The News

The Supreme Court sided with an Austin gun store owner Friday morning in a case concerning whether bump stock rifle attachments convert the weapon into a machine gun.

In an opinion written by Justice Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Court has decided that a semiautomatic rifle with a bump stock attachment is not a “machinegun” because the gun does not fire more than one shot “by a single function of the trigger” as the statute requires.

“A bump stock does not convert a semiautomatic rifle into a machinegun any more than a shooter with a lightning-fast trigger finger does.” Justice Thomas wrote.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a dissenting opinion joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. The dissenting justices argued that bump stocks allow a semiautomatic rifle to fire in a way that meets Congress’s definition of “machinegun.”

“All the shooter had to do was pull the trigger and press the gun forward,” Justice Sotomayor wrote. “The bump stock did the rest.”

The Court heard arguments earlier this year on the legality of a federal ban on bump stock rifle attachments, a case that was brought forward by an Austin gun store owner. Michael Cargill surrendered his bump stock devices in compliance with the 2018 ban issued by the Trump administration. This ban followed the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting in which the gunman used several firearms, some with bump stock attachments, to kill 58 people.

A bump stock is a device attached to a semiautomatic firearm that “allow(s) a shooter of a semiautomatic firearm to initiate a continuous firing cycle with a single pull of the trigger,” according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The final rule went into effect in March 2019.

“The final rule clarifies that the definition of ‘machinegun’ in the Gun Control Act (GCA) and National Firearms Act (NFA) includes bump-stock-type devices, i.e., devices that allow a semiautomatic firearm to shoot more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger by harnessing the recoil energy of the semiautomatic firearm to which it is affixed so that the trigger resets and continues firing without additional physical manipulation of the trigger by the shooter,” the ATF wrote on its website.

Cargill’s attorneys argued that bump stocks don’t change the function of a semi-automatic weapon enough to constitute that the device is illegal. The Biden administration said bump stocks meet the legal definition of a machine gun because it only takes one action to fire the weapon. 

Before the Las Vegas shooting, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives had determined that only specific types of bump stocks could convert semi-automatic rifles into machine guns. The ATF later issued a rule classifying all bump stocks as machine guns. Under the 2018 rule, anyone who owned or possessed a bump stock had to either destroy it or turn it in to the ATF to avoid criminal penalties.

Garland v. Cargill reached the Supreme Court in February after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled in favor of the previously existing legislation, determining that bump stocks are not defined by semi automatic rifles. During oral arguments, the Supreme Court appeared divided on the case. Conservative justices expressed concern that the regulation could subject bump stock owners to criminal liability, even though the devices were legal when they bought them.

Michael Cargill declined requests to comment until after the Supreme Court has announced the decision.

SOURCE 

Sadly, on April 22, 2024 Victor lost his long battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Ayers Family Cremation prepared him for his final wishes — to have his ashes scattered at sea in the Pacific Ocean he loved. He will be missed.

SOURCE 

Three seasons into its run, Bridgerton has fallen into a pattern: great at foreplay, iffy on the climax. No one signs up for a romance with the prospect of an underbaked conclusion, and it’s frustrating when the momentum and groundwork of a slowly built relationship culminates in a finale that’s just … fine. Still, Bridgerton’s third season, with its expansion of bubbly minor characters and ample time spent on the other Bridgerton siblings, reduces the pressure on this underperforming high point, and there’s enough fun and anticipation in everything around the central couple that it almost doesn’t matter that the apotheosis of Polin is more of a gentle plateau.

Like its first two seasons, this installment of Bridgerton is a delightful romp with towering heaps of confectionary-sweet silliness, an overlay of Barbie feminism, and the occasional baffling structural flaw. Every season of Bridgerton has some amount of imperfection, but each season is imperfect in its own way: Season one, sexy and unrestrained, was a mess of racial politics and reproductive anxiety coursing beneath the show’s fantasy of the Regency period. Season two, which included a somewhat more careful approach to the racial aspects of this universe, got pushback for not having enough sex and failing to adequately navigate the emotional ins and outs of its sisterly love triangle. In both cases, the season started from a promising premise but could not live up to the complexities of its own emotional stakes in the back half.

Season three is built for success. Both Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington had plenty of time for development in seasons one and two, and Penelope’s identity as Lady Whistledown, anonymous author of the ton’s most influential gossip pamphlet, gives the Colin/Penelope match-up an immediate source of tension and an obstacle to overcome. Nicola Coughlan’s performance as Penelope is much-loved by the show’s fans, and beautifully calibrated to accomplish the shift from awkward side character to stunning central love interest. Luke Newton’s Colin is endearing, gentle, and more than capable of staring at Penelope with both longing and dismay. Colin loathes Lady Whistledown because of all the mean things she’s said about him and his family; Penelope’s secret is a buried bomb with a guaranteed explosive release.

Until the last couple of episodes, everything appears to be ripping along like a brand-new two-horse phaeton on a bright spring day. Colin and Penelope, after dealing with the emotional aftermath of their devastating balloon-based trauma, have a carriage-based digital exploration that launches them into giddy matrimonial accord. The Lady Whistledown secret lurks in the background, even while Colin and Penelope have one of the show’s lovelier and more tender sex scenes in their unfurnished future home. Everything’s ripe for a big, passionate, highly combustible, and ultimately satisfying conclusion! Except there’s a concerning absence of important groundwork with relation to Colin. While Penelope has a whole hidden life and ambitious desire for social influence, Colin had one underwhelming trip to Europe where he got less mail than he hoped and had to soothe himself with the Regency equivalent of a buy-ten-get-one-free brothel-membership card. He wants to be a writer, maybe, an idea introduced abruptly in the premiere, but he struggles to actually write anything even though he’s a wealthy man with lots of free time and the ability to publish whatever he wants. He wears a big Mr. Rochester–esque great coat and walks around with an unbuttoned shirt to signal his flirtation with Brontë-style masculine angst, but his sadness is unpersuasive at best and completely laughable at worst.

This is not necessarily a flaw with Bridgerton’s chosen storytelling setting, or its tendency to focus on wealthy aristocrats; this is a fantasy world where money almost never matters and all the rules of race, class, aristocratic titles, and the plausible load-bearing capacities of any given hair accessory are invented and discarded on a scene-by-scene basis. The problem is entirely structural. Without money or class concerns, tragedy, trauma, ambition, unfulfilled sexual desire, poor health, or even a hobby he’s particularly devoted to, Colin has no obstacles. He loves his neighbor! She’s hot for him! He has ample resources, the social standing to survive a scandal, and almost no responsibilities. He’s the most-desired bachelor of the season — he’s doing great! So when the inevitable fallout of Penelope’s secret identity finally reaches Colin, the betrayal and sadness that should feel equal on each side instead feel obnoxiously lopsided. Ideally, when two romantic leads clash, the audience should be able to sympathize with both parties, understanding whatever perspective is keeping them apart even if they’ll clearly work it out. But because Colin has so little growth over the course of the season, the viewer is mostly waiting for him to get over himself.

Unsurprisingly, this does not make for an ecstatic emotional reunion between the two. Penelope and Colin carry on with the wedding as planned, which creates the opportunity for even more heightened tension between them — they’re going to be stuck forever in this deeply miserable relationship! Except Bridgerton can’t fully commit to an angry wedding, and Colin smiles gently at Penelope as she walks down the aisle. This is lovely for two people who are trying to make it work and terrible momentum for a romance plot. Are they supposed to be fine now? Have they come to some sort of agreement? No, because Colin reverts to being furious with her after the wedding, and then everything is apparently solved once she publicly comes clean about Lady Whistledown in the finale. Even though they barely talk about it! And Penelope is clear-eyed about the problems still on the horizon! But there’s no reason for concern: They have a baby, Colin publishes his book, and everything is perfect in the end.

Despite this underwhelming conclusion for Polin, Bridgerton’s third season is still a compulsively enjoyable watch, in large part because the unfulfilled potential of the Polin plot is immediately passed along to engaging side characters and the promise of future seasons. Season three should be about Polin, but it really belongs to the Featheringtons, particularly Polly Walker’s Lady Featherington, who runs away with every scene she’s handed and juggles cruelty, pragmatism, fondness, exasperation, sadness, and love while also being infallibly funny. She and the two other Featherington sisters are the MVPs of this season, no contest.

Even without the Featheringtons, though, the Bridgerton siblings are given so much to do that as the Polin plot starts to cool off, their stories pick up the slack. The best and most outright absurd goes to Benedict (Luke Thompson), who engages in a sexual encounter that should win an improbable endurance award. And there’s lots of promise for Francesca (Hannah Dodd), as the finale introduces her love story with an intriguing potential shift for the future of the show. The Bridgerton world feels bigger than it has in the past, to its benefit: Story development for Cressida Cowper, Violet Bridgerton, and Lady Danbury and her newly introduced brother all bode well for new seasons. The expansion isn’t always successful, particularly for the Mondrich family, whom Bridgerton clearly wants to invest in but who, for this season, suffer from a near-fatal case of Colin Bridgerton Lack-of-Problems Syndrome. But these storylines are more than enough to counteract any potential Bridgerton fatigue. By the end of the season the overall sense is, “This was an unfortunate mess and I’d love to watch more immediately.”

In its efforts to build out the Bridgerton world, and to tell stories about more than one Bridgerton family member at once, the series has effectively embraced the narrative changes necessary to translate from a romance-novel series into a TV show. It’s also departed enough from Julia Quinn’s original books that it’s become completely its own work rather than a pale retelling of the original, which is always the most important standard for any adaptation. A Bridgerton series should be able to do both: embrace ensemble storytelling while also achieving the full satisfaction and painstaking structural balance of a romance novel. Season three does not pull this off, but Bridgerton remains too much fun to consider breaking up with anytime soon.

 SOURCE 

 Show up for work at 9 am, scan your social media pages to check up on your friends, and then begin thinking about an early afternoon exit to walk your dog. At least that was what was going through my mind when my boss, Michael Fragale, walked into the office to tell me that Jerry West had just died.

 The mother of Mark and Jacob Iskander, the two young boys who Rebecca Grossman was convicted of murdering in a hit-and-run crash in 2020, believes Judge Joseph Brandolino’s sentencing of Grossman was not appropriate.

In her first sit-down interview since Monday’s sentencing, Nancy Iskander told NBC4 she believes Judge Brandolino should’ve issued a stricter sentence, one that reflects the death of both of her boys.

Grossman had been facing a maximum of 34 years in prison but was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for each second-degree murder charge, as well as three years for a hit-and-run charge. But she was ordered to serve each sentence concurrently. 

“It was a stab in the heart for me to count both boys as one,” Iskander said. “What message are you telling the public? It's okay to hit and run? I might as well hit someone and kill them and run. Maybe I get a chance to escape than, you know, stay and take responsibility because the hit-and-run will just be run concurrently.

“And unfortunately, I cannot change it. But I’d like Mr. Brandolino to know that this was not fair,” she added.

Grossman was convicted Feb. 23 of two counts each of second-degree murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and one count of hit-and-run driving, though she continues to deny hitting and killing the boys.

Immediately following the verdict, Iskander told the media she believed the judge should be somewhat lenient on Grossman, given her role as a mother and wife, but Iskander changed her tone after Grossman sent the Iskander’s a letter from jail and was later ordered by Judge Brandolino to no longer make contact with the family.

“I love her. I love her family. I don't have any hatred. But that's different from seeking justice, right? I continue to love them. But she, on the other hand, is not wanting to show me mercy,” Iskander said. “She's never apologized. She says 'I am sorry' many times. 'I am sorry about what happened to you. I am sorry about the loss of your kids. I am sorry your kids died.' … She never said I am sorry I killed them. She's extremely struggling with the fact that she did it, and she will not take responsibility for it.”

Prosecutors had asked Superior Court Judge Joseph Brandolino to sentence Grossman, who will turn 61 on Friday, to a longer term of 34 years to life in state prison for the September 2020 deaths of Mark and Jacob Iskander, ages 11 and 8. The young boys were in a marked crosswalk with their family in the community northwest of Los Angeles when they were struck by Grossman's white Mercedes-Benz SUV.

Defense attorneys were asking for a sentence of either probation or the lower state prison term of just over 12 years on the less serious vehicular manslaughter charges.

Grossman, wearing a brown jumpsuit, shook her head and cried during the sentencing while listening to victim impact statements in court. A judge asked that the statements, usually delivered by family members, friends and others who knew the victims, remain short because there was a long list of speakers. 

Speakers included Mark and Jacob's mother, uncle, grandmother, teachers, a pastor and neighbors who shared stories about the boys.

“I want them to be remembered as someone who did good in the world,” Iskander said. "If they're not here to do it, I am here to do it on their behalf.”

The Iskander family has started the Mark and Jacob Iskander Foundation, aimed at helping underprivileged children, including those in foster care, around the world. 

The foundation is based in Westlake Village.

“In 5th grade, Mark ran for student council at the school, and his plan was, 'I will make this year the best year at school.' And ‘Mark my word’ was his pun,” Iskander said. "I'm going to turn this tragedy into something so beautiful.”

After wrapping up a long legal saga that lasted nearly four years, Iskander said she now wants to focus her attention fully on honoring her sons.

“I don't know what Mark and Jacob would have done in the world had they been given the opportunity to live. I don't know if they had been married or had kids or been doctors, but now it's on me to do everything that they could have done. It's a lot, but I'm ready. I'm ready,” she said. "I have wonderful people with me. We’ll do it -- Mark my word.”

 READ FULL ARTICLE 

Practical Magic 2” is in the works, and Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are in negotiations to return as witchy sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, respectively, per Variety.

Warner Bros. announced the news on TikTok, captioning a clip from the 1998 romance-fantasy classic: “It’s official… Practical Magic 2 is coming!”

Bullock and Kidman are expected to produce, Varity said, alongside Denise Di Novi, who produced the original film and who is known for female-focused flicks, including “Heathers” and “Little Women.” Oscar-winning ‘A Beautiful Mind’ writer Akiva Goldsman, who wrote the original film’s script, will take charge of the screenplay.

The original film told the story of Sally and Gillian, two sisters who are descended from a centuries-long line of witches and who were raised and trained in practical magic by their aunts after their parents’ untimely deaths. After accidentally poisoning Gillian’s abusive boyfriend, the sisters reanimate his corpse and have to fight his evil spirit while also contending with a curse that any man who loves an Owens woman will die.

“Where ‘Bewitched’ had just one romantic sorceress trying to contain her power while indulging ordinary human passions, this one has two — the ever-wholesome Sandra Bullock, an Elizabeth Montgomery surrogate if there could be one, and the ever seductive Nicole Kidman,” The Times said in its 1998 review of the original movie.

“Bullock and Kidman provide spunky star turns, and [Stockard] Channing and [Dianne] Wiest play the eccentric aunts with apt hamminess,” the review continued. “It just doesn’t add up to anything — or break down — to anything special. For good or bad, there’s hardly a memorable scene in it.

That said, the sequel announcement is welcome news for fans, some of whom were baited by a 2019 announcement that HBO was creating a prequel series featuring the sisters’ aunts, Franny and Jet, as young witches. The project was axed this February, even as Di Novi was teasing to yet another return to small-town Massachusetts.

“I think the fans are going to be thrilled,” she told UPI in February, adding that something was “in the works” from “the world of ‘Practical Magic.’”

Much of the project remains under wraps, and a release date has yet to be announced. In the meantime, “Practical Magic” is streaming on Max.

 SOURCE 

Nvidia (NVDA) stock nabbed a fresh batch of price-target hikes on Tuesday as the AI chipmaker continues to show strength after its standout first-quarter earnings report.

Three Wall Street firms raised their price targets on Nvidia stock one day after three other firms raised their targets on the graphics-chip maker.

Argus Research increased its price target on Nvidia stock to 150 from 110 and kept its buy rating.

Oppenheimer also upped its target to 150 from 110 and maintained its outperform rating.

Evercore ISI raised its target on Nvidia stock to 145 from 131 and reiterated its outperform rating.

Nvidia Stock Takes A Breather After Breakout

On the stock market today, Nvidia stock dipped 0.7% to close at 120.91. It ended the regular session Monday up 0.8% to 121.78.

On May 23, Nvidia stock broke out of a 10-week consolidation pattern at a split-adjusted buy point of 97.40, according to IBD MarketSurge charts.

Nvidia is technically in the 20%-to-25% profit-taking zone of its breakout, but it is subject to the eight-week hold rule, according to IBD trading guidelines.

The stock breakout occurred after the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company smashed expectations with its fiscal first-quarter earnings report.

Nvidia Shares 'Have Much Further To Go'

Argus analyst Jim Kelleher said Nvidia is positioned for "continued momentum" this year and its shares "have much further to go."

In addition to growth in AI and data center markets, Nvidia should see acceleration in its other end markets, he said in a client note. Those markets include gaming, professional visualization and automotive.

Oppenheimer analyst Rick Schafer said Nvidia has a clear product roadmap for its graphics processing units and networking products.

"We see NVDA as best positioned in AI, benefiting from their full stack AI hardware, networking, and software solutions," Schafer said in a client note.

Nvidia On Five IBD Stock Lists

In other news Tuesday, cloud security software firm Zscaler (ZS) announced a collaboration with Nvidia. Zscaler will use the alliance to accelerate AI-powered co-pilot technologies for enterprises. Zscaler stock rose 2% to close at 187.65 on Tuesday.

Nvidia stock is on five IBD lists: Leaderboard, IBD 50, Big Cap 20, Sector Leaders and Tech Leaders.

Also, Nvidia stock is one of the Magnificent Seven stocks.

Follow Patrick Seitz on X, formerly Twitter, at @IBD_PSeitz for more stories on consumer technology, software and semiconductor stocks.

SOURCE 

 Apple announced new features coming to iPhones via iOS 18 and the company's AI-powered intelligence system called "Apple Intelligence" at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on Monday, including scheduled iMessages, interface customizability and one-of-a-kind emojis.

With iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence coming later this year, according to Apple executive Craig Federighi, iPhone users will have access to a smarter, more customizable and more powerful mobile operating system.

"We are just getting started, I hope you are as excited as I am about the road ahead," Federighi said during Apple's keynote at WWDC.

Here are some of the new features coming via iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence.

Enhanced home screen, control center customizability

When iPhone users unlock their devices, they are typically met by a wallpaper and a ton of apps. With iOS 18, users will be able to further customize their home screen in various ways, including by:

• Putting app icons and widgets anywhere on the home screen grid.
• Turning the iPhone on dark mode, which now changes app icons.
• Changing the tint color of the home screen.