A Surprise Supreme Court Ruling

Jan 21, 2024

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Tonight, your iPhone knows you didn't mean "ducking." Here's the latest at the end of Thursday.

By Matthew Cullen and Justin Porter

The Supreme Court ruled that Alabama had diluted the power of Black voters by drawing a congressional voting map with a single district in which they made up a majority.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, both members of the court's conservative wing, joined its three liberal members in the 5-to-4 ruling, which requires the state to draw a second district in which Black voters have the opportunity to elect representatives of their choice.

Advocates had feared the case would undermine the Voting Rights Act, a landmark legislative achievement of the civil rights movement. Instead, it appeared to emerge largely unscathed.

"The court in recent years has been systematically cutting back on the voting rights act, and there was every reason to think that they would continue to do so in the context of redistricting," our colleague Adam Liptak said. "To have a 5-4 majority going in a different direction, if only to uphold the status quo, was a big surprise."

The decision created bitter division among the justices. In a slashing dissent, Justice Clarence Thomas expressed disappointment in a decision "to sustain a system of institutionalized racial discrimination in districting."

The case is part of a pitched battle over redistricting that is playing out across the country. Civil rights leaders say the redistricting process often disadvantages growing minority communities. Republican state officials say the Constitution allows only a limited role for the consideration of race in drawing voting districts.

Driven by hundreds of wildfires in Canada, the smoke that has choked parts of the Northeast for the last two days is now spreading across the U.S. Officials issued warnings about air quality in a broad swath of the country, from New York to Indiana, and as far south as the Carolinas. We’re tracking the spread here.

Although conditions in the Northeast appear to have abated somewhat, the noxious air was expected to reach the Ohio River Valley tomorrow, the National Weather Service said. It could also dip as far as Florida, appearing as a widespread haze.

Ukrainian forces mounted a major attack overnight in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia, and in recent days, Russia has reported several new attacks on front lines in the east and south. Taken together, these attacks suggest Ukrainian forces are increasingly on the offensive, though it remains unclear whether the assaults are preludes to a larger push or the start of the much-anticipated counteroffensive.

If Ukraine fails to break through Russian lines, support for arming Kyiv's forces could shrink, and Ukraine could come under pressure from allies to enter talks with Russia to end or freeze the conflict.

Pat Robertson, a Baptist minister and broadcaster with a passion for politics, died today at 93. In 1960, Robertson set up the Christian Broadcasting Network and went on to build an entrepreneurial and political empire based on his Christian faith. He founded the Christian Coalition, which stoked the conservative faith-based political resurgence of the 1990s and beyond.

Whether in the pulpit or in front of a television camera, Robertson could exhibit the mild manner of a friendly local minister. But he was also given to statements that his detractors saw as dangerously incendiary.

Washington: President Biden and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain met at the White House and agreed to strengthen economic ties and work together on A.I. safety.

International: China is destroying Arab-style architectural features of mosques, such as domes and minarets.

Investigations: Donald Trump is using a familiar playbook to undermine the investigation into his handling of classified material after leaving office.

Policy: Louisiana passed a bill that would require parental consent for kids’ online accounts.

New York City: The City Council passed a bill that will require residents to separate their food waste from regular trash.

Economy: Investors are betting that the Federal Reserve will skip a rate increase at its meeting next week, before lifting rates again in July.

Science: A study found that taurine, a supplement often added to energy drinks, helped slow aging in laboratory animals.

Nicolas Heller, better known online as New York Nico, has for the last decade roamed New York City in search of moments that are "quintessentially New York." When he finds something that he feels fits the mold, he posts it to one of his enormously popular social media accounts, inviting people to celebrate the city's most colorful people and its wacky, random moments.

But unlike most online personalities, Heller remains in the background, becoming well practiced in observing people without being seen. "The bigger I’ve gotten, the less I want to be noticed," he said.

Apple announced an update to the autocorrect function used on iPhones that aims to more accurately reflect users’ intended word choices. The move should please customers whose attempts to use a certain swear word in texts have long been replaced with "duck" or "ducking."

The new update will recognize users’ most frequently typed words and offer predictive text.

A.I. chatbot tutors: Proponents say they can customize academic support, but they could also make children test subjects for A.I. experiments.

New front in reparations: Black families lost millions when their lands were seized through eminent domain. Now some are trying to get the land back.

Dreaming big: After a 14-year-old created a shot-for-shot version of the "Across the Spider-Verse" trailer with Lego characters, the producers asked him to work on the movie.

Social Q's: What can I do about my daughter's father showing up drunk?

Cook: Zucchini Parmesan is just one of many flavor-packed dishes you can make with the summer squash.

Watch: With the Tribeca Festival around the corner, here are 10 movies that capture the essence of New York.

Read: In "The Mythmakers," a writer recognizes herself in another writer's story.

Listen: On the "Matter of Opinion" podcast, writers debate when you should retire.

Improve: Giving, receiving and even witnessing gratitude can benefit your well-being.

Plan: How to spend 36 hours in Split, Croatia.

Hunt: What Upper West Side home would you choose with a $1 million budget?

Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. For more, find all our games here.

After the pandemic boom in pet adoption gave way to pet abandonment, colonies of feral cats sprouted up all over the city. Some locals in Brooklyn are trying a controversial approach that was first developed in England in the 1950s: T.N.R., or trap, neuter, return.

Volunteers capture the cats in traps, bring them to veterinarians to be fixed and then release them. The approach has outraged some residents, who believe that the cats are taking care of the rat population. But popular notions aside, cats rarely attack rats, and they are no match for the city's rodents, which greatly outnumber them.

Have a wild evening.

Thanks for reading. We’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew and Justin

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We welcome your feedback. Write to us at [email protected].

Justin Porter is an editor on the Briefings newsletter team at The Times.

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