Former President Barack Obama was lambasted for rebuking a new Supreme Court ruling against race-based redistricting in Louisiana, just days after cutting ads for a Virginia effort to transform that state’s map into a 10-1 Democratic advantage.

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against Louisiana’s 2024 mid-decade redistricting that produced a serpentine district represented by Rep. Cleo Fields of Baton Rouge, calling it an «illegal» racial gerrymander, while Obama argued the decision weakened a Voting Rights Act provision prohibiting race-based discrimination.

«Today’s Supreme Court decision effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act, freeing state legislatures to gerrymander legislative districts to systematically dilute and weaken the voting power of racial minorities — so long as they do it under the guise of ‘partisanship’ rather than explicit ‘racial bias’,» Obama said.

«Unless it’s Virginia. In that case, it’s great to have a 10-1 gerrymander,» Bush White House press secretary Ari Fleischer replied in a post on X.

SPANBERGER FACES ‘BAIT-AND-SWITCH’ BACKLASH IN FINAL HOURS BEFORE REDISTRICTING REFERENDUM

Fleischer was joined by former North Carolina Congressman and ex-Trump aide Mark Meadows, who addressed Obama to say his rebuke was «beneath you.»

Former DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin also weighed in, remarking that, to the former president, «disenfranchising millions of voters and forcing 45% of Virginians to be represented by one congressional district and 55% represented by 10 is now ‘standing up for Democracy.’

«Is that ‘equity’? What a farce.»

Obama went on to slam the current makeup of the Supreme Court and its conservative majority, saying its decision in the case is another example of «abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy and protecting the rights of minority groups against majority overreach.»

Other critics noted Obama has been mum on his own home state’s gerrymandered map, which features several zigzagging districts connecting disparate neighborhoods and suburbs of Chicago, while other Democratic strongholds form serpentine districts around the interior of the state to connect cities like Champaign, Springfield and Moline with other Democratic areas.

The Virginia redistricting map was approved narrowly by voters late last week in a special election that the Virginia Supreme Court upheld amid a legal fight over the «ramming» through of mid-decade redistricting. (Virginia Legislative Information System)

Other critics noted how Democrats control every congressional district in New England, plus Hawaii, citing reported figures that all of those states have Republican populations between 32% and 48%, but none of those voters have like-minded representation in Washington.

The 44th president added that setbacks like that can be overcome, calling on Americans who respect «democratic ideals» to vote in record numbers to outweigh any electoral changes brought on by the court’s decision.

In his own reading of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Justice Samuel Alito said that when «correctly understood, [it] does not impose liability at odds with the Constitution, and it should not have imposed liability on Louisiana for its 2022 map.»

Just days earlier, Obama was front and center in the largely Democratic-led «Vote Yes» campaign in Virginia, where the commonwealth’s Democratic legislative majority and Gov. Abigail Spanberger backed a voter referendum to implement their own mid-decade redistricting that would favor their party for at least the next four years.

DEMOCRATS WIN VIRGINIA REDISTRICTING FIGHT, THREATENING REPUBLICAN HOUSE MAJORITY

The approved map would transform Virginia’s 6-5 Democratic congressional majority into a likely 10-1 split by redrawing rural districts to include Washington, D.C., suburbs or the Richmond-Petersburg metro area, which proponents like Obama said is needed to restore fairness on a national level.

«By voting yes, you have a chance to do something important, not just for the commonwealth but for our entire country. By voting yes, you can push back on the Republicans trying to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms,» Obama said.

Obama claimed in a pro-Yes ad that supporters could «level the playing field.»

CARVILLE AND CO-HOST LAMENT THAT TRUMP SPARKED A REDISTRICTING WAR, MAKING BOTH PARTIES LOOK CYNICAL

Louisiana State Sen. Cleo Fields speaks during the swearing-in of the state Legislature in Baton Rouge, La., on Jan. 8, 2024. (Gerald Herbert/Associated Press)

While largely a Democratic concern, and as newly drawn districts in Louisiana and Alabama favored Democrats, Virginia’s «yes» campaign did have support from a handful of non-Democrats such as anti-Trump former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill.

Like Louisiana’s map, Virginia’s plan has been subject to dueling litigation, including a recent move by a circuit judge in Tazewell County in the western mountains to place a hold on certification of the «Yes» vote, while the state Supreme Court considers a case over the referendum’s legislative process and legitimacy.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

In a statement, Fields said Wednesday’s high court decision «dismantled» decades of settled law and was not a «neutral reading» of the Voting Rights Act.

«Today’s majority has resurrected exactly that standard — and the practical effect is to make it far harder for minority communities to challenge redistricting maps that dilute their political voice,» Fields said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Obama for comment on criticisms.

Fox News’ David Spunt contributed to this report.

Britain raised its national terror threat level to «severe» on Thursday in the wake of the antisemitic stabbing attack in Golders Green, warning that another terrorist attack is now considered «highly likely» in the next six months.

The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) increased the U.K. National Threat Level from «substantial» to «severe» a day after two people were stabbed in north London in what police have formally declared a terrorist incident.

Officials said the decision was not based solely on the Golders Green attack, but reflects a broader rise in extreme right-wing terrorism in Britain.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called Wednesday’s violence an «abhorrent, antisemitic attack» and said the elevated threat level would be a source of concern for many, «particularly amongst our Jewish community, who have suffered so much.»

BELGIUM DEPLOYS MILITARY TO PROTECT JEWISH SITES AFTER ANTISEMITIC SYNAGOGUE EXPLOSION

Police said officers were called to Highfield Avenue in the Barnet borough at about 11:16 a.m. Wednesday following reports of multiple stabbings.

Two men, ages 76 and 34, were treated at the scene for stab wounds before being taken to a hospital, where they remain and are «being looked after,» Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said.

On Thursday, police identified the suspect as 45-year-old Essa Suleiman. Suleiman is a British national born in Somalia who had a «history of serious violence and mental health issues», police say.

NEW TERROR GROUP WITH REPORTED IRAN TIES CLAIMS 4 ATTACKS ACROSS EUROPE

Police arrest a demonstrator during a rally organized by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, opposite Downing Street in central London on April 30, 2026, following the stabbing of two Jewish men the day before in the Golders Green neighborhood of north London. (Carlos Jasso/ AFP via Getty Images)

The Home Office said the threat-level increase comes against a backdrop of rising terrorism in the U.K.

On Thursday, protesters gathered on Downing Street to voice concerns that not enough has been done to protect the Jewish community.

In response to the attack and a recent rise of antisemitic arson attacks in London, the government announced an additional £25 million in funding to protect Jewish communities, bringing total support this year to £58 million. Officials said the money will be used to boost police patrols and protective security at synagogues, schools and community centers.

RECORD ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS IN CANADA FUEL CRITICISM OF CARNEY GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

The funding will also support an expansion of Project Servator, which deploys specialist and plainclothes officers trained to spot suspicious behavior and identify people preparing to commit serious crimes.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the British government cannot credibly claim to be combating antisemitism unless it also confronts what he described as «explicit incitement against the Jewish state.»

«Hate slogans and anti-Semitic marches in the streets of London aren’t ‘free speech’. They are incitement,» he wrote on X. «They bring terror directed against Jews.
They must be banned. The phrase ‘Globalise the Intifada’, means killing Jews everywhere. It must be banned.»

«This is what the British government must immediately do to fight antisemitism. Otherwise, it’s just more empty words.»

Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during a meeting with representatives from criminal justice agencies at number 10 Downing Street, Westminster, following a terror attack in Golders Green. (Dan Kitwood/PA Images via Getty Images)

Taylor said the attack has now been formally classified as terrorism and that counterterrorism officers are working with security services to establish the full circumstances and develop a complete intelligence picture.

«Whilst I must stress this investigation is at an early stage, we are working quickly to understand exactly what happened,» Taylor said.

BOULDER TERROR ATTACK LATEST IN ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS RISING ACROSS US IN 2025

A police officer at the scene where two people were stabbed Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in a London neighborhood with a large Jewish community and a 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder over what authorities called an antisemitic attack. (Lucy North/PA via AP)

A statement posted on X by Shomrim, a volunteer neighborhood watch group in Orthodox Jewish communities, said the suspect was seen «armed with a knife» on Golders Green Road and was detained by members before police arrived.

Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said officers «swiftly Tasered and arrested the suspect before he could cause further harm,» adding that investigators are «considering all possible motives» and will maintain a visible police presence in the area.

Police at the scene where two people were stabbed Wednesday April 29, 2026 in a London neighborhood with a large Jewish community and a 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder over what authorities called an antisemitic attack. (Lucy North/PA via AP)

The U.K. was last at the «severe» threat level in November 2021, following the Liverpool Women’s Hospital bombing and the killing of lawmaker Sir David Amess, before it was lowered to «substantial» in February 2022.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the violence, calling attacks on Jewish residents «an attack on Britain,» while London Mayor Sadiq Khan said there is «no place for antisemitism» in the city.

Fox News’ Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

En su primera comparecencia pública importante ante el Congreso desde el inicio de la guerra en Irán, el jefe del Pentágono, Pete Hegseth, dijo el miércoles que el mayor adversario al que se enfrentaba Estados Unidos no era el ejército iraní, sino las “palabras huecas y derrotistas” de los demócratas y algunos legisladores republicanos.

Fue un anticipo de lo que resultó ser un polémico debate sobre la guerra en Irán.

La solicitud presupuestaria de casi 1,45 billones de dólares del Departamento de Defensa era el motivo de la audiencia de la Comisión de las Fuerzas Armadas de la Cámara de Representantes, pero los legisladores casi no tocaron ese tema durante varias horas de la comparecencia.

Hegseth hizo una defensa a ultranza de la “Operación Furia Épica”, que comenzó el 28 de febrero. Sentado junto al general Dan Caine, jefe del Estado Mayor Conjunto, y Jay Hurst, contralor del Pentágono, Hegseth subrayó repetidamente que la guerra era necesaria porque Irán representaba una “amenaza existencial” para Estados Unidos.

El secretario de Defensa se puso irritable durante la audiencia y se burló de las preguntas de los legisladores demócratas, lo que provocó una rara amonestación del presidente del comité.

A continuación presentamos las principales conclusiones de la audiencia:

La guerra en Irán ha costado hasta ahora 25 mil millones de dólares, según el Pentágono

Hurst dijo que esa cifra es representativa sobre todo de las decenas de miles de bombas y misiles utilizados en el conflicto. Era la primera vez que el Departamento de Defensa facilitaba públicamente una estimación del costo de la guerra.

La guerra ha consumido un gran porcentaje de las municiones convencionales de mayor alcance del Pentágono, como los misiles de crucero furtivos lanzados desde el aire y los misiles de ataque de precisión lanzados desde tierra.

Han muerto 14 militares durante la guerra

El general Caine mencionó que 14 militares estadounidenses han muerto en el marco de la operación Furia Épica, aunque el sistema de análisis de bajas del Pentágono mostraba en línea 13 muertes estadounidenses hasta el miércoles por la mañana.

El decimocuarto militar era el mayor Sorffly Davius, de la Guardia Nacional del Ejército, quien, según ABC News, murió el 6 de marzo tras una urgencia médica en Kuwait. Dos representantes del Pentágono, que hablaron bajo condición de anonimato porque no estaban autorizados a discutir el asunto públicamente, confirmaron su muerte.

Hegseth hizo una afirmación falsa sobre el apoyo de EE.UU. a Ucrania

El secretario de Defensa dijo que el gobierno de Joe Biden le proporcionó a Ucrania “municiones por valor de cientos de miles de millones de dólares” tras la invasión de Rusia en 2022. Sin embargo, la cifra real es mucho menor.

Leé también: Irán y Estados Unidos se hunden en un incómodo limbo de “ni guerra ni paz”

Según un análisis de The New York Times de los registros y declaraciones del Pentágono, el gobierno de Biden envió a Ucrania 33.800 millones de dólares en armas procedentes de los arsenales del Departamento de Defensa, en el marco de un programa denominado Autoridad Presidencial de Reducción. El gobierno de Biden también entregó a Ucrania 33.200 millones de dólares en efectivo para comprar armas directamente a las empresas de defensa estadounidenses en el marco de la Iniciativa de Ayuda a la Seguridad de Ucrania. En total, unos 67.000 millones de dólares en ayuda militar desde el comienzo de la guerra.

Después del último desembolso de armas del arsenal del Pentágono, el 9 de enero de 2025, quedan sin gastar unos 3800 millones de dólares de fondos autorizados por el Congreso para la retirada de armas existentes para Ucrania.

Ataques a los críticos de la guerra en Irán

Hegseth, que sirvió en Irak y Afganistán como oficial subalterno de la Guardia Nacional del Ejército, se opuso a los miembros del Congreso que han calificado la guerra en Irán como un “atolladero”.

“Han pasado dos meses”, replicó Hegseth. “¿Quieren hablar de una guerra eterna?”.

“Sé que el pueblo estadounidense apoya esa misión, a pesar de sus habladurías y de palabras como ‘atolladero’”, dijo Hegseth. Sin embargo, encuestas recientes muestran que una minoría de estadounidenses aprueba la acción militar en Irán.

Hegseth también rechazó las preguntas de los demócratas sobre el aumento de los precios de la gasolina y los alimentos como consecuencia de la guerra, y las calificó de preguntas capciosas. “¿Cuánto pagarías para asegurarte de que Irán no tenga una bomba nuclear?”, dijo el secretario de Defensa.

Y defendió acciones que los juristas han calificado como crímenes de guerra

Cuando se le preguntó si mantenía su declaración de que los soldados estadounidenses no concederían “ni cuartel ni piedad para nuestros enemigos“, Hegseth dijo que los militares bajo su mando “luchan para ganar”.

Una orden de “no dar cuartel” consiste en matar a todos los combatientes enemigos, incluso a quienes están gravemente heridos o se han rendido.

“Nos aseguramos de que nuestros combatientes de guerra dispongan de las normas de enfrentamiento necesarias para ser tan eficaces como sea humanamente posible”, añadió el secretario, después de que el representante Seth Moulton, demócrata por Massachusetts, señalara que esa orden era un crimen de guerra según el Código Uniforme de Justicia Militar del ejército y el derecho internacional.

*Por John Ismay, un periodista que cubre el Pentágono para el Times y sirvió como oficial de desactivación de artefactos explosivos en la Marina estadounidense, y Megan Mineiro, quien reporta sobre el Congreso para el Times y forma parte de la generación 2025-26 del Times Fellowship, un programa para periodistas al comienzo de sus carreras.

Eric Schmitt y Helene Cooper colaboraron con reportería.