Bombshell: High Court strikes down race-based congressional map, could decide midterms; Florida lawmakers approve new congressional maps; Jay Powell plans to remain on Federal Reserve board after term as chair ends; VP: ‘Working round the clock to root out fraudsters stealing from American people’; ‘From the moon to the White House’: President Trump welcomes Artemis II astronauts; DOJ issues new report on eradicating anti-Christian bias in federal government; Israeli extremists attack nun near Upper Room in Jerusalem; Catholic family refused Holy Communion at altar rail in North Carolina; The universal Church celebrates the sainted pope (b.1504 d.1572) who said, ‘All the evils of the world are due to lukewarm Catholics’; and more —
Supreme Court Smacks Down Rampant Race-Based Gerrymandering
‘Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 … was designed to enforce the Constitution — not collide with it,’ wrote Justice Alito.
The U.S. Supreme Court released a bombshell ruling on Wednesday significantly curtailing states’ use of race in the redistricting process.
“Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 … was designed to enforce the Constitution — not collide with it. Unfortunately, lower courts have sometimes applied this Court’s §2 precedents in a way that forces States to engage in the very race-based discrimination that the Constitution forbids,” Associate Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority (6-3).
Known as Louisiana v. Callais, the case centers around Louisiana’s creation of a second majority-black district in its most recent congressional map. The Pelican State added the second majority-minority district following a lower court order that said its original map — which only included one majority-black district — likely violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA).
Read more at The Federalist; read Louisiana v. Callais here
More information about the ruling
Watch @ProudElephant
SCOTUS Issues Blockbuster Ruling That Could Decide The Midterms
The Supreme Court handed down a blockbuster ruling Wednesday that tightens the rules on race-based redistricting just months before the 2026 midterms, striking down a court’s attempt to force Louisiana to add a second majority-black congressional district.
In a 6-3 decision authored by Justice Samuel Alito, the court ruled that the state’s revised map violated the Equal Protection Clause, finding it was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander even though lawmakers said they were trying to comply with the Voting Rights Act.
Chief Justice John Roberts joined Alito’s opinion, along with Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. Justice Elena Kagan dissented, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Read more at Trending Politics
NAACP is not happy about SCOTUS’ decision
See @NAACP; see also @SenSchumer
Florida lawmakers approve new congressional maps
Also on Wednesday, the Supreme Court released a decision eliminating race-based congressional districts that is expected to trigger a series of redraws across the South.
Florida lawmakers on Wednesday approved a slate of congressional maps expected to bolster Republican chances in the midterms.
The map largely limits Democratic-leaning districts to Orlando and a series of urban areas on the southwest coast. It is expected to face legal challenges, according to Politico.
The votes on Wednesday send the bill to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., who pushed for the legislature to advance the redraw in response to a Virginia referendum.
Also on Wednesday, the Supreme Court released a decision eliminating race-based congressional districts that is expected to trigger a series of redraws across the South.
Read more at Just the News
Treasury Sec. Bessent on Jay Powell’s decision to remain on governors board ‘violates norms’
Watch @SecScottBessent
POTUS on Powell’s decision
See @realDailyWire
VP leading aggressive fraud crackdown, raid in Minnesota
Watch @VP
VP roasts Tim Walz for taking credit for fraud raids
Watch @VP
Ex-Minnesota state trooper reveals how state ‘tried to cover up fraud allegations’ — then Walz shut down his department
A former Minnesota state trooper alleged this week that his bosses at the state Department of Human Services tried to bully him into quashing his findings of fraud in the state’s child care funding program.
Jay Swanson, a former criminal investigator for the DHS, also revealed that it was well known among Somali refugees in East Africa that Minnesota was the best place to go in the US to pull off child care fraud schemes.
And then, Gov. Tim Walz came into office — and Swanson’s entire department investigating waste, fraud and abuse was eliminated, according to Republican lawmakers.
Read more at the New York Post
Former Minnesota fraud investigator speaks out
Watch @AlphaNews
Thousands of Appalachian voters flip from Democrat to Republican, narrowing registration lead
More than 20,000 unaffiliated voters also moved to the GOP ahead of the state’s May 12 primary election
A wave of party switching in West Virginia is reshaping the state’s political landscape, with tens of thousands of voters — including more than 16,000 Democrats — registering as Republicans since early 2024, according to new data released by the secretary of state.
West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner reported that 68,235 voters have changed party affiliation since Jan. 31, 2024, signaling a significant shift ahead of the state’s May 12 primary election.
Among the biggest changes, 16,910 voters switched from Democrat to Republican, while another 20,003 unaffiliated voters also moved to the GOP, according to the data.
Read more at Fox News
New study confirms lithium cache in Appalachia
See @business; full subscription required for article at Bloomberg
President Trump welcomes the astronauts of the Artemis II mission to the Oval Office
Watch at The White House
Prelude to Artemis III
Watch @WhiteHouse
DOJ issues new report on eradicating anti-Christian bias in federal government
The Department of Justice report details Biden-era regulations on abortion, contraception, human sexuality, and gender, which often pitted the government against religious institutions.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) released a new report on April 30 detailing allegations of anti-Christian bias from former President Joe Biden’s administration and unveiling how President Donald Trump’s administration is working to reverse those policies.
“When Christian beliefs about morality and human nature conflicted with the Biden administration’s views, religious rights often suffered,” the executive summary says.
“The Biden administration generally tolerated religious beliefs that were privately held but zealously pursued actions to limit Christians’ ability to act in accordance with their faith,” the report says. “This affected matters of deep personal importance to nearly every American: life, family, marriage, and self-identity.”
The report, titled “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias within the Federal Government,” was issued by the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, which Trump established in February 2025.
Read more at EWTN News
Israeli extremists attack nun near Upper Room in Jerusalem
See @IhabHassane
Armenian cathedral demolished in disputed region
The Azerbaijani government demolished in early April an Armenian cathedral located in Nagorno-Karabakh, according to local media reports, stirring up a long-running conflict in a border region whose territory has been disputed between both countries since the 1990s.
The Armenian Apostolic Church decried the demolition of the Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God in the city of Stepanakert, saying it aimed to “erase the Armenian trace” from the region.
The development comes less than three years after a military offensive by Azerbaijan led to the dissolution of the self-declared Republic of Artsakh in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, an area internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but historically populated and controlled by ethnic Armenian Christians until 2023.
Read more at The Pillar
Catholic family refused Holy Communion at altar rail in North Carolina
Watch @LiturgyGuy
‘Out of the mouth of babes’ at University of Idaho TPUSA event
Watch @AndrewKolvet
Getting ready for Mary’s month
The month of May is dedicated to Mary through daily prayers and the Rosary, with a plenary indulgence granted to the faithful who honor her devoutly – Pope Pius VII, 18 June 1822
See @ChristusDeus0
Today is the feast Day of St. Pope Pius V
See @father_rmv
