(LANSING, Mich.) — A Michigan Court of Claims judge ruled Wednesday that the state’s 1931 abortion ban violates the state constitution, according to a copy of the ruling obtained by ABC News. The ruling permanently bars the attorney general and county prosecutors from enforcing the ban in the state, effectively legalizing abortions in Michigan.
The ruling from Judge Elizabeth Gleicher came as part of a lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood of Michigan and Dr. Sarah Wallett, the organization’s chief medical officer, against Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and the Michigan state House of Representatives and Senate, challenging the ban.
“This historic ruling is a critical victory for abortion access in a post-Roe v. Wade world and means that abortion care remains protected in Michigan,” Planned Parenthood of Michigan said in a statement to ABC News.
The 1931 law makes it a felony to provide an abortion unless it is medically necessary to save the life of a pregnant person. The law does not make exceptions for rape or incest. The law also states that if the pregnant person dies, the provider would be charged with manslaughter.
The ruling found the state’s abortion ban unconstitutional as it violates the due process and equal protection clauses of the Michigan constitution and would deprive pregnant women of their right to bodily integrity, autonomy and the equal protection of the law, Gleicher wrote in the order.
Gleicher ruled that enforcement of the law will “endanger the health and lives of women seeking to exercise their constitutional right to abortion” and threatens pregnant women with irreparable injury because without access to abortion care they will be denied “appropriate, safe and constitutionally protected medical care,” court documents show.
The court also found that the law would cause Planned Parenthood and Wallett “irreparable injury” by exposing them to “felony prosecution and imprisonment for performing a medically necessary procedure that their patients are constitutionally entitled to have,” according to the ruling.
The court also found that issuing a permanent injunction will cause no harm to the attorney general nor does it adversely affect the pubic interest.
“The harm to women on, the other hand, is a wholesale denial of their fundamental right to an abortion, necessitating permanent injunctive relief,” according to the ruling.
The ruling is effective immediately, and the court also denied the Michigan legislature’s request to stay the decision, according to Planned Parenthood.
“We are proud to have won this victory on behalf of Michigan abortion providers and the patients who depend on us for care. Today’s Court of Claims ruling will ensure that Michiganders can continue to make deeply personal decisions about their health, lives, and futures without interference from state officials,” Wallett said in a statement to ABC News.
The judgment is the latest development in the state’s battle over abortion rights which began when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, eliminating federal protections for abortion rights.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has vowed to fight for abortion rights, bringing another lawsuit challenging the law’s constitutionality and asking the state’s supreme court to determine whether the abortion law already on the books is unconstitutional.
Last month, a state court granted a request by Whitmer’s lawyers for a temporary restraining order on the abortion ban, pending ongoing litigation. In a ruling, Judge Jacob Cunningham argued that not issuing the injunction would cause harm to the public.
The courts will also be left to decide whether Michigan voters will have an abortion question on the ballot this November. The Board of Canvassers was deadlocked, unable decide on a ballot initiative, which would leave it to voters to divide whether to add abortion protections to the state’s constitution.
(NEW YORK) — The man accused of repeatedly stabbing author Salman Rushdie on a Western New York stage last month appeared briefly Wednesday in court as prosecutors build their attempted murder case against him.
Hadi Matar, 24, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree attempted murder and assault charges in connection with the attack Aug. 12 at the Chautauqua Institution where he allegedly stabbed the 75-year-old Rushdie about a dozen times in front of a crowd that had gathered for a lecture.
Matar is being held without bail.
Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said investigators are examining more than 30,000 files produced by New York State Police in its ongoing investigation.
“We are currently reviewing those documents and preparing them in a manner to be appropriately disclosed,” Schmidt said.
Prosecutors are seeking a protective order preserving the confidentiality of witnesses and limiting the persons who may review the materials disclosed. Arguments were scheduled for Sept. 13.
Schmidt conceded that, to date, a limited disclosure has been made to the defense, consisting of statements which Matar made to police at the time he was in custody. He said a more substantial disclosure to the defense is coming.
“I intend to take full advantage of the time allotted to the prosecution under applicable statutes so that we can ensure our compliance with the discovery laws and maintain the integrity of our case,” Schmidt said.
Authorities have not released a motive for the attack.
Rushdie faced years of death threats after his novel, “The Satanic Verses,” was published in 1988. The late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini accused the author of blasphemy over the book and issued a fatwa against Rushdie in 1989, calling for his death.
In 1998, the Iranian foreign minister said the country no longer supported the fatwa against Rushdie, though a $3.3 million bounty for his death continues to be offered by an Iranian religious foundation.
(SASKATCHEWAN, Canada) — Officials have released the identities of the victims killed in a string of stabbings across Canada’s Saskatchewan province over the weekend.
Brothers Myles Sanderson, 30, and Damien Sanderson, 31, are suspected of carrying out the deadly stabbing spree in an Indigenous community in Saskatchewan on Sunday, between the James Smith Cree Nation and the town of Weldon, located northeast of Saskatoon, authorities said.
The first 911 call about a stabbing was received around 5:40 a.m. Sunday and police began receiving additional calls from multiple locations minutes later, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Damien Sanderson, 31, was found dead with “visible injuries” on Monday in a heavily grassed area near the stabbing sites, police said. Investigators are still searching for Myles Sanderson, who may be injured and seeking medical attention. He is considered armed and dangerous and is believed to still be in the provincial capital of Regina, according to authorities.
An additional 19 people were injured, but officials will not be releasing their identities, according to the Saskatchewan Coroner’s Service.
The families of those killed appeared at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
These are the victims killed in the attacks:
Thomas Burns, 23, of James Smith Cree Nation, Saskatchewan
Carol Burns, 46, of James Smith Cree Nation, Saskatchewan
Gregory Burns, 28, of James Smith Cree Nation, Saskatchewan
Gregory Burns was the son of Brian Burns and Bonnie Burns, who were also killed in the attack. He was known by the nickname “Jonesy,” the family said.
Lydia Gloria Burns, 61, of James Smith Cree Nation, Saskatchewan
Bonnie Burns, 48, of James Smith Cree Nation, Saskatchewan
Bonnie Burns was a member of the Dakota First Nation and was married to Brian Burns.
The couple was married for 15 years and there were known to always laugh and joke, their family said during the news conference.
Their son, Gregory Burns, was also killed in the attack. The couple has three more sons, and Bonnie Burns lived for her children and taking care of their home, the family said.
Earl Burns, 66, of James Smith Cree Nation, Saskatchewan
Lana Head, 49, of James Smith Cree Nation, Saskatchewan
Christian Head, 54, of James Smith Cree Nation, Saskatchewan
Robert Sanderson, 49, of James Smith Cree Nation, Saskatchewan
Wesley Petterson, 78, of Weldon, Saskatchewan
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Melissa Gaffney, Teddy Grant and Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.
(ROSE ISLAND, Bahamas) — An American woman was killed in a shark attack while snorkeling with her family in the Bahamas on Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.
A family of five, from the Lake Erie area of Pennsylvania, were on a snorkeling tour in the waters northwest of Rose Island when one of them — a 58-year-old woman — was attacked by a bull shark shortly before 3 p.m. local time, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
Tour operators along with family members attempted to rescue the woman but were unsuccessful, police said. The victim suffered serious injuries to the left side of her body and was transported by the tour boat to nearby Fort Montagu on the eastern shore of New Providence island, where she was pronounced dead by emergency medical responders, according to police.
The victim was identified by her employer as Caroline DiPlacido, project coordinator for the Office of Community and Government Relations at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania.
“Caroline was a powerful presence of kindness and friendship to colleagues, students, and the wider community and cherished many family ties to Gannon,” the university said in a statement. “The news is devastating, and she will be missed.”
DiPlacido, a 1986 graduate of the university, is survived by her husband and three children, according to the school statement.
The victim and her family had arrived in the Bahamas on Tuesday morning via Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship Harmony of the Seas, police said.
Royal Caribbean confirmed in a statement that the woman was a guest on the seven-night cruise, which sailed from Port Canaveral, Florida, on Sunday.
She was on an “independent shore excursion” in Nassau when attacked by a shark and succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital, according to the Miami-based cruise line.
“Royal Caribbean is providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones during this difficult time,” the company said in the statement Tuesday.
In June 2019, an American tourist snorkeling off Rose Island was killed in a shark attack. The victim, 21-year-old Loyola-Marymount University student Jordan Lindsey, died after a school of sharks attacked her.
(WASHINGTON) — Immediately after the Supreme Court released a ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, in June, a slew of major U.S. companies, like Meta and JPMorgan Chase, announced that they would cover travel costs for employees who seek legal abortions outside their home state.
Google went a step further. Having already expanded its abortion coverage to include such travel, the company told employees it would allow them to apply to relocate without their providing a reason why.
More recently, after receiving questions from federal lawmakers, the company last month began rolling out a product update that will set default results on Google Maps and local locations for the search query “abortion clinics near me” to only include institutions that perform abortions.
The change will exclude from default results institutions that do not provide the operation, such as pregnancy centers that often attempt to dissuade a woman from seeking an abortion.
Users who choose to manually expand the results beyond those displayed, however, will be able to see institutions that do not provide abortions, a Google spokesperson said.
In addition, Google Maps and local search results will include labels showing whether an institution does or might not provide an abortion, a Google spokesperson said.
Still, outspoken employees at Google say the company hasn’t gone far enough in its response to the overturning of Roe — both on product performance and employee treatment.
The Alphabet Workers Union, or AWU, an advocacy group made up of more than 1,000 employees, has called on Google to strengthen its approach to abortion-related issues or risk an escalation in employee pressure. The AWU functions as a “minority union,” which means it pressures the company through worker organizing but does not formally represent workers in collective bargaining.
The confrontation between workers and management at one of the world’s largest tech companies sits at the convergence of several hot button issues: abortion access, content moderation online and the growing militancy of employees amid a surge of labor organizing nationwide.
“With this new labor movement, workers feel that it’s their due to have a say in what’s going on,” Nelson Lichtenstein, the director of the Center for the Study of Work, Labor and Democracy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, told ABC News.
“Workers can come together and make demands on their company on any issue — it doesn’t have to be a wage question or bread and butter,” he added.
Google should extend abortion-related health benefits to contract workers, whom AWU estimates make up roughly half of company staff, the group says.
Moreover, AWU has called on Google to remove pregnancy centers entirely from search results that appear after a query such as “abortion clinic near me,” rather than merely setting the default search results in Google Maps and local locations to exclude such groups. Under the current policy, the app and site display pregnancy centers in an expanded set of search returns.
Alejandra Beatty, a technical program manager who has worked at Alphabet for six years and serves as the Southwest chapter lead with the AWU, applauded the steps that the company has taken on abortion-related issues since the Dobbs decision but said the company still could do more to protect users and employees.
“We’re excited to see some progress,” she told ABC News. “But we recognize that there is still so much more to do.”
A Google spokesperson said that the recent update prioritizing and labeling abortion clinics on Google Maps and in local search results is part of a wider effort to improve search results when a user is seeking a specific service, such as a particular COVID vaccine brand or electric vehicle charging facility.
“We’re now rolling out an update that makes it easier for people to find places that offer the services they’ve searched for, or broaden their results to see more options,” a company spokesperson said.
“We get confirmation that places provide a particular service in a number of ways, including regularly calling businesses directly and working with authoritative data sources. We followed our standard testing and evaluation process to confirm that these updates are more helpful for people,” the spokesperson added.
Google did not respond to a request for comment on the demand from AWU that it extend abortion-related health coverage to contract workers.
Beatty, the Alphabet employee and member of the ALU, said that the group’s call for the removal of pregnancy centers from search results seeking abortion clinics is a matter of keeping harmful disinformation off of the platform.
“We think it is important search results do not mislead users, so while the additional tagging with services is certainly more useful, it’s still letting the fake clinic be in the list,” she said.
“A good analogy would be how much disinformation spread during the outbreak of Covid-19,” she added. “If websites had started to spring up offering counseling to those seeking vaccinations, they would’ve been immediately removed.”
Google retains a duty to provide accurate search results for the high-stakes pursuit of an abortion, said Joan Donovan, research director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University.
“Google has become the go-to place for information related to life and death issues, and as a result Google has more than just a responsibility but a duty to ensure that people are getting the right information about abortion services every time across all Google products,” she told ABC News.
Donovan’s prescription for the company appeared to align with Google’s shift toward default results that prioritize institutions that provide abortions.
“It’s very important that if someone is searching for an abortion, the top results should be about obtaining those services first and foremost,” she said.
Beatty, the Google employee, said the AWU will escalate its pressure on Google if the company does not provide contract workers with abortion-related health benefits and remove pregnancy centers from search results; though the group does not yet have specific plans.
“As more and more states pass incredibly restrictive laws, like Tennessee and Texas have done, we know we must take action,” she said.
The AWU sent a petition in mid-August signed by hundreds of employees calling on Google to extend abortion-related health care benefits, including reimbursement for travel costs, to contract employees.
As of late last month, the company hadn’t responded, Beatty said. “It’s not that unusual,” she added. “There’s a fair number of petitions happening these days.”
The AWU will continue to advocate on issues related not only to working conditions but to the performance of Google products, she said.
“As stewards of being able to share information in an equitable and democratic way, it is our job to make sure that continues,” she said.
(KYIV, Ukraine) — In an exclusive interview with ABC “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said officials weren’t certain about the scale of a potential Russian invasion before Moscow launched its war on Ukraine.
Zelenskyy, when pressed by Muir if he had had “any regret that you didn’t tell the Ukrainian people earlier about what could be coming,” said that the world was “disunited” over whether Russia would actually launch at attack.
“The European leaders were saying, ‘Putin gave us his word that he’s not going to invade.’ Nobody knew for sure, for sure, 100% what scale of invasion was there to be expected,” Zelenskyy told Muir.
“No one knew that those Russian troops will kill, maim, rape people and just erase our cities from the ground, to the ground,” he said. “I asked all the intelligence, ‘Show us what concrete directions, ‘Give us more weapons.’ But then, they said, ‘If they begin invasion, we give you more weapons.'”
Zelenskyy’s remarks come as Russia’s invasion, launched in February, morphs into a grinding exchange of artillery fire, largely in southern and eastern Ukraine. Kyiv has launched a counteroffensive in both regions, and officials claim to have made modest gains.
Ukraine was able to repel Russia’s initial attempt to capture Kyiv, but evidence later surfaced of alleged civilian killings, rapes and what officials said were other possible war crimes during the Russian military’s retreat from the areas around the capital — including the horror in the city of Bucha, where authorities have found more than 400 bodies, many buried in mass graves.
Zelenskyy said early uncertainty over Russia’s invasion hindered delivery of military aid even as Ukraine was pressing for assistance from the U.S. and elsewhere.
“We cannot only put any blame on the United States, that United States should have provided us with everything; the whole world wasn’t 100% sure that they will start this invasion,” he said.
“If you have any additional information, why don’t you provide us with this information, or why don’t you give us more potent arms and weapons?” he added. “You don’t need these weapons yourselves, but we need it here now. Now — now, they are saying, ‘Yes, we warned you,’ but we, we wanted not extra words and warnings; we wanted extra weapons.”
(WASHINGTON) — A vote on marriage equality will happen on the Senate floor “in coming weeks,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday.
Democrats are concerned that the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade may pave the way for same-sex marriage, contraception and other privacy rights to be dismantled.
“Let’s remember why a vote on the Respect for Marriage [Act] is necessary,” Schumer said. “Millions upon millions of American women had their right taken away by the extremist MAGA Supreme Court in the Dobbs decision. And in a concurring opinion Justice Thomas opened the door for the Supreme Court going even further.”
“When some Republicans say the vote is unnecessary, it won’t happen — they said the same thing about Roe,” Schumer continued.
Democrats want to pass the bill quickly, Schumer said, and would prefer to do so in a stand-alone vote. But they would need at least 10 Republicans to back the bill in order for it to overcome the filibuster and pass.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, are working with Republicans to shore up enough votes. The two recently penned an op-ed in The Washington Post telling their colleagues it’s time to “get the job done.”
“But let me be clear, a vote will happen,” Schumer told reporters Wednesday. “A vote on marriage equality will happen on the Senate floor in the coming weeks and I hope there will be 10 Republicans to support it.”
Democrats were considering a riskier option to codify same-sex and interracial marriage by attaching the bill to a must-pass continuing resolution to keep the government open past Sept. 30, an aide familiar with the matter told ABC News on Tuesday. But Schumer and other Democrats appeared to change course on Wednesday.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., told ABC News, “Not gonna happen” when asked if the marriage bill would be added to the temporary government funding bill.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Wednesday that the government funding bill should be as “clean as possible” in order to move forward without controversy.
Baldwin and Collins also said they prefer the stand-alone bill route, and are currently working on an amendment to appease Republican concerns about the legislation.
“We’re looking at an amendment that would strengthen the language in the bill to make crystal clear that it does not in any way infringe upon religious liberties, and it also would correct a drafting error in one part of the bill that makes very clear that marriage is between two individuals,” said Collins, adding that some Republicans have expressed concern that the bill might lead to “polygamous marriage” though that is not allowed in any state in the country.
Asked if she were confident she had the support of 10 Republicans, Collins said, “I’m never confident until the role is called, but we’re making good progress. There’s a lot of sincere interest, but obviously people want to see the amendment and have input into the amendment.”
The Respect for Marriage Act passed the House in a bipartisan vote of 267 to 157 in July. Forty-seven Republicans joined Democrats to support the bill.
The legislation repeals the Defense of Marriage Act and replaces provisions that define, for purposes of federal law, “marriage” as between a man and a woman. It also provides additional legal protection for same-sex or interracial couples.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., at the time called the bill’s passage “another step to defend freedom for the American people.”
(CUPERTINO, Calif.) — Apple is expected to release a new line of iPhone models and other updated products at a launch event on Wednesday.
The event, which starts at 1 p.m. ET, will take place at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to present the newest products for the occasion, which Apple has promoted with the teaser tagline “far out.”
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Sep 07, 2:42 PM EDT
Apple’s new iPhone 14 Pro will cost either $999 or $1,099
The iPhone 14 Pro will cost $999, and larger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max will cost $1,099, the company said at a launch event on Wednesday.
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be available for preorder on Sept. 9 and purchase on Sept. 16, the company said.
Sep 07, 2:33 PM EDT
Apple releases new iPhone 14 Pro
Apple released on Wednesday a new iPhone 14 Pro with advanced camera and video settings, the company said at a launch event. The model will also be available in the larger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max model.
The iPhone 14 Pro draws on the new A16 bionic chip, which enables an always-on display, high-resolution photo and video, and greater memory bandwidth, the company said.
The advanced photo and video capabilities owe to a new 48 megapixel camera with a quad pixel sensor.
The new model of the iPhone 14 includes a “dynamic island,” a set-aside section of the screen that offers alerts that can expand and change size without distracting from an app in use.
A new low-power mode will extend the duration that the phone can last on a single charge, the company said.
Sep 07, 2:17 PM EDT
New iPhone 14 will cost either $799 or $899
The new iPhone model will cost either $799 for a standard 6.1-inch size, or $899 for a larger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus, the company said at a launch event on Wednesday.
The standard iPhone 14 will be available for preorder on Sept. 9 and purchase on Sept. 16, while the iPhone 14 Plus will be available for purchase on Oct. 7.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will include a slew of new features, such as enhanced Emergency SOS via satellite, which will be available free for two years for iPhone 14 owners.
The new iPhone model is compatible with 5G cellular networks, which will allow for faster download times and better streaming, the company said.
Sep 07, 2:06 PM EDT
Apple releases new iPhone model
Apple released a new iPhone model on Wednesday that will be available in two sizes and feature an improved camera, among other updates, the company said at a launch event.
The iPhone 14 will be available in a standard 6.1-inch size as well as a larger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus.
The new camera on the iPhone 14 will include a larger sensor and faster aperture, which will provide 49% improvement in low-light capture, the company said.
The new iPhone model will also feature an “action mode” for video recording that will stabilize shots as a user moves.
Sep 07, 1:56 PM EDT
New model of AirPods will cost $249
Apple will release a new model of AirPods that costs $249, the company said at its launch event on Wednesday.
The AirPods Pro will be available for order on Sept. 9 and purchase on Sept. 23.
The new ear buds also include a customizable sound profile, enhanced noise cancellation and longer use on a single charge.
Using a photo taken of the user on their iPhone, the AirPods will provide a custom audio experience based on the unique shape of a given person’s head and ears, the company said.
The AirPods Pro will offer up to six hours of use on a single charge, a 33% increase from the previous model.
Sep 07, 1:42 PM EDT
Apple debuts new Apple Watch Ultra
Apple released a new smartwatch on Wednesday for active and outdoor users called Apple Watch Ultra that will cost $799, the company said.
The watch features precision GPS that operates in remote locations, as well as a redesigned compass app to further aid navigation.
In addition, the product carries a built-in 86 decibel siren that can alert people nearby in an emergency.
The Apple Watch Ultra includes a slew of other features, including a titanium case with edge protection, a second speaker, cellular built into all models, a customizable action button that gives access to other features and 36 hours of battery on a single charge.
A new battery optimization coming this fall will extend the battery life to 60 hours, the company said.
Sep 07, 1:31 PM EDT
New low-cost Apple Watch model will cost either $249 or $299
The new model Apple Watch SE will cost $249 for GPS features, and $299 for GPS plus cellular capability, the company said at a launch event on Wednesday.
The model offers a low-cost alternative to the new Series 8 Apple Watch, which costs either $299 for GPS or $399 for GPS plus cellular, the company said.
The Apple Watch SE includes some of the features of the Series 8 announced by Apple on Wednesday, such as an always-on display screen that is “swim proof, dust proof, and crack resistant,” the company said.
Sep 07, 1:25 PM EDT
New Apple Watch will cost either $399 or $499, company says
The new model of the Apple Watch will cost $399 for GPS features, and $499 for GPS plus cellular capability, the company said at a launch event on Wednesday.
The Apple Series 8 will also include car crash detection that alerts emergency services to a vehicle accident, as well as low-power mode that extends the product’s battery life, the company said.
The crash detection automatically alerts emergency responders with a user’s location, and alerts a user’s emergency contacts, the company said.
The low-power mode, meanwhile, will allow the Apple Watch to last 36 hours on a single charge, the company said.
Sep 07, 1:14 PM EDT
Apple announces new Series 8 model of Apple Watch
Apple announced a new model of Apple Watch at its product launch event on Wednesday.
The Apple Watch Series 8 features an always-on display, and is “swim proof, dust proof and crack resistant,” the company said.
The new model of the Apple Watch includes advanced features for women to track their menstrual cycles, including a temperature sensor that offers an estimate for the last time a woman wearing the watch has ovulated.
The Apple Watch Series 8 offers fitness aids, emergency call services and detailed health information like blood oxygen levels.
The Apple Watch “keeps you connected to the things you care about most, encourages you to stay active, and monitors your health and gets you help when you need it,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said.
Sep 07, 12:51 PM EDT
Apple launch event follows mixed results in latest earnings
The Apple product launch event on Wednesday follows mixed results in the company’s latest earnings report, which came out in late July.
Third quarter earnings showed that Apple outpaced analyst expectations for profit and revenue, as the company brought in $83 billion.
Growth, however, slowed for the company. Sales jumped 2% year-over-year in the third quarter, a marked decline from 9% year-over-year growth in the prior quarter.
Over the quarter, Apple felt the crunch of supply chain constraints brought about by the COVID pandemic, though such limits affected the company “less than we anticipated at the beginning of the quarter,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said on an earnings call with investors in July.
Still, as Apple readies to launch a new iPhone model on Wednesday, the company recently passed a sales milestone for the product.
The iPhone surpassed Google’s Android to capture more than 50% of the U.S. smartphone market for the
Sep 07, 11:34 AM EDT
Apple stock flat on Wednesday ahead of launch event
Shares in Apple stood largely unchanged on Wednesday morning prior to the company’s product launch event.
As with many tech companies, Apple’s stock has taken a pummeling this year. The stock price has fallen more than 13% since the outset of 2022, and dropped nearly 7% over the past month.
Despite a difficult year, Apple stock has outperformed major indices like the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq. The S&P 500 has fallen more than 17% in 2022, and the Nasdaq has dropped more than 25% over that period.
Since the Apple launch event last year, on Sept. 14, the company’s stock is up about 3.5%, as of Wednesday morning.
Sep 07, 11:09 AM EDT
Apple event expected to feature new iPhone model
The event on Wednesday is the first of the company’s annual product launch events to take place in person since 2019, prior to the pandemic.
Apple is expected to release a set of four iPhone models that could be called the iPhone 14. The new line is widely expected to feature an improved camera, among other updates.
Besides the standard 6.1-inch iPhone 14, the company is expected to release a bigger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max.
In addition to the iPhone, the company could announce a new line of Apple Watches and AirPods.
The company is developing new health-related features that could alert a person to an increase in blood pressure as well as a change in body temperature related to fertility, The Wall Street Journal reported last September.
(CUPERTINO, Calif.) — Apple is expected to release a new line of iPhone models and other updated products at a launch event on Wednesday.
The event, which starts at 1 p.m. ET, will take place at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to present the newest products for the occasion, which Apple has promoted with the teaser tagline “far out.”
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Sep 07, 11:34 AM EDT
Apple stock flat on Wednesday ahead of launch event
Shares in Apple stood largely unchanged on Wednesday morning prior to the company’s product launch event.
As with many tech companies, Apple’s stock has taken a pummeling this year. The stock price has fallen more than 13% since the outset of 2022, and dropped nearly 7% over the past month.
Despite a difficult year, Apple stock has outperformed major indices like the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq. The S&P 500 has fallen more than 17% in 2022, and the Nasdaq has dropped more than 25% over that period.
Since the Apple launch event last year, on Sept. 14, the company’s stock is up about 3.5%, as of Wednesday morning.
Sep 07, 11:09 AM EDT
Apple event expected to feature new iPhone model
The event on Wednesday is the first of the company’s annual product launch events to take place in person since 2019, prior to the pandemic.
Apple is expected to release a set of four iPhone models that could be called the iPhone 14. The new line is widely expected to feature an improved camera, among other updates.
Besides the standard 6.1-inch iPhone 14, the company is expected to release a bigger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max.
In addition to the iPhone, the company could announce a new line of Apple Watches and AirPods.
The company is developing new health-related features that could alert a person to an increase in blood pressure as well as a change in body temperature related to fertility, The Wall Street Journal reported last September.
(WASHINGTON) — Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are returning to the White House Wednesday, reuniting with now President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden to unveil their official portraits and introduce the artists behind them — a long-held secret in Washington after an unusually long wait for their reveal.
“President Biden and Dr. Biden are honored to have former president Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama back to the White House for the unveiling of their portraits, which will hang on the walls of the White House forever as reminders of the power of hope and change,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.
The ceremony is returning to the White House after a 10-year hiatus. It was then-President Obama who last held such a ceremony, when he welcomed back former president George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush for an unveiling of their official portraits back in 2012.
The public unveiling of presidential portraits as we know it today started in 1978 during the Carter administration, according to White House Historical Association President Stuart McLaurin.
“The Carters were the first to invite the Fords back for the reveal of their portrait. Prior to that, they were just kind of hung up when they were done,” McLaurin said.
Since then, an unofficial tradition began of the current president hosting their most recent predecessor at the White House for the event with few exceptions — events that have often been bipartisan with some good-natured ribbing.
“George, I will always remember the gathering you hosted for all the living former presidents before I took office, your kind words of encouragement. Plus, you also left me a really good TV sports package. I use it,” Obama joked in 2012 of George W. Bush.
The tradition was notably broken during the Trump presidency, with the former president eschewing the event — a perhaps unsurprising decision, given Trump’s baseless claims that Obama spied on his 2016 presidential campaign, and was not born in the United States.
Despite the wait, McLaurin said the event at the White House on Wednesday will be “happy, positive” moment for the Obamas.
“There’s a sense of anticipation and excitement about it. And the President and First Lady who are depicted in those portraits have seen them of course, but the reality of having them unveiled in full scale size right there in the East Room of the White House. It’s just a moment — it’s almost like a Christmas morning,” he said.
The process for creating the portraits begins at the end of an outgoing president’s term, with the selection of an artist they’d like to complete their portrait. The White House Historical Association, a non-profit, non-partisan organization started in 1961 by first lady Jackie Kennedy, then contracts the artist to complete the historic image.
According to McLaurin, it typically takes three to four years for the portraits to be completed, but there is no hard and fast deadline for the process.
The Obama portraits have been completed for “a few years,” he said.
As for Trump’s official portrait, McLaurin said the artists have been identified and contracted for the former president and first lady’s portraits, but did not have more details about where in the process they are.
“Typically they would have conversations or they would talk about style and process and things in the background. Sometimes presidents or first ladies put things that have some meaning or purpose or tell a story behind them,” McLaurin said.
“I don’t know how much of that has happened with the Trump’s. I do know that their artists have been identified,” he added.
After its creation in 1961, the White House Historical Association undertook the task of acquiring portraits for every former president and first lady to complete the collection of iconic images of the nation’s leaders.
“You know, with the Founding Fathers and the early presidents, Americans did not know what their presidents looked like,” McLaurin said. “Americans depended on these images that were created and disseminated across the United States.”
“In contemporary modern presidents, we are supersaturated every day with what they look like. So, to me, the interesting take on these portraits is this is really how a president and a first lady see themselves and how they want to be remembered,” he added.
