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Democratic lawmakers are defending redistricting efforts across the country, calling their efforts a necessary foil to similar Republican-led plans, while arguing vulnerable Republicans should have fought harder to prevent the "arms race" reshuffling district lines nationally.

"I feel like the system is fundamentally broken, but let's be clear, Republicans began the redistricting arms race. And so, Democrats are left with no choice but to level the playing field for the sake of democracy," Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., told Fox News Digital.

Lawmakers' comments come as the Supreme Court handed down a decision on Wednesday, reshaping the framework of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and opening the door to the possibility of fresh redistricting efforts ahead of the 2026 midterms.

In its 6-3 decision delivered along ideological lines on Wednesday, the court struck down Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District, which was redrawn in 2024 to have a predominantly Black electorate. The court also ruled that states may not use race to either draw districts that disenfranchise voters or help minority communities support their preferred candidates.

SUPREME COURT ORDERS NEW ARGUMENTS IN PIVOTAL ELECTIONS CASE

It’s unclear which states may re-evaluate their maps in light of the decision.

"This is a very nefarious thing that the Supreme Court has done, and it's a very desperate thing that Republicans are doing to cling to unearned power," Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., said.

Since President Donald Trump urged state lawmakers to expand the GOP’s 217-213 majority by eliminating five Democratic seats in Texas, states including California, Utah, Missouri, Louisiana, Ohio, Virginia and North Carolina have followed suit.

Most recently, the Florida legislature approved a plan to eliminate up to four Democratic districts.

DESANTIS LAUNCHES FLORIDA REDISTRICTING PUSH TO POTENTIALLY ADD MORE GOP HOUSE SEATS

While most Democrats have laid blame for the avalanche of redistricting efforts on Trump, others believe a desire to use redistricting to carve out partisan advantages goes back much farther.

"I put this all on Democrats," Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, said.

"In 2003, when Tom DeLay was majority leader, and he said that he wanted to get rid of five Democrats in Texas, we didn't respond. We let him slap us around, we let him come around and slap us, and we didn't do anything about it," Veasey said, referring to another mid-decade Republican redistricting effort that went unchallenged by Democrats in other states.

Veasey believes this time around, vulnerable Republicans in Democratic-leaning states invited their own demise by not voicing opposition to the Republican efforts in Texas.

"They didn't say anything. The time to speak up, especially the Republican members from California, the time for them to speak was back then and they didn't," Veasey said.

BETO ENCOURAGES DEMOCRATS TO FIGHT 'FIRE WITH FIRE' IN TEXAS REDISTRICTING BATTLE

Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Texas, like many of his Democratic colleagues, lamented the redistricting struggle but argued that pretending that the situation didn’t exist was unrealistic.

"Look, in a perfect world, we would not have any political gerrymandering. We wouldn't have folks trying to draw black and brown people out of their districts and then putting the partisan cover over the top. But because we don't live in that world, we've got to fight fire with fire," Menefee said.

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A suspect was arrested after allegedly running a secret meth lab at Michigan State University’s Wells Hall, the institution's largest academic building.

Xin Tong, 31, is facing felony charges in connection with the alleged operation, as well as misdemeanor trespassing, according to police.

Officers responded earlier this week to Wells Hall over reports of a suspicious person, a strong odor and unknown substances on the floor, WILX reported. Officers found Tong and confirmed his identity by using his expired MSU student ID.

FIVE MEXICAN NATIONALS INDICTED AFTER MASSIVE METH LAB BUST UNCOVERS ENORMOUS QUANTITIES OF DRUGS

Tong was in possession of multiple bags, which officers later searched through after obtaining a search warrant, discovering several bottles containing substances commonly used in the manufacture of meth, according to the outlet.

"The chemicals include sodium hydroxide pellets, hydrochloric acid, methanol, isopropyl alcohol, acetone, and butane. Multiple tests performed by the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) confirm the environment in Wells Hall does not pose a risk to our community," MSU police said.

Officials later clarified that a meth lab was never located inside Wells Hall.

"The suspect was found in possession of chemicals and/or equipment that could be used in the production of methamphetamine, which were contained within his personal property," police said.

Tong allegedly caused significant damage to the doors, flooring, and fixtures in Wells Hall between April 10 and April 26.

He has been charged with trespassing, malicious destruction of a building over $20,000 and felony controlled substance-operate/maintain lab involving methamphetamine.

HUNDREDS JOIN SEARCH FOR MISSING MICHIGAN COLLEGE STUDENT LAST SEEN 'DISORIENTED' ON VIDEO

Wells Hall was evacuated on Monday, and it remained closed through Friday "out of an abundance of caution," the university said in a press release, adding that there "continues to be no known threat to the campus community."

Tong is being held at the Ingham County Jail on a $500,000 bond. The Department of Homeland Security also reportedly placed a hold on his bond.

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Two bank employees were shot and killed during a robbery at a Kentucky bank on Thursday and police are still on the hunt for the suspect.

Trooper Scottie Pennington, a spokesperson for Kentucky State Police, said a man wearing a gray-and-white hoodie, gloves and a mask entered a U.S. Bank branch in Berea and opened fire, killing a male and female employee.

"They’re our people that work in our community, and they’re no longer with us," Pennington said. "At this time we do have some leads, and we’re trying our best to bring this evil person to justice."

State police released a photo of the suspect on social media. He is believed to be about 6-foot-3 and fled the scene toward East Chestnut Street.

MONTANA FUGITIVE'S BROTHER SERVING LIFE SENTENCE FOR SEPARATE MURDER CONVICTION IN SAME TOWN

Authorities said it remains unclear whether the suspect later escaped on foot, in a vehicle or with assistance.

Pennington declined to say whether anything was taken during the robbery.

Law enforcement agencies, including local police, state troopers and the FBI, are searching for the suspect, using helicopters, drones and K-9 units.

STUDENTS STABBED INSIDE WASHINGTON STATE HIGH SCHOOL AS POLICE RESPOND TO CHAOTIC SCENE

"If you see something strange and you don’t feel right about it — you know, your dogs are acting weird — call us," Pennington said.

Police said local schools were temporarily placed on lockdown, with students later released to their parents.

U.S. Bank said it is working closely with law enforcement and supporting those affected.

"We’re deeply saddened by the tragic event that took the lives of two of our employees at our Berea, Kentucky branch earlier today," the company said in a statement. "Our hearts go out to the families of the victims, our colleagues and the entire Berea community."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The Artemis II crew, following their return to Earth after a historic 10-day lunar flyby, spoke with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, describing the mission as a "glorious" experience.

The crew — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen — returned to Earth on April 10, splashing down off the coast of San Diego after their journey around the Moon during which they set a new record for the farthest distance traveled by humans in space, surpassing the mark set by Apollo 13 in 1970.

Waltz gifted the crew "MUNGA," or "Make the U.N. Great Again," hats, inspired by President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.

The crew was asked by Waltz what they thought as they looked back at Earth from space.

ARTEMIS II PILOT VICTOR GLOVER PRAISES GOD AFTER RETURN, SAYS MISSION WAS 'TOO BIG TO BE IN ONE BODY'

"As a crew, we wanted to go for all and by all," Wiseman said at U.N. headquarters in New York. "And we wanted to set the stage for Artemis III. We wanted to get this space agency in this world ready for Artemis III and IV. But in the end, we really wanted to connect with humanity. We wanted humanity to just pause for a second and see that this world can still do something exceptionally well when they put their mind to it."

Artemis III is expected to launch next year, and Artemis IV is targeted for the following year.

"You asked how it felt, and it wasn't one feeling for the entire mission," Glover told Waltz. "What we saw out the window was changing, and that is one of the unique things … I always felt the urge to just be grateful for what we were seeing, and to be grateful for what we were eventually going back to. And the other thing was just how blessed we are to have this."

Koch said that when she looked back at Earth, the surrounding darkness made the planet feel "even more special than it's ever been."

"Instead of this absolute background that just exists everywhere for us, because that's all we've had, it makes the lines that we redraw on it seem big and important," she said. "You realize that actually, there's nothing absolute or guaranteed about this, and that actually, there is such thing as a global scale. And this is the first time I've said that at the U.N., but the truth is that the global scale is our world. And what we do with it is our choice."

Hansen described the experience of seeing the vastness of space and feeling both small as an individual and empowered by what humanity can accomplish together.

"It was like this weird thing where, like stars, some stars look closer in our galaxy than others. And it just kept catching my eye, and it just kept making me feel really tiny, really small as an individual. But then, at the same time, I was out there experiencing it, and it made me feel very powerful as a human race. What we can do together, the fact that we were out there and something that has been really heartwarming since we got back to Earth and started to see how many people stopped to watch the mission and resonate with it," he said.

Glover also recalled the many emotions tied to the mission, including the "glorious moment" of returning to Earth.

ARTEMIS II ASTRONAUTS FACE TOILET TROUBLE AS THEY HEAD TOWARD THE MOON

During the visit to the U.N., NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman wanted to take a moment to appreciate how far they had come, noting that it was not long ago that Trump established the Artemis program that led to the Artemis II mission.

"In fact, in just 2020, President Trump established the Artemis Accords. Now, the initial framework was an agreement of principles between the United States and seven other like-minded countries on the responsible exploration of space," he said.

The crew's visit to the U.N. comes after they met with Trump at the White House on Wednesday. Trump had also spoken to the crew as they were orbiting the moon in early April.

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As international competition for trade, commerce and military power in the Pacific grow, America’s maritime decline threatens our national security and our economy. The only way to fix it is to rebuild American shipbuilding with American workers and American crews.

In the 20th century, we were a dominant maritime power, with massive fleets and shipyards that helped secure victory in World War II and meant most goods traveled the world on U.S.-built ships. But that edge has disappeared over time. For much of the 21st century, shipbuilding remained on the back burner of national priorities, shipyards shrank and closed, taking good-paying jobs with them.

China now dominates the world’s sea lanes and is massively outbuilding the United States on merchant and naval fleets. China has the world’s largest commercial fleet and is building over 1,000 vessels every year. In 2024, the United States built only five merchant vessels, while China built 1,400. China also has three times as many naval warships as the United States.

This has dangerous implications for our economic and maritime security. In the event of a military or trade conflict, President Xi Jinping could prohibit Chinese ships from entering American ports, an action that could cause industry bottlenecks, cut off supply to needed goods and jack up prices — basically overnight.

SEN WICKER: ENDING CHINA’S DRONE DOMINANCE WITH A MADE-IN-AMERICA REVIVAL

This is not just hypothetical. On April 3, 2025, China leveraged its virtual industrial shipping monopoly and prevented rare earth exports to the U.S., thereby kneecapping U.S. production on everything from smartphones to fighter jets. Although China’s action was ultimately narrow in scope, it showed the world that China could flex its muscle on the world’s seas with devastating effects for the United States and the global economy.

To maintain our economic and military leadership, America must rebuild its maritime industry.

And today, we have a president who seems to recognize this urgent need. In February, President Donald Trump unveiled his Maritime Action Plan, a blueprint to make American ships again. It would provide long-term and stable funding for U.S.-built ships, shipyards and mariners and cut regulatory red tape to meet the maritime needs of our country today.

REP. BRIAN MAST: DEMOCRATS' 43-DAY SHUTDOWN WAS NOT A STRATEGY — IT WAS A DISASTER

We share the goal of revitalizing the U.S. maritime sector. That’s why we introduced the SHIPS for America Act with Indiana Republican Sen. Todd Young and Mississippi Republican Rep. Trent Kelly. It’s the most ambitious and comprehensive legislation in a generation to set America on the path to regain our position as the greatest maritime power in the world. 

The SHIPS for America Act sets a national goal of expanding the U.S.-flagged international fleet by 250 ships over 10 years, upgrading and expanding America’s private shipyards for repairing and building commercial ships, training and employing skilled workers and providing funding through the creation of the Strategic Commercial Fleet Program. 

Whether you’re talking about Mare Island in California or Gulf Port in Mississippi, this comprehensive bill would deliver much-needed investments to America’s rusted maritime sector. It would modernize shipyards, strengthen workforce development and stabilize supply chains so that we can have a modern, capable merchant and naval fleet while reducing dependence on foreign suppliers. All of that sends a signal to the industry: American shipbuilding is back, and it’s time to invest in it.

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That will create thousands of good-paying American jobs where workers can actually raise a family, save for the future and get ahead. Our SHIPS for America Act is about more than building ships in ports. It’s about building every part of a ship in America.

From the steel that makes up the ship’s hull to the electronics that are necessary to navigate across oceans, this will galvanize every industry that plays a part in building ships, benefiting not just coastal cities, but hardworking communities in every corner of the country.

Never before have we witnessed such comprehensive alignment among Republicans and Democrats, industry and organized labor for rebuilding our great nation’s maritime industry.

It’s clear to us that the opportunity is now. Let’s get to work.

Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly represents Arizona in the U.S. Senate. He serves on the Armed Services, Environment and Public Works, Energy and Natural Resources, Aging, and Joint Economic Committees. He is chair of the Airland Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM SENATOR MARK KELLY

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The second James Comey indictment is not just absurd, it’s deeply troubling.

Trying to prosecute a guy for threatening the president’s life by posting a picture of seashells?

After a previous, much broader indictment against the fired FBI director despised by President Donald Trump was thrown out of court?

But don’t take my word for it:

JAMES COMEY INDICTED FOR ALLEGED THREATS AGAINST TRUMP: DOJ

ABC’s Jonathan Karl: "Even Trump’s allies are privately calling it ‘embarrassing,’ or as one very prominent former Trump DOJ official told me last night, ‘depressing.’"

National Review’s Andy McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor: "This farce, then, is nothing more than a continuation of Trump’s lawfare campaign against a political enemy. It is inconceivable that Comey could be convicted of a crime in these circumstances, but the president’s minions are putting him through the anxiety, expense, and stigma of the judicial process." 

Constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley said on Fox: "I must be in a parallel universe to be talking about the shell art of James Comey…Just showing the picture’s going to be a weak case in terms of a threat."

"It’ll be thrown out. It’s classic revenge," Ty Cobb, a Trump White House lawyer in the first term, told CNN.

LEGAL EXPERTS WARN COMEY ‘86 47’ INDICTMENT FACES FIRST AMENDMENT HURDLES

The seashell collection, which Comey said he found on a North Carolina beach, said 86 47. In restaurant parlance, 86 means to get rid of a customer or dish, not kill them. And the other numbers refer to the 47th president. It was spectacularly bad judgment for Comey to post the photo on his Instagram account.

But after an uproar, Comey deleted the posting and said he in no way meant to suggest political violence.

 "I'm still innocent, I'm still not afraid, and I still believe in the independent federal judiciary, so let’s go," Comey said after the new charges were filed.

It’s no secret at this point that the Justice Department has become an aggressive player in Trump’s retribution campaign. One reason he fired Pam Bondi as attorney general is that he was unhappy with the pace of the probes.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche denied yesterday that the president had ordered him to bring the indictment. "Anybody who tries to put forward some narrative that this is just about seashells or something to the contrary is missing the point," he told CBS. "You cannot threaten the president of the United States."

But Trump didn’t have to make a secret phone call to demand the indictment. He talks openly about those he views as enemies, such as Letitia James. He said he was glad when ex-special prosecutor Bob Mueller died.

In the past, Trump has referred to Comey as "scum," "slimeball" and a "lying scumbag."

Trump told reporters yesterday that 86 is "a mob term for kill them, you know? You ever see the movies? "‘86 ‘em,’ the mobster says to one of his wonderful associates."

Pressed by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on whether he felt his life was in danger, Trump said "probably."

"The people like Comey have created tremendous danger, I think, for politicians and others. You know, Comey is a dirty cop, he’s a very dirty cop...He’s a crooked man."

Other presidents might have declined comment on what is now an ongoing criminal prosecution, but that’s not Donald Trump.

FORMER FBI AGENT SAYS COMEY CHARGES HINGE ON INTENT EVIDENCE AND JURY INTERPRETATION

The first indictment, last September, came after Secret Service agents tracked down the former FBI chief. It included charges of leaking and lying to Congress, but Tuesday’s stripped-down version deals only with the shell photo.

Trump defenders say he was persecuted during his first term with four criminal cases. So this, in their view, is proper payback.

But during the campaign I lost track of how many times Trump told me "the best retribution will be success."

SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE'S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY'S HOTTEST STORIES

Instead, he’s gone after political opponents, law firms, news organizations and others with a vengeance.

These efforts have so far fallen short in court. The Comey indictment is such a stretch that even most conservative legal commentators aren’t defending it.  

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A group of cultural and historic preservation groups on Wednesday called on a federal judge to block President Donald Trump from making major renovations to The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which has undergone significant changes since the president returned to office last year.

The groups asked U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper to issue a preliminary injunction to prevent any construction ahead of the scheduled July 6 project launch, saying they worry the president and the center's board of trustees will ignore historic preservation rules that aim to maintain the building.

Attorney Greg Werkheiser said after the hearing that the laws that govern the process "go to the very fundamental question of: Do we slow down and take stock before we make changes to properties that define the American experience?"

Justice Department attorneys, representing the president and board, argued that the administration's plans for the building are limited in scope and well within the authority of the board as they claimed extra approvals were not needed.

TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER'S BOARD VOTES UNANIMOUSLY TO APPROVE $257M RENOVATIONS AND TWO-YEAR CLOSURE

After returning to the White House, Trump ousted the center's previous leadership and replaced it with a handpicked board of allies who named him chairman, a move that sparked backlash from many artists. Trump's name was also later added to the building’s facade so that it reads: "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."

Trump announced the scheduled renovations for the center earlier this year.

The hearing on Wednesday came after a separate one the day before regarding the future of the center.

Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, has also filed a lawsuit to stop renovations as an ex officio member of the board, and Cooper is also overseeing that case.

The center's executive director, Matt Floca, a former facilities manager who was bumped up to the Trump-selected board, testified that the scheduled renovations are simply to repair decades of wear and tear, including extensive water damage to a part of the building that was nicknamed "the swamp."

"The most efficient and effective way to complete the magnitude of projects we need to complete is to close the center," Floca said.

Attorneys for the preservation groups questioned claims about the limited scope of the project, citing Trump's statements that he would "fully expose" the building's steel skeleton.

Justice Department attorney Yaakov Roth said those concerns have been blown out of proportion.

"There’s no risk that there will be unilateral changes … that we’ll wake up and the building will be gone," Roth said.

TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER'S NEW LEADER REVEALED AS RIC GRENELL EXITS TOP ROLE

The lawsuits regarding the Kennedy Center's fate come amid other fights against Trump's efforts to change historical landmarks in the nation's capital.

Since he returned to office last year, Trump has frustrated preservationists, including by paving over the White House’s Rose Garden. Last year, the White House tore down its East Wing to make room for the president's proposed $400 million ballroom, although construction of the ballroom has been halted by a judge as litigation continues.

Trump also has plans to erect a 250-foot "triumphal arch" to commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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