Voting Rights Act, AI Cancer Spotter, & Accidental Foods

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Adam Rogers
April 30, 2026

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The Supreme Court further weakened the Voting Rights Act on Wednesday, ruling 6-3 along ideological lines that states can rarely consider race when drawing congressional maps — even when doing so to comply with the landmark civil rights law. The decision requires Louisiana to redraw its map with primaries just two weeks away.
The ruling strikes down a Louisiana map drawn in 2024 specifically to comply with a lower court order under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which protects minority voters from discrimination. Justice Alito, writing for the majority, said race can play almost no role in redistricting even when states are trying to comply with the law. States can now argue that maps diluting minority voting power were drawn for partisan rather than racial reasons — a defense the court has previously allowed for partisan gerrymandering.
Justice Kagan, dissenting, said the ruling effectively renders Section 2 "all but a dead letter" and allows states to "systematically dilute minority citizens' voting power" without legal consequence. The court has now issued three major rulings weakening the Voting Rights Act since 2013.

At his final Federal Open Market Committee meeting as chair, Jerome Powell said he will remain on the Fed's board of governors after his term ends May 15. It is the first time a departing Fed chair has stayed on the board since 1948. Powell said Trump's "unprecedented" legal attacks have put the Fed's independence "at risk" and that he will leave "when I think it appropriate to do so."
The decision denies Trump an immediate board appointment, making it harder for incoming chair Kevin Warsh to build consensus for the rate cuts Trump has demanded. Analysts warn the arrangement could create a "two Popes" scenario, with some policymakers following Powell's lead rather than Warsh's. Powell said he does not intend to interfere.
The FOMC voted to leave rates unchanged for the third straight meeting, drawing four dissents — the most since October 1992. Inflation has climbed to 3.3%, a two-year high driven by rising energy costs, while hiring has nearly stalled. Wall Street does not expect a rate cut until well into next year.

An AI model called REDMOD can detect pancreatic cancer an average of 475 days before clinical diagnosis, according to research published in the journal Gut. Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers because it rarely produces symptoms until it has advanced beyond treatment.
REDMOD correctly flagged pre-cancerous changes in CT scans that radiologists missed, analyzing subtle tissue texture patterns invisible to the human eye. It achieved 73% sensitivity compared to radiologists' 39%, and was nearly three times more accurate for cases detected more than two years before diagnosis. The model was tested on 219 patients across multiple hospitals who showed no evidence of disease on standard review but were later diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
The stakes of earlier detection are significant. Researchers estimate that increasing the share of early-stage diagnoses from 10% to 50% would more than double survival rates. REDMOD still requires prospective testing in high-risk patients before clinical use, and the study's patient group lacked ethnic diversity.

Florida's Republican legislature passed a new congressional map that could net the GOP four additional seats. (More)

Pete Hegseth clashed with Democrats at a House hearing over the Iran war's costs, military firings, and a deadly attack on US troops in Kuwait that survivors say commanders knew was indefensible. (More)

The Pentagon revealed that its military campaign against Iran has cost $25 billion over two months, with no clear end in sight despite a recent ceasefire. (More)

Two Jewish men were stabbed in London's Golders Green neighborhood on Wednesday in what police declared a terrorist attack. (More)

A South Korean appeals court added seven years to ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol's sentence for obstruction charges tied to his 2024 martial law declaration. (More)

A Palestinian flag has been stuck near the top of Dublin's 394-foot Spire since September, and city officials can't figure out how to safely remove it — ropes, ladders, and a 300-ton crane have all been ruled out. (More)

US stock markets closed mixed on Wednesday (S&P -0.04%, Nasdaq +0.04%, Dow -0.57%) as the Dow notched its 5th losing day. (More)

Uber will let users book hotels directly through its app via a partnership with Expedia, adding 700,000 listings as the company pushes to become a one-stop travel platform. (More)

The Pentagon struck a deal to deploy Google's Gemini AI on classified military networks, joining similar agreements with OpenAI and xAI. (More)

Cam York scored in overtime as the Flyers beat Pittsburgh 1-0 in Game 6, eliminating the Penguins and advancing to the second round for the first time in six years. (More)

LIV Golf's Saudi sovereign wealth fund backer is ending its financial support after this season, a move that would effectively kill the breakaway tour in its current form and leave dozens of players without a home. (More)

The NCAA is weighing expanding March Madness from 68 to 76 teams for both men's and women's tournaments, with a decision expected in May. (More)

Researchers warn that booming urban beekeeping is crowding out wild bees by competing for food and spreading disease, and are proposing new guidelines to limit hive density and boost city flower resources. (More)

A Smithsonian-led study found that all 18 scorpion species tested carry metals like zinc, manganese, and iron in their stingers and pincers, suggesting the nearly 3,000 known scorpion species likely all share the trait. (More)

The CDC is investigating a salmonella outbreak tied to backyard poultry that has sickened 34 people across 13 states since February. (More)

Middle school students stop bus from crashing after driver blacks out.

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