Redistricting wars upend 2026 midterm elections

Plus: Harris passes on California bid, Fed's Powell faces dissent

View Online Evening Report Wednesday, July 30 | By Jonathan Easley ©  Greg Nash Redistricting wars upend 2026 midterm elections THE REDISTRICTING WARS are heating up, with the potential to determine which party controls the House after the 2026 midterm elections.   Texas Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a new proposal for the state's congressional districts, which could create five new House seats in districts that President Trump won by double-digits in 2024.   Redistricting typically happens at the end of the decade when new census data is released. However, Trump pressured Texas Republicans to remake their map ahead of 2026, as the GOP seeks to buck history and hold on to the House for the remainder of Trump's second term in office.   Texas Democrats are accusing Republicans of "trying to rig the midterms."   Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) is among the lawmaker's whose district is in the Texas GOP's crosshairs.   "By merging our Central Texas districts, Trump wants to commit yet another crime— this time, against Texas voters and against The Voting Rights Act," Casar posted on X.   Dave Wasserman of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report posted on X:   "It's clear what Republicans' strategy is here. Create as many solid Trump seats as possible while *increasing* the number of Hispanic-majority seats by population, even though Hispanic *voters* will be well south of 40% of the electorate in several of them."   State Rep. James Talarico, a moderate Democrat whose star is rising after his interview with Joe Rogan, told Politico he and his colleagues are considering fleeing the state to deny Republicans the quorum needed to implement the maps.   "I'm willing to do that if we get to that point," Talarico said.   House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is traveling to Austin on Wednesday to strategize with state Democrats about how to push back.   "House Republicans are a complete and total failure," Jeffries posted on X. "That's why they are trying to rig the Texas congressional map. Get lost."   Senate Democrats are accusing Trump of political interference and are pressing the Office of Special Counsel to investigate whether the White House officials violated the Hatch Act in their redistricting push. CALIFORNIA UP NEXT? Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) says he'll follow suit if Texas moves on its mid-decade gerrymander, although California voters passed a law in 2010 creating an independent commission for redistricting that takes the matter out of lawmaker hands.   However, California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) said he sees a "legal pathway" to redistricting, telling the Los Angeles Times he believes Newson could call for a special election that allows the public to vote on and approve a new map.   Still, the Sacramento Bee reports that state Democrats have not discussed the proposal and are divided on the matter.   Republicans are lashing out, saying California's redistricting efforts are already worse than what is being proposed in Texas.   "The gerrymander in California is outrageous," Vice President Vance posted on X. "Of their 52 congressional districts, 9 of them are Republican. That means 17 percent of their delegation is Republican when Republicans regularly win 40 percent of the vote in that state. How can this possibly be allowed?"   Lawmakers in New York, New Jersey and Florida have also weighed redistricting efforts since Texas moved first. TEMPERS RUN HOT ON CAPITOL HILL The Senate is expected to gavel out on Friday for summer recess but tempers are running hot as lawmakers speed toward the finish.   Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said he was "offended" and "disappointed" after Trump went on a social media offensive against him over an obscure Senate tradition.   Grassley has respected so-called blue-slip objections from Democratic senators on Trump's judicial and prosecutorial nominees.   The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports:   "Traditionally, the Senate Judiciary Committee's chairs haven't proceeded on federal district-level judicial and prosecutorial nominees unless both senators representing the state where those districts are located return blue-slip documents signing off on the nominees."   Trump unloaded on Grassley in a social media tirade, calling for term limits and accusing him of being a "RINO," short for "Republican in name only."   "Chuck Grassley, who I got re-elected to the U.S. Senate when he was down, by a lot, in the Great State of Iowa, could solve the 'Blue Slip' problem we are having with respect to the appointment of Highly Qualified Judges and U.S. Attorneys, with a mere flick of the pen," Trump posted on Truth Social.   Grassley responded: "I was offended by what the president said, and I'm disappointed it would result in personal insults."   A day earlier, Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.) blew up at fellow Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) on the Senate floor, accusing members of his party of being "complicit" in Trump's agenda.   This came after another procedural move, in which Cortez Masto tried to move a package of bills, including grants for police departments around the country, by unanimous consent on the Senate floor.   "Don't be complicit to the president of the United States," Booker said. "We are standing at a moment where our president is eviscerating the Constitution of the United States of America, and we're willing to go along with that today." 💡Perspectives: • Sacramento Bee: Say no to mid-cycle redistricting in California. • The Hill: Dems are too attached to a 'failing' status quo. • The Liberal Patriot: Why is Democratic favorability so low? • The Free Press: Trump is winning his fight with institutions. • Washington Monthly: Forcing culture war bigotry on private enterprise. Read more:  • Republican states press Congress to ban abortion shield laws. • Texas GOP's redistricting plan alarms Democrats. • Republicans move to clear final hurdles to funding bill before recess. • Senate confirms Trump nominee to lead CDC. • States sue to stop defunding Planned Parenthood. CATCH UP QUICK Former Vice President Kamala Harris announced Wednesday she will not run for governor of California in 2026. Senate Democrats are turning to an obscure rule in their push to release the Epstein files and keep the Trump administration's handling of them front and center.   Steve Ricchetti, a top adviser to former President Biden, said Biden was "fully capable of exercising his presidential duties" during a voluntary interview with a GOP-led House panel.   The Secret Service is conducting a "personnel investigation" after an agent attempted to smuggle his wife on board a plane headed to Scotland for Trump's recent trip. NEWS THIS AFTERNOON ©  AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson Fed keeps interest rates steady but Powell faces dissent The Federal Reserve kept short-term interest rates steady on Wednesday, but chairman Jerome Powell faced dissent from two members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), as the board faces pressure from President Trump to lower interest rates.   Nine members of the FOMC agreed to keep rates where they are. Two Fed Vice Chairs, Michelle Bowman and Christopher Waller, both of whom are seen as potential replacements for Powell next year, voted to lower rates.   The Hill's Tobias Burns reports: "It was the first time two members of the Fed board, which usually votes unanimously, dissented in more than 30 years."   Gross domestic product (GDP) rose 3 percent in the second quarter, better than estimates.   Trump celebrated the numbers on Truth Social, while swiping at Powell, who he's nicknamed "Too Late."   "2Q GDP JUST OUT: 3%, WAY BETTER THAN EXPECTED! 'Too Late' MUST NOW LOWER THE RATE. No Inflation! Let people buy, and refinance, their homes!" Trump posted.   The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) said the increase came primarily from a decline in imports, which surged during the first quarter ahead of Trump's tariffs. Imports, which detract from the GDP, fell in the second quarter.   "A 3.0 percent expansion in the second quarter doesn't signal a roaring economy any more than the 0.5 percent contraction in the first quarter pointed to an economic downturn," wrote Olu Sonola, head of U.S. Economic Research at Fitch Ratings.   It's been a mixed week of economic news.   U.S. job openings fell last month but U.S. consumer confidence improved in July.   This comes as Trump "stands strong" with his promise to impose new tariffs Friday on countries that haven't reached a new trade deal with the U.S.   "We're now negotiating with various countries and the rest we just send the bill," Trump said Wednesday. 💡Perspectives: • The Nation: Mamdani keeps hope alive. • The Atlantic: The discourse is broken. • BIG: Trump's bizarro new deal. • The Hill: On ultra-processed foods, let's move beyond talk. Read more:  • These nations don't have trade deals with Trump yet. • US, China to continue talks on tariffs truce. • Trump administration seeks to unleash AI in schools. • Senate confirms Emil Bove to appeals court. • FDA's top vaccine regulator departs amid conservative criticism. IN OTHER NEWS ©  Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press Roundup: Trump faces global cross-pressures President Trump faces a crucial stretch for his foreign policy, as surprising new dynamics emerge in Gaza, Russia and China.   Here's the latest…   • Trump is facing growing pressure from his MAGA wing to cut Israel loose amid global outrage over the humanitarian and hunger crisis in Gaza.   The Hill's Brett Samuels writes:   "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) and podcast host Theo Von are among those who have expressed alarm in recent days about the situation in Gaza, where Trump acknowledged this week 'real starvation' was happening on the ground."   Trump says the U.S. will assist in getting food to Gaza, although he blames Hamas for disrupting the distribution of food that has led to the hunger crisis.   There was a time when no one on the right would cross Israel, but public opinion appears to be shifting against Israel amid the nearly two-year long war on Hamas.   British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the United Kingdom will follow France in recognizing a Palestinian state if the war does not end soon.   Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "disgusting liar" in an appearance on CNN on Tuesday.   "Israel had a right to defend itself from the terrible Hamas attack," Sanders said. "But I think everybody understands that in the last [one] and a half years, they have been waging a brutal, horrific, almost unprecedented type of war, not just against Hamas, but against the Palestinian people."   Still, most GOP lawmakers and even some Democrats, led by Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), remain steadfast allies to Israel, arguing Israel must be allowed to finish the war against Hamas.   "We have to remind the world that despite the amnesia, Hamas is the central cause of [Israel's] war in Gaza," Torres said Tuesday at the Israel on Campus Coalition's national leadership summit in Washington. "The primary responsibility for a war lies with its cause … Hamas is morally responsible, principally responsible for the war in Gaza."   Fetterman on Wednesday called Greene "crazy pants" for describing Israel's war against Hamas as a "genocide."   • Trump shortened the deadline for Russia to end the war with Ukraine, giving Russian President Vladimir Putin an Aug. 8 ultimatum.   If the war does not end by then, Trump says he'll implement new sanctions and tariffs on Russia's trading partners.   On Wednesday, Trump said India, which he described as "a friend," would be penalized with a 25 percent tariff on Aug. 1 because of its own economic trade barriers and for buying military equipment and energy from Russia amid the war in Ukraine.   "They have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE — ALL THINGS NOT GOOD! INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST," Trump posted on Truth Social.   • Trump is facing pushback over his administration's decision to allow Nvidia to sell its H20 chips to China, with critics warning the move will give Beijing strategic advantages in the race to develop artificial intelligence (AI).    A group of former national security officials and tech policy advocates called on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to reverse course.   "[W]e believe this move represents a strategic misstep that endangers the United States' economic and military edge in artificial intelligence (AI)—an area increasingly seen as decisive in 21st-century global leadership," the letter reads.    The Hill's Julia Shapero explains:   "The Trump administration initially restricted sales of Nvidia's H20 chips to China in May, but the chipmaker announced earlier this month that it was taking steps to sell the chips again after receiving assurances from the government that its licenses would be granted. Lutnick indicated the decision was part of a broader rare earth deal with Beijing, while arguing that they were only receiving Nvidia's "fourth best" chip." 💡Perspectives: • The Hill: The American right is falling out of love with Israel. • Wall Street Journal: Hamas will never surrender. • New York Times: Trump presidency takes a better turn. • The Hill: Trump is causing generational damage to American diplomacy. Read more:  • Democrats say LA streets, businesses empty due to ICE raids. • Top Senate Dem presses Pentagon over China-based engineers. • US-China race takes center stage as Trump defines AI policy. • Trump faces bipartisan warnings over Gaza. • Lawmakers see Gaza as serious test for Trump's Middle East policy. Stay Engaged Someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up to get your own copy: TheHill.com/Evening. Did I miss a story? Drop me a line. See you next time! Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  Sign Up for Other Newsletters 400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 © 1998 - 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

If you believe this has been sent to you in error, please safely unsubscribe.