Politics

Georgia won’t redraw congressional map ahead of midterms, Kemp says

Published

2 months ago

May 1, 2026

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, said Friday his state will not redraw its congressional lines ahead of the midterms, rejecting calls to reschedule the state’s upcoming primary.

The outgoing Republican governor said that he will not cancel Georgia’s May 19 primary or rush to redraw congressional maps, following a Supreme Court ruling that gutted the Voting Rights Act and triggered a Republican-led push to redraw districts across the South.

Kemp made it clear that he will not be a part of that push this cycle, but praised the court’s ruling.

“The Supreme Court’s decision Louisiana v. Callais restores fairness to our redistricting process and allows states to pass electoral maps that reflect the will of the voters, not the will of federal judges,” Kemp said Friday.

“Voting is already underway for the 2026 elections,” he added, meaning changes to the maps would not be possible this year.

However, he acknowledged that the ruling would still impact Georgia’s elections in the future: “It’s clear that Callais requires Georgia to adopt new electoral maps before the 2028 election cycle.”

President Donald Trump ignited a redistricting war earlier this cycle, when he first urged Texas Republicans to redraw their lines. Democratic and Republican states responded in kind — including Florida, North Carolina, California and Virginia — bringing the change in seats to roughly a draw.

But the Supreme Court’s ruling striking down a Louisiana congressional map that created a second majority Black district has led to calls from Republicans for more last-minute redraws, particularly in Southern states.

The decision triggered Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, also a Republican, to order his state’s upcoming primaries be canceled days before early voting was scheduled to start in order to redraw the maps.

Trump also said Thursday he had spoken to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, and that Tennessee would be moving to erase a Democratic-held seat there.

Politics

For Belgium’s Beltway fans, a rout was the best revenge

Published

48 minutes ago

July 10, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Belgium’s sports authorities do not appear to have fully moved past the controversy that shrouded their Round of 16 matchup against the United States, but Belgian fans in Washington have.

Folarin Balogun, the American striker whose red-card punishment was suspended by FIFA just before that game, is now barely top of mind.

“I don’t think it had any impact on the game,” Michael McCusker, a Brussels native, said of FIFA’s decision. “Did it give us the extra push? I don’t know. The USA were terrible.”

The White House lobbied hard for Balogun to play against Belgium. And President Donald Trump took all the credit when FIFA lifted his suspension. The Royal Belgian Football Association, in turn, formally challenged the decision. Fans blasted FIFA’s reversal as politically motivated, arguing the organization had bowed to Trump.

But even with Balogun lining up on Monday, the Belgians made mincemeat of the U.S., never trailing in the match. For Belgium’s Beltway fans, winning seems to have taken care of everything.

“I woke up that morning feeling really good,” Margo Vandenbroucke, a Leuven native who works at the International Monetary Fund. “I walked into work that morning and everyone was clapping for me, for Belgium. I think that was the best way of showing that it didn’t matter.”

But if Belgian supporters abroad have moved on, the Balogun scandal is still alive and well in Brussels. In a letter Wednesday, 72 members of the European Parliament called for an investigation into FIFA President Gianni Infantino — and whether his relationship with Trump played a role in the decision to reverse an on-field disciplinary action.