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Alabama ruling demolishes John Roberts’ claim that justices aren’t ‘political actors’
Democratic appointees said the majority “corrodes the rule of law by rewarding Alabama’s gamesmanship and outright defiance of court orders.”
SF: Two Competing Business Tax Measures Both Falling Short In Early Results
Two dueling business tax measures in San Francisco -- Propositions C and D -- are both lagging behind the necessary majority each needs in order to pass, early results showed Tuesday night.
Voices of the Voters: National Politics Drives 48th Race
At stake is a congressional seat that could determine if the House of Representatives enters the next two years with a Republican or Democratic majority.
5 things to watch in Tuesday's primaries in California, Iowa and beyond
Democrats are banking on a rare chance to regain ground in Iowa, a rural state that has repeatedly eluded them in recent years. Republicans, meanwhile, are grappling with a New Jersey congressman whose unexplained absence could put their already slim majority at risk.
Trump’s $1.8B ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund Dead—Reportedly After GOP Threats
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Republicans are in discussions with the White House about changing the fund.
The Arc of the Voting Rights Act
Louisiana Republicans erased a majority-Black congressional district.
Castleton moving sports to MASCAC
CASTLETON, Vt. (WCAX) - After nine years in the Little East, Castleton is moving the majority of its athletic programs to the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference. 20 of the 26 Spartans sports programs will move ahead of the 2027-28 school year. Castleton previously played one football season in the MASCAC before joining the New Jersey Athletic Conference ahead of the 2025 season. The MASCAC currently includes seven state universities from Massachusetts. Castleton replaces the one private member, Anna Maria College, as it shut down permanently at the end of this school year. There are a few hurdles Castleton will have to figure out: while four of the six sports not joining the MASCAC don’t participate in a traditional collegiate conference, the tennis programs will likely need to find affiliate memberships to build schedules. And Castleton will have to schedule rival Norwich as part of its nonconference hockey slate...but athletic director Tim Barrett says it’s the right move for the Spartans, especially when it comes to football. “We’ve had ongoing conversations for the last couple of years regarding the possibilities within the MASCAC,” Barrett said. “Obviously, we had the one year relationship for football in the MASCAC, we enjoyed our time there, we felt at that point we were a natural fit for that conference. So we’re looking forward to it, we’re also looking forward to the next seasons within the Little East Conference, but I do think this was the right move at the right time.”
Louisiana passes new congressional map to eliminate majority-Black district, give GOP another seat
Approval of the new House map came a month after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state’s current map as an illegal racial gerrymander, weakening the landmark 1965 federal Voting Rights Act.
Louisiana Approves Map Eliminating a Majority-Black District
A Supreme Court court ruling last month rejected the state’s previous congressional map as an illegal racial gerrymander and set off a redistricting race across the South.
American Gaming Association CEO on prediction markets: The vast majority of their business is sports betting
Bill Miller, American Gaming Association president and CEO, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss his thoughts on the CFTC's plan to regulate prediction markets, sports gambling vs. prediction markets, news of Fertitta Entertainment buying Caesars Entertainment, and more.
‘No different than the GOP’: Rapper ‘Uncle Luke’ slams Democrat’s run in minority-majority district
John Thune goes 'all in' for Ken Paxton after bitter primary ripped GOP apart
John Thune backs Ken Paxton for Senate after Texas runoff victory, urging Republicans to go all in to prevent Democrats from flipping the key seat.
Alabama asks Supreme Court to allow use of congressional map helping GOP, despite racial bias ruling
The state's Republican leadership filed an emergency appeal with the justices a day after a three-judge court refused to let the state use a map it adopted three years ago that has a majority Black population in just one of its seven congressional districts.
Clyburn's district stays intact as South Carolina Republicans scrap redistricting
The majority-Black district held for 34 years by South Carolina Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn will survive intact, for now, after Republican state lawmakers rejected a plan to redraw congressional maps.
Blu Ocean Innovations Introduces AI Visibility Strategy As User Habits Shift
With a majority of consumers from all generations reporting using AI as a search engine, Blu Ocean Innovations, LLC announces the launch of the ...
South Carolina’s redistricting effort fails in the state Senate amid GOP opposition
Some Republican lawmakers changed their stance on enacting a new map before the midterms when early voting for the June primary began on Tuesday.
Congressional Black Caucus urges companies to oppose Republican redistricting
The Congressional Black Caucus is calling on major corporations in the United States to oppose redistricting efforts by Republican-led states that seek to eliminate majority-Black U.S. House districts.
'Representation matters': Majority of Florida's DNC members slam Debbie Wasserman Schultz's CD 20 run
Under Gov. DeSantis' new map, Florida's longest-serving Democratic Congresswoman is running in a Black plurality district.
Court Rejects Alabama House Map, Calling It Unfair to Black Voters
Alabama is likely to appeal the ruling, which stops an effort to use a new congressional map that would redraw one majority-Black district.
Congressional Black Caucus presses companies in the US to oppose Republican redistricting push
The Congressional Black Caucus is calling on major corporations in the United States to oppose redistricting efforts by Republican-led states that seek to eliminate majority-Black U.S. House districts.
Trump calls on Arab nations to sign Abraham Accords
Trump says Muslim-majority nations should sign onto the Abraham Accords if they want to participate in a developing Iran agreement, per reports.
Nats rely on biggest weakness to beat greatest foe
At 27-27, the Washington Nationals are a third of the way through the 2026 season, and the team has to be feeling good about where they are after taking two of three from the division-leading Atlanta Braves. The Nats offense has carried the team for the majority of the year, but the series turned ...
Scalise: Democrats' Politics of Hatred and Division Need to Stop
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Fox Business Network’s Kudlow to call out Democrats’ increasingly dangerous rhetoric, failure to confront rising antisemitism on the left, and continued opposition to commonsense election integrity and border security measures.
Chicago Sports Network takes to the air to beat Marquee in Cubs-White Sox series
In the streaming era, viewers still tune to broadcast TV. And it’s not about having an antenna. A vast majority of those who watched on WCIU did so through a pay-TV service, where the channel is part of a basic package.
Senate GOP erupts over Trump DOJ 'anti-weaponization' fund, punts ICE, Border Patrol funding
Senate Republicans pause immigration bill push after a tense closed-door meeting over the Trump administration's surprise anti-weaponization fund.
Republicans recoil as Trump's billion-dollar DOJ 'slush fund' for allies threatens ICE, Border Patrol plan
Senate Republicans break with Trump over his $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund, raising concerns about who gets the money and where it comes from.
Bonus 228: The $1.776B Political Question
Every so often a story comes along that is so brazen, so cleanly emblematic of the moment we are living through, that staying quiet about it feels like a kind of complicity unto itself. Monday’s announcement by the Department of Justice that the Acting Attorney General has unilaterally created a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to compensate so-called “victims of lawfare” is one of those stories. And the reason I want to write about it here, in a newsletter ostensibly devoted to the Supreme Court and the law and politics surrounding it, is that I’m increasingly worried that we’re asking the wrong institution to save us from one of the most offensive, alarming, and anti-constitutional things we’ve seen from any president in American history. As I explain below the fold, the Anti-Weaponization Fund is not principally a legal problem awaiting a judicial fix. It is a shockingly egregious political abuse—the President suing his own government, purporting to settle with himself, and routing nearly $2 billion from the Treasury to his own supporters as a not-so-subtle (and not-so-formal) reward, if not an incentive, for political violence. And the Constitution’s answer to political abuses of this kind and magnitude is a political remedy, not a legal one. In his majority opinion in NFIB v. Sebelius (the Affordable Care Act case from 2012), Chief Justice Roberts defended the Court’s endorsement of Congress’s power to adopt the individual mandate by noting that it is “not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices.” As much of a judicial supremacist as I am, that sentiment is, for better or worse, an entirely correct (and, in the long term, normatively desirable) institutional assessment. One can believe in substantial judicial power without believing that literally every political dispute in our country can and should be resolved by unelected judges. The real upshot of this latest headline (among so, so many other similar headlines) is that it is past time to reinvigorate impeachment—not because conviction is realistic in this Senate, or even because impeachment itself is feasible in this House, but because forcing every member of Congress to vote on the record whether this brazen, corrosive, and affirmatively dangerous corruption is impeachable is itself a point worth fighting for (and fighting with our friends over). Assuming the courts will save us absolves our political leaders of both responsibility and accountability for allowing this kind of mischief to continue, and it absolves all of us of our responsibility to refuse to tolerate those who would just as quickly shrug their shoulders and move on. For those who aren’t paid subscribers, we’ll be back (no later than) Monday with our continuing coverage of the Supreme Court. For those who are, please read on.
Providence to end most of its health insurance business
While the nonprofit is negotiating with a national carrier over the operation of its Medicaid Advantage plan, a majority of its health insurance business will wind down by 2027.
Providence to end most of its health insurance business
While the nonprofit is negotiating with a national carrier over the operation of its Medicaid Advantage plan, a majority of its health insurance business will wind down by 2027.
Wellgistics Health and Datavault AI to Form DelivMeds AI via PharmacyChain™ License Expansion and Acquisitions of QOLPOM Biometric Health Data and Drone Logistics IP and Majority of Tollo Health
Formation of DelivMeds AI, Inc. (ticker reserved: NASDAQ:MEDS), with an expected approximate combined asset value of $4 billion, is subject to…...
When is the next step in Louisiana’s contentious redistricting process? Here’s the timeline.
A fierce battle over Republican plans to eliminate one majority-Black district has dominated the end of the Louisiana Legislature’s session.
Trump endorses Paxton, upending Senate GOP plans in Texas race
President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his primary challenge to Sen. John Cornyn, dealing a massive blow to the incumbent with major implications in the fight for the Senate majority.
Neogenyx CEO talks plans for new RNG business with $400M investment
The new company spun off from Ameresco, which retains a majority stake. The fresh infusion of capital will allow a biogas developer with a long history in the industry to more aggressively pursue its project pipeline.
Expert explains the science, safety, and legal landscape around mifepristone used in abortions, miscarriage care
The U.S. Supreme Court has preserved access to mifepristone—the medication used in the majority of abortions in the United States and in some miscarriage care—for now. The action maintains current rules ...
StanChart to Absorb Zodia Subsidiary’s Crypto Custody Business
Standard Chartered Plc plans to acquire the crypto custody business of its majority-owned subsidiary Zodia Custody Ltd., expanding the reach of the bank’s own digital-asset operations.
Are you going to watch the college baseball tournaments?
I’ll be honest. College baseball is decidedly not my thing. The very best college prospects sometimes end up in Double-A, while the vast majority will be sent to A ball or perhaps the complex. If I wanted that I could, you know, go see actual minor leaguers in person. I know “gotta support the school” […]
Andalucíans to vote in election seen as gauge of Spain’s wider political change
Conservatives expected to keep majority as socialists face drubbing and ballot tests trajectory of far-right Vox party
Congressman Cohen Announces Plan for His Political Future
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen, who has represented Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District for more than 19 years, held a press conference at his office in Washington this morning to announced that he will not be a candidate for any of the newly drawn Congressional seats carved out of the 9th. His majority-Black district was gerrymandered into three Republican-leaning districts by the state General Assembly last week.He made the following statement:
Majority of Florida voters favor tighter limits on sports betting, UNF poll finds
A majority of Florida voters want the state to place tighter limits on sports betting, even as nearly one in four say they have placed an online wager, according to a new statewide poll.
Chartbook 449: Voldemort on Threadneedle street. The Bank of England and the "haunted house" of English politics.
Imagine the scene: In some Harry Potter version of 21st-century London, a group of deathless UK Treasury officials gathered from across the last century huddle over warm pints and glasses of Chardonnay. Around the table there are officials from the 1920s, the 1930s, the 1970s, 2022 and today. Inevitably, in May 2026, the subject of conversation is the disintegration of the current Labour government. Despite its huge majority in parliament, it has been reduced to tatters by catastrophic local election result. These exposed the fact that rather than having a government with a clear popular majority, the UK is like most other modern societies divided into 5 segments each of which commands between 26 and 16 percent of the vote. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the leadership at Nos 10 and 11 Downing Street - where the Prime Minister and the Chancellor (Treasury Secretary) work - seem paralyzed. They are caught between mounting discontent over unfairness and the cost of living, and tough fiscal strictures that push them into making unpopular spending decisions. In the London pub, the Treasury officials from across the ages, can barely hide their satisfaction at the latest display of democratic politics caught in the vice-grip of financial logic. “Remember the mur d’argent and the banker’s ramp?” “Just like yesterday!” There are smirks around the table. Then the representative of 2026 pipes up: “One thing you have to say about the current lot (referring to the latest hapless Labour government), you don’t have to teach them about the bond market!” There is a murmur of ascent from the Treasury Mandarins. The trauma of the fiscal crisis of September-October 2022 sits deep. Back then, in the final stages of Tory decay, a ‘mini budget’ that challenged fiscal orthodoxy led to a brief but fierce panic in one of the oldest government bond markets in the world (aka gilt market). Now all you have to do is to mention the “bond market” to hush debate. [ Paul Mason@paulmasonnews In the name of public service, and as ex-economics editor of BBC Newsnight, I offer to do a zoom call, tonight, with any Labour MP who wants to understand why bond markets do not "fall into line" with governments. 1/ 3:57 PM · May 12, 2026 · 466K Views 224 Replies · 674 Reposts · 3.93K Likes ](https://x.com/paulmasonnews/status/2054229532404519082?s=20) “And the funny thing is”, the young man in the huddle continues, “they don’t even want to talk about … ”. There is a sudden hush. Significant looks are exchanged around the table. About? One of the senior figures puts down his glass with a decisive “clink”. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has entered their thoughts. Meanwhile, a few miles away in a grubby pub in Bloomsbury, two conspirators from the camp of Critical Macrofinance huddle over cans of low-alcohol IPA. They look at each other and blurt out loud: “The Bank!” “Everyone in the bloody Labour party is talking about the bond market. But why aren’t they even mentioning … the Bank of England!?” “Why is no one talking about Voldemort?” In Paul Mason’s blogpost, after much chest-thumping about basic fiscal logic, the basic point about the Bank of England is buried in the fine print at #3 in his list of suggestions as to what a radical Labour government might actually be able to do! [ Conflict & Democracy Down with the bond market! Down with gravity! It may seem unfair to focus on Labour MP Paula Barker for her off-the-cuff assertion that the bond market would have to “fall in line” with Andy Burnham, should he replace Keir Starmer as prime minister. But Burnham himself told the New Statesman that Labour had to “get beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond markets… Read more 2 days ago · 100 likes · 3 comments · Paul Mason ](https://htsf.substack.com/p/down-with-the-bond-market-down-with?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web) Back in Bloomsbury they shake their heads and ask: “Didn’t we learn anything from the Eurozone crisis?” Meanwhile, as if summoned to the conversation by some higher force, the “pink pages” announce: “The days of ultra-cheap government borrowing have come to an end” and Martin “Whizzard” Wolf publishes the graph of the season Look at the UK in 2026, perilously positioned on the upper edge of the pack. No wonder no one in London needs any lessons about the “bond market”. But, look again. Imagine how they feel in Rome. What is London’s nightmare in 2026? The nightmare is that you end up like Italy in the early 2010s during the Eurozone crisis. Once comfortably situated in the middle of the pack, watching with horror as your ten-year yields explode to 7 percent and “spreads” become a national nightmare. One of the largest economies in Europe, a founding member of the euro, stigmatized. But the message of the Italian experience is ambiguous. After all, the stigma didn’t last. In 2026, Italy borrows at rates lower not only than the UK but the US. The US, which, as everyone knows, enjoys the “exorbitant privilege” of being the issuer of reserve, safe asets. What kind of magic is this? How did Italy, in the space of fifteen years, go from being good, to bad and back again? Which brings us back to our dissident friends in their Bloombury boozer and their memories of the Eurozone crisis. Italy never was Britain - with its ongoing fiscal deficits. Without interest payments, on primary balance, from 2000 to 2020 Italy ran a tight fiscal ship. Even in 2008 it barely went into deficit and when it was being put on the rack in the early 20210s its primary surplus matched that of austere Germany. So, what happened? How did it end up stigmatized? Of course Italian politics didn’t help. Berlusconi was at the helm and he had legal issues. But amongst friends in the Bloomsbury pub, Berlusconi is a sideshow, the name we whisper to each other is “Trichet”. From 2004 to 2011 the ECB was headed by Jean-Claude Trichet, ex of the French Treasury, more German than the Germans. After 2009 as the news of the Greek fiscal disaster broke, the European bond markets wento into panic mode and Trichet began a brutal game of cat and mouse. Between 2009 and 2011, Trichet intervened in the bond market to help, only when he thought he had compliance with austerity. When he thought they were uncooperative, he withdrew. In the summer of 2011, he even made direct suggestions to his Italian counterparts in Rome, as to how Italy should be governed. It was this cat and mouse game that drove the bond markets crazy and exposed Italy to a violent squeeze. When Mario Draghi took over the ECB at the end of 2011 and declared “whatever it takes”, the pressure on Italy, gradually eased. It is that starring role that has made Draghi into the towering figure in European politics that he remains today. So now you see why voices in London hush when it comes to the Bank of England. “The bond market” isn’t an irresistible objective force like the weather or an avalanche. It can appear like that. But that depends on the way it is being handled, or not handled by the central bank. Which is why the silence about the Bank of England in London right now is so significant. If you think this all sounds a bit fishy, coming from a left-liberal Keynesian like myself, well, let me introduce you to Robin Brooks, who, to put it mildly, plays on a different quidditch team to me. Here, from the position of a fiscal hawk is Robin’s celebratory account of the Bank of England’s role since 2022; In October 2022, at the height of the bond market blow-up in the UK, something incredible happened. Governor Andrew Bailey told British pension funds the Bank of England would end its support program for the country’s fragile gilt market, drawing a line under how much help the central bank was willing to give to exposed pension funds and - implicitly - the government. By the end of that week, Kwasi Kwarteng - the finance minister - had resigned. Prime Minister Liz Truss would soon follow. This episode is so incredible because it contrasts with what happened in the Euro zone earlier that year. Bond markets in Spain and Italy were under pressure amid high inflation and rising interest rates. In the middle of this, Mario Draghi - Italy’s Prime Minister - resigned, compounding pressure on bond markets of high-debt countries on the Euro periphery. Unlike the Bank of England, the ECB caved. It bought Italian and Spanish government bonds in an effort to cap yields and introduced a new tool that signaled to markets it might do such caps more frequently going forward. Faced with pressure on bond markets, the ECB capitulated to political pressure from high-debt countries like Italy and Spain. The Bank of England stood its ground and toppled the Truss government. This kind of thing has long-lasting consequences. It means markets price a higher probability of yield caps in the Euro zone, which keeps Italian and Spanish yields artificially low, while markets feel free to push up UK yields without fear of central bank intervention. As I flagged in yesterday’s post, this means you really can’t compare UK yields to those of other high-debt countries. The UK looks worse, but only because its central bank isn’t interfering with markets. There’s more to this than just that 2022 episode. The Bank of England has also been much more aggressive in its quantitative tightening (QT) than other central banks. If one motivation for quantitative easing (QE) is to lower bond yields - especially longer-dated ones - then it stands to reason QT pushes yields up. The left chart above shows a four-quarter moving average of UK government debt issuance (black line) in percent of GDP and which sectors absorb this issuance, including the Bank of England (blue bars). The right chart above compares the Bank of England’s accumulation or run-off of government bonds (blue line) with that of other central banks, where this blue line is the same as the blue bars in the left chart. The Bank of England was quicker and more aggressive than other central banks in downsizing its bond holdings, so UK yields will have risen more than elsewhere also for this reason, not just because of Governor Andrew Bailey’s remarks in October 2022. Back in October 2025, after a conversation in New York with friends in British politics, my sense of dysphoria was such that I raised the issue of the Bank of England openly in the FT Since 2008, the UK has slid into a deep economic and political predicament. Growth has stagnated to a degree far worse even than in the 1970s. The Tory leadership’s wager on the Brexit referendum spectacularly backfired, leaving the UK isolated from Europe and at the mercy of its special relationship with the US, many of whose political class regard the UK as a basket case. After years of austerity, the Labour party lurched to the left and then back to the centre. The Tory party has been eclipsed by the populist nationalism of Reform. Any British government should be worrying first and foremost about how to restart growth. Instead, Keir Starmer is beset by shades of the gilt market panic triggered by the Liz Truss government in 2022. The debt level is higher than in recent years, but there is no cause for panic. UK debt is at far from critical levels and of long duration. Whether you want to “take back control” or launch progressive economic policy, a democracy dogged by fear of bond market vigilantes is unhealthy. In a country that is a monetary sovereign, this climate points to one thing: a disconnect between the government and the central bank. Since 1997, the independence of the Bank of England has become a sacred cow. But independence is what you make of it. And in the wake of the gilt market crisis of September 2022, relations between the Bank of England and the UK government need a reset. In normal times, there is no doubt that an inflation-targeting independent central bank can serve a country well. But since 2008, the UK and other advanced economies have not had the luxury of such simple problems. To their credit, central bankers around the world have not stood on orthodoxy. After 2008, the US Federal Reserve rescued the global banking system and, through quantitative easing, it stabilised the Treasury market in the face of huge deficits. In Europe, things were trickier. Both the Bank of England under Mervyn King and Jean-Claude Trichet’s European Central Bank played cat and mouse with national governments. This was a high stakes wager that between 2010 and 2012 escalated bond market tension and triggered a disastrous turn to austerity. Shaken by the impact of those shocks, their successors, Mark Carney and Mario Draghi adopted a more protective stance (assuming you were not the government of Greece). Recall that Draghi’s legendary slogan, “Whatever it takes”, was uttered to face down the City of London’s bond vigilantes. In 2015, Draghi launched QE — financial repression by another name. In 2016, Carney used the authority of the Bank of England to stabilise markets following the vote for Brexit, an exemplary demonstration of how central banks can underpin democratic choice, even when those choices are wrong headed. All these were independent central bankers steeped in the best practice of the 1990s, who recognised that historic crises demanded radical action. It was the price surge of 2021-2023 that poisoned the atmosphere. Though the shock came mainly from the supply side, central banks ended up in the dock. Nowhere more so than in the UK. The Bank of England reacted with aggressive normalisation. Faced with a cost of living crisis, the governor called for workers to accept real wage cuts. In early 2022, as gas prices were at record levels and Russia’s army was poised to invade Ukraine, the Bank adopted a stringent programme of quantitative tightening, elevating interest rates. When the Truss government got itself in trouble, the Bank took almost a week to come to the rescue. Rather than enacting a charade of normality, it is time to recognise that in 2025 the UK faces a period of historic transition. To meet this challenge, what is needed is a new concordat with the Bank. This should not ignore inflationary pressures or the long-run trajectory of debt, but should affirm the priority of reviving investment-led growth. One could follow Donald Trump in demanding interest rate cuts. The Bank could shadow the ECB in its commitment to capping Eurozone yields. But the top priority should be to lay the ghost of September 2022. The Bank’s slowing of QT last month was a concession. An immediate and complete end would send the right signal. Such a concordat will not by itself restore sanity to politics, solve the housing problem or rebuild the NHS. But it would help to lift the fear of bond market crisis, which is paralysing the effort by democratic politicians to answer the fundamental questions facing the nation. Now, that call for a new concordat between government and Bank of Englands seems more urgent than ever. The problem is that in October 2025, Starmer still had some authority. Today the government is in tatters. And when you are the “under the harrow” - to echo a phrase of Montagu Norman’s from the 1920s - it is the worst possible time to consider institutional change. To make general arguments at a time of crisis can only seem like special pleading rather than a general argument for long-term change. The same, unfortunately, is also true for the other basic institutional reform that Britain urgently needs i.e. the abolition of the out-dated first past the post electoral system and its replacement by a moderated form of proportional representation. And thirdly - whilst we are saying the quiet parts out loud - Britain needs to reopen the question of EU membership. What the local election results of 2026 show is that this remains a key issue. And what they also show is that there is a clear majority that would favor a return. Until these basic features of Britain’s political economy are addressed the country will carry on its politics as though in a haunted house, governed by governments that lack actual majorities, conjuring up false constraints whilst ignoring the real ones. This one is for DG and MI. I love writing the newsletter. If you enjoy it too and fancy buying me a coffee once a month, you know what to do. Click below! Subscribe
Opinion | Time to ban utilities’ political spending, lower costs for Michiganders
Utility political spending doesn’t just stop good policies from becoming law. It's also an offensive weapon that’s used to push detrimental policies, broadly opposed by a majority of Michiganders and legislators in both parties, over the finish line.
Louisiana senate passes new U.S. House map that would eliminate majority-Black district
The new U.S. House districts, which still need House approval, would be used for primary elections poised to be postponed from Saturday until November. This as South Carolina's governor pushed for congressional redistricting and could call lawmakers into a special session.
Anatomy of a speech: how does a Republican leader say no to Trump?
South Carolina’s state senate majority leader offered a nuanced case for rejecting Trump’s redistricting demands
Louisiana lawmakers advance new 5-1 congressional map that favors Republicans
The new map will eliminate one of the state's majority Black, Democratic-leaning districts while keeping one Democratic-leaning district.
Vast majority support $1.8B state spending plan in our reader survey
Nearly 200 readers sent in their thoughts about lawmakers' $1.8 billion compromise, with more than three-quarters saying lawmakers should pass it.
House Republican misses another week of votes as health absence strains thin majority
Rep. Tom Kean Jr. will remain absent from Congress for over two months due to an unspecified health issue, with his office saying he will return to a full schedule soon.
Louisiana GOP lawmakers advance map eliminating one Democratic House district
Republicans currently have a 4-2 advantage in the state’s congressional delegation. The map would push that edge to 5-1, dropping one of Louisiana’s two majority-Black districts.
South Carolina state Senate rejects effort to tackle redistricting despite pressure from Trump
Five Republican lawmakers defected and voted against a plan to extend their legislative session in order to carve up the state’s lone Democratic U.S. House district.
In approving Alabama gerrymander, the Roberts Court shows its naked political bias
The justices tossed precedents to allow Republicans to dismantle yet another majority-Black district.
After fiery redistricting hearing, New Orleans Sen. Gary Carter is no longer on key committee
The change follows a contentious hearing over Republican efforts to remove one or both of Louisiana’s majority-Black districts in Congress.
Alabama order further weakens John Roberts’ claim that justices aren’t ‘political actors’
The GOP-appointed Supreme Court majority handed a win to Alabama Republicans in the nationwide redistricting war.
Rats, other vermin spark notable restaurant closures by L.A. health department
A review of L.A. County records by The Times tallied more than 120 vermin citations issued to food facilities in the region in 2026, with 67 — the majority — of these occurring in April alone.
Americans’ anger about the economy hits Trump and Republicans’ midterm prospects
A new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds that 77% – including a majority of Republicans – say that President Donald Trump’s policies have increased the cost of living in their own community. Roughly two-thirds of Americans say that Trump’s policies have worsened economic conditions in the country. And Trump’s approval rating stands at 30% on the economy, a career low.
New Orleans leaders talk strategy for Louisiana redistricting at town hall: ‘We’ve got to fight together’
New Orleans leaders on Monday night expressed outrage, disappointment, and hope for fighting back against a Supreme Court decision that removes a second majority-minority congressional district from Louisiana, calling it a suppression of the local Black electorate's power.
Louisiana senators address heated exchanges during tense redistricting debate
Tensions are high in the State Capitol as Republicans push to redraw the congressional map to eliminate one or both majority-Black districts.
Crucial vote on Louisiana’s controversial redistricting push scheduled for Tuesday afternoon
It’s an important development in the ferocious battle over whether Louisiana will get rid of one or both of its majority-Black congressional districts.
Supreme Court Clears Path for Alabama to Use New Voting Map
A majority of the justices sided with Alabama in a move that could speed up efforts to put in place a congressional district map that would eliminate a majority-Black district.
Supreme Court allows Alabama to eliminate congressional district held by a Black Democrat
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Monday allowed Alabama to revert to a congressional map with one majority-Black district in a sudden ruling that drew a dissent from the court’s three liberal justices.
New poll finds a majority of Americans unsure if attempts on Trump's life were real
When given the options of "true," "false" or "not sure," and asked whether each of the incidents "was staged," a majority of respondents said they thought each event was either staged or were unsure.
SCOTUS: Ending the South’s majority-Black districts
Section 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act has been gutted
An overwhelming percentage of Coloradans say climate change is harming human health
A Colorado Health Institute poll found that a strong majority of Coloradans believe climate change is real and is harming human health.
It’s not just drivers who hate high gas prices. So do gas station owners
The overwhelming majority of gas stations are small businesses, and the rise in the wholesale gas price they pay has cut deeply into their already thin profit margins.
DeSantis’s new House map sparks bipartisan anger in Puerto Rican hub in Florida
The governor said his state needed to redistrict to account for population growth. But in a majority-Hispanic area, that growth could work against him.
Chicago Teachers Union wants $8.5 million dues hike to fund politics
“Has your brand become toxic?” This was a pointed question from WGN Political Editor Tahman Bradley, posed to Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates in a recent interview. Her immediate response: “I don’t understand the question.” When pressed, Gates added, “The Chicago Teachers Union is not a political party, it is a labor union.” But internal union documents show CTU leadership is trying to skim $8.5 million more from teacher paychecks explicitly for politics, while trying to silence union members critical of Gates’ leadership. Under the proposed dues hike, Chicago teachers would see up to $800 more per year flow from their paychecks to union coffers. The union already takes in more than $40 million a year, mostly from dues. And it spends less than 18 cents of every dollar on teacher representation. The No. 1 reason for the proposed dues hike? Politics. “We must win a majority of the first 21 person fully elected school board in November,” reads the first point in CTU’s member FAQ document.1 This directly contradicts CTU’s promise to members about how leadership uses dues money. The official CTU handbook tells members that the union does not use dues money for politics, so if they are interested in funding political activity, they should consider voluntary donations to CTU’s political action committee. “Our dues are not used for political purposes,” according to the handbook. “So our PAC relies on extra contributions from our members to support progressive candidates and to impact elected officials at the city, county and state levels.” This kind of double-speak is one reason members are concerned about another constitutional change slipped into the dues hike vote, which will take place on May 20-21: an attempt to stop members from holding the union accountable. A proposed amendment to the union constitution tries to place limits on when members may bring a lawsuit against the union for violating members’ rights.2 This provision is clearly a response to members’ lawsuit against union leadership regarding Gates’ years-long refusal to publish audited financial statements. The judge in that case has repeatedly denied the union’s attempts to dismiss it. Teachers opposed to these changes have been circulating this flier, urging members to vote no. What will CTU members get in return for millions of dollars in additional dues? If the 2024 school board elections are any indication—not much. CTU leadership’s record on school board races may not inspire confidence among members. A Chicago Policy Center analysis of a dozen affiliated PACs found CTU spent nearly $2.9 million on school board races in 2024. Of that spending, more than $2.1 million (75%) went to losing candidates. And while CTU-backed candidates lost six of the nine competitive seats overall, they fared worse in their biggest-spending races, losing five of six contests in which the union and its affiliates put up more than $250,000 for their candidate. The Chicago school board elections take place Nov. 3.3 Is another $8.5 million enough to clean up a toxic reputation? Not likely. Update on federal tax credit scholarship: Last week, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she plans to opt into the federal tax credit scholarship program. If Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker follows suit, Illinois could unlock $1 billion in donor money statewide for both public- and private-school students. If Illinois does not opt in, that money will flow to other states. The Last Ward reported in February on how Illinois Democrats could unlock at least $100 million in new resources for Chicago public-school students by opting in. Update on the investigation into how Chicagoans learned about a meeting to hike their property taxes: The Last Ward reported in January on an absurd, taxpayer-funded investigation into how local media learned of a planned Chicago school board meeting to hike the district’s property tax levy. That investigation is now complete. Lawyers interviewed two dozen witnesses, and found nothing. Update on Illinois’ muni debt crisis: My colleague Joe Tabor last week published a must-read piece in Crain’s Chicago Business about how Illinois recently rejected south suburban Harvey’s request to be designated a “distressed city.” The saga shows why the state must implement a better structure to assist insolvent local governments, including allowing for the option to pursue debt relief via Chapter 9 bankruptcy. The Last Ward reported in October on how Harvey is tipping the first domino in Illinois’ municipal debt crisis. Mincing Rascals: I joined the Mincing Rascals podcast to discuss the SAFE-T Act, the millionaires tax, and more. My “green light” recommendation: Force Majeure (2014). 1 Notably, the No. 2 reason cited is “resources to fund a state-wide millionaires tax campaign in order to fully fund the state’s school funding formula.” The constitutional amendment necessary to implement a progressive income tax in Illinois recently died in the Illinois House, meaning this question would not appear on the ballot until 2028 at the earliest. 2 There is seemingly no single-subject rule for CTU constitutional amendments. So members only get one vote on the full package. One cannot vote “yes” on the dues hike and “no” on the restriction of members’ rights, for example. 3 Illinois law grants far too much power over local government to unelected officials like Gates. State lawmakers should fix that.
Poll: 72 percent say there’s too much money in American politics
A new poll shows that a large majority of Americans say they think there is too much money in U.S. politics. Politico released a poll on Saturday showing that 72 percent of Americans say there̵…
Video: The G.O.P. Rush To Break Up Majority-Black Districts
Republican-controlled legislatures in the South are breaking up majority-Black congressional districts in the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling. Our national politics reporter Nick Corasaniti describes what it means for the midterms.
WA filing week closes as Democrats chase supermajority in Olympia
Washington state's candidate filing week sets up key legislative races as Democrats look to expand control and potentially secure a supermajority.
Tennessee redistricting plan splits Memphis neighbors and reshapes midterms as other states follow
A new congressional map in Tennessee splits the majority-Black city of Memphis into three districts
Tennessee redistricting plan splits Memphis neighbors and reshapes midterms as other states follow
A new congressional map in Tennessee splits the majority-Black city of Memphis into three districts.
Tennessee redistricting plan splits Memphis neighbors and reshapes midterms as other states follow
A new congressional map in Tennessee splits the majority-Black city of Memphis into three districts.
How Minority Districts Fueled the G.O.P.’s Southern Ascendancy in Congress
The “majority-minority” House districts struck down by the Supreme Court last week sent a surge of Black and Hispanic lawmakers to Congress. They also opened opportunities for the G.O.P.
Residents urge Louisiana lawmakers to keep two majority-Black U.S. House districts
A panel of Louisiana lawmakers all day May 8 heard passionate testimony from the public and elected officials urging them not to remove either of the state’s two majority-Black congressional
Fiery hearing over Louisiana redistricting shows historic stakes: ‘The country is watching’
Over the course of more than eight hours, dozens of speakers urged legislators not to redraw maps to eliminate two majority-Black districts.
Huge crowd presses for Louisiana to keep two majority-Black districts in pointed hearing
As the Louisiana Legislature races to redraw its voting maps for Congress, voters and advocates blasted lawmakers for pushing to eliminate majority-Black seats.
The Supreme Court Crippling Black Voting Power Was Not an Accident
There is a particular kind of violence the court’s majority prefers because the justices can deny it while it is happening.
Anger mounts after Tennessee Republicans redraw maps
Legislature has eliminated the state’s one Democratic, Black-majority congressional district
See How the G.O.P. Cut Up Tennessee’s Only Majority Black District
A recent Supreme Court ruling makes it much harder to argue that a map illegally dilutes Black voting power. Tennessee has since broken up a predominantly Black district.
How a charity basketball game became a flashpoint in Louisiana’s tense redistricting fight
Democrats have few tools to halt Republican moves on redistricting, but they are making clear their displeasure at potentially losing majority-Black districts.
Tennessee lawmakers pass U.S. House map carving up majority-Black district in Memphis
The new voting districts approved Thursday could give Republicans a chance to win all nine of the state’s congressional seats in the November midterm elections.
Apple Faces £3 Billion UK Trial Over iCloud Lock-In Claims
Apple was not able to narrow the scope of a UK lawsuit accusing it of locking 40 million UK consumers into iCloud, to the detriment of third-party cloud storage providers. British consumer group Which? first filed the lawsuit in late 2024, and is asking for £3 billion for UK Apple customers. Apple wanted to exclude non-paying iCloud users from the lawsuit, but the tribunal denied Apple's request in a 2 to 1 majority.
Mexico in Numbers: Women's representation in politics
Mexico in Numbers: Mexican women in politics now hold 50% of cabinet seats, lead 44% of states and are a majority in the Chamber of Deputies.
Tennessee Republicans approve map carving up majority-Black US House district
Republican lawmakers in Tennessee approved a new US House map Thursday that carves up a majority-Black district in Memphis, reshaping it to the GOP’s advantage as part of President Donald Trump’s strategy to hold on to a slim majority in the November midterm elections.
Tennessee Republicans pass map splitting up state’s lone majority-Black district
The new map, which comes in response to last week’s U.S. Supreme’s redistricting ruling, puts Republicans in position to pick up a House seat in the midterm elections.
Tennessee Approves New Map Aimed at Flipping the Last Democratic Seat
After a Supreme Court ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Republicans carved up a majority-Black Memphis seat as the national redistricting wars continue.
Chief Justice laments perception of 'political' Supreme Court
Roberts seemed to acknowledge dimming public approval of the court, shown in recent polls, as conservative majority pushes law dramatically rightward.
Republicans poised to vote on new House map that would erase Democratic seat in Tennessee
Such a move could reshape the electoral map ahead of the midterms by carving up a majority-Black congressional district
Is the FDA Really Suppressing Science? Plus. . .
It’s Thursday, May 7. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Aaron MacLean says Trump is poised to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the Iran war. Joe Klein on the life of CNN founder Ted Turner. Jillian Lederman on why cruise ships are here to stay. And much more. But first: Is the FDA suppressing science? On Tuesday, The New York Times published a story with an alarming takeaway. “FDA Blocked Publication of Research Finding Covid and Shingles Vaccines Were Safe,” read the headline. It is the latest in a string of stories that all have the same message: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other agencies, are engaged in a cover-up—and silencing scientists trying to get the word out about the Covid vaccine. What all these stories suggest—some more subtly than others—is that the outsiders now running the public health establishment, officials such as Marty Makary at the FDA and Jay Bhattacharya at the National Institutes of Health, are on a revenge tour. That they are doing harm to the country to get back at the scientists and bureaucrats who ostracized them for deviating from the public-health consensus during the pandemic. It’s a seductive narrative. But is it true? That’s the question we address in our latest editorial. —The Editors Read [ Marty Makary's FDA Has All the Right Enemies ](https://www.thefp.com/p/marty-makary-vaccine-study-fda) [ Trump Blinks First ](https://www.thefp.com/p/iran-peace-deal-pakistan-trump-strait-of-hormuz) Aaron MacLean In return for no detectable concessions, President Trump this week gave up on forcing open the Strait of Hormuz. Now, the Trump administration looks desperate for a deal to end the war with Iran. It’s easy to understand the desire to end the war, but are they blowing the chance at victory? Aaron MacLean makes sense of the administration’s latest moves—and Iran’s response—in his column today. Read full story Aaron MacLean and Niall Ferguson: Live in New York City Join Aaron MacLean and Niall Ferguson on May 19 for a live recording of School of War at the iconic New York Historical. In a conversation as timely as it is wide-ranging, Aaron and Niall will explore the strategic stakes of the moment, including the Middle East, China, and the future of American leadership on the global stage. Get Tickets Now [ Ted Turner, the Optimist Who Built CNN ](https://www.thefp.com/p/ted-turner-cnn-tribute) Joe Klein The man who gave us CNN and the 24-hour news cycle, Ted Turner, died Wednesday at the age of 87. Today, political writer Joe Klein—who almost ghostwrote Turner’s autobiography—remembers his friend, the American media mogul who stood out for his idealism and lack of a filter—something that got Turner in trouble more than once. “His was not a traditional intelligence, but one of horizon: Ted saw things before other people did,” Joe writes. Read full story [ Nothing Can Sink the Cruise Ship ](https://www.thefp.com/p/cruise-ship-hantavirus) Jillian Lederman A viral outbreak on a cruise ship that left three passengers dead has left some people wondering: Are cruise ships on the way out? Not so fast, says Jillian Lederman, who has been on many a cruise herself. Read her piece on why 38 million people a year take a cruise—and aren’t about to stop. Read full story [ The Great Writers Who Were Terrible People ](https://www.thefp.com/p/the-great-writers-who-were-terrible) Shilo Brooks Throughout history, some of the greatest literary geniuses have also been immoral bigots. In the latest episode of Old School, Shilo Brooks is joined by Eli Lake for a conversation about those geniuses, from Voltaire to Norman Mailer and Roald Dahl—and why we should read their work despite their odious prejudices. Listen on MORE FROM THE FREE PRESS [ Inside the Digital Intifada ](https://www.thefp.com/p/digital-intifada-social-media-hamas-terror) Warren Kinsella Read full story [ This Week in American History: Trump’s Over-Arching Problem ](https://www.thefp.com/p/this-week-in-american-history-trumps-over-arching-problem) Jonathan Horn Read full story [ Humanity Is Still Evolving—and Fast ](https://www.thefp.com/p/humanity-is-still-evolvingand-fast) Razib Khan Read full story THE NEWS Thirteen D.C. Metropolitan Police officers have been placed on administrative leave and could face termination after an internal investigation found evidence that crime statistics were manipulated to make the city look safer. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee previously alleged that former D.C. police chief Pamela Smith pressured officers to skew data. Tennessee Republicans unveiled a redrawn U.S. House map yesterday that would split up Memphis’s black-majority Democratic district, the latest move in a nationwide push to redraw congressional boundaries ahead of the midterms. The effort follows a Supreme Court ruling last week on Louisiana’s districts, which Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton said gave states the green light to redraw maps along partisan lines. Israel struck Beirut for the first time since a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect last month, saying it targeted a commander of the militant group’s elite Radwan force in the city’s southern suburbs. The strikes risk destabilizing that truce at a delicate moment, as Iran and the U.S. report progress toward a deal to resolve their own standoff. The U.S. Air Force is aiming for a Fourth of July delivery of a Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar, hoping to add it to the Air Force One fleet in time for the U.S.’s 250th anniversary, Reuters reported. (For more on the controversy surrounding the aircraft, read Jed Rubenfeld’s piece “It’s a Terrible Idea, but Trump Probably Can Accept a Free Jet from Qatar.”) Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testified privately before Congress that he has no memory of why he and his family dined on Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in 2012, according to Reuters. The admission contradicts Lutnick’s earlier claim that he had cut ties with the convicted sex offender well before that visit. Weeks before a former JPMorgan investment banker filed a lawsuit packed with explosive allegations, the bank reportedly offered him $1 million to settle his sexual assault and harassment claims, according to The Wall Street Journal. The suit, filed by Chirayu Rana, alleges he was sexually assaulted by a female colleague, subjected to racial discrimination, and forced into a degrading dynamic at work. JPMorgan says the claims lack merit, and the female colleague’s lawyers call the accusations fabricated. A new report from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research shows that, for the first time in roughly 20 years, church attendance is trending upward, with more people volunteering and clergy expressing renewed optimism. The study’s authors described the findings, based on a survey of more than 7,400 congregations, as showing signs of widespread recovery from low attendance numbers.
In new poll, Americans voice broad bipartisan support for age caps in Congress
The vast majority of Americans — 8 in 10 — say there should be age caps for members of Congress, as well as term limits, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll.
'It wasn't stage-managed, it was just joy'
Arsenal should celebrate. If there's one learning to be taken from the days between Saturday's victory over Fulham and Tuesday's against Atletico Madrid - it's that vibes are paramount. For the majority of this season, Arsenal have been top of the table, soundtracked by endless talk of a quadruple or non-quadruple, unable to move for bottle memes.
Tennessee poised to vote on new US House map sought by Trump that carves up Memphis
Republican lawmakers in Tennessee are poised to vote on a plan to reshape a majority-Black congressional district | 830 WCCO
Tennessee poised to vote on new US House map sought by Trump that carves up Memphis
Republican lawmakers in Tennessee are poised to vote on a plan to reshape a majority-Black congressional district | News-Talk 1380 WAOK
Trump gets revenge, and other takeaways from Tuesday’s Indiana and Ohio primaries
President Donald Trump vowed revenge when the Republican supermajority in the Indiana state Senate embarrassed him in December, voting down Trump’s demands to redraw the state’s congressional maps to help the party win two more seats.
Vasco Expands Southeast Sports Surfacing Platform with Acquisitions of Howard B. Jones & Son and Court Surfaces of Florida
The acquisitions represent a strategic expansion of The Vasco Group's Southeast footprint under majority ownership by Monogram Capital Partners with support of...
Legislative Dems follow highway robbery with blackmail
By Byron Pelton My colleagues across the aisle have revealed something extraordinary in their frantic attempt to get rid of Initiative 175: They believe Colorado voters are too stupid to notice their vote will be thrown out in furtherance of their elected representatives’ budget shell game. For more than a decade, the Democratic majority has […]
Supreme Court justices spar over Louisiana’s effort to speed up elimination of majority-Black congressional district
The Supreme Court cleared the way Monday for Louisiana to redraw a hotly contested congressional map that the court ruled days earlier was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, a highly technical decision that sparked a bitter back-and-forth between three conservatives and a member of the court’s liberal wing.
Colorado lawmakers advance rewrite of 2024 law to regulate artificial intelligence
With just nine days left in the 2026 legislative session, a revised proposal to amend the 2024 artificial‑intelligence law is finally advancing — even though it’s not the bill Senate Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez had hoped for. Senate Bill 189, which largely mirrors a draft bill written by a governor-appointed task force, was introduced in […]
Mobile-health Network Solutions Enters into Non-Binding US$119 Million Strategic Framework with Hector Capital to Acquire BIMA and M&M Helix, Accelerating AI-powered Healthcare Expansion across Asia and Africa
Singapore, Singapore--(Newsfile Corp. - May 4, 2026) - Mobile-health Network Solutions (NASDAQ: MNDR) ("MNDR" or the "Company"), a leading AI-powered digital health platform, today announced the signing of a non-binding Strategic Cooperation Framework Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with Hector Capital Holdings Pte. Ltd. ("Hector Capital"). Under the framework, Hector Capital will invest up to US$119 million into MNDR to support the acquisition of majority shareholdings in MILVIK Singapore..
Who's Who in Finance: Capital Gap Widens - Los Angeles Business Journal
As one of the key figures in Los Angeles’ chapter of the Small Business Majority, Brian Pifer researches, educates and advocates for the area’s
Louisiana Republicans eliminate Democrat's elected position
Louisiana Republicans eliminated the office a Democrat was set to assume after being overwhelmingly elected to a New Orleans-based post representing a Black-majority parish.