Demonstrators Arrested In TN, AL Ahead of Redistricting Efforts
Demonstrators Arrested In TN, AL Ahead of Redistricting Efforts
Republicans in numerous Southern states pressed forward with redistricting ahead of midterm elections, meeting protests and heated resistance from Democrats and civil rights organizations.
Tennessee, Alabama, and South Carolina lawmakers considered measures that might alter majority-Black congressional districts after a recent United States Supreme Court ruling on congressional redistricting.
Law enforcement at the Tennessee State Capitol went viral for having to physically drag out protesters who refused to leave and maintain order.
Tennessee Republicans advanced a proposed congressional redistricting map out of committee after it was stalled through the night, paving the way for full debate in both houses.
The Republican-backed model splits Shelby County into three congressional districts and Nashville into three districts as well. The Democratic version of the plan, which would have preserved Memphis and Nashville entire, died in committee.
The new congressional map cleared the House Congressional Redistricting Committee and the House Finance Ways and Means Committee. The map later cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate Finance Committee.
Several companion measures also passed their required committees. A bill to modify the filing deadline for candidacy cleared the required House and Senate committees. A bill to abolish an earlier Tennessee statute that barred redistricting between federal censuses also passed the necessary committees.
The man arrested was KeShaun Pearson, the brother of Democratic state Representative Justin J. Pearson, who has also been known to stage protests at the Tennessee State Capitol.
WATCH:
The redistricting fight is now going terribly for Democrats.
“On April 22, House Democrats were riding high. They’d just won a huge gamble in Virginia, spending tens of millions of dollars on a redistricting referendum aimed at netting them up to four new seats. President Donald Trump — who set off the unprecedented national redistricting fight in Texas last year — was tanking in the polls, dragging down Republicans everywhere,” Punchbowl News reported.
“Overall, it looked like Democrats had held Republicans to a draw in the redistricting wars and were on their way to the House majority. But the last two weeks have suddenly turned rough for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the Democratic Caucus. They’re facing legal setbacks on redistricting across multiple fronts, developments that have reshaped the battle for the House. As many as 10 seats could now swing toward Republicans in a worst-case scenario for Democrats, although this all remains very fluid,” the outlet added.
In a worst-case scenario for Democrats, as many as 10 seats might suddenly flip to Republicans, but it is all still very fluid.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to eviscerate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act and another late round of GOP redistricting have substantially changed the fortunes of Democrats.
Florida Republicans, for starters, pushed through an aggressive gerrymander that might oust four Democrats from the delegation. Even many Republicans were stunned by the plan from GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Then Virginia’s Supreme Court indicated it was contemplating overturning the Democrats’ hard-won referendum triumph. Nobody knows what will happen there.
Plus, a Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais has opened up several seats across the South, notably in Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Virginia Democrats are starting to worry that the Virginia Supreme Court will strike down the voter-approved plan that might give them up to four blue seats. The court refused to certify the April 21 redistricting referendum and left Virginia election authorities and candidates in uncertainty.
If the new map gets blocked, Democrats’ best chance is to take down GOP Reps. Rob Wittman and Jen Kiggans, but Republican Reps. John McGuire and Ben Cline are expected to survive.
Louisiana Republicans are poised to drag at least one of the two Democrats out of the Bayou State’s House.
Alabama GOP officials are asking the Supreme Court to remove an injunction that requires the state to hold onto its congressional map until 2030. Republicans might also target Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell, whose district is headquartered in Birmingham, in theory.
South Carolina is considering a new map that would erase the deeply blue seat of Democratic Icon Jim Clyburn.
Republican Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves told the Daily Caller he is considering running to knock out Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson’s seat in the western section of the state. Mississippi already had its primary, thus this is probably a 2028 move.
None of these GOP-drawn maps are set in stone yet.
Florida map faces various lawsuits. But even if the map holds, Jeffries and Democratic leaders hope they can flip a few light red seats from the GOP. South Carolina Republicans are no sure bet to get their map through.
Lisa Kennedy recently married Fred in Hawaii: Who is the Fox News star’s new husband?
Lisa Kennedy recently married Fred in Hawaii: Who is the Fox News star’s new husband?
Fox News personality Lisa “Kennedy” Montgomery has entered a new chapter in her personal life after marrying Fred in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in Hawaii.
Kennedy shared photographs from the celebration at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai, giving followers a glimpse of the man she now calls her husband and the friends who joined them for the occasion.
“Married the love of my life at the Four Seasons Lanai in a Heidi Merrick dress drenched in sunshine and aloha,” Kennedy wrote. “I love you forever, Fred!!”
While Kennedy has been open about how much Fred means to her, she has kept many details about her new husband firmly outside the public spotlight.
Kennedy and Fred celebrate their marriage in Hawaii
The couple exchanged vows during an outdoor ceremony overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Kennedy wore a sparkling white Heidi Merrick gown with a fitted silhouette, completing her bridal look with a veil and colorful tropical bouquet. Fred wore a light-blue suit with a white shirt, light-colored tie and brown shoes. The newlyweds also wore traditional Hawaiian leis.
Photographs showed Kennedy and Fred walking hand in hand as guests applauded, with the bride raising her bouquet in celebration. Another captured them cutting their multi-tiered wedding cake against a backdrop of palm trees, ocean views and the evening sky.
The wedding announcement became a major moment among Kennedy’s followers, receiving more than 154,000 likes and nearly 2,000 comments.
Several familiar Fox News personalities were also part of the celebration. Emily Compagno, Abby Hornacek and Alexis McAdams were among the recognizable guests photographed in Hawaii.
Emily later wrote that they had the “best time celebrating Kennedy and Fred’s marriage,” adding, “The Fox family showed up for our favorite girl.”
Who is Kennedy’s husband, Fred?
Despite the attention surrounding their wedding, Fred remains largely a private figure.
Based on what Kennedy has publicly shared, his surname, profession and detailed background have not been revealed. Even when announcing her marriage, Kennedy continued referring to her husband simply as Fred.
What she has shared, however, offers some insight into how unexpectedly their relationship entered her life.
Lisa Kennedy and her new husband Fred / Youtube
Kennedy discussed Fred publicly when announcing their engagement on The Five in December 2025. She revealed that he had proposed on December 10 and said the two had met recently and “unexpectedly.”
During the emotional on-air conversation, Kennedy described the impact their meeting had on her life.
“He is the most beautiful, wonderful human being,” she said. “And I had totally given up until those elevator doors opened and I met him out of the blue — he changed my life.”
Kennedy has not provided additional details about exactly where that first meeting occurred or the circumstances surrounding it.
Their relationship began before the public announcement
Although viewers did not learn about the engagement until December 2025, Kennedy revealed another detail suggesting Fred had quietly been part of her life for some time.
She told her The Five colleagues that she had secretly brought him to the Fox Christmas party the previous year.
“I snuck him in. Don’t tell security,” Kennedy joked during the conversation.
That revelation indicated the couple had already been seeing each other by at least December 2024, even though Kennedy had kept the relationship away from public attention.
Dana Perino was among those particularly moved by the engagement news.
Perino recalled learning about it while Kennedy was appearing on America’s Newsroom, telling her colleague that the announcement had made her cry.
“And Fred is such a wonderful guy,” Perino said before telling Kennedy, “I cried because I’m so happy for you.”
From a private romance to a Hawaiian wedding
Kennedy continued keeping Fred’s personal details private even as she became more open about their relationship.
That approach remained evident at their wedding. While she shared numerous photographs of their special day and publicly expressed her love for her new husband, she did not use the occasion to reveal his surname, career or other biographical information.
Instead, Kennedy kept the attention on their marriage and the happiness surrounding it.
The couple received congratulations from numerous familiar names, including Kat Timpf, Janice Dean, Sandra Smith, Griff Jenkins, Abby Hornacek and Meghan McCain.
For followers who had watched Kennedy announce her engagement months earlier, the Hawaiian ceremony provided the next chapter in a relationship that had largely developed outside the public eye.
What is publicly known about Fred remains limited, but Kennedy has made one thing unmistakably clear: she considers him the man who unexpectedly entered her life, changed it and ultimately became her husband.
From secretly attending a Fox Christmas party together to an emotional engagement announcement and finally exchanging vows beside the Pacific Ocean, Kennedy and Fred have now made their commitment official — while continuing to keep much of their story between themselves.
