favorite to win November’s election and become a major voice in the battle between progressives and the establishment wing for the party’s soul.Mamdani, just 33, was at a lowly one percent in the polls in February, but saw off three-term former New York governor Andrew Cuomo with a populist campaign that has Democrats nationwide taking notice ahead of next year’s midterm elections.”The race shows Democratic voters are growing tired of the same old faces and they’re willing to bet on newcomers,” said political strategist Andrew Koneschusky, a top former Democratic Senate aide.”Looking ahead, we may see more competitive Democratic primaries and more upsets like this. That’s bad news for establishment Democrats, but can be good for the party overall.”Democrats have struggled to make their case as a credible alternative to Republicans since Kamala Harris’s 2024 defeat to Trump — seen in part as repudiation of identity politics and so-called “woke” ideology. But the man who would be his city’s first Muslim mayor embraced his identity, courting the one million New York members of his faith where they live — in the city’s many mosques and community centers.- ‘Young Cardamom’ -He also presented himself as the candidate of generational change, reaching out to fellow millennials with a smart communications strategy dominated by short-form viral videos.He bested Cuomo, a towering figure in Democratic politics, by combining his social media savvy with a “go everywhere” street campaign that made his much less visible opponent look complacent. Born in Uganda, Mamdani is the son of renowned historian Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair, who directed the classic “Salaam Bombay!” Curious voters wanting to learn more about his colorful back story shared old hip hop videos from his previous life as a musician, rapping under the moniker “Young Cardamom.”Youth activist David Hogg, who was kicked out of the Democratic National Committee leadership after annoying the party’s old guard in a row about aging candidates, maintains that likability was a key factor. He is “infectiously, and relentlessly positive in a way I have seen few politicians ever be,” Hogg said, arguing that Mamdani’s appeal went well beyond his policy proposals.But his platform was vital too, according to Koneschusky, who says Mamdani has demonstrated to Democrats slow to see the penny drop that, in the Trump era, economic populism works.Mamdani focused relentlessly on the cost of living crisis — floating rent freezes, free buses and even government-run grocery stores.- ‘Death knell’ -“We’ve seen the effectiveness of an economic message time and again. It’s what propelled Trump in last year’s presidential election and it’s what propelled Mamdani,” Koneschusky said.”It’s so blatantly obvious that this is where the Democratic message should be centered and yet the party can’t seem to universally embrace this simple truth.”Some analysts have cautioned against reading too much into the result — a single primary victory against an establishment favorite with a lot of baggage.Cuomo is accused of having lied about his role in the Covid pandemic and mismanaging the crisis, and he resigned in disgrace over sex scandals. Others point out that Democratic nominees have lost around half of the last 15 New York City mayoral races, and that the city’s denizens could easily change tack when it comes to the mayoral election itself.But political commentator Bill Kristol, chief of staff from 1989-93 to then vice president Dan Quayle, expects Democrats to still be feeling the aftershocks of the New York earthquake come the 2026 midterms, when seats in both chambers of Congress will be at stake.”It should be a death knell for an ossified Democratic establishment that needs to be put out of its misery,” Kristol wrote in his daily newsletter for conservative outlet The Bulwark.”And it should be a wake-up call for non-socialist Democrats to show some of the audacity and the ability of Mamdani.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday threatened legal action over falling debris and contamination from billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket launches across the border in the United States.Mexico’s government was studying which international laws were being violated in order to file “the necessary lawsuits” because “there is indeed contamination,” Sheinbaum told her morning news conference.Last week, a SpaceX Starship rocket exploded during a routine ground test at the Starbase headquarters of Musk’s space project on the south Texas coast near the Mexican border.The explosion — which sent a towering fireball into the air — was the latest setback to Musk’s dream of sending humans to Mars.Mexican officials are carrying out a “comprehensive review” of the environmental impacts of the rocket launches for the neighboring state of Tamaulipas, Sheinbaum said.The US Federal Aviation Administration approved an increase in annual Starship rocket launches from five to 25 in early May, stating that the increased frequency would not adversely affect the environment.The decision overruled objections from conservation groups that had warned the expansion could endanger sea turtles and shorebirds.A lawsuit would be the latest legal tussle between Mexico and a US corporate giant.In May, Sheinbaum’s government said it had sued Google for renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” for Google Maps users in the United States following an executive order by President Donald Trump.

A Mississippi man who has been on Death Row for nearly 50 years is to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday, one of two executions in the United States this week.Richard Jordan, 79, was convicted in 1976 of the murder of Edwina Marter, the wife of a bank executive in the town of Gulfport.Jordan, a shipyard worker, kidnapped Marter from her home and demanded a $25,000 ransom.He was apprehended when he went to pick up the money.Jordan confessed to murdering Marter and led the authorities to her body, which had been hidden in a forest. She had been shot.Jordan is to be executed at 6:00 pm Central Time (2300 GMT) at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman.Jordan’s scheduled execution comes one day after that of Thomas Gudinas, 51, who was put to death by lethal injection in Florida on Tuesday.Gudinas was sentenced to death in 1995 for the murder of Michelle McGrath, who was last seen leaving a bar in the city of Orlando in the early hours.McGrath’s battered body was found the next day and Gudinas was arrested shortly afterwards.Florida has carried out more executions — seven — than any other US state so far this year.The execution in Mississippi will be the first in the southern state since December 2022.There have been 24 executions in the United States this year: 19 by lethal injection, two by firing squad and three by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a face mask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.The use of nitrogen gas as an execution method has been denounced by United Nations experts as cruel and inhumane.The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others — California, Oregon and Pennsylvania — have moratoriums in place.President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment, and on his first day in office called for an expansion of its use “for the vilest crimes.”

A US commercial mission carrying astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary blasted off to the International Space Station on Wednesday, marking the first time in decades that these nations have sent crew members to space.Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:31 am (0631 GMT), with a brand-new SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule riding atop a Falcon 9 rocket.The vehicle is scheduled to dock with the orbital lab on Thursday at approximately 1100 GMT and remain there for up to 14 days.Aboard the spacecraft were pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India; mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary; and commander Peggy Whitson of the United States, a former NASA astronaut who now works for the company Axiom Space, which organizes private spaceflights, among other things.The last time India, Poland or Hungary sent people to space, their current crop of astronauts had not yet been born — and back then they were called cosmonauts, as they all flew on Soviet missions before the fall of the Iron Curtain.Shukla became the first Indian in space since Rakesh Sharma, an air force pilot who traveled to the Salyut 7 space station in 1984 as part of a Soviet-led initiative to help allied countries access space.India’s space agency, ISRO, sees this flight as a key stepping stone toward its own maiden crewed mission, planned for 2027 under the Gaganyaan program, meaning “sky craft.””What a fantastic ride,” Shukla said in Hindi after liftoff. “This isn’t just the start of my journey to the International Space Station — it’s the beginning of India’s human space program.”Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the successful launch.”He carries with him the wishes, hopes and aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. Wish him and other astronauts all the success!” he wrote on X.All three countries are footing the bill for their astronauts. Hungary announced in 2022 it was paying $100 million for its seat, according to spacenews.com. India and Poland have not disclosed how much they are spending.”We’ve got this! Poland has reached for the stars,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X, alongside a video himself watching the launch on a screen at the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw.”Who knows how many future Polish astronauts watched Slawosz’s launch with me? Everyone was very excited and very proud,” Tusk said in another post, which included a photo of him seated next to several children at the science center.- Space spat -The Ax-4 launch comes after technical issues delayed the mission, originally slated for early June.It also follows an online spat between US President Donald Trump and SpaceX chief Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and, until recently, Trump’s ally and advisor.Trump threatened to yank SpaceX’s federal contracts — worth tens of billions of dollars — prompting Musk to threaten an early retirement of Dragon, the only US spacecraft currently certified to carry astronauts to the ISS.Musk walked back the threat a few hours later and in the days that followed continued to deescalate, stating on X that he had gone “too far.”Any rupture between SpaceX and the US government would be massively disruptive, given NASA and the Pentagon’s reliance on Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy to send up crew, cargo, satellites and probes.But for now, analysts believe both sides are too entangled to risk a serious break.The Ax-4 flight marks the debut of the fifth and final Crew Dragon vehicle, which was named “Grace” after it reached orbit joining Endeavour, Resilience, Endurance and Freedom in the active fleet.”It reflects the elegance with which we move through space against the backdrop of Earth,” said Commander Whitson. “It speaks to the refinement of our mission, the harmony of science and spirit and the unmerited favor we carry with humility.”SpaceX ultimately plans to phase out its current vehicles in the 2030s in favor of Starship, its giant next-generation rocket currently in development.

Furnace-like heat and the threat of thunder and lightning are wreaking havoc at the Club World Cup — and more of the same is likely at the 2026 World Cup.With the latest in a series of brutal, climate change-driven record heatwaves blanketing the eastern United States, adapting to the weather has become a key focus for coaches and players.Borussia Dortmund took the unusual step of leaving their substitutes in the dressing room for the first half of their game against Mamelodi Sundowns in Cincinnati, rather than have them sitting on the bench in blazing sunshine.Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca meanwhile cut short his team’s training session in Philadelphia on Monday as the City of Brotherly Love baked in temperatures of 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37.2 degrees Celsius).Dortmund coach Niko Kovac, meanwhile, said the weather could ultimately shape the destiny of the tournament.”I think that this tournament will be decided not by the best team, but the team that can adapt to these weather conditions the best. They will probably win this tournament,” Kovac said.While cooling breaks midway through each half have become standard during the tournament, Dortmund, like other teams, are taking extra steps to mitigate the heat and humidity.”Our boys are very well taken care of by our doctors and the medical staff,” Kovac said.”We have very cold towels. We put them in ice baths. The boys also need to cool down their legs and their feet in cold water and ice baths.”The experience of the Club World Cup is likely a preview of what can be expected at next year’s men’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.A recent study published by the International Journal of Biometeorology warned of the risk posed by extreme heat at the tournament for players and spectators, citing climate change as a cause of “extreme heat” events that were “more frequent and intense”.- Storm disruptions -The study analysing data gathered between 2003-2022 concluded that 14 of the 16 host cities being used for the 2026 World Cup experienced temperatures that frequently exceeded the commonly accepted safe thresholds for wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) — a widely used measure for heat stress.The study argued for games to be scheduled outside of the afternoon windows when conditions were typically at their most demanding.In addition to the fierce heat and humidity, teams at the Club World Cup have also had to deal with matches being halted due to the threat of lightning.On Tuesday, Boca Juniors’ game against Auckland City became the fifth match of the tournament to experience a lengthy delay due to public safety regulations used in the United States that mandate play is halted whenever lightning is within 10 miles (16.1 kilometres) of a stadium.A weather delay in Benfica’s game against Auckland led to an interruption in play of nearly two hours.National Weather Service official Ben Schott, who advises FIFA and the US World Cup taskforce for 2026, says the kind of weather affecting the ongoing competition is not out of the ordinary, and said teams and fans next year should plan accordingly.”Nothing that we’re seeing right now is unusual even though we are breaking records,” Schott told AFP. “Most of the eastern United States is breaking records, and then that happens almost every summer. To expect something similar next year as a possibility is something that people should prepare for if you’re going to come and enjoy the games.”While heat was an issue when the United States last hosted the World Cup finals in 1994, no games at that tournament were halted by storm warnings.That is due to increasingly sophisticated forecasting technology, Schott said.”We’re at a point now where we can start to see things almost a week in advance and predict them pretty accurately, as compared to 15-20 years ago,” Schott said. “The advances in meteorology since we last had the World Cup here in 1994 have been substantial.”Schott said thunder and lightning were “par for the course” in several regions of North America.”This is pretty typical for United States weather for this time of the year,” Schott said.”We get a lot of moisture that pumps in from the Gulf of Mexico, and they get the afternoon thunderstorms pop up.”So as we move towards World Cup 2026, things that we’re seeing right now would be quite typical to be seen again.”Football’s world governing body FIFA said in a statement to AFP that “the health of everyone involved in football” was a “top priority”, pointing to the implementation of measures such as cooling breaks and the use of up to six substitutions if a match goes into extra time.”FIFA will continue to monitor the weather conditions in coordination with the venue teams to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone involved,” the statement added.rcw/gj

Young self-declared socialist Zohran Mamdani was on the cusp of stunning victory Wednesday in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary — pummeling his scandal-scarred establishment rival in a race seen as a fight for the future of the Democratic Party.Results were not yet final. But Mamdani — who is just 33 and would become the city’s first Muslim mayor — had such a commanding lead that his biggest rival, former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, conceded defeat overnight. Mamdani’s success was seen as a rebuke to Democratic centrists who backed the powerful Cuomo, as the party flails nationally in search of a way to counter Republican President Donald Trump’s hard-right movement.The Ugandan-born Mamdani was behind Cuomo in polls until near the end, surging on a message of lower rents, free daycare and other populist ideas in the notoriously expensive US city.”Tonight we made history,” he said in a victory speech to supporters. New Yorkers “have stood up for a city they can afford.”Cuomo, a 67-year-old political veteran vying to come back from a sexual harassment scandal, told supporters: “Tonight was not our night.””I called him, I congratulated him,” he said.Mamdani had taken 43 percent of the vote with 95 percent of ballots counted, according to city officials. Cuomo was at around 36 percent and appeared to have no chance to catch his rival.However, the contest is ranked-choice, with voters asked to select five candidates in order of preference. When no candidate wins 50 percent of the vote outright, election officials start the time consuming process of eliminating the lowest-ranking candidates and retabulating.- Prime Trump target? -Cuomo had big money and near universal name recognition in the city, as a former governor and son of another governor.However, he was weighed down by having quit in disgrace four years ago after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment. He was also accused of mismanaging the state’s response to the Covid pandemic.Even so, Mamdani’s success was stunning.The son of Indian-origin immigrants, he is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America party — the kind of niche, leftist affiliation that many Democratic leaders believe their party needs to shed.The fact that Mamdani speaks out for Palestinians and has accused Israel of “genocide” also makes him a prime target for Trump, a fellow New Yorker.His supporters include two favorite Trump foils — fiery leftist Senator Bernie Sanders and progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who both congratulated Mamdani.”Billionaires and lobbyists poured millions against you and our public finance system. And you won,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X. Sanders posted: “You took on the political, economic and media Establishment — and you beat them.”Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate, called Mamdani “too extreme for a city already on edge.” And Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, told New Yorkers “who are not Communists: Come to Texas!”- Big ideas, low experience -Currently a New York state assemblyman representing the borough of Queens, Mamdani’s eye-catching policy proposals include freezing rent for many New Yorkers, free bus service, and universal childcare.In a city where a three-bedroom apartment can easily cost $6,000 a month, his message struck a chord.Voter Eamon Harkin, 48, said prices were his “number one issue.””What’s at stake is primarily the affordability of New York,” he said.But Sheryl Stein, who works in tourism marketing, was skeptical.”I like youth,” she said. But Mamdani having “no experience and no proven track record to run the largest city in this country and one of the largest in the world is pretty scary.”The confirmed winner will face several contenders in November, including current Mayor Eric Adams, who is a Democrat but has vowed to run again as an independent.

As the US Supreme Court winds down its term ahead of the summer break, there are a number of cases still to be decided.The court is scheduled to issue opinions on Thursday and these are the major outstanding cases:- Birthright citizenship -The case is ostensibly about Donald Trump’s bid to scrap birthright citizenship but it actually turns on whether federal judges have the right to issue nationwide blocks to presidential decrees.It is perhaps the most significant of the remaining cases since it could have far-reaching ramifications for the ability of the judiciary to rein in Trump or future US presidents.Trump’s executive order ending automatic citizenship for children born on American soil has been paused by district courts in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington that deemed it unconstitutional.But the question before the Supreme Court is whether a single district court can freeze an executive branch move with a universal injunction.The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to restrict the application of a district court’s injunction solely to the parties who brought the case and the district where the judge presides.Whatever the nine justices decide, the actual question of whether Trump can legally end birthright citizenship is expected to be back in front of the top court before long.- Porn site age verification -The case — Free Speech Coalition vs Paxton — involves a Texas law requiring pornographic websites to verify visitors’ ages, part of a growing effort to limit access by minors to online sexual content.Texas is one of nearly 20 states to institute such a requirement, which critics argue violates First Amendment free speech rights.A district court sided with a challenge by an adult entertainment industry trade group, the Free Speech Coalition, saying the law restricted access by adults to constitutionally protected content.But a conservative-dominated appeals court upheld the age verification requirement, prompting the trade group to take its case to the Supreme Court, where conservatives have a 6-3 supermajority.- Students and LGBTQ-themed content -This religious rights case examines whether parents have the right to pull their children from public school classes when books containing LGBTQ-related content are read or discussed.The schools, in a Maryland county, had offered parents the chance to opt out of classes featuring books aimed at combating prejudice and discussing gender identity and homosexuality, but later retracted the option.Parents are suing because the opt-outs were canceled. They say the schools’ inclusive curriculum choices infringe on their Christian and Muslim faiths and First Amendment rights. Court precedent has generally established that exposing students to ideas contrary to religion does not constitute coercion.- Planned Parenthood funding -South Carolina’s Republican governor, Henry McMaster, issued an executive order in 2018 cutting off reimbursements to the two Planned Parenthood clinics in the state for services the reproductive health organization provided to low-income Americans under the government Medicaid program.The Medicaid reimbursements were not for abortion-related services, but McMaster said providing any funding to Planned Parenthood amounts to a taxpayer “subsidy of abortion,” which is banned in South Carolina for women who are more than six weeks pregnant.Planned Parenthood, which provides a range of health services, filed suit against the state arguing that Medicaid patients have the right to receive care from any qualified provider.An appeals court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot be excluded from the state’s Medicaid program and South Carolina appealed to the Supreme Court.- Voting rights -This case is a challenge by a group of white voters to a congressional map adopted last year by the state legislature of Louisiana creating a second Black majority district.Black people make up one-third of the population of Louisiana, which has six congressional districts, and generally vote Democratic.Opponents of the redrawn map argue that using race to design congressional maps is racial gerrymandering prohibited by the Constitution.The eventual Supreme Court ruling could have an impact on whether Democrats or Republicans control the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections.