Politics

The Washington Post reports: A federal judge has struck down Georgia’s political district maps as unconstitutional, and ordered state lawmakers to redraw them by Dec. 8, in a win for voting rights activists who argued the state’s maps dilute the power of Black voters. In a ruling issued Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Steve Jones wrote that Georgia’s congressional and …

The Hill reports: Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor for falsely pulling a fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building last month ahead of a key House vote. Bowman appeared in D.C. Superior Court Thursday morning for his arraignment, one day after he was charged. Under an agreement with prosecutors, he will to pay a $1,000 …

ABC News reports: The U.S. economy grew at a blistering pace over three months ending in September, more than doubling growth in the previous quarter and rebuking worries about a possible recession. The robust performance, however, complicates the fight to dial back inflation. Fresh GDP data released on Thursday, which exceeded economist expectations, reinforces other recent indicators of a strong …

Democracy Docket reports: On Wednesday, Oct. 25, North Carolina Republicans passed new, highly gerrymandered congressional and legislative maps as well as a county board of commissioners map. The drafts were unveiled just last week. The new congressional map has 10 Republican districts, three Democratic districts and only one competitive district. Democratic Reps. Kathy Manning, Jeff Jackson and Wiley Nickel are …

NBC News reports: Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., has been criminally charged with a misdemeanor in connection with pulling a fire alarm in a congressional building on Capitol Hill last month. The charge — one misdemeanor count of falsely pulling a fire alarm — carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail. Bowman has been ordered to appear in D.C. …

The New York Times reports: The terms of the private loan were as generous as they were clear: With no money down, Justice Clarence Thomas could borrow more than a quarter of a million dollars from a wealthy friend to buy a 40-foot luxury motor coach, making annual interest-only payments for five years. Only then would the principal come due. …

CNN reports: In his first address to the House after winning the speaker’s gavel, newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson thanked Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and former speaker Kevin McCarthy. Johnson told Jeffries that he looks forward to working with him. “I know we see things from different points of view, but I know in your heart you want to …

The Washington Post reports: The House is expected to vote Wednesday on whether to install Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) as its speaker. Late Tuesday, Johnson became the fourth Republican pick for the post since the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) three weeks ago. It remains unclear whether Johnson can accomplish what the other three could not: achieve a majority …

Florida Politics reports: Ron DeSantis’ Year of the Teacher is but a sepia-tinged memory now, with 2023 being the Year of the Terrorist. That’s one interpretation to be drawn from the Governor’s latest text message to supporters of his presidential campaign, at least. In a missive to his list Wednesday, the Republican candidate bashed those supporting Hamas terrorists as well …

“I wonder if Barack Obama really in his heart believes that Israel has a right to exist. I wonder, in his heart, right? For real. If he’s gonna go here at this time, you have to wonder. He is, after all, Barack Obama. Make that Barack Hussein Obama. Uh, under ordinary circumstances, his middle name has nothing to do with …

Reuters reports: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, in his strongest comments yet on the Gaza conflict, said on Wednesday the Palestinian militant group Hamas was not a terrorist organisation but a liberation group fighting to protect Palestinian lands and people. Speaking to lawmakers from his ruling AK Party, Erdogan also called for an immediate ceasefire between Israeli and Palestinian forces and …

The Hill reports: Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) took issue with a new school lunch resolution offered by fellow Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) Tuesday. The resolution, initially introduced in July by a series of senators and placed on the calendar last week, disagrees with recent guidance by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in relation to sex discrimination. “I can’t even …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota is preparing to formally announce a long- shot Democratic primary challenge to President Biden, offering himself as a next-generation alternative to the 80-year-old president, according to people familiar with his plans. The 54-year-old Phillips, after months of encouraging fellow Democrats to challenge Biden, has told people in his home state …

NBC News reports: House Republicans nominated Tom Emmer of Minnesota to be their candidate for speaker. The GOP gathered behind closed doors this morning to vote by secret ballot and choose among seven contenders. GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., tweeted out official updates as each new round of voting began and the last-place finisher was removed from the ballot. …

Politico reports: Tom Emmer secured the most votes on a secret ballot in his fight for the speakership, though he’s still short the necessary votes for a nomination on the floor. The conference will now head into another vote, though Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) is now out of the race, as he received the lowest number of votes. House Republicans …

The Washington Post reports: The Biden administration is preparing for the possibility that hundreds of thousands of American citizens will require evacuation from the Middle East if the bloodshed in Gaza cannot be contained, according to four officials familiar with the U.S. government’s contingency planning. The specter of such an operation comes as Israeli forces, aided by U.S. weapons and …

NBC News reports: Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said Donald Trump doesn’t have what it takes to win a general election, the sharpest jab he has thrown at the former president and a clear rebuke of the electability of Trump, who continues to lead the 2024 Republican primary field. Scott made the remark Monday night in response to a question from …

Politico reports: One of the better-polling Republican presidential candidates said on Monday that withdrawing the U.S. from NATO was a “reasonable idea” and that he was “reevaluating” whether America should remain a member of the United Nations. POLITICO asked Vivek Ramaswamy, the entrepreneur polling fourth nationally and in Iowa, about a Rolling Stone article detailing how the GOP frontrunner, former …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis believes that toll roads in New York City are really just an elaborate grift, with money collected not going to repairs at all. During remarks in Clinton, Iowa, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate fumed about the cash collection and contended the money really is just enriching the Democratic “machine.” “I don’t know if you …

The Messenger reports: Former President Donald Trump’s allies are circulating a 216-page opposition-research book to damage GOP Rep. Tom Emmer in his bid to become the next speaker of the rudderless House of Representatives. The dossier – which covers everything from an old DUI arrest and his views on normalizing relations with Cuba to his vote supporting gay marriage – …