The latest redistricting move: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, Jane C. Timm digs into the latest news on the redistricting front. Also, “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker digs into how potential 2028 presidential candidates are talking — or not talking — about that looming election.

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— Scott Bland

Louisiana passes new congressional map, dismantling one majority-Black district

By Jane C. Timm

Louisiana Republicans approved a new congressional map today, eliminating one of the state’s two majority-Black districts and drawing an additional Republican-leaning district in its place.

The map, which is expected to help elect five Republicans and one Democrat to Congress, was passed out of the state Senate this afternoon after being tweaked in the state House earlier in the week. Republicans currently have a 4-2 advantage in Louisiana’s House delegation.

Legislators drew the new lines in response to a major U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Louisiana v. Callais, which found the existing congressional map in Louisiana to be a racial gerrymander and further weakened the Voting Rights Act.

The map preserves one Black-majority district that snakes from New Orleans to Baton Rouge and is expected to be challenged by voting rights advocates. A third of Louisiana’s population is Black.

“We have a map here that meets all the traditional redistricting criteria, it’s not racially gerrymandered,” said Republican state Sen. Jay Morris, who authored the bill. “I feel like it’s going to be very defensible.”

Republicans stressed during hours of debate and discussion that they focused exclusively on partisanship, seeking to increase GOP representation in Congress.

“We focused on the Democrat numbers, not the racial numbers when drawing,” said state Rep. Beau Beaullieu, a Republican leading the map drawing for the party in the House. “We focused in this case on partisanship, which is what Callais said, and I mentioned in my intro, is clearly permissible.”

Read more here →

For subscribers: U.S. has not confirmed that Iran placed mines in the Strait of Hormuz, sources say

By Courtney Kube and Katherine Doyle

The U.S. military has not confirmed that Iran placed mines in the Strait of Hormuz despite continued searches of the critical waterway, two U.S. officials and a person familiar with the matter said, adding to growing confusion around the war.

Keep reading →

Gretchen Whitmer’s walk-back highlights challenge for potential 2028 Democrats

Analysis by Kristen Welker

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said yesterday that she would not be among the Democrats running for president in 2028. But she walked those comments back just a few hours later, saying, “I should know better to never say never.”

The about-face underscores the challenge facing potential presidential contenders when it comes to navigating questions about their ambitions.

They often answer those questions very carefully, not ruling anything out but also being coy about whether they’re definitely considering presidential runs.

I’ve asked several potential 2028 candidates about their plans on “Meet the Press.” A few — including New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzkerand Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear — have said explicitly that they are not ruling out presidential campaigns.

Others have stressed that they remain focused on more pressing issues.

That includes Rep. Ro Khannaof California, who said last month, “I’ve got an economic vision, but we’ve got to win first for the House.” Sen.Ruben Gallegosaid last fall that he’s focused on raising his kids and the 2026 midterms, and will start thinking about a White House run “after all that.” Fellow Arizona Sen. Mark Kellysaid in October that he was focused on the government shutdown and foreign conflicts.

And Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is now running for governor, said last year she was “focused on my job right now.”

Two Democratic governors who could be eyeing presidential runs were also noncommittal.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom told me last fall that he had not decided on a White House bid, saying, “we’ll see what happens.” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is up for re-election this year, said in September that he was focused on “my work here” and the 2026 midterms.

But one potential contender did rule out a run for the White House.

“I’m not running for president,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore told “Meet the Press” back in September. Moore is running for a second term this year, and he has committed to serving a full term if he is re-elected.

Still, presidential hopefuls have been known to rule out runs in the past only to reverse course. Then-Sen. Barack Obamasaid on “Meet the Press” in 2006 that he would not run for the White House. Sen. Elizabeth Warrensaid the same in 2018 as she ran for re-election in Massachusetts, but ran for president in 2020.

Even as these Democrats navigate questions about their plans, a shadow primary of sorts is already underway as they travel to battlegrounds and early primary states.

Tonight, Beshear will headline a Democratic fundraiser in South Carolina, and both he and Khanna are expected to attend South Carolina Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn’s annual fish fry.

Beshear will also be joining “Meet the Press” this Sunday, fresh off his South Carolina trip, along with former Vice President Mike Pence.

💰 Fund stop: A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, created as part of an unprecedented DOJ settlement with the president, his family and the Trump Organization. Read more →
⚖️ Mistakes were made: Former Attorney General Pam Bondi told lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee today that the Justice Department made “redaction errors” in its release of records related to Jeffrey Epstein. Read more →
👋 Another one: Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., announced her retirement — the 60th House member to retire or run for other office this election cycle, not counting deaths and resignations. That’s the second-most in the last century. Read more →
🏛️ Fili-busted: Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens seemed to give conflicting answers about how to handle the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster rule during a Michigan Senate debate. Read more →
🚨 ICE agent arrested: An ICE agent accused by Minnesota prosecutors of shooting a Venezuelan immigrant and lying about it was arrested today in Texas. Read more →
✈️ Another type of screening: JFK Airport will screen passengers from Ebola-stricken countries. Read more →