California can move forward with a new U.S. House map that would boost Democrats’ chances in the 2026 midterms, a federal court ruled Wednesday.

A three-judge panel in Los Angeles ruled 2-1 to deny requests from both state Republicans and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to block the map from being used, giving Democrats a realistic chance at flipping up to five House seats in the midterm election.

In November, California voters passed a ballot initiative, known as Proposition 50, dramatically altering the state’s congressional districts. The pursuit of the new map was largely viewed as an attempt to offset recent redistricting in Texas, which generated more Republican-leaning districts.

«Republicans’ weak attempt to silence voters failed,» California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. «California voters overwhelmingly supported Prop 50 – to respond to Trump’s rigging in Texas – and that is exactly what this court concluded.»

FEDERAL JUDGES BLOCK TEXAS FROM USING REDRAWN CONGRESSIONAL MAP

The complaint challenged California’s efforts to redraw the state’s congressional map, with DOJ Civil Rights Division lawyers arguing that race was «used as a proxy» to justify creating districts that benefit Democrats.

But California Democrats argued that the map was legal because it was drawn for partisan advantage.

In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that partisan gerrymandering is a political question and not one for federal courts to decide. On Wednesday, the California panel sided with the state’s argument, saying there was insufficient evidence that the maps were drawn based on race.

RED STATE MOVES FORWARD ON TRUMP-BACKED PUSH FOR NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks next to his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom after California’s special election on Proposition 50, a measure that would temporarily redraw congressional districts, at the California Democratic Party Headquarters in Sacramento, California, Nov. 4, 2025.  (REUTERS/Fred Greaves)

«After reviewing the evidence, we conclude that it was exactly as one would think: it was partisan,» the judges wrote.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Lee, an appointee of President Donald Trump, said in dissent that at least one district was drawn using race as a factor «to curry favor with Latino groups and voters.»

Still, Republicans are expected to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.

HIGH-STAKES MAP FIGHT: HERE ARE THE NEXT BATTLEGROUNDS IN THE TRUMP VS. DEMOCRATS REDISTRICTING SHOWDOWN

Former Vice President Kamala Harris attends a Yes on Proposition 50 rally at the Los Angeles Convention Center Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.  (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The panel’s ruling constitutes a major victory for Democrats following the implementation of new congressional maps in several Republican-led states.

Last year, Missouri moved forward with congressional redistricting that favors Republicans, and North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature signed off on a new map that may lead to an additional congressional victory for the GOP.

«Californians overwhelmingly voted in favor of Proposition 50. Today’s decision upholds the will of the people. It also means that, to date, every single challenge against Proposition 50 has failed,» California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. «I couldn’t be prouder of my team for successfully defending this ballot initiative in court on behalf of Governor Newsom and Secretary of State Weber. We remain confident in the legality of Proposition 50.»

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House maps are typically redrawn every 10 years following the census, and the process rarely takes place mid-decade. California relies on an independent commission to draw maps, while other states, including Texas, allow lawmakers to lead the effort.

To retake control of the House in the midterms, Democrats need to pick up only a handful of seats. Republicans currently hold a narrow majority with 218 seats to Democrats’ 213.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser, Ashley Oliver and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Iranian regime has allegedly broadcast at least 97 «coercive confessions» from detained protesters on state television in just over two weeks, human rights groups say, as residents endure the longest internet blackout on record.

The videos reportedly feature handcuffed detainees with blurred faces showing remorse for their actions since the protests began Dec. 28, according to a rights group tracking the videos.

It said ominous music can be heard, and edited footage shows attacks on security forces, according to reporting by The Associated Press and data from the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

Other rights groups also claim the confession videos are coerced and obtained under duress, with protesters «dragged before cameras under the threat of torture and execution.»

G7 THREATENS IRAN WITH NEW SANCTIONS OVER NATIONWIDE PROTEST CRACKDOWN KILLING THOUSANDS

«The regime’s broadcast of so-called confessions by detained protesters is a threadbare and worn tactic,» Ali Safavi, a senior official with the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told Fox News Digital.

«Time and time again, the henchmen drag arrested demonstrators before cameras under the threat of torture and execution, coercing them to recant their beliefs or invent absurd stories.»

The broadcasts come amid nationwide protests sparked by public anger over political repression, economic collapse and alleged abuses by security forces.

Demonstrations have spread across major cities despite mass arrests, lethal force and sweeping restrictions on communication.

IRANIAN STUDENT SHOT IN HEAD AT CLOSE RANGE AMID PROTESTS, BODY BURIED ALONG ROADSIDE

Safavi said the confessions serve a dual purpose. 

«First, they are meant to justify the mass slaughter of protesters, no fewer than 3,000, which NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi has stated constitute manifest crimes against humanity,» he said.

«These forced confessions are designed to demoralize the Iranian people and sow fear and doubt.»

But he said any mass executions or staged confessions «won’t achieve that because no amount of televised coercion or repression will break the protesters’ resolve.»

ARMED IRAN PROTESTERS BATTLE POLICE IN TEHRAN STREETS AS TRUMP WARNS OF FORCEFUL US RESPONSE

Protesters burn images of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran Jan. 11. (Carlos Jasso/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S.-based HRANA has warned that forced confessions in Iran frequently follow psychological or physical torture and can carry severe consequences, including death sentences.

«These rights violations compound on top of each other and lead to horrific outcomes,» Skylar Thompson, HRANA group’s deputy director, told The Associated Press, adding that the scale of broadcasts is unprecedented.

The confession campaign coincides with a sweeping internet shutdown that has effectively cut the public off from independent information.

According to NetBlocks, Iran’s internet blackout has surpassed 144 consecutive hours, making it one of the longest disruptions ever recorded.

«The shutdown is still ongoing, making it one of the longest blackouts on record,» Isik Mater, NetBlocks’ director of research, told Fox News Digital.

«State TV continues to operate normally via satellite transmission, which does not depend on the public internet, which means households can still watch Iranian state channels even during a near-total shutdown.»

IRAN PROTESTS GROW DEADLIER AS REGIME INTERNET BLACKOUT FAILS TO STOP UPRISING

Iran’s internet blackout activated the centralized «kill switch» to conceal alleged crimes as protests surge. NetBlocks CEO Alp Toker says connectivity dropped below 2%. (Sadegh Nikgostar ATPImages/Getty Images)

Mater said the blackout magnifies the impact of state propaganda because «while the public is cut off, the state relies on broadcast media and its domestic National Information Network to control what people see,» she said, likening Iran’s information strategy to that of North Korea.

«A useful comparison is North Korea where the vast majority of citizens there have little to no access to the global internet, yet the state TV and radio broadcast regime propaganda 24/7,» she said.

«Information flows through closed systems, like North Korea’s domestic intranet Kwangmyong and not the open internet.»

Mater added that shutdowns are highly selective, with senior officials and state institutions retaining connectivity through «whitelisted networks.»

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«Senior officials and state institutions retain connectivity via whitelisted government networks and private links,» Mater said.

«This is why Ali Khamenei and other government officials continue posting on global social media platforms during the blackout, enabling the regime to shape the narrative internationally while citizens are unable to document events or even respond.»

Erfan Soltani cumple este jueves una semana detenido en Irán. Lo arrestaron en medio de las protestas que sacuden al país. Y lleva marcada una señal: podría ser el primer manifestante en ser ejecutado por el régimen de Tehéran. El joven de 26 años tenía fecha de sentencia a muerte. Y con él estaba señalado un punto de inflexión en la creciente escalada entre Estados Unidos y la República Islámica.

Su caso aceleró la escalada entre Estados Unidos e Irán. Incluso Donald Trump había amenazado con tomar «fuertes medidas» si Irán comenzaba a ejecutar manifestantes. Fue el mismo presidente de Estados Unidos quien bajó el tono de la confrontación: este miércoles aseguró que la represión estaba «cesando» en Irán y que no había ejecuciones en el horizonte.

El momento en que llegaron las declaraciones de Trump fue clave. Lo hizo por la tarde de Estados Unidos, en los últimos minutos del miércoles en Irán. En Teherán el jueves 15 estaba por comenzar.

A Soltani iban a ejecutarlo este miércoles 14 de enero. Así lo denunció su familia. El joven, dueño de un local de ropa, fue arrestado en su casa el 8 de enero en Fardis (Karaj), según la ONG. Se desconocen cuáles son exactamente los cargos de los que lo acusan, pero las autoridades iraníes le dijeron a su familia que estaban relacionados con su participación en las protestas contra del régimen iraní.

Funcionarios iraníes han calificado a los manifestantes de agitadores, mohareb (enemigos de Dios) y terroristas ligados a Israel y los Estados Unidos, delitos que se castigan con pena de muerte, típicamente por ahorcamiento.

Su familia denuncia que Soltani no tuvo acceso a un abogado ni se realizó un juicio para escuchar su versión. Su hermana, abogada, intentó llevar el caso por los canales legales, pero le han impedido acceder a la causa, según Hengaw.

Casi en simultáneo con las declaraciones de Trump de este miércoles a la tarde, también el ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Irán, Abbas Araghchi, se encargó de aclarar que no había ninguna ejecución prevista «para hoy, ni para mañana, ni nada por el estilo… No hay ningún plan de ejecuciones«.

En entrevista con Fox News, Araghchi afirmó que los trascendidos sobre ejecuciones eran «otra campaña de desinformación que han iniciado para provocar al presidente Trump y arrastrarlo a esto, lo que podría tener consecuencias desastrosas» y repitió que las ejecuciones estaban «fuera de discusión».

En tanto, Hengaw, una organización de Derechos Humanos kurda con sede en Noruega, le dijo a MS Now que la orden de ejecución «no se ha llevado a cabo y se ha pospuesto«. Y, pese a los dichos del canciller iraní y del presidente estadounidense, añadió: «Seguimos muy preocupados por el derecho a la vida de Erfan Soltani».

Según la versión del gobierno iraní, se produjo un enfrentamiento entre sus «fuerzas de seguridad y elementos terroristas que tenían un plan para provocar un gran número de muertes, con el objetivo de incitar al presidente Trump a entrar en este conflicto y comenzar una nueva guerra contra Irán», argumentó Araghchi.

«Durante diez días hubo manifestaciones y protestas pacíficas y legales por las dificultades económicas. Pero después de esos diez días, durante tres días [del 8 al 10 de enero] tuvimos una historia completamente diferente: elementos terroristas liderados desde fuera se unieron a estas protestas y comenzaron a disparar contra los agentes de policía y las fuerzas de seguridad. Eran células terroristas, entraron, utilizaron operaciones terroristas al estilo del ISIS: capturaron a agentes de policía, los quemaron vivos, los decapitaron y comenzaron a disparar contra los agentes de policía y también contra la gente», señaló el ministro.

Se estima que las detenciones ascenderían a más de 10.000, mientras que más de 6.000 personas habrían muerto en las manifestaciones. Los medios oficiales iraníes hablan de 121 agentes de las fuerzas de seguridad caídos, sin contar a Teherán.

La ONG Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) verificó que al menos 3.428 personas murieron en las manifestaciones; mientras que Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) estima 538 fallecidos; y la Organización de Muyahidines del Pueblo de Irán (OMPI), 3.000. La opacidad del gobierno iraní y el corte masivo de Internet desde el 8 de enero, dificulta el acceso a la información.

La ola de protestas comenzó el 28 de diciembre en el Gran Bazar de Teherán. El descontento por la situación económica y la devaluación del Rial, rápidamente escaló en un reclamo más amplio por la falta de libertad en Irán que se propagó a 120 ciudades de 31 provincias.

El régimen iraní apuntaba a hacer de la ejecución de Soltani un ejemplo para aplastar la disidencia en el país. IHRNGO advirtió que el régimen también tiene un historial de «engañar» a las familias sobre las penas de muerte como forma de ejercer presión.

Al joven se le permitió un encuentro de 10 minutos con su familia. Ese momento sería, según el medio opositor Iran Wire, la despedida antes de la ejecución.

La medianoche de miércoles era el punto límite. Soltani era el caso cero.