Georgia Republican legislative leaders reject governor's call for 2028 redistricting

ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia’s Republican legislative leaders on Wednesday rejected Gov. Brian Kemp’s call to redraw congressional and legislative districts during a special session, citing concerns about moving too quickly after a U.S. Supreme Court decision weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minority voters.

ICE facility in Louisiana reports second detainee death in 2 months

A second detainee has died in less than two months at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Louisiana where a recent inspection report found insanitary conditions, problems with medical care and the use of excessive force.

Louisiana Supreme Court rules against exoneree whose office was abolished

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – A sharply divided Louisiana Supreme Court on Monday signed off on abolishing an elected office won by a New Orleans exoneree who had spent nearly 30 years in prison for murder before his conviction was vacated.

US-Iran talks begin Sunday in Switzerland as Tehran closes the strait over Lebanon fighting

TYRE, Lebanon (AP) – Iran on Saturday said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz because of Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon and warned that while negotiators were going to Switzerland for talks with the United States on their interim agreement, not much likely will happen if the fighting doesn’t stop.

Vance meets top Iranian officials as US looks to prod Iran to 'turn over a new leaf'

OBBUERGEN, Switzerland (AP) – U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Sunday there was an opportunity to “turn over a new leaf” with Iran as the sides held talks aimed at building out the interim deal to end the war in Iran reached by the two sides last week.

Louisiana passes new congressional map to give the GOP another seat

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Louisiana lawmakers passed a new congressional map Friday designed to help Republicans pick up a seat while eliminating one of the state’s two majority-Black House districts, both of which are represented by Democrats.

Louisiana House approves congressional redistricting to benefit Republicans

Republican lawmakers in Louisiana are poised to eliminate a majority-Black congressional district that elected a Democrat in response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that its map constituted an illegal racial gerrymander.

Shocking French law oversaw slavery of 1.4 million Africans

PARIS (AP) – France’s powerful lower house voted finally to scrub a fundamental slavery-era edict from French law on Thursday. After the National Assembly voted 254-0 to adopt the bill to repeal Code Noir, it now goes to the Senate, where supporters expect it to be approved as well.

Utah marks a year of battling measles, with no clear end in sight

Utah has spent the past year fighting measles outbreaks – a grim milestone that could affect whether the United States can keep its measles-free designation.