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South Carolina joins Southern redistricting push after US Supreme Court ruling on minority districts

<block>COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — An election-year redistricting movement has spread to South Carolina as Republicans attempt to redraw majority-Black congressional districts that have suddenly become susceptible because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling upending protections for minority voters. Urged on by President Donald Trump, South Carolina Republicans are attempting to redraw a district long held by a Black Democratic lawmaker in their quest for a clean sweep of the state’s seven congressional seats. Lawmakers already are meeting in special sessions in Alabama and Tennessee in a bid to change their U.S. House districts. And Louisiana lawmakers also are making plans for new congressional districts after the Supreme Court last week struck down the state’s current map. The high court’s ruling said Louisiana relied too heavily on race when creating a second Black-majority House district as it attempted to comply with the Voting Rights Act. The ruling significantly altered a decades-old understanding of the law, giving Republicans grounds to try to eliminate majority-Black districts that have elected Democrats. The ruling revved up an already intense national redistricting battle ahead of a November midterm election that will determine control of the closely divided House.Since Trump prodded Texas to redraw its U.S. House districts last year, a total of eight states have adopted new congressional districts. From that, Republicans think they could gain as many as 13 seats while Democrats think they could gain up to 10 seats. But some of the new districts could be competitive in November, meaning the parties may not get all they sought. <hl2>South Carolina to test its will for redistricting</hl2>Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn has represented South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District since it was redrawn to favor minority voters in 1992. He’s running for an 18th term. But it could get harder for him to win reelection if Republicans redraw his district. Leaders in the state House and Senate said a redistricting effort needs to start with a two-thirds vote in each chamber. The issue could come up as soon as Wednesday. But if only a few Republicans aren’t on board, it can’t succeed.Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey has warned that redistricting could backfire because of thin political margins, resulting in a second Democrat in the U.S. House. Massey told reporters Tuesday that he had a cordial conversation with Trump about redistricting, each laying out their concerns.The state’s primaries are June 9 and early voting starts in three weeks. <hl2>Alabama looks at setting a new primary</hl2>The House on Wednesday could debate legislation that would allow Alabama to hold a special congressional primary, if the Supreme Court clears the way for the state to change its U.S. House districts.In light of the court’s ruling on Louisiana’s districts, Alabama officials have asked courts to set aside a judicial order to use a U.S. House map that includes two districts with a substantial number of Black voters. Republican instead want to use a map passed in 2023 by the Legislature that could help the GOP win at least one of those two seats currently held by Democrats.Alabama’s primaries are scheduled for May 19. If the Supreme Court grants the state’s request after or too close to the primary, the legislation under consideration would ignore the results of that primary and direct the governor to schedule a new primary under the revised districts.Democrats denounced the legislation as a Republican power grab that harkens back to the state’s shameful history of denying Black residents equal rights and representation.Republicans are “working to secure an electoral victory by taking Alabama back to the Jim Crow era, and we won’t go back,” Democratic U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell told a crowd gathered outside the Alabama Statehouse.<hl2>Tennessee plan targets Memphis district</hl2>Republican Gov. Bill Lee called Tennessee lawmakers into a special session to consider a plan urged by Trump that could break up the state’s lone Democratic-held U.S. House district, centered on the majority-Black city of Memphis. Republicans didn’t say much about the plan Tuesday.But as the Senate began work Tuesday, shouts of “shame, shame, shame” could be heard inside the chamber from protesters gathered in the hallways. On the chamber floor, Sen. Raumesh Akbari, a Black Democrat from Memphis, called the redistricting “an act of hate.”Martin Luther King III sent a letter to Tennessee legislative leaders expressing “grave concern” about the plan to divide Memphis, saying the move could undermine the work for voting rights carried out by his father, Martin Luther King Jr.The candidate qualifying period in Tennessee ended in March, and the primary election is scheduled for Aug. 6.<hl2>Thousands had already voted in Louisiana</hl2>After last week’s Supreme Court decision, Republican Gov. Mike Landry postponed the state’s May 16 congressional primary to allow time for lawmakers to approve new U.S. House districts. State Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, a Republican, said a redistricting committee he leads plans to hold a public hearing Friday.Louisiana voters had already sent in more than 41,000 absentee ballots by last Thursday, when Landry suspended the House primaries, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. That’s about one third of all the absentee ballots sent out to voters. Around 19,000 were from registered Democrats, 17,000 from registered Republicans and the remainder belonged to neither party.Democrats and civil rights groups have filed several lawsuits challenging the suspension of Louisiana’s congressional primary. ___Chandler reported from Montgomery, Alabama, Loller from Nashville and Lieb from Jefferson City, Missouri. Associated Press writer Jack Brook contributed from New Orleans.</block>

AI boom drives a rally in buying of tech shares, pushing South Korea’s Kospi to a record

TOKYO (AP) — South Korea’s Kospi soared nearly 7% to a fresh record on Wednesday as Samsung Electronics’ stock jumped nearly 13% in a rally driven by expectations of strong growth in artificial intelligence and hopes for progress in ending the U.S.-Iran war.Shares in SK Hynix, another major Korean computer chipmaker, shot up 10% early Wednesday. Both Samsung and SK Hynix are major manufacturers of the computer chips vital for AI applications. News that Iranian officials were traveling to C

US military strike on alleged drug boat kills 3 in the eastern Pacific

forces struck an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea, killing two people.The Trump administration’s campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has persisted since early September and killed at least 191 people in total. Despite the Iran war, the strikes have ramped up again in recent weeks, showing that the administration’s aggressive measures to stop what it calls “narcoterrorism” in the Western Hemisphere are not letting up. The military has not provide

Photos: Ohio and Indiana high-stakes primaries, and a power-shifting race in Michigan

<block>Voters headed to the polls in Indiana and Ohio for pivotal primary elections that will test President Donald Trump’s influence within the Republican Party and help shape the road to the midterms. Meanwhile, a closely watched state Senate race in Michigan could determine control of the chamber.___This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.</block>

Man charged in US with stealing $450 million from Mexican billionaire in loan scheme

The other conspirators included a man who also used an alias, Thomas Mellon, whose last name is also that of a prominent and wealthy American family.Sklarov and other conspirators told Salinas that Astor was originally established from the wealth of John Jacob Astor and that the company had high-profile clients including universities and investment funds, prosecutors said.Under a deal signed around July 2021, Sklarov agreed to lend Salinas at least $115 million, claiming the money would come fro

$1 trillion for ‘three thousandths of one degree’: ‘What Does It Cost?’ director warns of WA net-zero price tag

Ken Peterson, the director of the documentary “What Does It Cost?” warned of the financial consequences of Washington and Oregon’s plan to eliminate fossil fuels and rely solely on zero-emission electricity sources, such as solar and wind, by 2045.A net-zero plan with a $1 trillion price tagPeterson told “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio that the initiative comes with a hefty price tag for very little payoff. He said the effort will cost $1 trillion between W

Human remains discovered at Tukwila home

Tukwila police discovered human remains at a home Tuesday morning near South 148th Street and 42nd Avenue South.Major Crimes Unit (MCU) detectives have been assigned to the case, according to the department.“There is no threat to the public,” the Tukwila Police Department stated in a post on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DdDSsHMc6/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a>.As of 4 p.m., detectives were expected to be processing the scene for several hours.<iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FTukwilaPD%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0Npxj1pa61QT3XyYdgszvFHHwyjyq6EC5SiBS1dxyAuDWtaYzztPYvy1RbCte8SNxl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="547" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories <a href="https://mynorthwest.com/author/flenzi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.<a class="twitter-follow-button" href="https://twitter.com/gotfederer" data-show-count="false" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow @gotfederer</a><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Trump will host Brazilian president for talks on economy and security, a White House official says

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will host Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Thursday for talks about shared economic and security issues, a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity about a meeting that has not been officially announced.The leftist Lula and Trump have had an up-and-down relationship since the U.S. leader’s return to the White House last year.Trump hit Brazil with steep tariffs and has pressed Brazilian authorities over their prosecutio

Trump advisers step up their calls on China to help open Strait of Hormuz ahead of Beijing summit

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House officials are pressing China to use its influence with Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz just days before President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping’shighly anticipated summit in Beijing.Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Chinese officials to use Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s scheduled visit to China on Wednesday to urge Tehran to release its chokehold on the critical waterway.“I hope the Chinese tell him what he needs to b

Second suspect arrested in violent, unprovoked assault of 77-year-old Seattle man

The video included surveillance footage of two men “violently” attacking an elderly man near Third Avenue and Pike Street in Seattle.RPD noted its Real-Time Information Center played a key role in confirming the identity of the suspect in Redmond by giving officers access to Seattle camera images as they were on the scene.With help from the Seattle Police Department (SPD), officers arrested the second assault suspect and booked him into the King County Jail.Elderly man beaten, left o

‘Happy as ever’: Dog rescued after getting stuck under Lake Stevens patio

A dog stuck under the outdoor patio of a Lake Stevens home was rescued last week after several Snohomish firefighters sprang into action to “safely free the pup.”Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue (SRFR) firefighters from Station 81 received a call from the Lake Stevens Police Department for help rescuing the dog, SRFR reported Monday.Once firefighters arrived, crews carefully removed several planks from the patio to reveal the stuck dog. One firefighter even jumped down below to mee

Washington police put 13 officers on administrative leave in internal crime statistics investigation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said Tuesday that 13 officers have been placed on administrative leave in connection with an internal investigation into how the department keeps crime statistics, a subject that also has been looked into by Congress and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Carroll said the officers were placed on administrative leave on Monday following an investigation that began earlier this year after a r

Homeless man with three prior arrests held in alleged rape of 15-year-old near Seattle bus stop

The judge ordered him held until the next hearing, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.The Seattle Police Department arrested the man Monday morning and booked him into the King County Jail for investigation of rape and kidnapping. He also has multiple outstanding warrants from Snohomish County and Puyallup Municipal Court.His prior cases involved an alleged robbery, a shoplifting incident, and a domestic violence warrant that also turned up fentanyl in his possessio

FDA announces its first OK of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes for adults in major shift under Trump

During his first administration, Trump put in place the first flavor restrictions on e-cigarettes and raised the age for purchasing all tobacco products from 18 to 21.But action on vaping and other tobacco policies has largely taken a backseat under FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who has focused on a slate of other priorities, including restricting COVID-19 vaccines, phasing out artificial food dyes and speeding up approval of some innovative drugs. Groups such as the Vapor Technology Associatio

Washington health insurance enrollment hits record decline

Washington saw a nearly 13% decline in health insurance enrollment this year, marking the largest drop since the state’s insurance marketplace launched in 2012, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Washington Health Benefit Exchange.About 250,000 Washingtonians selected or re-enrolled in a qualified health plan through Washington Healthplanfinder during the 2026 open enrollment period, down from more than 286,500 the year before, according to the report.The losses were steeper

‘We cannot move forward’: Kettle says Seattle must confront homelessness epidemic

Point-in-time numbers, a collection of data gauging a city’s homeless population, have risen by nearly 7,000 individuals in King County since 2016.The stark increase led John Curley to ask Seattle City Councilmember Bob Kettle if he was wrong to believe that it feels like Seattle is funding homelessness and footing the bill for out-of-state homeless seeking resources.“You’re right, this is something that we need to acknowledge; this is why I made my statement that we have a reg

Boater passes out, crashes into rock embankment near Steilacoom ferry dock; nearly hits two ferries

Pierce County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Carly Capetto said the operator had passed out moments before impact.One caller reported that the suspect nearly collided with the two ferries in his boat before it struck a large rock embankment. When the boat crashed, the driver was ejected from his seat into the water before climbing onto the rocks along the shore.“When I responded, I was expecting to see mass trauma,” Capetto told KIRO Newsradio. “By the time I got over ther

Man accused of attacking OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home pleads not guilty to attempted murder

Morena-Gama’s parents said in a statement shortly after the attack that he has never harmed anyone and recently began having mental health issues.Authorities said Morena-Gama, who works part-time at a pizzeria and is attending community college, expressed hatred of artificial intelligence in his writings, describing it as a danger to humanity and warning of “impending extinction,” according to court filings.Officials haven’t said whether Altman was home at the time of the attack.The state

FAA employee in New Hampshire accused of sending email threatening to kill Trump

Secret Service officers questioned DelleChiaie about searches made on his computer at the FAA, where he was employed as a contractor involved in mechanical engineering.According to court documents, DelleChiaie used his work computer in January to search for information about how to get a gun into a federal facility, the percentage of the population that wants the president dead, the location of the vice president’s home and the names of his children. He later asked the FAA’s information technolo

Proposed UN resolution threatens Iran with sanctions if it doesn’t allow freedom of navigation

resolution threatens Iran with sanctions or other measures if it doesn’t halt attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, stop imposing “illegal tolls,” and disclose the placement of all mines to allow freedom of navigation.The draft resolution, co-sponsored by the United States and Gulf nations and obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, also demands that Iran “immediately participate in and enable” United Nations efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor in the strait to enable the delivery