In Tennessee, lawmakers there passed a new congressional map that could help Republicans win all nine congressional seats in this year’s midterm elections. Prior to the vote, protesters gathered outside the state’s House and Senate chambers to voice their anger at the plan. The new map slices up Memphis, a majority-Black city that makes up most of the state’s lone Democratic stronghold. Tennessee’s governor has now signed the bill, making it the first state to adopt a new map since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week that significantly weakened the landmark Voting Rights Act.
In Colorado, the man accused of last year’s firebomb attack at a pro-Israel rally was sentenced to life in prison today. Mohamed Sabry Soliman has pleaded not guilty to dozens of state charges, including first-degree murder. Authorities say he threw two Molotov cocktails during a demonstration in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza. At least 13 people were hurt and an 82-year-old woman later died from her injuries. The Egyptian national still faces federal hate crime charges, to which he has also pleaded not guilty.
Health authorities on at least four continents are tracking over two dozen passengers who left the cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak. The passengers from at least 12 different countries left the ship two weeks after the first passenger died on board. The vessel itself is now en route to Spain’s Canary Islands, where officials are debating whether it will dock or anchor offshore. Officials at the World Health Organization said today that it’s everyone’s “moral duty” to care for those still on board and acknowledge the efforts of the crew. Three passengers have died in the outbreak and several others are sick. But the Netherlands-based operator of the cruise ship says none of those still on board are currently showing signs of symptoms.
In Mississippi, local officials say at least 17 people were injured after powerful storms and at least three tornadoes tore through the state last night. By sunrise today, the damage was in full view. Most of the injuries happened in a trailer park about an hour’s drive south of the state capital of Jackson. All told, nearly 500 homes were damaged across Mississippi. National weather officials are warning that the region could see even more storms tonight.
