Admissions Challenge, 'Hotel California,' and an Earth Selfie

Admissions Policy Challenge 

The US Supreme Court yesterday declined to review a case challenging the use of socioeconomic factors in the admissions criteria at a prestigious northern Virginia high school. A group of parents claims the policy discriminates against Asian Americans. 

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia—often named among the best US high schools—overhauled its admissions policy in 2020 to increase diversity without explicitly considering race. The changes included nixing an entrance exam and prioritizing the top 1.5% of the eighth grade class at each of the district's middle schools.

Under the new system, the freshman class in 2021 included 54% Asian American students (down from 73%), 7% Black students (up from 1%), and 11% Hispanic students (up from 3%). In the current school year, those offered admissions include 61.6% Asian American students, 6.7% Black students, and 6% Hispanic students.

The Supreme Court's action leaves in place an appeals court ruling that found the new policy didn't show a racially disparate effect on Asian American students.

Walmart Buys Vizio

Retail giant Walmart is set to purchase TV maker Vizio for $2.3B in a bid to expand its advertising business, according to the two companies yesterday. The move is expected to allow the worldwide operator of 11,000 department stores to better compete with Amazon's and Google's ad businesses.

The acquisition comes as similar retailers like Target and Kroger look to leverage their broad reach to diversify revenues via digital ad sales and their historically high margins (70% on average). Walmart has significantly increased the number of ads its 139 million weekly customers see in stores since last year, deploying over 170,000 screens in the US in addition to in-house radio spots and product samples. The retailer also plans to sell ads on Vizio's existing SmartCast operating system, a free ad-supported service on its TVs, which currently has 18 million active accounts. See how retail media works here.

The announcement came alongside a better-than-expected earnings report, with Walmart's revenue rising 6% last quarter. Walmart's shares closed up 3%.

'Hotel California' Trial

Three men accused of attempting to sell hand-written lyrics from the Eagles' album, “Hotel California,” begin a criminal trial in New York today. Rare book dealer Glenn Horowitz, former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi, and memorabilia seller Edward Kosinski face charges of conspiracy and criminal possession of stolen property. Horowitz faces two additional charges of hindering prosecution.

The nonjury trial involves over 80 pages of lyrics—worth over $1M—including "Hotel California" and “Life in the Fast Lane.” A biographer of the band allegedly stole the manuscripts in the 1970s and sold them to Horowitz in 2005, who then sold them to Inciardi and Kosinski.

The defendants are accused of lying to authorities about the origins of ownership and attempting to sell the content without permission from Eagles' founding member Don Henley. No one is charged with stealing the documents; however, prosecutors must establish the documents were stolen. Henley claims the manuscripts should be returned to him; the defendants argue they acquired them legally. 

“Hotel California” remains an all-time bestselling album, with over 26 million copies sold in the US. See how the title track was written here.

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