Frederick Douglass claimed the Declaration of Independence for black Americans in 1852. Martin Luther King, Jr. did it again in 1963. Now, Reverend Al Sharpton wants to give it back.

At the National Action Network’s 35th Anniversary Convention this month, Sharpton proclaimed that America’s 250th anniversary “is not our celebration.” He called it “crazy” for black Americans to wear a birthday hat at someone else’s party. He is wrong, and the history he is invoking actually proves it.

The Declaration of Independence is not a monument to what America was. It is a promise about what America must become.

On July 3, 1776, slavery was ubiquitous and unquestioned. Slaveholding was as old as civilization itself. No government on earth was organized around the belief that all men were created equal. Theocracies, monarchies, and feudal regimes were the sum and substance of the world’s political order.

On July 4, 1776, that changed forever.

The Declaration did not resolve the contradiction of slavery. But it detonated it. From that moment forward, every American who held another in bondage was standing in direct defiance of the nation’s stated founding principle. That tension could not hold. And it didn’t.

What Sharpton omits is telling. Among the 28 grievances in the Declaration, the very first targeted the slave trade. Virginia, yes, slaveholding Virginia, had attempted to severely limit the slave trade through taxation. The king vetoed it. Jefferson called that out by name. Jefferson also drafted the provisions of the Northwest Ordinance that permanently banned slavery across more than five future states, and he signed the federal law that finally ended the slave trade. History is more complicated than the caricatures some prefer.

Even the Founders, too weak to live up to their own ideals, knew what they were doing was wrong. Jefferson wrote that he shuddered at the thought of a just God bringing retribution on the nation. Washington emancipated his slaves upon his death. The founding generation set a fuse. The Civil War was the explosion. Over 600,000 men died to settle the discussion around slavery. That would not have been possible without Independence Day.

Sharpton is not wrong to name the hypocrisy of the founders. But he is completely wrong about what July Fourth means. The suffragettes rewrote the Declaration to include themselves. Frederick Douglass wielded it as a sword against slavery. King stood on it at the Lincoln Memorial. The civil rights movement, the women’s movement, and nearly every subsequent push for equality in American history have returned to that founding document as their source and authority.

The Declaration of Independence is not a monument to what America was. It is a promise about what America must become. For those whose ancestors were enslaved and oppressed, it is not someone else’s birthday. It is the origin of their liberation.

The 250th anniversary is almost upon us. All Americans, especially those whose families fought hardest and waited longest to claim its promise, should mark it well.

​Al sharpton, Americas 250th anniversary, Black americans, Declaration of independence, Frederick douglass, Slavery, Opinion & analysis 

Five people were wounded, including three students, in a shooting near the University of Iowa early Sunday morning — and Iowa City Police have released photos showing persons of interest.

Police said they responded at 1:46 a.m. to a report of a large fight in the 100 Block of East College Street — and that arriving officers heard gunfire.

Police said no arrests have been made, but there is no known ongoing threat associated with the incident; the department is continuing to investigate.

Police said in a separate post that the scene of the shooting was in downtown Iowa City.

Police said they have identified five victims in the shooting: One is in critical condition, and the other four victims are in stable condition.

NBC News said video circulating on social media appears to show a confrontation before the shooting that seemed to involve a large group of people. The news network added that several people could be seen punching and kicking others while bystanders urged them to stop.

NBC News added that it’s unclear when the gunfire commenced, but additional video on social media shows a large crowd fleeing.

RELATED: Male, 31, fatally shoots 8 children execution style; 7 were his own kids: Report

Police said no arrests have been made, but there is no known ongoing threat associated with the incident; the department is continuing to investigate.

Police also posted photos on its Facebook page showing persons of interest associated with the shooting as part of the department’s ongoing investigation.

RELATED: Masked men open fire after storming into Chick-fil-A; 1 dead, 6 injured; manhunt under way

Persons of interest. Image source: Iowa City Police, composite

Police said those with information about the individuals in the photos are asked to contact Detective Cade Burma at cburma@iowa-city.org or 319-356-5275.

Police added that the persons of interest have been numbered to assist in the sharing of information.

In addition, those with video also can contact Detective Burma, police said, adding that tips can also be submitted anonymously through Iowa City Crime Stoppers, which is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information about this incident that leads to an arrest.

Crime Stoppers tips can be submitted via the P3 Tips app online at iccrimestoppers.org or by phone at 319-358-TIPS (8477), police said, adding that all tips and calls are held in strict confidence and anonymity is guaranteed. Individuals providing information are not required to reveal their identity to collect a reward, police also said, noting that a CASE #2026003915 also was provided.

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​Iowa city, Iowa city police, Persons of interest, Shooting, Students wounded, University of iowa, Mass shooting, Crime 

Failed vice presidential candidate Tim Walz tried and failed to take a swipe at Vice President JD Vance during his announcement of a new political super PAC on Monday.

The Minnesota governor said the Small Town PAC is intended to boost the campaigns of Democrats in rural areas of the country.

‘If Democrats want to win in more places, we’ve got to start showing up in more places.’

“Republicans like JD Vance like to portray their small-town neighbors as petty, resentful, and small-minded. I disagree. I think the problem facing small towns are Republicans like JD Vance,” said Walz to Politico.

Vance was propelled into politics after the success of his memoir titled “Hillbilly Elegy,” which documented his travails among poor, white communities in Kentucky and Ohio. He memorably paid homage to his mother and “mamaw” during his speech at the Republican National Convention in 2024.

Walz had given up his hopes of re-election as governor after being accused of helping cover up the massive fraud committed by some members of the Somali community in Minnesota. He has denied the allegations.

“We’re going to show up in small towns, organize in places too many people have given up on, and build power with the folks who call these places home,” said Walz on social media Monday. “If Democrats want to win in more places, we’ve got to start showing up in more places.”

He told Politico that he was going use the super PAC to seek “some teachers, some nurses, some laborers, vets, and young people in small towns across the country who can represent their communities better than Silicon Valley can.”

RELATED: Tim Walz says Democrats need to be ‘meaner’ and ‘bully the s**t out of’ Trump

Walz was ridiculed by many in January after he warned that Minnesota was “at war” with the federal government after President Donald Trump ordered a surge of federal troops to enforce immigration law.

“I’ve issued a warning order to prepare the Minnesota National Guard,” Walz added. “We have soldiers in training and prepared to be deployed if necessary. I remind you, a warning order is a heads-up for folks.”

That federal operation was ended after two anti-ICE protesters were killed during incidents with federal troops, and local leaders reached an agreement with the Trump administration to pull out the troops.

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​Tim walz vs jd vance, Small town super pac, Walz super pac, Democrats in rural regions, Politics 

This week, Yale gave a glimpse of the left’s plan for celebrating America 250: by sulking through it.

The Yale Political Union invited left-wing Twitch streamer Hasan Piker to campus for a talk titled “End the American Empire.” That tells you almost everything you need to know about elite culture in 2026. One of America’s most storied universities now hands the microphone to a professional internet loudmouth so he can trash the country that made his whole career possible.

In one booking, Yale managed to capture the reigning pathology of the elite leftist, grievance-peddling, globalist scolds: embarrassment about America and indulgence of countries with body counts in the tens of millions.

America does not promise equality of outcome; it delivers equality of opportunity, whether your ancestors came on the Mayflower or landed at Ellis Island with just the clothes on their backs.

In case you missed it, Piker’s major takeaway at Yale was: “The fall of the USSR was one of the greatest catastrophes of the 20th century.” Sadly, Piker isn’t alone, and the intent of these hall monitors of American guilt couldn’t be clearer: Stop with the fireworks, the parades, and the idolizing of Jefferson and Franklin. Put on your black, mourn communism, and pine for a return to Stalin.

Before we turn off Twitch and tune out Yale, we must understand their rhetorical trick: The ideal of communism, they say, is just and righteous. That makes its downfall in the USSR (and everywhere else it’s ever been tried) tragic.

The reality is bleaker. Communism’s supposed ideal is unattainable. People differ in ability, ambition, discipline, and desire. Any system that insists on equal results must override individuality, and that only happens at the tip of a spear. Today’s champions treat the millions killed under communism as an inconvenient footnote, along with the predictable enrichment of a ruling elite and the familiar rise of tyranny.

That’s no ideal to which to strive. And its failure should be openly and widely celebrated — as it has been by its own repressed peoples as much as by those of us who are free and watching from afar.

That is the rhetorical trick. When leftists discuss communism, they speak in the language of ideals. When they discuss America, they speak only in the language of failures.

The ignorance is difficult to miss. America does not promise equality of outcome; it delivers equality of opportunity, whether your ancestors came on the Mayflower or landed at Ellis Island with just the clothes on their backs. Opportunity, even, for people getting paid to play video games on livestreams.

Of course, America has experienced its failures. The Declaration of Independence said all men are created equal, but the Constitution constricted that promise. America’s bloodiest days weren’t akin to Stalin’s great purge of political enemies; it was a civil war to see the promise of freedom all the way through. As communist regimes have been crushed under economic and cultural failure, America is on a never-ending, constant march closer to its stated ideals. Not perfectly. Not easily. But undeniably.

So where did this American pessimism come from? There have always been socialists at the fringes — figures like Mr. Piker are just the most visible version of an old idea. The real danger is the left’s rank and file, who have, over the last 50 years, made vilifying America a key cultural issue.

There must be something in the water during anniversary years. As the 1976 bicentennial arrived with genuine patriotic fervor, it exited with a people divided by two sharply different visions. While tens of millions of Americans celebrated with fireworks and flag-waving, Jimmy Carter rode to the White House on a platform of regret. He and his followers decided that America could lead only by apologizing and expressing doubt about the moral legitimacy of our system.

With Carter’s election win, the American left transformed. Instead of reading this as a desire for calm after years of turmoil, the American left increasingly interpreted it as a rejection of patriotism itself.

Yale’s decision to engage Hasan Piker is the legacy of that 50-year shift. Yale has surrendered its right to proudly boast of 25 graduates who served in the Continental Congress and five who signed the Declaration of Independence. And Twitch? It’s contributed less to society than the cheap plastic fork in your takeout order. As in 1776, patriots will prevail. So let the Yalies sneer and Twitchers scold. The rest of us will wave the flag, light the fireworks, and celebrate the country that gave those folks the freedom to complain in the first place.

​America, Communism, Elite culture, Hasan piker, Twitch, Yale, Opinion & analysis 

A veteran Washington, D.C., police officer was allegedly caught sending horrendous messages to a person he believed to be a 15-year-old male.

Lt. Matthew Mahl was placed on administrative leave at the D.C. Metro Police Department after being arrested on Tuesday in Harford County, Maryland, on charges of sexual solicitation of a minor and two counts of child porn solicitation.

‘It really is a horrific tragedy when we think about the impact that this could have on young people.’

Mahl, 47, had been the head of the Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit of MPD before he was elected to head the union, officially called the Labor Committee of the Fraternal Order of Police, in 2016.

He is accused of seeking to have sex with a person he believed to be a male teenager after meeting them on the Reddit online platform in a thread titled, “r/GayYoungOldDating.”

Mahl acknowledged that he believed the person’s age to be 15 on multiple occasions in the online conversations, charging documents claimed.

Mahl sent sexually explicit photos and messages to the person in an exchange that lasted about a month, according to prosecutors. He also allegedly acknowledged that he was an officer and could face serious consequences if caught.

“I have it all to lose,” he allegedly wrote.

He was arrested after police say he traveled to Harford County in hopes of meeting the teenager, who was actually an undercover officer.

MPD said they were not aware of the initial investigation into Mahl.

“The allegations in this case are extremely disturbing, and in direct contrast to the values of the Metropolitan Police Department,” read a statement from the department. “MPD’s Internal Affairs Division will investigate violations of MPD policy once the criminal investigation concludes.”

On Wednesday, Mahl was ordered to remain in jail without bail.

Prosecutors referred to him as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” during the bail hearing.

RELATED: Video shows teens cut up Pride flags at bar during Pride Month — hate crime charges followed

Turnaround rape crisis CEO Amanda Rodriguez called the allegations “awful” in a statement to CBS News.

“These are individuals that the kids should be able to put their trust in. So it’s not just a tragedy, it really is a horrific tragedy when we think about the impact that this could have on young people trusting those that they really often need … for their own safety.”

She added, “We need to hold folks in law enforcement and, again, in these other higher areas of authority to a level to ensure that that trust is always able to be there.”

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​Gay head of police union, Solicitation of a minor, Washington dc police officer, Child porn solicitation, Political, Matthew mahl, Politics 

The New York International Auto Show still draws a crowd — but like all auto shows these days, it’s not what it used to be.

That’s something Karl Brauer and I talked about on a recent episode of “The Drive.” Automakers don’t rely on shows the way they once did. Big reveals happen online now. A lot of media events are private. The industry has moved on, even if the show is still here.

For consumers, though, it still works. You can walk the floor, sit in everything, and compare cars side by side without a salesperson pressuring you.

Award-winners get the headlines. Concept cars pull people in. But if you’re seriously shopping for a vehicle — or even thinking about it over the next year — what matters is what you can actually buy, what it costs, and how it fits into your life.

Here are five vehicles from this year’s show that stood out for real-world buyers.

1. Volkswagen Atlas

Volkswagen didn’t try to reinvent the Atlas. When you’ve nailed the basics like this, that’s probably the right call.

It’s still one of the few SUVs where the third row actually works for real passengers, not just kids. Pricing starts around $40,000, and the updated interior is simpler and easier to use.

It’s not pushing the boundaries of car design. But it is beautifully practical — and that’s exactly why it sells.

Bloomberg/Getty Images

2. Kia EV3

There’s been a lot of talk about “affordable EVs.” Very few have actually shown up.

The EV3 could be different.

Kia is targeting a starting price under $30,000, with roughly 300 miles of range and access to Tesla’s charging network. If it delivers, the EV3 becomes one of the first electric vehicles that makes sense for mainstream buyers.

That’s still a big “if.” But it’s one to watch.

Bloomberg/Getty Images

3. Hyundai Boulder Concept

Hyundai caught people off guard with the Hyundai Boulder Concept, a Bronco- and Wrangler-style off-roader — and it’s expected to be gas-powered.

That’s not random.

While parts of the industry are still pushing all-electric lineups, Hyundai is clearly leaving room for what buyers actually want: options. Gas, hybrid, or electric.

If the Boulder makes it to production without being watered down, it could shake up a segment that hasn’t seen much real competition.

Bloomberg/Getty Images

4. Genesis GV70

Genesis keeps showing up at these events, but the bigger story is what’s happening outside the show.

The GV70 is its best-selling model — and it makes sense. It’s competitively priced, well-equipped, and doesn’t overcomplicate things.

At the same time, Genesis is rolling out its new Magma performance line. That’s more about brand building, but it shows confidence — and momentum.

Bloomberg/Getty Images

5. Kia Seltos

Quality doesn’t always announce itself with huge fanfare. Case in point: the refreshed Kia Seltos.

It’s smaller, more affordable, and now styled more like a mini Telluride. For a lot of buyers, that’s the sweet spot — usable, reasonably priced, and easy to live with.

It’s not going to win many awards — but it’ll handle the everyday stuff that actually matters.

Bloomberg/Getty Images

​Affordable evs, Electric vehicles, Genesis gv70, Hyundai boulder concept, Kia ev3, Magma performance line, Volkswagen atlas, Align cars 

A 31-year-old male fatally shot eight children execution style in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Sunday morning — and seven of the victims were the shooter’s own children, authorities told the New York Times.

The gunman, Shamar Elkins — who was fatally shot following a police chase — had mental health problems and recently had expressed suicidal thoughts, the Times said, citing family members’ statements in interviews.

‘My babies — my babies are gone.’

The children ranged in age from 1 to 14, officials told the paper, and seven of the eight were Elkins’ own children. A Shreveport Police Department spokesman said he shot them execution style, the Times reported.

Elkins also shot two other people, including his wife, who was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, the paper said, citing officials and relatives.

Following the shootings, authorities said Elkins took a car by force, and police pursued him, the Times said. Officers opened fire, and Elkins died, Cpl. Chris Bordelon of the Shreveport Police Department said in a news conference, according to the paper. It’s unclear if officers killed Elkins, or if he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Times said.

Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux said it’s “maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had,” according to the paper.

RELATED: Masked men open fire after storming into Chick-fil-A; 1 dead, 6 injured; manhunt under way

While police haven’t offered a possible motive, the Times said relatives in interviews noted that Elkins recently struggled with mental health and was stressed about his relationship with his wife, Shaneiqua Pugh.

More from the paper:

Earlier this month, on Easter Sunday, he called his mother, Mahelia Elkins, and his stepfather, Marcus Jackson. Ms. Elkins and Mr. Jackson said in interviews that their son sounded despondent. They said they could hear his children playing in the background during the call.

Mr. Elkins told them through tears that he wanted to take his own life. He told Mr. Jackson that his wife wanted a divorce, and that he was drowning in “dark thoughts.”

“I told him, ‘You can beat stuff, man. I don’t care what you’re going through, you can beat it,’” Mr. Jackson said. “Then I remember him telling me: ‘Some people don’t come back from their demons.’”

Elkins’ mother told the Times she didn’t know precisely what problems her son was having with his wife. The paper said records indicate they were married in 2024. Elkins’ mother added to the Times that her son worked for UPS and had served in the Army.

The Army told the paper in a Sunday statement that Elkins served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from August 2013 to August 2020 as a signal support system specialist and a fire support specialist. The Times added that Elkins had no deployment and left the Army as a private.

Elkins’ mother also told the paper she wasn’t extremely close with her son; she had given birth to him when she was a teenager and struggling with a crack cocaine addiction. The Times added that she had a family friend — Betty Walker — raise Elkins, and he and his mother reconnected more than a decade ago.

Walker spoke to authorities Sunday, the paper said. While she didn’t witness the shootings, Walker said in an interview that Elkins shot his wife several times, including in the head and in the stomach, the Times reported.

Walker told the paper she last saw Elkins last weekend when his family came over for dinner, and nothing appeared off with him at the time: “I was getting up this morning to make myself some coffee, and I got the call. My babies — my babies are gone.”

The Times, citing records, reported that Elkins had at least two prior convictions, including driving while intoxicated in 2016 and illegal use of weapons in 2019.

The paper said a police description of the March 2019 incident notes that Elkins pulled a 9-millimeter handgun from his waistband and shot at a vehicle five times after the driver of the car pulled a silver handgun on him. One of the bullets Elkins shot was found near a school where children were playing outside, the Times said.

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​Mass shooting, Fatal shooting, Shreveport, Louisiana, Children fatally shot, Father kills his kids, Shamar elkins, Crime 

A photograph began circulating on social media over the weekend that has many people both angry and confused while others question whether it is a real photo.

And the answers that later emerged did nothing to quell the outrage.

‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’

The photo, posted by Palestinian journalist Younis Tirawi on Saturday, depicts a uniformed Israel Defense Forces soldier smashing the head of a statue of Jesus Christ with a hammer.

The journalist noted that the photo was taken during operations in Southern Lebanon, which have persisted despite the United States’ attempts to reach a ceasefire agreement with Iran.

RELATED: OUTRAGE: Israel scrambles after police block church leaders from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass

Anwar AMRO/AFP/Getty Images

Tirawi made a follow-up post suggesting that the statue was in Debel, one of several predominantly Christian border villages in Southern Lebanon.

The post brought attention to a Facebook post associated with the town with a photo of the intact statue of Jesus. The caption of the post is Luke 23:34, which reads, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

The IDF confirmed that the photo of “an IDF soldier harming a Christian symbol” was indeed of “an IDF soldier operating in southern Lebanon.”

It confirmed the authenticity of the photo, adding that the incident is viewed with “great severity” and that “appropriate measures will be taken against those involved in accordance with the findings.”

The post added that the IDF is “operating to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure established by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and has no intention of harming civilian infrastructure, including religious buildings or religious symbols.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the rest of the “Jewish state,” intimated that he was “stunned and saddened to learn that an IDF soldier damaged a Catholic religious icon in southern Lebanon.”

Netanyahu promised that the offender would face “appropriately harsh disciplinary action” and concluded:

While Christians are being slaughtered in Syria and Lebanon by Muslims, the Christian population in Israel thrives unlike elsewhere in the Middle East. Israel is the only country in the region that the Christian population and standard of living is growing. Israel is the only place in the Middle East that adheres to freedom of worship for all. We express regret for the incident and for any hurt this has caused to believers in Lebanon and around the world.

Critics, however, were not so convinced.

Glenn Greenwald mocked anyone who would defend this horrific action: “Christian Zionists: This Israeli soldier was absolutely justified in smashing the head of the Jesus Christ statue because Hezbollah and Hamas were hiding inside. We owe him our gratitude.”

“Horrific,” Matt Gaetz said.

Ana Kasparian attacked the IDF and its post, saying that she didn’t believe a word the IDF said: “This is just another example of Israel’s hatred and disregard for other cultures and faiths. No one trusts your phony investigations, especially when IDF soldiers get away with rape and murder every single day.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene joined the fray, quipping, “’Our greatest ally’ that takes billions of our tax dollars and weapons every year.”

Israel has justified its incursions into Lebanon on the basis of rooting out Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy in the country.

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​Ana kasparian, Benjamin netanyahu, Glenn greenwald, Idf, Israel, Israel defense forces, Jesus christ, Lebanon, Marjorie taylor greene, Matt gaetz, Politics, Prime minister, Hezbollah, Christian, Christ, Christian population, South lebanon 

After 14 months in office, FBI Director Kash Patel has announced that the bureau will be making arrests related to the 2020 presidential election.

President Donald Trump has long said the 2020 election was rigged, tasking Patel with finding any perpetrators of this alleged election fraud. Over a year after Patel took office, the FBI director said arrests would be “coming soon.”

‘We’ve got all the information we need.’

“I lived through it, and the media came at me then too,” Patel told Fox News Sunday. “That just shows you when you’re over the target, you keep pummeling the target, because the media is going to try to pummel you.”

“We are not going to take this and have not taken this laying down,” Patel added. “We did already indict former Director [Jim] Comey, and that’s going through the judicial process.”

RELATED: Trump does shocking about-face on spying power weaponized against him and other Americans, now calls it ‘VITAL’

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Comey was indicted in September 2025 for allegedly making false statements to Congress and for obstructing a congressional proceeding, citing Comey’s testimony during a 2020 hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Department of Justice zeroed in on Comey’s claim that he had not authorized anyone at the FBI to leak stories to the media about Russiagate, which prosecutors claimed was false. Comey pleaded not guilty to the charges, and a federal judge dismissed the case in November 2025.

“I am never going to let this go,” Patel said. “Because they have not only personally attacked the presidency of the United States and President Trump, but they’ve tried to thwart our elections and rig the entire system.”

“That is not something I’m going to allow on my watch.”

Although the case against Comey fell through, Patel signaled that there were more arrests coming, claiming the FBI had more than enough information to move forward.

“We’ve got all the information we need,” Patel said about incoming arrests. “We’re working with our prosecutors and the Department of Justice under [acting] Attorney General Todd Blanche, and we are going to be making arrests. And it’s coming, and I promise you, it’s coming soon.”

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​Donald trump, Kash patel, Russiagate, Russia collusion hoax, 2020 election, Election fraud, Fisa, James comey, Fbi, Government weaponization, Todd blanche, Politics 

A high-stakes partisan battle is unfolding in Virginia that could reshape control of the U.S. House in the 2026 midterm elections. The state’s Democrat leaders were called out by the Washington Post for attempting to ram through a new congressional map “in the most brazenly dishonest way imaginable.”

In 2020, Virginians voted to amend their state constitution to establish a 16-member bipartisan redistricting commission responsible for drawing congressional and state legislative district boundaries.

‘Who opposes “fairness” in elections? It depends on how it’s defined.’

The state’s current congressional map was chosen by the Virginia Supreme Court after the Virginia Redistricting Commission reached a deadlock. This map resulted in Democrats securing six U.S. House seats while Republicans obtained five.

In January, the state’s Democrat lawmakers proposed a controversial constitutional amendment that would allow them to redraw the state’s congressional map in the middle of the 10-year redistricting cycle. They argued that the amendment was essential to combat Republican gerrymandering in other states that could shift control of Congress.

Virginians will vote on the proposed amendment in Tuesday’s special election. Under current law, the congressional districts will not be redrawn until 2031.

The Democrat-controlled General Assembly has already approved a map that could give Democrats a 10-1 advantage over Republicans, potentially giving them four additional U.S. House seats. If the proposed amendment passes on April 21, it would allow Democrats to move forward with implementing this new map and adopt new congressional districts for the 2026, 2028, and 2030 elections only. Authority reverts to the bipartisan commission for 2031 onward.

RELATED: Democrat tough talk fails in Maryland, where congressional redistricting plan dies on the vine

Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg/Getty Images

An op-ed from the Washington Post’s editorial board accused Democrat politicians of presenting the amendment “in the most brazenly dishonest way imaginable,” citing the ballot language. Voters will be asked whether the Constitution of Virginia should “be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections.”

“Who opposes ‘fairness’ in elections? It depends on how it’s defined,” the Post wrote. “In Richmond, apparently ‘fairness’ means maximizing partisan advantage for Democrats and drawing incumbents out of their seats.”

RELATED: Democrats’ gerrymandering campaign in Virginia hits a snag: Obama

Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) issued a statement in March in support of the proposed amendment.

“It is temporary, directly responsive to what other states decide to do, and — most importantly — it preserves Virginia’s bipartisan redistricting process for the future,” Spanberger said. “I supported the formation of Virginia’s bipartisan redistricting commission in 2020, and that support has not changed. What has changed is what we’re seeing in states across the country — and a president who says he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats before this year’s midterm elections.”

Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) called the proposed map “the result of a process that’s unconstitutional and illegal.”

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​Democrats, News, Redistricting, Republicans, Virginia, Us house, Virginia supreme court, Virginia redistricting commission, Abigail spanberger, Glenn yougkin, Politics 

The future is here, and it seemingly includes CEOs using chatbots to create plans to avoid having to pay out hundreds of millions of dollars.

That was a judge’s conclusion after a smaller American studio sued a giant, publicly traded South Korean conglomerate that allegedly prevented it from putting out its product.

‘Lock down Steam/console publishing rights and access rights.’

Krafton CEO Kim Chang-han handles nearly $2 billion of revenue across a multitude of companies, which includes PubG Studios, a massively popular online shooter game.

Since 2021, Krafton has controlled Unknown Worlds, an American studio responsible for the game Subnautica, which sold over five million copies in two years.

With so much success from the first game, Krafton agreed to a $250 million earnout if Subnautica 2 was able to meet specific sales targets. Krafton’s CEO was not keen on letting that happen and subsequently plotted “Project X,” a plan to prevent the payout.

After internal reports projected Subnautica 2 was likely to hit its targets, things got hairy. According to court documents, when Krafton’s Head of Corporate Development Maria Park warned CEO Kim that removing Unknown Worlds’ leadership via “dismissal with cause” opened them up to “lawsuit and reputational risk,” he turned to ChatGPT for help.

The chatbot told Kim that the earnout would be “difficult to cancel” but suggested forming an internal task force to either negotiate a “deal” or execute a “takeover” of the company; Kim obliged and allegedly continued to follow ChatGPT’s suggestions.

RELATED: Anthropic says its own new model is too dangerous for the public — but not these Big Tech companies

Not only did Kim allegedly share his strategies from ChatGPT with colleagues, but the strategies included a “pressure and leverage package” against Unknown Worlds.

Among its recommendations, ChatGPT suggested Krafton undermine any David versus Goliath narratives, while urging Kim to prepare for scenarios like buyouts and replacements.

Most jarringly, it also suggested locking down Unknown Worlds’ ability to post its new game for sale on Steam, the largest gaming distributor for PC games.

“Lock down Steam/console publishing rights and access rights over code/build pipeline through both legal and technical aspects,” ChatGPT said, the lawsuit revealed. “For the earn-out freeze, keep room for negotiations through provision stating ‘immediate removal if specific development results are achieved.'”

Kim did as the chatbot recommended and locked down the publishing, and Subnautica 2 could not be released. When Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill asked for control to be returned, Kim allegedly ignored him and told a Krafton studio rep to relay to Gill that he had “no intention of transferring stuff back to you guys (like the Steam app).”

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Ina FASSBENDER/AFP/Getty Images

While Gamesradar reported that Krafton leadership admitted to using ChatGPT for “faster answers,” the company told Kotaku that some characterizations made about them have been false.

In response to claims from Unknown Worlds that Krafton said its chat logs no longer exist, the company said the claim was “simply a distraction from their own efforts to destroy evidence.”

In the end, a Delaware judge ruled that Kim relied on ChatGPT to craft a strategy aimed at avoiding the $250 million payment.

“Fearing he had agreed to a ‘pushover’ contract, KRAFTON’s CEO consulted an artificial intelligence chatbot to contrive a corporate ‘takeover’ strategy,” Vice Chancellor Lori Will said in her ruling, per Economic Times.

The court maintained that Krafton was expected to exercise independent judgment and not outsource its decisions to AI systems.

PC Gamer has since reported that Unknown Worlds will be given an extension to reach its earnout goals to mid-September, with the possibility of extending to March 2027.

The game is set for early release in May 2026.

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​Return, Online shooter game, Gaming, Ai, Artificial intelligence, Chatbot, Chatgpt, Pubg, Tech