Democrats sue Kansas officials over Republican redistricting law – live | US news

An individual shot at a mayoral candidate right this moment in Louisville, Kentucky.

Whereas candidate Craig Greenberg was unhurt, a spherical got here shut sufficient to him to pierce his clothes. The suspect is in custody, however police haven’t launched a motive.

This taking pictures takes place on the fourth anniversary of the Parkland, Florida taking pictures at Marjory Stoneman Douglas highschool – the deadliest taking pictures within the nation that killed 17 folks.

Joe Biden issued an announcement earlier right this moment calling on Congress to cross extra stringent gun management laws.

In the meantime, Washington is lifting its masks mandate in locations like eating places and companies starting 1 March, however it should stay in place for faculties and healthcare services.

The Related Press is reporting that Democrats have sued Kansas officers right this moment over a Republican redistricting legislation that value the state’s solely Democrat in Congress some territory in her Kansas Metropolis-area district that she carried by large margins in elections.

A workforce of attorneys led by Democratic legal professional Marc Elias’ agency are arguing that Republican map drawers “explicitly got down to gerrymander the state of their favor” by splitting up two Democratic strongholds and closely minority counties and redistricting their populations into closely white and Republican districts.

Elias had promised that the brand new Kansas map can be challenged when the Republican-controlled legislature overrode the veto of the Democratic governor, Laura Kelly. Elias has been concerned in lawsuits in a number of states, together with Georgia, North Carolina and Ohio.

The Hill is reporting that Democrats on the senate judiciary committee are urging Joe Biden to rush up and select somebody for his supreme courtroom nomination whereas they nonetheless have the slim 50-50 majority vote.

Earlier this month, Ben Ray Luján, a 49-year-old freshman Democratic senator from New Mexico, suffered a stroke and can possible must miss 4 to 6 weeks of labor to get better.

With this one medical emergency already placing a pressure on the Democrats’ slim majority, Dick Durbin, chair of the senate judiciary committee, instructed the Hill, “I feel we perceive the significance of the accountability we now have and we’re anxious to get this senate shifting ahead. We began to select up pace lately and we need to proceed that,” he stated.

In sports activities information, there was a extensively televised soccer sport yesterday. Throughout the Tremendous Bowl halftime present, rapper Eminem took a knee and held his head in obvious tribute to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who took a knee throughout the nationwide anthem to protest police brutality throughout the 2016 season.

After different gamers adopted go well with – in different sports activities as nicely – the transfer turned a cultural controversy, with many believing that Kaepernick has been blackballed by the league’s groups and house owners for taking his stance.

Instantly after Eminem took a knee, rumors started flying that the Nationwide Soccer League had tried to cease him from doing so forward of the sport – in 2020, following the widespread protests over the police homicide of George Floyd, the NFL famously needed to apologize for not listening to its gamers earlier of their peaceable protest.

Right now, nevertheless, the NFL has come out robust in denying the rumors that it tried to cease Eminem from taking a knee.

“We watched all components of the present throughout a number of rehearsals this week and have been conscious that Eminem was going to try this,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy stated.

In the meantime, majority chief Chuck Schumer is saying {that a} invoice trying to reform the publish workplace is about to hit the senate flooring.

However Punchbowl Information is reporting that senate possible gained’t have the ability to take up the laws till March: Home clerks mistakenly enrolled the unsuitable model of the invoice, which means that Schumer filed cloture on the unsuitable model.

Right now is the fourth anniversary of the taking pictures at Marjory Stoneman Douglas highschool in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 folks and wounded 17 extra – the deadliest college taking pictures within the nation.

Manuel Olivier, whose son Joaquin was one of many 17 killed that day, is now apparently on high of a building crane a block from the White Home, surrounded by police.

It’s unclear if Olivier is staging a protest, however he has been outspoken up to now in his campaign in opposition to gun violence.

Joe Biden launched an announcement right this moment acknowledging that “out of the heartbreak of Parkland a brand new era of People all throughout the nation marched for our lives and in direction of a greater, safer America for us all”.

“Collectively, this extraordinary motion is ensuring that the voices of victims and survivors and accountable gun house owners are louder than the voices of gun producers and the Nationwide Rifle Affiliation,” the assertion reads.

Biden continued: “I’ve requested Congress to cross a price range that gives an extra half billion {dollars} for confirmed methods we all know cut back violent crime – accountable group policing and group violence interventions. I’ve additionally requested elevated funding for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the US marshals. And Congress should do way more – starting with requiring background checks on all gun gross sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and eliminating immunity for gun producers.

“We will by no means carry again these we’ve misplaced,” Biden stated. “However we are able to come collectively to satisfy the primary accountability of our authorities and our democracy: to maintain one another protected. For Parkland, for all these we’ve misplaced, and for all these left behind, it’s time to uphold that solemn obligation.”

Howdy, reside weblog readers. Blissful Valentine’s Day.

All eyes in Washington proceed to be on the rising menace that Russia will invade Ukraine, with Jake Sullivan, the nationwide safety adviser, set to temporary Home and Senate leaders later right this moment on the scenario. Tune into our reside weblog on the tensions right here for updates.

Whereas Senate is in session right this moment, Punchbowl Information is reporting that the chances are fairly low on whether or not there may very well be any legislative motion taken on sanctions in opposition to Russia forward of army motion. Although the bulk chief, Chuck Schumer, instructed reporters final week that lawmakers have been getting “nearer and nearer” to settlement on a Russia sanctions invoice, the minority chief, Mitch McConnell, downplayed the influence of it, saying it was as much as Joe Biden to resolve the significance of such motion.

Final week, the major hangup was over whether or not the sanctions can be imposed on all Russian banks and over Nord Stream 2, based on Bob Menendez, chair of the Senate overseas relations committee.