Southwest
High-stakes map fight: Here are the next battlegrounds in the Trump vs. Democrats redistricting showdown
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
In the high-stakes battle over congressional redistricting, President Donald Trump suffered a stinging setback this week, days after the Supreme Court handed him a major victory.
After months of arm-twisting by the president, top allies and aligned groups, the GOP-dominated Indiana Senate on Thursday voted down a new map championed by Trump that would have created two more right-leaning congressional districts in the solidly red Midwestern state, where Republicans control seven of Indiana’s nine U.S. House seats.
The showdown in Indiana came a week after the Supreme Court cleared the way for Republican-dominated Texas to use its newly redrawn map, which creates five more right-leaning House seats.
Indiana was the latest battleground in Trump’s aggressive national campaign to reshape congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms, when Republicans, as the party in power, will likely face traditional political headwinds as they defend their razor-thin House majority.
STUNNING SETBACK FOR TRUMP IN REDISTRICTING WARS
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith announces the results of a vote to redistrict the state’s congressional map, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. (Michael Conroy/AP Photo)
By championing rare but not unheard-of mid-decade redistricting, Trump is aiming to prevent what happened during his first term in the White House when Democrats reclaimed the House majority in the 2018 midterm elections.
Democrats are pushing back, as they hope to negate the push by the president and his allies.
BIG WIN FOR TRUMP AS SUPREME COURT GREENLIGHTS TEXAS’ NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP
Here’s a look at where things stand, and what’s next in the fierce fight over redrawing the maps.
Current balance of power
Republicans currently hold a 220-213 majority in the House, with two Democratic-held seats vacant.
But the number of GOP lawmakers in the chamber will drop to 219 early next month when Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a MAGA firebrand who had a falling out with the president, leaves.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a MAGA firebrand who had a falling out with President Donald Trump, announced she’ll resign from Congress in January. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
A special election will be held on Jan. 31 to fill the seat left vacant when Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner of Texas died last March.
And a special election will be held on April 16 to fill the seat left vacant when Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill resigned last month after being elected New Jersey governor.
As of now, the Democrats need a net gain of three seats to win back the House majority in next year’s midterms.
Where things stand in redistricting wars
Six states have new congressional maps: California, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio and Utah.
The Republican pickup of five seats in Texas is canceled out by the drawing of five more left-leaning seats in Democratic-dominated California.
HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN CHAIR WANTS TRUMP ‘OUT THERE ON THE TRAIL’ IN MIDTERM BATTLE FOR MAJORITY
The GOP gains two more right-leaning seats in Ohio, and one each in Missouri and North Carolina. But a Utah district judge last month rejected a congressional district map drawn up by the state’s GOP-dominated legislature and instead approved an alternate that will create a Democratic-leaning district ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Do the math, and Republicans theoretically have a three-seat advantage right now in the redistricting wars.
But that’s far from written in stone.
Democratic opponents of redistricting in Missouri submitted thousands of petition signatures calling for a statewide referendum vote on the state’s new maps, which could put the GOP redistricting in jeopardy.
In Utah, Republicans are hoping an appeal will overturn the court-ordered map.
It’s far from certain that Democrats will sweep all five newly drawn left-leaning districts in California and that Republicans will do likewise in Texas. And Democrats in Ohio are confident they can still make a play for the two newly drawn districts that tilt further to the right.
What’s next
Republicans are looking to GOP-controlled Florida, where early redistricting moves are underway in Tallahassee. A new map could possibly produce up to five more right-leaning seats. But conservative Gov. Ron DeSantis and GOP legislative leaders don’t see eye-to-eye on how to move forward.
Governor Ron DeSantis, seen speaking to reporters during a press conference in Ochopee, Florida, on July 25, 2025, supports congressional redistricting in his state. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Democrats have their eyes on Virginia, where the Democratic Party holds majorities in both chambers of the legislature. A new map in the Commonwealth could produce up to four more left-leaning districts.
Other states that might step into the redistricting wars — Democratic-dominated Illinois and Maryland, and two red states with Democratic governors, Kentucky and Kansas.
The wildcard
Hovering over the redistricting wars is the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule in Louisiana v. Callais, a crucial case which may lead to the overturning of a key provision in the Voting Rights Act.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
If the ruling goes the way of the conservatives on the high court, it could lead to the redrawing of a slew of majority-minority districts across the county, which would greatly favor Republicans.
But it is very much up in the air — when the court will rule, and what it will actually do.
Read the full article from Here
Los Angeles, Ca
Ritzy Pasadena hotel settles lawsuit for allegedly price gouging wildfire victims
The corporation that owns the Langham Huntington Pasadena has settled a civil lawsuit claiming the luxury hotel hiked room rates while more than 200,000 residents evacuated their homes during the pair of deadly and destructive wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles area in January of 2025. The lawsuit, filed by the Los Angeles County District […]
Los Angeles, Ca
Southern California braces for 110-degree heat, thunderstorms this week
Southern California is bracing for a hot and muggy week ahead, with heat watches in place and a chance of thunderstorms across the mountains and desert regions.
Temperatures are expected to increase each day into midweek, prompting officials to extend a heat advisory until 10 a.m. Tuesday, when it will transition to an extreme heat watch for even warmer conditions through Thursday evening.
Temperatures are expected to peak on Wednesday, with many locations topping 100 degrees and some reaching 110, according to the National Weather Service.
“Monsoonal moisture moving over the area will add to the discomfort, also bringing the potential for showers and thunderstorms each day,” the Weather Service said.
Those thunderstorms are most likely to occur over the mountain and desert areas as subtropical moisture is drawn into the region by a strong ridge of high pressure.
Temperatures along the coast may even reach the 90s by midweek, with very warm temperatures continuing through the night.
“Given the extreme heat and humidity, it’s highly recommended to complete outdoor activities as early as possible,” the Weather Service said.
The high pressure is expected to slowly weaken Thursday, bringing afternoon highs to within a few degrees of normal in most areas by Friday.
Los Angeles, Ca
Rare, corpse flower double bloom underway at Huntington Library
Two rare corpse flowers have begun to bloom simultaneously at the Huntington Library in San Marino, the nonprofit organization announced Sunday evening.
Odorysseus, the taller of the two flowers, bloomed first. A second, smaller corpse flower named Odora appears to be following close behind.
The Huntington Library is inviting visitors to take in the flowers’ unique aroma, which is often compared to rotting flesh.
“And so it begins,” the Huntington Library wrote on social media.
Odora is shaped a bit differently than Odorysseus because its spadix is inverted due to a developmental irregularity. This is not expected to affect the blooming of the flower.
“Plot twist!” the Huntington Library wrote on Instagram. “Odora wants to steal the spotlight. Odora’s spathe has started opening, too. Tiny but mighty, we’re in for quite the show with a double bloom.”
The Huntington is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday, and is closed on Tuesdays. Reservations are required Friday through Sunday, on holidays, and during peak seasons. “Twilight stroll” hours are available on the Huntington’s website.
The public can also watch a live stream of the bloom on the organization’s YouTube channel.
-
World21 seconds agoIran-backed terror proxy Houthis threaten fresh attacks after Yemen airport strike
-
Politics6 minutes agoHegseth announces joint task force with DOJ to prosecute leaks to journalists ‘with the full force of the law’
-
Health12 minutes agoMicrowaved squishy toy explodes onto boy’s face and chest amid viral trend, causing horrific burns
-
Sports18 minutes agoFBI, Atlanta police target unauthorized drones flying near World Cup venues
-
Technology24 minutes agoWhy careful people still end up on data broker sites
-
Business30 minutes agoNetflix to add videos from digital publishers to its homepage
-
Entertainment36 minutes agoTom Segura and Christina Pazsitzky split after 18 years of marriage
-
Lifestyle42 minutes agoLike ‘rotten flesh’? Thousands rush to whiff double corpse flower at Huntington

