Transcript
A (0:01)
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Republicans in parts of the south are forging ahead with new congressional maps that would favor them in the midterm elections after the US Supreme Court issued a ruling last week that further weakened the Voting Rights Act's protections against racial discrimination. Over a heavy protest, Tennessee Republicans passed a US House map yesterday that carves up Tennessee's only majority black district covering Memphis. There were similar protests today in Alabama. Video circulating online of disruptions in the Alabama state House gallery as debate was underway over the GOP's push for mid decade redistricting in the state. Alabama Congresswoman Terry Sewell has been following these developments in her state, happening the same day as the Virginia Supreme Court issued a ruling against a voter approved referendum that could have given Democrats in that state an advantage in the midterms.
B (0:59)
The Republicans in Texas and Florida didn't even ask the people of their state to weigh in on whether to redistrict or not. And in California and in Virginia, voters actually voted voted on redrawing the maps. And it is a race to the bottom. I will grant you that. I think none of us benefit from this race to the bottom on seats, but I think that we will appeal this because at the end of the day, what the Virginia court is doing is subverting the will of the people.
A (1:30)
The Census Bureau's internal watchdog has launched a review of a field test for the 2030 census that's taking place in parts of Alabama and South Carolina. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang reports. The Trump administration made last minute changes to the test that's raised concerns about how the bureau is preparing for the national headcount.
C (1:51)
The Commerce Department Inspector General's office says it's looking into whether the 2026 census test actually helps the Census Bureau make the next once a decade headcount more accur accurate and less costly. With little explanation, the Trump administration downsized the test. It now only involves households in parts of Huntsville, Alabama and Spartanburg, South Carolina. If they don't fill out an online survey this month, they may get a knock at their door starting in June from census workers or U.S. postal Service workers. A past Government Accountability Office study found using postal workers to conduct census interviews would not be cost effective. Their survey asked people about their U.S. citizenship status. Research shows that's likely to hurt the accuracy of numbers used to redistribute local representation and federal funding. On Zila Wang, NPR News.
A (2:33)
The online learning system Canvas is back online after a cyber attack disrupted thousands of schools and tens of thousands of students. Worldwide, 30 million users, including at half of the higher education institutions in North America, rely on Canvas to manage courses, submit assignments, view grades and facilitate communication, according to its parent company, Instructure. From Washington, this is NPR News. Starting today, Meta will be able to access conversations sent through direct Messages on Instagram. NPR's Windsor Johnson reports. A change rolls back a privacy feature the company once promoted as the future of online communication.