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Latina House Republican asks Supreme Court to block Dems’ bid to ‘racially gerrymander’ her out of Congress

Latina House Republican asks Supreme Court to block Dems’ bid to ‘racially gerrymander’ her out of Congress

New York City’s lone Republican lawmaker in the House of Representatives is asking the highest court in the land to stop a Democrat-backed bid to gerrymander her seat in Congress. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., filed a petition with the Supreme Court late last week asking it to halt a state court-ordered redraw of New York’s congressional map ahead of the November midterm elections. The New York State Supreme Court ruled last month that Malliotakis’ district unfairly dilutes the power of Black and Latino voters, following a lawsuit led by Democrat lawyer Marc Elias’ law firm on behalf of four New York residents. New York’s 11th congressional district (NY-11), which Malliotakis won in 2020, encompasses all of Staten Island and a sliver of southern Brooklyn. It’s the only district in the Big Apple represented by a Republican after Malliotakis defeated one-term former Rep. Max Rose, D-N.Y. BATTLEGROUND GOP LAWMAKER MOVES TO BLOCK WHAT HE CALLS DEMOCRATIC REDISTRICTING ‘POWER GRAB’ Malliotakis’ court petition argued that the Manhattan court “violated the Equal Protection Clause by prohibiting New York from running congressional elections until the state racially gerrymanders” her district. The GOP congresswoman pointed out in a recent interview with Fox News Digital that she herself is Latino, with a mother who fled Cuba’s communist regime. “The fact that they’re claiming somehow Hispanics and minorities are disenfranchised when I’m the first Hispanic elected to represent the district makes it even more ridiculous,” Malliotakis said at the time. DEMOCRATS SAY TRUMP REDISTRICTING PUSH BACKFIRING AS VIRGINIA ADVANCES NEW HOUSE MAPS The state court decision by Justice Jeffrey Pearlman found that “Black, Latino, and Asian Staten Islanders’ political representation and participation in politics still lags behind White Staten Islanders” in violation of the New York State Constitution. “A demonstration of racially polarized voting shows that the minority groups at issue vote as a bloc, as do White voters, and that the minority preferred candidates ‘usually’ lose,” Pearlman’s decision said. “Petitioners have demonstrated that here.” Malliotakis’ Supreme Court petition said, “The New York State Legislature adopted CD11’s current boundaries two years ago, with an overwhelming majority of the Legislature’s Black and Latino members voting in favor of it.” It argued that the lawsuit was brought, however, “less than four months ago under the theory that the votes of CD11’s Black and Latino voters — who comprise about 23% of CD11 — have been unconstitutionally diluted because their candidate of choice wins only 25% of the time.” The petition said the court’s decision to “racially gerrymander” the district is a “recipe for unconstitutional chaos, with no map in place and uncertainty as to whether nominating petitions can start circulating on February 24, with no end in sight.” But Democrats have been salivating at the idea of drawing out the deep-blue city’s lone House Republican. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a statement last month, “This ruling is the first step toward ensuring communities of interest remain intact from Staten Island to Lower Manhattan.” New York is one of several states plunged into the redistricting battle that has gripped the United States. It began last year in Texas, when the state’s GOP-led legislature redrew its congressional map to give Republicans an advantage of as many as five new House seats. California soon followed suit, creating a new map giving Democrats the same advantage.

Springsteen jabs Trump as ‘wannabe king’ as famed rocker launches concert tour ‘in defense of America’

Springsteen jabs Trump as ‘wannabe king’ as famed rocker launches concert tour ‘in defense of America’

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen is heading back on the road, as he steps up his criticism of President Donald Trump. Springsteen on Tuesday charged that Trump was a “wannabe king” as he announced the launch late next month of the “Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour.” “We are living through dark, disturbing and dangerous times,” Springsteen said in a video posted on social media. “But do not despair, the cavalry is coming. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will be taking the stage this spring from Minneapolis to California to Texas to Washington, D.C., for the Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour.” And the 76-year-old rocker added, “We will be rocking your town in celebration and in defense of America, American democracy, American freedom, our American Constitution and our sacred American dream — all of which are under attack by our wannabe king and his rogue government in Washington, D.C.”  WHITE HOUSE BLASTS SPRINGSTEEN’S NEW SONG Springsteen’s announcement of his 20-day tour, which will kick off on March 31 in Minneapolis, comes a few weeks after the release of his latest song, “Streets of Minneapolis,” a protest tune that criticizes Trump and his administration’s deployment of thousands of federal agents to crack down on illegal immigration in the blue-leaning state. Trump’s focus on illegal immigration during the 2024 campaign, and his pledge to deport millions of undocumented migrants, helped fuel his re-election victory. ROCK LEGEND PRAISES BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR ‘NOT BEING AFRAID’ TO SLAM TRUMP ON STAGE But the president and his administration have faced political backlash after federal agents in January fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis — Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti. In response, the administration announced earlier this month that their operation in Minnesota was winding down. Springsteen, who has long been a vocal Trump critic, in the 2024 presidential election backed then-Vice President Kamala Harris. He performed at a couple of rallies for the Democratic presidential nominee in the final stretch leading up to Election Day. And last year, during a performance at a concert in Manchester, England, he called the president and his administration “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous.” ROCK STAR MELTS DOWN AFTER WHITE HOUSE CALLS HIM ‘WASHED-UP,’ RAGES THAT TRUMP IS A ‘LOW-LIFE FASCIST’ Trump, responding, declared that Springsteen was “obnoxious” and a “dried out prune of a rocker.” “Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK, who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden, a mentally incompetent FOOL, and our WORST EVER President, who came close to destroying our Country,” Trump added in a social media post at the time. Springsteen renewed his criticism of Trump in September, arguing that the president should “be consigned to the trash heap of history.” And pointing to Trump’s jabs at the rocker, Springsteen said, “I absolutely couldn’t care less what he thinks about me.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a reaction to Springsteen’s new tour, but had not received a response at the time this report posted. Springsteen, for decades, has been known for his songs that pay tribute to and highlight the concerns of working-class Americans, many of whom over the past decade have become Trump supporters. “A lot of people bought into his lies,” Springsteen charged last autumn, as he pointed to Trump. “He doesn’t care about the forgotten anybody but himself and the multibillionaires who stood behind him on Inauguration Day.” And on Tuesday, in announcing his upcoming tour, Springsteen appeared to reach out to his fans who now support Trump. “Everyone, regardless of where you stand or what you believe in, is welcome. So come on out and join the united free republic of E Street nation for an American spring of rock and rebellion. I’ll see you there,” he said.