SCOTUS

And That’s a Wrap

If the Supreme Court had an astrological sign, it would be a July Leo because look at this main character energy. As the term concluded, Justice Clarence Thomas made a mysterious visit to Capitol Hill, Justice Samuel Alito weathered a false and accidental NPR report that he plans to retire, and the justices dropped their final – and hugely consequential – decisions for the term. Here's what went down:

Constitutional crisis avoided?: Some analysts think so. The Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship, which is enshrined in the 14th Amendment. This ruling reaffirmed that, yes, children born in the US are citizens – regardless of their parents' immigration status. Still, many analysts were shocked that the justices were so divided. The ruling means about 250,000 babies that qualify for birthright citizenship annually will retain their status. Trump plans to take the issue to Congress.

A major sports decision: SCOTUS upheld laws in Idaho and West Virginia banning transgender athletes from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams. The ruling is also expected to reinforce 25 similar bans in other states. It’s another win for Trump on a core Republican issue, even though trans people make up .002% of college athletes. While Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in his opinion that trans athletes deserve respect and shouldn’t be “ostracized or vilified,” this ruling follows a long tradition of such restrictions under Trump. In light of the outcome, the mom of one of the plaintiffs wrote a powerful essay in her daughter’s defense.

Related: This SCOTUS Ruling Gives Republicans a Major Midterm Boost (The New York Times Gift Link)

It's complicated

Safety Check, Please 

What’s going on: Turns out “parental controls” may need some supervision of their own. Researchers at NYU and Northeastern tested dozens of child safety features on apps like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, and found many didn’t actually work as advertised. Among the findings: adults could message underage users they didn’t know on Snapchat and Instagram, teen accounts on both received friend suggestions for unknown adults, and many failed to block eating disorder content as promised. Several companies pushed back, saying they're continuing to improve safety features, and that some of the testing didn’t reflect how typical users engage with their apps. Why doesn’t that make us feel better?

Trust, but verify: Experts say these built-in safety features are still worth using, but there’s no substitute for adult supervision. The findings come as tech companies face billions of dollars in lawsuits for alleged harm to young users. Australia has banned social media for children under 16. England plans to introduce restrictions later this year. And in the US, the House passed the bipartisan Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act (KIDS), which would require stronger safety features and parental controls while holding tech companies accountable if they fail to take steps to protect kids online. But the bill is unlikely to pass the Senate over concerns it doesn’t go far enough. Meanwhile, tech execs are expected to testify before Congress next month. Hopefully this time lawmakers can do better than “Is Twitter the same as what you do?”

Related: TikTok Settles Social Media Addiction Case With Florida Teen (NBC News)

Turing Test

And the Grammy Goes to… AI? 

What's going on: If you've opened TikTok recently, you've heard "Puerto Rico Song." Surprise, AI made it. The song came from Suno, an AI music generation platform. And this isn’t a one-off — another Suno track, “Celebrate Me,” climbed to No. 1 on iTunes in April. As AI songs flood the algorithms, streaming platforms are reacting in very different ways. This week, TIDAL announced that fully AI-generated songs will carry a label and won’t earn royalties. The service will also remove AI songs that imitate real artists or bands. Some smaller platforms have banned AI songs altogether. Meanwhile, Spotify is zagging by letting premium users create AI-generated music (with artists’ consent).

Add to playlist?: One recent survey found that 97% of listeners can’t tell the difference — and another survey found they don’t really care. Many musicians beg to differ (See: Jack Antonoff with this banger of a line). Suno and other AI music generators now face numerous legal challenges over copyright issues, but in the meantime, they’re competing with real artists for your time, attention, and the fractions of a penny that Spotify pays per stream. Just another reminder to buy your favorite artist’s merch and see them in concert.

Related: The Voice of AI Gene Wilder Appears in a New Netflix Show (Variety)