U.S. Supreme Court to hear Texas and Florida cases about free speech and social media platforms – Texas Standard

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments today in two cases related to some of the worlds biggest social media platforms.

Considered by many to be two of the hottest free speech cases of the internet age, one case is from Texas, the other from Florida. And though there are slight differences between the two state laws being challenged here, the cases appear to center on a central question: do social media companies have the right to independently decide what content appears on their platforms, amplifying or removing content as they see fit?

The social media companies say their First Amendment free speech rights are being violated with the Texas and Florida laws. The states say those social media companies arent entitled to First Amendment free speech protection. And it may come down to whether a majority of the court sees social media as more like a newspaper or more like a telephone company.

Charles Rocky Rhodes, a professor of law at South Texas College of Law in Houston, said both of these laws are on hold and have not yet gone into effect because of pending court cases.

They were a response to some of the social media platforms de-platforming Donald Trump and other politicians in the wake of the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol, Rhodes said. And there was a concern from Texas and from Florida that [these politicians] were being targeted because of their conservative beliefs.

And so the idea of both of these laws was to try to keep social media platforms from banning individuals or discriminating against individuals based on the viewpoints of their speech. And it also placed some very onerous burdens on social media companies with respect to disclosure requirements of their terms and their policies with respect to data management and content, and the use policies that they would be using.

GET MORE NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE:Sign up for Texas Standards weekly newsletters

The plaintiff in the case is NetChoice, an industry association that includes most of the big platforms we all think of Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, etc.

Theyre making the play that when they are deciding which messages to amplify and which messages that they want to remove from their platform, that they are acting as the modern editor of a newspaper, and there are good precedent for the United States Supreme Court saying that a state cant tell a newspaper what to print, Rhodes said.

Theyre arguing that the same principle applies to them, that they are allowed to make editorial decisions on their private platform. And this is something that people have to keep in mind that the social media companies, as big and important as they are, are not the government. They are actually privately-owned.

Texas and Florida, however, say these companies are acting as a common carrier and therefore do not have a claim to free speech.

Theyre trying to say that social media companies are a modern equivalent of what used to be a very familiar idea of the common carrier, that they dont have the ability to discriminate with respect to their service. They have to accept everyone, Rhodes said. And the social media companies come back and say, well, common carriers were different because they never engaged in their own expressive activities.

Common carriers did sometimes transmit the speech of others, like a telegraph would be the old example, or telephone But they did not actually engage in their own expressive activities. And the social media companies are claiming that we do because we are trying to communicate messages. Were creating news feeds for individuals. Were trying to increase, of course, advertising streams that we are engaged in expressive activities in a way that your internet service provider or in a way that your telephone company is not.

As this case goes forward, Rhodes said the states arguments are rooted in political ideology.

The Texas law has a specific exemption for companies under 50 million users. So it wouldnt cover conservative sites like Parler, he said. The Florida law had exemptions for Disney and for Universal that were then taken out once Disney and Universal started criticizing Florida [political leaders]. A big part of the underlying motivation for these laws was the political concern that conservatives thought that their voices were being removed from the site and the marketplace of ideas.

View original post here:

U.S. Supreme Court to hear Texas and Florida cases about free speech and social media platforms - Texas Standard

NASA Seeks Volunteers for Second Mars Simulation Mission but There Are a Few Constraints – PEOPLE

NASA is searching for a second round of volunteers to take part in a project aimed at discovering what it will be like to live on Mars.

Earlier this month, the space company announced in a release that it is seeking more participants who would be willing to live on a fake version of Mars at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, for one year, ahead of human exploration of the actual planet in the future.

Marking the second of three missions calledCHAPEA a.k.a. Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog the latest will see four volunteers living in a 1,700-square-foot simulation, called theMars Dune Alpha, which is a 3D-printed habitat featuring living quarters for each volunteer, a workspace, a medical station and lounge areas, as well as a galley and food growing stations.

The man-made area, NASA said, "simulates the challenges of a mission on Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failures, communication delays and other environmental stressors."

Crews will also be responsible for various tasks during their time in the habitat, the organization added, including "simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, habitat maintenance, exercise and crop growth."

Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Kyodo via AP Images

In order to participate in the simulation, which will close applications on April 2 and later take place in 2025, NASA said volunteers "should have a strong desire for unique, rewarding adventures and interest in contributing to NASAs work to prepare for the first human journey to Mars."

These volunteers, the space company continued, must be between 30 and 55 years old, non-smokers and speak English "for effective communication between crewmates and mission control."

"Crew selection will follow additional standard NASA criteria for astronaut candidate applicants," the organization added, also noting that a masters degree in engineering, math, biology or other sciences is necessary, as is professional experience or at least two years of doctoral work in the areas or a test pilot program.

Volunteers who can be compensated for the mission can also qualify if they have 1,000 hours of piloting experience, as well as if they have military experience or a bachelor's degree in a STEM field with four years of professional experience, NASA said.

Though no human has ever traveled to Mars, NASA has sentseveral devices and rovers to fly by and explore the planet over the years.

Currently, a first CHAPEA crew is taking part in a mission at the Houston-based habitat. They are more than halfway through their mission, NASA said.

In the near future, NASA plans to take part in a similar mission, called Artemis, to learn about the moon in an effort to eventually send the first woman, person of color and international partner astronaut there.

"As NASA works to establish a long-term presence for scientific discovery and exploration on the moon through the Artemis campaign, CHAPEA missions provide important scientific data to validate systems and develop solutions for future missions to the Red Planet," the organization said in a statement.

"With thefirst CHAPEA crewmore than halfway through their yearlong mission, NASA is using research gained through the simulated missions to help inform crew health and performance support during Mars expeditions," NASA continued.

Originally posted here:

NASA Seeks Volunteers for Second Mars Simulation Mission but There Are a Few Constraints - PEOPLE

How NASA’s moon landing with Intuitive Machines will help pave the way for Artemis astronaut missions – Space.com

NASA hopes a robotic moon landing this month will help prep the lunar ground for astronauts a few years from now.

Intuitive Machines' Nova-Cmoonlander, named Odysseus after the mythical Trojan War voyager, is scheduled to launch early Wednesday morning (Feb. 14) on a SpaceXFalcon 9rocket.

The Valentine's Day launch will happen from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in coastal Florida. If all goes according to plan, Odysseus will touch down near the moon's south pole on Feb. 22, pulling off the first-ever private lunar landing.

Odysseus' mission, known as IM-1, includes 12 payloads, half commercial and half NASA science packages. NASA is using this research to get ready for the Artemis program missions that will land astronauts near the moon's south pole, beginning in 2026 or so.

Related: Intuitive Machines moon lander to carry tiny NASA cameras to study lunar surface (video)

IM-1 is part of the series of low-cost private moon missions that include NASA-funded instruments, which are manifested via the agency's Commercial Lunar Payloads Services (CLPS) program.

Each of these private robotic missions is small in cost individually, with the tradeoff being fewer backup systems in case of trouble. That tradeoff was illustrated vividly by the first CLPS mission, which launched Astrobotic's Peregrine lander last month. Peregrine suffered an anomaly shortly after deploying from its United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket, scuttling its moon dreams. Peregrine ended up coming back home for a controlled destruction in Earth's atmosphere.

Smaller and cheaper missions allow NASA to test technologies faster than traditional mission planning allows for, emphasized Susan Lederer, CLPS project scientist at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, during a teleconference today (Feb. 12). The high risk is worth it, as "this will allow us to prepare for Artemis more efficiently," with more missions launching more frequently, Lederer said.

Another advantage is the proliferation of landing options if multiple CLPS missions succeed: There's "a far greater number of places you can go to on the moon and the diversity of people involved" if lots of CLPS missions reach the surface, Lederer said.

IM-1 will help NASA engineers learn about how to communicate from the moon's south pole, where staying in touch with Earth is a challenge due to our planet being at a "very, very low point on the horizon," Lederer said.

"The communications can kind of bounce along the terrain, coming and going," she added. "So, having a location that's close to the south pole will help us to start investigating those kinds of things that are happening."

Additionally, IM-1's equipment will be assessed for how well it performs in the harsh cold of the moon, including components such as solar panels and instruments. But even if that mission or some other CLPS landers don't make it, she emphasized, NASA will proceed with plans for its Artemis 3 mission, which aims to land astronauts near the lunar south pole in September 2026.

"It won't endanger efficiency," Lederer said.

The experiments on board IM-1 from NASA include "instruments focusing on plume-surface (dust) interactions, space weather/lunar surface interactions, radio astronomy, precision landing technologies, and a communication and navigation node for future autonomous navigation technologies," the agency's website states.

Editor's note: This story was corrected at 5:15 p.m. ET on Feb. 12 to state that IM-1 will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, not Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

See more here:

How NASA's moon landing with Intuitive Machines will help pave the way for Artemis astronaut missions - Space.com

‘Cities for Action’ to address Caribbean asylum seeker crisis Caribbean Life – Caribbean Life

Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams

With the unrelenting influx of Caribbean and other migrants crossing the southern border of the United States and travelling to major cities, such as New York City and Chicago, Mayor Eric Adams and the Mayors Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) Commissioner Manuel Castro on Monday disclosed that the city will host the Eighth Annual Cities for Action.

Officials say many of the immigrants arriving in New York City from the southern border are nationals from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti and Guatemala.

Adams told a press conference that representatives from over 20 cities are expected to participate in the two-day event.

Since the founding of Cities for Action in 2014, immigration issues have only become more urgent. And, in the 20 months since we began managing a national asylum seeker crisis almost entirely on our own, cities have been the ones to step up and lead the way, the mayor said.

As we continue to tackle the current humanitarian crisis, New York City is proud to host this convening of municipal leaders who are working on the frontlines and advocating for the federal government to finish the job they started by providing more financial and logistical support to cities across the country, he added.

As a city of immigrants, we look forward to continuing the work with our municipal partners to advance compassionate solutions on-the-ground and immigrant-inclusive policies nationwide, Adams continued.

Castro said he looked forward to strategizing with other municipal leaders.

Its incredibly powerful to have so many city offices of immigrant affairs from across the nation come together in New York City this week, he said.

In a time where cities are leading the way in responding to the asylum seeker humanitarian crisis, it is timely we are coming together to strategize and advocate together on behalf of our cities and our immigrant communities, he added.

Adams said 23 jurisdictions from across the nation will participate in the event. They include: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, and Santa Clara Counties, CA; Aurora and Denver, CO; Miami-Dade County, FL; Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Louisville, KY; Boston and Somerville, MA; Baltimore City and Baltimore County, MD; Saint Paul, MN; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, PA; Austin, Houston, and El Paso County, TX; and Seattle, WA.

The mayor said more than 140,000 migrants and asylum seekers have converged on New York City, seeking shelter, since the crisis started.

He said his administration has adopted fast and urgent action in addressing the humanitarian crisis, with smaller-than-expected aid from the federal government.

Meantime, as Republicans in the US Senate continue attempts to block aid for Caribbean and other migrant and asylum seekers, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) is appealing to lawmakers in the nations capital to support critical asylum protections and push back against the Republicans radical agenda.

Recently, US immigration authorities reported an influx of Chinese migrants crossing the border in attempting to seek asylum in the US.

NYIC, an umbrella policy and advocacy organization that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups throughout New York, prides itself in serving one of the largest and most diverse newcomer populations in the United States.

NYICs Executive Director Murad Awawdeh noted on Tuesday that US Senate Republicans, in their weeks-long budget negotiations on President Joe Bidens emergency supplemental funding request to support the war in Ukraine, are unrelenting in attempting to block aid to Caribbean and other migrants and asylum seekers, unless the budget includes extreme changes in immigration policy, including barriers to seeking asylum in the United States, humanitarian parole and enforcing stricter border policies.

As cities across the country continue to welcome newly-arrived asylum seekers, it is crucial that lawmakers in Washington support critical asylum protections and push back against the Republicans radical agenda, including cutting back on humanitarian parole, resuming construction on parts of the southern border wall, reinstating remain in Mexico, as well as the safe third country banall of which would ultimately result in the end of our asylum system, Awawdeh told Caribbean Life.

There is no reason to include increased use of inhumane policies like family separation as part of a foreign budget package, except pure cruelty, he added. Instead, lawmakers must expand effective and humane measures that will alleviate the pressure from the southern border, allow for more secure processing of asylum seekers, and ensure that localities like New York City, which have received thousands of new arrivals, are able to support and integrate them into our communities.

After embarking on a treacherous journey to the United States, immigrant communities deserve to feel protected and thrive in our country to live out their American dream, Awawdeh continued.

In his continuing efforts to manage, as best as he can, the expanding asylum seeker crisis, Adams recently launched the broadening of the Asylum Application Help Center.

With funding from New York State, Adams said he will open two new satellite sites in aiding asylum seekers in submitting applications for asylum, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and work authorization.

Last month, the mayor launched the citys first satellite sites for immigration application assistance in Harlem and Lower Manhattan.

While we continue to call for a national strategy to solve a national crisis, New York City continues to do its part to support asylum seekers, he said. For over a year, we have asked the federal government to put forward a resettlement strategy, expedite work authorizations for asylum seekers, and provide New York City with much needed and meaningful financial support.

In the absence of that national strategy, New York City continues to lead building out the legal and resettlement infrastructure needed to address this crisis, the mayor added. We hope the federal government will join us in these efforts and finish the job they started.

Since its launch this summer, bolstered by aid from state partners, Adams said the citys help center has supported the filing of over 7,200 asylum applications, about 2,900 work authorization applications and nearly 2,900 TPS applications.

He said New York City has also helped Caribbean and other asylum seekers file over 3,100 work authorization applications during two clinics hosted in partnership with the federal government and city-based nonprofits, totaling more than 16,000 asylum, work authorization and TPS applications.

As he continues to prioritize helping asylum seekers live independently, without significant or timely state and federal assistance, Adams said he plans to proceed, in January 2024, with a 20 percent reduction in spending on the migrant crisis in his Fiscal Year 2024 Preliminary Budget.

Read the original:

'Cities for Action' to address Caribbean asylum seeker crisis Caribbean Life - Caribbean Life