The US Supreme Court appeared poised on Wednesday to restrict the use of race to draw electoral districts in a case that could cement Republican control over the House of Representatives — potentially even by next year’s crucial midterm vote.During two-and-a-half hours of oral arguments, the court’s right-wing majority appeared inclined to gut a six-decades-old civil rights law designed to ensure Black representation in Congress.African-Americans overwhelmingly vote Democratic and a ruling by the court neutering the 1965 Voting Rights Act could reorder the electoral map and give President Donald Trump’s Republicans a lasting structural advantage.The case centers around a challenge to a congressional map adopted by the Louisiana state legislature creating a second Black majority district.Blacks make up one-third of the population of Louisiana, which has six congressional districts.But following the 2020 census, Louisiana created a new congressional map that included only one Black majority district instead of the previous two.The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) and others filed suit claiming the new map diluted Black voting power and violated the Voting Rights Act, passed during the civil rights movement to remedy historic racial discrimination.The Louisiana legislature released a new map last year with two Black majority districts that was met with the legal challenge from a group of “non African-American” voters.Opponents of the redrawn map argue that using race to design congressional districts is unconstitutional racial gerrymandering.Janai Nelson, an LDF attorney, noted that the Supreme Court had authorized race-based districting in the past to remedy discrimination, including in a recent Alabama case.Refusing to do so now, Nelson told the court, would constitute a “staggering reversal of precedent that would throw maps across the country into chaos.””The results would be pretty catastrophic,” she said. “We only have the diversity that we see across the south, for example, because of litigation that forced the creation of (minority) opportunity districts under the Voting Rights Act.”Benjamin Aguinaga, the Louisiana solicitor general, countered that “race-based redistricting is fundamentally contrary to our Constitution.””It requires striking enough members of the majority race to sufficiently diminish their voting strength, and it requires drawing in enough members of a minority race to sufficiently augment their voting strength,” Aguinaga said.Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one of the three liberals on the nine-member court, said no one is stopping the white plaintiffs who brought the case “from participating in the voting process.””No one is stopping them from trying to run candidates or support candidates that reflect their views,” Sotomayor said. “But the state is stopping Black voters from doing that in many districts because it’s packing them into areas where whites overwhelm them.”- ‘One-party control’ -Edward Greim, an attorney representing the white voters, questioned whether it was acceptable to create race-based districts “under our color blind constitution,” and even if so, he said “it was never intended to continue indefinitely.”This argument appeared to strike a chord with Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a conservative who could prove to be the crucial swing vote.The courts has ruled in the past that “race-based remedies are permissible for a period of time,” Kavanaugh said, but “they should not be indefinite and should have an end point.”A decision in the case is expected in June.Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the House and an increase or decrease in the number of Black majority districts could help tip the balance in the midterms, when all 435 seats in the chamber will be up for grabs.According to a report by voting advocacy groups Fair Fight Action and Black Voters Matter, a court ruling striking down voting protections for minorities could lead to Republicans picking up an additional 19 House seats.”It’s enough to cement one-party control of the US House for at least a generation,” they said.The Louisiana voting case is being heard against a backdrop of redistricting moves in both Republican- and Democratic-ruled states.Republican-led Texas has drawn new congressional maps that could flip up to five House seats from Democrats to Republicans. Democratic-ruled California has responded with a redistricting push of its own.

Chris Anderson took over TED 25 years ago, when the internet was young and optimism abounded about the future it could deliver.Since then, the New York-based conference series has become globally known for its trademark “talks” sharing big ideas for a better world, while the internet is increasingly seen as a maelstrom of misinformation and social division.Anderson still sees technology, particularly artificial intelligence, as able to bring out the best in humanity, as he hands off leadership of the organization behind TED and its prestigious conferences to Khan Academy founder Sal Khan.”Conversations about possibility, about what we can build together, have always been at the heart of TED,” Anderson said in an interview with AFP.”It’s probably what the world needs now more than ever; it’s the antidote to people throwing barbs at each other.”Anderson cited social media as “the single biggest contributor to our dysfunction and to the falling out of love with technology” for many.He faulted ad-driven business models that tie profit to time people spend on tech platforms, no matter how disturbing or unhealthy the content holding their attention.”These algorithms have found that the best way to lock people in is to make them see the world as frightening and to see the ‘other’ as threatening them,” Anderson said.”It’s a tragedy.”Nonetheless, Anderson is a self-described optimist, confident that better things can be built.- Tedsters -The first Technology, Education, and Design (TED) gathering was held in Monterey, California in 1984.The annual conferences were drawing about 500 people when Anderson’s nonprofit Sapling Foundation took over in 2001.The roster of “Tedsters” includes renowned scientists, Hollywood celebrities, influential artists, and founders of tech firms such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Netflix.”I felt I’d come home to that heroic group of people dreaming about the future and what the future could be,” Anderson said.”They absolutely loved it,” he said of the atmosphere at TED.Anderson, who had been a successful publishing entrepreneur, made the risky move of releasing videos of the talks for free online.”It could have arguably wrecked the conference and stopped people from wanting to pay to come,” Anderson said.Instead, the opposite happened: as TED Talks spread around the world, so did interest in attending the conferences in person.”It’s completely thrilling seeing that TED didn’t just have to be for 500 people — it could be for many millions of people,” Anderson said.TED now produces podcasts, short video series, animated educational lessons (TED-Ed), and TV programs that are translated into more than 100 languages.- Best and worst selves -Anderson spearheaded the launch of the TEDx program, which lets local organizers host TED-style events, and brought young innovators into the fold with a fellowship program.A TED Audacious Project backing “wishes” by people seeking to do good has generated more than $3 billion for projects to make the world more sustainable, just, or beautiful, according to organizers.”The biggest thrill of TED has been discovering that the internet used the right way can be the most glorious gift,” Anderson said.Anderson, 68, touted Khan as an ideal successor to steward TED.Khan will continue to lead his online learning platform while also helping shape TED’s mission, particularly with AI.”You could argue that AI used right is capable of helping people become their best selves,” Anderson said, noting that education has long been central to TED.”Whereas social media often helps people become their worst selves.”

The EU will urge G7 partners to consider tapping immobilized Russian assets in aiding Ukraine, the bloc’s economy commissioner told AFP on Wednesday, as finance ministers of the group convene in Washington.Also on the Group of Seven ministers’ agenda are discussions on China’s recently announced curbs on rare earths, commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told AFP in an interview.European allies have been working on a plan to provide loans to Ukraine without an outright seizure of Russian assets that have been immobilized after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.”UK and Canada have already indicated willingness to work alongside with the EU’s reparation loan model,” Dombrovskis said.”So, we’re also awaiting more concrete responses from (the) US and Japan,” he added on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank’s fall meetings in Washington this week.He stressed that G7 leaders earlier agreed at the finance ministers level to “work in a coordinated way.”Dombrovskis said he intends to outline the EU’s plans when G7 finance leaders gather, while encouraging partners to see what they can do with frozen assets in their territories. The leaders will also discuss work on further sanctions.Under the European Union’s plan, the EU would borrow funds from international deposit organization Euroclear in Belgium that have matured into cash, and the money would in turn be loaned to Ukraine.The understanding is that any funds Russia pays towards post-war reparations would be used to reimburse the Europeans.The Kremlin has said the EU plan amounts to “theft” and has threatened to retaliate. Meanwhile, Belgium is seeking guarantees that the bloc would share risks on the plan.- ‘We are ready’ -G7 leaders are also expected to discuss potential responses to China, after Beijing recently announced fresh export curbs involving the rare earth industry, triggering a fiery response from Washington.Early Wednesday, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer slammed China’s move as a “global supply chain power grab,” saying that the United States and its allies would not go along with such a system of controls by Beijing.Dombrovskis told AFP that although no concrete decisions have been made at the EU level, “we are ready to engage and to coordinate those approaches, including at the G7 level.””We are willing to discuss what is the best way to approach it, both in the short-term, but also in the longer term. It’s obvious that we need to work on the diversification of our supply chains,” he said.EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said Tuesday that the EU is coordinating with G7 partners on a response to China’s rare earths export controls, while engaging with China to find solutions.Asked about further progress to seek a reduction in US tariffs targeting EU goods, Dombrovskis noted Wednesday that “there’s a lot at stake economically.”He said he foresees further discussions on sector-specific tariffs, after Brussels managed to negotiate lower duties on auto exports to the United States.- ‘Sizable’ hit -Separately, Dombrovskis noted that a suspension of France’s pension reform would have significant implications, stressing the need for the eurozone’s second-largest economy to ensure it meets its budget commitments.On Tuesday, France’s Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu backed the suspension of the unpopular 2023 reform — a key move to bolster his cabinet’s survival and draw his country out of political crisis.”There are quite sizable fiscal implications,” Dombrovskis said.”So, it’s important that indeed there are measures taken to ensure that France still meets its commitments in line with its medium-term fiscal structural plan,” he added.Freezing the pension reform would cost around 400 million euros ($463 million) in 2026 and 1.8 billion euros the following year, Lecornu previously said.He added that the shortfall should be covered by savings.France’s debt-to-GDP ratio is the EU’s third-highest after Greece and Italy, and is close to twice the 60-percent limit fixed by EU rules.