INTERNACIONAL
Federal appeals court blocks Louisiana’s new congressional map in blow to GOP
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Judges for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Louisiana’s request to allow it to enforce its long-stalled congressional redistricting map, delivering a near-term blow to Republicans in the state by ruling that it amounts to an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.
All three judges on the bench voted to uphold a lower court’s ruling that the map in question — originally passed by Louisiana’s Republican-majority legislature in 2022 — violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by diluting the votes of Black residents in the state.
They also affirmed the district court’s ruling that the map in question violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by, «‘packing’ Black voters into a small number of majority-Black districts, and ‘cracking’ other Black communities across multiple districts, thereby depriving them of the opportunity to form effective voting blocs.»
Judges on the panel also rejected the state’s contention that conditions in Louisiana have changed enough to render race-conscious remedies obsolete.
SUPREME COURT HEARS PIVOTAL LOUISIANA ELECTION MAP CASE AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS
Black Louisiana voters and civil rights advocates mass outside the Supreme Court in March 2025 ahead of oral arguments in Louisiana v. Callais, centered on the state’s congressional map. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Legal Defense Fund )
«There is no legal basis for this proposition, and the state offers no evidence that conditions in Louisiana have changed» enough to negate that need, the court said in its ruling.
One judge on the panel issued a stay before the court’s ruling could take force, though the issue is something of a moot point, since the Supreme Court, which is also reviewing the map, had already done so earlier this year.
The ruling from the Fifth Circuit, which has a reputation as one of the more conservative appeals courts, is a victory in the near term for the ACLU and other plaintiffs who sued to block the state’s map from taking force.
Still, any relief for plaintiffs from the appeals court ruling is likely to be short-lived.
The Supreme Court in March heard oral arguments in Louisiana v. Callais, which also centers on the legality of Louisiana’s redistricting map and whether race should be considered a factor in drawing new congressional districts.
Oral arguments then focused heavily on whether Louisiana’s redistricting efforts were narrowly tailored enough to meet constitutional requirements and whether race was used in a way that violated the law, as the appellees alleged.
The Supreme Court in June said it would hear additional arguments in the case in the fall term, citing the need for more information before it could issue a ruling.
SUPREME COURT DECLINES TO BLOCK MISSISSIPPI SOCIAL MEDIA AGE-RESTRICTION LAW, FOR NOW
Supreme Court justices attend the 60th inaugural ceremony on Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Ricky Carioti /The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Earlier this month, justices ordered both parties to file supplemental briefs by mid-September, outlining in further detail arguments for and against Louisiana’s proposed map and whether the intentional creation of a second majority-Black congressional district «violates the Fourteenth or Fifteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.»
The careful consideration from the Supreme Court is the clearest sign yet that redistricting issues remain top of mind in the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections and beyond.
It also comes at a pivotal time in the U.S., as new and politically charged redistricting fights have popped up in other states ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
Louisiana, for its part, has revised its congressional map twice since the 2020 census.
‘BRAZENLY UNLAWFUL’: DC OFFICIALS ESCALATE FIGHT WITH TRUMP OVER POLICE TAKEOVER
An envelope containing a 2020 census letter is seen in this May 21, 2020 photo. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
The first version, which included only one majority-Black district, was blocked by a federal court in 2022. The court sided with the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP and other plaintiffs, ruling the map diluted Black voting power and ordering the state to redraw it by January 2024.
The new map, S.B. 8, created the second Black-majority district. But it was almost immediately challenged by a group of non-Black plaintiffs in court, who took issue with a new district that stretched some 250 miles from Louisiana’s northwest corner of Shreveport to Baton Rouge, in the state’s southeast.
They argued in their lawsuit that the state violated the equal protection clause by relying too heavily on race to draw the maps and created a «sinuous and jagged second majority-Black district.»
The intense court fights in Louisiana underscore the broader redistricting battles playing out in Republican- and Democrat-led states across the country, as they spar over new congressional maps with an eye to the looming midterm elections.
In Texas, tensions reached a fever pitch after Democratic state legislators fled the Lone Star State to block Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s ability to convene a legislative quorum to pass the state’s aggressive new redistricting map, which would create five additional Republican-leaning districts.
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom responded by introducing a new map of his own that favors Democrats.
The move highlights how both parties are engaged in aggressive redistricting battles, with Republican-led states pushing maps to defend the GOP’s slim House majority and Democrats seeking to expand their own advantages. As with most midterms following a new president’s election, 2026 is expected to serve as a referendum on the White House — raising GOP concerns that they could lose control of the chamber.
AFTER STINGING ELECTION DEFEATS, DNC EYES RURAL VOTERS AS KEY TO 2026 MIDTERM SUCCESS
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, for her part, vowed at a press conference earlier this month to explore «every option» in redrawing state lines.
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«We are at war,» Hochul said, speaking alongside the Texas Democrats who fled to her state.
politics,donald trump,supreme court,democrats elections,republicans
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The U.S. government is aware of the kidnapping of an American Christian missionary in the West African nation of Niger, U.S. official sources told Fox News.
The sources told Fox News that they suspect that the missionary has been taken north to Islamic State-controlled areas where an offshoot of ISIS operates.
«We are aware of reports of the kidnapping of a U.S. citizen in Niamey, Niger,» a State Department spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News. «Since we were alerted of the situation, our Embassy officials have been working with local authorities. It is a top priority for the Trump Administration to look after the safety of every American, and we are seeing efforts from across the U.S. Government to support the recovery and safe return of this U.S. citizen.»
MINNESOTA MISSIONARY, A FATHER OF 5, KILLED IN ‘ACT OF VIOLENCE’ IN ANGOLA
Niger’s presidential palace in Niamey in 2023. The abduction reportedly took place only about 100 yards from the presidential palace. (AFP via Getty Images)
The missionary is a pilot for the evangelical missionary agency Serving in Mission, according to Reuters.
A general view of a crowded street market in Niamey, Niger, on May 17, 2023. The capital city has faced rising instability since the 2023 military coup that toppled President Mohamed Bazoum. (Michele Cattani / AFP via Getty Images)
TENNESSEE PASTOR KIDNAPPED AT GUNPOINT IN SOUTH AFRICA RECALLS ‘MIRACLE’ THAT SAVED HIS LIFE
The abduction took place only about 100 yards from the presidential palace in Niamey, where ousted President Mohamed Bazoum has been held since he was toppled by a coup more than two years ago, according to CBS News.
Following the kidnapping, the U.S. Embassy in Niger said it now requires all personnel to travel only in armored vehicles and announced that all restaurants and open-air markets are «off-limits».
Kidnappings appear to have intensified this year in areas of West Africa where militants operate. An Austrian woman was abducted in January in Niger, and a Swiss citizen was abducted in April in the same country, Reuters reported.
Niger’s junta leader, Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, salutes during an official ceremony in Niamey, Niger, on Aug. 26, 2023. Tchiani seized power in a July 2023 coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and has ruled the West African nation since. (AFP via Getty Images)
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In addition, five Indian citizens working for a company providing services to Niger’s Kandadji dam project were kidnapped during an attack by armed men in April that also killed a dozen soldiers, according to the outlet.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
state department,terrorism,africa,world,crime,religion,india
INTERNACIONAL
Schumer blocks 12th GOP bid to reopen government as Trump says Democrats ‘lost the negotiation’
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The government shutdown meandered into its 22nd day with no end in sight after a 12th GOP attempt to reopen the government was stalled and then blocked by Senate Democrats on Wednesday evening.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus kneecapped Republicans’ bid to reopen the government for the 12th time. The latest failed vote comes as Schumer has demanded another meeting with President Donald Trump and on the heels of an almost 24-hour filibuster by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore, that pushed the vote late into Wednesday.
During his marathon floor speech, which began at 6:23 pm on Tuesday, Merkley spoke on authoritarianism — what he called the Trump Administration’s overreach on immigration, separation of powers, and more.
«Republicans have shut down the government to continue the strategy of slashing Americans’ healthcare,» Merkley said, referring to the healthcare-centered debate holding up consideration of the government’s funding.
He concluded his remarks at 5:00 p.m. on Wed.
Little has changed in the upper chamber since the shutdown began. Schumer and the Senate Democratic caucus demand that there be a real, ironclad deal to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies, while Senate Republicans remain adamant that there is no path forward available on the matter until the government is reopened.
SCHUMER REQUESTS MEETING WITH TRUMP ‘ANY TIME, ANY PLACE’ AS DEMOCRAT STALEMATE DRAGS ON
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., steps away from reporters following a Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, Oct. 15, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
But what is old is new in a repeating cycle, and Schumer wants to meet with Trump again.
Schumer, speaking on behalf of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., requested another meeting with Trump ahead of the vote in a bid to go around Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and congressional Republicans to secure a deal.
There have been informal talks — more casual conversation than true negotiation — between Republicans and Democrats, but nothing has materialized that puts lawmakers any closer to solving the ongoing stalemate.
«Hakeem and I reached out to the president today and urged him to sit down and negotiate with us to resolve the healthcare crisis, address it and end the Trump shutdown,» Schumer said. «He should sit — the things get worse every day for the American people. He should sit down with us, negotiate in a serious way before he goes away.»
The last time the top congressional Democrats met with Trump came just a day before the climactic vote to avert a shutdown. Neither side walked away with a compromise, or agreement, to keep the lights on.
SENATE DEMS EMBOLDENED BY WEEKEND RALLIES BLOCK GOP PLAN TO END SHUTDOWN FOR 11TH TIME
President Donald Trump listens as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks during a lunch with Republican senators on the Rose Garden patio at the White House in Washington, Oct. 21, 2025. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
Fast-forward to the shutdown’s fourth week, and Trump signaled he’d speak with Schumer and Jeffries — only after the government is reopened.
«The government has to be open,» he said. «You know how long it will take for them to do that? Just say, ‘OK, government is open.’ That’s it. There is nothing — They’re not negotiating.»
«What they’re doing is saying they lost the negotiation,» Trump continued. «And when we got the great ‘big beautiful [bill]’ done, they lost the negotiation. Now they’re saying, ‘Well, we want to get some of the things we lost.’ But the problem is the things they lost are very bad for our country.»
Congressional Democrats’ initial demands, made in a counter-proposal to the House-passed continuing resolution (CR), called for a permanent extension to the enhanced Obamacare premium tax credits and guardrails on Trump’s ability to claw back congressionally approved funding, among other things.
SCHUMER’S SHUTDOWN SCHEME EXPLAINED: DEMS DOUBLE DOWN ON OBAMACARE CREDITS AS STANDOFF DRAGS ON
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., left, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pictured at the US Capitol in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
A White House official doubled down on Trump’s position and told Fox News Digital, «We will not have policy conversations while the Democrats are holding the American people hostage. Reopen the government.»
While Democrats desire more than just an extension to the COVID-19-era subsidy, they’ve made their primary argument all about the tax credits.
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Thune offered Senate Democrats a vote on the subsidies, but so far they have declined to take the leap and instead are holding out for a guaranteed outcome in the shutdown fight. However, that is unlikely to come as Republicans and the White House, so far, are equally dug in against Schumer’s demands.
«I think [Trump] wants the Democrats to take ‘yes’ for an answer,» Thune said. «We’ve offered them a lot of the things they were asking for — a normal appropriations process, an opportunity to get a vote on some of the things that they want to see voted on, with respect to the expiring Obamacare enhanced subsidies. But that can’t happen until we open up the government.»
senate,government shutdown,chuck schumer,donald trump,health care healthy living,politics
INTERNACIONAL
Rodrigo Paz aseguró que Bolivia solo establecerá relaciones con países que “tengan la democracia como principio”
El presidente electo de Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz, anticipó que su gestión establecerá relaciones internacionales únicamente con naciones en las que la democracia sea un pilar fundamental.
“Nuestro mensaje es claro, poner a Bolivia en el mundo y que el mundo venga a Bolivia, y para ello estamos haciendo todos los esfuerzos”, expresó.
Paz describió una intensa agenda posterior al anuncio de los resultados preliminares de la inédita segunda vuelta electoral, donde, con casi el 99% de las actas computadas, aventaja con el 54,73% de los votos al ex presidente conservador Jorge Tuto Quiroga, quien obtuvo el 45,27%.
El nuevo mandatario subrayó que ha mantenido comunicación con más de una docena de jefes de Estado y representantes extranjeros que se han mostrado dispuestos a asistir a su investidura el próximo 8 de noviembre y a abrir nuevas etapas de cooperación.
“Hasta ahora hemos recibido saludos y compromisos de países que comparten los valores democráticos. Mi posición es firme: queremos una relación sólida, pero solamente con quienes entiendan la democracia como fondo”, reiteró Paz en diálogo con medios internacionales.
El presidente electo dejó claro que la política exterior de Bolivia tomará distancia respecto de gobiernos con prácticas que, a su juicio, no se ajustan a esos valores.
Sobre el caso venezolano, afirmó que si bien existe una representación diplomática de Venezuela en La Paz, no comparte “la modalidad democrática que dicen” sostener en el país caribeño.
“No la comparto y asumo que a futuro, nuestras relaciones (serán) dentro del marco de respeto, pero está claro que yo voy a tener una relación con países donde consideremos como Gobierno que tengan la democracia como un principio”, enfatizó.
Como parte de esta línea, Paz sostuvo una conversación telefónica con la líder opositora venezolana y Premio Nobel de la Paz 2025, María Corina Machado, a quien invitó formalmente a su ceremonia de investidura y le manifestó su respaldo a la lucha por restablecer la democracia en Venezuela.
El giro diplomático incluye el propósito de restablecer relaciones con Estados Unidos tras años de distanciamiento y vínculos reducidos desde la expulsión del embajador estadounidense en 2008 durante el gobierno de Evo Morales.
Paz reveló que ya tuvo un primer acercamiento con el subsecretario de Estado norteamericano, Christopher Landau, y expresó su interés en una relación renovada.
“Estados Unidos juega un rol preponderante con el cual vamos a restablecer, Dios mediante, si así es la voluntad de partes, nuestra relación”, dijo.
La postura del presidente electo también incluye el reconocimiento a diversos países del continente.
“Agradezco a Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panamá, Paraguay, República Dominicana, Trinidad y Tobago y EEUU por sus buenos deseos y su disposición a apoyar el proceso de estabilización de Bolivia”, señaló Paz.
Añadió que buscará “generar trabajo a futuro de cooperación y de crecimiento conjunto” tanto en la región como con otros continentes.
Sobre la cooperación internacional, Paz aclaró su preferencia por acercarse a organismos multilaterales sin urgencias financieras.
“No estoy cerrado a trabajar con estas entidades, pero es mejor ir con la casa ordenada, porque las cosas son más claras que cuando se acude en la necesidad de créditos que después son candados para el desarrollo”, explicó.
El mandatario electo detalló que ya inició la transición con el gobierno saliente de Luis Arce y prevé recibir una amplia representación internacional en la toma de posesión, con el objetivo de inaugurar una nueva etapa para la presencia de Bolivia en la comunidad global.
(Con información de EFE)
Elections,South America / Central America,Elections / Voting
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