Riverside, Calif.
iPhone cracked: Federal officials this
week dropped a bitter legal battle with
Apple after an unnamed “third party”
helped unlock the
encrypted iPhone used
by San Bernardino
shooter Syed Rizwan
Farook, who with his
wife killed 14 people
in a December terrorist
attack. “We are
now able to unlock
that iPhone without
compromising any
information on the
phone,” U.S. Attorney Eileen Decker said
in a statement after prosecutors asked
Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym to vacate her
order compelling Apple’s assistance in
cracking the device. Authorities remained
mum about the details of the hack, the
identity of the third party, and the contents
of the phone, which are now
being analyzed by the FBI. In a
statement, Apple said the government’s
“backdoor” entry into
the phone “would set a dangerous
precedent” and leave unresolved
a fierce national debate
over security and privacy.
Indianapolis
Abortion ban: Doctors in Indiana struggled
this week to understand how sweeping
new abortion restrictions might affect
their work, after Gov. Mike Pence signed
a controversial bill that bans women from
terminating pregnancies because the fetus
has Down syndrome or another disorder.
The law, which takes effect July 1, also
bans abortions on the basis of the fetus’
gender or race and makes Indiana the first
state to mandate the burial or cremation
of fetal remains. Opponents of the law
complain that the restrictions will interfere
with physicians’ ability to offer medical
care and advice, because a doctor could
now face a wrongful-death lawsuit if an
abortion is granted to a woman on the
basis of a fetal defect. Utah, meanwhile,
became the first state to require doctors to
administer anesthesia to women undergoing
abortions at 20 weeks or later, based
on the disputed notion that fetuses feel
pain at that stage.
Chappaqua, N.Y.
Clinton probe: Federal prosecutors investigating
Hillary Clinton’s use of a home
email server
while secretary
of state have
begun setting
up formal
interviews with
her closest
aides, suggesting
the probe
has entered its
final stages. Prosecutors are also expected
to seek an interview with Clinton. The
Washington Post initially reported this
week that the FBI had assigned 147
agents to the investigation, citing an
unnamed lawmaker briefed by FBI
Director James Comey; the report was
later corrected to reflect that fewer than
50 FBI personnel are involved. The State
Department has so far released more than
30,000 of Clinton’s emails, with
nearly 2,100 retroactively given
some form of classification.
“This is clearly disruptive to
the campaign,” said Democratic
pollster Mark Mellman.
“Important aides being questioned
is not coverage you’d like to have.”
Edmond, Okla.
Man-made quakes: Fracking for oil
and gas has sparked a stunning surge
of human-induced earthquakes, the U.S.
Geological
Survey
revealed
this week,
threatening
as many as
7 million
people in
states across
the heart of
the country, including Kansas, Texas,
Arkansas, and Colorado. None has
been hit harder than Oklahoma, which
in just a few years has become one of
the most seismically active places in the
world. Between 1882 and 2012, the
state saw 232 earthquakes of magnitude
3.0 or stronger (the threshold at which
they’re noticeable to people); in 2016
alone, Oklahomans have experienced
287 such quakes. In December, a series
of powerful quakes knocked out power
in Edmond, a suburb of Oklahoma City.
“We need to help people understand that
they do face a risk in these areas,” says
USGS seismologist Mark Petersen, “and
they need to take precautions just like
people in California do.”
Atlanta
LGBT win: Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal
this week vetoed a “religious liberty”
bill that would have given faith-based
organizations the right to deny jobs and
services to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender people. The bill, dubbed the
Free Exercise Protection Act, drew fierce
opposition from civil rights groups, as
well as from major multinational corporations
that do business in Georgia.
Disney said it would stop filming in
the state and the NFL warned that the
measure could cost Atlanta a chance to
host the Super Bowl; Coca-Cola, Home
Depot, and other Atlanta-based companies
also expressed vehement opposition.
Deal, a Republican, said his decision
was about “the character of our people.
Georgia is a welcoming state. I intend to
do my part to keep it that way.” State
Sen. Mike Crane, who supported the
bill, called for a special session to override
Deal’s veto, which he blamed on the
influence of corporations and lobbyists.
Washington, D.C.
Union win: In the most
significant 4-4 split
ruling since Justice
Antonin Scalia’s death,
the Supreme Court this
week effectively upheld
the right of publicsector
labor unions
to collect mandatory
dues from members
and nonmembers alike.
A group of California
teachers had challenged a landmark
1977 ruling that allowed organized
labor to charge “fair share fees” from
nonmembers, as long as the funds were
used for collective bargaining and not
political activities. The plaintiffs, backed
by conservative activists, argued that
union activities are inherently political,
and that being forced to contribute dues
violated nonmembers’ free speech rights.
In oral arguments earlier this year, the
court’s conservative majority appeared to
lean their way, but the post-Scalia deadlock
preserves an appeals court decision
upholding the fees, which unions call
crucial to their survival. The ruling,
however, sets no precedent and leaves
the door open to a future challenge
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