What's Happening

Politics

Supreme Court Justices Caught In Secret Recordings

What's going on: New audio recordings dropped on social media appear to tell the public how Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts really feel about the country’s polarization and religion. Liberal documentary filmmaker Lauren Windsor secretly taped the justices at an annual dinner earlier this month, posing as a Catholic conservative. At one point, Alito appeared to endorse returning “our country to a place of godliness” and said “one side or the other is going to win” when asked about the country’s polarized politics. As for Roberts, when asked whether the court should guide America "toward a more moral path,” he quickly responded with “I think the role for the court is deciding the cases.”

What it means: Alito’s comments in the audio recordings come as questions over the justice’s impartiality have been front and center(see: the controversy over his flags). It’s left many wondering how he can be fair when it comes tohigh-profile (and potentially life-altering) caseson abortion,guns, and former PresidentTrump’s immunity claims —rulings which are expected later this month.Meanwhile, Windsor —who’s known for approaching high-profile conservatives — defended the secret recordings amid criticism,saying the court is “shrouded in secrecy” and has been unaccountable.

Related: Justice Alito’s Wife Was Also Recorded. Here's What She Said (The Hill)

International

Oh Snap: France’s Macron Called For Surprise Elections

What's going on: French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the lower house of parliament over the weekend and called for snap elections in a bid to keep the far-right from taking control of France. The unexpected decision came after his party suffered a humiliating defeat to conservative Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in the elections for the European Parliament (the law-making body in the European Union). Yes, that’s the same anti-immigration Le Pen who lost the presidency to Macron in 2022. The elections, which were supposed to happen in three years, will now take place just weeks before the Summer Olympics kick off in Paris.

What it means: It appears that Macron is banking on voters banding together against the far-right in national elections, but early reports predict conservatives will take a majority of the seats. However, some analysts say Macron has 2027 vision: He could be hoping the French grow unhappy with their far-right lawmakers by the time the next presidential elections come around, driving them to go against a Le Pen presidency. Still, it comes as Europe sees a far-right surge. The European Parliament elections handed conservatives a win in Germany, Italy, and Austria.

Related: A List of Some of Marine Le Pen's Controversial Quotes (Politico)

Tech

Apple (Finally) Enters the AI Race

What's going on: Apple shared its plans yesterday to get generative artificial intelligence into its iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers by the end of the year, marketing it as “Apple Intelligence.” Creative. Apple is making all of its AI dreams come true by working with OpenAI and ChatGPT. Users will be able to use generative AI to write texts, create images from scratch, and prioritize notifications (no more excuses that you didn’t see your boss’s text). There’s also Genmoji, which uses AI to create new emojis on command. Call us when Siri can do the laundry.

What it means: The introduction of AI into its core products could be one of Apple’s largest software overhauls in years. It comes as other companies like Microsoft and Meta are making major strides with the tech. Still, experts, including former and current OpenAI employees, have raised concerns about the safety of artificial intelligence if it continues to develop rapidly and go unchecked. Apple did emphasize privacy and security during the presentation, saying that users’ data will not be stored or shared.

Related: Congress Wants Scarlett Johansson to Weigh In on OpenAI (Axios)