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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in a case that could make it harder for convicted murderers to show their lives should be spared because they are intellectually disabled. The justices are taking up an appeal from Alabama, which wants to put to death a man who lower federal courts found is intellectually disabled and shielded from execution. The Supreme Court prohibited execution of intellectually disabled people in a landmark ruling in 2002. Joseph Clifton Smith, 55, has been on death row roughly half his life after his conviction for beating a man to death in 1997. The issue in Smith’s case is what happens when a person has multiple IQ scores that are slightly above 70, which has been widely accepted as a marker of intellectual disability. Smith’s five IQ tests produced scores ranging from 72 to 78. Smith had been placed in learning-disabled classes and dropped out of school after seventh grade, his lawyers said. At the time of the crime, he performed math at a kindergarten-level, spelled at a third-grade level and read at a fourth-grade level. The Supreme Court has held in cases in 2014 and 2017 that states should consider other evidence of disability in borderline cases because of the margin of error in IQ tests. Alabama appealed to the Supreme Court after lower courts ruled that Smith is intellectually disabled. The justices had previously sent his case back to the federal appeals court in Atlanta, where the judges affirmed that they had taken a “holistic” approach to Smith’s case, seemingly in line with the high court ruling. But the justices said in June they would take a new look at the case. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said Smith hasn’t met his burden of showing an IQ of 70 or below, and the state wrote in its brief that the discussion of a holistic approach is an unjustified expansion of the Supreme Court rulings. “He has multiple scores in the seventies,” Marshall said in a phone interview. He said the question is about how to address a continuum of scores. “I don’t think picking and choosing those at the bottom are the way that the court will ultimately go,” Marshall said. The Trump administration and 20 states are supporting Alabama in the case. Smith “did not meet his burden of proving his IQ was likely 70 or below,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote on behalf of the administration. Smith’s lawyers argue the lower courts followed the law in conducting a “holistic assessment of all relevant evidence” in a case with borderline IQ scores. Rights groups focused on disabilities wrote in a brief supporting Smith that “intellectual disability diagnoses based solely on IQ test scores are faulty and invalid.” Smith was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1997 beating death of Durk Van Dam in Mobile County. Van Dam was found dead in his pickup truck. Prosecutors said he had been beaten to death with a hammer and robbed of $150, his boots and tools. A federal judge in 2021 vacated Smith’s death sentence, though she acknowledged “this is a close case.” Alabama law defines intellectual disability as an IQ of 70 or below, along with significant or substantial deficits in adaptive behavior and the onset of those issues before the age of 18. ___ Chandler reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

ATLANTA (AP) — Hand-marked paper ballots are Georgia’s backup when touchscreen voting machines can’t be used because of an “emergency,” and a proposed rule change would list the qualifying circumstances. Supporters say this would make it easier to determine if hand-marked ballots are needed, but critics say the change oversteps the State Election Board’s authority. State law says if an “emergency situation” makes using touchscreen voting machines “impossible or impracticable,” voters may be given emergency paper ballots to be filled out by pen. The proposed rule, which is scheduled for a vote Wednesday, provides definitions of “impossible” and “impracticable” with qualifying circumstances. Jeanne Dufort, a county Democratic official and an author of the bipartisan proposal, said the definitions provide a “critical guideline” to help officials decide when the touchscreen machines cannot be used. Critics say the proposed rule runs afoul of a Georgia Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that said the State Election Board can pass rules to “implement and enforce” election laws, but cannot “go beyond, change or contradict” the laws. That ruling stemmed from a challenge to board’s adoption of a bunch of new rules before last year’s election. Some opponents of the rule also worry it could be used to force a switch to hand-marked paper ballots in an end run around the state’s requirement that in-person voters use touchscreen voting machines. “The rule cites state and federal provisions that are designed to protect ballot access and voter verification, but it really reinterprets them to justify halting the use of approved and certified equipment,” said Kristin Nabers, state director for All Voting is Local. “The statutes were never intended to give the power to invalidate voting systems.” After expressing concern about the proposal, Sara Tindall Ghazal, the lone Democrat and only lawyer on the board, worked with its drafters on the language. But she abstained from the October vote to open the proposal for public comment ahead of this week’s vote. “I think it goes beyond the scope of what the legislature intended to consider impossible or impracticable, which I see as unexpected circumstances that arise fairly suddenly and not the underlying conditions,” she said. State Rep. Victor Anderson, vice chair of a special study committee on elections, said he believes the proposed rule goes too far and has asked the board to reconsider or redraft it. He said legislators are working to address concerns about the voting machines. “I feel like the proposed rule is trying to get ahead of that before we handle it through the proper sources,” he said. A longtime critic of the state’s voting machines, Dufort demurred when asked if someone could use the definitions to force a switch to hand-marked paper ballots. There is “nothing in these definitions that isn’t in Georgia law currently,” she said, adding that they just put everything in one place “in plain English.” Georgia’s election system was implemented statewide ahead of the 2020 primary elections. Manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems, which was bought earlier this year by Liberty Vote, it includes touchscreen voting machines that print paper ballots featuring a human-readable list of voters’ selections and a QR code that a scanner reads to count votes. Wild conspiracy theories about the machines proliferated after the 2020 election, when President Donald Trump’s allies alleged they were used to steal victory from him. But even before that, some election integrity activists had argued voters can’t be sure their votes are accurately recorded because they can’t read the QR code and that the voting machines’ large, upright screens violate the right to ballot secrecy. They also asserted that the system has major security flaws that the state hasn’t addressed. The secretary of state’s office maintains that the system is secure and Georgia’s election results are accurate and reliable. The proposed rule defines “impossible” as meaning “voting equipment cannot be used at a polling place due to conditions beyond the reasonable control of election officials, or because its use would be unlawful under federal or state law.” Along with things like power loss or mechanical failure, the list of qualifying circumstances includes “the failure of the voting equipment to allow each voter to read and verify, in a human-readable format, the official votes on the ballot he or she intends to cast” and “the failure of the system to be reasonably possible of being deployed in a polling place to protect the absolute secrecy of the ballot.” “Impracticable” is defined as meaning voting on the machines “cannot reasonably be carried out without jeopardizing voters’ ability to cast a timely, secure, accurate, or secret ballot.” That includes the inability to arrange machines “to protect the absolute secrecy of the ballot.” Both definitions include in their lists of circumstances a determination by the State Election Board, secretary of state or a court that the voting equipment “violates state or federal law” or is impossible or impracticable to use for an election. 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WASHINGTON (AP) — A Dallas congresswoman opened her Senate campaign by telling voters that she “has gone toe to toe with Donald Trump.” Her Democratic primary opponent insisted that Americans are tired of “politics as a blood sport.” The divergent approach highlights how U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico are navigating a race where Democrats hope to break a three-decade losing streak in Texas. It also reflects a broader divide within the party, with some candidates continuing to focus on Trump while others barely mention his name on the trail. Figuring out the best approach will be critical for Democrats who are grasping for a path back to power in the upcoming midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress, and are already maneuvering for the next presidential race. Republicans, by contrast, have been crystal clear. Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, said in a recent podcast interview that Trump will campaign aggressively during the midterms and the party would “put him on the ballot.” “He is the greatest vote energizer in the history of politics,” said Neil Newhouse, a veteran Republican pollster. “But the challenge is that he does it as much for Democrats as he does for Republicans.” In her campaign launch video, Crockett was silent as audio of Trump’s insults played, including multiple times that he’s called her a “very low-IQ person.” At the end of the video, she breaks out into a smile. During her first stump speech on Monday, she addressed the president more directly. “Trump, I know you’re watching, so let me tell you directly,” Crockett said. “You’re not entitled to a damn thing in Texas. You better get to work because I’m coming for you.” Trump responded on Tuesday, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that her candidacy is “a gift to Republicans” and “I can’t even believe she’s a politician actually.” For nearly a decade, Democrats have used attacks on Trump to draw attention and fuel fundraising. Governors who are considered potential 2028 presidential contenders, including California’s Gavin Newsom and Illinois’ JB Pritzker, saw their profiles rise as they positioned themselves as staunch opponents of the president. Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly recently participated in a video telling service members that they shouldn’t follow illegal orders. Trump responded by accusing him of “seditious behavior” that’s “punishable by death.” Kelly started a national press tour and sent out a flurry of fundraising emails, both for himself and other Democrats. He said Trump has bullied everyone in his career, “but not now, because I won’t let it happen.” When it comes to running for office, “Trump is the red meat that drives donors,” said John Anzalone, a longtime Democratic pollster. “There are clearly some candidates that are playing towards the donor world that don’t actually make a great argument for winning races. But it’s great for clicks and making money. And money is the first primary that you need to win.” Talarico has built a following with a less combative style. The former teacher-turned-pastor and state legislator gained attention by posting viral social media content challenging Republicans’ claims to Christian values. He has focused little on Trump or other politicians. “The biggest divide in our country is not left versus right. It’s top versus bottom,” Talarico said in his campaign launch video. There are echoes of other Democratic successes this year, such as when gubernatorial candidates won in New Jersey and Virginia by focusing on affordability concerns. Mikie Sherrill, the incoming New Jersey governor, said recently that Trump motivates his critics to vote, but it isn’t enough for Democrats to rely solely on anti-Trump fervor. “Trump makes a difference. He’s a forcing mechanism to coalesce the party,” Sherrill said. “But to really turn out the vote in a really strong manner, you have got to run a really sharp campaign.” When Democrats talk about Trump, they have to connect his actions to voters’ everyday lives, she said. “You can’t just say, oh, I’m so upset that Trump demolished the East Wing of the White House,” she said. “You have to say, look, there’s a tariff regime that is being run that is enriching the president to the tune of $3 billion, and you’re paying more for everything from your cup of coffee in the morning to the groceries that you’re buying to cook your family dinner at night.” It’s an approach that could have more staying power in the coming years. “In the not-too-distant future, Trump will not be on the ballot and that will be a challenge for both parties,” said Austin Cook, a senior aide for Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin’s successful campaign in Michigan last year. “He is a starting gun for Democratic enthusiasm. But soon we won’t have him as a foil.” Republicans have little choice but to enlist Trump’s help, considering his enduring support among voters who are less likely to turn out during midterm elections. “They need to energize Republican voters and the only real way to energize Republican voters and get them out to vote is by enlisting Trump in the campaign,” said Newhouse, who is advising some of the party’s Senate candidates running in 2026. He warned that Trump’s popularity does not necessarily transfer to candidates he supports, “but there isn’t an alternative.” “What they are trying to do here is basically wrap themselves up in him, hope that his approval and the economic numbers improve and get their voters out to the polls to match the Democrats’ intensity,” Newhouse said. The White House has said that Trump will be on the road more in the coming months. He hosted his first rally in a while in Pennsylvania on Tuesday evening, where he blamed Democrats for inflation. “They gave you high prices,” he said, adding that “we’re bringing those prices down rapidly.” ___ Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press writer Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix, Arizona, contributed to this report. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

Dec 10 (Reuters) – Amazon plans to invest more than $35 billion in India by 2030 to expand operations and strengthen its artificial intelligence capabilities, the U.S. e-commerce giant said on Wednesday, becoming the latest global tech firm to deepen its presence in Asia’s third-largest economy. (Reporting by Kashish Tandon in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

By Christine Chen SYDNEY, Dec 10 (Reuters) – Australian teenagers have taken to social media for the last time to farewell their followers and mourn the loss of the platforms that shaped much of their lives before a world-first ban took effect on Wednesday. In the hours leading up to the ban’s midnight start (1300 GMT on Tuesday), a flurry of goodbye messages came from teenagers – as well as adults – on platforms including TikTok, Instagram and Reddit. “I’ll miss you guys,” posted Melbourne creator Josh Partington, who makes comedy sketches about Australian life for more than 75,000 TikTok followers. Australia has ordered 10 major platforms including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook to block around one million users under the age of 16 or face massive fines. Some 200,000 accounts have already been deactivated on TikTok alone, the government said, with “hundreds of thousands” to be blocked in the coming days. Young Australians, who have grown up using social media, faced the prospect of losing access to their favourite apps with a mix of sadness, humour and disbelief.  “I’m going to miss you soo much and especially the funny content,” one TikTok user wrote to their followers. “See you in a few years, but I don’t know if my account will still be standing.” “Goodbye, see you on the other side,” another said. There were edits posted of user’s favourite memes, while many urged their followers to join alternative platforms such as Yope, Lemon8 and Coverstar, which are not yet covered by the law. On Reddit, users posted their goodbye notes to subreddits such as r/teenagers. “As an autistic 13-year-old I am devastated,” one popular post said. “My playlist of 1,400+ songs on YouTube will be deleted and Reddit too, I have zero friends … I will be completely alone for the next three years until I am 16.” Some stayed online until midnight on Tuesday, posting clips of clocks counting down set to Adele’s “Skyfall” and its lyrics, “this is the end.”  Others took their frustration out on centre-left Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has lost 6,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram since Tuesday.  “Just wait until we’re able to vote,” one person commented on Albanese’s TikTok account. Not all teenagers were against the ban. “Ngl (not going to lie), social media ban is probably for the best of us,” a TikTok user said. “All we do is sit behind a screen for hours.” (Reporting by Christine Chen in Sydney; Editing by Praveen Menon and Lincoln Feast.) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com