By Darby Daly
Edited by Elissa D. Hecker
Entertainment
Judge Temporarily Blocks Tennessee Law That Restricts Drag Performances
A federal judge put a hold on the law hours before it was to take effect, saying that there were legitimate questions about whether it violated the First Amendment.
Jury Finds Gwyneth Paltrow Not Liable in Damages Over the Crash
The verdict came after more than a week of testimony that covered skiing etiquette, medical history, and celebrity culture.
DeSantis’s Allies Discover That Disney Evaded Florida’s Move to Rein It In
The Florida governor’s new Disney World oversight board belatedly realized that the company had quietly sidestepped its control.
Arts
The Headless Statue of a ‘Roman Emperor’ Is Seized from the Met
Investigators said there was evidence that the bronze, on loan to the museum and valued at $25 million, had been stolen from Turkey and will be returned.
Adidas Drops Trademark Dispute With Black Lives Matter
The German sportswear company challenged the trademark application, saying it was “confusingly similar” to its three-stripe logo. Within 48 hours, it reversed course.
Now Playing in China: Putin-Aligned Artists Shunned in the West
As Russia works to shore up its image and rebuild its soft power after its invasion of Ukraine, it is strengthening cultural ties with friendly nations, including China.
He Lost a Courbet Fleeing the Nazis. His Heirs Are Getting it Back.
A panel has recommended that a British museum return a landscape painting by Gustave Courbet to heirs of a Jewish engineer who had joined the French Resistance.
Ireland Asks: What if Artists Could Ditch Their Day Jobs?
A government pilot program is giving 2,000 artists $350 a week with no strings attached, allowing them to concentrate on creative pursuits.
Sports
Women’s Sports Are Raking in Investments. The Final Four Shows Why.
With stars, story lines, and skill, the TV rights for the women’s Division I basketball tournament could be worth over $80 million, part of a larger wave of investors flocking to women’s sports.
As Women’s Basketball Grows, Equity Is Trying to Catch Up
The N.C.A.A. has begun putting in place recommendations from a report on the disparities between men’s and women’s basketball and there are differing assessments for a path forward.
The N.B.A. and Its Players’ Union Reach a Tentative Labor Deal
The collective bargaining agreement, which is said to create a new in-season tournament, must next be ratified by the players and team governors.
Senator Seeks Details of Schools’ Deals With Betting Companies
Senator Richard Blumenthal, asserting that gambling causes “very real harm” to students, has asked 66 colleges to provide information about their marketing relationships with sportsbooks.
Facing Criticism, a Gambling Company and a University End Their Deal
The decision by PointsBet and the University of Colorado Boulder came as the industry released guidelines meant to limit how sports betting is marketed on campus.
Minor League Salaries Will Double Under New Deal
A five-year collective bargaining agreement was voted in by more than 99% of minor league players. Housing, meals, and transportation are expected to improve.
Wimbledon Drops Ban on Players From Russia and Belarus
The All England Club’s decision is a reversal of a policy that drew criticism last year. It will open the door for several top players to compete as neutrals.
Anti-Israel Protests Cost Indonesia a FIFA Soccer Championship
Preparations for the tournament were thrown into disarray when a governor asked Indonesia’s sports ministry to bar Israel’s team from participating.
Tokyo Olympics Scandal Fouls Hopes for a Sapporo Winter Games
The International Olympic Committee was already struggling to find hosts for the Winter Games. Sapporo’s flailing 2030 bid has added another headache.
China’s Soccer Experiment Was a Flop. Now It May Be Over.
China poured billions into its bid to become a major player in the world’s most popular sport. A decade later, it has little to show for that investment.
Rift Between Gaming Giants Shows Toll of China’s Economic Crackdown
Activision Blizzard and NetEase could not agree on a new deal to distribute video games in China, cutting millions of players from the games in January.
Technology/Media
Fox News Suffers Major Setback in Defamation Case
A judge said the suit would go to trial. A jury will determine whether the network knowingly spread false claims about Dominion Voting Systems and award any damages.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/31/business/fox-dominion-defamation-case.html?searchResultPosition=1
Fox News Fires Producer Who Accused Network of Coercion
The producer, Abby Grossberg, has said that the network pushed her to give a false deposition in a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit.
Publishers Worry That A.I. Chatbots Will Cut Readershi
Many sites get at least half their traffic from search engines. Fuller results generated by new chatbots could mean far fewer visitors to online content publishers.
A Campaign Aide Didn’t Write That Email. A.I. Did.
The swift advance of artificial intelligence in politics is already blurring the boundaries between fact and fake.
Tinkering With ChatGPT, Workers Wonder: Will This Take My Job?
Artificial intelligence is confronting white-collar professionals more directly than ever. It could make them more productive — or obsolete.
Elon Musk Tried to Meet With F.T.C. Chair About Twitter but Was Rebuffed
Elon Musk requested a meeting with Lina Khan, the chair of the F.T.C., which has been investigating Twitter’s privacy and data practices. His request was denied.
Russia Detains A Wall Street Journal Reporter, Accusing Him Of Espionage.
The newspaper said it “vehemently denies the allegations” against Evan Gershkovich, an American, after the Kremlin accused him of being a spy. The White House called his detention “unacceptable.”
ChatGPT Is Banned in Italy Over Privacy Concerns
The action by Italy’s data protection agency is the first known instance of the chatbot’s being blocked by a government order.
General News
Donald Trump Is Indicted in New York
Donald Trump will be the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges. The precise charges are not yet known, but the case is focused on a hush-money payment to a porn star during his 2016 campaign. Trump will likely face standard processing when he is taken into custody, but the unprecedented arrest of a former commander in chief will be anything but routine.
Justices Must Disclose Travel and Gifts Under New Rules
The change comes as members of Congress have called for the justices to be held to ethics standards similar to those for the executive and legislative branches. Federal judges will also be held to the new standards.
Supreme Court Considers a Mercenary’s Confession and the Confrontation Clause
In the case of a murder in the Philippines, the justices weighed whether relaying a confession that implicated another crossed a constitutional line.
Supreme Court to Hear Dispute Between Maine Hotel and Disability Activist
The hotel argues that the activist, Deborah Laufer, was not entitled to sue it over inadequate disclosures because she did not intend to stay there.
Supreme Court Hears a Free Speech Challenge to an Immigration Law
The justices considered whether the law, which makes it a crime to encourage unauthorized immigrants to come to or stay in the United States, runs afoul of the First Amendment.
F.D.A. Approves Narcan for Over-the-Counter Sales
The nasal spray reverses opioid overdoses and public health officials hope that making it more widely available could save lives and reduce the nation’s high rates of drug fatalities.
Biden Concedes That He Is Powerless to Act on Guns Without Congress
“I have gone the full extent of my executive authority to do, on my own, anything about guns,” President Biden said.
Federal Regulators Criticize Bank Executives and Pledge Reviews
Officials blamed executives at Silicon Valley Bank for its failure on March 10th, while adding that Federal Reserve oversight is up for a revamp.
Pence Must Testify to Jan. 6 Grand Jury, Judge Rules
The ruling in Washington was the latest setback to efforts by Trump’s legal team to limit testimony to grand juries investigating him on various matters.
Judge Signals Impatience a Year Into Sept. 11 Case Plea Talks
Legal teams sent the Pentagon’s top lawyer policy questions in March 2022. The Biden administration has yet to reply.
Federal Judge Strikes Down Obamacare Requirement for Free Preventive Care
The decision by a judge in Texas, which applies nationwide and could have far-reaching implications for millions of Americans, is almost certain to be appealed by the Biden administration.
Court Reinstates Adnan Syed’s Murder Conviction in ‘Serial’ Case and Orders New Hearing
The Appellate Court of Maryland ruled that a lower court had violated the right of the victim’s brother to have been notified of and to attend a hearing.
Clash Over Building Atop Native Burial Sites Angers N.Y. Tribes
After battles with previous governors, New York’s Native American leaders were hopeful for a reset with Kathy Hochul’s administration. Instead, the tensions have increased.
Costly Court Race Points to a Politicized Future for Judicial Elections
A crucial election for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court has drawn tens of millions of dollars in spending, turning an officially nonpartisan contest into a bare-knuckle political fight.
Netanyahu Delays Bid to Overhaul Israel’s Judiciary as Protests Rage
The Israeli prime minister called for dialogue as civil unrest and work stoppages reached a crisis point, grinding the country to a halt.
Finland Clears Last Hurdle to Joining NATO
Finland’s entry into the military alliance after Turkey formally signed off is a significant defeat for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.