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Florida’s redistricting fight puts Ron DeSantis back in the Republican spotlight

<block>TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Ron DeSantis was once the future of the Republican Party, a battle-tested conservative twice elected as governor of Florida. Then Donald Trump steamrolled him on his way back to the White House. Now, more than two years after DeSantis ended his presidential campaign and endorsed Trump, the governor is returning to the national spotlight — at least for this week. He’s pushing state lawmakers to redraw Florida’s congressional map as part of a coast-to-coast redistricting battle ahead of November’s midterm elections. His proposal would make it easier for Republicans to win four more seats, equivalent to Democrats’ potential gains from last week’s referendum in Virginia.With DeSantis’ second term coming to a close, the special legislative session that starts Tuesday is one of his final opportunities to remind Republicans that he could lead the party one day. But there are also plenty of risks ahead for the 47-year-old governor. Some Republicans are worried that a new map will backfire and make it easier for Democrats to pick up seats. In addition, DeSantis wants lawmakers to increase regulations for artificial intelligence and loosen vaccine requirements, two proposals that have previously stalled in Tallahassee. Trump may be constitutionally barred from running for a third term in 2028, but that doesn’t mean there’s a clear path for DeSantis, who would likely have Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio to contend with in a Republican primary. “The window for Ron looks reasonably narrow at this point,” said Whit Ayres, who served as DeSantis’ pollster in his first campaign for governor in 2018. DeSantis, for his part, is embracing the national fight. When House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., last week dared Florida Republicans to go ahead with their special session, the governor punched back with the kind of aggressiveness he showed in the early days of his failed White House bid. “I will pay for you to come down to Florida and campaign,” DeSantis said of Jeffries. “I’ll put you up in the Florida governor’s mansion. We’ll take you fishing.”<hl2>DeSantis wants four more Republican seats</hl2>DeSantis unveiled his proposed map to Fox News on Monday even before it had been widely circulated among lawmakers. He argued that the 2020 census shortchanged the state’s population, making it necessary to redraw the lines.The governor’s map, if approved, would reshape districts in Democratic areas around Orlando and Tampa Bay, while also condensing Democratic voters into fewer South Florida districts. The changes could cost Reps. Jared Moskowitz and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, among others, their seats. The current maps yielded a 20 to 8 Republican tilt in 2024. DeSantis’ version would aim for an advantage of 24 to 4.DeSantis first announced the special session back in January, months after Trump started pushing Republican-run states to redraw their congressional boundaries. What followed has been a tit-for-tat redistricting battle, with each party looking for an edge in the midterms. There’s no guarantee that new maps would play out the way parties hope. For example, Texas based its revised lines largely on Trump’s performance in 2024, theoretically redistributing the president’s voters across more districts to pull them into the Republican column. But Trump’s popularity has waned since his reelection, including among Latino voters that figure prominently in the state.Florida could face a similar conundrum. If the state creates more majority-Republican districts but with thinner margins, it could dilute their advantage and give Democrats more opportunities to win seats, especially if there’s an anti-Trump backlash at the polls this year. “If Florida moves like it can, the Republicans will at least be even,” said Karl Rove, a former top political adviser to President George W. Bush. If Republicans get too aggressive, “they may lose a seat or two.”Brian Ballard, an influential Florida lobbyist who has been DeSantis’ top fundraiser, said it’s worth remembering that DeSantis was the muscle behind the 2021 map that expanded Republicans’ advantage in the state to its current levels. “He’s incredibly smart and capable,” Ballard said. “And he doesn’t get enough credit for that map. He’s done this before.”<hl2>Florida legislative leaders appear hesitant</hl2>Still, DeSantis will be testing his relationships with lawmakers, especially in a state House chamber that has grown more willing to buck the governor in recent sessions. House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton made clear for weeks that they were not drawing their own proposals and would react only to what DeSantis put forward.Albritton has sent multiple memos to senators reminding them of Florida’s state constitutional limits on redistricting and the requirement that it not be done as a blatantly partisan act. Perez, who convened a redistricting panel last year, has said in recent weeks that he expects something to get done, but he’s been circumspect in his public statements.“We’re ready to have that conversation,” he recently told WPLG in South Florida, before DeSantis released his proposal. Besides redistricting, other topics won’t be much easier. DeSantis wants to require tech companies to ensure children cannot interact with chatbots without parental permission. He also wants to prevent AI from generating harmful material for minors. The proposal will put DeSantis at odds with Trump, who wants the federal government to be the regulatory arbitrator of AI technology. On vaccines, DeSantis wants to add a conscience-based exemption to public school vaccine requirements, similar to the existing religious exemption. The push aligns him with the anti-vaccine portion of the Trump base that was instrumental in pushing the president to tap Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his health secretary.Versions of DeSantis’ proposals have passed the state Senate previously but did not advance in the state House, where Perez has been skeptical. Ballard downplayed concerns. What may seem to some as strained relations with certain Republican legislative leaders, he said, is simply measuring DeSantis against the opening years of his tenure.“I mean, he went from batting a thousand to maybe batting .600,” Ballard said, using a baseball analogy for the governor who played the sport while attending Yale. “That isn’t failure.”<hl2>The White House is watching</hl2>It’s hard to say how the session will affect DeSantis’ relationship with Trump or the president’s supporters. Trump grew frustrated at DeSantis when they were competing for the Republican presidential nomination, calling him “Ron DeSanctimonious” on the campaign trail. The governor, at least initially, gave conservative establishment figures and key donors an option other than the then-former president. But Trump seemingly forgave DeSantis when he dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump following his victory in the Iowa caucuses. He even promised to call DeSantis by his actual name. There’s more bad blood within the White House, though. Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, a Floridian, managed DeSantis’ razor-thin 2018 victory, only for the governor to have a falling out with her.Wiles did not respond to a request for comment. But Ayres said he’s certain she’s paying attention.“Donald Trump has a long memory, and Susie Wiles has a longer one,” he said. “And that doesn’t bode well for Gov. DeSantis to be Donald Trump’s Republican successor.”</block>

King Charles III to meet Trump and address Congress in bid to spotlight UK-US ties

WASHINGTON (AP) — King Charles III will embrace some of Washington’s most formal ceremonial trappings on Tuesday as he tries to emphasize a bond between the United Kingdom and the United States that is so strong it can withstand the political turmoil of the moment.He will become the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress since his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1991. Her speech highlighted the shared history of both countries and the importance of their democratic values, theme

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s criminal sentence could be the last step before company dissolves

It was destroying my mental health.”Sackler family members to pay up to $7 billionPurdue says that if the judge issues the criminal sentence Tuesday, the settlement could take effect as soon as Friday.The settlement calls for members of the Sackler family who own the company to contribute up to $7 billion over 15 years. Most of the money is to go to government entities to use to fight the opioid crisis.It’s among the largest in a series of settlements by drugmakers, wholesalers and pharmacies in

US soldier charged with using intel to win $400K on Maduro raid to appear in court in NYC

special forces soldier is due in federal court in New York on Tuesday on charges that he used classified information about the mission to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to win more than $400,000 on the prediction market Polymarket.Gannon Ken Van Dyke, 38, has been charged with the unlawful use of confidential government information for personal gain, theft of nonpublic government information, commodities fraud, wire fraud and making an unlawful monetary transaction. The case com

Nebraska is becoming the first state to implement a Medicaid work requirement signed by Trump

They’ll also have their eligibility reviewed every six months rather than annually, so they could lose coverage faster if their circumstances change.Exceptions will be made for people who are too medically frail to work or in addiction treatment programs, among others.An Urban Institute report from March estimated that the changes would mean about 5 million to 10 million people fewer people nationally would be enrolled in Medicaid than would have been otherwise. Choices states make about h

Photos show King Charles III and Queen Camilla on a 4-day visit to the US

<block>WASHINGTON (AP) — King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s four-day state visit is aimed at restoring U.K.-U.S. ties and celebrating the United States’ 250th anniversary.This is Charles’ first trip to the U.S. since he became king in 2022. The British royal couple visited the White House on Monday afternoon, followed by a garden party at the British Embassy. ____This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.</block>

King County eyes back-to-back sewage rate hikes

King County residents could soon see higher sewage bills as the county tries to keep pace with population growth and climate change.Residents may soon be subject to a 12.75% rate hike to help pay for billions in system upgrades over the next 10 years, according to The Seattle Times.The media outlet reported that the work will help increase capacity during heavy rains to reduce the amount of sewage flowing into local lakes and streams.Some Seattle and King County neighborhoods rely on older syste

Baby on board: Paramedics help passenger give birth just before Delta flight lands

Mom was a rock star.”After the plane began taxiing to the jetway, they handed the baby to Blair, and everyone celebrated by taking photos.A responding crew from Portland Airport Fire & Rescue “found the mother and baby healthy, and the new family was transported to a local hospital for observation,” Port of Portland spokesperson Molly Prescott said in an email to The Associated Press.In a statement, Delta said a doctor and two nurses assisted flight attendants, but Fritz said there was no do

Deputies looking for suspect after man stabbed in Parkland

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) is searching for a suspect following a stabbing Sunday night in Parkland.Deputies were called to 112th Street South and South Steele Street just after 7 p.m. for a man suffering from multiple stab wounds.“They arrived and located an adult male who had been stabbed a couple of times,” PCSO Detective Joshua Mills said.Mills said the victim was transported in critical condition and is still recovering.Anyone with information should call Pi

White House withdraws hospitality executive as nominee to lead the National Park Service

A White House spokesperson had said when he was nominated in February that Socah was “totally qualified” to execute Trump’s plans for the park system.But some conservation groups had questioned if Socha’s private sector work provided the experience he would need to oversee hundreds of national parks and monuments that range from the Statue of Liberty and other cultural sites, to remote sites in the Utah desert.The Associated Press sent email messages to the White House and Interior Departm

Sen. Pedersen says millionaires’ tax is not going to expand over time: ‘There is no desire from the current Legislature’

“And of course, even if we did that, it would also be subject to the power of initiative by the people.”RELATED STORIES'It's a tax directed at everybody in WA': Former justice unpacks millionaires' income tax's true intentCenter Square reporter, former justice raise more questions as WA's ‘millionaire’s tax’ heads to courtPublic records show Washington's millionaires' tax crafted to overturn 1933 income tax rulingMillionaires’ tax aims to fix funding gaps and an ‘upside-d

US and Iran clash over Tehran’s nuclear program as review of atomic treaty begins at UN

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States and Iran clashed over Tehran’s nuclear program as a review of the treaty meant to prevent the spread of atomic weapons got underway Monday at the United Nations, a confrontation almost certain to be repeated during the monthlong meeting.At issue was the election of Iran as one of 34 vice presidents of the conference, where 191 parties to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty are reviewing its implementation as they have done every five years since it took ef

Trump administration to pay 2 more companies to walk away from US offshore wind leases

offshore wind projects under development.Bluepoint Wind and Golden State Wind have agreed to end their offshore wind leases in exchange for reimbursements totaling nearly $900 million. Both companies have decided not to pursue any new offshore wind projects in the United States, the Interior Department announced Monday. Bluepoint Wind is an offshore wind project in the early stages of development off the coasts of New Jersey and New York, while Golden State Wind is a floating offshore wind proje

Wyoming judge blocks law that bans all but earliest abortions

A Wyoming judge has blocked a new state law that bans abortions beyond the earliest stages of pregnancy while a lawsuit challenging the provision moves ahead.It’s the first court ruling affecting the legal status of abortion in Wyoming since the state Supreme Court struck down sweeping abortion and abortion pill bans in January, finding that the laws violated the state constitution.The new law, which would ban abortion after embryonic cardiac activity can be detected, is likely to be overt

Prosecutors say Wisconsin police chief helped California gun dealers’ illegal ammo import scheme

<block>MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Two California brothers could each face up to five years in prison for allegedly recruiting a small-town Wisconsin police chief to help them illegally import nearly half-a-million armor-piercing rounds into the U.S.Jacob and Darin Dowd ran a gun dealership in Vacaville, California, federal prosecutors say in online court records. In June 2021, Jacob Dowd submitted an application to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fires and Explosives to import about 490,000 armor-piercing rounds from Smart Energeo Sistemi, an arms company based in Bosnia-Herzegovina.Federal law generally bars importation of such ammunition but makes an exception for law enforcement agencies. The brothers’ application stated that the ammunition was for “law enforcement sales,” according to prosecutors. It included a purchase order for 1.5 million rounds from James Bushey, then chief of police in the Town of Linn, a community of about 2,700 people in southeastern Wisconsin. That purchase order apparently piqued investigators’ interest and the ATF ultimately stopped the importation. “TLPD is a small police department,” prosecutors wrote. “It had no intention to purchase the … ammunition, had no funds to purchase the ammunition, and had no legitimate use for that ammunition.”Prosecutors allege that the Dowds approached Bushey using a Wisconsin resident as a middleman. The court documents identify that person only as J.W., but news outlets have reported the person was one of Bushey’s former roommates.The brothers told the chief that if he signed a fake purchase order backing up their import application, they would give him money to buy squad cars and other equipment that would help advance his career, prosecutors allege. Bushey agreed, creating a fraudulent order on department letterhead. A search warrant stated that the town board signed off on the deal after Bushey told members that the Dowds would donate the ammunition to the police department, Wisconsin Pubic Radio reported. Bushey didn’t tell the board that he would receive payments for submitting the fraudulent purchase order, however. The brothers intended to sell the ammunition to “other buyers,” prosecutors allege in the court documents, which don’t disclose the alleged buyers’ names but also don’t suggest the ammunition was meant to be used in any sort of attack.Darin Dowd was charged with conspiracy last July and pleaded guilty in October. He has yet to be sentenced. Jacob Dowd was charged with conspiracy last week and has agreed to plead guilty during a May 19 hearing, according to an online plea agreement and court schedule. They each face up to five years in federal prison.Neither Jacob Dowd’s attorney, Julian Linnen, nor his brother’s attorney, Paul Jannuzzo, immediately responded to Monday emails seeking comment.Bushey has not been charged. The Associated Press could not find a phone listing or other contact information for him or his attorney, if he has one. A message left on a possible LinkedIn account for him wasn’t immediately returned. Linn’s interim police chief, Graham Gunyon, said Bushey left the department of his own accord. He was replaced by Jon Albrecht in March 2022, according to the department’s Facebook page, but Albrecht left in March to become chief in nearby Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Gunyon declined to provide contact information for Bushey. He also declined to comment on the former chief’s alleged role in the importation scheme or what Bushey told the town board. The board’s chairperson and four other members didn’t immediately respond to Monday messages seeking comment.Steve Caballero, a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in Milwaukee, declined to comment when asked if Bushey was under investigation. An FBI spokesperson didn’t immediately reply to a message.</block>

Rare two-colored lobster caught by fishermen off Cape Cod donated to aquarium

The company gifted the lobster to Woods Hole Science Aquarium in Falmouth, Massachusetts, and it will be put on public display when the aquarium reopens, the company said.“The lobster is now with Woods Hole Science Aquarium’s animals currently being housed in holding tanks at the Marine Biological Laboratory during the aquarium’s construction period. When the aquarium reopens, the lobster will be on display, offering visitors a rare look at one of the ocean’s most striking natural anomalies,” th

Where did the sun go? Clouds blanket region but warmth will return by Thursday

Temperatures are expected to be close to 10 degrees cooler than over the weekend, with highs struggling to climb above 60 degrees.Tuesday promises a repeat of Monday with more persistent marine clouds and high temperatures around 60 degrees. The blanket of clouds will keep temperatures low to moderate, only dropping into the 40s.Change coming WednesdayBy Wednesday, higher pressure aloft is forecast to build over the region, and the low-level onshore flow coming from the ocean is anticipated to t

Backlash erupts after Jay Inslee’s post on attempted assassination of Donald Trump at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

NBC News reported Allen sent messages to family members shortly before the attack, apologizing for what he was about to do.Allen, described as a part-time teacher, traveled from California through Chicago before arriving in the nation’s capital, where he stayed at the Washington Hilton, the site of the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, according to investigators. He is expected to be arraigned on charges including assault on a federal officer and using a firearm during a crime of violen

Trumps call for ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel — again — after morbid joke about first lady

Donald and Melania Trump both called for ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel on Monday after a joke last week in which the late-night comic described the first lady as having “the glow of an expectant widow.”The remark about the president’s wife was part of a routine on Thursday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” where the host pretended to deliver a comedy routine at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. That event two nights later was cut short when a man armed with guns and knives tri