Redistricting fight heads to grand finale in Virginia, Florida

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Redistricting battle finale

Israel-Lebanon ceasefire

Trump’s CDC nomination

Dems’ Q1 fundraising edge

The months-long arms race between the states to squeeze out as many pickup opportunities for the midterm elections as possible is coming to an end as the final states decide whether to alter their electoral maps before November.

Virginia and Florida are the last hope for both parties to gerrymander new districts and boost their chances of winning a House majority for next year.

The Old Dominion will go first, with voters set to head to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in a referendum deciding whether the state should redistrict from its current map, in which Democrats hold a 6-5 seat edge. The map proposed by the Virginia state Legislature would make Democrats favored to win all but one of its 11 congressional districts, a potential pickup of four seats.

A few recent polls have shown a close race, and both sides can point to data suggesting optimism for the vote.

After Maryland Democrats failed to redraw their lines for the midterms, Virginia is Democrats’ last chance to make gains through redistricting ahead of November.

Meanwhile, the Sunshine State represents Republicans’ last chance, as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has advocated for a special session of the state Legislature to redraw its lines. DeSantis announced Thursday that he would delay the special session from next week to the following week as state lawmakers deal with budget negotiations, but he has pledged the session will happen.

If Florida goes through with the redistricting plan, Republicans could gain as many as five seats, essentially nullifying gains that Democrats hope to make in Virginia.

Tit-for-tat offsets have been the theme of the entire redistricting battle since Texas kicked it off last summer.

After Texas lawmakers passed a map that could allow the GOP to net up to five seats in November, California quickly responded with a ballot measure allowing it to conduct its own redistricting. That measure easily passed, and state lawmakers passed a new map potentially giving Democrats up to five seats, canceling out the gains from Texas.

The GOP was able to redistrict in North Carolina and may gain a seat from the new map, but Democrats are likely to cancel that gain out following a surprise court ruling in Utah that created a new district they’re likely to win.

Republicans may pick up a seat in Missouri, but a citizen-led push is trying to get a measure on the ballot to overturn that.

Ohio was required under its state constitution to redraw its lines, but the few districts that shifted toward Republicans in that process will still be in play for Democrats in November. And Indiana Republicans rebuffed pressure from President Trump to redraw their state’s lines, keeping the current map in place.

Republicans seem likely to come out on top at the end of this process, but their edge will almost certainly be much narrower than many in the party hoped. And it won’t be enough to significantly dim Democrats’ hopes of winning back control of the chamber, especially given signs of an increasingly favorable environment for the party out of power.

Political observers are also eagerly awaiting a pending ruling from the Supreme Court on Louisiana’s current map and its broader ramifications for the Voting Rights Act. A majority of the court seemed to lean toward limiting the use of race in the redistricting process, a decision that would have seismic ripple effects on states throughout the country.

But that decision is unlikely to impact this year’s midterms, as the filing deadlines in many states have already passed.

▪ WTOP: Early voting picks up in Northern Virginia for referendum.

▪ The Washington Post: Dark money pours millions into Virginia race.

Smart Take with Blake Burman

We have been focusing on rising gas prices over the last few months, but electricity costs are moving up as well. Residents in West Viriginia are sharing stories of increasing utility costs that rival some mortgages. As Trump took his economic pitch out on the road Thursday, I asked Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) about what the current environment could mean for Republicans in the midterm elections.

“I think the question is going to be: Is this the economic backdrop when we’re rolling past August?” He went on to say, “Once people start to plug in, you get past August, kids are back in school, election is running hot and heavy, that’s going to be the real question.”

There’s 145 days between Tax Day and Labor Day. Republicans have been making the argument that around now is when the president’s policies would kick in across the country. Selling the economy kicks into overdrive for them now, as polling shows Americans want to feel better about the state of their finances.

Burman hosts “The Hill” weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation.

Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), plans to leave his role at the end of May after more than a year leading the agency. He plans to return to the private sector after decades working for ICE.

The president plans to nominate Cameron Hamilton to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency, less than a year after he was pushed out of the role, multiple outlets reported. That came after he testified before Congress opposing calls to eliminate the agency.

Trump said Thursday that he would be “OK” with Congress holding public hearings with the survivors of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. His comment comes after first lady Melania Trump and Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) said they would support holding such hearings.

Tracer rounds illuminate the night sky as people fire live ammunition and fireworks into the air following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, in Beirut, Lebanon, April 17, 2026. (Hassan Ammar, Associated Press)

LEBANON CEASEFIRE: An obstacle toward a permanent peace agreement with Iran may have been partially cleared Thursday as Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire after its officials met in Washington, D.C., earlier this week.

However, Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy group in Lebanon that has been fighting Israel, was not party to the talks or the agreement, casting doubt on how long it might hold.

Trump said he had an “excellent conversation” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and that they agreed to a ceasefire starting 5 p.m. EDT Thursday.

“Both sides want to see PEACE, and I believe that will happen, quickly!” he said in a post on Truth Social.

Although a Hezbollah official had said ahead of the talks that the militant group wouldn’t abide by any deal reached from the meeting, Trump said it is included in the ceasefire.

Iran has insisted that the two-week ceasefire it agreed to with the U.S. includes Israel pausing its attacks on Hezbollah. The U.S. and Israel had said the ongoing ceasefire with Iran does not include Lebanon, but the president has pressed Netanyahu to deescalate the situation after a wave of deadly attacks last week.

Trump said Netanyahu and Aoun would meet in Washington in the next week or two, which would mark the first direct talks between the two countries in more than 40 years.

But significant hurdles remain in the way of the U.S. and Iran achieving a permanent end to the war. Talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, last weekend failed to produce an agreement, and the ceasefire with Iran is set to expire in the middle of next week.

The U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is adding pressure on Tehran to continue peace talks but also risks roiling global energy markets if it isn’t lifted soon, The Hill’s Ellen Mitchell reports.

Trump has suggested another round of talks could happen soon, but nothing has been scheduled yet.

▪ The Hill: Trump says he may go to Islamabad if deal is reached there.

▪ The Hill: Budget director declines to share cost of Iran war.

EXTRA TIME: The House voted early Friday to give itself more time to reach a deal extending the country’s foreign spy powers after a group of GOP holdouts rejected a last-minute deal.

The chamber voted unanimously to push the expiration date of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) from this Monday until April 30. The bill now goes to the Senate, which must pass it and get it to Trump’s desk ahead of the Monday deadline to prevent any gap in implementation.

The provision of FISA permits the federal government to spy on foreigners located abroad without getting a warrant, but some privacy-minded lawmakers have expressed concerns about Americans’ communications with those under surveillance getting swept up along the way. They’ve demanded reforms to the law before agreeing to an extension.

House Republican leadership put forward a late compromise measure to extend Section 702 by five years while adding in new language on warrants and enhanced penalties for violations. But 12 Republicans voted with almost all Democrats against the proposal, forcing leadership to settle on the short-term measure.

NEW CDC NOMINEE: Trump announced Thursday that he’s nominating Erica Schwartz, who served as deputy surgeon general during the president’s first term, as his pick to become the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Schwartz’s nomination is the president’s third for the role since returning to office and comes more than six months after Trump fired Susan Monarez in August, less than a month after she was confirmed to the role by the Senate. The position has been vacant since then, with former Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya leading the agency in acting roles.

Trump also announced he chose Sean Slovenski to serve as the agency’s CEO, Jennifer Shuford to be its chief medical officer and Sara Brenner to be Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s senior counselor for public health.

Politico notes Schwartz is considered an establishment pick for the role, without ties to the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.

▪ The Hill: Kennedy grilled over vaccines, MAHA in congressional hearings.

▪ The Hill: Kennedy’s new podcast.

SPECIAL ELECTION: Democrat Analilia Mejia won an open House seat in New Jersey in a special election Thursday, setting her party up to further narrow the GOP’s majority.

Mejia, who served as a top aide for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) 2020 presidential campaign, defeated Republican Joe Hathaway for the seat vacated by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D). Her victory in the left-leaning district didn’t come as a surprise.

But the win is critical for Democrats to put more pressure on the tight Republican majority in the House. Once she is sworn in, Republicans will hold a 217-214 advantage, with one independent caucusing with the GOP.

▪ The Hill: Candidate announces run for Wisconsin Supreme Court.

MURDER-SUICIDE: Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) shot and killed his wife before killing himself Thursday amid divorce proceedings in which he lost custody of his children, according to court records.

Fairfax had been ordered to leave his family’s home after years of becoming increasingly isolated and acting erratically, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis told reporters that the former state official appeared to have fatally shot his wife, Cerina, multiple times in the basement of their home in Annandale before shooting himself with the same firearm in the main upstairs bedroom.

Fairfax and his wife had continued to live in the same house but were staying in separate bedrooms as divorce proceedings played out. Their two teenage children were home at the time of the shootings, and their son called 911, Davis said.

Fairfax served as lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022 under former Gov. Ralph Northam (D). He had been considered a top possible candidate to succeed Northam, but two women’s accusations of sexual assault against Fairfax derailed his career.

Fairfax denied the allegations and stayed in office, but he came in fourth place in the 2021 Democratic gubernatorial primary.

▪ The Washington Post: Fairfax’s rapid rise flamed out after scandal.

The president will participate in executive time at 8 a.m. He will depart from Las Vegas, Nev., to deliver remarks at a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix, Ariz., at 2 p.m. He will leave Phoenix later to return to the White House.

The Senate will meet at 10 a.m.

The House is out today.

The Federal Election Commission emblem is seen at the Federal Election Commission headquarters in Washington, Aug. 10, 2023. (Stephanie Scarbrough, Associated Press file)

BLUE EDGE: Democratic Senate candidates are off to a dominant start in 2026 fundraising as they seek to win back a majority in the upper chamber.

Wednesday was the first deadline of the year for Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings, giving an early indication of where candidates stand in their fundraising totals just more than six months before Election Day.

As The Hill’s Julia Mueller and Caroline Vakil report, the first three months of 2026 showed positive signs for Democrats.

Texas state Rep. James Talarico topped Democrats’ totals, bringing in a record-setting first-quarter haul of $27 million. He is awaiting the winner of a GOP runoff between Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), who raised $9 million, and state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who raised $2.2 million.

One of the most vulnerable incumbent Democrats, Sen. Jon Ossoff (Ga.), raised about $14 million, as did former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D), who is running for an open seat. Some Democrats fell short in fundraising, as GOP Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) has significantly more cash on hand than either of her two potential Democratic opponents, Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Graham Platner.

But the large hauls show signs of Democratic momentum as the party becomes more bullish about flipping the Senate.

Read more takeaways from this quarter’s FEC filings here.

▪ Washington Examiner: National Dems increasingly falling behind GOP in money.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reacts to his supporters during an address marking his first 100 days in office at the Knockdown Center, April 12, 2026, in New York. (Andres Kudacki, Associated Press)

LOCAL PUSHBACK: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) is facing pushback over his plan to open five city-owned grocery stores as critics question its feasibility and potential impact on local businesses.

Mamdani announced the location of the first of his planned stores at a rally marking his first 100 days as mayor Sunday. He is envisioning one city-owned market in each of New York’s five boroughs, set to open in the next few years.

The pledge is a key promise from his stunning successful mayoral campaign last year.

But The Hill’s Sarah Fortinsky reports many grocery and bodega owners in the city say the plan would give city-owned stores an unfair advantage as they would be able to avoid costs that private businesses must absorb.

“To have the city decide to open a store in the same neighborhood in which our members are operating at already low margins — because running a store in the city is very expensive, extremely expensive — we feel that it’s a big slap in the face to us,” National Supermarket Association Antonio Pena told Gothamist.

“You’re going to have people rushing to these stores early in the morning to late at night, waiting on long lines. You know, it’s going to be more turmoil than anything else,” United Bodegas of America spokesperson Fernando Mateo said.

But Mamdani has pushed forward with his proposal as part of his plan to lower prices for New Yorkers struggling with the cost of living.

▪ The Hill: Mamdani, New York governor team up on second-home tax.

Spanberger’s fall from grace wasn’t ‘stunning’ — it was predictable, Cayley Tull writes in The Hill.

Vancing the night away, Kimberley A. Strassel writes in The Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. Capitol is photographed on April 7, 2026, in Washington. (Rahmat Gul, Associated Press)

And finally … 👏👏👏 Congrats to this week’s Morning Report quiz winners! They kicked off the weekend with some facts about the prospect of getting kicked out of Congress.

Here’s who went 4/4: Harry Strulovici, Stan Wasser, Phil Kirstein, Rick Schmidtke, Michael Salanik, Richard Baznik, Marcia Gatlin, Linda L. Field, Mark Ryan, Jenessa Wagner, Andre Larroque, Ned Sauthoff, William Chittam, Dennis Barksdale, Robert Bradley, Steve James, M. Whitehouse, Luther Berg and Carmine Petracca.

Before George Santos, there were just five members of the House who had been expelled from their office.

The operation that resulted in the expulsion of former Rep. Michael Myers (D-Pa.) and the resignations of six other members of Congress was known as Abscam. Those seven, along with a few other local officials, were ultimately convicted of bribery and other charges.

A two-thirds vote is required to expel a member from either chamber of Congress.

Former Vice President John C. Breckinridge, who was serving as a senator from Kentucky after the end of James Buchanan’s administration, was among the more than a dozen lawmakers who were expelled from Congress in the Civil War’s early days on accusations of disloyalty. Confederate President Jefferson Davis resigned as senator for Mississippi before he likely would have been expelled.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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