There’s a cloud of legal uncertainty hanging over Alabama, despite the US Supreme Court’s denial of the state’s plea to delay same-sex marriages. The decision cleared the way for gay couples in Alabama to seek marriage licenses, after a federal judge there had in January struck down a state law declaring the state’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. 

Shante Wolfe and Tori Sisson, the first same-sex couple to file their marriage license in Montgomery on Monday (image: CNN/AP)

The day eventually saw more than 40 couples tie the knot in Huntsville alone. But it wasn’t a joyous occasion in every part of the state. Alabama’s chief justice Roy Moore had said that probate justices – who issue marriage licenses – were not bound by the federal judge’s ruling, and on Monday evening less than a quarter of county probate judges were reported to be complying.

The Supreme Court, meanwhile, is due to rule on same-sex marriage by June, with arguments beginning in April.

* WORLD * The White House is close to sending legislation to Congress formally authorizing war against the Islamic State. CBS News reports the text for authorization will be ready by the end of the week.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was determined to go ahead with his address to Congress on March 3, although there were reports that officials are considering “amending the format” of the controversial speech.

New England is being hit by another winter onslaught, with about two feet of snow falling in the region on Monday. Public transport in Boston will be severely curtailed on Tuesday, as residents and city workers struggle to clear the equivalent of 90 football stadiums full of snow.

(image: Boston Herald)

* POLITICS * Vox.com has an interview/film/briefing book featuring President Obama, compellingly constructed from wide-ranging conversations last month with Ezra Klein and Matt Yglesias.

With Jeb Bush set to launch a new campaign website on Tuesday, it’s probably not the best moment for his new Chief Technology Officer to be caught up in a storm over old, offensive tweets.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is the latest potential GOP hopeful to head to London, on a “trade mission” for his state. He’ll also be delivering a speech on global business on Wednesday and, tomorrow, attending a business roundtable co-hosted by the FT.

* MEDIA * Today in “stories you thought were Jetsons episodes,” the HuffPo has a piece on How To Stop Your Smart TV From Eavesdropping On You.

Congratulations to all the nominees in the 2015 Press Awards.

Felix Salmon’s ‘Advice to Young Journalists’ prompted quite the debate among media Twitter, including this response from Ezra Klein. Hitting the nail on the head about how the death of journalism is really “a kind of disruptive change,” Ezra restates this basic truth:

In particular, your editor will often want something “new.” That is to say, they will want something that they, a highly educated hyper-consumer of news products, hasn’t seen before. But your readers don’t necessarily want the stories your editors haven’t read. They want the stories that explain their world to them. Those stories are often absurdly basic, and they might feel like repeats of past stories: What’s in this bill? Why do we care about inflation? What does the Fed do?

Give the reader something useful; something that rewards the investment of their precious time. That’s what it’s all about.

Reminds me of a story a friend of mine tells about the time his bosses at a venerable news weekly brought in consultants to help them understand “what readers want”. After several rounds of expensive, well, consulting; my friend summed up the findings. “So, what you’re saying we need to produce,” he said, “are more good stories and fewer bad ones.”

* SPORTS * The Premier League is to announce on Tuesday a record £4.4bn TV rights deal, making it the second most valuable league in world sport, behind the NFL.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich became the ninth NBA coach to register 1,000 wins, after the Spurs beat the Pacers. He is only the second coach to reach the milestone with one franchise.

Ed Sabol, the founder of NFL Films, died aged 98. ESPN said Sabol “revolutionized sports broadcasting and reimagined pro football from an up-and-coming league to must-watch theater.”

* BUSINESS * Qualcomm was hit with a record $975m fine by Chinese authorities over patent licensing practices. It is the largest fine in Chinese corporate history.

Chinese inflation fell to a five-year low in January, with the consumer price index rising 0.8% year-on-year, down from 1.5% in December.

Finally, for their item Monday night about the demise of RadioShack, researchers at the Chris Hayes show found this gem of an old commercial with a long-obsolete idea of what counts as “affordable”:

(YouTube/wwwgjackca)