NPR News: 05-09-2026 11AM EDT

Alabama's Republican-led push to redraw congressional maps has escalated to the U.S. Supreme Court. This NPR News Now update covers that dispute alongside brief notes on conflicts in Iran and Ukraine-Russia, newly released UFO files from the Trump administration, and a political shift in Hungary.

Alabama Redistricting Challenge

Alabama's Republican Attorney General has petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn a federal court order mandating a race-based congressional map for upcoming primaries. This follows the Republican governor's tentative approval of new maps designed to favor Republicans, part of a statewide redistricting effort spurred by a recent Supreme Court ruling that barred race as a factor in drawing district lines. Democrats, including State Senator Roger Smitherman, argue the changes erase 60 years of progress under the Voting Rights Act, effectively disenfranchising one-third of the state's population—primarily Black voters—from proportional representation. Republican Senate President Pro Tem Garland Gudger counters that focusing on race misses the point, emphasizing other criteria for fair districts. NPR's Debbie Elliott reported from Montgomery on the stakes for electoral representation in a state where these maps will shape congressional races.