Good Wednesday evening. In this edition: Virginia approves new map, boosting Democrats' chances of flipping the House.
Plus, Iran, SPLC and David Scott.
Gerrymandering
Voters in Virginia approved a new congressional map Tuesday that could flip as many as four House seats to Democrats, the latest salvo in the nationwide mid-decade redistricting battle.
Democrats narrowly succeeded, 51%–49%, in convincing the blue-leaning state to adopt the aggressively gerrymandered map that they pitched as a way to counter GOP redistricting efforts in other states, notably Texas.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who played an instrumental role in the referendum, took a victory lap and vowed "maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time."
"Last night was a big victory for the people of Virginia, a big victory for America, a big victory for democracy," he told reporters at the Capitol.
President Trump kicked off the gerrymandering war last summer by directing Texas to redraw its congressional map mid-cycle, and Republicans followed through, creating up to five new GOP-friendly districts.
Other red states, including Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio, followed suit.
Democrats vowed to respond, and while attempts in New York, Maryland and Illinois fell flat, they were able to lock in big potential gains in California and now Virginia.
"Donald Trump and Republicans launched this gerrymandering war, and we've made clear as Democrats that we're going to finish it on behalf of the American people," Rep. Jeffries said.
"We will not let Donald Trump rig the midterm elections by gerrymandering maps all across the country without a forceful Democratic response."
President Trump, once again, claimed the election in Virginia was "RIGGED," without providing any evidence.
"All day long Republicans were winning, the Spirit was unbelievable, until the very end when, of course, there was a massive 'Mail In Ballot Drop!' Where have I heard that before — And the Democrats eked out another Crooked Victory!" he wrote on social media.
The president also said that the language used in the referendum was "purposefully unintelligible and deceptive."
"As everyone knows, I am an extraordinarily brilliant person, and even I had no idea what the hell they were talking about in the Referendum, and neither do they!" he said. "Let's see if the Courts will fix this travesty of 'Justice.'"
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) called it a "dishonest gambit to try to rig the system" and predicted the state's Supreme Court would strike down the new map.
"It's a hyper-partisan, gerrymandering boondoggle. We fought hard. We raised a ton of money. We did our best, but the Democrats in charge of Virginia foisted this upon the people," he told reporters at the Capitol.
"We are confident and calling upon the Virginia Supreme Court to do the obvious and right result, and that is to strike this thing down."
The speaker also contended that the new map was unfair by potentially giving Democrats control of 10 of Virginia's 11 House seats despite the state only slightly leaning blue.
"This is a divided state. It's almost 50–50, so a 10 to 1 map is not justified in that state," he said. "The fact that it was so close demonstrates and proves exactly what we've been saying from the beginning."
Republicans are now eyeing Florida as the next battleground in the redistricting war, where Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has called a special legislative session to redraw its map, which currently features eight Democrats and 20 Republicans.
No specific proposal has been publicly released, and the state's constitution says that districts cannot be drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent.
Rep. Jeffries vowed to respond, delivering a sharp warning to Florida Republicans: "F around and find out."
"If they go down the road of a DeSantis 'dummymander,' the Florida Republicans are going to find themselves in the same situation as Texas Republicans," he told reporters. "They started this war, and we're going to finish it."
President Trump said there is "no timeframe" for war with Iran and "no time pressure" on a ceasefire, which he indefinitely extended on Tuesday, hours before it was set to expire. "People say I want to get it over because of the midterms," he told Fox News. "Not true." Meanwhile, the saber-rattling continues, with the U.S. maintaining its naval blockade and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps firing upon and seizing two more cargo ships near the Strait of Hormuz. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed the seizures, saying the president did not view them as a violation of the ceasefire. "He is satisfied with the naval blockade, and he understands that Iran is in a very weak position, and the cards are in President Trump's hands right now," she told reporters, adding that the president would dictate the timetable for the ceasefire. The Senate also rejected a war powers resolution for a fifth time, with the 46–51 vote falling largely along party lines.
The Justice Department on Tuesday night secured an indictment from an Alabama grand jury against the Southern Poverty Law Center, a major civil rights legal advocacy organization. The indictment charges the SPLC with several financial crimes, including wire fraud, over the nonprofit's past use of paid informants to infiltrate what it deemed to be "hate groups." Right-wing commentators and organizations have increased criticism of the SPLC in recent years, saying it has targeted legitimate conservative advocacy organizations, including Turning Point USA and Moms for Liberty. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche lauded the indictment, saying the SPLC was "manufacturing racism to justify its existence."
Rep. David Scott (D-GA), who had represented Georgia's 13th District since 2003 and was the first Black person to chair the Agriculture Committee, died at the age of 80. "To the public, he was a devoted leader who spent more than 50 years serving his community, the state of Georgia, and the American people," his office said in a statement. "Beyond his public services, he was a devoted father, grandfather, husband, and friend. He will be remembered not only for his leadership but for his kindness, compassion, and enduring impact on those around him." The House now has 430 total voting members: 217 Republicans, 212 Democrats, and one independent who caucuses with Republicans.
For your radar…
The Senate continues debate Thursday on the GOP budget resolution, which will send reconciliation instructions to certain committees to craft filibuster-proof legislation to fund ICE and CPB. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN2 at 10am ET.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testifies Thursday on the president's fiscal year 2027 budget request before a House Appropriations subcommittee. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN3 at 11am ET.
