- Wednesday April 29th, 2026
- "Some people just don't want to be confused with Facts that contradict their preconceived opinions or prejudices."
- --Geoff Metcalf
- Providing an on line Triage of the news since 1998
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World & Nation
Supreme Court rules on key Voting Rights Act rule as Republicans and Democrats wage redistricting war
At issue was whether the state's congressional map, updated twice since the 2020 census, is an illegal racial gerrymander
The Supreme Court on Wednesday limited the scope of a key Voting Rights
Act provision that restricts how states draw districts affecting
minority voters, constraining states' use of race as a factor when
drawing congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Justices for the 6-3 majority ruled that Louisiana's newly redrawn
congressional map, which created a second majority-Black district,
constituted an "illegal" racial gerrymander.
Though the justices acknowledged that compliance with the Voting Rights
Act can be a compelling interest for states, they ruled that it did not
require Louisiana to create the new map with a second, majority Black
district.
Compliance with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, "as properly
construed, can provide such a reason," Justice Samuel Alito said,
writing for the majority. "Correctly understood, Section 2 does not
impose liability at odds with the Constitution, and it should not have
imposed liability on Louisiana for its 2022 map."
Trump Warns Iran to 'Get Smart Soon' on Deal
President Donald Trump warned Iran to "get smart soon" on Wednesday as
his administration reviewed military options for the Strait of Hormuz,
where a prolonged standoff has disrupted a key global shipping route
and driven up energy prices.
"Iran can't get their act together. They don't know how to sign a
nonnuclear deal. They better get smart soon!" Trump posted on Truth
Social early Wednesday, alongside an image depicting him with a weapon
and the message "NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!"
Members of Trump's national security team presented multiple options
during a Situation Room meeting this week, including whether to
increase or decrease the U.S. military presence in the strait and
whether to take a more aggressive operational posture, NBC News
reported, quoting an unnamed U.S. official and a person familiar with
the discussions.
2 suspects indicted in assault of TPUSA reporter Savanah Hernandez during Minneapolis ICE protest: sources
Suspects' names not yet been released but indictment expected to be unsealed later Wednesday, federal sources say
A federal grand jury handed down indictments for two individuals
connected to the assault on Turning Point USA reporter Savanah
Hernandez at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement protest in
Minneapolis earlier this month, Fox News Digital has learned.
The suspects were indicted on Tuesday, federal sources told Fox News
Digital, though their names have yet to be released. The sources said
the indictment is expected to be unsealed later Wednesday.
The incident happened on April 11 outside the Whipple Federal Building,
where a protest was taking place over a local ICE field office that
also serves as a detention facility.
FBI to deliver ‘final report’ on missing scientists ‘shortly’ amid growing scrutiny
The White House requested the FBI review multiple state-level investigations to determine whether any are connected
FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau will produce a report "in short
order" after reviewing multiple state-level investigations at the White
House’s request to determine whether any are connected.
"Those investigations are collectively being looked at by the FBI
pursuant to (the) President, the White House's request," Patel told Fox
News Digital in an interview Tuesday. "So we're reaching out. We've
already done it, we're engaged. They're all state cases, but we're
looking to see if there's any connections, and we're going to have a
final report here in short order."
He poured cold water on the idea that all the cases of mysterious
deaths and disappearances that have resurfaced in recent weeks are
connected — noting that some are not even scientists — but said the FBI
is "just trying to do our homework."
US Focus Shift Weakens Pressure on Russia
The United States' shift in focus to the Middle East has reduced
pressure on Russia and risks prolonging the war, and Moscow will not
move toward peace without stronger action from Washington, Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Newsmax in an exclusive interview.
"We all want to stop this war," Zelenskyy told Newsmax's Shelby Wilder
in an interview conducted at the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
"The problem is that the priority for the United States has now shifted
to the Middle East."
"I'm afraid that if we will have just talks, Russia will not feel the
most important thing that America can give us, pressure on them," he
added.
Zelenskyy said U.S. military support for Ukraine continues, even as diplomatic pressure has eased.
White House: Funds to Pay TSA, Other DHS Workers Will 'Soon Run Out'
The White House is warning Congress that funding to pay Department of
Homeland Security personnel will "soon run out," sparking new threats
of airport disruptions and national security concerns as the House
slow-walks legislation to end what has been the longest-ever lapse in
agency funding.
In a memo late Tuesday to lawmakers, the Office of Management and
Budget said money that President Donald Trump tapped to pay
Transportation Security Administration and other workers through
executive actions will be exhausted by May. It called on the House to
quickly approve the budget resolution senators approved in an all-night
session last week that would pave the way for full funding for the
department.
"DHS will soon run out of critical operating funds, placing essential personnel and operations at risk," the memo said.
The pressure from the Trump administration could help House Speaker
Mike Johnson, whose narrow Republican majority has been stalled out,
tangled in internal party disputes on a range of pending issues,
including the Homeland Security funding. They have left the chamber at
a virtual standstill.
Fed Likely to Hold Rates Steady at What May Be Last Meeting of Powell Era
The Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates steady on
Wednesday as officials debate whether to flag risks of rising inflation
in a policy statement issued after what may be Jerome Powell's final
meeting as head of the U.S. central bank.
With oil prices high and rising again due to the U.S.-led war with
Iran, policymakers ahead of the Fed's latest two-day session said they
were increasingly concerned that elevated energy costs could evolve
from a one-off shock into higher underlying inflation, with interest
rates needing to stay on hold longer than expected or, in the extreme,
to move up.
Stalemated negotiations and the continued closure of the strategic
Strait of Hormuz have pushed the global benchmark oil price again
above $110 a barrel compared to about $70 before the U.S.-Israeli
bombing campaign against Iran started on Feb. 28.
Resurfaced clip of Johnny Carson's grace after Reagan shooting contrasts with Kimmel
Carson and others postponed 1981 Oscars by 24 hours after John Hinckley Jr. shot Reagan at the same Washington Hilton
Nearly half a century ago, comedian Johnny Carson chose unity over
punchlines after an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
A clip comparing Carson’s 1981 Oscars monologue to reactions to a
recent attempt on President Donald Trump’s life has drawn nearly
800,000 views online.
"I'm sure that all of you here and most of you watching tonight
understand why we delayed this program for 24 hours," Carson said in
the video. "Because of the incredible events of yesterday, that old
adage, the show must go on, seemed relatively unimportant."
Carson and others postponed the Academy Awards by 24 hours after John
Hinckley Jr.’s March 30, 1981, attempt on Reagan’s life. The attack
happened at the same location as Saturday’s shooting, the Washington
Hilton Hotel, more than 40 years earlier.
Rory McIlroy skips PGA Tour event at Trump's place, still gets shoutout from president at White House dinner
The back-to-back Masters champion attended the state dinner for England's King Charles III on Tuesday evening
Rory McIlroy decided to pass on playing at Trump National Doral this
week for the PGA Tour's Cadillac Championship, but President Donald
Trump doesn't appear to have any ill will toward the six-time major
champion.
McIlroy and his wife, Erica, attended the White House State Dinner for
England's King Charles III on Tuesday evening and received high praise
from the president in the middle of his speech. Trump went as far as to
prompt McIlroy to stand up in the middle of the event amid his special
shoutout.
"That was unconquerable courage. That was very good, Rory," Trump
stated. "Where is Rory McIlroy, can you stand up please? I don’t know
if that helps them talk about how wonderful my speech is but I had to
interrupt my speech because I watched that man win a tournament that
was a tough, that was a tough one. Congratulations, very proud of you.
Now I’ll get back to my speech, all right."
A decade of Secret Service failure proves the agency is still in crisis
The agency has a dual mission with
little overlap that needs to be split. Most people don’t realize the
majority of USSS personnel work on financial crimes and currency
integrity
By Jason Chaffetz
The United States Secret Service (USSS) was described as "an agency in
crisis" way back in 2015, according to a comprehensive congressional
report. Ten years later, it still is. Despite individual acts of
heroism during repeated assassination attempts against President Donald
Trump, the agency has not fixed what is broken. We keep seeing the same
mistakes repeated. Thus far, we have been lucky, but we can no longer
rely solely on luck.
The House Oversight Committee’s exhaustive 450-page report, released in
December 2015, followed an in-depth bipartisan investigation. We
reviewed more than 100 security incidents. The problems and challenges
we highlighted remain the same today.
The agency has a dual mission with little overlap that needs to be
split. Most people don’t realize the majority of USSS personnel work on
financial crimes and currency integrity. Government worker surveys
routinely show the USSS has one of the lowest levels of morale in all
of government. Staffing levels, training, workload and other factors
are all contributing to that problem.
Trump’s defiance of assassins shows why he’s so exceptional a history-maker
By Rich Lowry
Andrew Jackson is the only president of the United States who got the better of his attempted assassin.
The aged Jackson was at the Capitol for a congressional funeral in 1835
when a crazed man named Richard Lawrence aimed a pistol directly at his
chest and pulled the trigger.
It misfired.
Jackson bull-charged his assailant with his cane, and incredibly, Lawrence pulled out another pistol.
It too misfired.
President Trump isn’t a former general or wizened old Indian fighter
like Jackson, but he partakes of the same spirit of aggressive
defiance.
By all appearances, the two least fearful people in the ballroom of the
White House Correspondents’ Dinner were an older gentleman from New
York who kept eating his salad during the mayhem … and the target of
the attack himself.
