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Shomari Figures, the Black Democrat running in an Alabama congressional district redrawn last year by a court order, has won the seat over Republican Caroleene Dobson, NBC News projects. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an earlier ruling stating that Alabama’s district map likely discriminated against Black voters and mandated redrawing the 2nd District. The new area has a majority of Black voters — 47.6%, compared to 45% who are white. His late father, Michael Figures, was an Alabama state senator and his mother serves in that role now. Figures, 39, said he is happy to embrace the role of being an advocate for Black people in his state.

Persons: Republican Caroleene Dobson, Dobson, Obama, Michael, Maya Rupert, Terri Sewell, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, they’ve Organizations: Democrat, Republican, NBC, U.S, Supreme, Black, Alabama, Republicans, District, Democratic Locations: Alabama, Alabama’s, Tuskegee, Montgomery, Mobile, Washington

☆ What to watch for on Super Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Gregory Krieg | Eric Bradner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Here are 9 things to watch for:The night the lights go out on HaleyBarring a stunning upset – actually, multiple stunning upsets across the country – Super Tuesday is looking like the end of the road for Haley. While Haley has said she would stay in the race through at least Super Tuesday, she has not hinted at an exit. A North Carolina governor’s race with implications up and down the ballotOn a Super Tuesday with an unusual lack of spice, the North Carolina gubernatorial primary is a rare exception. Mark Robinson and Democratic state Attorney General Josh Stein are expected to coast to their parties’ respective nominations. Down-ballot in Texas, there’s more to watch, starting with the payback campaign of Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, Nikki Haley, Trump’s, Dianne Feinstein, Haley, –, Liz Cheney, she’s, “, specter, MAGA, Barack Obama, Mark Robinson, Josh Stein, Robinson, Stein, Roy Cooper, Beto O’Rourke’s, Republican Sen, Ted Cruz, Colin Allred, Cruz, Sen, Roland Gutierrez —, Allred, ’, outraising Cruz, Ken Paxton, Paxton, Dade Phelan, He’s, Dianne Feinstein —, Laphonza Butler, Steve Garvey, Adam Schiff, Schiff, Katie Porter, Barbara Lee, Garvey hasn’t, Garvey, Jerry Carl, Barry Moore, Moore, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Carl, Steve Scalise, It’s, Terri Sewell, David Valadao, Michelle Steel, Young Kim, Ken Calvert’s, Katie Porter’s, Scott Baugh, Josh Harder’s, Mike Levin’s, London Breed, George Gascon, CNN’s Simone Pathe, Fredreka Schouten Organizations: CNN, South Carolina Gov, Trump, California Senate, Democrats, Haley, Trump Republicans, Wyoming, GOP, Democratic, MAGA Republicans, Virginia, North, North Carolina Republicans, Carolina governor’s, North Carolina, Republican, Gov, Texas Democrats, Cruz, NFL, Affordable, Texas Legislature, Senate, Democrat, Alabama, showdowns, 2nd, Caucus, Georgia, Louisiana Rep, Chamber of Commerce, California House, Rep, London, Supervisors, District Locations: Alaska, California, Colorado , Minnesota, North Carolina, Alabama, Gaza, Minnesota, South Carolina, Virginia, Carolina, Texas, San Antonio, Uvalde, Tuesday’s, Florida, Montana , Ohio, West Virginia, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada , Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Orange County, Francisco, Los Angeles

WASHINGTON (AP) — Black History Month, often a time to recognize the contributions of African Americans in U.S. history, was marked in the nation’s capital this week with a focus on present divides and the November election when Black turnout will be integral to the outcome. A few hours later, Republicans held a reception in Washington's U Street neighborhood, a key part of Black history in the city, to celebrate former GOP officials and activists who have engaged Black voters. The White House has taken Black History Month as an opportunity to highlight the administration's efforts on priorities such as education, voting rights and jobs. Republicans held their own Black History Month celebration later that evening with about 100 people. And party officials and strategists stress that its emphasis on Black voters extends beyond a single month of events.

Persons: Biden, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden's, Terri Sewell, Sewell, ”, Ronna McDaniel, they’re, ” McDaniel, Steve Horsford, Donald Trump, Nick Fuentes, “, Donald Trump’s, Michael Tyler, they’ll, Trump, Harris, Lloyd Austin, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Jim Clyburn, Quenton Jordan, Ken Blackwell, we've Organizations: WASHINGTON, Black, White, Republicans, GOP, Democratic, Associated Press, NORC, for Public Affairs Research, “, Republican, RNC, ”, Congressional Black Caucus, Donald Trump’s Republican Party, Biden, Defense, Supreme, Democratic National Committee, South Carolina Rep, Civil Rights, Ohio Republican Locations: Selma, Alabama, Black, ” Nevada, Mar, South Carolina, Ohio

☆ Alabama Democrats likely to flip seat under court-approved congressional map
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The three-judge panel selected a map that preserves the state's lone majority-Black district while creating a second district in which Black voters make up nearly half of the voting-age population. Democrats would need to flip five seats in the 435-seat House of Representatives to take back the majority in the November 2024 election. Civil rights groups challenged the Republican map, arguing that Republicans had deliberately spread Black voters thin to ensure they would continue to win six of the state's seven districts. "And it would not have been this way if the legislature had created a second opportunity district or majority-minority district." Similar challenges are also pending in Louisiana and Georgia, where civil rights groups have argued that Republican lawmakers illegally disadvantaged Black voters by manipulating congressional lines.

Persons: Terri Sewell, Martin Luther King Jr, Elizabeth Frantz, Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Joseph Ax, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Union, REUTERS, House, Republican, The U.S, Supreme, Circuit, Appeals, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Alabama, U.S, Black, The, Louisiana, Georgia

At issue was whether the Republican-drawn map violated a bedrock federal civil rights law, the 1965 Voting Rights Act, that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. "We have now said twice that this Voting Rights Act case is not close," the judges wrote. Alabama's Republican Secretary of State Wes Allen in filings submitted to the lower court disclosed plans to appeal to the Supreme Court and the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. The Supreme Court in June allowed a challenge to Louisiana's congressional map to advance. The Voting Rights Act was passed at a time when Southern states including Alabama enforced policies blocking Black people from casting ballots.

Persons: Terri Sewell, Michael A, McCoy, Steve Marshall, Wes Allen, Ron DeSantis, Joseph Ax, John Kruzel, Colleen Jenkins, Bill Berkrot, Will Dunham Organizations: Republican, U.S, Supreme, Democratic, U.S . House, Democratic U.S, Selma Fire, REUTERS, Circuit, Appeals, NAACP, Republicans, Thomson Locations: U.S, Alabama, Birmingham, Selma, Selma , Alabama, Atlanta, Florida, Black

Under the Republican map, only one of the state's seven congressional districts is majority Black, even though Black residents make up more than a quarter of the state's population. The office of Attorney General Steve Marshall, a Republican, said the state would appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The plaintiffs who challenged Alabama's map, including the state chapter of the NAACP, in a joint statement said: "Alabama openly admits its intention to defy the law and the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court also in June allowed a challenge to Louisiana's congressional map to advance. A federal court has ordered lawmakers to draw a second majority-Black district, and a U.S. appeals court is set to review the case next month.

Persons: Michael A, McCoy, Terri Sewell, Steve Marshall, Ron DeSantis, Joseph Ax, Colleen Jenkins, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Democratic, Selma Fire, REUTERS, Republican, Democratic U.S, U.S, Supreme, NAACP, Republicans, U.S . House, Representatives, Thomson Locations: Selma, Selma , Alabama, U.S, Birmingham, Alabama, Florida, Black

Instead, a court-appointed special master will be tasked with creating a new map ahead of next year's vote. "And we are deeply troubled that the State enacted a map that the State readily admits does not provide the remedy we said federal law requires." Under the Republican map, only one of the state's seven congressional districts is majority Black, even though Black residents make up more than a quarter of the state's population. The panel first intervened in 2022, ruling that an earlier Republican plan was illegal. The Supreme Court also ruled in June that a challenge to Louisiana's congressional map could advance.

Persons: Michael A, McCoy, Terri Sewell, Ron DeSantis, Joseph Ax, Colleen Jenkins, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Democratic, Selma Fire, REUTERS, Republican, Democratic U.S, U.S, Supreme, Republicans, U.S . House, Representatives, NAACP, Thomson Locations: Selma, Selma , Alabama, U.S, Birmingham, Alabama, Florida, Black

☆ Alabama's redrawing of its congressional map defies US Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —It was a legitimate surprise when the conservative-dominated US Supreme Court ordered Alabama’s conservative-dominated state government last month to redraw its congressional map and include either a second majority-Black congressional district or something quite close to it. CNN’s Dianne Gallagher noted in her report that the old congressional map was invalidated by a three-judge federal district court panel that included two judges nominated to the bench by former President Donald Trump. “Outright defiance of the Supreme Court’s order,” is how Janai Nelson, president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, described the new map to CNN’s Dana Bash Monday. The Supreme Court’s unexpected decisionAlabama had asked the Supreme Court to essentially nullify Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, something many court watchers thought the conservative majority was primed to execute. The Supreme Court also rejected out of hand the idea that the Gulf Coast area represents a community of interest on par with the Black Belt.

Persons: Milligan, Terri Sewell, Kay Ivey, “, ”, CNN’s Dianne Gallagher, Donald Trump, Alabamians, Gallagher, CNN’s Tierney Sneed, Allen, Janai Nelson, CNN’s Dana Bash, Joe Biden, Nelson, John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Sewell Organizations: CNN, Supreme Court, Democratic, Alabama, Republican, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Black, Civil Rights Movement, National Heritage Area, Democrat Locations: Alabama, Allen, New York, Gulf

July 20 (Reuters) - Alabama's Republican-controlled legislature on Friday passed a new congressional map that increased the number of Black voters in one of the state's districts, but Democrats said the plan defied a U.S. Supreme Court ruling intended to protect minority voters' rights. More than one-quarter of Alabama's residents are Black, but under a Republican-drawn map approved in 2021, only one of the state's seven congressional districts, the 7th, is majority Black. Senator Bobby Singleton, a Black Democrat, accused fellow lawmakers of playing a "game" with Black voters. But Republicans said they were confident the 2nd district's new lines provided a meaningful opportunity for Black voters. Last week, a New York state appeals court ordered lawmakers to redraw the state's congressional map.

Persons: Scott Douglas, Terri Sewell, Bobby Singleton, Singleton, Michael Li, New York University's, Josephine Walker, Joseph Ax, Scott Malone, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Republican, U.S, Supreme, Greater Birmingham Ministries, Democratic U.S, Republicans, U.S . House, Representatives, Black, New York, Center for Justice, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Alabama, Black, U.S, New, New York, Washington

☆ Alabama lawmakers clash over Black voters as redistricting deadline looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Joseph Ax | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case have already vowed to challenge either map in court, saying both would still violate the law. In 2022, a three-judge panel in a federal district court invalidated the current map as unlawful. Black Democratic lawmakers have called the maps a slap in the face to Black voters - and to the courts. "It is an embarrassment," said Juandalynn Givan, a Jefferson County legislator, adding that the Republican plan amounted to dropping "an F-bomb on the United States Supreme Court." "There certainly are places in the country where a 42% Black district would elect a Black-preferred candidate," Li said.

Persons: Scott Douglas, Terri Sewell, Juandalynn Givan, Michael Li, New York University's, Li, Joseph Ax, Josephine Walker, Scott Malone, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Republican, U.S, Supreme, Republicans, U.S . House, Senate, Greater Birmingham Ministries, Democratic U.S ., Lawmakers, Black Democratic, United States Supreme, New York, Center for Justice, Black, Democratic, Thomson Locations: U.S, Alabama's, Alabama, Black, Jefferson County, New, New York

☆ Sen. Tommy Tuberville voted against a bill that just gave his state $1.4 billion for rural broadband. He's celebrating it anyway.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Biden administration announced Monday that Alabama will get $1.4 billion in broadband funding. Sen. Tommy Tuberville celebrated the news, calling the funding "crucial" for rural broadband. But he voted against the 2021 infrastructure bill that established the program he's now touting. "Coach voted against the infrastructure bill because it wasted Alabamians' tax dollars. He's advocated for including expanding rural broadband as part of an upcoming farm bill, and he introduced legislation earlier this year to shield broadband grants from being taxed as income.

Persons: Sen, Tommy Tuberville, —, Republican Sen, Tuberville, I've, Terri Sewell, Terri A, Sewell, Steven Stafford, Stafford, He's Organizations: Biden, Alabama, Service, Republican, Broadband Equity, Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Infrastructure Law, White House, Democratic, Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy Locations: Alabama

WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) - A surprise Supreme Court ruling on Thursday has handed Democrats a potential boost in the 2024 congressional race by calling into question the constitutionality of Republican-drawn electoral districts throughout the U.S. South. That could force Alabama to redraw its seven House districts so that two would contain Black majorities or near-majorities, up from one now. Analysts said that would give Democrats a greater chance of winning seats across the South, where voting often breaks down along racial lines. Democrats said the ruling would give them a greater chance at winning back the chamber in the November 2024 election. "This decision will affect redistricting cases across the country and help deliver a House of Representatives that better reflects the diversity of our nation," said Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democrats' House campaign arm.

Persons: Suzan DelBene, Jack Pandol, Terri Sewell, Gram Slattery, Moira Warburton, Andy Sullivan, Stephen Coates Organizations: Republican, Analysts, Republicans, Representatives, Democrats, House, Democratic, Thomson Locations: U.S, Alabama, Washington, Louisiana, North Carolina, Alabama's

☆ Voting Rights Act survives at US Supreme Court but more challenges loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Election law expert Ned Foley of Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law called the ruling "a hugely important development for both the Voting Rights Act and the Supreme Court more broadly." The decision requires Alabama to draw a second U.S. House of Representatives district where Black voters comprise a majority or close to it. The Voting Rights Act was passed at a time when Southern states including Alabama enforced policies blocking Black people from casting ballots. Nearly six decades later, the Supreme Court continues to hear cases involving Black voters suing over electoral maps they argue diminish their influence. Thursday's ruling centered upon Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a provision aimed at countering measures that result in racial bias in voting even absent racist intent.

Persons: John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Ned Foley, Roberts, Kavanaugh, Foley, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Terri Sewell, Marc Elias, Elias, Brennan, Alabama, Deuel Ross, Ross, Gotell Faulks, Faulks, John Kruzel, Moira Warburton, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Conservative, Republican, Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law, Alabama, U.S . House, Representatives, Black House Democrat, Democratic, Black voters, Black, Brennan Center for Justice, New York, American Civil Liberties, Thomson Locations: Alabama, U.S, Black, Louisiana, Constitution's, Montgomery, Jackson, Baton Rouge

☆ Supreme Court orders voting maps redrawn in Alabama to accommodate Black voters
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Ariane De Vogue | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered Alabama officials to redraw the state’s congressional map to allow an additional Black majority district to account for the fact that the state is 27% Black. The federal court ordered the creation of another majority Black district to be drawn. He said it would be impossible to draw a second majority Black district in the state without taking race into consideration. Instead, she wrote, the state plan “divides the Black voters within this well-established community of interest across several districts, and as a result, Black Alabamians have no chance to elect their preferred candidates outside of” the one Black majority district. “Black voters are significantly numerous and compact to form a majority in a reasonably configured district, as the district court specifically found,” she said.

Persons: John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, ” Roberts, Roberts, ”, Terri Sewell, “, ” Sewell, General Merrick Garland, –, Democrats –, Steve Vladeck, ” Vladeck, Sen, John Thune, ” Thune, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, Gorsuch, ” Thomas, Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, ” Thomas ’, Edmund LaCour Jr, Alabama’s, LaCour, NAACP –, Abha Khanna, Khanna, ” Khanna, Alabamians, Biden, dilutions, Elizabeth Prelogar Organizations: CNN, Alabama, Republicans, Democratic, “, Central, Supreme, Trump, Democrats, University of Texas School of Law, Representatives, Republican, Judiciary, Black, ”, NAACP Locations: Alabama, United States, Black, Louisiana, Mobile , Montgomery, ”

☆ US House committee votes to repeal Biden solar panel policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Solar panels are set up in the solar farm at the University of California, Merced, in Merced, California, U.S. August 17, 2022. Biden suspended tariffs last June as part of a key pillar of his clean energy policy. The resolution passed the House Ways and Means committee 26 to 13. "The Ways and Means Committee just took a hammer to business certainty and American energy independence," Solar Energy Industries Association President Abigail Ross Hopper said in a statement. Months later, Commerce issued a preliminary decision to extend existing tariffs on Chinese solar products to goods from those nations.

☆ US Trade Rep fires back at GOP House member who said she has 'too nice a smile' to do her job: 'I don't need your pity'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A US House member said the US Trade Representative had "too nice a smile" to do her job. "I don't need your pity. "I don't need your pity. "You don't need his crocodile tears," she added. A member of Biden's Cabinet, Tai is the principal trade advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on U.S. trade policy.

"We share Congresswoman Sewell's view that the use of child labor is unacceptable," Hyundai said. Sewell's comments are the first from a high-ranking Alabama official on child labor problems in Hyundai's supply chain. The new actions by Hyundai and its discussions with regulators and lawmakers come after Reuters documented child labor in various Alabama auto plants making parts for Hyundai or Kia. The child labor reports have put a spotlight on Hyundai's growing operations in the United States. Regulatory fines for child labor, by contrast, can be relatively small.

☆ U.S. lawmakers seek repeal of Biden solar tariff waiver
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The move is aimed at propping up domestic solar manufacturers, which have struggled to compete with cheap panels made overseas - often by Chinese companies. A Commerce Department probe last year found that some solar panel makers were dodging U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made goods by moving their products through Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. New proposed duties on imports from those countries will not kick in until June of 2024 because of a two-year waiver from Biden. Months later, the Commerce Department issued a preliminary decision to extend existing tariffs on Chinese solar products to goods from those nations. The White House has said the tariff exemption will serve as a bridge while the U.S. sector ramps up.

☆ Live Results: Alabama votes in congressional and state elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Alabama is holding US congressional elections on November 8. Polls close at 7 p.m. CT.Only one of Alabama's two US Senate seats is up for election this year. Both Senate seats are currently being held by Republicans. Alabama has seven seats in the US House of Representatives, each of which is up for election. Currently, six of the seven seats are held by Republicans and one is held by a Democrat, Rep. Terri Sewell, who's running for reelection in the state's 7th Congressional District.

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