Backed

• The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a request to implement congressional maps in Missouri that were backed by Donald Trump. • The proposed maps were specifically drawn to help Republicans gain an additional seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. • This decision limits the ability of Republicans to increase their control of the House ahead of the November midterm elections.

As public air monitors disappear, federal rollbacks and state laws are making it harder than ever to know what’s in the airAs the US’s network for monitoring air pollution deteriorates, a Floodlight investigation has found that the chemical industry is going state-to-state to restrict one of the few options citizens have left for holding polluters accountable: low-cost air sensors.Over the past two years, the non-profit investigative newsroom determined, lawmakers in Louisiana, Kentucky and Ohio have passed strikingly similar laws barring regulators from acting on air-quality data that communities collect themselves – unless it comes from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved equipment that typically costs tens of thousands of dollars. Similar legislation has repeatedly been introduced in West Virginia. Continue reading...

• South Korean artificial intelligence startup Upstage is considering a pre-listing funding round as one of several capital-market options. • The company's co-founder confirmed the possibility of this pre-IPO round to Bloomberg. • This move would provide a capital injection for the AMD-backed firm to scale its AI operations before going public.

Opponents requested an emergency filing as state’s elections plunged into uncertainty over redrawn districtsOpponents of congressional redistricting in Missouri appealed to the US supreme court on Wednesday after a federal panel let stand a ruling allowing the state to use a new map backed by Donald Trump in November’s midterms.The map’s challengers, including a group ‌opposed to the Republican-drawn map called ​People Not Politicians, made the request in an emergency ⁠filing, moving swiftly ​after Stephen Clark, a St ​Louis-based chief ​US district ​judge, ‌ ​issued his ​decision on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Frontrunner Sununu beats Scott Brown to earn Republican nod in closely watched race in NovemberFormer senator John E Sununu triumphed on Tuesday in the New Hampshire Republican Senate primary Scott Brown, earning the GOP nod in what will likely be a must-win race if Democrats hope to seize the upper chamber.Sununu, 61, was the clear frontrunner in the GOP primary. He served one term in the Senate from 2003 to 2009. Continue reading...

Decision marks setback for president and Republicans, who set in motion national redistricting battle last yearThe US supreme court refused an emergency appeal by Missouri officials to use a newly drawn congressional map backed by Donald Trump in the November midterm election, letting stand a ruling by the state’s highest state court that blocked the new lines from taking effect.Last week the Missouri supreme court ruled that the map must go before voters to approve or reject the new districts, meaning it cannot be used in the November election. Trump and Republicans fumed over the decision, with the president calling it “horrible, ridiculous, and unConstitutional”. Continue reading...

• The U.S. and Iran exchanged strikes and threats in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday while Iran-backed Houthi forces launched ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabian targets. • These military actions occurred as the U.S. and Iran continued to trade blows in a critical maritime corridor. • The escalation increases the risk of direct conflict between major powers and threatens the stability of global oil shipping lanes.