• Gouverneur Ron DeSantis aus Florida hat neue Entwürfe für die Kongresswahlkreise vorgeschlagen, die darauf abzielen, den Demokraten weitere Sitze im Repräsentantenhaus des Staates zu entziehen.
• Die Neugliederung der Wahlbezirke ist Teil eines landesweiten Kampfes über legislative Grenzen im Vorfeld der Zwischenwahlen 2026, wobei beide Parteien konkurrierende Vorschläge einreichen.
• In Virginia stimmten die Wähler knapp für eine demokratische Neukartierung, die mehrere amtierende Republikaner gefährdet und damit die hohe Bedeutung des Redistricting verdeutlicht.
• Republikaner nutzen ein parlamentarisches Manöver, das einen Filibuster im Senat umgehen würde, um Milliarden von Dollar an die Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) zu senden, wie POLITICO am 1. Mai 2026 aus Washington berichtet.
• Dieser Schritt soll die Durchsetzungskapazitäten der ICE stärken, vor dem Hintergrund von Präsident Trumps Fixierung auf den Erhalt der republikanischen Mehrheit im Repräsentantenhaus bei den bevorstehenden Midterms, und erfolgt in einer Zeit, in der die Regierung wegen ihrer Grenz- und Abschiebungspolitik in der Kritik steht.
• Kritiker warnen, dass dieser Ansatz eine hochgradig restriktive Einwanderungskontrolle auf Jahre hinaus zementieren könnte, während die GOP argumentiert, dass er die Sicherheit erhöhen und die Regierung an ihre Wahlversprechen binden wird.
Die Abstimmung erfolgt vor dem Hintergrund einer drohenden 60-Tage-Frist, wobei zwei Republikaner die Beschränkungen unterstützen und Uneinigkeit darüber herrscht, ob ein Waffenstillstand die Frist unterbricht
US-Politik live – aktuelle Updates
Der von den Republikanern geführte Senat hat am Donnerstag erneut einen Versuch der Demokraten blockiert, Donald Trumps Krieg im Iran zu stoppen, und lehnte eine War-Powers-Resolution ab, die den Konflikt begrenzt hätte, bis der Kongress weitere militärische Maßnahmen autorisiert. Das Abstimmungsergebnis lag bei 47 zu 50, wobei zwei Republikaner – Susan Collins, Senatorin aus Maine, und Rand Paul aus Kentucky – dafür stimmten und ein Demokrat – John Fetterman aus Pennsylvania – dagegen stimmte. Weiterlesen...
Die Abstimmung erfolgt am selben Tag, an dem der US Supreme Court eine zentrale Bestimmung des Voting Rights Act zurücknimmt. Die Legislative von Florida hat eine neue Wahlkreiskarte für den Kongress verabschiedet, die darauf abzielt, den Vorteil der Republikaner im Bundesstaat im Rahmen des nationalen redistricting battle zu maximieren, den Donald Trump vor den diesjährigen Midterms eingeleitet hat. Die Abstimmung erfolgte nur zwei Tage, nachdem Gouverneur Ron DeSantis seinen Vorschlag vorgelegt hatte, und am selben Tag, an dem der US Supreme Court eine wichtige Bestimmung des Voting Rights Act aufhob. Die Entscheidung könnte es für Demokraten erschweren, die Bemühungen der Republikaner zur Neugestaltung von Kongresswahlbezirken anzufechten, die den Einfluss von Voters of Color einschränken. Weiterlesen...
Die Entscheidung gibt den Verfassern von Wahlkreisgrenzen in republikanisch geführten Bundesstaaten die Macht, Wahlbezirke zu zerschlagen und Stimmen bis zur Bedeutungslosigkeit zu verwässern. Der Voting Rights Act war ein politischer Friedenspakt, der mit dem Blut von John Lewis geschrieben wurde. Die Callais v Landry-Entscheidung des US Supreme Court, die weite Teile von Section 2 des Voting Rights Act außer Kraft setzte, hat dieses Blut aus der Geschichte getilgt, zusammen mit dem von Tausenden anderen Amerikanern, die an Imbisstheken, Busbahnhöfen und Gerichtsgebäuden gegen segregationistische weiße Suprematisten für politische Gleichberechtigung kämpften. Weiterlesen...
David Brat represented Virginia in the House of Representatives for two termsThe White House has nominated David Brat, a former Republican member of the US House of Representatives, to be the next ambassador to Australia.Brat represented Virginia in Congress and served two terms before he was defeated by a Democrat in 2018 in a close race. He is currently a vice-president of business relations at Virginia’s Liberty University. Continue reading...
Proposal from Ron DeSantis would net Republicans up to four additional US House seats ahead of midterm electionsRon DeSantis, Florida’s Republican governor, on Monday unveiled his proposal for redistricting his state’s congressional maps, a move he hopes will net his party up to four additional House seats in November’s midterm elections.The long-awaited reveal, which will be debated during a special session of Florida’s legislature called by DeSantis beginning Tuesday, is the latest, and possibly final, act of a nationwide “gerrymandering” battle for control of Congress sparked by Donald Trump that looks increasingly to be moving back in Republicans’ favor. Continue reading...
Redrawn map could flip up to five seats to Republicans as Trump’s party seeks to keep control of CongressThe US supreme court formally reinstated on Monday a redrawn Texas electoral map that was designed to add more Republicans to the US House of Representatives, as Donald Trump’s party seeks to keep control of Congress in the November congressional elections.The move by the court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, formalizes an interim decision it made in December to revive the map of US House districts in Texas. Continue reading...
Tom Kean, who has not voted since 5 March and whose seat is top Democratic target, due back ‘very soon’, speaker saysA vulnerable Republican congressman who has not voted in weeks “is attending to a personal health matter,” the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, said on Friday as he struggles to maintain his historically small majority in Congress’s lower chamber.Tom Kean Jr’s New Jersey district is a top pickup target for Democrats in the November midterms, but the congressman has not cast a vote in the House since 5 March. Continue reading...
Bill clears 50–48 vote to boost ICE and CBP funding as Democrats oppose and shutdown continuesUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailSenate Republicans on Thursday approved a plan to fund Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants for the remainder of his term and pave the way for an end to the ongoing shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).The budget resolution adopted along a near party line vote in the early morning hours sets the stage for Congress to craft legislation allocating as much as $140b to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), two agencies at the forefront of Trump’s mass deportation agenda that have been without funding since mid-February, when the DHS shutdown began. Continue reading...
Climate experts and advocates warn House and Senate bills will protect polluters at the cost of the climate Republican lawmakers are attempting to shield big oil from having to pay for its contributions to the climate crisis, alarming environmental advocates.New House and Senate bills, led by Harriet Hageman, a Wyoming representative, and Ted Cruz, a Texas senator, respectively, would give oil and gas companies broad legal immunity from policies and lawsuits aimed at holding the industry accountable for damages caused by its emissions. Continue reading...
Republicans deploy measure known as budget reconciliation to push through plan without backing from Democrats during lengthy late-night voteHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.The Senate voted to adopt a $70bn budget plan to fund ICE and Border Patrol as part of a new effort to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).We have a multistep process ahead of us, but at the end Republicans will have helped ensure that America’s borders are secure and prevented Democrats from defunding these important agencies.Instead of pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into ICE and Border Patrol, Republicans should be working with Democrats to lower out-of-pocket costs.The Pentagon announced, without explanation, that “Secretary of the Navy John C Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately”. The head of the US navy, which is now enforcing a wartime blockade of Iranian ports, was replaced by a former Maga political candidate, Hung Cao, now acting secretary of the navy.The surprise announcement brought renewed attention to Cao’s 2023 comments that that “witchcraft” had “taken over” Monterey, California.Virginia’s attorney general, Jay Jones, promised to appeal an injunction issued by a circuit court judge that temporarily blocks the state from certifying the results of the Tuesday’s redistricting referendum.As jet fuel prices spike amid the ongoing energy crisis sparked by Donald Trump’s war on Iran, two Republican senators, Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton, denounced a proposed US government bailout of budget carrier Spirit Airlines.Representative David Scott, a Democrat from Georgia, has died at the age of 80. He is the fifth member of Congress to die in office within the last year. Continue reading...
• House Republicans openly questioned President Donald Trump's mid-decade redistricting strategy on Wednesday, following a Democratic victory in Virginia on Tuesday that threatens the GOP's slim House majority.
• The Virginia vote paves the way for as many as four Republican seats to be lost, intensifying GOP concerns about the redistricting war Trump sparked.
• Republican lawmakers are now expressing misgivings about the strategy, signaling potential fractures within the party over Trump's aggressive electoral positioning ahead of the November midterms.
Reuters-Ipsos, AP-NORC and NBC polls show approval in mid-30s, with economy, Iran and immigration concernsUS politics live – latest updatesA trio of political polls indicate public approval of Donald Trump’s management of the US economy, immigration and the Iran conflict is slipping, flashing warning lights for Trump-aligned Republican candidates with six months to go until the US midterm elections.Polls by Reuters-Ipsos poll, Strength in Numbers-Verasight and AP-NORC had the president’s approval rating hovering in the mid-30s, at 36%, 35% and 33% respectively, which are near his lowest numbers. Continue reading...
House Democratic leader says result should serve as a warning to Ron DeSantis after latest blow to Donald Trump’s redistricting battleHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.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.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. Continue reading...
Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, a long supporter of Trump, says president’s feud with the pope is a ‘distraction’A Republican lawmaker has condemned what he refers to as Donald Trump’s “holy war” against Pope Leo XIV.Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, a long supporter of Trump and the ultraconservative Maga movement, condemned the president’s attacks on the pope during a Fox News interview on Saturday. Continue reading...
Ruling in favor of Justin Heap could have implications in one of country’s most prominent battleground statesThe top election official in Arizona’s most populous county will be given more authority in running elections after a judge sided with his office in a prolonged legal fight with the local board that shares responsibility for overseeing the vote.The decision could have broad implications in one of the nation’s most prominent battleground states, which will have several high-profile races this fall. Maricopa county, which includes Phoenix, has been roiled by election conspiracy theorists ever since Donald Trump lost the state to Joe Biden in 2020. Continue reading...
Trump repeatedly demanded that Republicans unify to pass a longer extension of the Fisa warrantless spying lawBoth chambers of Congress voted in quick succession Friday to pass a brief 10-day extension of a controversial warrantless surveillance law after Republican infighting tanked plans for a much longer renewal of the law with no changes.Donald Trump had repeatedly demanded that Republican holdouts “UNIFY” behind Mike Johnson, the US House speaker, in favor of an extension of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa) without changes. But chaos ensued late Thursday as Republican leadership tried and failed twice in votes attempting to reauthorize the surveillance program, before resorting to a stopgap measure. Continue reading...
The decision to extend a warrantless security law until 30 April came after 20 Republicans worked with House Democrats to defeat attempts to pass five-year and 18-month renewalsSign up for the Breaking News US emailHello and welcome to our live coverage of US politics.The House of Representatives voted early on Friday to briefly extend an expiring and controversial law that grants the US government sweeping powers for warrantless surveillance.Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon to be followed by a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese leaders next week.Progressive Democrat Analilia Mejia won a New Jersey special election for the US House on Thursday. Mejia, who was endorsed by Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is far more critical on Israel and was the only candidate in the Democratic primary to call Israel’s actions during the war in Gaza a genocide.Todd Lyons, the acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is stepping down after a turbulent year carrying out Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.Donald Trump nominated Erica Schwartz, former deputy surgeon general during his first administration, to lead the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).Schwartz was under immediate pressure from critics of the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, to oppose his anti-vaccine ideology. At a heated oversight hearing, House Democrats grilled Kennedy over his vaccine rollbacks.Speaking in Las Vegas, Trump told supporters “the war in Iran is going along swimmingly, we can do whatever we want.” He did not explain why, then, the US military has been unable to stop Iran from closing the strait of Hormuz.The US Department of Justice opened an investigation into Eric Swalwell following his resignation from Congress, according to a source familiar with the matter.Police in Illinois responded Wednesday evening to the home of Pope Leo’s brother, John Prevost, after a bomb threat was made, NBC Chicago reported. Continue reading...
Republicans had hoped that Trump’s 2025 tax cuts would be at the forefront of voters’ minds, but many have reportedly not noticed a differenceSign up for the Breaking News US emailHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.It is Tax Day and Republicans are ramping up their efforts to highlight last year’s sweeping tax cuts and turn them into political capital.Eric Swalwell officially resigned from Congress amid the threat of an expulsion vote and other misconduct allegations he has denied. A special election to fill his vacant seat will be held 18 August. At a Los Angeles press conference this morning, Lonna Drewes accused Swalwell of drugging and raping her in 2018, telling reporters she “did not consent to any sexual activity.”The House still needs to pass a bill to fund several Department of Homeland Security (DHS) subagencies, like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Coast Guard, amid a record-breaking partial government shutdown. The Senate advanced measure that remedies this funding lapse, but doesn’t include money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and border patrol, has stalled in the lower chamber.Meanwhile, House Democrats on Tuesday proposed creating a commission that would work with JD Vance to remove Donald Trump from office under the 25th amendment, should they determine he is no longer fit to serve. The measure, introduced by Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House judiciary committee, follows a series of statements from Trump, including his recent warning that Iran’s “whole civilization will die” if it did not capitulate to his demands, and a social media post that depicted him as Jesus Christ.Donald Trump has said that talks with Iran could resume in Pakistan over next two days, according to an interview with the New York Post. “You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we’re more inclined to go there,” Trump was quoted as saying.The US state department said Tuesday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed-upon time and place. The state department “expressed hope” that the meeting between Israel and Lebanon would “lead to peace agreement”.The Senate will hold its confirmation hearing for Kevin Warsh, the president’s pick to fill the vacant seat of Federal Reserve chair, next week, on 21 April. Both Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee are expected to probe Warsh about his wealth and ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as his views on the Fed’s independence.The justice department has asked a federal appeals court to throw out the seditious conspiracy convictions of several leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, who were involved in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. In a court filing today, the department asked the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to vacate the convictions – a step further than moves Donald Trump made to commute the leaders’ prison sentences last January when he granted clemency to all defendants charged in the attack. Continue reading...
Gonzales, who admitted affair with aide who later died by suicide, says he will file retirement from office on TuesdayRepresentative Tony Gonzales, a Republican from Texas, announced on Monday he was stepping down from Congress after acknowledging an extramarital affair with a staffer.Gonzales, who was facing a growing threat of expulsion by his colleagues, admitted last month that he had an affair with an aide who later died by suicide. Continue reading...
Rick Jackson is flooding Georgia’s media markets with ads attacking immigrants, transgender people and DEIA campaign ad from Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson pledging that unauthorized immigrants committing violent crimes will end up “deported or departed” has inundated streaming services and social media in Georgia for weeks.“I don’t care if you’re a Muslim or a Mongolian, you don’t have the right to force your culture on our country,” the Jackson ad begins. “Too often, criminal illegals commit sick, violent crimes, victimize our children and get away with murder. So here’s my guarantee to them: do that when I’m governor, and you’ll end up deported or departed. Any questions?” Continue reading...
After Calvin Duncan served 28 years for a murder he didn’t commit, he won an election to serve as criminal court clerk. But now the office might be shut downA man imprisoned for nearly 30 years before being exonerated won a landmark election in New Orleans promising to fix a judicial system that failed him. Now, Louisiana’s governor, Jeff Landry, and the Republican-controlled state legislature are racing to eliminate his job before he can be sworn in.Calvin Duncan won 68% of the vote last November to become the Orleans parish clerk of criminal court after pledging to reform the justice system based on his own experience fighting to access court records while in maximum security prison. Continue reading...
• Republican Clay Fuller defeated Shan Harris in the Georgia 14th Congressional District special election runoff on Tuesday, securing 55.9% of the vote to 44.1%.
• Fuller thanked President Trump for his support and plans to relaunch his campaign for a full two-year term in November.
• The victory was expected in the heavily Republican district but was watched closely amid Trump's sagging approval ratings, rising gas prices, and concerns over the Iran war.
Voters pick Clay Fuller, deciding Iran war was not enough to propel a Democrat into a conservative-leaning House seatUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailClay Fuller supports the war in Iran. Shawn Harris opposes it. Voters in Marjorie Taylor Greene’s former district in north-west Georgia decided that this distinction was not enough to propel a Democrat into a conservative-leaning House seat on Tuesday night.Associated Press called the election as results from the rural counties of north-western corner of the state rolled in. Continue reading...
Lawmakers call for use of 25th amendment after president brazenly threatens to commit war crimes in IranAs Donald Trump unleashes curse-filled threats against Iran, Democrats are raising alarm over his mental stability and calling for his removal from office – while Republicans remain conspicuously silent.Democrats are escalating their rebukes as the 79-year-old president delivers rambling, incoherent speeches, hurls puerile insults at US allies and brazenly threatens to commit war crimes. He used an Easter Sunday social media post to warn Iran to “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell”. Continue reading...
• House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune unveiled a plan to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security, resolving a 48-day partial government shutdown.
• The agreement bypasses prior splits between GOP leaders, aiming to restore pay for affected federal workers.
• Trump endorsed the measure, signaling he will sign a related executive order soon.
• Following Darrell Issa's exit from Congress, Democrats are eager to flip his San Diego House seat, reshaping a key race in a swing district.
• Democrats are clashing among themselves over candidacy while a stronger Republican challenger has emerged to compete for the seat.
• The race in California's 48th congressional district is shaping up to be highly competitive, with both parties viewing it as a priority.
Fake image of airman surrounded by smiling military members has been reshared more than 21,000 times on the X platformSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxRepublican politicians were hoaxed over the weekend by an image purporting to be a downed US warplane crew member rescued by military special forces in Iran on Saturday, igniting a call for a national “crash course in media literacy”.Greg Abbott, the Texas governor, Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general and a US senate candidate and Mike Lawler, a New York representative, were all caught out for “liking” a fake picture of the airman, who has not been publicly identified. Continue reading...
Thom Tillis joins McConnell in warning withdrawal would aid rivals and threaten US securityUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailA second Republican senator spoke out in defense of Nato on Thursday, joining Mitch McConnell and the Democrats, after Donald Trump said that he was “absolutely” considering withdrawing from the alliance after it refused to take part in the joint assault with Israel against Iran.“Nato stood by America when we were under attack and came to our aid after the September 11th attacks. Their soldiers fought and died alongside our troops in Afghanistan,” said Thom Tillis, a Republican, and Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, who co-chair the Senate Nato observer group. Continue reading...
