US supreme court ‘demolishes’ Voting Rights Act | First Thing

Good morning. The US supreme court has gutted a major section of the Voting Rights Act through a landmark decision on Louisiana’s congressional map, in a major upheaval in US civil rights law that threatens to weaken the voting power of minorities. In a 6-3 decision along partisan lines, the court demolished section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the last remaining powerful provision of the 1965 civil rights law that prevents racial discrimination in voting. Section 2 has long been used to ensure minority voters are treated fairly in redistricting. In a 6-3 ruling along ideological lines, the supreme court found that Louisiana’s congressional maps violated the equal protection clause. Writing for the majority, the supreme court justice Samuel Alito maintained that section 2, which has been used for decades to challenge maps producing racially discriminatory results, does not require states to draw majority-minority districts. Map of seats gained by possible partisan redistricting plans. Illustration: Guardian Design Trump threatens to reduce troop numbers in Germany after Merz’s Iran war criticism Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw some US troops from Germany amid an ongoing row with Nato allies. Photograph: Alexandra Beier/ Donald Trump has threatened to reduce the troop numbers of US troops deployed in Germany, days after the country’s chancellor said the US was being “humiliated” by Iran. …