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GOP speaker claps back after Booker stumps against bid to eradicate red state’s Democrat-held districts
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EXCLUSIVE: Alabama Republicans are moving to force through a new congressional map that could reduce Democratic representation amid a narrow national GOP House majority, while rebuking Yankee Democrats traveling to the Yellowhammer State to gin up opposition.
State leaders argue the new Supreme Court ruling limiting the use of race in redistricting has changed the legal landscape, giving Alabama grounds to revisit and undo a court-imposed map that recently reshaped its congressional districts to help minority voters.
As attention shifted from Louisiana to Alabama after the high bench tossed the Pelican State’s map last week, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., traveled south to stump in Birmingham with fellow Democrats bemoaning legislators’ attempts to force the high bench to reconsider a partially conflicting order from three years prior.
«Well, I’m probably guessing that’s first time Cory Booker’s ever been in Alabama,» Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainville, told Fox News Digital.
BLOCKBUSTER SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS RULING IGNITES REDISTRICTING WAR ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES
Sen. Cory Booker joined civil rights and voting rights advocates at a rally outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 29, 2025, to reintroduce the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
«The thing about it is the people that we represent have lived here most of all of their lives and they’re the ones that ask us to do something for them — not the Cory Bookers,» Ledbetter said. «And he can nationalize it all he wants to, but it’s not going to change facts.»
Booker joined Rep. Terri Sewell of Birmingham, the state’s lone Democrat, until the court-mandated redraw produced a Democratic flip by Rep. Shomari Figures of Mobile.
«We are in a storm right now — the question is, where will you stand, will you hold up your light,» Booker addressed a redistricting town hall in Birmingham, where he declared voting rights are on the ballot, according to the Alabama Reporter.
The Yankee Democrat said he came south out of obligation to recognize that the Supreme Court upended decades of progress made by Alabamians, according to the city’s NBC affiliate.
Late last month, the Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s 2-Democrat congressional map, in which Reps. Cleo Fields and Troy Carter’s Democratic districts were drawn with race as a significant factor.
Alabama faced a similar fight after the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Allen v. Milligan forced the state to redraw its map, leading to a court-imposed plan that shifted its delegation from a 6-1 Republican split to 5-2 after Republicans created but were rebuked for the so-called «Livingston map» that gave minorities districts with 55% and 40% representation respectively.
SUPREME COURT RULES ON KEY VOTING RIGHTS ACT RULE AS REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS WAGE REDISTRICTING WAR
The interceding Livingston map, so named for Sen. Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro, should be revisited and upheld by the Supreme Court in line with its more recent ruling, Ledbetter argued.
In passing the map, Ledbetter said he expects the Supreme Court will be forced to weigh in, via a new legal challenge or otherwise, and that the Louisiana ruling gives Alabama the precedent it needs to undo the high court’s prior ruling and imposed map.
Hendrick Motorsports drivers Chase Elliott and William Byron lead the field at the YellaWood 500 — one of Alabama’s premier sporting events — at Talladega Superspeedway. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
«Once that happens, it gives the governor opportunity to call a special election.»
While any action taken by Ledbetter’s legislature would likely spur court action, he suggested quick passage is needed as Alabama’s primaries approach on May 19.
«If we did nothing, we had no shot, and doing this gives us the opportunity to have a ball in the air in case they do overturn [Milligan].»
Gov. Kay Ivey called the legislature to special session Monday to create plans for potential adjustment of upcoming primary elections, if the state is able to force the redistricting issue upon the Supreme Court.
Ledbetter said the Livingston map was fair, and attempted to follow the will of the court originally — adding that he plans to force the issue this week during the special session.
«Our goal is to pass the Livingston map and give the governor the opportunity if the 14th Amendment [provision] is removed; that gives us the opportunity to go forward with it,» he said, arguing the earlier ruling relied on legal standards that may now be affected by the court’s more recent decision.
«That’s really the only shot we got to be able to do this before the November elections is that map that’s existing,» he said.
SUPREME COURT JUST GAVE BLACK VOTERS A SHOT AT REAL POWER BEYOND SAFE SEATS
Pushing back again on Booker and critics of Alabama’s prior attempt to redraw, Ledbetter said the Livingston map, under today’s population footprint, actually gives all voting blocs a better shot.
A Fair Maps Rally was held in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in Washington, DC. The rally coincides with the U.S. Supreme Court hearings in landmark redistricting cases out of North Carolina and Maryland. The activists sent the message the the Court should declare gerrymandering unconstitutional now. (Sarah Voisin/Getty Images)
«When that was redistricted that was a 50-50 seat,» he said of one of the Democrat-friendly districts on the map. «It gives everybody a shot and it’s got all seven seats open.»
He criticized national Democrats for descending on other states like Virginia to try to tip the scale of their own redistricting, noting that Alabamians elected a Republican supermajority in Montgomery and want to reflect that in Congress.
DEMS CIRCLE THE WAGONS BY BLAMING GOP FOR THEIR REDISTRICTING RESPONSE AHEAD OF MIDTERMS: ‘VERY DESPERATE’
«I don’t think it’s right for the courts to overstep their boundary and try to do legislation.»
Families play in the water at Orange Beach, Ala., a popular tourist destination in the Yellowhammer State (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Ivey said in a statement the state has been battling «federal courts and activist groups who think they know Alabama better than Alabama» since the 2020 census.
«By calling the Legislature into a special session, I am ensuring Alabama is prepared should the courts act quickly enough to allow Alabama’s previously drawn congressional and state Senate maps to be used during this election cycle,» she said.
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With Ledbetter and his partners on the Senate side primed to repass the Livingston map, the Supreme Court would have about a week to step in ahead of the May 19 primary, while Secretary of State Wes Allen told the Montgomery Advertiser that no matter the result of the special session, that date is set in stone — setting up a reason for national attention to turn toward the Yellowhammer State.
Fox News Digital reached out to Booker and Ivey for additional comment.
alabama, states rights, republicans elections, democrats, cory booker
INTERNACIONAL
H5N1 bird flu confirmed in Australia for the first time, meaning virus has now reached every continent
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The first case of H5N1 bird flu has been confirmed in Australia, meaning the virus has now found its way to every continent.
The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said the virus was found in a single seabird, a brown skua, near Esperance on the south coast of Western Australia, in Cape Le Grand National Park.
Australia’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said it was «responding as part of a nationally coordinated plan with the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and stakeholders across [Western Australia] to reduce the impact of this disease.»
The outbreak in the U.S. has left millions of birds dead and has caused grocery store hikes and shortages, most notably with eggs.
BIRD FLU UPTICK IN US HAS CDC ON ALERT FOR PANDEMIC ‘RED FLAGS’: REPORT
The first case of H5N1 bird flu has been confirmed in Australia, meaning the virus has now found its way to every continent. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)
The spread to humans is rare.
«We all knew we couldn’t be bird flu-free forever,» Australia’s federal Agricultural Secretary Julie Collins said in a press conference on Saturday.
Jackie Jarvis, Western Australia’s agricultural minister, said in a press conference on Friday: «As a result of WA’s established early detection system, appropriate action was taken, including isolating the bird and collecting samples for testing.»
HUNDREDS OF WILD BIRD DEATHS REPORTED ACROSS 7 COUNTIES PROMPTING PARK CLOSURES
She added, «this shows that Australia’s and Western Australia’s preparedness measures have worked. We are pleased to see the surveillance, and reporting system working as intended, with the bird reported through to DPIRD for further investigation.»
A brown skua stands on a mossy stone on Macquarie Island, Sub Antarctic, administered by Tasmania, Australia. (Auscape/Universal Images Group)
By Saturday, Jarvis said further testing confirmed the strain that she said was consistent with bird flu found in the remote Australian territories of Heard Island and McDonald Islands near Antarctica, which devastated the wildlife there.
Last year, around 13,000 of a population of 17,000 elephant seal pups died there in just a few months after being exposed.
The outbreak in the U.S. has left millions of birds dead and has caused grocery store hikes and shortages, most notably with eggs. (Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The islands are wildlife sanctuaries.
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«Importantly, there have been no detections in poultry and there is no evidence of mass mortality,» Jarvis said of the mainland case.
A second case of another migratory bird is also suspected near Esperance.
Reuters contributed to this report.
bird flu, infectious disease, australia, outbreaks, birds, health, world
INTERNACIONAL
La ayuda humanitaria de Estados Unidos se reparte a cuentagotas por Cuba ante la falta de combustible en la isla
La ayuda humanitaria estadounidense llega a Cuba a través de Cáritas, organización sin fines de lucro católica que actúa como vínculo entre Washington y La Habana, en respuesta al paso del huracán Melissa en 2025 y que, hasta el día de hoy, representa un alivio tangible en un contexto de escasez que afecta a los cubanos.
Después de recibir un paquete con arroz, frijoles y productos de higiene, Teodardo Debardet cruza lentamente el barrio de Hongolosongo en su bicicleta adaptada. El paquete de suministros que recibió Debardet es parte de la distribución de casi la totalidad de los USD 3 millones enviados a principios de año, una fracción de los USD 9 millones prometidos.
En esta pequeña comunidad de Santiago de Cuba, muchos habitantes aún no han conseguido reparar los techos destruidos por el ciclón. Menos de la mitad de las casas tienen electricidad y el acceso al agua corriente es un privilegio para unos pocos.
El huracán Melissa golpeó la isla con vientos de 195 km/h en octubre de 2025, y dejó a su paso a muchas familias sin techo y destruyó servicios básicos. La situación se agrava por el bloqueo petrolero y el endurecimiento de las sanciones económicas.
Washington propuso recientemente una ayuda adicional de USD 100 millones para Cuba: USD 60 millones serían canalizados a través de Cáritas, y el resto por otras organizaciones no gubernamentales. Sin embargo, el régimen cubano aún no ha confirmado si aceptará esta nueva oferta.
En respuesta a la propuesta, el dictador Miguel Díaz-Canel expresó que levantar el embargo estadounidense sería, en sus palabras, “más útil que el envío de ayuda humanitaria”.
La distribución de los paquetes enfrenta retos logísticos importantes. “Se nos hace un poquito difícil porque tenemos que buscar transporte, conseguir combustible, ver quién nos puede acercar hasta allá”, explica Katia Simón, responsable de Cáritas en El Cobre.
Cuando escasean la gasolina y el diésel, los envíos se realizan en carretas de bueyes. La llegada de los lotes, acompañados en ocasiones por consultas médicas, sesiones de peluquería y actividades recreativas para niños, es recibida con gratitud.
Las dificultades para transportar y entregar la ayuda humanitaria persisten en toda la región oeste de Cuba. El desabastecimiento de combustible obliga a buscar alternativas rudimentarias y ralentiza la llegada de insumos básicos para los damnificados. A pesar de las carencias, la asistencia internacional permite paliar algunas necesidades esenciales de las comunidades más aisladas.
“Recibimos muy bien esta ayuda venga de donde venga (…) si es del pueblo de Estados Unidos, está bien”, afirmó Osmany Vedey, de 63 años, reflejando el sentir de muchos vecinos, en diálogo con AFP. Tras el desastre natural, la ayuda internacional llegó también desde organismos como la ONU, la Unión Europea, China, México y Venezuela. Naciones Unicdas continúa su programa de asistencia, aunque enfrenta los mismos obstáculos logísticos para alcanzar a los damnificados.
La falta de combustible también afecta al transporte en la isla. Cuba enfrenta una parálisis casi total del transporte interprovincial tras la entrada en vigor de restricciones severas el jueves. Millones de personas se ven obligadas a depender de los limitados asientos disponibles en trenes y autobuses estatales, reservados únicamente para emergencias médicas, funerales u otras situaciones críticas.
A partir de ahora, los trenes que enlazan La Habana con ciudades del este solo circularán cada 16 días, cuando antes ofrecían tres frecuencias semanales. El servicio de autobuses estatales, que anteriormente realizaba viajes diarios entre la capital y otras provincias, quedará reducido a entre una y tres salidas semanales.
La escasez dejó vacías las estaciones de servicio y convirtió la movilidad cotidiana en un desafío para la población de 9,6 millones de habitantes. Muchos recurren al uso de bicicletas ante la disminución del transporte público.
Los pasajeros que necesiten viajar deberán solicitar sus pasajes con al menos una semana de antelación y se aplicará un sistema de prioridades. El viceministro de Transporte, Luis Ladrón de Guevara, precisó que no será necesario gestionar permisos especiales para realizar estos desplazamientos.
(Con información de AFP)
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INTERNACIONAL
Biden scores temporary court victory as Trump-appointed judge delays release of Hur investigation materials
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Former President Joe Biden has won another three weeks to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts tied to special counsel Robert Hur’s classified documents investigation after a federal judge granted a temporary injunction while a federal appeals court reviews his challenge.
The recordings stem from Biden’s interviews with Mark Zwonitzer, the ghostwriter of his 2017 memoir, «Promise Me, Dad.»
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee, on Friday issued an injunction pending appeal that prevents the Justice Department from releasing the materials while the D.C. Circuit considers the case. The order came just hours after Friedrich denied Biden’s request for a preliminary injunction that would have stopped the release altogether.
The legal battle could determine whether Americans ever hear the recordings that helped shape Hur’s decision not to prosecute Biden over his handling of classified documents. The audio has been the subject of intense scrutiny because Hur raised questions about Biden’s memory in explaining why he declined to bring charges against Biden for mishandling classified documents.
GREGG JARRETT: RELEASE THE BIDEN TAPES AND LET AMERICANS HEAR THE TRUTH FOR THEMSELVES
Although the Justice Department previously released audio from Biden’s interviews with Hur, the recordings at the center of the current legal battle involve separate conversations between Biden and Zwonitzer.
Hur’s 2024 report repeatedly referenced Biden’s recorded conversations with Zwonitzer. The special counsel described some exchanges as «painfully slow» and said Biden at times struggled to recall events and relay information, observations that fueled scrutiny of the Biden’s cognitive abilities during an election year.
Former President Joe Biden speaks to a crowd during a fundraising event with the South Carolina Democratic Party at the Columbia Museum of Art on Feb. 27, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
The Heritage Foundation and its Oversight Project director, Mike Howell, have spent more than two years seeking the recordings and transcripts through FOIA requests.
Heritage Foundation officials have argued the public has a strong interest in reviewing the materials referenced throughout Hur’s report, particularly because the special counsel relied on the recordings in explaining his decision not to pursue criminal charges.
Biden has been fighting to keep the potentially embarrassing recordings under wraps.
CNN HOST SUGGESTS ROBERT HUR ‘UNDERSOLD’ EXTENT OF BIDEN MEMORY LAPSES DURING SPECIAL COUNSEL INTERVIEW
After Friedrich denied Biden’s motion for a preliminary injunction Friday, Biden’s legal team immediately sought emergency relief to preserve the status quo while appealing the decision.
In an emergency filing, Biden’s attorneys argued that disclosure would effectively end the case before appellate judges could review the legal questions involved. They maintained that once the recordings are released, any privacy protections would be permanently lost, and the appeal would become largely moot.
Former special counsel Robert K. Hur testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., March 12, 2024. Hur investigated President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents and published a report with conclusions about Biden’s memory. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The filing also stressed that the FOIA litigation has already been pending for more than two years and argued there was no urgent public need requiring immediate disclosure of conversations that occurred roughly a decade ago between Biden and his ghostwriter. Biden’s attorneys noted that the former president is now a private citizen who neither holds nor is seeking public office.
OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE WITH TIES TO ANTI-TRUMP CONSPIRACY THEORY HIT WITH MISCONDUCT COMPLAINT
The Justice Department initially withheld the recordings and much of the transcript material under several FOIA exemptions. Earlier this year, however, the department reversed course and determined the records could be released with redactions after concluding that significant public interest existed in understanding evidence relied upon by Hur during his investigation.
After the Justice Department announced plans to release the recordings, Biden filed suit in May to stop the disclosure, claiming the audiotapes contain private conversations that should remain protected from public release and, if released, would be in violation of the Privacy Act.
President Joe Biden speaks during an official transition event to thank Ron Klain for his work and to welcome successor Jeff Zients. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
His legal team argued that the department’s decision violates the Privacy Act and constitutes arbitrary agency action under the Administrative Procedure Act.
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Leading Biden’s legal effort is Amy Jeffress, a partner at Washington-based law firm Hecker Fink and a former Justice Department national security official. Jeffress has served as the primary attorney advancing Biden’s challenge to the release of the materials and signed the recent emergency filing seeking to prevent disclosure while the appeal proceeds.
Jeffress has also drawn attention because she is married to U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama appointee who recently ruled against the Trump administration in a high-profile dispute involving the Kennedy Center. Cooper’s ruling prompted criticism from some Trump allies and conservative commentators who pointed to the judge’s family connection to Biden’s attorney, suggesting a conflict of interest may be at play in Cooper’s work.
in court, joe biden, how justice happens, appeals, trials
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