The LuLac Edition #5, 729, August 2nd, 2026

 

 

SELL BY VS. USE BY

WHAT’S RIGHT…

WHAT’S WRONG

It’s the middle of the night, and you find yourself in front of the fridge. As you reach for the wedge of cheese or box of treats that lured you out of bed in the first place, you realize there’s a tiny date stamped on the label. It’s a “use-by” date. No, wait, it’s a “sell-by” date. Or is that a “best-by” date? To add to the confusion, the date may not really matter all that much.

How to Understand Food Expiration Dates

Although dating food items is not required by U.S. federal law (except for infant formula and baby food), most manufacturers do it voluntarily. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), “For meat, poultry, and egg products under the jurisdiction of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), dates may be voluntarily applied provided they are labeled in a manner that is truthful and not misleading and in compliance with FSIS regulations. To comply, a calendar date must express both the month and day of the month. For shelf-stable and frozen products, the year must also be displayed. Additionally, immediately adjacent to the date must be a phrase explaining the meaning of that date, such as ‘Best if Used By.’”

It’s up to the grocery stores and markets to stock their shelves with the freshest items displayed behind or under the oldest products. For example, items like eggs typically hit store shelves just a few days after being laid, and cartons with the USDA grade shield are required to include a “pack date,” which tells consumers when they were washed, graded, and packaged.

But that’s a lot of labels — and oftentimes, food is perfectly safe to eat past its expiration date. Here’s a guide to the most common expiration labels you’re likely to see at the grocery store.

Use-by date

Use-by dates suggest the peak quality of a product, and are not safety dates. According to the USDA, “With the exception of infant formula, if the date passes during home storage, a product should still be safe and wholesome if handled properly until spoilage is evident. Spoiled foods will develop an off-odor, flavor, or texture due to naturally occurring spoilage bacteria. If a food has developed such spoilage characteristics, it should not be eaten.”

Best if used by date

This label is strictly a quality date, suggesting when the product will have its best taste and texture.

Sell-by date

This label indicates to stores how long a product should remain on shelves, and products are often safe to consume well after their sell-by date passes. In fact, according to the Institute for Food Safety and Health at the Illinois Institute of Technology, “one-third of a product’s shelf-life remains after the sell-by date for the consumer to use at home.”

How to Store Dairy Products to Keep Them Good As Long As Possible

Freeze-by date

Think of this label as the “use-by” date but for freezing. Freezing most food products extends their life, and this date will tell you when to freeze an item at its highest quality.

Expires on/do-not use date

This label indicates that a product be ineffective after the date listed. Along with baby formula, baking ingredients like cake mixes, baking powder, and yeast may have this label.

When can you tell if food has gone bad?

If expiration dates don’t always matter, how do you know when to toss something? Rely on your senses — if the product has an unpleasant odor or feels slimy, it may be spoiled and unsafe to consume.

It’s also important to store and handle your food properly once you purchase it. For example, eggs should be refrigerated in their original carton and kept in the coldest part of the fridge (not the door). Once you open an item, its life gets a lot shorter. If you open a package of raw bacon, for instance, you have about a week to eat it before it could start spoiling, according to the FSIS.

Shelf-stable items that can be stored at room temperature, like canned goods (unless otherwise labeled), flour, and pasta, can be good for years, according to the FSIS. High-acid items like fruits and juices can be kept for 12-18 months, while low-acid items like canned vegetables or most soups are fine in your pantry for up to five years. (For a more complete list of shelf-stable items and their life span, visit the FSIS Food Safety page.) (Food & Wine)

 

 

The LuLac Edition #5, 728, August 1rst, 2026

 

SIMON POOR  

SLAVE TURNED SOLDIER

BUNKER HILL BATTLER

Salem Poor was an enslaved African-American man who purchased his freedom in 1769 and became a soldier in 1775. He was involved in the American Revolutionary War, particularly in the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Salem Poor was born in 1747 into slavery on a farm in Andover in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. The farm was owned by John Poor and Rebecca Poor and his son John Poor Jr. His first name may be derived from the Arabic word "salaam", meaning peace.[Other sources explain that his name may have been derived from his place of birth.[citation needed] He bought his freedom on July 10, 1769, from John Poor Jr. for £27 (equivalent to about $5,600 in 2019 dollars), a year's salary for an average working man at the time.

In May 1775, Poor enlisted in the militia when he was about 28 years old.[5][6] He served under Captain Benjamin Ames in Colonel James Frye's regiment. Colonel Frye's command consisted of Lieutenant-Colonel James Bricket, Major Thomas Poor, Adjutant Daniel Hardy, and Surgeon Thomas Kittredge. His regiment, with two others, totaled 850 soldiers. They marched from Cambridge to Charlestown,Massachusetts, where the officers decided to fortify Breed's Hill.  At Breed's Hill, the regiments built a fort on the top of the hill using pick axes and shovels. The men worked quickly and quietly to ensure the British army occupying Boston did not know they were there.

Salem Poor was one of three dozen African Americans who fought on Bunker Hill. As many as 5,000 soldiers, both free and enslaved African Americans fought for the Patriots. Meanwhile, about twenty to thirty thousand black soldiers fought for Britain. The British had an army twice the size of the Americans. They would assault Breed's Hill on June 17, 1775. The Americans would push the British back in two assaults but would run out of ammunition and retreat during the third assault.

Poor is remembered for his actions during the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, where he was credited with mortally wounding British Lieutenant Colonel James Abercrombie, as the latter jumped onto the redoubt and yelled, "Surrender, you rebels."While Abercrombie suffered multiple wounds in the battle, he managed to compose reports in the two days following the incident. Fellow officers who visited and spoke with him noted that the fatal shot that ultimately killed him came from friendly fire behind his position.John Pitcairn's army had previously fired on the patriots at Lexington and Concord. John Trumbull would create his famous series of paintings, The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17, 1775, depicting the death of American rebel General Joseph Warren and British Lieutenant Colonel James Abercrombie.

Poor's valor and gallantry at the Battle of Bunker Hill prompted 14 officers, including Colonel William Prescott and Colonel Jonathan Brewer,  to cite him for heroism and petition the General Court of Massachusetts with the following statement:

The Reward due to so great and Distinguished a Character. The Subscribers beg leave to Report to your Honorable. House (Which We do in justice to the Character of so Brave a man) that under Our Own observation, we declare that A Negro Man Called Salem Poor of Col. Frye's Regiment, Capt. Ames. Company in the late Battle of Charleston, behaved like an Experienced Officer, as Well as an Excellent Soldier. to Set forth Particulars of his Conduct would be Tedious, We Would Only beg leave to say in the Person of this Negro Centers a Brave & gallant Soldier.

There is no evidence that Poor received a reward.

On July 10, 1775, George Washington ended the recruitment of African Americans. On November 12, he issued orders prohibiting all black men from serving in the Continental Army. Despite the ban on recruitment, those who had already been serving for some time were allowed to stay until this point. On hearing of this, Lord Dunmore, who at the time was Governor of Virginia, offered freedom to all enslaved people willing to serve with the British. Washington, sensing the disaster that would almost surely result, immediately changed his position, at once ordering all recruiters to enlist any black men who wanted to fight.

Poor is known to have retreated to the winter camp at Valley Forge and fought in the Battle of White Plains, Battle of Saratoga and Battle of Monmouth.He also served at Fort George. Salem Poor served in New York in 1776 under General Benedict Arnold. He would eventually re-enlist for three years and spend his time in Saratoga. In 1777–1778, he was at Valley Forge and fought in the Battle of White Plains. Poor immediately re-enlisted in the militia and fought with the Patriot forces until March 20, 1780, when he was discharged in Providence, Rhode Island.

Salem Poor believed in matrimony having been marred 4 times and died in 1802.

 

The LuLac Edition #5, 727, July 30th, 2026

 

FAUCI’S FIFTH…..

GOOD FOR HIM

 

The past couple of days the MAGA ;pigs have been posted stuff on social media that Anthony Fauci should be in prison. Not bothering to get the facts, the ignorant lemming followed the lead of right wing news and Senator Rand Paul who has h ad a hard on for the Doc since day 1.

So Fauci took the fifth and I can’t blame him. These MAGA pigs don’t appreciate someone who worked in public health all of his life. They were the ones who refused the vaccines . they were the ones who claimed that there would be deadly side effects not giving a sjhit about the this. s of the latest available data, the U.S. has reported well over one million confirmed COVID-19 deaths factually.co. For example, in 2025, the estimated total was about 20,190 deaths, but this is a monthly figure.

I hesitate to use this term because it was commandeered by the pig President. But this is a witch hunt and the fact that Fauci took the fifth will drive the MAGA pigs crazy but they will once more show their hypocrisy when their lord and savior was not entirely cooperative with his testimony ANYWHERE!

Fauci is refused  to answer questions from Republican Senator Rand Paul at a congressional hearing on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, which the 85-year-old infectious disease expert and former National Institutes of Health official has labeled a years-long partisan crusade intended to smear him.

After a brief opening statement, Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution under questions from Paul during his testimony to the Senate Homeland Security committee on Wednesday.

“Given Sen. Paul’s obvious obsession with calling for my prosecution, his repeated slanderous comments about me, and recently, his publicly releasing my personal diary aimed at embarrassing and intimidating me, is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that can vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up in his words quote, ‘behind bars,’ end quote,” Fauci said.

With the republican bent for prosecuting cases to please the President and its track record of revenge on enemies imagined, Fauci did the right thing. 

 

FAUCI, THE 5^th 

AND THE OUTRAGED MAGAS

 

A friendly reminder to the convenient constitutionalists.  No pearl clutching because Doc. Fauci took the 5^th.  When your life’s work is being questioned by a Kentucky EYE DOCTOR with bullshit, retribution and lies on his mind along with the impotent GOP senators doing great imitations of parrots……….WHY WOULD’T HE. 

So before you get your panties in a wad, remember THIS.  Trump was deposed by New York Attorney General Letitia James in a civil probe into the Trump Organization’s business practices. The deposition lasted four hours, and Trump answered only one question — about his name. He invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 440 times.

Eric Trump 500 times.

Alan Weisberg 500 times.

Roger Stone when took the 5^th when they asked him his address.

Paul Manafort. Over 100. 

To the lame brains who says the side effects killed people, or this China shit, I lost 6 people to COVID. Without Dr. Fauci, I’m sure there might have been more. 

AND NO ONE DIED FROM WEARING A MASK!!!!

 

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PRESIDENT

Years ago acclaimed author Jim Bishop wrote some books called “A Day in the Life of ___________ (you fill in the blanks President). Yu got a glimpse into the day to day operations of how a President worked and what he was doing for the American people. It was a fascinating primer on American history and government.

This thought I had the other day begs the question how does our President spend one of his days?

This is an official time line of his day at the  White House Correspondent’s dinner.  

Trump melted down LIVE on his Truth Media platform Saturday posting over 40 times in less than 2 hours.

11:16 AM - AI photo of Kaitlan Collins as Dylan Mulvaney

11:43 AM - AI image attacking Bruce Springsteen

3:22 PM - An AI art installation of Trump throwing a ‘Trump 2028’ hat

3:23 PM - Photo of him standing next to a TV with Biden’s final Oval Office address playing

3:23 PM - AI art of him giving his speech at the WHCD

3:23 PM - AI photo of Chris Christie fighting Democrat Rep. Jerry Nadler

3:23 PM - AI image attacking Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Stephen Colbert

3:24 PM - Trump 2028 poster that says “give the enemy nightmares.” Nobody is scared of him

3:24 PM - AI image attacking Rosie O’Donnell

3:25 PM - Fake movie poster of him in Star Trek

3:25 PM - Another Trump 2028 poster

3:31 PM - AI poster of the U.S. attacking Kharg Island in Iran

3:31 PM - AI image of him taking over an Iranian oil tanker

3:32 PM - AI image of him taking over an Iranian oil tanker x2

3:33 PM - AI image of him taking over an Iranian oil tanker x3

3:47 PM - Posts an AI image of an Iranian ship being blown up

4:36 PM - AI image of him taking over an Iranian oil tanker x4

4:36 PM - AI image of him taking over an Iranian oil tanker x5

4:37 PM - AI image of him taking over an Iranian oil tanker x6

4:39 PM - AI image of him cosplaying as a Navy Commander

4:39 PM - AI image of him smoking a cigar wearing a Trump 2028 hat

4:40 PM - AI poster of him with founding fathers

4:41 PM - Poster of himself saying “the man who saved America” which couldn’t be further from the truth

4:41 PM - Weird photo of him standing behind a pillar

4:45 PM - AI image of himself saying “Guardians of the world”

4:47 PM - AI image of American jets saying “Guardian Angels of the world”

4:48 PM - Another AI photo of an Iranian ship being blown up

4:49 PM - AI image of himself saying “Guardians of the world” x2

4:52 PM - AI photo of lightning over the Capitol building saying “panic in DC”

4:53 PM - A photo of himself saying “plan trusted”

4:54 PM - AI image of an eagle and a jet saying “America is back” which certainly isn’t true

4:54 PM - AI photo of a beach saying “Trump’s America” which is ironic given that the image is fake lol

4:55 PM - Photo of him giving a speech

4:56 PM - Photo of himself pointing at members of his cabinet

4:57 PM - AI photo of himself and JFK

4:58 PM - Fake photo of himself wearing a pink Trump 2028 hat

4:59 PM - AI photo of a Trump 2028 mug surrounded by crying people

4:59 PM - Photo of him putting on his Trump 2028 hat at the WHCD

5:00 PM - Posts graph downplaying American casualties in Iran

5:01 PM - AI photo of an air filter between the United States and Canada

5:04 PM - Attacks Republican Senator John Thune

5:04 PM - AI image of him as a doctor

5:16 PM - Fake movie poster of him and George Washington in a time travel movie

Some would say we got to TOPPLE this narcissistic clown NOW!  I’m torn, the more mundane stuff he does, the less damage he can do to the country. On the other hand…..it would be nice to see some productive stuff for the middle class. 

 

CANADA DISSES TRUMP., OPENS NEW BRIDGE

 

The Gordie Howe International Bridge got off to a strong start on opening day with thousands of drivers making the trip between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit, Mich., within hours of the bridge opening.

Speaking on AM800’s Mornings with Mike and Meg, Heather Grondin, chief relations Officer for the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, said approximately 7,500 vehicles crossed the bridge during its first 12 hours of operation.

Officials had expected plenty of interest from the public but said it was difficult to predict exactly how many motorists would use the new crossing on its first day.

The bridge also welcomed traffic earlier than originally planned. While the official opening was scheduled for noon, crews were able to complete final traffic management work ahead of schedule.

Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson, centre, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, centre left, and Canadian Ambassador to the United States Mark Wiseman, centre right, along with other dignitaries, cut the ribbon celebrating the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, in Windsor, Ont.

The United States was disinvited after our pig President put more tariffs on Canada. He wasn’t missed. BTW, Canada PAID for the Whole thing.

Havi ng relatives in Windsor who worked in Detroit, I traveled the old Ambassador bridge many times.

   

TRUMP, KENNEDY AND THE VACCINES

President Donald Trump repeatedly pressed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to slash childhood vaccine recommendations, driven by the president’s insistence that inoculations are linked to autism, according to a new report.

At a lunch in May, Trump asked Kennedy why he had not done more to investigate the supposed connection, accusing him of having the “yips,” The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Yips is a sports term often used for poor performance caused by anxiety.

The issue reportedly dominates nearly every conversation between the two men, with Trump having told Kennedy that reducing autism rates should be his top priority. At the same time, the 80-year-old president has privately expressed disappointment that, more than a year into Kennedy’s tenure at HHS, he has seen little progress.

As a side note, dear of vaccines has now caused a major outbreak in measles. The measles situation in the United States has been concerning, with a significant number of cases reported in recent years. The CDC has reported a total of 2,318 confirmed measles cases in 2026, with 93% of these cases being outbreak-associated. The outbreak in South Carolina alone accounted for 997 cases as of April 2026. The resurgence of measles is attributed to a combination of factors, including the lack of vaccination among certain communities and the presence of measles in other countries where travelers return. The WHO is actively working to prevent the spread and reintroduction of measles in the United States and other regions.

It is typical of Trump to use pressure to get his way, even though he has undermined the confidence in public health in America.

 

 

DEMOCRAT’S TV AD TARGETS DATA CENTERS IN DRIVE TO OUST REPUBLICAN FROM SWING PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE SEAT

 

Democrat Paige Cognetti is taking a shot at artificial intelligence data centers in her challenge to freshman Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, saying “we’re not for sale” in a new TV ad in a swing Pennsylvania congressional district where communities are fighting data center projects.

The race between Cognetti, the mayor of Scranton, and Bresnahan is considered one of the Democratic Party’s best opportunities to pick up a seat in the November election in its bid to take control of the U.S. House and block President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Cognetti is airing the ad in a district that’s been buffeted by AI data center projects and as the opposition to data centers that has upended races for local offices across the country is spreading to top-of-the-ticket contests.

Speaking to the camera, Cognetti invokes the region’s industrial heritage as a coal and shale gas powerhouse, saying, “Big companies have come before, taken what they wanted and left us with their mess to clean up. Now it’s data centers.”

he then criticizes the secrecy that developers often use to veil details of projects from the public, the tax breaks developers often get from states and the rising electric bills that have hit the mid-Atlantic region to satisfy the growing energy demand of data centers, which house rows of computers for storing, processing and transmitting data.

“Big Tech needs to pay their own way. Not hide behind NDAs. No tax breaks. Don’t raise our electric bills, don’t poison our water. And hire local, union labor,” Cognetti says. If not, “then get out,” she says. “This is our home. We are not for sale.”

This ad is forceful and tells the story of how LuLac and Northeastern Pennsylvania middle class people have always received the short end of the stick.

Trump has made data centers a top priority to help the U.S. compete against China for AI superiority.

However, communities across the U.S. have fought many of the projects, including in northeastern Pennsylvania, where complexes of data centers and new high-voltage transmission lines are planned. Fights between communities and developers have landed in court.  (Mark Levy, Associated Press, LuLac)

 

 

COGNETTI OUT RAISES BRESNAHAN AGAIN, LEADS IN CASH ON HAND

 

Democratic Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti outraised Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan by about $1 million in the year's second quarter and finished June with about $800,000 more cash on hand than her GOP opponent in the 8th Congressional District race.

The most recent campaign finance reports in that closely watched contest cover a period from April 30 through the end of June and follow preprimary reports filed in May that covered a period from the beginning of April through April 29.

Cognetti's Paige for PA committee reported total receipts, essentially money raised, of about $2 million in that three-month window compared to the roughly $1.03 million in receipts reported by Bresnahan's Rob for PA committee, the reports show. She also outraised Bresnahan in the first quarter of 2026, January through March, hauling in about $1.46 million to his almost $1.21 million.

Bresnahan, a first-term Republican incumbent elected to Congress in 2024, has raised more money overall this election cycle, with Cognetti having only launched her congressional campaign in September. But he's also spent considerably more than his Democratic challenger, who launched her first television ad of the cycle this week.

The latest report Bresnahan's campaign filed lists total receipts this cycle of about $5.33 million and total disbursements, essentially money spent, of about $2.81 million. Cognetti had raised about $4.61 million in total this cycle as of the end of last month and spent about $1.2 million, per her most recent filing.  (Times Tribune)

 

BRESNAHAN SECURES $1,250,000 FOR EASTERN PIKE COUNTY SEWER EXTENSION

 

 U.S. Representative Rob Bresnahan, Jr.  joined local elected officials and community leaders for a press conference announcing $1.25 million in federal funding he secured for the extension of the Eastern Pike County Sewer, which will extend wastewater service to Matamoras and Milford Boroughs.

“Reliable water and wastewater infrastructure isn’t something people think about every day, but it’s one of the most important investments we can make,” said Rep. Bresnahan. “As Pike County continues to grow, our infrastructure must keep up the pace. Today’s federal funding is going exactly where it should, to the people. This investment with improve public infrastructure while creating opportunities for future economic development.”

 

SHAPIRO ADMINISTRATION

ANNOUNCES $13 MILLION IN REAP

TAX CREDITS TO HELP FARMERS IMPROVE WATER AND SOIL QUALITY  

Andy Fiinvchbaugh and Secretary Redding share a laugh as Joel Semke speaks during Thursdays event. Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding joined farmers at Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance's Soil Health Field Day at Flinchbaugh Orchard to encourage farmers to apply for $13 million in tax credits to support their work to improve soil and water quality on their farms. Funding is available through Pennsylvania's innovative conservation financing program, Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP). These tax credits can help pay for farm enhancements that protect the environment and boost both environmental and economic sustainability for farms across Pennsylvania. 

Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today encouraged Pennsylvania farmers to apply for $13 million in tax credits available to help them improve soil health and water quality on their farms. During Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance's Soil Health Field Day at Flinchbaugh Orchard, Sec. Redding highlighted tax credits available through Pennsylvania's innovative conservation financing program, Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP).

REAP tax credits can be combined with other state funding, including the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program, and Conservation Excellence Grants, in addition to federal funding, to help pay for farm enhancements that protect the environment and the farmer's bottom line, as well as their ability to pass a sustainable farm down to the next generation.

"More than ever, Pennsylvania farmers are investing their own resources in cleaner water and productive soil to sustain us in the future," Secretary Redding said. "Their dollars, multiplied by support from historic levels of investment under the Shapiro Administration, are paying off in the form of healthier waterways and a greener future for Pennsylvania farms and communities. The visionary leadership of the Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance and farm families like the Flinchbaughs is no small part of that greener future."

 

 

MEDIA MATTERS

WVIA RADIO  

WALN

BOLD GOLD COMMUNITY FORUM

You'll hear the program Sunday at 6 on 94.3 The Talker; 6:30 on 1400 am The Mothership and 7:30 am on 105 The River.

 

THE LAURIE CADDEN SHOW

Tune in every Saturday morning at 9am for The Laurie Cadden Show on WILK FM 103.1 and AM 980 and 910. Laurie’s program has been a northeastern Pennsylvania mainstay every Saturday. Tune in to hear her insights and take on local issues as well as entertaining and informative interviews.

 

BOBBY V’S DOO WOP SUNDAY NIGHT SOCK HOP

BEATLE EDD’S FAB FOUR MUSIC HOUR

Tune in every week to the Home of Rock and Roll for a jam packed, unpredictable hour starting at 9am Sundays. Host Edd Raineri gives you facts and great music from the immortal Fab Four on ROCK 107.

 

THE LULAC TIME MACHINE

LBJ SIGNS VOTING RIGHTS ACT

August 1965

 

President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act into law, outlawing literacy tests and other discriminatory voting practices that have been responsible for widespread disfranchisement of African Americans. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark U.S. federal statute that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement on August 6, 1965. Congress later amended the act five times to expand its protections. Designed to enforce voting rights protected by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, the act sought to secure the right to vote for racial minorities throughout the country, especially in the South. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the act is considered to be the most effective piece of federal civil rights legislation ever enacted. The National Archives and Records Administration stated: "The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was the most significant statutory change in the relationship between the federal and state governments in the area of voting since the Reconstruction period after the Civil War".

The act contains numerous provisions that regulate elections. Its "general provisions" provide nationwide protections for voting rights. Section 2 prohibits state and local government from imposing rules that restrict the right of citizens to vote on account of race, color or membership in a language minority group. Other provisions outlaw literacy tests and similar devices that were historically used to disenfranchise racial minorities. The act also contains "special provisions" that apply to jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination in voting, such as the Section 5 preclearance requirement, which prohibits those jurisdictions from implementing any change affecting voting without first receiving confirmation from the U.S. attorney general or the U.S. District Court for D.C. that the change does not discriminate against protected minorities.

The Roberts Court has substantially weakened the Voting Rights Act in a series of rulings. In Shelby County v. Holder (2013), the court nullified preclearance for states with a history of racial discrimination in voting, reasoning that it was obsolete.  The jurisdictions which had previously been covered by preclearance subsequently enacted cuts to early voting, purges of voter rolls, and imposition of strict voter ID laws,[leading to substantial decreases in African American voter turnout.In Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee (2021), the court substantially weakened Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.In Louisiana v. Callais (2026)

the court again significantly weakened Section 2, increasing the requirements for vote dilution claims and stating that said claims must be decoupled from permissible partisan gerrymandering, per the court's decision in Rucho v. Common Cause.In her dissent, Justice Kagan referred to the decision as the "now-completed demolition of the Voting Rights Act."

Research showed that the act had successfully and massively increased voter turnout and voter registrations, in particular among Black people.The act has also been linked to concrete outcomes, such as greater public goods provision (such as public education) for areas with higher Black population shares, more members of Congress who vote for civil rights-related legislation, and greater Black representation in local offices…..and this week in 1965 the number one song in Lulac land was “Cara Mia  by Jay and the Americans.