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Utah is a step closer to requiring all cellphones and tablets sold in the state to automatically block pornography. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed a measure Tuesday that critics call a significant intrusion of free speech. Cox has said the bill would send an “important message” about preventing children from accessing explicit online content. The proposal is the latest move in Utah’s legislative campaign to curb the availability of porn. Critics say it raises clear First Amendment flags. The measure won’t go into effect unless five other states enact similar laws, a provision that was added to address concerns that it would be difficult to implement. 

The mayor of Oakland, California, has announced a privately funded program to give low-income families of color $500 a month with no rules on how to spend it. The program is one of the largest forms of a guaranteed income project the U.S. so far. Its idea is that giving poor people a set amount of money each month will ease the stresses of poverty that contribute to poor health and hinder their ability to find full-time work. The idea isn't new, but it has received attention recently after progressive mayors launched similar programs across the country. The first program was launched in Stockton, California, in 2019.

An attorney for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who’s accused of sexual assault and harassment in lawsuits filed by 16 women, is questioning the allegations against the NFL player, claiming they were made following a failed attempt to blackmail his client for $30,000. In lawsuits, Watson is accused of exposing himself and inappropriately touching the women while getting massages. Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, alleges his legal team has “strong evidence” an accusation made by a woman they believe filed one of the lawsuits is false. Hardin accuses the woman of trying to blackmail Watson over a consensual encounter. The attorney for the women says the lawsuits are not about money. 

NEW YORK (AP) — ABC “The Bachelor” ended a season that had as much drama off the set as on with its most-watched episode of the year and final appearance of host Chris Harrison — at least for a while.…

The developer of the conservative social network Parler is alleging he was defamed and improperly ousted by a prominent Republican Party benefactor, two men who replaced him at the company and a political commentator known for supporting former President Donald Trump. In a lawsuit, John Matze also accuses philanthropist Rebekah Mercer, website associates Jeffrey Wernick and Mark Meckler, and podcaster Dan Bongino of conspiring to steal his 40% company share, leaving him with $3. Mercer, Wernick, Meckler and Bongino didn't immediately respond Tuesday to messages seeking comment. Parler was booted from the internet after the Jan. 6 siege at the U.S. Capitol. But it is back online now —without Matze.

GameStop, the video game retailer at the center of a social-media driven investment frenzy, says it lost $215 million in the 12 months ended Jan. 30 as it dealt with pandemic-related shutdowns and moved to transform itself into a more online-focused company. The company’s latest results offered few positives to back up some investors’ belief that the struggling retailer is on track to turn its business around and perhaps justify its stock’s stunning run from around $20 a share at the start of the year to north of $480 by the end of January. The stock closed at $181.75 in Tuesday trading. 

Prince Harry has joined the corporate world as employee coaching and mental health firm BetterUp Inc.’s Chief Impact Officer. Financial terms of his employment were undisclosed. BetterUp, based in San Francisco, works with employees from companies including Mars, AB InBev and LinkedIn on coaching and mental health services. BetterUp CEO Alexi Robichaux said the Duke of Sussex is a good fit for the company because of “his model of inspiration and impact through action.” Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have been working on detangling their lives from the British royal family and are living in California. 

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Kirby Yates is expected to have season-ending surgery on his right elbow. That's according to Toronto general manager Ross Atkins. The Blue Jays also reported two other injuries: Outfielder George Springer will miss the next four or five days because of a strained oblique muscle and left-hander Robbie Ray will skip at least one spring training start after slipping on a staircase and bruising his elbow. Yates was expected to be Toronto’s closer after signing a $5.5 million, one-year deal in the offseason. On Monday, the team said Yates would miss several weeks because of a strained muscle in his forearm.

President Joe Biden is expected to nominate three prosecutors to run the U.S. attorney’s offices in New York. They include the first Black man to run the high-profile Southern District of New York and the first Black woman to head the Western District in Buffalo. Democratic New York Sen. Charles Schumer announced Tuesday that he is making the recommendations to Biden. It is almost certain they will be formally nominated. The names include Damian Williams as the U.S. attorney in the Manhattan-based Southern District and Breon Peace as the U.S. attorney in the Brooklyn-based Eastern District. Schumer also says he's recommending Trini Ross to run the Buffalo-based Western District.

NEW YORK (AP) — Regal Cinemas, the second largest movie theater chain in the U.S., will reopen beginning April 2, its parent company, Cineworld Group, announced Tuesday. Regal had been one of most notable holdouts in the gradual reopening of…

The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday overhauled its upcoming film release plans, postponing some of its biggest films and shifting Marvel’s “Black Widow,” among other titles, to Disney+ the same time they arrive in theaters. “Black Widow,” once planned to debut in May 2020, had been set to kickoff the summer on May 7. It will instead premiere July 9. It will do so simultaneously on the company’s streaming platform for a $30 early-access fee. For theaters the announcement was a blow. While bigger and bigger films have turned to streaming and premium-on-demand in recent months, Marvel movies are Hollywood’s most bankable box-office behemoths.

James Huntsman is a member of one of Utah’s most prominent families and has sued The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, accusing it of fraud. The federal lawsuit filed Monday says the church spent members’ donations that were solicited for charity on commercial purposes. He's seeking to recover millions of dollars in contributions and alleges the church has “repeatedly and publicly lied” about the use of billions of dollars in donations meant to pay for missionary work, temples and other educational and charitable work. A church spokesman calls the claims “baseless.” Huntsman is the brother of former U.S. diplomat and ex-Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and son of late billionaire philanthropist Jon Huntsman Sr.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin was vaccinated against COVID-19 Tuesday out of sight of the cameras, his spokesman said, prompting questions about whether the gesture will boost comparatively low immunization rates in Russia. Dmitry Peskov said Putin is…