Latest news with #U.S.Court
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Stretch Your Dollar: How to get your share of $95 million Apple settlement
WASHINGTON () — Apple users may be eligible to receive a portion of a $95 million settlement following a class action lawsuit over alleged privacy violations involving Siri. Users of iPhone, MacBook, Apple Watch, or another Siri-enabled device and experienced unexpected voice assistant activations during private conversations can qualify to file a claim and recoup money. Stretch Your Dollar: Earn cash back when shopping at Arlington County small businesses The lawsuit, filed in 2021 in the U.S. Court of the Northern District of California, alleges that Apple unlawfully recorded and disclosed users' confidential conversations through inadvertent Siri activations, without proper consent. While Apple has denied any wrongdoing and stated that it did not act improperly, the company agreed to settle the case on Dec. 31, 2024. Many in the consumer technology field are dubious about Apple's claim that the Siri eavesdropping incidents were accidental. 'They say it was activated accidentally, and that's plausible deniability. And $95 million, that's a wrist slap,' Patrick Moynihan, president and CEO of Tracer Labs, said. 'It's just over one-one hundredth of their profits for that entire time period, which is crazy.' Consumers who owned or purchased a Siri-enabled device in the United States or its territories between Sept. 17, 2016, and Dec. 31, 2021, and who experienced an unintended Siri activation during a private conversation, are considered eligible under the settlement terms. Claims for $20 can be filed for up to five devices per person. Department of Education to resume collecting defaulted student loan payments To receive a payout, consumers must submit a claim form through the official settlement website by July 2. Those who received a notification via email or postcard about the settlement may use the included codes when filing. That same deadline also applies to individuals who wish to opt out of the settlement in order to retain the right to pursue separate legal action. Moynihan said many smartphone users unknowingly consent to apps tracking their activity and listening in on conversations. 'The reality is that if you read the terms of service of these large platform companies, you know they're extremely long and filled with legalese, and they may have the right to effectively listen to you even though you're not opted in. You may not know you're getting listened to,' he said. Moynihan said the best way to protect yourself from such surveillance is to close applications, so they're not running in the background when you're not actively using them. Users may visit the lawsuit website to apply to participate in the settlement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Markets welcome court ruling against Trump's tariffs as shares, U.S. dollar, oil gain
Financial markets welcomed a U.S. Court ruling that blocks President Donald Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs on imports under an emergency-powers law. U.S. futures jumped on Thursday (May 29, 2025), and oil prices rose more than $1. The U.S. dollar rose against the yen and euro. The Court found the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which Mr. Trump has cited as his basis for ordering massive increases in import duties, does not authorise the use of tariffs. The White House immediately appealed and it was unclear if Mr. Trump would abide by the ruling in the interim. The long-term outcome of legal disputes over tariffs remains uncertain. But investors appeared to take heart after the months of turmoil brought on by Mr. Trump's trade war. The future for the S&P 500 was up 1.7% while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.4%. Japan's Nikkei 225 index jumped 1.9% to 38,442.10. America's largest ally in Asia has been appealing to Mr. Trump to cancel the tariffs he has imposed on imports from Japan and to also halt the 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum, and autos. The ruling also pushed the dollar sharply higher against the Japanese yen. It was trading at 145.98 yen on Thursday, up from 144.87 yen late Wednesday (May 28, 2025). A three-judge Panel ruled on several lawsuits arguing Mr. Trump exceeded his authority, casting doubt on trade policies that have jolted global financial markets, frustrated trade partners, and raised uncertainty over the outlook for inflation and the global economy. Many of Mr. Trump's double-digit tariff hikes are paused for up to 90 days to allow time for trade negotiations, but the uncertainty they cast over global commerce has stymied businesses and left consumers wary about what lies ahead. 'Just when traders thought they'd seen every twist in the tariff saga, the gavel dropped like a lightning bolt over the Pacific,' Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. The ruling was, at the least, 'a brief respite before the next thunderclap,' he said. Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 1% to 23,482.81, while the Shanghai Composite index gained 0.8% to 3,365.40. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.1% to 8,409.70. In South Korea, which like Japan relies heavily on exports to the U.S., the Kospi surged 1.8% to 2,709.42. Shares also were helped by the Bank of Korea's decision to cut its key interest rate to 2.5% from 2.75%, to ease pressure on the economy. Taiwan's Taiex edged 0.1% lower, and India's Sensex was also down 0.1%. On Wednesday (May 28, 2025), the U.S. stocks cooled, with the S&P 500 down 0.6% but still within 4.2% of its record after charging higher amid hopes that the worst of the turmoil caused by Mr. Trump's trade war may have passed. It had been roughly 20% below the mark last month. The Dow industrials lost 0.6% and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.5%. Trading was relatively quiet ahead of a quarterly earnings release for Nvidia, which came after markets closed. The bellwether for artificial intelligence overcame a wave of tariff-driven turbulence to deliver another quarter of robust growth thanks to feverish demand for its high-powered chips that are making computers seem more human. Nvidia's shares jumped 6.6% in afterhours trading. Like Nvidia, Macy's stock also swung up and down through much of the day, even though it reported milder drops in revenue and profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Its stock ended the day down 0.3%. The bond market showed relatively little reaction after the Federal Reserve released the minutes from its latest meeting earlier this month, when it left its benchmark lending rate alone for the third straight time. The central bank has been holding off on cuts to interest rates, which would give the economy a boost, amid worries about inflation staying higher than hoped because of President Trump's sweeping tariffs. In other dealings on Thursday (May 29, 2025), the yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.52% from 4.47% late Wednesday (May 28, 2025). The U.S. benchmark crude oil gained $1.06 to $62.90 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added $1.01 to $65.33 per barrel. The euro slipped to $1.1242 from $1.1292.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why MS is appealing mail-in absentee ballot case to US Supreme Court. What to know
State officials are seeking to appeal a federal court ruling that struck down Mississippi's law allowing the receival and counting of mail-in absentee ballots five days after federal election day to the U.S. Supreme Court. If taken up by the country's highest court, the ruling could set in stone whether states can allow for the counting of mail-in absentee ballots in future federal elections. This does not affect state or local elections. On April 18, attorneys representing Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson and state Attorney General Lynn Fitch filed a motion requesting a pause of its case with the U.S. Court for the Southern District for a petition to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The state has until June 2 to actually file the petition with the U.S. Supreme Court. In response, U.S. Judge Louis Guirola ordered the district court's case be frozen until all action at the U.S. Supreme Court level is concluded. In January 2024, the National Republican Committee, as well as the state Republican Party and others filed the lawsuit challenging the state's law allowing ballots to be received by election workers and counted up to five days after the actual election day during federal elections. Similar case in Nevada: RNC case against MS mail-in ballot law pending ruling. See what state ruled in similar case Later that year, Guirola ruled in favor of the state and allowed the law to stay in place. However, the state GOP appealed to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and won. The state asked the court to rehear the case but was denied earlier this year. Throughout the suit, the state has argued it has the right, via its own laws, to regulate and manage certain aspects of federal elections, such as receiving mail-in ballots and counting them after election day. The GOP has said in several filings that the state violated federal law and only Congress can set those election parameters. If the U.S. Supreme Court takes the case on, the ruling could impact whether other states, such as Nevada and Pennsylvania, with similar laws can allow for the counting of mail-in absentee ballots after election day, said Rob McDuff, an attorney for the Mississippi Center for Justice. The center is representing several defendants who intervened in the case. "It's an important issue in terms of future presidential elections, as well as (other federal elections)," McDuff said. Mississippi's next federal elections will be in 2026 when all four congressmen run for reelection, as will Cindy Hyde Smith, one of the state's two U.S. senators. Early voting in Mississippi: Early voting dies in MS Legislature. Concerns arose over new voting program, likely veto That fact may coax the supreme court judges into hearing the case, University of Richmond professor and Williams Chair of Law Carl Tobias said. However, it could still be a long shot given the Fifth Circuit's prior ruling and the fact that of thousands of petitions filed every year, only about 50 or so are heard by the court. "The more states that are impacted by the case … that may pique the interest of the court," Tobias said. Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@ or 972-571-2335. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: US Supreme Court may hear MS case on mail-in absentee ballot counting
