The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority has handed Republicans their biggest victory yet in the battle to control the House of Representatives and statehouses across the country. But Wednesday's decision might have come too late to have much of an effect on this year’s midterm elections. The 6-3 ruling effectively gutted the Voting Rights Act’s requirement that districts be drawn to give minority voters a chance to elect representatives of their choosing. Republican lawmakers across the country — and especially in the South — have a freer hand to eliminate Democratic-leaning districts and boost the number of U.S. House seats they can win.

A Republican congressman has introduced legislation that would expand the borders of Washington, D.C., and cost Virginia Democratic voters. The move comes after Virginia voters approved a redistricting referendum that could net Democrats a 10-1 House seat advantage. Georgia Republican Rep. Rich McCormick on Thursday introduced the Make DC Square Again Act. It would undo the 19th century return of the southwestern part of the district to the state of Virginia, known as retrocession. The measure’s prospects are unlikely in a Congress that can barely keep the lights on. But it’s the latest partisan salvo in an effort to gain the upper hand in the closely divided House ahead of this year’s contested midterm elections.

President Donald Trump has announced a deal with Regeneron to lower the cost of its pharmaceutical products. The agreement, announced Thursday, includes lowering the prices of current and future drugs on Medicaid and selling a cholesterol drug for $225 on the White House’s discounted drug website, TrumpRx. The deal first reported by NOTUS is part of the Trump administration's efforts to provide economic relief to Americans ahead of the midterm elections. It's one of many deals the White House has struck that aim to align U.S. pharmaceutical prices with other developed nations. Details of these agreements remain undisclosed, but Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says nonproprietary information will be shared with Congress.

Republicans are facing setbacks in recent elections, with Democrats winning races in Wisconsin and Georgia. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany is running for Wisconsin governor and admits Republicans got their "butts kicked." Democrats won a campaign for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the mayor's office in Waukesha, a conservative suburb. In Georgia, the Republican candidate won by a slimmer margin than expected. These results suggest Democratic momentum heading into the midterm elections. Democratic consultant Jared Leopold says Democrats “have overperformed everywhere” and says it's “a canary in the coal mine about what November” will look like. Some Republicans argue there's no need to panic even as they raise concerns about Democrats gaining ground.

The Democratic Party’s most ambitious politicians are courting African American activists in New York this week as the party’s unofficial 2028 presidential nomination contest begins to take shape. Up first was Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, warning that “everyone is less safe” because of President Donald Trump’s leadership. Wednesday marked the opening day of the National Action Network’s four-day annual conference. More than a half-dozen Democratic presidential prospects are on the speaking program to woo one of their party’s most powerful voting blocs. The presidential primary season won’t begin in earnest until after November’s midterm elections, but the conference is showcasing a new generation of Democrats jockeying for position in what promises to be a crowded primary fight.