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Year: 2026

Redistricting battles brewing across the country as parties compete for power ahead of 2026 midterms

Redistricting battles brewing across the country as parties compete for power ahead of 2026 midterms

Ahead of the rapidly approaching 2026 midterms, Republicans and Democrats in states across the country are engaged in heated redistricting battles. What started with Texas’ effort to redraw its congressional map earlier in 2025 has led to other states, including California and Missouri, to do the same. Now, redistricting battles are shaping up in Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland and Virginia. Florida Republicans are engaged in a fight over the creation of a House map that has the potential to net the GOP several seats, The Hill reported. Currently, Republicans hold 20 of Florida’s 28 congressional districts. Despite the fact that a Florida House redistricting panel has already met twice to begin the process, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and state Senate Republican leadership appear to be interested in holding off on the discussion until a special session in spring. However, some fear that this could be too late, as April 20 is the deadline for federal candidates to qualify and file paperwork. Florida Republicans are also facing challenges because of language in the state’s constitution that puts tight restrictions on gerrymandering, NBC News noted. INDIANA SENATE REPUBLICANS REJECT TRUMP-BACKED REDISTRICTING PUSH, DECLINE TO MEET IN DECEMBER Democrats could possibly pick up more seats in Illinois, but the move has gained little ground. Black lawmakers have expressed concerns that a new map could undermine minority representation, according to NBC News. Gov. JB Pritzker, D-Ill., said his state could be forced to respond if neighboring Indiana were to move forward with its own redistricting effort. However, he later applauded Indiana when it rejected a new map. “Our neighbors in Indiana have stood up to Trump’s threats and political pressure, instead choosing to do what’s right for their constituents and our democracy,” Pritzker wrote on X. “Illinois will remain vigilant against his map rigging — our efforts to respond and stop his campaign are being heard.” After Indiana rejected their map, Illinois state Sen. Willie Preston, D, urged Pritzker to drop the idea, The Hill reported, noting that others have suggested that the Prairie State is still mulling the move. Jon Maxson, a spokesperson for Illinois House Speaker Emanuel Chris Welch, told The Hill in an email that “all options remain on the table in Illinois.” Illinois faces a larger issue, as the November candidate filing deadline has already passed. TRUMP’S REDISTRICTING PUSH GAINS STEAM IN ANOTHER KEY STATE: ‘WE WILL STAND WITH THE PRESIDENT’ Kansas is the other major redistricting target for Republicans. GOP lawmakers in the Sunflower State have said that they would discuss redrawing the map when they reconvene this month. However, just last year, lawmakers tried but failed to bring the issue forward. Kansas Republicans need two-thirds support in the Legislature to hold a special session to address the map. While State House members didn’t have enough support for the issue, Republicans were able to secure enough signatures in the state Senate, The Hill reported. Additionally, they will need to override a veto by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Kelly recently told the Kansas Reflector that she would be “surprised if they even really bring it up.” “I don’t think a lot has changed in terms of where legislators stand on the issue,” she added. In November, Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson (R), who’s running for Kansas governor, claimed in a statement that “California Democrats are working overtime to silence Republicans and steal the House majority.” “Even Governor Laura Kelly admitted that there’s a bigger risk in doing nothing. On that, we agree. States across America are standing up, and Kansas will be part of that fight,” he added. SCOTUS ALLOWS TEXAS TO USE TRUMP-PUSHED REDRAWN CONGRESSIONAL REDISTRICTING MAP FAVORING REPUBLICANS Maryland Democrats have resisted pressure to redraw maps. In November, Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, formed a redistricting commission to explore the issue despite a lack of appetite for the move within his own party. The commission voted in secret to move forward with the plan, to the dismay of Democrat critics. Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Democrat, has been a vocal opponent of redistricting. “The overwhelming majority do not want a new congressional map,” Ferguson said in a statement, according to The Hill. “They want their government focused on fostering growth, affordability, and real protections against this lawless federal Administration.” The commission is asking the public about congressional map proposals ahead of the state’s Feb. 24 candidate filing deadline. In late October, just before the state’s gubernatorial election, Virginia Democratic lawmakers took a major first step in a complex political maneuver aimed at redrawing the state’s congressional map. Democrats were able to pass an amendment to the state’s Constitution to allow lawmakers to temporarily redistrict mid-decade by 2030, The Hill noted. The amendment will need to be passed again in the spring or summer before voters can have their say. The lawmakers now have the help of additional Democrats in the state’s Legislature following the November 2025 elections. “Our congressional delegation is 6-5 — six Democrats, five Republicans. Ten-1 is not out of the realm,” Virginia House Speaker Don Scott said in early December, according to NBC News. If voters approve of the referendum, lawmakers would be able to pass a new map ahead of the 2026 midterms. The Hill noted that Republicans are highly likely to challenge a new map in court.

Trump regrets handing Dems health ‘ammunition’ with October scan — clarifies it was a CT, not an MRI

Trump regrets handing Dems health ‘ammunition’ with October scan — clarifies it was a CT, not an MRI

President Donald Trump revealed he had received a CT scan, and not an MRI scan, during a medical checkup in October that the president and his administration have repeatedly underscored showed normal and healthy results.  “It wasn’t an MRI,” Trump told the Wall Street Journal in an article published New Year’s Day. “It was less than that. It was a scan.” Trump’s health has drawn fresh scrutiny in recent months, including after reports said he underwent an MRI during an October visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. The October checkup was Trump’s second of 2025, after an April visit in which the White House physician, Navy Capt. Sean P. Barbabella, said the president “remains in exceptional health.” Trump’s CT clarification comes as Democrats and liberal media outlets question his fitness, citing his 79 years of age, bruising on his hands and reports of swollen ankles. Trump told the Wall Street Journal he regrets taking the scan. TRUMP CLAIMS WHITE HOUSE DOCTORS REPORT HIM IN ‘PERFECT HEALTH,’ SAYS HE ‘ACED’ THIRD STRAIGHT COGNITIVE EXAM “In retrospect, it’s too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition. I would have been a lot better off if they didn’t, because the fact that I took it said, ‘Oh gee, is something wrong?’ Well, nothing’s wrong,” Trump said. MRI and CT scans are both imaging tests, with CT scans using X-rays to create internal cross-section images, while MRI scans use magnet technology and radio waves to capture similar internal images. MRI scans typically gather more detailed images, while CT scans are more frequently used in emergency situations or a patient’s initial evaluations as they produce faster results than MRIs.  Trump has repeatedly battled concern over his mental and physical fitness, including Friday morning, when he reported that he had “aced” his third cognitive exam.  2025 LOOKBACK: MEDIA’S CREDIBILITY FRACTURES AGAIN AFTER BIDEN MENTAL DECLINE EXPOSED “The White House Doctors have just reported that I am in “PERFECT HEALTH,” and that I “ACED” (Meaning, was correct on 100% of the questions asked!), for the third straight time, my Cognitive Examination, something which no other President, or previous Vice President, was willing to take,” Trump posted to Truth Social Friday.  He added that he “strongly” supports a mandatory cognitive exam for any politician running for vice president or president, citing the U.S. can’t be run by “‘STUPID’ or INCOMPETENT PEOPLE!” Barbabella told Fox News Digital in a statement Friday that doctors had initially told Trump that they would perform either an MRI or a CT scan on him during the October visit, and yielded “perfectly normal” results.  “In order to make the most of the president’s time at the hospital, we recommended he undergo another routine physical evaluation to ensure continued optimal health,” Barbabella said. “As part of that examination, we asked the president if he would undergo advanced imaging — either an MRI or CT Scan — to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues. The president agreed, and our team of consultants performed a CT Scan. As we revealed in the post-examination report, the advanced imaging was perfectly normal and revealed absolutely no abnormalities.” Barbabella added that Trump’s overall examinations show that his health is that of a man 14 years younger than his 79 years of age.  EXCLUSIVE: INSIDE TRUMP’S PRIVATE SCHEDULE AS MEDIA FIXATES ON HIS HEALTH “President Trump’s medical evaluations and laboratory results continue to show excellent metabolic health, and have revealed his cardiovascular health puts him 14 years younger than his age. Overall, the President remains in exceptional health and perfectly suited to execute his duties as Commander in Chief,” Barbabella told Fox News Digital.  White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to Fox News Digital Friday that the additional details on Trump’s October scan continues his vow to be a transparent leader “and has nothing to hide, unlike his predecessor Joe Biden, who hid from the press and lied about his clear physical and mental decline,” the New York Post reported.  Trump’s health and age has sparked mounting criticism among media outlets and Democrats on social media, swollen legs in July while attending a soccer game, as well as other photos that showed him with bruises on his hands, and others that allegedly show him nodding off during public events. Outlets such as The New York Times have reported that Trump is allegedly “facing the realities of aging” while in office. Leavitt said in July that Trump’s swollen legs were part of a “benign and common condition” for individuals older than age 70, while the bruising on his hands was attributable to “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.” Trump said during his Wall Street Journal interview that he historically has taken more aspirin than doctors recommend, citing that he doesn’t want to change his decadeslong routine as he’s “a little superstitious”  “They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” Trump told the outlet. “I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?” TRUMP MOCKS CBS REPORTER ON AIR FORCE ONE AS HE DEFENDS MRI RESULTS Trump also hit back against claims he falls asleep during meetings and other public events, saying photos promoted by critics allegedly showing him falling asleep are simply moments that capture him blinking.  “Sometimes they’ll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they’ll catch me with the blink,” Trump said.  The focus on Trump’s health follows the media’s relative silence over concerns regarding former President Joe Biden’s mental acuity, which conservatives had cited as a cause for concern ahead of the 2020 election. Biden did not face an outpouring of criticism from both the left and right of the political spectrum until June 2024, however, when the federal election was at a fever pitch, and Biden delivered a failed debate performance that showcased him tripping over his words, appearing to lose his train of thought and other

Israel accuses Mamdani of pouring ‘antisemitic gasoline’ after he revokes Adams executive orders

Israel accuses Mamdani of pouring ‘antisemitic gasoline’ after he revokes Adams executive orders

Israel tore into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after he revoked a pair of executive orders signed by former Mayor Eric Adams that supported the Jewish state.  “On his very first day as New York City mayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on X.  “This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.” On day one in office, Mamdani revoked all orders issued by Adams after he was indicted on federal corruption charges, including one that barred city agencies from boycotting or divesting from Israel. GOP SENATOR CALLS MAMDANI’S NETANYAHU ARREST VOW A ‘GRAVE THREAT’ AS HE INTRODUCES DEFUND BILL Another order had adopted a sweeping definition of antisemitism defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which included “demonizing Israel and holding it to double standards as forms of contemporary antisemitism” or denying the Jewish people’s right to have a national homeland. While all orders on or after Sept. 26, 2024 — the day of Adams’ indictment — have been revoked to “ensur[e] a fresh start for the incoming administration,” City Hall officials insist Mamdani will reissue the executive orders that he still supports.  Another rescinded order had directed the NYPD to bolster enforcement around religious sites by establishing protest-free buffer zones near churches, synagogues and mosques. Adams’ critics had said the IHRA order violated First Amendment protections of free speech. SOCIALIST MAYOR MAMDANI INAUGURATED ALONGSIDE BERNIE SANDERS AND AOC ON NEW YEAR’S DAY The city’s right-leaning Jewish leaders slammed the revocations.  Brooklyn City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov said the IHRA definition of antisemitism “protects from discrimination Jews who believe in self-determination and provides clarity on the definition.” “We need to enforce federal law that’s already in place here, because the pro-Hamas antisemites emboldened by [Mamdani] are coming!” she added. The city’s first Muslim mayor, who was sworn in on a pair of family Qurans, has been branded a “jihadist communist” and a “terrorist” sympathizer by critics like New York GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik. Mamdani has taken positions sharply critical of Israel that break with the long-standing consensus among New York elected officials in a city with the largest Jewish population in the U.S.  Mamdani has repeatedly described Israel as an apartheid state, accused it of committing genocide in Gaza, and said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested. Pressed repeatedly during the campaign on whether he supports Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, Mamdani responded: “I’m not comfortable supporting any state that has a hierarchy of citizenship on the basis of religion or anything else. I think that in the way that we have in this country, equality should be enshrined in every country in the world.” Mamdani has also said he will not tolerate antisemitism in New York and vowed to increase funding to combat hate crimes. 

Trump claims White House doctors report him in ‘perfect health,’ says he ‘aced’ third straight cognitive exam

Trump claims White House doctors report him in ‘perfect health,’ says he ‘aced’ third straight cognitive exam

President Donald Trump kicked off 2026 by claiming that White House doctors gave him another clean bill of health. “The White House Doctors have just reported that I am in ‘PERFECT HEALTH,’ and that I ‘ACED’ (meaning, was correct on 100% of the questions asked!), for the third straight time, my Cognitive Examination, something which no other President, or previous Vice President, was willing to take,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Friday. “P.S., I strongly believe that anyone running for President, or Vice President, should be mandatorily forced to take a strong, meaningful, and proven Cognitive Examination,” he added. “Our great Country cannot be run by ‘STUPID’ or INCOMPETENT PEOPLE!” JAKE TAPPER SUGGESTS HE COVERS TRUMP’S AGE TO MAKE UP FOR OVERLOOKING BIDEN Trump, who will turn 80 on June 14, 2026, has faced growing scrutiny over his health, something that was the focus of his recent interview with The Wall Street Journal. He told the newspaper that he regretted undergoing advanced imaging in October, saying it gave way to increased questions about his health. “In retrospect, it’s too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition,” Trump told the Journal. “I would have been a lot better off if they didn’t, because the fact that I took it said, ‘Oh gee, is something wrong?’ Well, nothing’s wrong.” In October, Trump had a cardiovascular and abdominal scan, something that Navy Capt. Sean P. Barbabella, the physician to the president, noted in a memorandum to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. In his report, Barbabella stated that the evaluation, which he described as being part of the president’s “ongoing health maintenance plan,” included advanced imaging, lab tests and preventative health assessments. Barbabella stated that “Trump continues to demonstrate excellent overall health” and noted that the president “continues to maintain a demanding daily schedule without restriction.” Leavitt read Barbabella’s report during a press briefing on Dec. 1. The summary that Leavitt read clarified that, “Advanced imaging was performed because men in his age group benefit from a thorough evaluation of cardiovascular and abdominal health.” The summary noted that the imaging was done as a preventative measure “to identify any issues early, confirm overall health and ensure the president maintains long term vitality and function.” The summary noted that Trump’s cardiovascular and abdominal imaging were “perfectly normal.” Additionally, it said that “all major organs appear very healthy.” EXCLUSIVE: INSIDE TRUMP’S PRIVATE SCHEDULE AS MEDIA FIXATES ON HIS HEALTH While Trump maintained that scrutiny and speculation about his health were unwarranted, the Journal reported that those close to the president said they had to speak loudly in meetings because he struggles to hear. The outlet also noted that the president has been criticized for seeming to fall asleep during recent White House events, something Trump denies. Trump told the Journal that he didn’t fall asleep at recent events, saying that he likes to close his eyes because he finds it “very relaxing.” He also blamed some of the incidents on photo timing, saying that, “Sometimes they’ll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they’ll catch me with the blink.” The president also denied that he struggles with his hearing. The Journal reported that “Trump grew sarcastic” when asked about it, saying “I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you. I can’t hear a word you’re saying.” He then said that he sometimes has trouble hearing “when there’s a lot of people talking.” Health was a central issue of the 2024 presidential race, particularly before then-President Joe Biden dropped out. Trump has often accused Biden of concealing the true extent of his health issues with the public.  Speculation about Biden’s struggles were fueled by his lack of interactions with the press and reluctance to take part in unscripted exchanges. The 46th president’s apparent cognitive issues became increasingly clear when he struggled during a debate with Trump in June 2024. During the debate, Biden appeared to lose his train of thought and stumbled over words. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.