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Alabama AG makes Supreme Court play that could deal decisive blow in redistricting war

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Alabama’s top law enforcement officer filed a Supreme Court challenge aimed at overturning a prior ruling that limited Republicans in decennial redistricting, after a recent Louisiana case raised questions about how the court previously ruled there.

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Louisiana’s «Callais» ruling struck down the state’s map, including districts centered on New Orleans and a narrow majority-minority corridor from Baton Rouge. Alabama leaders said the decision conflicts with or calls into question Supreme Court precedent affecting their state by requiring racial factors to be considered when drawing congressional districts.

«Now they have a framework for Alabama to directly defend what the legislature did both in 2021 and 2023,» said Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, telling Fox News Digital he was «thrilled» to see where the court came down on Callais at the end of April.

«And that is, drawing maps based on historical redistricting principles that now I think Callais makes clear were constitutional exercises of that authority,» Marshall said, highlighting SCOTUS’ analysis that race should not predominate when drawing congressional districts.

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SUPREME COURT RULES ON KEY VOTING RIGHTS ACT RULE AS REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS WAGE REDISTRICTING WAR

«And then unlike Louisiana, which was able to get direct relief through that decision, we now have to be removed from the injunction [against Alabama’s prior map] by the three-judge panel in order to either go back to the map that is being challenged or give the legislature the authority to draw a new map.»

A previous Supreme Court ruling, Allen v. Milligan, invalidated Alabama’s prior redistricting effort, with critics saying the decision wrongly weighted racial factors in creating what became a second Democratic-favored district in the ruby-red state.

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If Alabama is able to get out from under Milligan, it could have national implications for Democrats’ attempts to gain enough seats in the slim GOP-majority U.S. House this fall, as Montgomery’s so-called Livingston map, originally struck down in the 2023 case, would see new life.

Marshall, who is also running to succeed retiring Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., this fall, said urgency before the court is important with the May 19 primary approaching.

«Because the lower court’s injunction cannot stand in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling, we have asked the court to lift the injunction. Alabama deserves the right to use its own maps, just like every other state.» 

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The AG said he is working separately from state lawmakers, who are in special session through Friday to address the legislative side of the fight, and that his office is «singularly focused» on getting legal relief from the Supreme Court.

GOP SPEAKER CLAPS BACK AFTER BOOKER STUMPS AGAINST BID TO ERADICATE RED STATE’S LONE DEMOCRAT-HELD DISTRICT

He also said that, regarding race, the Alabama of the 2020s is not the Alabama of the 1960s and that there are few, if any, barriers to minority suffrage in the Yellowhammer State.

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«You saw some of that sentiment from Justice Kavanaugh in a concurrence in the [Milligan] case that Alabama had there a few years ago, saying there’s a point in time in which we have to acknowledge that circumstances have changed,» he said, as the prior case forced Alabama to draw a second district where Black voters have a meaningful opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice.

The YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama – one of the state’s premier attractions. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

For Democratic critics like New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who descended on Alabama to push back — as he did at a counter-redistricting forum in Birmingham with the city’s Mayor Randall Woodfin and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Doug Jones — Marshall suggested they get their own house in order up north.

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«[They’re] arguing for proportional representation, which is basically what they are saying, they make that same argument in Maine, in Rhode Island, in New Hampshire — where you don’t see a single congressional member there from the Republican Party.»

Underlining that New England states have large blocs of «unaffiliated» or independent voters, gerrymander critics often point to the region because those who are Republican essentially have no voice in Washington.

Maine is considered the most moderate of the states, with an estimated Republican bloc of about 30%, while Vermont’s more vague registration system resulted in about the same percentage of vote share going to President Donald Trump in 2024.

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VIRGINIA CONGRESSMAN SAYS SPANBERGER WANTS TO ‘TURN US INTO NEW ENGLAND’

Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts all have between 10% and 40% Republican vote share, presuming a bloc of the «unaffiliated» group votes at times for Republican candidates. Those states have more than 40% of their people registered unaffiliated or similar.

Fox News Digital reached out to Booker earlier this week on similar criticism but did not receive a response.

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Marshall said his work is not necessarily in concert with the legislature, but the two are on similar tracks.

«While we’ll obviously watch what the legislature is doing, our job is to secure the relief from the [2023 redistricting] injunction as quickly as possible.»

«And the other thing, not only are we working on the state congressional map, but it’s also, we have a state Senate district [map] likewise that was subject to redrawing based upon a [Voting Rights Act] Section 2 challenge,» he said.

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Steve Marshall on Capitol Hill for SCOTUS

Steve Marshall, Alabama’s attorney general, speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Ketanji Brown Jackson. (Al Drago/Getty Images)

His office is also involved in the New Orleans-based 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to challenge the state’s senatorial map while seeking Supreme Court review on the congressional front.

While Marshall spoke to Fox News Digital before the Supreme Court of Virginia struck down the Democratic-led redistricting map there, he called Richmond’s move «clearly [done] for hyper-political reasons that kept none of the traditional principles in mind.»

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Alabama’s redistricting efforts have aimed to follow the letter and spirit of the law, and the attorney general said he hopes to have a real chance of receiving favorable corrective action from the nation’s highest court and remedying a fight the Yellowhammer State previously lost.

Secretary of State Wes Allen indicated the May 19 primary will go on as expected, meaning Marshall’s motions may come just in time to give Republicans another incremental advantage in a nationally relevant electoral landscape.

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‘Die Hard’ actor Robert Davi blasts Mamdani after NYC map omits Little Italy

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«Die Hard» actor Robert Davi blasted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani Friday after a city map highlighting immigrant enclaves omitted Little Italy.

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The «New York City Immigrant Enclaves» map resurfaced on social media earlier this week after users pointed out it omitted Little Italy, as well as historically Jewish and Irish neighborhoods, despite highlighting 30 immigrant communities across the five boroughs.

Following criticism from Italian-American groups, the city said it plans to update the map to include Little Italy.

MAMDANI DEFENDS CONTROVERSIAL NYC MAP AFTER OMITTING ICONIC LITTLE ITALY, JEWISH AND IRISH NEIGHBORHOODS

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Actor Robert Davi, left, criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, right, after the city’s immigrant enclaves map initially omitted Little Italy. (Erika Goldring/Getty Images; Heather Khalifa/AP Photo)

Davi, who was born in Astoria, Queens, lashed out at Mamdani in a video posted on X, calling him a «jerk» for snubbing Little Italy.

«I hope every New York Italian American and Irish American spits on you when they see you,» Davi said. «I would spit on you if I saw you. Shame on you, you garbage man. Shame on you. Respect the city you’re in and understand the people who helped build it.»

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«My grandparents came from Sicily and Naples and they taught me, speak the English. This is America. God bless America,» the 75-year-old «Licence to Kill» actor said.

ZOHRAN MAMDANI PRAISED FOR ‘FANTASTIC’ QUESTION-DODGING ON PRESIDENTIAL ELIGIBILITY

Robert Davi in 1988's

Robert Davi in 1988’s «Die Hard.»

«My grandfather enlisted in World War I and got wounded three times … he helped build New York City as an immigrant, an Italian immigrant,» he continued.

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The veteran actor also suggested the mayor, whom he described as a «leftist Marxist Communist,» leave the United States.

«Go back to where you were born, Mamdani,» Davi said. «You don’t belong in America.»

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Little Italy street sign and neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City

Little Italy in Manhattan was omitted from New York City’s immigrant enclave map, prompting backlash before Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the neighborhood would be added. (Dosfotos/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, and moved to the United States when he was 7 years old.

Davi also suggested there should be a constitutional amendment preventing Mamdani from running for public office.

«You should spend time in America, at least a generation, especially those of you that come from a country that has a totally different philosophical ideology bent,» he said.

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The mayor’s office previously directed Fox News Digital to remarks Mamdani made during an unrelated press conference Friday, where he defended the map and said it had originally been created under the previous administration in 2023.

«This map was initially created by the prior administration in 2023, and when we inherited it, we added a few additional neighborhoods,» Mamdani said. «It’s clearly not an exhaustive list of the more than 200 ethnic communities that call our city home, and we’re going to be making additional changes in the future to reflect that and that includes Little Italy.»

Fox News Digital has reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment.

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Zohran Mamdani speaks at Claire Valdez event

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a primary-night watch party for congressional candidate Claire Valdez at 99 Scott Studio on June 23, 2026 in Brooklyn. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

According to the Library of Congress, more than 4 million Italians immigrated to the United States between the 1880s and 1924, with roughly one-third settling in New York City.

Fox News Digital’s Brittany Miller contributed to this report.

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Ucrania afirma que en la última semana hundió o averió 28 buques rusos

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Robert Brovdi, jefe de las fuerzas sin piloto (drones) del Ejército ucraniano anunció este sábado que sus hombres hundieron o inutilizaron en los últimos días 28 buques rusos. Son 21 petroleros, varios mercantes y remolcadores. Ucrania intenta aislar la provincia de Crimea, legalmente suya pero anexionada por Rusia desde 2014.

La conexión entre Rusia y Crimea se hace por tierra por territorio ocupado en Ucrania. Kiev fue consiguiendo en los últimos meses hacer cada vez más arriesgada esa ruta terrestre y en las últimas semanas la tiene prácticamente bloqueada con sus drones, que atacan camiones y otros vehículos.

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Ante la situación en Crimea, Rusia aumentó el número de buques que llegan desde sus puertos hasta el de Sebastopol, en Crimea, pero Ucrania respondió con un uso masivo de drones marinos y aéreos de ataque para entorpecer esa tránsito. Según varios cables de agencia, el sábado por la tarde apenas había tráfico marítimo por la región, prueba del éxito de la estrategia ucraniana.

Broydi dijo que sus fuerzas habían alcanzado 28 buques rusos sin especificar cuántos habían sido hundidos y cuántos quedaron inutilizados o tuvieron que ser remolcados de vuelta a sus puertos en Rusia. Ucrania también anunció ataques sobre Crimea, “sobre todo contra navíos e instalaciones energéticas”. Rusia pena para suministrar a Crimea todo el combustible que necesita, tanto para la vida civil como para las actividades de su Ejército en la región.

Mientas, Rusia sigue atacando Kiev con misiles. Este sábado hubo, según comunicó el presidente ucraniano Volodimir Zelensky en su cuenta de Telegram, 11 heridos. Las primeras explosiones llegaron, de forma poco habitual, antes de que sonaran las sirenas aéreas. El Gobierno ucraniano asegura que eso se debe a que Rusia estaría utilizando sistemas de misiles antiaéreos S-400 como si fueran misiles tierra-tierra.

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Los ataques rusos se redujeron sustancialmente a principios de semana coincidiendo con la cumbre de la OTAN en Ankara, lo que para varios diplomáticos europeos es una pauta que se repite siempre antes y durante cumbres de la OTAN y de la Unión Europea. Estiman que Rusia reduce o detiene sus ataques porque de lo contrario es más probable la aprobación de nuevas sanciones.

Según Ucrania, la noche del viernes al sábado llovieron sobre el país seis misiles balísticos Iskander M/S-400 (tienen capacidad de llevar cabezas nucleares), varios misiles de crucero X-59/69 y dos misiles antiradar X31. De los 121 drones lanzados por Rusia, Ucrania asegura haber derribado 111. También hubo ataques contra la ciudad costera de Odessa.

Los cancilleres europeos deberían aprobar este lunes el vigésimo primer paquete de sanciones a Rusia desde que Moscú lanzó la guerra de agresión contra Ucrania la noche del 23 al 24 de febrero de 2022. Diplomáticos europeos siguen negociando este fin de semana para que los cancilleres lo validen este lunes, pero sigue haciendo dudas en algunos puntos.

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Algunos países se resisten todavía a imponer nuevas restricciones al gas natural licuado ruso, que sigue entrando en Europa por puertos de Holanda, Bélgica, Francia y España. La Comisión Europea pretendía incluir por primera vez entre los sancionados al patriarca de la Iglesia Ortodoxa rusa Kiril, algo que la Hungría de Viktor Orban siempre había vetado. Pero fuentes diplomáticas cuentan que está prácticamente descartado por la negativa de Bulgaria (país de confesión cristiana ortodoxa que respeta la autoridad de Kiril) y en menor medida de Italia.

Kiril estuvo a punto de ser sancionado en 2022. Desde entonces Hungría mantuvo el bloqueo hasta que hace dos meses cambió el gobierno en Budapest y a Orban le sucedió Peter Magyar. La Unión Europea y la mayoría de sus países considera que Kiril es parte del esfuerzo de guerra ruso contra Ucrania por sus declaraciones incendiarias sobre el conflicto.

En sus sermones ha asegurado que el conflicto es una batalla espiritual entre Rusia y un Occidente moralmente decadente, que morir en la guerra sería para “limpiar todos los pecados” y que la agresión rusa contra Ucrania es “una guerra santa”. En 2022 el Papa Francisco le dijo que no debía convertirse en un “monaguillo del Estado”.

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Los países europeos que defienden que no se le sancione aseguran que sus palabras, en el fondo, quedan dentro de la libertad de religiosa y que se sentaría un precedente peligroso. También son países que tradicionalmente mantuvieron buenas relaciones con Rusia y que nunca han sido de los más voluntariosos a la hora de sancionar a Moscú.

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Beloved musicians among victims in deadly Bahamas plane crash; aviation authority grounds flights

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A devastating double aviation crisis in the Bahamas, including a deadly North Andros plane crash and a separate aircraft fire Friday, prompted the government to suspend flight operations for a local airline and launch a federal safety probe.

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Shortly after 1 p.m. Friday, a Cessna 402 aircraft with Bahamian registration departed Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau bound for San Andros Airport.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) said the plane «encountered difficulties» and crashed into bushes prior to landing.

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Authorities said 10 people were killed in a Bahamas plane crash Friday. (Our News Bahamas via AP)

First responders, including the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Airport Authority and emergency medical personnel, rushed to the dense brush where the aircraft went down.

The Bahamas Musicians and Entertainers Union confirmed in a statement Saturday that 10 people died in the crash, including prominent members of the Da Pond Band and a local DJ, whose artistry the union said «touched so many lives and helped to enrich the cultural fabric of The Bahamas.»

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Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis said a sole survivor was pulled from the wreckage.

«Ann and I are praying for the families who are now facing unbearable grief,» Davis wrote in a statement on X. «We are also praying for the survivor, whose recovery and care will remain in our thoughts.»

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The identities of those killed in the crash have not yet been released.

While the AAIA’s preliminary reports initially indicated seven people were on board, officials are still establishing the facts of the flight manifest.

Just hours before the fatal crash in North Andros, a Flamingo Air flight en route to Mayaguana was forced to turn back to Nassau after the pilot reported a concern, according to the Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Aviation (MoET).

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After the aircraft landed and passengers safely deplaned, the plane caught fire on the runway.

FORMER NFL QB ROBERT GRIFFIN III DESCRIBES HARROWING ENGINE FIRE ON UNITED FLIGHT

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The Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas temporarily suspended Flamingo Air’s air operator certificate following two aircraft incidents Friday. (iStock)

After the two back-to-back safety incidents, the Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas (CAAB) temporarily suspended Flamingo Air’s air operator certificate, according to MoET officials.

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«The suspension is a precautionary safety measure and should not be treated as an adverse compliance action against Flamingo Air,» the agency wrote in a statement.

Lynden Pindling International Airport

The plane crashed in North Andros Friday after taking off from Lynden Pindling International Airport. (Melissa Alcena/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Investigators from the AAIA and inspectors from the CAAB remain at the crash site in North Andros as they work to determine what caused the Cessna 402 tragedy.

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Flamingo Air did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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