Battle lines drawn as Missouri court blocks Trump-backed US House map Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. Your Kansas City-based district had been dismantled under the redrawn map. “Despite the cynical and deeply shameful attempt to silence many of our neighbors, the people fought back and won,” Cleaver said in a social media post Thursday. The decision marked a setback for Republicans in a national redistricting battle, the AP reported, as Republicans hoped Missouri’s new congressional boundaries could help them gain an additional seat and maintain their slim majority in the House of Representatives. midterm elections. “The referendum petition was legal, sufficient and timely, and the secretary incorrectly concluded otherwise,” the court said in its ruling. The legislation containing the new districts “did not go into effect and will not go into effect until approved by voters.” As a result, the congressional map adopted after the 2020 census “remains in full force and effect for the November 2026 general election.” Meanwhile, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Republican who backed the redrawn map, said on X: “We are extremely disappointed by today’s decision by unelected judges and their lack of respect for the legislative process.” Trump condemned the ruling in a post on Truth Social, saying it was “a dark day for ‘justice’ in Missouri.” But Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians, told reporters that “Missouri’s constitution says what it says, and those words.” He added, “This is what democracy looks like. The people of Missouri demanded a voice, and the court just confirmed what we’ve been saying all along. The people, not the politicians, will have the final say.” Chuck Schumer said the president was “[attempting] destroy the integrity of our elections” with this measure. Excavation work on Donald Trump’s “Grand Arch of Triumph” project in Washington will begin in the coming weeks, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said. Congressman Don Beyer, whose district includes Arlington National Cemetery, described the arch project as “illegal, adding to the gridlock.” [and] The Maryland Supreme Court has decided that a Democratic-backed congressional redistricting amendment can go before the state’s voters in November in a victory for Democrats. Donald Trump announced an acting replacement for Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who suddenly resigned earlier this week amid reports of tension between him and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has been asked to testify before a congressional subcommittee as part of an investigation into the “misallocation” of federal funds by the region’s Homeless Services Authority. Congressman Robert Garcia described the move as “another attempt by Donald Trump and House Republicans to launch a witch hunt against Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles.” ShareKey Events John Fetterman is reportedly skipping his Senate duties to focus on Israel and his appearances in conservative media. More than three years into his Senate term, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has been frequently dodging work, as well as his own constituents, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday night. Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, was once his party’s favorite, but has aligned himself more closely with Republicans since his 2022 election. Now, the Journal reports that Fetterman has relinquished many of the duties of his office to focus on supporting Israel and appearing in conservative media. Fetterman has reportedly made a habit of denying or canceling meetings with constituents, including, in one case, rescuing a group of paralyzed veterans who had arrived at his office. Not long after informing his staff that he wasn’t feeling well enough to attend the meeting, Fetterman reportedly appeared in the office looking unwell and told staff that he had an interview with Fox News that he didn’t want to miss. In another notable incident, Fetterman allegedly refused to attend the funeral of three police officers killed near York, Pennsylvania, after learning that the event would last three hours or more. expected duration. Share Updated at 1:47 PM BSTR Russia’s state news agency Tass said the two US envoys seeking to end the war between Russia and Ukraine would visit both countries on Saturday and Sunday, but the Kremlin declined to comment. President Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, last visited Moscow in January, when they held four hours of late-night talks with President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. “I would not make any announcement at this time, but we will inform you when these contacts occur,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about the Tass report. ShareUpdated at 12.58 BSTUwa Ede-Osifo A race for the Missouri House of Representatives has been shaken by the arrest Wednesday of Republican candidate Thomas Ross, whom prosecutors accuse of trying to frame his primary opponent, Louise Secker, for cocaine possession. In June, Ross allegedly gave his former campaign manager, identified by the initials “CS” in court documents, a bag of cocaine and Adderall. The two allegedly devised a plan to have the former manager hide the drugs in Secker’s purse or vehicle. On June 21, prosecutors said, Ross asked for an update on the plot. “Didn’t you have any luck with the bottom line?” he wrote in a text message to his employee. “Substance” was a euphemism for narcotics, authorities say. “In fact, I’m sneaking up to the car show right now to see if I can see your car. I’ve had it with me for a couple of days so I can make the most of any opportunity that presents itself,” the former manager responded, according to court documents. “I thought I had it on the forum Walter went to, but I never went near it. [and] The car was locked.” The Joplin, Missouri, police department alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on July 30 to a matter of public corruption. It is unclear how police were alerted to the alleged scheme. The next day, the federal agency gave the former manager a covert recording device, which he used to record a conversation with Ross.SharePresident Donald Trump said Thursday that he will ask the Europeans to return US aid given to Ukraine under his administration. predecessor Joe Biden.Trump has long demanded that Europeans bear a greater share of the cost of Western support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, which began more than four years ago. “Hundreds of billions of dollars were given to Ukraine and NATO, for free, that Europe would have paid for; If only they had asked for it, but we will ask for that money, although with some delay! Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Thursday. The president did not specify which countries he believed should pay. Share Battle lines drawn as Missouri court blocks Trump-backed US House map Hello and welcome to the Emanuel Cleaver US politics live blog. His Kansas City-based district had been dismantled under the redrawn map. “Despite the cynical and deeply shameful attempt to silence many of our neighbors, the people fought back and won,” Cleaver said in a social media post Thursday. The decision marked a setback for Republicans in a national redistricting battle, the AP reported, as Republicans hoped Missouri’s new congressional boundaries could help them gain an additional seat and maintain their slim majority in the House of Representatives. midterm elections. “The referendum petition was legal, sufficient and timely, and the secretary incorrectly concluded otherwise,” the court said in its ruling. The legislation containing the new districts “did not go into effect and will not go into effect until approved by voters.” As a result, the congressional map adopted after the 2020 census “remains in full force and effect for the November 2026 general election.” Meanwhile, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Republican who backed the redrawn map, said on X: “We are extremely disappointed by today’s decision by unelected judges and their lack of respect for the legislative process.” Trump condemned the ruling in a post on Truth Social, saying it was “a dark day for ‘justice’ in Missouri.” But Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians, told reporters that “Missouri’s constitution says what it says, and those words matter.” He added: “This is what democracy looks like. The people of Missouri demanded a voice and the court just confirmed what we have been saying all along. The final say will be with the people, not the politicians.” In other developments: The Trump administration filed an emergency request asking the US Supreme Court to lift the order preventing the USPS from implementing restrictions on voting by mail. Chuck Schumer said the president was “[attempting] destroy the integrity of our elections” with this measure. Excavation work on Donald Trump’s “Grand Arch of Triumph” project in Washington will begin in the coming weeks, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said. Congressman Don Beyer, whose district includes Arlington National Cemetery, described the arch project as “illegal, adding to the gridlock.” [and] The Maryland Supreme Court has decided that a Democratic-backed congressional redistricting amendment can go before the state’s voters in November in a victory for Democrats. Donald Trump announced an acting replacement for Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who suddenly resigned earlier this week amid reports of tension between him and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has been asked to testify before a congressional subcommittee as part of an investigation into the “misallocation” of federal funds by the region’s Homeless Services Authority. Congressman Robert Garcia described the move as “another attempt by Donald Trump and House Republicans to launch a witch hunt against Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles.” Share
