Raw Story

California voters handed Democrats yet another victory on an already action-packed election night, passing Proposition 50.

The ballot measure, passed and championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, is a response to President Donald Trump's push for GOP-controlled states to rig their congressional district maps to give themselves extra seats and eliminate Democratic representatives — plans which have already been passed in Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina.

Under Proposition 50, the state's nonpartisan redistricting commission is temporarily suspended until the next Census, and a map is passed that seeks to eliminate five Republican congressional districts in California.

The measure was supported by a number of lawmakers and groups that generally oppose partisan gerrymandering, as an emergency measure to prevent Republicans from being able to block voters from voting out their majority in next year's midterm elections.

Democrats swept three key statewide races during Tuesday's election, propelled by voters expressing "buyer's remorse" over President Donald Trump's second administration, according to one analyst.

CNN's Van Jones joined the network's election night coverage to discuss Democrats winning key races in New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and New York City. His comments come at a time when Democrats are seeking to ride the wave of enthusiasm into the 2026 midterm election.

"One of the things that I think people are seeing, not just from [Zohran] Mamdani, but from the moderates as well, is this focus on kitchen table issues," Jones said. "We used to talk about this in weird ways. Income inequality, wealth disparity, economic justice. It was people describing a problem that they didn't have."

"Now you got people who are talking like the people who have the problem," he continued. "I can't afford nothing. And somebody who can talk that way, whether on the left of our party or the middle of our party, is going to have a big audience. And this buyer's remorse that's setting in now from other people is a big problem for the Republicans."

Democrats picked up some big gains in statewide elections on Tuesday.

In Virginia, Democrats won the Governor, Lt. Governor, and Attorney General races. The race for Governor was called less than an hour after the polls closed, and experts have suggested that enthusiasm for Democrat Abigail Spanberger helped buoy other Democrats down the ticket.

Voters in New Jersey also elected Democrat Mikie Sherrill over Republican Jack Ciattarelli. CNN's John King said the election results were "a warning shot" for the White House.

Democrats also picked up seats in Georgia's Public Service Commission, which is the first time Democrats have controlled a non-federal office in the state in two decades.

Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani also won the mayoral election in New York City over Trump-backed former mayor Andrew Cuomo. delete

CNN election expert John King was floored on Tuesday night after New Jersey's voters elected a Democrat as the state's next governor.

Democrat Mikie Sherill was projected to win the state's governor's seat against Republican Jack Ciattarelli. Sherill's race was called after she won 56% of the vote with more than three-quarters of precincts reporting, according to CNN.

What surprised King the most was that Sherill outperformed Kamala Harris's efforts during the 2024 campaign against President Donald Trump.

"This is definitely a warning shot across the bow of the White House and I would say the Republican Party," King said. "Donald Trump won big just a year ago in 2024. This is America saying we're still not happy. And you're in charge now, and we're not happy."

He also found that Sherill had flipped the five counties Trump won during his campaign against Harris, which is an obvious warning sign for Republicans.

"That's called 'Never mind, we're going back to vote for the Democrats,'" King said.

Former FBI Director James Comey asked a court to dismiss charges against him for allegedly lying to Congress, noting that the statements highlighted in the government's indictment were "literally true."

In the indictment last month, the Department of Justice claimed Comey falsely told Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) that he never gave anyone permission to leak details about an FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton.

A motion filed by Comey's attorneys on Thursday said that the Trump administration sought to punish their client "for seconds of testimony he gave in response to compound and ambiguous questioning."

"Specifically, after speaking for more than a minute, Senator Ted Cruz asked Mr. Comey to recall statements he had made three years earlier and to simultaneously address statements that Senator Cruz incorrectly claimed were made by Andrew McCabe, the former Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)," the filing noted.

According to the motion, Cruz's questions could not form the basis for an indictment under Section 1001(a)(2) of U.S. law because they were "fundamentally ambiguous."

"And, regardless, Mr. Comey’s answers to them were literally true," the motion added. "For the foregoing reasons, the indictment should be dismissed with prejudice."

In a previous motion, Comey said the “vindictive” case should be dismissed because of President Donald Trump's vendetta against him.

“President Trump posted a statement on social media that provides smoking-gun evidence that this prosecution would not have occurred but for the President’s animus toward Mr. Comey,” the filing explained.

A Florida man who voted for Donald Trump and supports his immigration crackdown was charged with making threats against the White House and federal agents because his Colombian fiancée was facing delays in getting a visa.

Tristen Elijah Giroux had been calling U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to complain about the visa process and became impatient when he was unable to reach a live service representative. A criminal complaint shows that his frustration boiled over into violent threats on the recorded line, reported The Independent.

“I’m gonna burn down the White House,” Giroux said on the recording, according to the affidavit. “I’m gonna go choke out every ICE member I see. Kill them all.”

The 30-year-old Giroux had called USCIS on Oct. 24, in the midst of a government shutdown, from his mobile phone, which the FBI identified after the Department of Homeland Security forwarded an electronic tip about his threats, and he admitted to agents that he had trouble navigating the system's interactive voice recognition system.

“He explained that he called USCIS to try to resolve an issue he was having with his upcoming marriage between him and his paramour, a Colombian national, for whom Giroux was seeking a K1 visa,” the affidavit states. “Giroux had sent in the documents regarding their intended marriage, but USCIS had sent them back without explanation. Giroux explained to me that he was running out of time to get the paperwork squared away and was extremely frustrated that he was unable to get a hold of an actual representative and kept getting routed to the automated system.”

The man confessed to investigators that he'd made threats against ICE agents and the White House in an effort to draw attention to his fiancée's issues, which he said eventually happened, according to the affidavit.

“Giroux advised that he did eventually speak with a representative, who was helpful, and he was able to get the situation straightened out,” the affidavit states.

He insisted that he “had no intention of harming anyone,” and told agents “how stupid it was that he had said those things and that he regretted it.”

“Giroux said that he is a supporter of President Trump,” the affidavit added. “Giroux said he has seen the ICE protests on the social media platform TikTok, and that they disgust him because he is supportive of ICE’s efforts. Giroux explained that he is trying to handle the immigration of his paramour in the right way, and it is so difficult, while in the meantime, people are entering the country illegally.”

He was arrested Oct. 27 and charged with one count of transmitting a threat to kill in interstate commerce. He was released from custody later that day on a personal recognizance bond.

If convicted, Giroux faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

A communications director working for the North Carolina Republican Party threatened a reporter, according to a new ProPublica report.

In a report about a North Carolina Supreme Court judge using "his perch" as "an instrument of political power," it was revealed that political leaders were eager to defend him.

Judge Paul Newby, who won his 2020 race, "supported changes to judicial oversight, watering it down and bringing it under his court’s control, making himself and his fellow justices less publicly accountable," the report said.

However, ProPublica's report recounted efforts by its reporters to secure details not only from the judge but also from his allies. At one point, the site requested an in-person interview while at an event. The reporter was "escorted out of a judicial conference to avoid questions."

The court's communications and media team also refused to respond. Still, the site "interviewed over 70 people who know him professionally or personally, including former North Carolina justices and judges, lawmakers, longtime friends and family members."

When the site reached out to Newby's daughter, the Republican Party stepped in personally.

"The North Carolina Republican Party’s communications director, Matt Mercer, responded," the report continued. Newby's daughter is the state party's finance director.

ProPublica was accused of waging a “jihad” against the “NC Republicans.” He refused to dignify questions with "any comments whatsoever.”

It then took a darker turn.

“I’m sure you’re aware of our connections with the Trump Administration and I’m sure they would be interested in this matter. I would strongly suggest dropping this story," Mercer threatened in an email to ProPublica with emphasis on the word "strongly."

The reporters didn't drop the story, and it appeared on the site on Thursday.

Newby isn't up for reelection until 2028.