Supreme Court Shakes Up Voting Rights, Oil Hits $120, and Big Tech Bets Big on AI

In this episode of The Morning Rundown, hosts Maya and David cover three major stories shaping the news: a landmark Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act, escalating geopolitical tensions driving oil to a four-year high, and a record-breaking wave of AI investment from Big Tech.Listeners will come away with a clearer understanding of how the Court's decision on Louisiana's congressional map could reshape minority representation across the South, what the U.S.-Iran standoff means for energy prices and everyday consumers, and why the scale of AI spending from companies like Meta and Alphabet signals a deeper shift in how the tech industry defines itself.The Supreme Court struck down Louisiana's congressional map and curtailed Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, potentially opening the door for Republican-controlled states to redraw majority-minority districts.Brent crude crossed $120 a barrel as the U.S.-Iran standoff continues with no clear resolution, and fighting between Israel and Hezbollah persists in south Lebanon.Combined AI capital expenditure across major tech companies topped $650 billion in Q1, with Meta alone committing $145 billion to AI infrastructure.Google Cloud now accounts for 18 percent of Alphabet's total revenue, raising questions about whether the company's core identity is shifting away from search.Strong Big Tech earnings are being cited by analysts as a stabilizing force for the broader U.S. stock market amid wider economic uncertainty.Subscribe to The Morning Rundown wherever you get your podcasts to stay current on the stories that matter most.