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Friday, October 30 | By Jared Gans, Sarah Fortinsky and Jonathan Carter

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In today's issue:

▪ Redistricting casualties sealed with Alabama

▪ House defies Trump with votes on Iran, Ukraine

▪ Senate advances immigration enforcement bill

▪ Trump floats Blanche for permanent AG

Redistricting casualty list all but sealed with Alabama ruling

The national redistricting battle that has dominated politics for the past year is finally coming to an end — for this cycle — following a Supreme Court ruling upholding a GOP map and likely picking off one more Democrat in Alabama.

The court’s 6-3 ruling along ideological lines Tuesday eliminates one of Alabama’s two majority-Black districts, delivering bad news for Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Ala.). Figures vowed in a statement posted on the social platform X that he would continue with his candidacy undeterred, but the state's 2nd Congressional District is now heavily conservative-leaning.

That makes Figures likely to be another casualty of the redistricting war, which has already claimed members of both parties and will cost more their seats in November.

CALIFORNIA: The impacts were on display Tuesday night on the other side of the country, as California held its primaries under a new congressional map designed to give Democrats five new seats. Incumbent Republicans have responded in differing ways.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R) chose to retire after California’s new map survived legal challenges, while Rep. David Valadao (R) is trying to hold on despite his district becoming more left-leaning. Rep. Kevin Kiley is also running for reelection, but he has left the Republican Party and is seeking to convince enough voters in a Democratic-leaning district to send him back to Washington as an independent.

Meanwhile, Reps. Ken Calvert (R) and Young Kim (R) appear likely to face off against each other in the same district, after Calvert shifted districts in response to the new map. Both of them may survive the primary, but only one can win in November.

DEEP SOUTH: Along with Figures, nearly a dozen other southern Democrats could lose their seats because of redistricting. Louisiana’s push to redraw its map ultimately led to the Supreme Court ruling greatly restricting the use of the Voting Rights Act, and Rep. Cleo Fields (D-La.) appears likely to go down swinging in state’s now-heavily conservative 6th District.

In Tennessee, Rep. Steve Cohen (D) chose to retire rather than seek reelection after GOP state lawmakers split his Memphis-based district into three parts.

FLORIDA: Up to five Democrats are trying to hold on in the Sunshine State after a late redistricting push. Rep. Kathy Castor is trying to win after her district after it became slightly red-leaning, while Reps. Lois Frankel, Jared Moskowitz and Debbie Wasserman Schultz all shifted districts to try to keep their congressional careers alive.

Rep. Darren Soto faces a major uphill battle as his district shifted considerably to the right.

Legal challenges are ongoing to the new maps in Tennessee and Florida, but the most recent rulings in both states allowed the maps to remain in place for now.

TEXAS: A similar situation to California played out in Texas, the state that started the redistricting battle. Rep. Al Green (D) shifted districts after his was made solidly red, forcing him to face fellow Democratic Rep. Christian Menefee in a primary that Green lost.

Rep. Julie Johnson (D-Texas) sought reelection in a new district, losing in a primary to former Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas).

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) chose to retire after the new map passed, while Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) is trying to win his battleground district.

OTHER STATES: Democrats Reps. Don Davis (N.C.) and Marcy Kaptur (Ohio) are seeking reelection in districts that shifted to the right but remain competitive.

Democrats did still notch a surprise victory as a court ruling forced the creation of a left-leaning district in Utah, forcing out Rep. Burgess Owens (R).

But more Democrats are on their way out of Congress because of redistricting than Republicans. The big question is whether that’s enough to save Republicans in what’s looking like a tough environment for the president’s party.

▪ The Hill: GOP sees trouble with independents.

▪ The Associated Press: California’s redrawn map gets first test.

Smart Take
with Blake Burman

Summer is usually a slow time for college sports. However, that’s not the case this year. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) have a new bipartisan bill to address the new era of college athletics. At a hearing Wednesday touting the legislation, legendary football coach Nick Saban said college sports have devolved into “pay for play.”

I spoke with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a former college athlete, about the role of government in college sports. She’s concerned that the flood of money into football and basketball will have negative impacts elsewhere.

“Equal opportunity for women is an incredibly important aspect for me,” the senator told me. “I don’t want to cap anybody’s salary. I just want to make sure that we preserve the opportunity for everybody else.”

Despite bipartisan support, the SEC and Big Ten conferences came out against the Protect College Sports Act. Consider this: There are 28 senators and 184 House members in Big Ten states and 24 senators and 136 House members in SEC states.

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

3 Things to Know Today

Israel and Lebanon said they have agreed to implement a ceasefire following negotiations with the U.S. aimed at ending the conflict. Under the agreement, the U.S. said, pilot zones will be created and controlled by the Lebanese Armed Forces. Hezbollah, the Iran-linked militant group, was not part of the talks.
Trump is expected to announce that his administration will invest about $700 million to bolster coal. He will invoke the Defense Prevention Act to dole out $425 million to 13 existing coal plants and $185 million to build two new coal plants in Alaska and West Virginia and restart a plant in Maryland, among other actions.
Hungary has lifted its longtime opposition to Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union, a major shift following the defeat of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in recent elections. But the country signaled it would still oppose a fast-track for the bid, meaning the process could take years.

LEADING THE DAY

STRIKING A BLOW: The House passed a measure to restrict President Trump’s authority in the Iran war on Wednesday after weeks of unsuccessful votes, dealing a symbolic blow to him.

The lower chamber passed a war powers resolution by a vote of 215-208, with four Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting the measure. The GOP defectors were Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), Tom Barrett (Mich.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) and Warren Davidson (Ohio).

The measure now heads to the Senate, which has already made some progress toward passing its own war powers resolution. But even if it passes the upper chamber, the vote will remain symbolic as Trump could veto it.

Still, the vote is significant as polls show the Iran war becoming increasingly unpopular without a clear end in sight.

“We’re inching closer to having both chambers of Congress declare this an illegal war. That’s huge,” Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said.

Trump had expressed optimism last weekend that a peace deal could be reached soon, but Iran said it was suspending talks in protest of Israel’s offensive into Lebanon.

The Hill’s Laura Kelly reports Iran has been using Lebanon as leverage in peace talks, seeking to drive a wedge between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In another instance of Republicans defecting from the president, six GOP House members joined all Democrats to advance a vote on providing additional military aid to Ukraine.

“This vote is not a process vote, it’s a statement on whether this Congress and all of its members stand with and support Ukraine and the people of Ukraine, and its fight for freedom, its fight for democracy, and its fight for liberty,” Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), who authored the motion, said on the floor following the vote.

▪ The Hill: Republicans rocked by Trump’s midterm approach.

▪ The Atlantic: Trump dreads a deal worse than former President Obama’s.

MOVING FORWARD: The Senate voted to advance the GOP’s immigration enforcement funding legislation Wednesday after a key roadblock was apparently cleared, when the Trump administration dropped its “anti-weaponization” fund.

The body voted 53-46 to begin debate on the reconciliation bill, which would cover immigration enforcement agencies through fiscal 2029. The vote starts hours of debate, which will be followed by an unlimited series of votes on amendments before the bill could finally pass later this week.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) brought the bill to the Senate floor after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday that the $1.8 billion fund for alleged victims of political prosecutions would be dropped.

Republican senators had originally intended to move forward with the bill last month, but the opposition to the fund caused a delay, passing Trump’s initial deadline of June 1 for the bill to reach his desk.

The president sidestepped a question Wednesday as to whether the fund, which he called a “beautiful thing,” is permanently off the table or only paused.

“I’d have to ask the lawyers,” he told reporters. “I don’t know.”

▪ The Hill: Path to renewing warrantless spy powers in jeopardy.

HERE TO STAY? Trump suggested on Wednesday that he plans to tap Blanche to stay in the position on a permanent basis.

The president said at a dinner at the White House that he would begin the process of nominating Blanche to be attorney general on Thursday.

In an earlier interview on the New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast, Trump praised his former personal defense attorney, who was elevated to an acting role leading the Justice Department (DOJ) after Trump fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi in April.

“He’s a very talented guy. Todd’s doing a very good job at DOJ,” Trump said in the podcast interview.

Blanche has overseen several controversial moves in his short time as leading the department, including continued investigations into perceived Trump adversaries and approving the creation of the “anti-weaponization” fund after settling a $10 billion lawsuit with Trump filed against the IRS.

Blanche told lawmakers this week that a controversial provision protecting the president and his family from IRS audits would remain in place.

▪ The Hill: Pence expects “issues” with Trump DNI pick.

▪ The Hill: Trump says UFC arena could be permanent.

WHEN & WHERE

The president will receive an intelligence briefing at 11 a.m. He will make an announcement on coal at 3 p.m. and participate in a policy meeting at 5:30 p.m.
The Senate will meet at 9:30 a.m.
The House will convene at 10 a.m.

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ZOOM IN

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION: A growing cast of administration officials have taken to the White House Press Briefing Room podium over the past few weeks with press secretary Karoline Leavitt out on maternity leave.

As The Hill’s Niall Stanage reports, the briefings — not necessarily for what’s been said — have become points of fascination to observers.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Vice President Vance and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz are a few of the high-profile speakers the media has been buzzing about, leading some to speculate on the temporary press secretaries’ presidential ambitions.

“It’s exciting to watch because you have never seen these people in this situation before. It’s must-see TV for people in that world,” said GOP strategist Brad Blakeman, who served in former President George W. Bush’s administration. “How are they going to comport themselves and how are they going to do?”

As Stanage points out, these guest speakers have mainly stayed away from hot-button issues and largely struck an affable tone with journalists on behalf of an administration that has often been combative to reporters.

Notably, the administration’s more controversial members have absent from the podium, including White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, who regularly trolls journalists on social media, and adviser Stephen Miller, who has often been the standard-bearer for some of the administration's most controversial policy decisions.

▪ The Associated Press: Oz ducks questions during briefing.

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ELSEWHERE

BRACING FOR IMPACT: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is heading into the start of Atlantic hurricane season weakened after a tumultuous year.

Former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s rule to personally approve all FEMA contracts worth more than $100,000 put a stranglehold on the agency, leading to the delay of billions in funds to multiple disaster sites. Noem’s replacement, Secretary Markwayne Mullin, has gotten rid of that policy.

But as The Hill’s Rachel Frazin and Mallory Wilson report, many issues persist.

The department has lost 50 percent of its staff and has many leadership positions vacant. Acting Administrator Bob Fenton has said the agency is ready for hurricane season but, coming off a monthslong shutdown, he admits they “are still playing catchup.”

“Oh, we’re ready for hurricane season,” Fenton told CBS News in an interview last week. “This is something we do every year. It’s in our DNA.”

Meteorologists expect a somewhat quieter hurricane season due to the El Niño climate pattern, with an outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association predicting a 55 percent chance of a below-normal season.

Josh Morton, the president of the USA Council of the International Association of Emergency Managers, told Frazin and Wilson the loss of senior-level employees is concerning.

"If we had another Hurricane Helene-type event that came across and took out a huge chunk of the southeast during hurricane season, does FEMA have the staffing to be able to adequately respond, and get out into all of these communities and help us?” he said, referring to the destructive storm that ravaged western North Carolina and parts of Georgia and South Carolina last year.

▪ CNN: Inside FEMA’s lost year as storm season approaches.

OPINION

Calls for Black athletes to boycott SEC schools miss the strategic moment, Diallo K. Brooks writes in The Hill.
Canada’s redistricting model could solve the US gerrymandering death spiral, Sheldon H. Jacobson writes in The Hill.

THE CLOSER

And finally … It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for the weekly news quiz!

June is Pride Month, so this week’s quiz will test your knowledge of the history of the celebration and how it came to be.

Be sure to email your responses to jgans@thehill.com — please add “Quiz” to your subject line. Winners who submit correct answers will receive deserved newsletter fame on Friday.

The Stonewall uprising is widely considered the catalyst for the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. In what year did the riots take place?

1. 1959

2. 1961

3. 1967

4. 1969

When did the first Pride march take place?

1. 1970

2. 1971

3. 1999

4. 2005

Which president issued the first proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month?

1. Jimmy Carter

2. Bill Clinton

3. George W. Bush

4. Barack Obama

Who became the first sitting U.S. president to publicly support same-sex marriage?

1. Bill Clinton

2. Barack Obama

3. Donald Trump

4. Joe Biden

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