Social Media Cases, Allergy Breakthrough, and Antarctic Accents

Content Moderation Cases

The Supreme Court will hear arguments today over whether states can bar social media companies from moderating political content on their platforms, one of three social media disputes before the court this term.

Both Texas and Florida passed laws in 2021 preventing platforms like Facebook, X, and YouTube from removing posts or users for political reasons, part of a broad conservative backlash to the sites driven in part by the restriction of former President Donald Trump's accounts in early 2021. 

The states argue the platforms are effectively digital public squares where First Amendment free speech rights should be protected (read case overview). Social media platforms currently have wide leeway to decide what can be published on their sites, arguing their product (and editorial discretion) is protected as free speech, similar to newspapers. Critics of the laws claim extremist content would proliferate under them.

If the laws are deemed constitutional, analysts say tech companies may consider unique content feeds for those states, a complex technical challenge.

Sweden's NATO Future

Hungary’s parliament is set to vote on Sweden’s NATO bid today, a move that would pave the way for Sweden to become the 32nd country to join the transatlantic military alliance.

The country is the only NATO member yet to approve Sweden’s bid, submitted shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Hungary’s leadership had expressed a range of reservations with Sweden’s bid, including comments critical of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Hungary also maintains close diplomatic and economic ties with the Kremlin, now Russia's largest oil and gas customer in Europe. Last week, Orbán signaled approval for Sweden’s bid following a visit from Swedish leader Ulf Kristersson and the announcement of Hungary’s purchase of four Swedish fighter jets.

Sweden and Russia do not share a land border, but they do share a maritime border, with one Swedish island located over 180 miles from the base of Russia’s Baltic fleet. NATO members operate under a collective defense doctrine (see 101), requiring a mutual response in the event of an attack. 

Sweden’s bid—like Finland’s, approved to join NATO last year—marked the end of the two countries’ decadeslong policy of nonalignment.

Food Allergy Breakthrough

A widely used drug treating chronic severe asthma also significantly reduces reactions to many common food allergens, new research presented yesterday revealed. Marketed under the brand name Xolair, the drug is the first preventive treatment that protects users from accidental life-threatening exposures. 

The drug is composed of antibodies that bind and deactivate a molecule in the blood known as immunoglobulin E, which otherwise trigger the immune system when certain allergens are present. In trials, patients not only withstood exposures—two-thirds reported being able to ingest small amounts of food that would typically trigger a reaction.

Roughly 19 million people in the US (around 5.5 million children) have food allergies, resulting in about 30,000 emergency room visits annually. The drug—meant to be injected on a regular basis, not taken after a reaction begins—has already been approved for use in those older than 1 year old by health officials. 

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