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Democratic senators call for 2020 election denier Kurt Olsen’s removal from post

May 18, 2026 8:12 PM UTC / Reuters

By Erin Banco

Attorney Kurt Olsen looks on during his opening statement in Kari Lake’s election challenge trial in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., May 17, 2023. Mark Henle/The Republic/USA TODAY NETWORK/File Photo THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Senators question Olsen’s legal status as special government employee
Olsen’s involvement in 2020 election denial and voting machine probes raises Capitol Hill concerns

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) – A group of Democratic lawmakers is calling for the removal of Kurt Olsen, the White House’s ​election security czar, claiming his time working as a special government employee had surpassed the legal limit.

The group, ‌led by Senator Alex Padilla, who represents California, wrote to the White House on Monday, urging the administration to remove Olsen or to explain “how his continued service is legally justified,” according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters. Padilla is the ranking member of the Senate Rules ​Committee.

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Under U.S. law, special government employees can only serve 130 days in a 365-day period. Trump appointed Olsen as ​a special government employee in October, which would mean he has exceeded that limit, the senators ⁠say.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Olsen is a Washington attorney who was involved with the “Stop ​the Steal” effort after Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

He and several of Trump’s other former lawyers ​have repeatedly claimed that the election was “stolen” from Trump – an assertion that has repeatedly been debunked in the courts.

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Trump tapped Olsen again last year to lead the administration’s efforts to prove that he won the 2020 election and that foreign actors had interfered in U.S. voting machines.

Olsen began working ​with the administration as early as February 2025 and pushed a U.S. intelligence contractor to search for evidence of voter fraud ​in 2020, Reuters has previously reported.

Co-signers of the letter include Mark Warner, the vice chair of the Senate intelligence committee, and other senators who serve ‌on ⁠an election security task force that seeks to mitigate threats to the midterm elections.

Padilla told Reuters in an interview on Monday that the group behind the letter had previously registered concerns with the White House about Olsen’s appointment as a special government employee and that his involvement in the seizing of voting machines and material in Georgia, Puerto Rico and Arizona had raised questions on ​Capitol Hill about the extent ​to which the White House ⁠is trying to federalize the elections.

Given his title inside the White House, Olsen has oversight over how the administration is attempting to implement an executive order signed by Trump in March of ​2025.

That order laid out a roadmap for the administration to take control over parts of the ​voting process. It ⁠called on states to, among other things, share voter data with the federal government. It also said states should decertify voting machines in 36 states.

As Reuters reported last month, Olsen has spent the past year working on an investigation to prove that U.S. voting machines have ⁠been tampered ​with and that Trump won the 2020 race.

“If there’s a role for the ​federal government, it’s from Congress, not the executive branch, to help determine the time, place, and manner of elections. Not the president,” Padilla said. “But (Trump) continues to ​claim otherwise and people like Kurt Olsen are enabling that conspiratorial thinking.”

Reporting by Erin Banco; Editing by Don Durfee and Rosalba O’Brien

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GOP Rep. Thomas Massie defiant as Trump seeks to oust him in primary: “I’m going to win”

May 18, 2026 / 7:30 PM EDT / CBS News

By

Ed O’Keefe Senior White House and Political Correspondent
Ed O’Keefe is CBS News’ senior White House and political correspondent reporting for all CBS News platforms. He’s part of the team covering President Trump and covered all four years of Joe Biden’s presidency. From the White House to the campaign trail, O’Keefe’s reports stretch from the politics of the moment to how policy enacted in Washington affects the nation and the world.

Read Full Bio

Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

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Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky has faced a barrage of attacks from President Trump heading into Tuesday’s primary against former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, who has the president’s endorsement.

But Massie doesn’t appear to be sweating it, even after several of Mr. Trump’s perceived adversaries have suffered primary defeats stemming from the president’s ire — most recently GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.

In the days leading up to the contest in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, Mr. Trump has labeled Massie “the worst congressman in the history of our country” and has called him “a disloyal, ungracious, and sanctimonious FOOL.” He has also threatened to primary other congressional Republicans who have campaigned with Massie, who has voted against several of the president’s legislative priorities, opposed the war with Iran and defied him in pushing for the release of the Epstein files.

“He knows I’m tough to beat,” Massie told CBS News in an interview Monday in his hometown of Vanceburg, Kentucky. “He’s literally losing sleep over this race, because he’s in with both feet. I think their polling shows what our polling shows, which is there’s a better than half chance that we’re going to win this race.”

Massie later said, “I’m going to win.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth campaigned with Gallrein earlier Monday in a hotel ballroom across the street from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport, using a 23-minute appearance to accuse Massie of “constant obstruction.” Hegseth said he was there in his personal capacity, and after stopping earlier Monday at the Fort Campbell Army Base, though the visit marked a break from military officials’ longstanding practice of avoiding partisan politics.

Massie told CBS News that Hegseth’s appearance underscores how concerned the president and his allies are about Tuesday’s outcome.

“How much personal time do you have when you’re supposed to be monitoring a war in Iran?” Massie said. “You don’t send the Secretary of War to Kentucky during a war if you think your candidate is up 10 points. That’s what you do when you realize your whole campaign is imploding.”

But Massie said millions in spending by pro-Israel interest groups is causing more disruption in the race than the president. In a typical year, Massie said he would have won the primary with 80% of the vote. He estimated Mr. Trump’s endorsement of Gallrein lowered his support to 60%, and spending from the pro-Israel lobby further eroded it.

“I think what would have been a 60-40 race is now a 50-50 race,” Massie said, citing Gallrein’s support from AIPAC, the Republican Jewish Coalition and GOP megadonors such as Miriam Adelson.

The congressman called the race, which has become the most expensive House primary in history, “a referendum on whether the Israeli lobby can buy a seat in Congress.” He accused the interest groups of trying to “intimidate the entire Republican Party into having zero dissension on foreign policy toward Israel.”

Massie is one of the few Republicans in Congress who has opposed the war with Iran and has voted with Democrats to rein in Mr. Trump’s authority to carry out further military action without congressional authorization. He has also voted against symbolic resolutions backing Israel, as well as a resolution condemning antisemitism that he argued promoted censorship.

Asked whether he’s antisemitic, Massie responded “hell no.”

Massie warned that it’s a “big disfavor” to Jewish Americans to equate anti-Zionism or criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war in Gaza with antisemitism.

He defended his stance on Israel, saying his policy has “always been no country is special and no country deserves my constituents’ taxpayer dollars.”

“I have never voted for foreign aid to Egypt, to Syria, to Israel or to Ukraine,” he said. “But the ones in Israel, since they’re the biggest recipients of it, that makes them a little bit mad.”

Massie said he doesn’t support aid to Israel because “we’ve got debt” and it’s a “one-way” arrangement.

“At least with NATO, there’s the promise of a reciprocal arrangement,” he argued, also accusing Israel of dragging the U.S. into wars.

Gabrielle Ake contributed to this report.

称原定19日恢复打击伊朗 特朗普应中东盟友要求暂缓行动

2026年5月19日 07:07 / 联合早报

特朗普说，卡塔尔、沙特、阿联酋领导人要求他推迟恢复打击伊朗。 （法新社）

美国总统特朗普说，他原定于星期二（5月19日）恢复对伊朗的军事打击行动，但应波斯湾阿拉伯盟友的要求，他已经决定暂缓行动。

特朗普星期一在社媒平台Truth Social发文说，他已指示五角大楼星期二不要对伊朗恢复打击，因为美国在波斯湾的盟友正在努力促成一项各方都能接受的协议。

特朗普说，卡塔尔埃米尔（Emir，即国家元首）塔米姆、沙特阿拉伯王储穆罕默德和阿拉伯联合酋长国总统穆罕默德，要求他推迟军事行动，“因为目前正在进行严肃的谈判，而且他们认为最终将能达成一项令美国、所有中东国家乃至更广范围的国家都非常满意的协议。”

特朗普也再次强调：“这项协议将包含一项至关重要的条款：伊朗不得拥有核武器！”

特朗普还说，他已进一步指示五角大楼“做好准备，一旦未能达成可接受的协议，就立即对伊朗发动全面、大规模的攻击。”

特朗普再警告伊朗 不达成协议将一无所有
伊朗经巴基斯坦向美方反馈最新谈判意见

伊朗多次拒绝特朗普的协议提案，并持续控制霍尔木兹海峡，导致全球油价飙升。

伊朗外交部发言人巴盖伊证实，伊朗通过调解国巴基斯坦，与美国持续进行对话，并表示德黑兰已向美方明确表达其“关切”。

Pelosi endorses Connie Chan in race to replace her in San Francisco

2026-05-18 6:10 PM ET / CNN

By Edward-Isaac Dovere

Updated May 18, 2026, 6:30 PM ET

PUBLISHED May 18, 2026, 6:10 PM ET

Supervisor Connie Chan during San Francisco Congressional District 11 Candidate Forum at The Academe at 198 in San Francisco on January 7.

Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images

Nancy Pelosi is officially wading into the race to replace her in Congress, endorsing San Francisco supervisor Connie Chan after weeks of more subtly expressing her support.

“Connie understands San Francisco — our values, our diversity, our communities, and our responsibility to lead with both compassion and strength. She’s a mom who knows her power and knows her why. I am confident Connie is ready to bring clarity and purpose to the work ahead — for the children,” Pelosi says in a video that the Chan campaign will release on Tuesday morning, ending with one of her most famous phrases.

The endorsement comes just two weeks before the election that will advance the top two candidates to the November election.

“At a time when fundamental freedoms and democratic values are under assault, we need a leader in Congress who is prepared to fight — forcefully and effectively — for the people of San Francisco and for the future of our country,” the former longtime House Democratic speaker adds in the video.

Also running in the election: state Sen. Scott Wiener, self-funding internet businessman Saikat Chakrabarti and local activist Marie Hurabiell.

Nancy Pelosi endorses Connie Chan

0:16 • Source: CNN

Nancy Pelosi endorses Connie Chan

0:16

Pelosi has represented California’s 11th Congressional District, which almost fully encompasses San Francisco, since winning a special election in 1987. As CNN reported earlier this month, the race in the famously liberal city has become a microcosm of national Democratic divisions over affordability, how to respond to President Donald Trump and issues like support of Israel and artificial intelligence.

Two weeks ago, Chan, who is currently a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors — the equivalent of the city council — joked at a local forum, “The biggest challenge I face if I’m elected is I am not Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.”

New York Times sues Pentagon a second time, calling press access policy “patently unconstitutional”

May 18, 2026 7:39 PM EDT / CBS/AP

The New York Times sued the Defense Department on Monday for the second time in five months, arguing a requirement that journalists be escorted while on Pentagon grounds violates the First Amendment.

The lawsuit casts the escort policy as part of “a series of escalating steps designed to stop unfavorable coverage” and “dramatically curtails longstanding press access to the Pentagon,” in violation of the First and Fifth amendments.

The policy is “an unconstitutional attempt by the Pentagon to prevent independent reporting on military affairs,” a Times spokesman, Charlie Stadtlander, said in an email to The Associated Press. “As we have said before: Americans deserve visibility into how their government is being run, and the actions the military is taking in their name and with their tax dollars.”

On X, Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell called the Times’ latest lawsuit “nothing more than an attempt to remove the barriers to them getting their hands on classified information.”

The Times lawsuit is another salvo in the escalating tensions between the U.S. media and the second Trump administration, which has played out both in the public arena and at times in the courts.

The paper filed Monday’s lawsuit after first suing the Pentagon in December over a separate set of rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last fall.

The older policy required reporters to sign onto a host of restrictions in order to maintain daily access to the Pentagon, including one that suggested reporters who “solicit” sensitive information from military personnel could be deemed a security risk and expelled from the building. Many news outlets — including CBS News, ABC News, NBC News, CNN and Fox News — declined to sign the policy and were forced to vacate the Pentagon.

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U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman struck down parts of that policy in March, finding they violated the rights of the newspaper and one of its reporters, Julian Barnes.

The Pentagon responded by imposing a new policy that barred reporters from accessing the building altogether unless they are accompanied by a government escort. The judge ruled that the interim policy violated his March order. But the escort policy remained in place when an appeals court stayed part of Friedman’s ruling while the government appeals. The appeals process is ongoing.

The new lawsuit, filed by the paper and reporter Barnes in District of Columbia district court, aims to get the courts to directly address the escort rule on constitutional grounds.

In the filing, the paper contends the rule, like other Pentagon media restrictions, has a clear aim — “closing the Pentagon to any journalist or news organization unwilling to report only what Department officials approve.”

This, it contends, is “patently unconstitutional.”

The Pentagon has denied that it is trying to force journalists to get approval for their stories, and is instead trying to prevent leaks of highly sensitive information.

Parnell, in his X post Monday, asserted that The Times and its journalists “want to roam the halls of the Pentagon freely and without an escort — a privilege that they do not have in any other federal building.”

He added: “The Department’s policy is completely lawful and narrowly designed to protect national security information from unlawful criminal disclosure.”

美加州回教中心发生枪击 五人包括两名少年嫌疑人死亡

2026年5月19日 07:08 / 联合早报

美国媒体称，发生枪击事件的回教中心是圣迭戈地区最大的回教堂。这家回教中心还设有学校，教授阿拉伯语和宗教课程。 （路透社）

美国加利福尼亚州圣迭戈市一家回教中心发生枪击事件，包括两名青少年嫌疑人在内的五人死亡。

路透社报道，这起枪击事件发生在星期一（5月18日）上午。警方于上午11时40分左右（新加坡时间19日凌晨2时40分）接到报警，迅速调派上百名警力赶往现场封锁。

加州圣迭戈市（San Diego）警方在新闻发布会上说，枪手开火时，三名成年男性在室外遇害，其中一人为这家回教中心的保安。

一名警方官员说，遇害的保安“在减轻袭击严重程度方面发挥了至关重要的作用”。

两名嫌疑人分别为17岁和19岁的青少年，似乎死于开枪自尽，他们的尸体在回教中心附近一辆车内被发现。

警方说，目前将枪击事件视为一起“仇恨犯罪”，正与联邦调查局（FBI）合作展开深入调查。

美国总统特朗普当天在白宫一场活动上对媒体说，他已听取关于这起枪击事件的简报，“情况糟糕”。

据美媒报道，遇袭回教中心是圣迭戈地区最大的回教堂。这家回教中心还设有学校，教授阿拉伯语和宗教课程。

Apologies and cash headed to alleged ‘weaponization’ victims in billion-dollar Trump settlement

2026-05-18T14:57:14-04:00 / Fox News

Acting AG Todd Blanche says the fund will compensate and formally apologize to those alleging government weaponization

By Elaine Mallon, Fox News

Published May 18, 2026 2:57pm EDT

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The Justice Department has created a $1.776 billion fund for people who allege they were victims of federal government “lawfare” as part of a settlement agreement in President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.

The Anti-Weaponization Fund creates a formal process for Americans alleging they were targeted through politically motivated actions by the Justice Department under previous administrations. The program is set to expire a month before the end of Trump’s second term.

The fund was created as part of an agreement for Trump and his sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., to drop the $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS they filed in January.

“The machinery of government should never be weaponized against any American, and it is this Department’s intention to make right the wrongs that were previously done while ensuring this never happens again,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “As part of this settlement, we are setting up a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.”

NEW YORK DEFENSE ATTORNEY ARGUES LEGAL SYSTEM WAS WEAPONIZED AGAINST TRUMP

President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, for high-stakes talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

Trump and his sons are ineligible to receive compensation from the fund but will receive a formal apology, according to the Justice Department.

Trump also agreed to withdraw two additional claims for damages, one stemming from the “unlawful” FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago and the other related to the “Russia-collusion hoax,” in which Obama officials are accused of manipulating intelligence reports on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.

The Justice Department is investigating former CIA Director John Brennan based on allegations that he lied to Congress about the resources the CIA used to craft its intelligence report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The fund will have the authority to issue formal apologies and financial compensation to claimants. Funding will come from a permanent congressional appropriation that allows the Justice Department to settle cases. Participation will be voluntary, and there will be no partisan or political requirement to file a claim.

Critics, however, argue the program could allow the administration to compensate Trump allies and supporters who claim they were unfairly investigated or prosecuted.

Former FBI Director James Comey — who was charged by the Justice Department after posting an Instagram photo of seashells arranged to spell “86-47,” which officials interpreted as a threat against President Donald Trump — slammed the creation of the fund.

Former FBI Director James Comey attends an event in New York City.(Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

“It just can’t be the way we operate,” Comey said in an interview with ABC News. “We can’t set up a multi-million-dollar ATM at Mar-a-Lago for people who’ve committed crimes. It just isn’t the way we are. It’s not consistent with our values. Eventually, the Department of Justice will right itself, but we’re gonna have to ride out a hard two years.”

A five-member commission appointed by the U.S. attorney general will oversee the fund. One commissioner will be selected in consultation with congressional leadership. The president will retain authority to remove commissioners, though replacements must be selected through the same process used for the departing member.

DOJ ACCELERATES SETTLEMENT OFFERS IN CAMP LEJEUNE WATER CONTAMINATION CASES

The fund is expected to end on Dec. 15, 2028, and any money remaining after the fund ceases operations will return to the federal government.

An image shows the Department of Justice building with an overlay of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

The Justice Department pointed to the Obama administration’s creation of “Keepseagle,” a $760 million fund created to compensate people alleging they were victims of racism by the federal government, as the legal precedent for this new fund.

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However, the Justice Department stated that $300 million of what remained from the fund was distributed to nonprofits and organizations that never filed claims.

Safeguards will be implemented to protect private information and prevent fraud, including the fund issuing quarterly reports to the attorney general detailing who received relief and what type of relief was granted, according to the Justice Department.

The White House referred Fox News Digital to the Justice Department for comment.

Elaine Mallon is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business covering national politics.

Shipment of Kim Kardashian brand underwear used to hide cocaine worth $9.4 million, U.K. police say

May 18, 2026 / 2:36 PM EDT / CBS/AP

A British court sentenced a truck driver to prison for smuggling $9.4 million worth of cocaine in a shipment of underwear and clothing from Skims, Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand, authorities said Monday.

The National Crime Agency said Jakub Jan Konkel, 40, was driving a truck carrying 28 pallets of Skims clothing from the Netherlands when he was stopped by border officials at a port in Essex in September.

The agency said Konkel had stopped on the way to collect 90 kilograms (198 pounds) of cocaine, and that the truck had been specially adapted so that he could hide the drugs, wrapped in 1-kilogram (2.2-pound) packages, in a compartment of the truck’s back doors.

In a social media post, the NCA released three images of the purported drugs inside the merchandise.

A lorry driver has been jailed for smuggling more than £7m worth of cocaine hidden on a vehicle carrying a consignment of Kim Kardashian’s Skims underwear and clothing.

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Read the full story ➡️ https://t.co/eDNg4AmFla

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— National Crime Agency (NCA) (@NCA_UK) May 18, 2026

The agency said the shipment of clothing was legitimate and neither the exporter nor importer were connected to the smuggled load.

Konkel, who initially denied knowing anything about the cocaine, eventually confessed he had agreed to transport the drugs for a payment of 4,500 euros ($5,243), according to the agency.

He was sentenced to 13½ years in prison for drug smuggling at Chelmsford Crown Court.

“Organised crime groups use corrupt drivers like Konkel to move Class A drugs often hidden on entirely legitimate loads such as this,” NCA operations manager Paul Orchard said in a statement. “The detection and investigation have removed a significant amount of cocaine whose profits are lost to the crime group behind the smuggling attempt, and with Konkel they’ve lost an important enabler.”

FAA says it failed to address warning signals before fatal 2025 Washington D.C. collision

2026-05-18 16:07:29 UTC / Reuters

By David Shepardson

May 18, 2026 4:07 PM UTC Updated 3 hours ago

Item 1 of 2 A crane retrieves part of the wreckage from the Potomac River, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the river, by the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., February 5, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo

[1/2]A crane retrieves part of the wreckage from the Potomac River, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the river, by the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., February 5, 2025. … Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tabRead more

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) – The head of the Federal Aviation Administration will tell Congress on Tuesday the ​agency failed to act on warnings prior to the January 2025 fatal collision ‌between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people near Reagan Washington National Airport.

In January, the National Transportation Safety Board said a series of systemic failures by the Federal Aviation Administration ​led to a devastating mid-air collision that was the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster in ​more than two decades.

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“Our airspace system was providing warning signals prior to ⁠that tragic evening. The issue was not a lack of data — it was a failure ​to translate that data into action,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford will tell a U.S. Senate Commerce ​subcommittee in written testimony. “That is the gap we are urgently closing.”

Bedford noted the FAA has taken a series of steps to improve safety, including in March suspending use of visual separation between airplanes and helicopters at major airports.

The ​FAA in March cited two recent incidents in issuing the new rules including a near ​miss involving an American Airlines flight and police helicopter near the San Antonio airport.

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He said there is an ‌ongoing ⁠strategic sweeping reorganization of the FAA “that includes streamlining leadership roles (and) eliminating silos which hinder transparency and information sharing.”

The NTSB determined the collision was caused by the FAA’s decision to allow helicopters to travel close to the airport without safeguards to separate them from airplanes, and its failure to ​review data and act ​on recommendations to ⁠move helicopter traffic away from the airport.

Since 2021, there have been 15,200 air separation incidents near Reagan airport between commercial airplanes and helicopters, including 85 close-call ​events.

After the 2025 collision, the FAA restricted helicopter traffic around Reagan ​Airport and imposed ⁠restrictions at other airports including Baltimore, Las Vegas and Washington Dulles. It also reduced the arrival rate for planes at Reagan.

Separately, the U.S. Department of Transportation has urged Congress to approve another $10 ⁠billion to ​continue an air traffic control overhaul after awarding $12.5 billion ​last year.

“With more than 18,000,000 flights managed and over one billion passenger movements traveling across our skies annually, our current ​system has reached its limits,” Bedford said.

Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Reporter’s Notebook: Democrats say they can still flip the House despite GOP redistricting gains in the South

May 18, 2026 3:09pm EDT / Fox News

Rep. Bennie Thompson says flatly ‘it’s about race’ as states from Texas to South Carolina redraw maps

By Chad Pergram Fox News

Redistricting and race.

Democrats are beside themselves, watching what Republicans are doing on redistricting — especially in the South.

“What we’re seeing is an attack on legitimate opportunities for Black candidates to have representation here in Congress,” said Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., who is on track to lose his district in Mobile.

Democrats say they know what Republicans are up to.

“They’ve also been trying to eliminate teaching America’s history, right? Whitewashing America’s history,” said former Vice President Kamala Harris.

BLOCKBUSTER SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS RULING IGNITES REDISTRICTING WAR ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES

Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a fireside chat at MEET Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nev., on May 7, 2026.(Ian Maule/Getty Images)

States like Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama – and now Georgia and South Carolina are redrawing district maps for House Members. That’s after Missouri revamped its maps. Many of these new districts are squeezing out members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

In essence, Democrats see this as a “Southern Strategy” by the GOP, stamping out Black lawmakers.

“It’s about race,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee.

“I feel like I’ve been assaulted,” said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo.

“We’ve seen this before,” said Rep. Greg Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee.

“We’re looking at losing possibly 19 members of the Congressional Black Caucus because of this frankly racist redistricting efforts targeted towards disenfranchising Black voters across the country,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

Republicans say turnabout is fair play. They note that you can’t find a Republican anywhere in the six states which comprise New England.

“It’s out of whack. It’s out of balance. And I think Republicans are finally waking up given the legal landscape changes and going, ‘Well, maybe we need to reconsider the way that we do things in our state,’” said Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C.

South Carolina initially balked at drawing new maps. But the Palmetto State reversed course after President Trump demanded the state “get it done.” He instructed South Carolina Republicans to be “bold and courageous.”

Don’t forget that GOP Indiana state senators faced the President’s ire after the Hoosier State rejected his entreaties for redistricting there. The Trump White House waged an internecine campaign. President Trump’s allies toppled five Republican state senators who crossed him.

So South Carolina snapped to attention.

“The people of South Carolina are very supportive of President Donald Trump,” said Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC). “They understand perfectly that we’re in a conflict. A nationwide conflict.”

New maps in South Carolina could mean no Democrats in the state delegation. That could eliminate the district of former House Majority Whip and Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C. Clyburn first came to Capitol Hill in 1993. He’s widely regarded for salvaging the 2020 campaign of former President Biden, helping him ride to victory in the South Carolina primary.

Still, Democrats believe they can seize the House, even as Republicans try to squeeze the map through redistricting.

“There are 45 districts in play that we’ve identified as opportunities to flip in this upcoming midterm election,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

Democrats believe they’ll run up the scoreboard in California. Pluck off a couple of Republicans in Arizona and Colorado. Maybe one in Utah. Take a few in Texas after redistricting there. Make a play for a seat in Montana. Win a seat or two in Pennsylvania. Claim two seats in Virginia – despite the Virginia Supreme Court ruling there. Pick up a couple of seats in New Jersey and New York.

Remember that Democrats just need a net gain of three seats to secure the House majority.

However, that “blue wall” might not hold in all of New England this time around.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, is retiring. He’s one of the most moderate Democrats in Congress. Vice President JD Vance just traveled to Bangor, Maine, recently to talk about fraud – and boost the campaign prospects of former Republican Maine Gov. Paul LePage.

LePage is running to succeed Golden. Republicans are bullish about their chances in northern Maine.

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks during a “New York is Not For Sale” rally at Forest Hills Stadium on Oct. 26, 2025.(Stephani Spindel/VIEWpress via Getty Images)

LePage will be 78 if he wins – the oldest freshman in congressional history. However, this is ironic. Maine’s Democrat Gov. Janet Mills was running for Senate – but bowed out. Some Democrats believed she was too old. Mills would have been 79 as a freshman senator had she stayed in the race and prevailed.

But back to what faces the Democrats.

Democrats are trying to find their footing after the double whammy of the Supreme Court Voting Rights Act decision and the Virginia Supreme Court rejecting the statewide redistricting referendum. House Democrats huddled to discuss their battle plan.

“I’m more energized now than ever to make sure that we’re in the field, that we’re doing the work and whatever it has to take to win,” said Meeks.

“We’re going to win,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). That’s the House Democrats’ political arm.

“Democrats are prepared to use whatever levers we can to influence the outcome of the election,” said Thompson.

Some of this sounded a little like political pablum with no real direction.

Yours truly pressed Thompson.

“Respectfully, this all sounds kind of vague. You guys have a five-alarm fire now after those two court decisions, and I’m not hearing any specifics,” I countered Thompson.

“Well, you just stay tuned,” countered Thompson.

“How does that convince the voters, though?” your trusty reporter queried.

“Look,” said Thompson. “We are two weeks away from a crazy Supreme Court decision. You can’t expect anyone to come with a strategy right now.”

Two weeks after the decision which could hamstring Democrats’ chances to win the House? Never mind that the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case last year and oral arguments were in the fall. Democrats understood the gravity of this case and how it could chew into any plan to flip the House in the midterms.

Democrats are banking on Republicans overplaying their redistricting hands. But how Democrats energize their base wasn’t immediately clear after their conclave on the subject.

“The American public gets to make this decision. That’s a great thing about American democracy. And we’re working,” said Rep. Joe Morelle, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee.

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President Donald Trump speaks during a military Mother’s Day event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 6, 2026.(Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

But “working” doesn’t necessarily garner votes. It would be “news” if the Democrats weren’t working on the issue.

“That doesn’t sound like much of a concrete plan, though, Mr. Morelle?” yours truly interjected.

“I am not going to share my concrete plan with you,” replied Morelle.

A group of northern Democrats – ranging from Ocasio-Cortez to Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., headed to Montgomery, Ala., over the weekend to make the case against the GOP’s redistricting ploys.

“We shall overcome,” intoned Booker.

Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., son of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, is now imploring Black student-athletes who attend school in the South to enter the transfer portal and play instead in the North.

Yet another way to pit the Big Ten against the SEC.

Rallying in the South may rile up Black voters. But it won’t help Democrats take back the House if all they’re doing is driving up voter participation in districts Democrats can’t win – thanks to the redrawing of the boundaries.

However, if Democrats do succeed in getting people to the polls – yet the playing field is tilted against them – we could be in for an econometric anomaly this fall.

It was a presidential election year in 2012. Democrats failed to win control of the House after losing it in a 2010 midterm shellacking. With President Obama on the ballot, Democrats secured nearly 1.6 million more votes than Republicans in House races nationwide in 2012. Yet Democrats failed to win the House.

Republicans won control of the House from the Democrats in 1994 for the first time in four decades. But with President Clinton handily riding to a second term in 1996, Democrats still struggled to win back the House. Democrats outpaced Republicans in the popular vote for the House that year by nearly 300,000 votes nationally.

Democrats have redrawn lines in their favor in California. But Republicans appear to have superseded that with their lines in the South. It’s a distinct possibility that Democrats could command more popular votes for House seats nationwide – and not get back the House. This statistical phenomenon is even more glaring that the party with the most popular votes fails to control the House in a midterm – not a presidential election year when a sitting executive is returned to the White House in the cases of Presidents Clinton and Obama.

That’s why some Democrats believe they should have been even more aggressive with redistricting.

Maryland is a case study. The Democratically-controlled state took a pass.

“I believe that we had an opportunity to do that. I supported it, and I still believe that would have been the right course for us to take,” said Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md. “These are extraordinary times And I think we should take extraordinary measures to protect the opportunity to have those votes counted.”

Maryland would have made the entire state blue, drawing out of his seat Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., chair of the House Freedom Caucus.

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Democrats see the GOP tactics as an existential political threat. President Trump commanded about one-fifth of Black male voters in 2024. And that’s why Democrats are framing this fight around civil rights.

It’s a race about redistricting. But Democrats also see this as a race – about race.

Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.