Virginia Democrats propose congressional map that could boost their party in the midterms
By Jane C. Timm Virginia Democrats released a congressional map proposal Thursday evening that could allow the party to win all but one of state’s districts in this year’s midterm elections. Under the proposed map, former Vice President Kamala Harris would have carried 10 of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts in the 2024 election rather than six. Two of them she would have won only narrowly, but Gov. Abigail Spanberger carried them by slightly greater margins in last November’s elections, according to data provided by the Legislature. Since Democrats control six of Virginia’s districts, the redrawn map would give them an opening
Members of Congress are fleeing the job at a historically high rate
By Bridget Bowman Some feel they’ve hit an appropriate retirement age. Others want to tend to their health or their families. Yet more are leaving because they don’t like the workplace. Add it all together, and members of Congress are heading for the exit at a historically high rate ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with two more House Republicans adding themselves to a growing roster just last week. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., announced Wednesday that he was retiring from Congress, while Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., announced Friday that he wouldn’t run for re-election, either. Loudermilk said he wants “to spend
Congressional Black Caucus chair says Trump’s post on the Obamas shows a ‘bigoted and racist regime’
BY Bill Barrow AND River Zhang Ever since a racist video was posted on President Donald Trump’s social media account, the White House has offered shifting responses. First it dismissed “fake outrage,” then it deleted the post and blamed a staff member. Trump later told reporters Friday that “I didn’t make a mistake.” The Republican president insisted that before the video was posted, no one saw the part that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as primates in the jungle. But the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus had a different explanation when she spoke to The Associated Press. “It’s
FBI invites state election officials to an ‘unusual’ briefing on the midterms
By Jane C. Timm Days after a tense gathering in Washington, D.C., laid bare growing acrimony between President Donald Trump’s administration and state election officials, the FBI invited those same officials to discuss “preparations” for the midterm elections. The invitation, which was first reported by Crooked Media and confirmed to NBC News by an election official who received it, is scheduled for Feb. 25. It will include the FBI, the departments of Justice and Homeland Security, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Election Assistance Commission. The invitation, which was sent this week, according to the election official, was signed by Kellie M. Hardiman, who identified
Democrats lay out demands for DHS funding, urging GOP to “get serious” with both sides far apart
By Kaia Hubbard Washington — Democratic leaders on Wednesday outlined their demands for funding the Department of Homeland Security beyond next week, reiterating several policy proposals to rein in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement practices — some of which Republicans have already rejected. “Taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for everyday Americans, not to brutalize or kill them,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at a news conference at the Capitol. “ICE is completely and totally out of control, immigration enforcement should be just, it should be fair, and it should be humane. That is not what
Supreme Court allows California to use new congressional map, giving Democrats a boost
By Adam Edelman The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed California to use a new congressional map that voters approved, delivering a major victory for Democrats ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The decision came down in a one-sentence order that provided no explanation or dissents. Republicans had asked the high court to block California’s redrawn district lines, alleging they were racially gerrymandered. The map, drawn by Democratic lawmakers and passed by voters last November through the Proposition 50 ballot measure, gives the party an opportunity to pick up as many as five House seats as it seeks to win a majority in the chamber this
Trump signs funding deal, ending 4-day partial government shutdown
By Ben Werschkul A four-day partial US government shutdown is now over after the House of Representatives gave final approval Tuesday to a funding measure and President Trump signed it into law. “I’m thrilled to sign the consolidated appropriations act to immediately re-open the federal government,” Trump said in the Oval Office late Tuesday afternoon. The vote in the House came down to the wire, ending with a tally of 217-214. After a day of arm-twisting, Republicans unified on a key procedural step earlier in the day, which set up the narrow bipartisan vote where 196 Republicans joined 21 Democrats
House eyes Tuesday vote to reopen the government and end brief shutdown
By Sahil Kapur and Kyle Stewart WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders plan to vote Tuesday to pass a government funding package approved by the Senate, three days after a shutdown began. Funding lapsed Saturday amid divisions in Congress over changes to the Department of Homeland Security after agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pushed the vote back by one day after, he said, Democrats conveyed to him that they won’t provide enough votes to skip the procedural hurdles. “I think we’ll get it done by tomorrow,” Johnson said Monday. The bill’s prospects trended positively through the day
Amid FBI investigation, Trump’s 2020 election obsession is still shaping Georgia politics
By Adam Edelman and Ben Kamisar Six years after President Donald Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 election results, that campaign is still shaping Georgia’s next big vote. The race to be Georgia’s next governor features a handful of Republican candidates who played integral roles on both sides of Trump’s obsession with the 2020 race. And the saga is far from over: Last week, the FBI searched an election hub in Fulton County seeking records related to the 2020 election. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones — who was on the alternate slate of presidential electors who cast votes for Trump at the state Capitol after an
Trump strikes deal with Democrats in government shutdown funding fight
By Scott Wong, Sahil Kapur, Ryan Nobles, Frank Thorp V and Julie Tsirkin President Donald Trump and Senate Democrats struck a deal Thursday to avert a prolonged shutdown for most of the federal government, according to Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office. The agreement would fund all of the government except for the Department of Homeland Security through September. DHS would operate on a two-week stopgap bill, according to five sources familiar with the agreement, in order to buy time to negotiate changes sought by Democrats following public outrage over the DHS killings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. Senators had hoped to vote on the deal Thursday
