In its first major ruling on abortion since overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court handed down a 7–2 decision yesterday allowing mifepristone to remain widely available while the legal battle over the FDA’s two-decade-old approval of the abortion medication rages.

And it’s going to rage: The matter reached the Supreme Court after a federal judge in Texas yanked the FDA’s approval of the drug. That ruling would have blocked nationwide access to the medication, spooking pharmaceutical companies by raising the possibility that any drug approval could be nixed later. The government quickly appealed to the conservative-leaning US Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, which rejected parts of the judge’s decision but still imposed restrictions on the medicine’s availability.

• Meanwhile, the same day the Texas ruling came out, a Washington federal judge ordered the FDA not to restrict access to the pill in 17 states.
• Plus, a generic drugmaker subsequently sued to keep its version of the pill on the market regardless of the Texas ruling.

The Supreme Court’s decision means the status quo will be maintained while that all gets sorted out.

But with the case all but guaranteed to end up back at the high court for a final say eventually, it does not tell us much about what the justices will ultimately decide when it gets there.

Why not? Because the brief, unsigned order came in response to an emergency petition, making it part of the court’s so-called shadow docket, where decisions get made quickly and without the benefit of oral arguments. Also, it’s pretty standard to block changes from taking place while appeals wind their way through the courts.

But there were a few hints: Both Justice Alito and Justice Thomas dissented from the order, saying they would have permitted the restrictions on the drug to take effect.

What comes next? The case is scheduled to pick back up with oral arguments at the 5th Circuit on May 17.—AR

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The book encourages you to think about broader concepts in the context of your own experiences. It’s broken up into three sections:

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Chaos on the bird app. Impostor accounts sprang up on Twitter yesterday following the removal of legacy blue checks for brands and public, media, and government figures unwilling to pay for a subscription. In one example, a fake account with a paid-for blue check posing as a Sudanese paramilitary group sent a tweet that got millions of views, which falsely said that its leader had been killed in the conflict there. Elsewhere on Twitter: All labels calling accounts “government-funded media” were removed (not just the recent controversial ones).

NFL’s biggest gambling crackdown. It’s more than the ponies getting people in trouble these days: The NFL suspended five players, four of whom play for the Detroit Lions, for violating the league’s sports betting policy. Players are not allowed to bet on NFL-related games or events, but can bet on non-NFL games as long as they aren’t on NFL turf when they do. Three of the players, Quintez Cephus and C.J. Moore of the Lions and Shaka Toney of the Washington Commanders, were suspended indefinitely (through 2023 at least). Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill got shorter, six-game suspensions.

Alphabet’s CEO is getting paid. Amid layoffs and reports of cutbacks on perks that include even scaling back the number of employee staplers, not everyone at Google’s parent company will have to tighten their belt: CEO Sundar Pichai’s pay rose to $226 million last year. But the company didn’t hand him all that cash while trying to get more efficient—Pichai’s compensation got a huge boost from a scheduled stock award worth $218 million.

Parents will have to go back to criticizing their kids for excessive screen time or killing golf, because not owning a home is no longer an accurate roast. A new report from Redfin found that 30% of Gen Zers age 19–25 owned their own homes as of last year—which is higher than the 27% of Gen Xers and 28% of millennials that did at the same age.

Before all you 30-something renters freak out, most young homebuyers bought in cheap areas and jumped on low interest rates.

Gen Z’s favorite place to buy a house? Virginia Beach, VA, where they accounted for 9% of all home purchases last year. The median house sale price for a Gen Z buyer in the area was $255,000 in 2022…$199,525 less than the average median sale price in the US last year, according to the St. Louis Fed.

It also comes down to timing. Gen Zers entered a welcoming labor market with high wages, while millennials had to wade through the fallout of the 2008 recession before they were able to establish themselves financially.

Looking ahead…with interest rate hikes pushing mortgage rates past 6% this year and supply tightening, Gen Zers may not keep up their homebuying pace.—MM

California’s historic snowfall this year helped pull the state out of a drought and blessed our feeds with photos of snowy palm trees...but now it’s starting to melt, setting up a summer of flooding.

Officials warn that warmer temperatures will cause the massive snowpack atop the Sierra Nevadas to overflow reservoirs, spilling into lakes and valleys already buckling under last month’s storms. To give you an idea of just how much melted snow there’ll be, it’s enough to submerge 30 million football fields under a foot of water.

Where’s all that H2O going?

The biggest threat is to downstream communities to the west of the Sierra Nevadas and in some valleys to the east.

• California’s San Joaquin Valley stands to suffer most from impending floods, which could last throughout the year.
• The mountainside counties of Fresno, Kings, and Tulare—which has a recently revived lake that’s already damaged hundreds of buildings—are under a flood warning until further notice.

It won’t happen all at once: Temps over the next few days are forecast to hit the 80s, causing some melt, but the true danger will be when 90-degree days come.

Big picture: With an estimated 98% of the snowpack still up there, Central Californians are bracing for a very wet year that could cost billions in infrastructure and agricultural damages.—ML

Stat: Even a penny can make a big difference. After Oakland, California, slapped a one-cent-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks in 2017, local sales of sweetened beverages, including soda, fruit and sports drinks, and sweetened teas, dropped nearly 27%, research released this week shows. Public health experts behind the study say that it proves even a little tax pain might help you kick your daily Mountain Dew habit.

Quote: “Of course, we respect local restrictions around the word ‘champagne,’ but we remain proud of Miller High Life, its nickname and its Milwaukee, Wisconsin, provenance.”

It’s only champagne if it comes from the Champagne region of France; otherwise, it’s just sparkling wine—or in this case, lager. Belgian customs officials recently destroyed 2,352 cans of Miller High Life destined for Germany at the request of the powerful Comité Champagne because they bore the brand’s longtime slogan, “Champagne of Beers.” The brand, which doesn’t export to Europe, didn’t object but said, “We invite our friends in Europe to the US any time to toast the High Life together.”

Read: Inside Taco Bell’s innovation kitchen, the front line of the stunt-food wars. (The New Yorker)

Making awkward eye contact with coworkers in the bathroom mirror is back, because more companies are asking employees to return to the office. But with many businesses trying to accommodate a hybrid workforce, companies are getting creative with their offices to avoid wasting money.

One increasingly popular solution: Get some corporate roommates by subleasing part or all of their office space to other companies.

How does it work? You can read the whole story here.

Earth Day pop quiz: Do you know the rules of recycling? This quiz can teach you.

The ultimate Insta flex: If you can’t get to California for your own superbloom selfie, at least you can see what it looks like from space.

You probably won’t hear this at Coachella: But this video will let you enjoy a not-quite Blink-182 jam at home.

Is your name Kyle? If so, there’s somewhere you need to go.

Sometimes it is rocket science: Our friends at Tech Brew took a look at what it takes to build a satellite company.

Health coach: With Noom, you get personalized coaching to help you hit your health goals. Join the millions already part of this sustainable, effective health community. Download the app.*

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Brew crossword: Not all crosswords are littered with big moments in tech history, but ours is. Play it here.

Open House

Welcome to Open House, the only newsletter section that wants to live in harmony with the landscape. We’ll give you a few facts about a listing and you try to guess the price.

Normally we like to use this section to laugh at a McMansion or some $12 gazillion white box in Hawaii so we feel better about our own sad little two-bedroom apartment. But not today. Because Frank Lloyd Wright’s Westhope is for sale in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and we have no notes. Amenities include:

• 5 beds, 4.5 baths
• Outdoor pool
• The privilege of living where Sophia Bush hosted her rehearsal dinner

How much for a piece of history?

Leadership isn’t just a buzzword—it’s more often than not the key to success. Learn to build a team, strategize, and drive change with our Leadership Accelerator. Apply today.

Salary negotiation is a skill you’ll use for the rest of your life, and our free guide will help you become an expert. Check it out.

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