Supreme Court Approves California's Democratic-Friendly Congressional Map
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of California, allowing the state to use its new congressional map for the upcoming midterm elections, according to NPR News. The decision clears the way for the state's gerrymandered districts as Democrats and Republicans continue their fight for control of the U.S. House.
California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom spoke in Los Angeles during a 2025 campaign event on Proposition 50. Voters approved the ballot measure, allowing the state's Democratic leaders to temporarily replace the state's congressional map to help Democrats win five additional U.S. House seats.
Measles Outbreak in South Carolina Leads to Brain Swelling in Children
In South Carolina, a measles outbreak that began in October has surged, with some children developing encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, according to Wired. State epidemiologist Linda Bell said that as of February 3, the state had reported 876 cases, with 700 of those reported since the beginning of the year. The surge could mean another bad year of measles for the United States, which had more than 2,267 cases the highest in 30 years in 2025. Declining vaccination rates across the country are driving the resurgence. Encephalitis is a rare but severe complication of measles that can lead to convulsions and cause deafness or intellectual disability.
Lawsuit Filed Against U.S. Government Over Boat Strikes
Relatives of two Trinidadian men killed in a U.S. airstrike last year are suing over what they call extrajudicial killings, NPR Politics reported. It's the first such case to land in an American courthouse. The Trump administration launched a series of deadly missile strikes that hit boats off the coast of Venezuela. Now the first case against the government has landed in an American courthouse.
Researchers Find No Evidence of TikTok Censorship
Researchers say no evidence of TikTok censorship, but they remain wary, according to NPR News. After a U.S.-led investor group took over the social media platform's U.S. operations earlier this year, some users claimed political topics were quashed. New research contradicts their claims. As a consortium of investors led by Oracle's Larry Ellison took control of TikTok's U.S. business, users accused the app of throttling videos about Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and posts related to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Posts went viral on social media pinning the perceived suppression of content on TikTok.
Is the U.S. Heading into a Dictatorship?
The Atlantic writer Robert Kagan says as Trump violates norms, laws and the Constitution, including his call to nationalize elections, "we're on the edge of the consolidation of dictatorship," according to NPR Politics.
Discussion
AI Experts & Community
Be the first to comment