Tennessee Republicans pass new gerrymander following Supreme Court’s Voting Rights Act ruling

Tennessee’s Republican-controlled legislature approved a new congressional map Thursday that dismantles the state’s majority-Black district and will likely secure them an all-GOP federal delegation. The redraw comes as Republican-led Southern states scramble to enact new maps in the wake of last week’s Supreme Court ruling that weakened Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and…

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Why Graham Platner’s meteoric rise is so unexpected

BRUNSWICK, Maine — The fireplace crackled as Democratic Gov. Janet Mills laid out her vision for beating Susan Collins to a room of supporters in late January. Then came the questions about her primary opponent, Graham Platner. Platner, one attendee noted, was very successful on social media. A second pointed to his support among young…

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NYT Strands hints, answers for January 31, 2026

Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you’re a sports fan. Strands, the New York Times‘ elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes…

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Ben Sasse says he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer

Former Sen. Ben Sasse announced on Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer. The Nebraska Republican shared the news on X, writing in a lengthy social media post that he had received the diagnosis last week. “Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence,” Sasse said. “But I already…

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