How long can the Supreme Court go without 9 justices?

The Supreme Court has been short a justice since Antonin Scalia died in February. While Senator John McCain walked back a statement that the Senate will block any Supreme Court nominee that Clinton might put forward, Senator Ted Cruz raised the prospect of Republicans fighting to keep the seat vacant.

Twitter has killed off its short form video app Vine, and the decision is not being received well, particularly on Twitter. Also, New York’s Museum of Modern Art has acquired the original emojis for its permanent collection.

Apple just updated its MacBook Pro and Microsoft unveiled the Surface Studio. One technology writer is calling it a comeback for PCs and a letdown from Apple.

Kea Wilson’s debut novel, We Eat Our Own, is inspired by the 1980 Italian film Cannibal Holocaust. The movie’s depiction of brutal violence and cannibalism was so realistic that the director was arrested for obscenity and charged with making a snuff film.

The podcast world’s brightest stars will collide at the first “Now Hear This” festival in southern California this weekend, including Linda Holmes of NPR’s ”Pop Culture Happy Hour.” She offers recommendations for a mental health break from all the political news.

Photo: SCOTUS by Ted Eytan