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Virginia congressional map vote could embolden Florida Republicans to push for boundary changes, says Jeffries – US politics live

Virginia congressional map vote could embolden Florida Republicans to push for boundary changes, says Jeffries

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The vote to approve new congressional maps in Virgina could embolden Florida’s Republican-controlled state assembly to consider tit-for-tat changes to its own map, the House Democratic leader has said.

Voters in Virginia on Tuesday approved new congressional maps intended to boost Democrats’ chances of retaking the House of Representatives, in the latest blow to Donald Trump’s effort to use mid-decade redistricting to preserve his control of Congress.

Republican governor Ron DeSantis has called into a special session beginning next month to consider changes in Florida, meaning the GOP could pick up as many as three more seats depending on how the legislature draws the boundaries.

Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said Tuesday’s result in Virginia should serve as a warning to DeSantis. He wrote in a statement:

If Florida Republicans proceed with this illegal scheme, they will only create more prime-pick up opportunities for Democrats.

We are prepared to take them all on, and we are prepared to win.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, April 16, 2026.

The tit-for-tat redistricting battle began last year after Trump pressed Texas’s Republican-controlled legislature to redraw that state’s congressional maps in a bid to oust as many as five Democratic House lawmakers in the November midterm elections.

California voters retaliated by approving new maps that could flip five Republican-held seats, and in Virginia, Abigail Spanberger, the newly elected Democratic governor, backed an effort to redraw her state’s maps following her January inauguration. Tuesday’s referendum could help Democrats win four additional House seats in November’s midterm elections.

Under the new maps, Democrats are now favored to win in 10 of Virginia’s 11 districts. In the current delegation, Democrats hold six seats and Republicans five.

Read the full story here:

In other developments:

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a prominent civil rights organization, has been indicted on federal fraud charges.
Trump unilaterally announced an extension of the two-week ceasefire with Iran amid frantic efforts to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table.
A US appeals court ruled Tuesday that Texas can require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms.
Trump’s nominee for US Federal Reserve chair, Kevin Warsh, faced a tumultuous hearing in Washington, fielding scrutiny over his wealth and his ability to operate independently of the president who appointed him.
Democratic US representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick said she is resigning effective immediately, after a House committee found she violated ethics rules.
The FBI director, Kash Patel, had a testy exchange with reporters when asked about the recent Atlantic article outlining claims that he excessively drinks and at times has been unreachable.
Donald Trump’s approval rating on the economy has decreased from March to April as prices climb due to the Iran war.

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Maya Yang

Nearly half of children in the United States are breathing dangerous levels of air pollution, according to a new report, as experts warned Donald Trump’s expansive rollback of protections will make the situation worse.

The 27th annual air quality report from the American Lung Association (ALA) released on Wednesday evaluates pollution across the country by grading levels of ground-level ozone – also known as smog – as well as year-round and short-term spikes in particle pollution, commonly referred to as soot. The report analyzed quality-assured data collected between 2022 and 2024.

It found that 33.5 million children in the US – 46% of those under 18 – live in areas that received a failing grade for at least one measure of air pollution.

The report also found that 7 million children, or 10% of all children in the US, live in communities that failed all three measures.

Speaking to the Guardian, Will Barrett, assistant vice-president of the ALA’s Nationwide Clean Air Policy, said: “Children’s lungs are still developing. For their body size, they’re breathing more air. And also, kids play outdoors, they’re more active, they’re breathing in more outdoor air … So, air pollution exposure in children can contribute to long-term developmental harm to their lungs, new cases of asthma, increased risks of respiratory illness and other health considerations later in life.”

Chris Stein

Polls showed a close race in the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s vote, with signs that right-leaning voters in Virginia’s rural areas were incensed by new maps that would see many of them represented by lawmakers who live in the state’s northern suburbs outside Washington DC.

The surveys also showed that voters were divided on Spanberger’s performance as governor, with Republicans accusing her of lying about her moderate credentials on the campaign trail then quickly pivoting left as governor, including by supporting the referendum.

The race saw heavy spending by Democratic-linked groups and others, who poured more than $64m into the main committee backing the referendum. Groups opposing redistricting brought in around $30m.

Barack Obama recorded television ads in favor of the yes vote, while those opposed aired their own ads focused on past comments he had made criticizing gerrymandering. Glenn Youngkin, the Republican who preceded Spanberger as governor, campaigned heavily for the no vote.

Obama celebrated the result on Tuesday evening.

“Congratulations, Virginia!” the former US president posted on social media. “Republicans are trying to tilt the midterm elections in their favor, but they haven’t done it yet. Thanks for showing us what it looks like to stand up for our democracy and fight back.”

Signs are seen outside Fairfax Government Center during the Virginia redistricting referendum, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Fairfax, Va.