Virginia Democrats file movement with state’s supreme courtroom to remain latest choice rejecting voter-approved congressional maps
Virginia Democrats have filed a movement with the state’s supreme courtroom to remain a latest choice that rejected voter-approved congressional maps, the Virginia Scope first reported.
The movement, submitted by Virginia politician Don Scott, who’s speaker of the Virginia home of delegates, paves the way in which for a possible enchantment to Friday’s ruling.
“On Could 8 2026, this Courtroom issued its choice on this case. Appellants and the Commonwealth intend to file an Emergency Petition to the Supreme Courtroom of america,” courtroom paperwork learn.
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US Transportation secretary Sean Duffy’s street journey and subsequent actuality tv present debut has garnered criticism.
Chasten Buttigieg, husband of former Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, lambasted Duffy in a submit to X.
Chasten wrote that Duffy beforehand “threw limitless matches on nationwide tv when Pete was working from our son’s ICU bedside” and is now bragging about taking the “multi-month, taxpayer-funded household street journey” as gasoline costs skyrocket nation large.
“How far more unfocused, unserious, and out of contact are you able to be?,” Chasten stated.
Duffy has repeatedly criticized Buttigieg for being a “no present” transportation secretary. In a submit final November, Duffy accused Buttigieg of being “mainly AWOL on the [Department of Transportation].” “I spend my complete day coping with your neglect and cleansing up your messes,” he added.
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The US Southern Command fatally struck a ship within the Japanese Pacific, claiming that the vessel was being operated by “Designated Terrorist Organizations” with out extra proof, in accordance with an replace posted to X.
Not less than two individuals had been killed and one other particular person injured throughout Friday’s navy motion, learn the replace. The Command alleged that the struck boat was “transiting alongside recognized narco-trafficking routes” and “engaged in narco-trafficking operations”. No US navy officers had been harmed in Friday’s strike.
Friday’s navy motion comes after three individuals had been killed in a ship strike on Tuesday. The US navy equally claimed that the boat was being operated by “Designated Terrorist Organizations” sans proof to again up stated declare.
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Up to date at 21.20 EDT
Uwa Ede-Osifo
In latest months, the transportation sector has weathered varied crises.
A partial authorities shutdown led to a DHS funding lapse, which in flip triggered TSA brokers to give up in droves. Vacationers waited in lengthy strains because of the staffing scarcity.
New York Metropolis’s LaGuardia airport noticed its first lethal crash in over 30 years after an Air Canada airplane collided with a hearth truck. The pilots of the Air Canada plane had been killed.
In the meantime, dominating headlines has been the spike in gasoline and jet gas costs, because the US-Israel battle with Iran continues to disrupt the oil business.
In the identical time span, US Transportation secretary Sean Duffy criss-crossed the nation in a van together with his household for a hearty, healthful street journey.
A clip of the journey, which was filmed for a actuality TV program, aired on Fox Information. Chatting with the community, Duffy stated the journey was impressed by the 250th anniversary of American independence. He praised the standard time spent with household.
Alongside the way in which, he stated, he additionally bought “some work” executed.
US transportation secretary Sean Duffy unveils Amtrak’s Freedom 250 Acela Prepare at Union Station on 7 Could in Washington, DC. {Photograph}: Heather Diehl/Getty ImagesShare
Up to date at 20.45 EDT
A panel of judges in Alabama have rejected a request for a keep after Republican lawmakers within the state handed a invoice that might enable for brand new US primaries if a redrawn congressional map is authorised.
Kyle Whitmire with Al.com shared the replace in a submit to X. The three-judge panel dominated that they didn’t have jurisdiction over the case as it’s being appealed on the US Supreme courtroom.
“Fairly merely, we should not have the authority to situation an order that upends Alabama’s establishment, particularly in the course of an election, whereas our injunction establishing that establishment is properly below evaluate within the nation’s highest courtroom.”
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Donald Trump ostensibly issued a Mom’s Day message on his Fact Social platform, although his submit was extra to tout final month’s stronger-than-expected US job features.
“Glad Mom’s Day weekend to all, particularly to the 115 THOUSAND AMERICANS who discovered jobs within the month of April alone!” the president wrote, to no moms specifically. “Regardless of the perfect efforts of Jerome “Too Late and Received’t Depart” Powell, and the America Hating Democrat Get together, extra People are working immediately than ever earlier than.”
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Utah supreme courtroom justice Diana Hagen resigned her place on Friday amid an investigation into allegations that she had an improper relationship with an lawyer working a case earlier than the state’s highest courtroom, studies the Salt Lake Tribune.
In her resignation letter to Utah governor Spencer Cox, Hagen wrote: “As a public servant for twenty-six years, I’m keenly conscious that public service requires sacrifice. I’ve willingly accepted these sacrifices for the privilege of holding a place of public belief, the place I might do my half to uphold the rule of regulation and shield the constitutional rights of each Utahn.
“I additionally perceive that public officers are rightly held to the next commonplace and should settle for a better diploma of public scrutiny and diminished privateness. However my household and buddies didn’t select public life. They don’t should have intensely private particulars surrounding the painful dissolution of my thirty-year marriage subjected to public scrutiny.”
Hagen was below stress as Republican leaders together with Cox, home speaker Mike Schultz and senate president J Stuart Adams had final month introduced an investigation into the allegations. The judicial conduct fee stated the allegations had “little or no credibility”.
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Up to date at 18.48 EDT
Trump administration pushes nationwide park managers to reduce looking restrictions
Donald Trump’s administration is quietly pushing nationwide park, refuge and wilderness space managers to dramatically reduce looking restrictions, elevating questions on customer security and the influence on wildlife.
Doug Burgum, inside secretary, issued an order in January directing a number of companies to take away what he termed “pointless regulatory or administrative boundaries” to looking and fishing and justify rules they need to hold in place, studies AP.
“Increasing alternatives for the general public to hunt and fish on Division-managed lands not solely strengthens conservation outcomes, but additionally helps rural economies, public well being, and entry to America’s outside areas,” Burgum wrote. “The Division’s coverage is evident: public and federally managed lands must be open to looking and fishing until a selected, documented, and legally supported exception applies.”
The order applies to 55 websites within the decrease 48 states below the Nationwide Park Service’s jurisdiction, in accordance with the Nationwide Parks Conservation Affiliation. Varied areas have already lifted prohibitions on looking stands that injury bushes and coaching looking canine, utilizing autos to retrieve animals and looking alongside trails, in accordance with an NPCA evaluate of website rules.
Searching is at the moment allowed throughout about 51m acres belonging to the Nationwide Park Service spanning 76 websites, though solely about 8m of these acres lie within the contiguous United States with the remaining in Alaska, in accordance with the NPS web site. Fishing is allowed in 213 websites. NPS websites usually undertake state looking and fishing rules, though they’ll impose restrictions that transcend them to guard public security and wildlife assets, comparable to prohibiting taking pictures alongside a path or close to buildings.
Dan Wenk, a former Yellowstone nationwide park superintendent and NPS deputy operations director, stated park managers established their rules by speaking with stakeholders and, in consequence, many of the restrictions have been extensively accepted. He stated it is not sensible for the Trump administration to upend that construction with out substantial public dialogue.
“Course of by no means appears to face in the way in which of many issues with this administration,” Wenk stated. “This was by no means a giant situation. I’d like to know the issue we’re attempting to resolve. Then I might perceive the prices that it’s going to take to resolve it by way of assets and customer security.”
Inside division spokesperson Elizabeth Peace stated in an electronic mail that the order was a “commonsense method to public land administration” and promised that any closures or limits wanted for public security, useful resource safety or authorized compliance will stay in place.
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Up to date at 18.39 EDT
Virginia Democrats file movement with state’s supreme courtroom to remain latest choice rejecting voter-approved congressional maps
Virginia Democrats have filed a movement with the state’s supreme courtroom to remain a latest choice that rejected voter-approved congressional maps, the Virginia Scope first reported.
The movement, submitted by Virginia politician Don Scott, who’s speaker of the Virginia home of delegates, paves the way in which for a possible enchantment to Friday’s ruling.
“On Could 8 2026, this Courtroom issued its choice on this case. Appellants and the Commonwealth intend to file an Emergency Petition to the Supreme Courtroom of america,” courtroom paperwork learn.
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Up to date at 18.39 EDT
Extra Democratic leaders have pledged to struggle in opposition to the Virginia supreme courtroom choice and broader makes an attempt to redraw congressional districts. The political committees of a number of Home democrat caucuses promised to “use each instrument at our disposal to struggle again in opposition to this choice”, in a joint assertion.
Chairs of the New Democrat Coalition Motion Fund, the Congressional Black Caucus Pac, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Bprevious Pac, the Congressional Progressive Caucus Pac, Elect Democratic Ladies, and Equality Pac denounced the Virginia choice.
“Maga Republicans proceed to chop undemocratic, unconstitutional, backroom offers with the assistance of their hand-picked judges, who’re handing down baseless rulings from the bench,” the assertion learn.
The assertion additionally known as out Republican lawmakers in Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Texas main redistricting efforts which can be “maliciously disenfranchising thousands and thousands of People in a single day in opposition to the need of the individuals”.
“We won’t sit idly by as Republicans dismantle the progress that generations of People fought and died to ship. We’ll use each instrument at our disposal to struggle again in opposition to this choice and each insidious effort to strip People of their basic freedoms.”
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Up to date at 18.40 EDT
Democratic consultant Jasmine Crockett of Texas’s thirtieth district, additionally criticized the Virginia supreme courtroom choice, in a scathing submit to X.
Crockett known as the rejection of voter-approved maps in Virginia “voter suppression”.
“They hold dropping when individuals truly vote, so as an alternative of adjusting their insurance policies, they hold attempting to silence the voices of the individuals,” wrote Crockett, referring to Republicans.
Texas notably redrew its congressional maps in 2025 so as to add extra Republican seats, a transfer that confronted authorized challenges however was later authorised by the US supreme courtroom.
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Consultant Terri A Sewell for Alabama’s seventh district, blasted makes an attempt from Alabama legislators to probably maintain new US Home primaries if redrawn congressional maps are allowed.
“Black voters make up practically one-third of Alabama’s voters,” stated Sewell throughout an NPR interview. “What state lawmakers are doing is attempting to dilute the ability of Alabama Black voters, silence their voices, and remove their capability to elect congressional and state leaders of their selection.”
Sewell added: “This isn’t about social gathering politics. It’s about whether or not Black Alabamians have a seat on the desk or whether or not they’ll let state lawmakers take us again to the Jim Crow period.”
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Alabama governor Kay Ivey has signed the handed plan, Home Invoice 1 and Senate Invoice 1, which might enable for brand new US Home primaries to happen if redistricting maps are authorised by the courts.
In a press release following the invoice’s signing, Ivey stated that “Alabama now stands able to shortly act, ought to the courts situation favorable rulings in our ongoing redistricting instances.”
Learn the complete assertion right here.
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