“The enacted map is unconstitutional,” said a circuit judge, “because it diminishes African Americans’ ability to elect candidates of their choice.” A state judge on Wednesday invalidated part of Florida’s new congressional map—drawn by right-wing Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office and approved last month by the Republican-controlled Legislature—siding with plaintiffs who accused the GOP of violating the state constitution through […]
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — North Korea, which has largely kept its borders shuttered over the pandemic, Thursday confirmed its first detection of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in the country. According to the official Korea Central News Agency, samples were taken from a group of people in the capital, Pyongyang, on Sunday. A rigorous genetic sequence […]
The U.S. firearm homicide rate spiked 35% in 2020, the first full year of the coronavirus pandemic, rising to the highest level in almost three decades of record-keeping, according to data released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency reported 19,350 firearm homicides in the U.S. in 2020, compared with […]
HELSINKI — Finland and Sweden are expected to formally apply to join NATO later this month, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both countries say Moscow’s actions have changed the security dynamic in Europe and the Kremlin’s nuclear threats require the collective self-defense that NATO can provide. Finnish lawmakers are debating joining the alliance following […]