Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

DOJ Now Says Texas Voting Rights Are OK

The Trump administration, reversing the Justice Department's position in one of the most important voting rights cases in the country, now says Texas should not have to get federal permission for any changes to its election system.

The changed position came in a lawsuit challenging the state's congressional and legislative maps as gerrymandered to limit the political power of blacks and Latinos.


The Supreme Court six years ago struck down the part of the Voting Rights Act that has been most widely used to require many parts of the South, including Texas, to "pre-clear" any voting changes with the federal government. The plaintiffs in the Texas case cite a different provision, which says pre-clearance can be required in places with a clear and continuing history of intentional discrimination. Placing all of the country's second biggest state in that category would be a major victory for voting rights groups and a huge blow to conservatives arguing that states hold be left alone to set their own election rules.

"Generations of DOJ lawyers, including myself, have taken turns combating Texas' many racially discriminatory voting policies. If Texas can't meet this DOJ's standards for warranting pre-clearance, I suspect no jurisdiction can," Sasha Samberg-Champion, a former senior attorney in the appellate section of the Justice Department's civil rights division, told the HuffPost.

Read More

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.

Keep ReadingShow less
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.

Keep ReadingShow less