NATIONAL NEWS

Gov. Ron DeSantis calls for special session in April to redraw Florida’s congressional districts

Jan 7, 2026, 9:36 AM

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he plans to call a special session in April for the Republican-dominated legislature to draw new congressional districts, joining a redistricting arms race among states that have redrawn districts mid-decade.

Even though Florida’s 2026 legislative session starts next week, DeSantis said he wanted to wait for a possible ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court on a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. The ruling in Louisiana v. Callais could determine whether Section 2, a part of the Voting Rights Act that bars discrimination in voting systems is constitutional.

National News

President Donald Trump listens to a question from a reporter in the Oval Office of the White House,...

Associated Press

Trump signs order renaming Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’ in the United States

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday he is renaming Lake Ontario to be known as “Lake America” in the United States as he exacerbates his trade war with Canada. The Republican president signed an executive order in the Oval Office that updated the lake’s name for the U.S. geographic naming service. Trump cannot […]

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Associated Press

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Associated Press

Group of Democratic senators calls on ICE to cancel plan to buy electric shock gloves

A group of U.S. senators led by Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada urged Immigration and Customs Enforcement to cancel its plan to outfit officers with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks. In a letter to ICE’s acting director Thursday, Cortez Masto and 15 of her colleagues in the Democratic caucus questioned ICE’s need […]

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Associated Press

Beluga whale dies at Chicago aquarium days after coming from Canada park in rescue effort

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Associated Press

Execution date set for man convicted of killing 2 real estate agents near Atlanta in 2003

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia prison officials plan to execute a man next month who was convicted of fatally shooting two real estate agents in Atlanta’s suburbs more than two decades ago. Stacey Humphreys, 53, was convicted of malice murder in the 2003 killings of 33-year-old Cyndi Williams and 21-year-old Lori Brown. He is set to […]

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Associated Press

Exclusive: US Patriot missile stocks in Europe are ‘beyond critical’ due to Iran war, officials say

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military is experiencing a “beyond critical” shortage of advanced missile interceptors in Europe largely driven by President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, a U.S. defense official in Europe and a NATO official told The Associated Press, raising concerns about vulnerabilities in NATO countries to a potential Russian attack. The U.S. […]

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Gov. Ron DeSantis calls for special session in April to redraw Florida’s congressional districts