Increasingly crabby over pro-Republican redistricting efforts throughout the South, Maryland Democrat Gov. Wes Moore says he has not given up on gerrymandering the state’s sole Republican out of office, despite having had difficulty convincing his legislature to follow through. “We don’t have a choice but to act, particularly when we’re watching the greatest assault on black voter representation around the country that we have seen in generations,” Moore told Politico when asked about the possibility of pro-Democrat redistricting in Maryland ahead of the 2026 midterms. Since the Callais v. Louisiana Supreme Court ruling freed states from having to maintain majority-minority congressional districts to comply with the Voting Rights Act, a slew of Republican-controlled legislatures have moved to redistrict. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says the state needs to move on redistricting.“We don’t have a choice but to act, particularly when we’re watching the greatest assault on Black voter representation … that we have seen in generations," he tells our @jmart. https://t.co/TQEj2WVWmI pic.twitter.com/HhEFnZK8mf— POLITICO (@politico) May 14, 2026 So far, Tennessee has redistricted so as to disadvantage its sole Democrat representative, Louisiana’s legislature has advanced pro-Republican redistricting, and South Carolina could redraw its only Democrat district pending action from its governor and legislature. Similarly, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday called for a special session of the Georgia General Assembly in June to address redistricting in the Peach State. The Southern scramble, coming on the heels of Virginia’s Supreme Court overruling pro-Democrat redistricting and Florida Republicans already redistricting in a special session, will likely disadvantage Democrats in the midterms and beyond. Maryland, a heavily Democrat state with just one Republican, Rep. Andy Harris, in Congress, would seem a natural place for Democrats to begin to retaliate. Harris, as chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, leads an important hardline conservative faction in Washington. However, the state’s constitution requires that redistricting be carried out by the legislature and that districts “consist of adjoining territory, be compact in form, and of substantially equal population.” Harris’ district covers the whole of Maryland Eastern Shore, a politically conservative section of the state. Democrats’ attempts to boot Harris out of Congress have met court challenges in the past. After House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' visit to Annapolis to lobby for redistricting, Senate President Bill Ferguson responds to push for floor vote."For the umpteenth time, in the Senate, we generally do not bring things to the floor that don't have the votes to pass." pic.twitter.com/FU6qpRJHq6— Mikenzie Frost (@MikenzieFrost) February 20, 2026 In 2021, the Maryland General Assembly passed a redistricting bill that would likely have removed Harris from Congress. It was challenged by Republicans, ultimately going to the Supreme Court of Maryland, which ruled the map was overly partisan and violated the state’s constitution. Maryland Senate president Bill Ferguson, a Democrat, has refused to yield to pressure from Moore and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., arguing such an effort would be doomed to fail and could backfire if a judge required that Maryland draw more Republican-friendly districts. Maryland’s 2026 legislative session ended in April. Harris told The Daily Signal in a statement that a Democrat attempt to flip his district via gerrymandering would likely backfire. “Attempting to gerrymander the sole Maryland congressional Republican out of the seat remains a bad idea—an idea that would immediately bring a legal challenge that will result in Maryland Republicans gaining, not losing, a seat,” Harris told The Daily Signal. NEW: @ReedReports with @RepAndyHarrisMD on Governor Moore's efforts to redistrict the state. "We'll see them in court and we will gain a second seat," says Maryland's lone congressional Republican on what will happen if redistricting moves forward.@WMAR2News pic.twitter.com/yWgGqtZ299— Jeff Morgan (@JeffMorganTV) January 21, 2026 Harris continued, “I understand Governor Moore’s presidential ambitions and Hakeem Jeffries’ hope for ascendancy are driving this renewed interest in a new attempt at partisan gerrymandering, but more pragmatic heads should prevail. Most Marylanders, like most Americans, do not believe politicians should pick their constituents.” The Daily Signal spoke to Republican Maryland House Delegate Kathy Szeliga, the lead plaintiff in the case Democrats lost in 2021, who argued Moore’s window to redistrict before November has closed. “It is too late for Wes Moore to redistrict for 2026,” she said. “He should know, because sample ballots have already hit people’s mailboxes and his name is on [them.]” Moore has snubbed Ferguson by leaving him out of his list of endorsements for reelection. Ferguson is facing a primary challenge from Bobby LaPin, the owner of a charter boat company in Baltimore who has gained a large social media following and presents himself as an anti-establishment candidate. Asked point-blank by Politico if he was withholding an endorsement due to Ferguson’s stance on redistricting, More said, “I think he really knows how much I need for the Senate to take seriously this moment.” Carter Elliott, a Senior Communications Adviser for Moore, asked by The Daily Signal about the snub, emphasized their points of agreement in a statement, saying, “Governor Moore and Senate President Ferguson continue to communicate consistently, and work alongside one another to accomplish big things in Maryland.” He added, “The governor is proud of the work that they have accomplished together, and he will continue to work with him and his team to lower costs, continue record drops in crime, and make our schools even stronger.” Szeliga said Ferguson’s primary will be a major event in the Maryland redistricting saga. “The primaries are five weeks away, so in five short weeks, we’ll know if the national Democrats’ pressure on Bill Ferguson was effective or not,” she told The Daily Signal. Related PostsVirginia Supreme Court Strikes Down Dem Redistricting MeasureThe Virginia Supreme Court has ruled against the Democrats’ effort to redraw the state’s maps. In April, Virginians voted to pass a new map that would have likely taken away four seats from Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives. Now the state Supreme Court has ruled 4-3 that the Democrat-backed referendum is “null and…South Carolina Republicans Reject RedistrictingDespite being newly empowered by the Callais v. Louisiana Supreme Court ruling, South Carolina’s Republican-controlled Senate rejected moving ahead with a redistricting plan that would have likely unseated the state’s sole Democrat in Congress, Rep. Jim Clyburn. On Tuesday, the state Senate voted by a 29-17 margin to allow for the General Assembly to work on…Republican Redistricting War Heats Up in MississippiAfter the Supreme Court struck down congressional redistricting done solely on the basis of race last week, Republican officials in Mississippi are split over whether to redraw the state’s congressional map ahead of the midterm elections. “It’s time for Mississippi to redraw the lines and eliminate the racially gerrymandered district that exists solely to protect…

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is barely keeping his head above water amid electoral defeats for his Labour Party, a scandal involving an affiliated nonprofit, and the resignation of a key Cabinet official. “Keir Starmer is governing like a man who knows his mandate is evaporating,” Paul McCarthy, senior research fellow in European affairs at The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal on Thursday. Troubles have mounted for Starmer, whose Labour Party lost 1,496 seats in regional elections last week—an election somewhat similar to the U.S. midterm elections. The traditional opposition, the Conservative Party, also lost 563 seats, while the new populist conservative party, Reform UK, picked up 1,451 seats. Nigel Farage, a leading force behind Britain’s exit from the European Union and the leader of Reform UK, has aligned his party with U.S. President Donald Trump. Labour Member of Parliament Catherine West told Starmer’s Cabinet to challenge the prime minister, threatening to do so herself. Health Secretary Wes Streeting also resigned Thursday, setting up a potential battle for leadership in the party. Other Starmer Scandals These latest defeats come after Starmer fired key diplomatic official Olly Robbins in April for insufficiently vetting Lord Peter Mandelson, who was fired after his ties to disgraced financier and sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein became public. Also that month, Starmer finally pulled the proposal to sell the Chagos Islands Archipelago to Mauritius, a deal that critics warned would undermine the security of the joint U.S.-U.K. military base Diego Garcia. Meanwhile, the think tank that helped secure Starmer’s 2024 election victory will overhaul its operations and change its name amid scandal. Labour Together, which had endorsed Starmer, had paid lobbying firm APCO Worldwide to conduct secret research into journalists investigating undisclosed donations to the group. APCO’s report reportedly scrutinized one journalist’s religious background and suggested journalists were part of a “pro-Kremlin network.” The group will not endorse any candidate if Starmer faces a challenge. Starmer’s Response When reached for comment, the prime minister’s office referred The Daily Signal to Starmer’s comments in the House of Commons Wednesday following King Charles III’s speech. Starmer responded to Minister Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative Party, who remains the official opposition leader despite the election results. “We do have one thing in common: both our parties had tough results in the local elections last week,” he said. “The difference is that she has not noticed. There is another difference: we are in government, and they are no longer even the Opposition.” This dig at the Conservative Party suggests that Reform UK will be replacing the traditional conservatives as the second major party. Doubling Down? McCarthy condemned Starmer for doubling down on failed leftist policies, rather than learning from the elections and from his scandals. “After these local election losses, he’s not adjusting course—he’s digging in, centralizing power, and clinging to office in a way that looks less like democratic leadership and more like political survival at any cost,” the Heritage expert said. “The local elections confirm what voters across Britain are already signaling: the Labour project under Starmer is running out of road.” “Keir Starmer looks increasingly like a dictator desperately clinging to power—ignoring voter backlash and tied directly to the Labour Together scandal, which raises serious concerns about political targeting of critics,” he added. “This isn’t just a midterm setback—it’s a warning shot,” McCarthy argued. When it comes to Labour Together, he noted that Starmer was the “principal political beneficiary” of the group, and now it is stepping back from political activity. “That raises a serious question: was this always a vehicle for consolidating his power—and is it now being shuttered to avoid scrutiny?” he asked. McCarthy warned the scandal reveals that “Starmer’s Labour will use every lever available—public, private, or quasi-independent—to maintain control.” “That should alarm everyone who values a free press,” he warned. Ultimately, Starmer’s losses represent gains for the upstart Reform UK. “The real story of these elections isn’t just Labour’s losses—it’s the rise of Reform UK as a credible governing alternative,” McCarthy argued. “Reform is tapping into a deep voter demand for sovereignty, accountability, and common sense.” “Britain is realigning, and the surge of Reform UK shows voters are ready to replace Labour with a government rooted in sovereignty, accountability, and free speech,” he said. “Reform is no longer a protest movement—it’s a government-in-waiting.”

The Justice Department is suing District of Columbia Bar officials for disciplinary actions against former Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark. The DOJ complaint references information first published by The Daily Signal in an opinion piece by Zack Smith, a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation, specifically pertaining to ideological social media posts by D.C. Bar Senior Assistant Disciplinary Counsel Jack Metzler. This included calling Justice Samuel Alito a “Natural Born Fool.” The Justice Department announced it filed a complaint against D.C. Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton P. Fox III, the D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel, and the D.C. Court of Appeals Board on Professional Responsibility, alleging improper use of bar discipline to target and regulate the official actions of federal government lawyers. In June, the D.C. Bar Board on Professional Responsibility, with the backing of Metzler, recommended that Clark be disbarred for the advice he gave President Donald Trump and the actions he took after the 2020 election while serving as a Justice Department lawyer. The Justice Department complaint, filed in U.S. District Court, asserts, “D.C. disciplinary authorities may not punish a United States official for disagreeing with a superior or coworker or for sharing an opinion just because those disciplinary authorities disagree with it.” “As applied to Mr. Clark, Defendants’ disciplinary proceedings violate the Supremacy Clause by unlawfully regulating and discriminating against the Federal Government,” the complaint says. DOJ-DCBarDownload In a post on X, Clark thanked Smith for the article, calling it “excellent work,” adding, “It shows that I never had unbiased DC Bar prosecutors. Never. Just actors who were political hatchet men for the Left.” This is excellent work, @tzsmith.It shows that I never had unbiased DC Bar prosecutors. Never. Just actors who were political hatchet men for the Left.The D.C. Court of Appeals has a serious problem on its hands in Jack Metzler.Just on the basis of what you uncovered about… https://t.co/WvWALhWwEU pic.twitter.com/lXGEWLrWZN— Jeff Clark (@JeffClarkUS) May 14, 2026 “Just on the basis of what you uncovered about Metzler, Zack, the case against me should be immediately dismissed. And, in reality, what you summarize just scratches the surface of all of the legal defects the case has, as DOJ’s new case will now show to a wider audience,” Clark wrote. The DOJ complaint specifically references Metzler’s politicized social media posts. “During and after prosecuting Mr. Clark, one member of the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, Assistant Disciplinary Counsel Jack Metzler, posted dozens of ideological messages demonstrating his and the Office of Disciplinary Counsel’s bias and poor judgment,” the complaint says. The complaint noted that Metzler once posted: “It is unethical to engage with anti-vaxxers and people who claim there is a debate about birthright citizenship. Some ideas are so toxic the only permissible response is shunning and perhaps ridicule.” He wrote, “SCOTUS be like oh we don’t care if u disappear people off the street.” Besides denigrating Alito, he supported Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, posting, “every Justice except Jackson is dead to [him].” As also noted in The Daily Signal piece, “On Mr. Metzler’s very same social media feed, he solicited applications to join the Office of Disciplinary Counsel.” The D.C. Bar referred inquiries for this story to the Board on Professional Responsibility, and the D.C. Office of Disciplinary, which shares a website, but have autonomy from the DC Bar. Neither office responded to email and phone inquiries by publication time. Metzler did not have a publicly listed phone number online and did not appear to have acknowledged the complaint on his Bluesky account as of publication time.

House Republicans working to save Americans over a trillion dollars before the midterms say they are ready to deliver on housing, health care, energy affordability, and fraud prevention—but they may not have enough time. “This isn’t going to be as massive as what we saw last July, but this is like a two-minute drill where we have limited plays, whereas there was the full game the last time,” Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, told The Daily Signal, making reference to the effort on the One Big Beautiful Bill in 2025. Both Speaker Mike Johnson and Pfluger say this legislative effort, being referred to as Reconciliation 3.0, will be passed before the end of summer. According to Pfluger, the original framework, titled “Making the American Dream Affordable Again,” is “in line with the President’s agenda” and includes key affordability aspects left out of the One Big Beautiful Bill. What could drive this legislation across the finish line the crackdown on fraud, which has become a top priority in recent months. Every day, Americans are being exposed to more fraud happening at their expense. This sounds like something a conservative Congress should prioritize cutting funding for PERMANENTLY in a reconciliation bill. https://t.co/c9d1KpKAd7— Kevin Roberts (@KevinRobertsTX) May 14, 2026 “We had no clue what would be exposed in Minnesota, in 400-plus hospice locations or hospice businesses in LA, and home health care fraud in Ohio—and that’s just scratching the surface,” Pfluger said. “It’s not hyperbole, it’s not a conjecture, it’s not a conspiracy theory. This is happening, and we need to tackle it, and the country needs to know that we are the party that’s responsible, and we’re going to do the right thing,” he added. Even though most of the provisions in the proposal have already had wins in the lower chamber, Pfluger still anticipates leadership will have obstacles to overcome. They are unlikely to receive any Democratic support and may have difficulty getting all 218 members of the GOP on board. “Democrats are unwilling to pass anything,” he said. “They’re unwilling to do anything bipartisan in a major way, which is sad, because there have been Democrats that voted on individual pieces of these bills that I think would benefit them … [and] the country,” Pfluger continued. Pfluger says one major obstacle is funding for the military. “There is zero expectation that we’ll get any help from Democrats on that,” he said. 173 Democrats just voted AGAINST a resolution supporting law enforcement during National Police Week.This is the week we honor the officers who made the ultimate sacrifice protecting our communities across the country and the Democrats can't put their defund the police… pic.twitter.com/wjLVvM0JtV— Republican Study Committee (@RepublicanStudy) May 13, 2026 The Making the American Dream Affordable Again proposal follows the One Big Beautiful Bill, which the White House says will continue to deliver Americans over $4.5 trillion in tax relief over the next 10 years.

President Donald Trump said that Chinese President Xi Jinping has committed to purchasing American energy commodities, soybeans, and jets. In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Trump said Beijing would buy 200 Boeing 737 jets, as well as soybeans, oil, liquefied natural gas, and other energy commodities. “We had a very good meeting, but we want things from them,” Trump said. “One thing he agreed to today is he’s going to order 200 jets from Boeing.” Boeing wanted China to buy 150 jets, but China agreed to exceed that number, Trump said. The CEO of Boeing, Kelly Ortberg, joined Trump on the trip, along with other aerospace and defense, technology, and fintech industry leaders. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had previously said he expected to see “large Boeing orders” as a result of the China trip. Trump said the investment will create many American jobs. The Chinese president also promised not to send military equipment to Iran. “He said he’s not going to give military equipment,” Trump told Hannity. “That’s a big statement. He said that today.” “He said that strongly, but at the same time he said, you know, they buy a lot of their oil there and they’d like to keep doing that. He’d like to see Hormuz strait opened,” he continued.  Trump and Xi held a two-hour-and-15-minute bilateral meeting on Thursday. The two leaders “agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy,” a White House official said. “President Xi also made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use, and he expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait in the future,” the official continued. According to Chinese state media Xinhua, Xi, referring to Taiwan, told Trump: “If handled poorly, the two countries could collide or even enter into conflict, pushing the entire China-U.S. relationship into an extremely dangerous place.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accompanying Trump in China, confirmed to NBC News that the issue of Taiwan was discussed, saying the Chinese “always raise it on their side, we always make clear our position and we move on to the other topics.” Reuters contributed to this report.