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Judge’s ruling spurs new polarization of N.C. political battles

North Carolina's place in the center of so many of the country's "good government" fights has been underscored anew by a judge's bold and surprising move to block a pair of new voter-approved amendments to the state Constitution.

A requirement for a new statewide voter identification system and a cap on the state income tax rate won solid majorities in November after they were placed on the ballot by the Republican-run legislature. But Wake County Superior Court Judge G. Bryan Collins, a Democrat, struck them down in a blistering attack on the state's history of gerrymandering issued late Friday.

"An illegally constituted General Assembly does not represent the people of North Carolina and is therefore not empowered to pass legislation that would amend the state's constitution," he wrote.


Many legislators who voted to put the measures to a statewide referendum were at the time representing state House and Senate districts subsequently ruled unconstitutionally drawn to dilute African-American electoral power.

"It's a reach of legal logic, a ruling that appears more like progressive fist-pounding than something that should come from the bench," The Raleigh News & Observer editorialized on Monday. "Republicans have now been handed a gift from Collins — a real-life example that overreaching judges want to bend the constitution for progressive purposes. It's the go-to gripe whenever a ruling doesn't go Republicans' way, something that's happened often since the GOP took power in North Carolina and passed a series of constitutionally iffy laws."

Efforts to get rid of the state's statutes written to suppress voter turnout or keep the GOP in power through creative mapmaking have now been set back, the editors lamented. "Collins tainted legitimate court decisions by allowing Republicans to point to one fantastical ruling. He did North Carolinians, liberal or conservative, no favors.

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Similarity Hub Shows >700 Instances of Cross-Partisan Common Ground

Two coloured pencils one red and one blue drawing a reef knot on a white paper background.

Getty Images, David Malan

Similarity Hub Shows >700 Instances of Cross-Partisan Common Ground

It is a common refrain to say that Americans need to find common ground across the political spectrum.

Over the past year, AllSides and More Like US found >700 instances of common ground on political topics, revealed in Similarity Hub. It highlights public opinion data from Gallup, Pew Research, YouGov, and many other reputable polling firms.

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U.S. Refines Military Strategy in Africa As Development Programs Face Cuts

Royal Moroccan Armed Forces service members and U.S. Army Soldiers hold an African Lion banner during a Moroccan F-16 flyover at the closing day of African Lion 2025 (AL25) at Tantan, Morocco, May 23, 2025.

By Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Mallett/U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa

U.S. Refines Military Strategy in Africa As Development Programs Face Cuts

WASHINGTON – Both the Trump administration and its critics agree the U.S. risks losing influence in Africa to rivals like China and Russia. But while the administration argues its commercially driven foreign policy will reverse the trend, critics warn that retreating from development and diplomacy could deepen the problem.

Under the Trump administration, the U.S. plans to consolidate embassies, scale back USAID operations, and pivot towards a security and commercial driven approach on the continent. While U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) defense officials insist their core missions within Africa will remain intact, civilian experts and lawmakers argue that abandoning diplomatic and development tools opens the door for strategic competitors to fill the void and fails to take into account what would best benefit African countries.

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