NPR News: 04-29-2026 11AM EDT

This NPR News Now broadcast from April 29, 2026, recaps key U.S. and international developments, led by a Supreme Court ruling on voting rights protections, alongside federal nominations, a high-profile detention request, violence in London, wildfires in the Southeast, and a new patriotic passport design.

Supreme Court Limits Voting Rights Act in Redistricting

The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority issued a decision weakening Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which for decades has protected racial minority voters in areas of racially polarized voting. This provision required congressional districts to be drawn so minority voters could elect their preferred candidates during redistricting. The new ruling reduces these safeguards, applying to redistricting at all government levels, including Congress.

NPR's San Zi Lo Wong reported that experts anticipate Republican-controlled legislatures in Southern states to redraw maps, potentially eliminating Democratic-held House districts previously shielded by the Act. This could result in the largest-ever drop in Black members of Congress, as those districts often elect Black representatives. The change shifts power dynamics in map-drawing, making it harder to challenge dilutive boundaries based on racial vote patterns, even where polarization persists.