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What is gerrymandering in US elections? What to know in 500 words

What is gerrymandering in US elections? What to know in 500 words

EXPLAINER Gerrymandering, the partisan redrawing of voting districts, is as old as the US and yet is still a controversial part of its elections. It’s been called vote-rigging, a power grab and just plain sneaky. But it’s legal, and both Republicans and Democrats do it. Gerrymandering, the process of redrawing voting districts to favour political parties, is almost as old as the United States and yet still very much part of the modern political process. In this year’s general election, it could affect the outcome of crucial races for the US House of Representatives as well as state legislatures. How does gerrymandering work? Generally, once a decade, states update their voting districts to reflect population changes. That’s where gerrymandering creeps into the process. Political parties try to redraw the electoral maps to give their side the greatest number of seats in state legislatures and Congress. The district boundaries are manipulated to put like-minded voters together or to split them apart, either amplifying or diluting their voting power. The results are often contorted districts with meandering boundaries drawn to include some voters and leave others out. Essentially, gerrymandering allows politicians to choose their voters instead of the other way around. The word was invented in 1812 when the governor of Massachusetts, Elbridge Gerry, redrew the electoral map for the state Senate to benefit his party. The result was an oddly shaped district that looked like a salamander. It inspired cartoonist Elkanah Tisdale to draw a mythical creature for the Boston Gazette, calling it the “Gerry-mander”. The name stuck. Forging complacent politicians? Gerrymandering is controversial — and not just because it’s a blatant grab for votes. Critics claim it can dilute the voting power of racial minorities and undermine democracy. A 2023 study by Harvard University researchers found that gerrymandering often creates “safe” seats for politicians, meaning their races are less competitive. In turn, those politicians become less responsive to the needs of their constituents, who become discouraged about voting as a result. At least eight states have clear language in their constitutions against the partisan redrawing of voting districts. Others use independent commissions to make the changes. But the majority of states lack safeguards. National efforts in the last Congress also failed to ban partisan gerrymandering. In 2019, the US Supreme Court ruled it’s up to state courts to deal with legal battles over voting maps. So now, it’s a state-by-state fight over the role of partisan politics in voting districts — with some recent rulings potentially affecting the outcome of the 2024 election. For example, in South Carolina, a new voting map has turned a swing district into a safer Republican one, causing outrage among voting rights advocates. In Louisiana and Alabama, meanwhile, newly drawn maps could mean at least one more House seat in each state for Democrats. And in North Carolina, the state supreme court ruled in favour of a gerrymandered congressional map, possibly giving Republicans three more House seats. Each of those races is significant: Control over the US House of Representatives is decided by district-level votes, with the fate of national legislation hanging in the balance. Adblock test (Why?)

Muslims join Buddhist, Christian fighters to topple Myanmar’s military

Muslims join Buddhist, Christian fighters to topple Myanmar’s military

Myanmar – Scattered across the lush, rolling hills of southern Myanmar’s Tanintharyi region, rebel fighters stationed at checkpoints inspect cars and trucks traveling towards a nearby town still under the control of the Myanmar military – their adversary. While this is a familiar sight in the region, where the struggle against the military waged by disparate armed groups has intensified since the 2021 coup, what sets these rebels apart is their faith. These are members of the little-known “Muslim Company”, who have joined the struggle for democracy in Myanmar as part of a Christian- and Buddhist-dominated armed group – the Karen National Union (KNU). Officially named 3rd Company of Brigade 4 in the KNU, the 130 soldiers of the Muslim Company are just a fraction of the tens of thousands fighting to overthrow the country’s military rulers. With their story largely untold, Al Jazeera visited the company’s headquarters, nestled between the ridges of jungle-clad mountains at an undisclosed location in Myanmar’s south, to piece together an almost forgotten thread in the intricate tapestry of Myanmar’s conflict. “Some areas are focused on ethnicities having their own states,” Muslim Company leader Mohammed Eisher, 47, explained, referring to the armed resistance movements who have long fought against Myanmar’s military. In Tanintharyi, Eisher said, no one group dominates the land and, besides, the military’s repression affects all groups. “As long as the military remains in place, Muslims, and everybody else, will be oppressed,” he said. Fighters in 3rd Company pray at the mosque in their main camp in southern Myanmar [Lorcan Lovett/Al Jazeera] While Eisher said he hopes the acceptance of diversity within the anti-military forces would help ease cultural and regional tensions that have previously led to conflict in Myanmar, scholars say the embrace of the Muslim Company underlines the inclusive nature of the historic uprising taking place, and the incorporation of previously marginalised groups into the struggle. Diverse lines of descent Myanmar’s Muslims trace diverse lines of descent. They include the Rohingya in the west of the country, Muslims with Indian and Chinese heritage, and the Kamein, whose ancestors are believed to have been archers of a Mughal prince seeking refuge in the Arakan kingdom in the 17th century, and which is now part of Myanmar. In Tanintharyi, where the Muslim Company is based, some Muslims are descended from Arab, Persian and Indian traders, while others are Burmese Malays, known as Pashu. The region’s ethnic diversity also includes Karen and Mon, as well as Bamar sub-ethnicities from the cities of Dawei and Myeik, among others. While their uniforms bear the KNU insignia, the Muslim soldiers of 3rd Company carry a star and crescent moon badge in their bags, symbolizing their lineage from the All Burma Muslim Liberation Army (ABMLA) – the country was called “Burma” before it was re-named “Myanmar”. Soldiers in 3rd Company, known as ‘Muslim Company’, rest while recovering from illness at their barracks in Myanmar’s Tanintharyi region [Lorcan Lovett/Al Jazeera] In their main camp, hijab head coverings and thobes – long-sleeved ankle-length traditional robes often worn by men and women in Muslim countries – are common attire. Recitals of Quranic verses ring out from a mosque, while prayer mats are laid out at remote rebel outposts. Throughout the holy month of Ramadan, the company’s fighters observe fasting and attend daily prayers. Successive military-led governments in Myanmar, together with hardline nationalist monks, have portrayed Muslims as a grave threat to Burmese Buddhist culture. That has resulted in Muslim communities, with roots spanning more than a millennium in Myanmar, facing scapegoating, religious suppression and denial of citizenship. “It’s dangerous to generalize, but Muslims in Myanmar are highly vulnerable and have been exposed to significant violence,” Myanmar scholar Ashley South said. “In Karen areas, however, one often finds communities living peacefully – and it is significant that Muslim refugees moved tentatively to KNU-controlled areas, sometimes in preference to other groups,” South said. He added that the inclusion of groups previously alienated by Myanmar’s fractious politics is a defining trait of the current revolution, which has made strong gains against the military since it grabbed power in 2021. History of Muslim resistance The Muslims who resisted the military following its overthrow of Myanmar’s elected government three years ago and then found their way to 3rd Company, are not the first to rise against repression. Among those fleeing the anti-Muslim riots of August 1983 in what was then Moulmein – now called Mawlamyine – in lower Burma, a small group of refugees formed the Kawthoolei Muslim Liberation Front (KMLF) in KNU-held territory. The KNU trained about 200 KMLF fighters, but disputes between Sunni and Shia leaders eventually fragmented the group. In 1985, some KMLF fighters moved south to Tanintharyi, founding the ABMLA. After decades of sporadic clashes with the military, they officially became 3rd Company, known colloquially as the “Muslim Company”. That was about 2015, after the KNU’s ceasefire with the military ended, according to an administrator who has been with the group since 1987. With military atrocities having devastated families across Myanmar since the recent takeover, Myanmar’s army is now anathema not only to Muslims and ethnic minorities but to most of the population, the administrator said. “The [2021] coup opened a path to freedom for everybody,” he added, speaking to Al Jazeera as he sat on a hammock above a pair of military boots taken from a captured government base. About 20 women serve in 3rd Company, including 28-year-old Thandar*, a medic who joined in October 2021. After completing combat training under the KNU, Thandar told how she heard about the Muslim force and decided to sign up. Thandar has served in 3rd Company since October 2021 [Lorcan Lovett/Al Jazeera] “I’ll work here until the revolution is over,” she said, smiling at their commander, Eisher. “He’s like my new father now,” she said. Among other things, belonging to a like-minded company of fighters “made it easier to have a halal diet”, she said. “Plus, I’m with fellow Muslims,” she added. “It’s

Newspaper offices hit by gunfire in Mexico’s Sinaloa state capital

Newspaper offices hit by gunfire in Mexico’s Sinaloa state capital

Gunmen shoot at office building of respected Mexican newspaper in Sinaloa capital Culiacan. Gunmen have fired on a building housing the respected Mexican media outlet El Debate as part of an ongoing drug cartel battle. The media building was sprayed with gunfire on Friday and several cars outside were also damaged. The paper said no one was injured in the attack. The El Debate newspaper is based in the state capital Culiacan, where there has been a surge in violent gun battles between rival gangs of the Sinaloa Cartel since September. The newspaper has been publishing stories about the gang attacks in the northwestern state. El Debate said the assailants arrived in two vehicles and stopped briefly in front of the building. One gunman got out and opened fire with a rifle before they sped off. Journalists threatened Threats against journalists and their sources have increased since the latest round of fighting broke out. Journalists have reported being stopped by gunmen on roadways outside Culiacan and told they could not cover the continuing gun battles happening on the outskirts. The Mexican Media Alliance, a press freedom group, calls this shooting “a direct attack against press freedom and right of the public to be informed”. Being a journalist in Mexico is dangerous business, according to Reporters Without Borders. The organisation has documented the death and disappearance of reporters in the country. In the last six years alone, 37 have been killed and five have disappeared. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said she “condemns” the attack against El Debate. Her government has sent military personnel with armoured vehicles and high-powered weapons to Sinaloa to protect the population, but the troops have struggled to quell the violence. Adblock test (Why?)

Poll finds majority of Americans say they’re worse off than four years ago, similar to 1992 election

Poll finds majority of Americans say they’re worse off than four years ago, similar to 1992 election

With Election Day inching closer, a recent survey suggested that a majority of Americans believe they are worse off than they were four years ago. The Gallup poll, released Friday, found that 52 percent of Americans said they and their family are worse off today than they were four years ago. The Gallup poll was conducted Sept. 16-28 among 1,023 Americans and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points. Another 39 percent said they were better off, while 9 percent said they felt the same now as they did back then. Gallup noted that these results are most similar to their 1992 survey – when then-Gov. Bill Clinton defeated incumbent Republican President George H.W. Bush.   FOX NEWS POLL: TRUMP AHEAD OF HARRIS BY 2 POINTS NATIONALLY The responses varied on the person’s party affiliation. About 72% of Democrats say they were better off in 2024 than 2020, according to the survey. The numbers were much lower for independents, 35%, and Republicans, just 7%. The polling powerhouse noted that participant’s response to whether they felt “better off” was typically tied to the U.S. economy.  Gallup’s monthly Economic Confidence Index (ECI), which ranges from -100 to +100, was currently at -26, with 39 percent saying they were better off financially four years ago.  TRIO OF NEW POLLS AGREE ON WHERE TRUMP AND HARRIS STAND WITH 3 WEEKS TO GO UNTIL ELECTION DAY The organization has been tracking ECI’s since 1992. Since the start, the highest ECI score was +56 in January 2000, and the lowest was -72 in October 2008. Gallup noted that former President Trump’s 2020 loss to now-President Biden was a “sign that noneconomic factors were paramount to voters that year.”  Gallup noted that the ECI has largely been negative over the past four years. In 2022, the index registered several scores that were the worst since the 2007-2009 recession and inflation reached highs.  During the past three years, Americans have named inflation as the most important financial problem facing their family. The survey’s findings suggest that inflation is an underlying fear of many Americans’ perception of the economy – despite the generally low unemployment and steady economic growth. Approximately 46 percent of Americans say their current economic conditions are “poor,” some 29 percent described them as “only fair,” while 25 percent said they were “good” or “excellent.”  Additionally, 62 percent said the economy is “getting worse,” while 32% said in the survey that it is “getting better.” CRUNCH TIME: KAMALA HARRIS TO TEAM UP WITH THE OBAMAS NEXT WEEK  The survey found key areas that were on the top of voter’s minds as they headed to the polls. A more recent Fox News poll, conducted Oct. 11-14, found that the economy continues to outrank all other issues, as 40% say it is the most important issue in deciding their choice for president.  Less than half as many prioritize immigration and abortion, and far fewer cite issues such as election integrity, health care, climate change, guns, crime and foreign policy. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. Fox News’ Victoria Balara and Dana Blanton contributed to this report.