FIRST AMENDMENT to the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of expression (Shutterstock).

Laws in Texas and Florida that restrict big social media companies like Facebook and YouTube from deciding what to allow to be posted on their sites are being met with considerable skepticism by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The high court met on Monday and heard arguments for and against the constitutionality of those laws. 

Libel laws offer a remedy for persons or organizations defamed by newspapers, magazines and broadcast stations which can control what goes put to the public. But many social media operations function as a kind of bulletin board with limited oversight over what gets posted.

At issue are actions that some lawmakers claim are biased against conservative points of view.

The broader constitutional issue may be whether those social media operations are the kind of “press” entities protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, or “common carriers” such as telephones or railways which serve all customers.

Sweden can now join NATO

Following more than a year-and-a-half of delays, Sweden has finally won the right to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The Hungarian parliament voted 188-6 in favor of admitting Sweden to NATO. Under the rules, all organizations must agree on the admittance of new members. 

Sweden’s entry – along with a recent approval for Finland – brings the total membership of NATO to 31 nations.  Some of the recent new admissions have come in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Under NATO rules, an attack on any member nation is considered an attack on all. 

Sports: Kings lose 4-2 to the Oilers

The Los Angeles Kings visited the Oilers in Edmonton Monday night and lost 4-2. The two teams were tied 2-2 after two periods, but the Oilers pulled away with two goals.

Scoring for the Kings were Alex Laferriere and Trevor Moore. The Kings are now 29-18-10 and fifth in the NHL Pacific Division. The Oilers are 34-20-2 and in fourth.

The Anaheim Ducks are idle until Thursday. The Los Angeles Clippers will host the Lakers on Wednesday.

Weather: Clouds, clouds, clouds

We know the weather forecast missed the call on Monday’s rain, but – hey – nobody’s perfect. Clouds – in varying degrees – will dominate our week.

Tuesday is expected to be partly cloudy with a daytime high of 65 and an overnight low of 51. Wednesday will be similar but warm to 71 (53).

The thermometer is predicted to drop to 66 (53) on Thursday with morning clouds and afternoon sun. Friday will be even cooler at 63 (55) with mostly cloudy skies.