QUOTE OF THE DAY

'I will always be your ally. You have every reason to be proud. Europe is stronger and richer because of you.'

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen supporting the LGBTQ+ community in Hungary. The EC is at odds with Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán and his authoritarian government over its crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights, which has come to a head after a ban was placed on the Budapest Pride parade.

the explainer

Supreme Court to rule on prison freedom of religion

In its next term, the Supreme Court will take on a crucial case about a prisoner's ability to sue on the grounds of religious freedom. The basis of the case is a 2000 federal law that's supposed to protect the religious rights of incarcerated people.

What's the crux of the case?
The original lawsuit was brought by Damon Landor over his alleged mistreatment during a five-month prison term for drug possession in Louisiana in 2020. Landor is a "devout Rastafarian who pledged to 'let the locks of the hair of his head grow,' known as the Nazarite Vow," and had reportedly kept his hair long for almost 20 years, said CBS News. When he was transferred to a new prison for the final three weeks of his term, guards "handcuffed Mr. Landor to a chair, held him down and shaved his head to the scalp," said The New York Times.

Landor had reportedly "shown prison officials a copy of a court ruling that dreadlocks grown for religious reasons should be accommodated," said USA Today. That ruling was based on a 2000 federal law related to religious freedoms in prison.

What's the bigger picture?
This case will decide whether the law allows prisoners to sue prison officials. The Supreme Court's conservative majority has been taking up numerous faith-based cases and in "recent years has repeatedly sided with religious interests and expanded the role of faith in public life," said The Washington Post. However, the justices have not always voted in favor of religion, and last month they notably "deadlocked, 4-4, leaving in place an Oklahoma ruling that rejected a proposal for the nation's first religious public charter school."

Some officials worry this case could open the floodgates for prisoners to sue prison workers. The "current staffing shortage in state prisons would only grow worse" if staff and potential applicants "learned that they would be personally liable for money damages," the state of Louisiana said in court filings.

Statistic of the day

330: The number of minutes the average student spends on their phone per day, according to research by Fluid Focus. Out of 2,840 British students in grades 7 through 12 at various schools, 4% of students spent at least nine hours a day on their phones.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

GOP plan to sell millions of federal acres hits roadblock

Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee's plan to peddle millions of acres of federally held land was dealt an ignominious blow this week when the Senate parliamentarian ruled that his proposed measure violated legislative rules and could not be included in President Donald Trump's "One Big, Beautiful Bill." Lee has since revised his proposal, casting blame on a "massive misinformation campaign" by liberals. Claims of partisan trickery notwithstanding, his plan to reappropriate huge swaths of federal land has irked a number of the senator's fellow Republicans.

A push to address 'housing-related needs'
Past efforts to sell large parcels of government-owned land have "enraged conservationists" as well as proven "contentious with some Republicans," said The New York Times at the start of Lee's push earlier this month. While rising housing costs have led some Democrats to support "limited efforts to allow more construction on public lands," Lee's proposal is a "fire sale" that would take a "sledgehammer to our national public lands," said Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) to the Times.

Although Lee has claimed his plan will "make room" for housing development, the language of his bill didn't require any of the homes built on the land in question to "meet any standard for affordability," said Axios. Under a revised version of Lee's plan, territory maintained by the Forest Service will be "off the table" for development, as would a "significant chunk" of Bureau of Land Management property, said The Salt Lake Tribune.

Bipartisan pushback and a 'significant win' for public lands
Lee's "most formidable opponents" of the proposal had been his colleagues in the Senate, said E&E. Perhaps most surprising has been the staunch opposition of arch-conservative Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke. "I do not support the widespread sale or transfer of public lands," said Zinke in a press release.

The "ideological crusade against public lands" by Lee is not a "serious proposal to raise revenue for the federal government," said Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala in a statement. Accordingly, defeating his effort is a "significant win for public lands."

Good day 👨🏽‍🍼

… for daddies' girls. Female baboons that have a strong relationship with their fathers when young tend to live longer as adults, according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. What the baboons are "showing us is that maybe we have been under-appreciating dads in some species of primates," said study co-author Elizabeth Archie.

Bad day 🌱

… for flora. Scientists have discovered that plants in Northern Hemisphere cities are beginning their growing seasons on different days because of light pollution, according to research in the journal Nature Cities. This could potentially "put a strain on the energy and water balance of plants," said study co-author Franz Holker.

Puzzles

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The Week recommends

Sharp animated science fiction for grown-ups

Science fiction might be the most expensive genre for studios to produce. So it's no surprise that choosing animation over live action is becoming a popular way for filmmakers to extend the cinematic universes of valuable franchises. But the past few years have seen a flowering of completely original animated science fiction, as well.

'Love Death + Robots' (2019-25)
This genre-bending Netflix anthology series (pictured above) tackles everything from comedic shorts about Earth's conquest by a super-intelligent yogurt strain to robots touring a post-apocalyptic city. The mix of animation and storytelling styles means that you "don't always know what to expect — and not everything is brilliant — but you are guaranteed to experience something interesting," said The Verge.

'Pantheon' (2022-23)
This perfect show for our age of artificial intelligence anxiety revolves around "Uploaded Intelligence," a kind of immortality for those who agree to have their brains scanned and their consciousnesses stored in the cloud. Driven by a "heady mix of ideas," the series shines when it grapples with the "meaning of life and how technology has shaped the way we experience and appreciate existence," said Brian Tallerico at Roger Ebert.

'Undone' (2019-22)
Using "rotoscoping, a process by which actors are filmed on sets, then drawn over by animators," Prime's trippy science-fiction drama is a "frequently beautiful and thought-provoking ride," said Vox. After Alma (Rosa Salazar) survives a serious car accident, she begins seeing her father, Jacob (Bob Odenkirk), who has been dead for two decades.

Poll watch

Only 1 in 5 people (20%) would consider eating insects for protein, according to a survey published in the journal Nature. The poll, which examined eating habits in the U.S. and Europe, found that many more people (91%) would consider trying alternative foods such as plant-based meats.

INSTANT OPINION

Today's best commentary

'America's greatest export may be its culture'
Megan Beyer and Gregory Houston at the Chicago Tribune
One of "our most effective yet underused assets is American culture," say Megan Beyer and Gregory Houston. The arts are "powerful drivers of economic growth, job creation, urban revitalization and global influence." Investing in "arts and culture is good policy, plain and simple. It strengthens our tax base, supports small businesses, enhances public health and well-being and reinforces America's leadership on the world stage." America's "creative edge remains one of its most valuable assets."

'ICE has no right to anonymity'
Jamelle Bouie at The New York Times
ICE officers "aren't anonymous commentators on a social network; they are representatives of the state, acting on its behalf and empowered to use force if necessary," says Jamelle Bouie. The people "have the right to know who's operating in their government." If an ICE officer "does not want to risk identification — if he does not want the public he serves to hold him accountable for his actions — then he can choose another line of work."

'Will the Democrats learn from Zohran Mamdani's victory?'
Bernie Sanders at The Guardian
The Democratic Party "can learn the lesson that the Mamdani campaign taught us on Tuesday," says Sen. Bernie Sanders. And "that is: Have the courage to address the real economic and moral issues that face the majority of our people, take on the greed and power of the oligarchy and fight for an agenda that can improve life for working families." You "don't get a Mamdani victory without the extraordinary grassroots movement that rallied around him."

WORD OF THE DAY

RiPPs

A class of peptides that scientists have discovered in the toxic crop fungus linked to the deaths of archaeologists who opened the tomb of Tutankhamun in the 1920s. Researchers have bioengineered these RIPPs (ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides) from the fungus and report that they work to attack cancer.

Why are Kenyans protesting again a year later?