REDISTRICTING TURNAROUND: After months of rushing to catch up to Republicans in the national redistricting arms race, Democrats are suddenly in a much stronger position to respond to Republicans' mid-decade redistricting efforts following a series of key wins.
After Texas became the first state to redraw its congressional lines ahead of the 2026 midterms, the prevailing wisdom has been the GOP was likely to come out on top. Although Democrats widely called for their party to respond, and California presented a clear opportunity to add several Democratic seats next year, Republicans seemed to have more pickup opportunities.
Republican lawmakers pushed through district line revisions in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina before Democrats could respond anywhere, while eyeing other states like Ohio, Indiana and Kansas.
But Democrats' prospects have recently begun to look more promising, The Hill's Caroline Vakil reports.
They secured a big victory last week when California's Proposition 50, a ballot measure allowing the state Legislature to redraw its congressional lines, passed by almost 30 points. That could potentially allow Democrats to gain up to five additional seats in the midterms, the same number that Republicans could gain from Texas redistricting.
The party also notched another somewhat unexpected win on Monday when a Utah judge rejected a Republican-approved congressional map and instead chose an alternative that will give Democrats a strongly left-leaning district that comprises Salt Lake City.
All four of Utah's current congressional districts are solidly right-leaning.
Meanwhile, Virginia Democrats are moving forward with their own redistricting plan to go around the state's independent commission and possibly pick up two or three seats. Although multiple steps remain in the process, they have momentum after sweeping in the state's elections last week.
Republicans' redistricting efforts also haven't gone entirely as planned.
Democrats and Republicans reached a deal in Ohio that makes two congressional districts slightly more GOP-friendly but avoids a much more dramatic change that some had floated. Indiana Republicans are moving forward with a proposal to redraw the state's lines and potentially pick off one Democrat, but some holdouts remain hesitant.
Kansas Republicans are still considering a plan to redraw the lines to oust Rep. Sharice Davids, the lone Democrat in the state's congressional delegation, but they won't do it in a special session as they don't have enough votes.
The GOP still likely has an advantage in this redistricting battle. Florida Republicans may also redistrict and could pick up a few more seats.
But the developments suggest that GOP advantage will be a lot less lopsided than previously thought, with major implications for the midterms.
▪ The Hill: California Republican criticizes Johnson's handling of redistricting.
▪ NBC News: Election losses raise Republican concerns about redistricting.
AFFORDABILITY CONCERNS: Trump is brushing off concerns about affordability and people's continued anxiety about inflation, shifting his messaging since the GOP's election losses last week.
The Hill's Brett Samuels reports that Trump called on Republicans to talk more about affordability and emphasize their accomplishments ahead of the elections, but he has since pivoted to calling complaints about high costs a "con job" from Democrats.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics's most recently available data showed prices were up 3 percent in September compared with a year earlier, back to the level seen when Trump took office.
White House officials have backed Trump's position that the economy is strong while dismissing questions about doing more to address rising prices. Still, the administration has taken some steps to address the issue, seemingly a sign of officials' awareness that it will be a key factor in the midterms.
Trump directed the Justice Department on Friday to investigate the meatpacking industry, accusing it of "driving up the price of Beef through Illicit Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation." This echoed steps that his predecessor, former President Biden, took to probe the industry and allegations of price gouging.
The administration is also considering a proposal to unveil a 50-year mortgage to try to help more younger Americans afford homes.
But the idea has been criticized by housing experts and even some members of Trump's own party, who say it would do little to address why housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable, The Hill's Sarah Fortinsky reports.
Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte has been enthusiastic about the idea, calling it a "complete game changer."
A 30-year mortgage remains the most popular way to buy a house today, setting out payments for owners to make, plus interest and fees, over three decades. Expanding it to 50 years would presumably mean lower monthly payments for homebuyers.
But interest rates would also likely be higher, as lenders would see such mortgages as being riskier, making it unclear how much people would save, experts said.
Regardless of its feasibility, the proposal does highlight the concerns that many Americans are feeling, particularly young people, about being able to afford a house, once seen as a key part of the American dream.
▪ CBS News: White House officials unhappy with Pulte's mortgage idea.
UK CUTS US INTEL SHARING: The United Kingdom has cut off some intelligence sharing with the U.S. over concerns about the Trump administration's continued boat strikes in the Caribbean.
CNN first reported on Tuesday that the U.K. doesn't want to be complicit in the attacks and believes they are illegal. The decision happened more than a month ago, sources told the outlet.
They said the U.K. agrees with an assessment from Volker Türk, the United Nations's high commissioner for human rights, that the strikes violate international law and amount to an "extrajudicial killing."
At least 76 people have been killed in the series of strikes the administration has conducted in the Caribbean and East Pacific in recent months. U.S. officials have alleged that the boats were attempting to smuggle drugs.
The strikes have faced pushback from Democrats and some Republicans who have questioned the legal basis for them and the evidence that the boats were smuggling drugs.
The U.S. receives intelligence from various sources, including the U.K., which oversees some territories in the Caribbean. It has previously offered information to the U.S. to identify boats suspected of smuggling narcotics in the region.
The strikes have increased tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela, which the administration has accused of being involved in smuggling drugs. The Pentagon's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and its strike group arrived in the Latin America region Tuesday as the administration increases its military presence in the area.
Venezuela responded strongly to the carrier's arrival, putting its entire military on alert, The Washington Post reported.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said the goal is for the military to have "full operational readiness." He said on Venezuelan television that leader Nicolás Maduro ordered the deployment of almost 200,000 soldiers as part of the operation.
That includes "ground, aerial, naval, riverine and missile forces," López said.
▪ The Associated Press: The nuanced identities of those killed in the boat strikes.
BORDER PATROL EXPANSION: The Trump administration plans to expand the deployment of its immigration agents to Charlotte, N.C., and New Orleans, The New York Times and Reuters reported.
The outlets reported that federal agents will remain in Chicago, where they have arrested several thousand people and engaged in confrontations with protesters.
Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in deploying agents to New Orleans, which he has claimed has dealt with out-of-control crime. Meanwhile, Charlotte received attention particularly among conservatives following the killing of a 23-year-old woman on a light rail train.
CONSERVATIVE SPLIT: The divide between the president and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is underscoring a growing split within Trump's conservative base less than a year into his second term.
The Hill's Julia Manchester reports Greene's recent criticisms of Trump and the GOP broadly are emblematic of a potential rift between Republican lawmakers in Washington, D.C., and the party's populist base.
"The president still has pretty strong support obviously within his movement, but I think one of the challenges of populism is there is not a deep-rooted foundation for certain beliefs," said Marc Short, the chair of the conservative group Advancing American Freedom and former chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence.
"It's easy for a movement like that to begin fraying because they don't have deep-seated policies that they share," he said.
Greene maintains she hasn't changed from when she was first elected to Congress and remains an adamant supporter of Trump and his "America First" agenda. But they engaged in a back-and-forth in recent days over her willingness to go after fellow Republicans.
Greene criticized Trump's decision to meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his recent focus on foreign policy, saying he should concentrate on crafting a Republican alternative to the Affordable Care Act and domestic issues like affordability.
Trump responded to the criticism by accusing Greene of having "lost her way."
"When somebody like Marjorie goes over and starts making statements like that, it shows she doesn't know," he said.
"I haven't lost my way. 100% America first and only!" Greene responded in a statement to The Hill.
Trump has also faced criticism from other conservatives like Fox News host Laura Ingraham and former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn over his idea to allow 600,000 Chinese students to study in the U.S.
Trump defended himself when Ingraham pressed him in an interview Monday, emphasizing his role as the founder of the "MAGA" movement.
"Don't forget MAGA was my idea. MAGA was nobody else's idea. I know what MAGA wants better than anybody else, and MAGA wants to see our country thrive," he said.
▪ The Hill: Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) knocks Dems 'celebrating crazypants' Greene.
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