The Texas Senate on Thursday passed a new congressional map in a Trump-backed bid to bolster the Republican Party’s chances of maintaining their majority in the U.S. House next year. The new Texas map secures an additional five Republican-leaning congressional districts in the Lone Star State, shifting the balance of power ahead of competitive midterm elections expected in 2026.

Virginia leaders from both parties have condemned a racist sign aimed at Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, which was raised during a protest outside a school board meeting where she was speaking.Earle-Sears — the Republican nominee in the state’s gubernatorial race — spoke at the Arlington County school board meeting on Thursday, which was reviewing its transgender bathroom policy.

George Mason University violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by illegally using diversity, equity and inclusion practices, the Department of Education announced Friday.

Defense Department civilians are volunteering by the hundreds for temporary details with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), joining efforts to bolster operations at the troubled southern border under President Donald Trump’s priority to secure it.In under 48 hours, nearly 500 volunteers answered the president’s call of duty, as assignments became available via USAJOBS.com.

Hours of interviews between Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell and a federal prosecutor were released by the Department of Justice on Friday afternoon. During the recorded sessions in which the convicted sex offender, who was found guilty for her role in Epstein’s crimes, was granted immunity, she made several interesting claims. Here are 10 top takeaways.

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday blocking Florida from further expanding the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center built in the middle of the Florida Everglades.U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams’ injunction formalized the temporary halt she had ordered two weeks ago.Witnesses continued to testify over multiple days in a hearing to determine whether construction of the facility should stop until the case is decided.

The Trump administration scored a major victory in the Supreme Court Thursday as the justices, in a 5-4 order, cleared his administration to slash more than $783 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants tied to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, LGBTQ issues and other hot-button topics.The unsigned majority order said NIH “may proceed with terminating existing grants” while leaving in place a partial block on issuing new directives.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said, “effective immediately,” he would pause the issuance of worker visas for commercial drivers after an illegal immigrant truck driver allegedly caused a crash that killed three people in Florida. In a post on X, Rubio cited public safety for the move. “The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S.