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Obama-appointed judge reverses course, rules voter ID law isn’t discriminatory in GOP win
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An Obama-appointed federal judge who once blocked North Carolina’s voter identification law has reversed course and ruled it constitutional, delivering a major win for Republicans and election security advocates after a seven-year court fight.
Judge Loretta Biggs upheld the law on Thursday, finding the liberal voting rights groups that sued North Carolina’s election board failed to prove the voter ID law was discriminatory. The ruling leaves North Carolina’s voter ID law in place ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
It also comes as President Donald Trump has been advocating stricter voter ID laws nationwide, alleging what he has said is widespread fraud in elections and to prevent illegal immigrants from potentially casting ballots.
The North Carolina case centered on a bill that the GOP-led Senate crafted in 2018 to govern how the state would enforce an amendment requiring voters to present a photo ID at the polls. The amendment had been approved by about 55% of North Carolina voters and the legislation dictated how the amendment would be put into practice.
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A volunteer picks up a «Require Voter ID» sign at a press conference at the Riverside County Registrar of Voters on March 2, 2026, in California as GOP lawmakers gather in support of placing a voter ID measure on the November ballot. (Anjali Sharif-Paul/MediaNews Group/The Sun via Getty Images)
«Finally. After seven years, we can put to rest any doubt that our state’s Voter I.D. law is constitutional,» said Republican state Sen. Phil Berger, who intervened in the case to defend the law.
Biggs emphasized in her 134-page decision that North Carolina had a «history of extensive official discrimination against African Americans» that was undisputed by parties in the case. The judge said she found evidence that the voter ID law served to disenfranchise Black and Latino voters but that precedents set by higher courts meant the evidence was not enough to invalidate the law.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS PUSH JOHNSON TO GO TO WAR WITH SENATE OVER SAVE ACT
President Donald Trump holds a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., March 26, 2026. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
«This Court … concludes that it is compelled by controlling case law to render Judgment in favor of the Defendants,» Biggs said, tossing out the plaintiffs’ allegations that the law violated the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments and the Voting Rights Act.
The judge said the «case law requires this Court to assign less weight to the historical background. It further requires almost impenetrable deference to the presumption of legislative good faith.»
The judge’s findings echo prominent Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who have called voter ID laws «Jim Crow 2.0.» Schumer has said the SAVE America Act, which he is currently blocking from Senate passage, is «a dagger to the heart of our democracy.»
Trump has been aggressively urging Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a bill that would impose a nationwide requirement that people provide a physical document proving U.S. citizenship when they register to vote. But tensions have flared on Capitol Hill after the bill passed the House but stalled in the Senate because of Democrats’ opposition to it.
The decision marked a reversal for Biggs after she issued a preliminary injunction in December 2019 that blocked the state from enforcing the voter ID law for the 2020 election cycle. In that opinion, she cited the state’s «sordid history of racial discrimination and voter suppression,» arguing that parts of the law were «impermissibly motivated, at least in part, by discriminatory intent.»
In this Feb. 26, 2014, file photo, an election official checks a voter’s photo identification at an early voting polling site in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
Her injunction was later reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit. The state Supreme Court also upheld the law in a separate state-level case.
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North Carolina Republicans have defended the law has one designed to be accommodating to all voters, saying it offered a wide range of identification options for people showing up to the polls while also boosting election integrity and confidence in elections.
federal judges, voting, elections, north carolina
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Republican Sen. Ted Cruz is staying neutral in the combustible GOP Senate nomination showdown in Texas between longtime Sen. John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
«I like John. I like Ken. They’re both friends of mine. I have supported both of them in the past. I’ve worked closely with both of them. I’ve endorsed both of them. I’ve campaigned with both of them, and so I’m staying out,» the conservative firebrand three-term senator said in a Fox News Digital interview on Wednesday.
The winner of the May 26 Republican runoff election will face off with Democratic nominee state Rep. James Talarico in this autumn’s general election in a race that’s among a handful which may decide if the GOP keeps its Senate majority in the midterms. The GOP currently controls the chamber, 53–47.
BRUISING GOP SENATE PRIMARY SHOWDOWN HEADS INTO OVERTIME
Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, left, is facing off against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a bitter GOP primary runoff election. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Antranik Tavitian/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Cornyn edged Paxton by a point in the March 3 primary, as they were the top two contenders among a crowded field of Republican candidates. But since neither of the heated rivals cracked the 50% threshold to win the nomination, the race headed into overtime.
While some of Cruz’s top outsider political advisers are supporting Paxton, the senator is declining to take sides.
«I trust the voters of Texas to make this decision,» the senator said.
‘OPEN BORDERS, TRUMP-HATING RADICAL’—REPUBLICANS QUICKLY POUNCE ON TALARICO
Talarico, who is considered a Democratic Party rising star, topped progressive firebrand Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a vocal Trump critic, in their party’s primary. Talarico is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in right-leaning Texas.
Democratic Senate candidate state Rep. James Talarico speaks to supporters on primary night, in Austin, Texas, on March 3, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
The Cornyn campaign and aligned super PACs have spent big bucks to run ads attacking Paxton, arguing that Democrats will flip the seat in the general election if Paxton’s the GOP’s nominee.
Cornyn, his allies, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the campaign arm of the Senate GOP, repeatedly pointed to the slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered Paxton over the past decade, as well as his ongoing messy divorce.
Paxton, a longtime supporter and ally of President Donald Trump and a MAGA firebrand who grabbed significant national attention by filing lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, has pushed back by repeatedly questioning Cornyn’s conservative credentials and past support for Trump.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, speaks during a primary election night watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Dallas. (Julio Cortez/AP Photo)
The president, whose sway in Republican nomination battles remains immense, stayed neutral during the primary campaign.
Hours after Cornyn and Paxton advanced to the runoff, Trump took to social media to announce, «I will be making my Endorsement soon.»
Trump added that Trump added that he would «be asking the candidate that I don’t Endorse to immediately DROP OUT OF THE RACE!»
All signs at the time pointed to Trump backing Cornyn.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, speaks to the media on primary night, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas. (Jack Myer/AP Photo)
But more than three weeks since his social media post, Trump still remains neutral. And that has the MAGA faithful, many of whom are backing Paxton, hopeful that the president will stay out of the race, which would be a major victory for the Texas attorney general.
Paxton traveled to the president’s Mar-a-Lago residence last weekend for a Palm Beach County GOP dinner, where he briefly met with President Trump, two sources with knowledge of the encounter confirmed to Fox News Digital. One of the sources called it a ‘check in’ between Trump and Paxton. The news was first reported by Politico.
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There’s been a dearth of public opinion polling in the runoff, but the two surveys that have been released suggest Paxton holds a single-digit lead.
The race between Cornyn and Paxton is viewed by many Republicans as a battle between MAGA world and the grassroots versus the party establishment for the soul of the GOP.
ted cruz, donald trump, texas, senate elections, republicans elections, midterm elections, campaigning
INTERNACIONAL
Las alertas de marineros atrapados en el estrecho de Ormuz generaron caos y preocupación en el Golfo Pérsico
Las líneas de ayuda para marineros afirmaron estar desbordadas de mensajes de tripulaciones atrapadas en el Golfo Pérsico por la guerra en Medio Oriente, que buscan desesperadamente la repatriación, una indemnización y suministros a bordo.
“Les escribo para informarles con urgencia que nuestro buque se enfrenta actualmente a una situación crítica en lo que respecta a las provisiones y al estado de salud de un miembro de la tripulación”, decía un correo electrónico enviado por un marino el 24 de marzo al equipo de apoyo a la gente de mar de la Federación Internacional de Trabajadores del Transporte (ITF).
“Se requiere un suministro inmediato de alimentos, agua potable y artículos de primera necesidad para mantener a la tripulación”, decía el mensaje enviado a la línea de ayuda del equipo.
La ITF declaró haber recibido más de 1.000 correos electrónicos y mensajes de marineros atrapados en el estrecho de Ormuz y la región circundante desde que estalló la guerra con los ataques estadounidenses e israelíes contra Irán el 28 de febrero.
Ataques con bombas
Algunos intentaron aclarar cuáles son sus derechos mientras navegan por una zona de guerra, mientras que otros enviaron vídeos de bombardeos que caían cerca de su barco y pidieron ayuda a la federación para desembarcar, según documentos de la ITF a los que tuvo acceso la agencia AFP.
“Es una situación extraordinaria, hay mucho pánico”, dijo a la AFP Mohamed Arrachedi, coordinador de la red de la ITF para el mundo árabe e Irán, encargado de atender las solicitudes de los marineros de la región, describiendo la situación como “realmente impactante”.
“Recibo llamadas de marineros a las dos o las tres de la madrugada. Me llaman en cuanto tienen acceso a internet”, declaró Arrachedi el miércoles por teléfono desde España.
“Un marinero llamó presa del pánico, diciendo: ‘Estamos aquí siendo bombardeados. No queremos morir. Por favor, ayúdeme, señor. Por favor, sáquenos de aquí’”.
Según la Organización Marítima Internacional (OMI), organismo de la ONU para la seguridad marítima, unos 20.000 marineros se encuentran actualmente atrapados en el Golfo Pérsico, y al menos ocho marineros o estibadores murieron en incidentes en la región desde el 28 de febrero.
Toda la correspondencia se compartió con la AFP bajo condición de anonimato, ya que la línea de ayuda garantiza la confidencialidad a los marineros.
Derechos en zonas de guerra
El Foro Internacional de Negociación (IBF, por sus siglas en inglés), organismo mundial que representa a los trabajadores marítimos, ha declarado la zona de guerra.
Esto normalmente otorga a los marineros derechos excepcionales, incluida la repatriación a cargo de la empresa y el doble de sueldo para aquellos que trabajan en buques cubiertos por los acuerdos de la IBF; alrededor de 15.000 buques en todo el mundo, según la ITF.
A pesar de ello, muchos marineros, especialmente los que trabajan en barcos que no cuentan con este tipo de acuerdos laborales, están denunciando dificultades para ser repatriados.
En un correo electrónico enviado a la ITF el 18 de marzo, un marinero afirmó que el operador del barco estaba ignorando las peticiones de la tripulación para abandonar la zona, argumentando que no había vuelos desde Irak y negándose a ofrecer rutas alternativas.
“Nos obligan a seguir realizando operaciones de carga y de transbordo de buque a buque, incluso cuando expresamos nuestra preocupación por nuestra seguridad y nos encontramos en una zona de guerra. Nos mantienen en una situación sin opciones”, se lee en el correo electrónico al que tuvo acceso la AFP.
La Red Internacional de Bienestar y Asistencia a la Gente de Mar (ISWAN, por sus siglas en inglés), otra organización que gestiona una línea de ayuda, declaró el miércoles a la AFP que había observado “un aumento del 15 al 20% en las llamadas y los mensajes” desde el inicio de la guerra, y que un tercio de estos se relacionaban con dificultades para la repatriación.
16 dólares al día
Otra preocupación importante es la compensación.
“Alrededor del 50% de los correos electrónicos que recibimos se refieren a pagos”, dijo a la AFP Lucian Craciun, uno de los cinco miembros del equipo de soporte de la ITF que procesa las solicitudes en la sede de la organización en Londres.
Según explicó, muchos marineros optan por permanecer a bordo a pesar de las peligrosas condiciones porque no pueden permitirse el lujo de marcharse.
Un correo electrónico procedía de un marinero que preguntaba si su salario pasaría de 16 dólares al día a 32 dólares por encontrarse en una zona de guerra designada.
La ITF afirma que esos salarios tan bajos indican que los armadores no tienen convenios laborales que garanticen una remuneración digna.
Según el equipo de apoyo, los marineros que trabajan bajo este tipo de acuerdos corren un riesgo especial porque sus contratos a menudo no cubren las operaciones en zonas de guerra, y los armadores tienden a no responder a las solicitudes de organizaciones como la ITF.
Cuando eso sucede, la ITF se pone en contacto con los estados de abanderamiento y, si eso no funciona, con la autoridad portuaria del estado donde se encuentra el buque.
Arrachedi afirmó que muchos casos similares en el Golfo aún no se han resuelto, y que los marineros esperan desesperadamente respuestas de los operadores.
(AFP)
Middle East
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Top White House aide Stephen Miller joined Vice President JD Vance to launch the White House anti-fraud task force Friday, pledging to «demolish» the kind of corruption that unfairly burdens taxpayers and gives a free ride to bad actors.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump launched the task force via executive order, saying the administration will «use all available resources and authorities to fight fraud, close loopholes, enforce eligibility rules, and protect benefits for eligible Americans, while ensuring States administering Federal benefits programs do the same.»
Vance serves as its chairman and kicked off the White House event Friday, while FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson serves as vice chair.
Miller said the panel could not come at a better time, with Medicaid and other fraud rings making national headlines in Minnesota and beyond.
MINNESOTA HUMAN SERVICES OFFICIALS SKIP FRAUD HEARING AS WALZ PROMISES REFORM
Vice President JD Vance, left, and Stephen Miller, right. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
«I think what’s important for Americans to understand about how pervasive and widespread the fraud is, [and] that all of our systems were set up and established for a high-trust society. I think that most citizens probably assume that there’s some verification process that takes place for the receipt of most federal benefits. The reality is, is that there is not,» Miller said.
The outspoken aide added that the high-trust framework in place for decades is woefully inadequate for Democrat-run states, where verification processes are «willfully» lacking and often run on the honor system.
«Imagine in a community, a working-class community in the Twin Cities, say a native Minnesotan who works as a lineman or works as a construction worker; works in any job that requires hard work, dedication, focus; who’s worried about his ability to support for or provide his family,» Miller said.
«And then imagine that he has a neighbor who’s a Somali refugee who arrived two years ago and has a Mercedes, and no financial stress and no worries at all in the entire world that never seems to ever go to work at all because he just went to an office in the state, lied on a piece of paper and got unlimited free money forever for life.»
«That situation repeats itself innumerable times across the country,» he said, «and is exactly what the task force aims to take on.»
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«That is the corruption that this task force under the leadership of the vice president is going to demolish.»
Vance agreed with Miller in earlier comments, saying that Somali-born fraudsters have operated at «an industrial scale» to steal Americans’ tax dollars.
«We think fraud has been a problem for a long time,» he said. «We’re going to do a number of things. First of all, we’re going to turn back on those anti-fraud protections so that all of these cabinet officials are looking at what’s going on and focusing on it.»
He said the key to the task force will be communications between cabinet offices, so that, in his example, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins can communicate on shared concerns with a colleague like HUD Secretary Scott Turner.
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«This is not just theft of the American people’s money. This is also theft of critical services that the American people rely on,» Vance said.
«Some of you have heard me tell the story before, but I think that the autism scam that we’ve seen in the Somalian parts of Minnesota really illustrates well what’s been going on across whole layers of our government.»
corruption, corruption crime, white house, minnesota fraud exposed, jd vance
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