Louisiana Republicans on Saturday selected Congresswoman Julia Letlow as their Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate, all but ensuring she will replace outgoing Sen. Bill Cassidy in the upper chamber. 
With nearly all <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/us/elections/results-louisiana-us-senate-runoff.html">votes counted</a>, Letlow — endorsed by President Donald Trump — defeated State Treasurer John Fleming in the runoff with about 57% of the vote. The two advanced to the runoff in May after no candidate cleared the 50% threshold, with incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy eliminated in the first round.
In a victory speech, <a href="https://x.com/gbrousstv/status/2071058124321034613?s=20">Letlow celebrated</a> the results, thanking Louisiana voters and Trump, calling him the “greatest president this country has ever had.” 
“Great News!!! Julia Letlow WON in Louisiana, beating conclusively a very strong and smart opponent,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116825287521580891">said</a> in a Truth Social post. “Congratulations to Julia. She will be a truly GREAT Senator!” 
Cassidy’s fall from grace is another sign of Trump’s enduring grip on the Republican base, as the president continues flexing his political muscle to target GOP lawmakers he views as disloyal to his agenda.
“Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is a disloyal disaster,” the president wrote on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116584450399753941">Truth Social</a>, noting that the two-term senator had voted to impeach him after the January 6, 2021, riots on Capitol Hill. “Bill Cassidy is a sleazebag, a terrible guy, who is BAD FOR LOUISIANA. Now he’s going to get CLOBBERED, hopefully, in today’s BIG election, by two great people!!!”
In January, Trump endorsed Letlow (R-LA) to replace Sen. Cassidy, who was one of seven Senate Republicans who voted to convict Trump after January 6.
In a <a href="https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/article_67fa0a74-6ee1-11eb-8bd4-6bda88cda171.html">February 2021 column that has since come back to haunt him politically</a>, Cassidy wrote that Trump was “guilty” of inciting the riot and “actively subverting the peaceful transfer of power.” 
Ryan Girdusky, a conservative political consultant, called that vote the &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/voters-decide-fate-of-senator-who-voted-to-convict-trump">ultimate betrayal</a>.&#8221; 
“The impeachment vote against Trump is really what did him in; had he not voted to impeach Trump, he wouldn’t be in this position,” Girdusky said. “If they successfully had a trial against him, he would have been ineligible to run for President. So maybe that’s what Cassidy was rooting for.”
In her campaign launch, Letlow said that in “a state as conservative as ours, we shouldn’t have to wonder how our senator will vote when the pressure’s on. Louisiana deserves conservative champions, leaders who will not flinch,” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-slugfest-all-but-inevitable-as-trump-backed-lawmaker-enters-louisiana-race">The Daily Wire previously reported</a>. The congresswoman took office in April 2021, following a special election triggered by her husband’s death.
During the campaign, Cassidy and Fleming targeted Letlow over <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/blank">past comments praising diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts</a>, questioning her conservative credentials.
“She’s as moderate as Bill Cassidy is,” Girdusky told The Daily Wire. “So it’s not like they’re trading a moderate for a conservative. They’re trading a moderate for a moderate, but one that Trump approved versus one that Trump didn’t approve.” 
Cassidy also faced heat for stalling some of Trump’s high-profile nominees, including Surgeon General pick Dr. Casey Means. 
“Bill Cassidy is a mindless avatar for his donors and a blind defender of the status quo system that is profiting from American sickness,” Calley Means, Casey Means’ brother, <a href="https://x.com/calleymeans/status/2049893588985638974?s=20">said on social media</a>.
The president piled on, calling Cassidy a “very disloyal person” who “stood in the way” of RFK Jr.’s preferred nominee.
Widely regarded as the GOP’s kingmaker, Trump has recently retaliated against Indiana Republicans who opposed his redistricting effort, along with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Texas Sen. John Cornyn.
“It shows that it’s really about Trump,” Girdusky said. “It shows that voters have this innate belief that he has their best interests at heart, and that he is feeling the anger that they’re feeling of betrayal from the elected officials.”
Letlow will face off against Democrat Jamie Davis. <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/senate/race/488591">Cook Political Report</a> rates the race as solid Republican going into November.

Second Impeachment Trial Of Donald J. Trump Continues In Senate

Trump-Backed Candidate Clinches Louisiana GOP Senate Runoff

2026 elections

Donald Trump

Louisiana

News

A heated feud between Pastor Tony Spell and his neighbors turned violent as the pastor sought to defend his family and congregation.
Spell, who is the pastor at Life Tabernacle Church in Central, Louisiana, was arrested for second-degree battery against his neighbor’s son, Scott Sherwin, after an altercation outside his church. Spell has been released on a $25,000 bond, according to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Louisiana pastor beats up a man who allegedly threatened to r*pe and kill his wife and grandchildren.
Pastor Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church says he was working on a church bus when the neighbor&#8217;s son started shouting at him.
Spell said that it is his job as the natural… <a href="https://t.co/v2ThlOEo3t">pic.twitter.com/v2ThlOEo3t</a>
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) <a href="https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/2069893607323320781?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/25/us-news/louisiana-pastor-allegedly-assaulted-neighbor-who-threatened-to-rape-and-kill-wife/">reported</a> that Spell gave Sherwin a total of 35 punches. Sherwin’s father said his son had to receive five stitches to his chin after the incident. Released footage of the incident appears to show Spell confronting the younger man. 
Speaking at a news conference about the altercation, Spell claimed that Sherwin threatened to sexually assault and kill his family, WAFB <a href="https://www.wafb.com/2026/06/25/centrals-police-chief-denies-pastor-spells-claims-that-law-enforcement-failed-keep-peace/">reported</a>.  
“While this individual is walking up and down the shoulder of the road, he&#8217;s shouting vulgarities, profanities, and very nasty words towards my person, or myself,” Spell <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&amp;v=1341020884663588">recalled</a>. “And while I&#8217;m working on this particular bus, he said, Tony, I&#8217;m quoting him. He said, &#8216;Tony, I&#8217;m gonna rape your wife. I&#8217;m gonna rape all of your grandchildren.’ And he said, ‘The next time you go out of town, I&#8217;m going to kill them. And what the f*ck are you going to do about it?&#8217;” 
“Number one, I’m a husband, number two, I’m a father, and number three, I’m a pastor who shepherds his flock,” he added. “I will not allow a man to murder my children when I’m gone.”
Spell also <a href="https://www.wafb.com/2026/06/24/family-releases-new-video-fight-involving-pastor-tony-spell/">claimed</a> that the Sherwin family has thrown vulgarities at his congregation, which is racially diverse and made up of vulnerable individuals, including people recovering from addiction.
“[My congregation is] constantly stalked by these individuals across the street. They are constantly intimidated with threats of bodily harm,” Spell said. “There&#8217;s not a person that&#8217;s come to this church that&#8217;s standing behind me in this meeting today who hasn&#8217;t been called the racial slur of the N word. Their children have been screamed at and shouted at with vulgarities.” 
Spell appeared to make light of his actions to his congregation during a sermon by referencing Mark 16:18 from the Bible, <a href="https://www.wafb.com/2026/06/24/i-fulfilled-scripture-i-laid-hands-sick-pastor-tony-spell-confessed-his-congregation/">WAFB reported</a>.
“‘In my name, they shall lay hands on the sick. And they shall recover,’” he said. “So today, I fulfilled the Scripture. I laid hands on the sick. I don’t know how much recovery they’re going to have, but I laid hands on the sick.”
Spell’s lawyer, Jeff Wittenbrink, criticized the local police for negligence, stating that Spell had reported harassment multiple times previously and was ignored by the local authorities.
“There’s certainly a failure of laws and enforcers to keep the peace,” Wittenbrink said.
Corcoran disputed the claim that police failed to act on the Spells&#8217; complaints. “Our records reflect only 5 incidents involving Pastor or Mrs. Spell in the past 4 years, and only one of those involved a complaint against their neighbors,” Corcoran said in a statement. 
Corcoran has offered to investigate any failure by his department to respond to a complaint if Spell can provide the dates and times of the alleged unaddressed complaints.
Bad blood has reportedly existed between Spell and the Sherwin family for half a decade. Spell was ticketed for holding church services in person in violation of COVID-19 restrictions, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/11/19/louisiana-pastor-charged-for-coronavirus-violation-seeks-relief/">reported</a>. 
The Sherwin family allegedly set up surveillance cameras to monitor Spell and his violations of COVID protocol, prompting the pastor to sue the family.

Pastor At Life Tabernacle Church In Baton Rouge Holds Easter Service Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

The Sick Threats A Pastor Says Forced Him To Turn Violent

Crime

Pastor

President Donald Trump took one last shot at Senator Bill Cassidy as Louisiana headed to the polls on Saturday, urging voters to throw their support behind the incumbent Republican&#8217;s primary challenger.
&#8220;Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is a disloyal disaster,&#8221; the president wrote on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116584450399753941">Truth Social</a>, noting that the two-term senator voted to impeach him after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. &#8220;Bill Cassidy is a sleazebag, a terrible guy, who is BAD FOR LOUISIANA. Now he’s going to get CLOBBERED, hopefully, in today’s BIG election, by two great people!!!&#8221;
One of those people, Rep. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-slugfest-all-but-inevitable-as-trump-backed-lawmaker-enters-louisiana-race">Julia Letlow</a> (R-LA), earned Trump&#8217;s endorsement shortly after entering the race in January. Letlow, who took office in April 2021 following the death of her husband, Congressman-elect Luke Letlow, has positioned herself as an America First lawmaker and attacked Cassidy from the right.
&#8220;In a state as conservative as ours, we shouldn’t have to wonder how our senator will vote when the pressure’s on,&#8221; Letlow wrote at the launch of her campaign. &#8220;Louisiana deserves conservative champions, leaders who will not flinch.&#8221; Letlow has since endorsed President Trump&#8217;s call for the Senate to eliminate the filibuster in order to pass the <a href="https://x.com/jbletlow/status/2052485326774419954?s=20">SAVE America Act</a>, election integrity legislation that has stalled in the upper chamber.
Letlow also emerged as a supporter of Casey Means, a leading figure in the Make America Healthy Again movement and Trump&#8217;s nominee for surgeon general. Letlow slammed Cassidy for <a href="https://x.com/jbletlow/status/2036859168401859009">holding up</a> Means&#8217;s nomination, calling on him to &#8220;stop dragging his feet, do his job, and help advance President Trump’s agenda.&#8221; Cassidy, a physician, <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2026/02/25/casey-means-bill-cassidy-face-off-on-vaccines/">opposed</a> Means&#8217;s nomination given what he called her &#8220;promotion of vaccine skepticism.&#8221;
Cassidy questioned Robert F. Kennedy Jr. along those lines during the latter&#8217;s Senate hearing, before ultimately voting to confirm him as Secretary of Health and Human Services. He did not relent on Means, however, and Trump late last month <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/third-times-the-charm-trumps-new-nominee-for-surgeon-general">pulled her nomination</a>, steering more MAHA ire toward Cassidy.
Louisiana is not the only state where Trump has gotten involved in Republican primaries. The president threw his support behind Ed Gallerin, a retired Navy SEAL challenging Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). Massie&#8217;s criticism of the war in Iran and the Trump administration&#8217;s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files put him firmly in the president&#8217;s crosshairs.
“The incredible people of Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, who want desperately to get rid of Thomas Massie, the Worst ‘Republican’ Congressman we have had in many years,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/thomas-massie-is-a-political-survivor-but-this-time-might-be-different">wrote</a> on Truth Social this month. Trump&#8217;s involvement raised the stakes considerably in the Kentucky race, which has now become the most expensive House primary in American history. Kentucky voters head to the polls on Tuesday.
Letlow has maintained a consistent lead in the polls. On primary day, the RealClearPolitics polling average had her 13 points ahead of Cassidy. Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming trails Letlow by 8 points, but leads Cassidy by 3. A candidate <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-blasts-sen-bill-cassidy-disloyal-disaster-pushes-challenger-julia-letlow-louisiana-gop-primary">must secure</a> more than 50% of the vote in order to clinch the party&#8217;s nomination. If no candidate crosses that threshold, the top two candidates will head for a June 27 runoff.
The winner of Saturday&#8217;s primary will enter the general election with a heavy advantage over whichever candidate clinches the Democrat nomination, given Louisiana&#8217;s solid Republican tilt. Polls close at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Untitled design – 2026-05-16T154111.292

Trump Slams ‘Disloyal Disaster’ Bill Cassidy As Louisiana Voters Head To The Polls

bill Cassidy

Republican Primary

Thomas Massie

May 14 (Reuters) &#8211; Republicans in Louisiana and South Carolina on Thursday took steps toward installing new congressional maps aimed at eliminating one Democratic-held seat in each state, as a national redistricting battle expands further across the South.
In Louisiana, the Republican-controlled state Senate passed a new congressional map that eliminates one of the state&#8217;s two Democratic-held, majority-black U.S. House districts, paving the way for Republicans to pick up an additional seat in November&#8217;s midterm elections.
And in South Carolina, Republican Governor Henry McMaster on Thursday reversed positions and called for a special legislative session starting on Friday to consider redrawing the state&#8217;s congressional map, a move that would likely oust longtime Democratic U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn from Congress in November’s midterm elections.
Republican-led Southern states have raced to redraw their congressional maps after the U.S. Supreme Court&#8217;s decision two weeks ago that severely weakened protections for districts with significant minority populations. Tennessee and Alabama have also either split up Democratic districts or taken steps to do so.
The new round of redistricting is part of a broader national fight that is likely to give Republicans a major boost as they seek to preserve a narrow majority in this fall’s election, though Democrats are still seen as favored to win the House given President Donald Trump&#8217;s sagging approval ratings.
The Louisiana map, which was approved 27-10 along party lines, will next head to the state House of Representatives, where Republicans hold a more than two-thirds majority.
Republican Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry previously suspended the congressional primary elections a day after the Supreme Court decision and only two days before early in-person voting was set to begin. Thousands of absentee ballots had already been returned by mail.
Democratic lawmakers, civil rights activists, and voting rights advocates have criticized the proposed map for diluting the electoral power of black residents, who make up about one-third of the state’s population. The new map would likely result in Republicans winning five of the state’s six districts in November.
&#8220;This Senate should seek to support a map that gives everyone a voice,&#8221; Democratic state Senator Katrina Jackson-Andrews said from the Senate floor on Thursday.
Republicans, including the bill&#8217;s sponsor, state Senator Jay Morris, said the map was drawn solely for partisan advantage, rather than along racial lines.
The current map, which includes majority-black districts centered in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, which found lawmakers relied too heavily on race in crafting the lines.
The new map includes only a single Democratic district that connects the two cities, which could pit the two Democratic incumbent U.S. representatives, Troy Carter and Cleo Fields, against one another.
In South Carolina, McMaster’s announcement came two days after a vote to extend the legislative session and consider a new map failed in the state Senate, when five Republicans broke with their party to deny the required two-thirds majority.
McMaster had previously indicated he would defer to the legislature. But Trump has pressured state Republicans to pursue a new map that would eliminate the state’s lone Democratic district, held by Clyburn, a black Democrat who is a leading figure within his party and has served in Congress since 1993.
Unlike the resolution that failed this week, any new map would only require a simple majority vote in both legislative chambers, which are dominated by Republicans.
The state House of Representatives has already advanced a proposal that would split up Clyburn’s seat while postponing the June 9 primary elections until August to accommodate the new district lines. Republicans hold the state’s other six districts.
(Reporting by Joseph AxEditing by Rod Nickel and Lincoln Feast.)

Supreme Court redistricting ruling throws Louisiana primary into chaos

Republicans Move To Wipe Out Democrat Seats In Louisiana, South Carolina

Congress

Politics

Redistricting

South Carolina

Louisiana has suspended its May 16 primary elections for congressional races following the Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday on its congressional map, as districts need to be redrawn in order to be legally compliant.
The Supreme Court ruled that one of the state’s majority-minority districts was illegally racially gerrymandered.
“Yesterday’s historic Supreme Court victory for Louisiana has an immediate consequence for the State. The Supreme Court previously stayed an injunction against the State’s enforcement of the current Congressional map,” Gov. Jeff Landry (R-LA) and Attorney General Liz Murrill (R-LA) said in a statement on Thursday. “By the Court’s order, however, that stay automatically terminated with yesterday’s decision. Accordingly, the State is currently enjoined from carrying out congressional elections under the current map. We are working together with the Legislature and the Secretary of State’s office to develop a path forward.”
Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his majority opinion of the court that “the State’s attempt to satisfy the Middle District’s ruling, although understandable, was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.”
Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA), the only Democrat in the state&#8217;s congressional delegation, blasted the Supreme Court&#8217;s decision as a &#8220;devastating blow.&#8221;
&#8220;The consequences of this decision are immediate and severe: the hard-fought progress that led to the creation of two majority-Black congressional districts in Louisiana is now in jeopardy,&#8221; Carter said in a statement.
“Let’s be clear: this is not about so-called ‘colorblind’ principles. History has shown us time and again that policies claiming neutrality, from literacy tests to poll taxes, have been used to silence Black voices. Louisiana knows this history all too well. Without the protections of the Voting Rights Act, there is no evidence to suggest that Black voters in our state will be able to elect candidates of their choice,&#8221; Carter continued.
It&#8217;s unclear if and how the move will impact other races in the state, as other contests are set to occur that day as well, including the hotly-competitive Republican Senate primary between Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
In multiple other states, including Tennessee and Mississippi, map redraws are being weighed that could get rid of deep blue districts that were created under the previous legal scope.
&#8220;I&#8217;ll keep saying it: the Tennessee legislature should reconvene immediately and REDRAW THE LINES!&#8221; Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who&#8217;s running for governor, posted to X on Thursday. The Volunteer State has a deep blue district in the Memphis area.
Meanwhile, Republican Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves came out ahead of the decision to call for a special session three weeks after the ruling, and it could lead to a redraw of the state&#8217;s Second Congressional District, which is represented by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS).
In Alabama, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey said her state will not have a special session to change its maps, citing current federal litigation.
“Litigation surrounding Alabama’s congressional districts is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, and Alabama is currently under a court order prohibiting the use of new congressional districts until after the 2030 census. While we are not in position to have a special session at this time, I hope in light of this new decision, the court is favorable to Alabama,&#8221; she stated, according to <a href="https://1819news.com/news/item/ivey-alabama-not-in-position-to-have-a-special-session-at-this-time-on-redistricting?fbclid=IwY2xjawRgYPtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETF4eHBBZUJ4cml1S21pZzZ4c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHlCocmN3Zhv-9pRJqL55hgHeyVzlORJ8bmR56akqoP_3QlqgKLRTaFAIf0d3_aem_BKbJw3WmmWStqNC5Kd5ZoA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1819 News</a>.
Before the court&#8217;s decision, states were already taking major mid-decade redistricting actions, including five Democrat-favored seats in California and five Republican-favored seats in Texas. Virginia voted earlier this month to switch to a 10-1 map favoring Democrats with a net gain of four seats, but it is facing a dicey state Supreme Court battle.
In Florida, the legislature rapidly approved a map for four more Republican-favored seats in the Sunshine State following a push from Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Supreme Court

Louisiana’s Election Calendar Just Got Blown Up After Supreme Court Ruling

On Wednesday, after the Supreme Court ruled that the Fifteenth Amendment’s prohibition on intentional racial discrimination forbids race-based redistricting, former President Barack Obama issued a screed denouncing the decision that was, in turn, harshly criticized on social media.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act, freeing state legislatures to gerrymander legislative districts to systematically dilute and weaken the voting power of racial minorities &#8211; so long as they do it under the guise of ‘partisanship’ rather than explicit ‘racial bias,’” Obama wrote on X. “And it serves as just one more example of how a majority of the current Court seems intent on abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy and protecting the rights of minority groups against majority overreach. The good news is that such setbacks can be overcome. But that will only happen if citizens across the country who cherish our democratic ideals continue to mobilize and vote in record numbers &#8211; not just in the upcoming midterms or in high profile races, but in every election and every level.”
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Today’s Supreme Court decision effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act, freeing state legislatures to gerrymander legislative districts to systematically dilute and weaken the voting power of racial minorities &#8211; so long as they do it under the guise of…
&mdash; Barack Obama (@BarackObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/2049561079605588184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The response came quickly:
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You have absolutely lost your mind.
YOU were the guy who was supposed to get us PAST sorting people by race.
You said judge people by character not color.
Now you&#39;re calling it &quot;voter suppression&quot; when the Court strikes down a district drawn ENTIRELY BY SKIN COLOR??!!
The… <a href="https://t.co/2NQ5Xq8Xmh">pic.twitter.com/2NQ5Xq8Xmh</a>
&mdash; Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattvanswol/status/2049579727061463538?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
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As with tour characterization of Citizens United, not true! Today’s voting-rights blockbuster was the right call and a victory for the colorblind Constitution. The bottom line is that the Voting Rights Act doesn’t require majority-minority districts and states can’t use race to…
&mdash; Ilya Shapiro (@ishapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/ishapiro/status/2049590119485632845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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I can’t imagine being a nations first black president and wanting to take them all the way backwards on race but if you like your garbage legacy you can KEEP your garbage legacy.
&mdash; Jimmy Failla (@jimmyfailla) <a href="https://twitter.com/jimmyfailla/status/2049577005146845426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
It was pointed out that the districts as apportioned in Illinois, Obama’s home state, which is run by Democrats, are crazy:
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lol. This is your home state <a href="https://t.co/95DsjmFZox">pic.twitter.com/95DsjmFZox</a>
&mdash; Megan Basham (@megbasham) <a href="https://twitter.com/megbasham/status/2049628329876009449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
As well as the current map of Lousiana’s districts, which is well-nigh ridiculous:
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These are the 2 illegal racially gerrymandered districts that the Supreme Court overturned. Any fair map of Louisiana will look nothing like this 👇 <a href="https://t.co/UOzzq2Hus4">pic.twitter.com/UOzzq2Hus4</a>
&mdash; Izengabe (@Izengabe_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Izengabe_/status/2049604602404696464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the court, stated, “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 precedents in a way that forces States to engage in the very race-based discrimination that the Constitution forbids.”
“Allowing race to play any part in government decision making represents a departure from the constitutional rule that applies in almost every other context,” he continued.
Obama’s denigrative use of the phrase “guise of partisanship” was a deliberate attempt to ignore that the Supreme Court opinion was in strict line with the fact that the United States is a constitutional republic. As Alito explained, “Disapproval of partisan gerrymandering dates back to the founding. But partisan gerrymandering claims are not justiciable in federal court. Thus, in considering the constitutionality of a districting scheme, courts must treat partisan advantage like any other race-neutral aim: a constitutionally permissible criterion that States may rely on as desired. For this reason, as we have repeatedly made clear, when a State defends a districting scheme on the ground that it was drawn for partisan purposes, plaintiffs have a ‘special’ burden to overcome.”

US-POLITICS-RIGHTS-JACKSON

‘Absolutely Lost Your Mind’: Obama Ripped After Criticizing Latest Supreme Court Decision

Barack Obama

Elections

gerrymandering

Race

The Supreme Court delivered a major 6-3 ruling Wednesday, striking down Louisiana’s congressional map in Louisiana v. Callais after the state added a second majority-black district.
The Court said that move wasn’t required under the Voting Rights Act, so using race to draw it made the map unconstitutional. The decision doesn’t eliminate Section 2 but could impact redistricting fights nationwide.
The Court is signaling that states can’t lean on race unless the law clearly demands it. That’s likely to make it harder to push similar redraws in other states and could shift how future maps are drawn heading into upcoming elections.
In the majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito explained that &#8220;Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 [&#8230;] was designed to enforce the Constitution— not collide with it.&#8221;
However, he rebuked how lower courts used the &#8220;Court’s precedents in a way that forces States to engage in the very race-based discrimination that the Constitution forbids.&#8221;
In her dissent, liberal Justice Elena Kagan wrote that “the consequences are likely to be far-reaching and grave” and referred to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act as a “dead letter” after the ruling.
“After today, those districts exist only on sufferance, and probably not for long. If other States follow Louisiana’s lead, the minority citizens residing there will no longer have an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. And minority representation in government institutions will sharply decline,” she wrote.
The decision triggered a wide range of reactions across the political spectrum, including intense backlash from the left.
&#8220;Too many people have fought too hard for the right to vote, especially black Georgians. Now the Supreme Court has given Donald Trump &amp; his sycophants license to further destroy democracy and green light racial discrimination.  People should pick their representatives, not the other way around. This is despicable,&#8221; former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat in 2025, posted to X.
However, Republicans considered the ruling to be a major win.
“Today’s decision is a victory for the Constitution and the principle that every American citizen is equal under the law… This ruling restores fairness, strengthens confidence in our elections, and ensures every voter is treated equally,&#8221; National Republican Campaign Committee Chair Richard Hudson stated, according to <a href="https://x.com/maxpcohen/status/2049506573366473007?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Punchbowl News</a>.
Gov. Tate Reeves (R-MS) said prior to the ruling that he would call a special session of the Mississippi Legislature to redraw maps in the state three weeks after the court&#8217;s decision in the case. Mississippi&#8217;s Second Congressional District is a deep blue majority-minority district.
&#8220;It is a decision that could (and in my view should) forever change the way we draw electoral maps,&#8221; he posted to X last week. &#8220;It is my belief and federal law requires that the Mississippi Legislature be given the first opportunity to draw these maps. And the fact is, they haven’t had a fair opportunity to do that because of the pending Callais decision.&#8221;
&#8220;It is my sincere hope that, in deciding Callais, the U.S. Supreme Court will reaffirm the animating principle that all Americans are created equal and that when the government classifies its citizens on the basis of race, even as a perceived remedy to right a wrong, it engages in the offensive and demeaning assumption that Americans of a particular race, because of their race, think alike and share the same interests and preferences – a concept that is odious to a free people whose institutions are founded upon the doctrine of equality,&#8221; Reeves continued.

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Supreme Court Rules On Key District Case With Ripple Effects Nationwide

2026 election

Instead of pointing fingers at permissive judges or poor mental health for the horrific mass shooting in Shreveport, a writer for New York Magazine has decided to blame … the patriarchy.
The outlet claimed that 31-year-old U.S. Army veteran Shamar Elkins, the man accused of killing eight children, including seven of his own, was the victim of a society that believes women belong to men.
“It is tempting to treat Elkins’s actions as the isolated incident of a madman. But poor mental health is never a reasonable explanation for attempting to execute one’s wife and children,” <a href="https://www.thecut.com/article/shreveport-killing-shamar-elkins-mental-health-patriarchy.html">wrote</a> Brittney Cooper, a Cut contributor who “writes about race and systems of power.”
“Patriarchy offers a better explanation for this violence,” she went on. “Patriarchy teaches men that women and children belong to them, that they are property that men get to have, as a male rite of passage. Men are taught, in what bell hooks famously called a ‘white supremacist capitalist patriarchy,’ to measure their worth and value by the size of their bank account, the size of their genitals, and the size of their families. These are forms of toxic self-value, predicated as they are on women and children having no agency or dreams of their own.”
Cooper went on to lament “the rise of the manosphere” and “a nation being led by a group of right-wing extremists with Neanderthal ideas about gender and sexuality.”
“Men who kill their wives and children are not just bad apples who needed a free month of BetterHelp. These killings are the natural outcome of a country enamored with patriarchy and determined to make sure that men can freely dominate women,” she insists.
Readers on social media pushed back strongly on this theory.
“Well you couldn&#8217;t make it about racism, so I guess Patriarchy seemed like a good idea. Though I bet if you tried you could make it about racism and how mostly female mental health professionals won&#8217;t take on poor Black male clients. Of course then, no patriarchy. Tough,” one sarcastic commenter <a href="https://x.com/thevanosam/status/2046572431159038339">wrote</a>.
“The race is inconvenient, so we switch to a gender motive. He was a criminal, a gun criminal no less. But instead of being locked up, the people that screech constantly about gun violence, went easy on him as they always do. It’s a story about leftist policies causing more death,” another person <a href="https://x.com/occhipig/status/2046549453838897514">added</a>.
Elkins, who appeared to be targeting his own “descendants,” opened fire in three different homes across Shreveport on April 19. He was shot and killed by police after he attempted to carjack a vehicle to escape.
Shreveport officials described the shooting as domestic violence, saying Elkins shot the mother of his children and another woman, as well as his seven children and one of their cousins, per <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/04/21/shamar-elkins-shreveport-louisiana-shooter/89710200007/">USA Today</a>. 
The outlet noted that Elkins married Shaneiqua Pugh in April 2024. A woman named Christina Snow sued Elkins for child support and was granted joint custody of their child, Sariahh, in 2017. Sariahh was one of the victims of the shooting.

Shreveport shooting

NY Mag Points To Tired Leftist Trope To Explain Horrific Murders

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A gunman who appeared to be targeting his own &#8220;descendants&#8221; opened fire in three different homes across the city of Shreveport, Louisiana, on Saturday night — and was shot and killed after he attempted to carjack a vehicle in order to escape.
The suspect in the horrific murder spree was identified later in the day as 31-year-old U.S. Army veteran Shamar Elkins.
According to a <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/04/19/us-news/8-kids-ages-1-to-14-killed-in-mass-shootings-across-shreveport-louisiana/">report</a> published Sunday by The New York Post, Elkins shot ten people, eight of them fatally, in two homes on one street and one other home on a nearby street. The two survivors were adult women, and all eight of the deceased were children ranging in age from one year old to 14 years old. Some of the children are believed to be his.
&#8220;The individual responsible once leaving this scene performed a carjacking right here in close proximity to the corner of West 79th and Lynnwood, at which point in time, Shreveport police patrol officers got behind that vehicle in a chase incident,&#8221; Shreveport Police Department spokesperson Christopher Bordelon said during a press conference. The suspect was shot and killed by police.
&#8220;You have three different scenes, the shooting itself occurred just down the road over here, the 300 block of West 79th,” <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/louisiana-shreveport-mass-shooting-rcna340868">Bordelon added</a>. “There’s also another shooting related to this on Harrison Street, and then there’s an adjacent residence on West 79 where one of the victims ran to after the shooting.&#8221;
&#8220;This is an extensive scene unlike anything most of us have ever seen,&#8221; Police Chief Wayne Smith said, noting that the official crime scene included the scene of the carjacking in addition to the three homes.
&#8220;This is a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had in Shreveport. So, right now we’re going to process the information and it&#8217;s in very good hands,&#8221; Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux said. &#8220;It’s a terrible morning.&#8221;
A motive for the shooting has not been determined, although several reports indicated that the suspect may have been involved with one of the women who was shot.

Gunman Identified After Horrific Killing Spree Targeting ‘Descendants’

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Louisiana police have charged a man with impaired driving after his car slammed into a crowd during a community parade on Saturday, injuring several people, some critically.
Louisiana State Police said they arrested Todd Landry, 57, and charged him with driving while impaired, 18 counts of first-degree negligent injuring and careless operation following the incident in New Iberia, Louisiana.
He is also accused of having an open container with an alcoholic beverage in the vehicle.
The incident occurred during a Lao New Year celebration, the Louisiana State Police said in a statement.
&#8220;Multiple pedestrians&#8221; were struck by the vehicle as Landry drove it, police said.
Earlier, the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office said at least 15 people had been injured.
Landry showed signs of impairment, and a breath sample showed he had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.137%, police said. The legal BAC limit for drivers in most U.S. states is 0.08%.
Reuters could not determine if Landry had a lawyer.
Acadian Ambulance posted on social media that it transported 13 people to the hospital. Two of them were airlifted, the ambulance service wrote on X.
Organizers of the Louisiana Lao New Year Festival said on Facebook they were cancelling Saturday evening&#8217;s music concerts, as well as alcohol sales.
&#8220;We are profoundly saddened by the news of the incident near the festival grounds,&#8221; the organizers said on Facebook. &#8220;We are praying for the victims and for their families during this difficult time.&#8221;
The three-day festival held every Easter weekend includes live music, parades and other activities celebrating the Lao New Year.
(Reporting by Noel Randewich in San Francisco; Editing by Sergio Non, Matthew Lewis and Kevin Buckland)

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Over A Dozen Injured After Drunk Driver Plows Into Parade Crowd

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The Globe Trotting Lifestyle Of Three Anti-Oil Activists Who Live ‘Like Royalty’

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A Tuesday hearing could determine whether abortion pills can be shipped across the country without an in-person doctor visit, a practice that has led to an increase in abortions across the United States – even in states where medication abortions are illegal.
Magistrate Judge David Ayo will hear a case from the state of Louisiana challenging regulations put in place by President Joe Biden’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that enabled the widespread shipment of the abortion drug mifepristone without an in-person doctor visit. Louisiana argues that the policy undercuts laws it passed to ban medication abortions and has asked the judge to block the regulations while the suit is litigated. 
“As much as we celebrated the fall of Roe v.  Wade, the Dobbs decision has been effectively nullified by the mail-order regime that the Biden FDA has initiated and continues to perpetuate across this country. So we have to win this case for unborn babies and their mothers,” said Erik Baptist, a lawyer with Alliance Defending Freedom who is representing Louisiana.
During a call with pro-life leaders attended by The Daily Wire on Monday, Baptist described the case as the &#8220;most important&#8221; court battle for the pro-life movement since the Dobbs decision.
“When the Supreme Court issued the Dobbs decision and overturned Roe v. Wade, it had the expectation to send the issue back to the people, to their representatives, and also to the states,” he said. “But what happened was that the Biden administration anticipated the Dobbs decision, and then when it came out, tried to nullify that decision.”
The suit, which was filed in November, was also joined by Rosalie Markezich, a woman who says her ex-boyfriend coerced her into ending the life of their unborn child after he ordered illegal abortion pills online.
States like California and New York have enacted “shield laws” to protect abortionists from being extradited to states where they have sent abortion pills in violation of state laws.
Baptist said that the Biden administration used the FDA&#8217;s removal of the in-person requirement to push out the abortion pill throughout the country. In Louisiana, he said that there were as many as 1,000 illegal abortions every month facilitated by the mailing in of abortion drugs. Data released in December by the pro-abortion Society of Family Planning <a href="https://societyfp.org/research/wecount/wecount-june-2025-data/">revealed</a> that the number of monthly abortions across the country continued to increase in 2025 from 2024, which was itself an increase from 2023.
Ayo was appointed to the position by judges in the Western District of Louisiana, who were all appointed by Republican presidents, except for one. The hearing will examine both the merits of the case and a motion from the Justice Department to dismiss the case.
The FDA has so far resisted calls from pro-life lawmakers and advocates to put the in-person requirements back in place. In a filing in the case last month, the Justice Department argued that the mail-order abortion regulations do not undermine state laws and that ending the policy could undercut a safety review the FDA says that it is currently conducting into mifepristone.
The Department of Health and Human Services told The Daily Wire it does not comment on pending litigation.
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who held a hearing last month on the dangers of the abortion pill, said during the Monday call that the Trump administration should restore the in-person requirement for dispensing the pill that was in place before COVID.
Mifepristone cuts off the nutrients that an unborn child needs to survive in the womb. Another drug is then taken to expel the deceased baby from the mother.
Polling released last week by Cygnal <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-voters-want-action-on-mail-order-abortion-pill-as-midterms-loom?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Republican+Voters+Want+Action+On+Mail-Order+Abortion+Pill+As+Midterms+Loom">showed</a> that a large majority of Republican primary voters want the FDA to take action to crack down on mail-order abortions before the 2026 midterm elections. Nearly a third of Republican primary voters said they would be less excited to vote if Republicans backed away from pro-life policies.

President Biden Holds NATO Summit News Conference As Questions Surround His Candidacy

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