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Federal court orders Texas voting map changes ahead of 2018

By PAUL J. WEBER Associated Press AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A federal court has ruled that Texas' congressional maps are still flawed by racial gerrymandering and must be partially redrawn before the 2018 elections. The decision Tuesday ordered changes to two of Texas' 36 congressional districts. One is held by Democrat Lloyd Doggett of Austin and the other by Republican Blake Farenthold . The ruling was not a complete victory for Democrats and minority rights groups that wanted more sweeping changes. The same three-judge panel in San Antonio had ruled earlier this year that Texas Republicans intentionally discriminated against minorities while drafting new maps in 2011. The court is giving Texas until the end of the week to decide whether to give its GOP-controlled Legislature the first crack at making the changes or handle the revisions in court. Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Real Threat to America Comes From Americans

This month, a man was arrested in Oklahoma City for trying to detonate 1,000 pounds of explosives in a cargo van parked downtown . The attack, he hoped, would cripple the government and start a revolution. Last October, three men were arrested in Kansas for plotting to bomb an apartment complex and a mosque using four cars laden with explosives. In these febrile days, where terrorists have sought to wreak fear and chaos from Orlando to Paris, and now Barcelona, you’d expect wall-to-wall coverage on cable news about these foiled plots. Terrorism experts would be wheeled out to opine for hours on all angles, from the explosives used to the profile of the would-be attackers to how and why they were radicalized. Instead, the two incidents got barely any coverage — some brief news spots here and there and a few mentions online. Ask any Arab-American or Muslim in America why those incidents weren’t covered ad nauseam and they’ ll reply deadpan : because the would-be attackers were white. So...