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 speaks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, Oct. 16, 2...

Associated Press

Trump’s decision to waive Russian sanctions outrages Congress, but no quick counter seen

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to waive sanctions on Russia days before they were to take effect drew outrage Saturday from members of Congress, which had overwhelmingly passed the legislation in a bipartisan display of American support for Ukraine in the war with Russia. Lawmakers from both parties blasted the latest in […]

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Associated Press

A bitter Michigan Senate race rattles Jewish and Muslim voters already on edge over the war in Gaza

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (AP) — For many voters in Michigan, the U.S. Senate race has become about far more than which party controls Washington. In the Detroit suburbs, some Jewish Democrats are confronting deeply personal questions about faith and identity as they weigh whether they can support their party’s nominee. Just miles away in Dearborn, […]

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FILE - Marty O'Donnell, candidate for the U.S. House in Nevada, speaks at the Republican convention...

Associated Press

Online forum controlled by Nevada GOP House candidate contains slurs and Nazi talk, AP review finds

WASHINGTON (AP) — Long before running for Congress, Marty O’Donnell was an award-winning music composer for the popular “Halo” video game franchise. His work drew legions of fans to an online forum, which the Nevada Republican has tried to turn into a galvanizing force as he tries to unseat a Democrat in a Las Vegas […]

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In this photo taken with a smart phone, House Speaker Mike Johnson sits for an AP interview during ...

Associated Press

House Speaker Mike Johnson draws on faith as he fights to hold the Republican majority

BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Ever the optimist, Speaker Mike Johnson said he believes Republicans will hold on to their U.S. House majority, defying a surge of Democratic momentum in the final stretch of the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. It’s the crowds he says he’s seeing as he crosses the country campaigning […]

4 hours ago

Flowers and candles are seen at a makeshift memorial outside Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Ore., ...

Associated Press

Oregon father is the latest armed civilian to confront a gunman in a US mass shooting

Few mass shootings in the U.S. end like the deadly attack on an Oregon elementary school: with an armed civilian opening fire on the gunman. President Donald Trump joined others Friday in praising a father of two girls who confronted a teenage gunman during the attack at Silver Rail Elementary School, which killed three students […]

5 hours ago

Gas prices are seen at a gas station in Chicago, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)Cre...

Associated Press

Retail price impacts from the Iran war are uneven but add up for US households before midterms

NEW YORK (AP) — More than seven months into the U.S. war with Iran, sharply higher fuel prices are making it more expensive to drive and fly and adding to the cost of some goods, prolonging the strain on American households as the midterm elections approach. Motorists and airline passengers have borne the clearest consequences […]

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