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GOP blasts Virginia amendment as maps could swing delegation to 10-1 Democratic advantage
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Ahead of a special election on Tuesday, Virginia Republicans blasted a proposed constitutional amendment in their state that could soon cost them their congressional seats, calling the effort the most «unfair» of a string of redrawn maps across the country.
Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., believes it’s a sentiment shared by voters.
«I was with a group of Virginia Watermen this morning from across the state and they’re [feeling] the same way. They say ‘no, we’re not going to let them turn us into a state that’s only governed by a portion of the state,’» Wittman said.
The Virginia redistricting effort, which requires a statewide vote to go into effect, follows similar shakeups in Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Utah.
BETO O’ROURKE DROPS F-BOMB AS HE URGES DEMS TO ‘MEET FIRE WITH FIRE’ AGAINST GOP REDISTRICTING PLANS IN TEXAS
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s SOTU rebuttal drew strong pushback from conservatives (Mike Kropf/Getty Images)
But unlike many of those other states that already have a distinct party advantage one way or another, Virginia’s GOP blasted what they saw as a drastic power swing they say misrepresents the state’s purple voter base.
If successful, the new maps would temporarily turn the current 6-5 congressional split to a 10-1 advantage for Democrats by stretching the borders of traditionally Republican areas across Democratic strongholds. The state’s normal process, conducted by a nonpartisan redistricting commission, would go back into effect in 2030 at the next U.S. census.
With up to four more seats, Democrats hope to recapture control of the House of Representatives, where a razor-thin majority favors Republicans — for now.
The GOP holds a 217-213 advantage in the chamber.
Democrats supporting the idea argue that Virginia is key to balancing out Republican-led gerrymandering efforts that began in Texas, describing the push as purely retaliatory.
«Virginia’s redistricting referendum gives voters the power to respond to a president who says he’s ‘entitled’ to more GOP seats in Congress before Americans vote in the midterms [and] to efforts in other states to give those seats to him,» Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger said in a post after teeing up the vote last month.
Former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin argued that the state’s current makeup more accurately reflects Virginia’s population.
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Former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin speaks at the Virginians for Fair Maps rally in Bridgewater, Va., on Saturday, April 11, 2026. Virginia voters will decide if Virginia Congressional districts will be redrawn to counter the Texas redistricting. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
«We have fair maps today that represent Virginians, and what this constitutional amendment would mean is that we go to the most unfair maps in America, and therefore, ‘no’ is the right vote,» Youngkin said.
Although the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that politically favoring one party through the design of state’s district is constitutional, the practice, better known as gerrymandering, has been banned in Virginia since a constitutional referendum in 2020.
However, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the state could temporarily amend its constitution to allow the implementation of new maps.
«’Do you want to restore fairness in elections temporarily?’» Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., said, referencing the phrasing of the referendum.
«It’s insane how that question is worded. So wrong how it’s written. But here we are. This is our chance to use our voice and our vote. And that’s very powerful. But the ball is in our court.’»
Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., argued that undoing that prohibition now would be a mistake — even if it’s temporary in nature.
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WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 18: Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) attends a press conference with Republican leadership on Capitol Hill on September 18, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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«Virginians spoke in 2020; you know what they said? By a supermajority, they said no to gerrymandering. They said: ‘Let’s have a bipartisan determination of these districts.’ And by the way, they’ve been shown to be the most bipartisan districts across the United States,» Wittman said.
Polls open in Virginia at 6:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m.
democrats elections, midterm elections, virginia, republicans elections, house of representatives
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Conservative House Republicans are escalating a fight over government surveillance as Congress reopens debate this week on a controversial warrantless spying program.
Members of the House Freedom Caucus are pledging to hold firm on adding a permanent ban on central bank digital currency (CBDC) to any legislation that reauthorizes Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). But the proposal faces widespread opposition from Senate Democrats and is viewed as dead on arrival in the upper chamber.
The cross-chamber standoff threatens to complicate Congress’ ability to meet a mid-June deadline to renew the spy law, which the Trump administration argues is a critical national security tool.
«If the Senate thinks they’re going to keep rolling over us, it’s just not going to happen,» Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said at a news conference in late April, referring to the Senate’s opposition to including a CBDC ban in a FISA renewal bill.
Rep. Andy Harris, chair of the Freedom Caucus, speaks to reporters alongside other members in the U.S. Capitol on March 27, 2026. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
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Both chambers in April approved a 45-day FISA extension to allow for more time for negotiations. House GOP privacy hawks objected to the short-term measure, citing its omission of a CBDC ban.
«CBDC can still make it across the finish line. Let’s just push on,» the Texas Republican added. «The Senate will respond to the people if they push hard enough. I’m positive on it.»
GOP privacy hawks argue a CBDC ban is a critical privacy guardrail against the Federal Reserve issuing a digital currency that could be used to surveil and potentially cut access to Americans’ financial transactions.
«They don’t want the government monitoring their bank accounts, telling them what they can buy, when they can buy it and when they’re not allowed to buy,» Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., said at a news conference, referring to his constituents’ concerns about a government-issued digital token.
The group has repeatedly sought to add a CBDC ban to various legislation over the past year, but has not yet been able to get a permanent ban on President Donald Trump’s desk.
During his confirmation hearing, Federal Reserve chair nominee Kevin Warsh said he would not issue a CBDC during his term, calling the proposal a «bad policy choice.»
Kevin Warsh, incoming chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, has called a government-issued digital currency a «bad policy choice.» (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
HOUSE GOP SLAMMED BY CONSERVATIVES FOR JOINING DEMS ON CONTROVERSIAL ‘KILL SWITCH’ AMENDMENT
The push to ban CBDCs is part of a broader effort by conservative Republicans to ramp up their fight against government surveillance.
«Americans don’t want Big Brother in their cars, their bank accounts, or their homes,» a spokesperson for the conservative House Freedom Caucus told Fox News Digital. «The gloves are coming off before FISA expires on June 12.»
Roy, the HFC’s policy chief, is pushing to repeal a Biden-era provision requiring a federal agency to draft a rule mandating impaired driver technology in new cars that could shut off vehicles if drunk driving is detected. The federal government has not yet moved forward with drafting the «kill switch» regulation.
«Do you really want to put that kind of data collection mandated inside every car? At what point is there just literally no privacy at all anywhere?» Roy said during a hearing in late April in support of adding a «kill switch» repeal amendment to FISA extension legislation.
GOP privacy hawks have also advocated for language that would add a judicial warrant requirement to the FISA renewal bill. While the law targets foreigners overseas using U.S. platforms, their communications with Americans can also be swept up and reviewed.
Privacy advocates in the Democratic Party have also long pushed for a warrant requirement to gather information on Americans.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, has argued that a clean authorization of FISA Section 702 «is off the table» due to widespread opposition in Congress to extend the law without reforms. (Andrew Harnik/Getty)
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The Trump administration initially sought a clean 18-month extension of the spy law, but quickly ran into problems with a mix of conservative and progressive privacy hawks.
«We’re not going to pass something that’s a long-term, clean reauthorization,» Roy said. «I think that’s been taken off the table. We’ve demonstrated that, and we’re going to get reforms.»
politics, congress, republicans, privacy
Las plataformas de hielo de la Antártida almacenan la mayor reserva de agua dulce del planeta. Su destino puede definir cómo cambian los océanos y las costas en las próximas décadas.
Cuando estas plataformas pierden solidez y se adelgazan, dejan de frenar el avance del hielo continental al mar, lo que puede acelerar el aumento del nivel del mar a escala global.
Un equipo de científicos de Noruega, Australia, Finlandia y Reino Unido reveló que los canales ocultos bajo el hielo aceleran el derretimiento en zonas profundas. Ese proceso amenaza la solidez de estas estructuras colosales y su papel como barrera natural.
El hallazgo, que fue publicado en la revista Nature Communications mostró que esos canales pueden multiplicar por diez la velocidad de derretimiento en áreas específicas. Así, aumenta la vulnerabilidad de las plataformas y se facilita el traslado de hielo al océano.
Los investigadores pertenecen al Instituto Polar Noruego, la Universidad de Tasmania, el Centro Ártico de la Universidad de Laponia y la Universidad de Helsinki, que son instituciones reconocidas a nivel mundial por su trabajo en ciencias polares y cambio climático.
Los investigadores buscaron comprender cómo el derretimiento en la base de las plataformas de hielo afecta su estabilidad. El problema radica en que estas plataformas funcionan como freno natural para el avance del hielo hacia el mar.
El enfoque estuvo en los canales de base, que son surcos de varios kilómetros de ancho y cientos de metros de profundidad bajo el hielo. Estos canales modifican los patrones de derretimiento y la resistencia estructural de la plataforma.
Se buscó determinar si estos canales refuerzan el hielo o lo debilitan, creando zonas vulnerables. Además, los investigadores quisieron entender cómo la forma del fondo de hielo y la llegada de agua oceánica alteran el proceso.
El equipo utilizó simulaciones numéricas de alta resolución en la plataforma Fimbulisen, en la Antártida Oriental. Observaron cómo la circulación de agua y la topografía del fondo de hielo pueden atrapar agua cálida en los canales.
En el estudio, los investigadores afirmaron que la interacción entre la circulación y la topografía canalizada genera una circulación localizada que atrapa el agua cálida intrusa bajo el hielo. Este mecanismo incrementó las tasas de derretimiento en los canales.
Los modelos confrontaron escenarios con canales bien definidos y una base lisa, además de entradas de agua fría y de agua profunda, que tiene mayor temperatura. El derretimiento se multiplicó por diez en los canales donde ingresó agua cálida.
“Incluso intrusiones modestas de agua profunda circumpolar podrían tener implicancias importantes para la estabilidad de las plataformas de hielo frías de la Antártida”, declaró el equipo en el estudio al subrayar el alcance del fenómeno.
El crecimiento de los canales, causado por el derretimiento diferencial, debilitó las zonas más profundas de la plataforma y elevó el riesgo de fracturas. La velocidad de las corrientes y la forma del canal definieron los patrones de derretimiento.
“Descubrimos que la forma de la parte inferior de la plataforma de hielo no es solo una característica pasiva. Puede atrapar activamente el calor del océano exactamente en los lugares donde el derretimiento adicional es más importante”, explicó el científico principal Tore Hattermann, del Hub de Investigación iC3 Polar en Tromsø, Noruega.
La plataforma de hielo Fimbulisen se encuentra en la Antártida Oriental, una región más fría y que por eso suele considerarse menos amenazada que el resto del continente.
“Observamos bajo la plataforma de hielo Fimbulisen que incluso pequeñas cantidades de agua más cálida pueden incrementar sustancialmente el derretimiento dentro de los canales”, señaló.
“Como resultado, los canales pueden crecer y, en el peor de los casos, debilitar la estabilidad de toda la plataforma de hielo”, alertó.
Tras los resultados, los investigadores sugirieron incorporar la topografía detallada en los modelos climáticos para mejorar las proyecciones sobre el nivel del mar. No considerar estos procesos podría llevar a subestimar riesgos reales.
Igualmente reconocieron que faltan observaciones directas bajo el hielo y que los modelos trabajan con escenarios ideales. Subrayaron la necesidad de más mediciones en campo y tecnología avanzada.
En la conclusión, los científicos advirtieron: “Las plataformas de hielo con derretimiento bajo pueden ser más vulnerables a intrusiones moderadas de agua cálida de lo que se pensaba”. Observar tanto los grandes procesos como los detalles ocultos resulta clave para entender el destino de la Antártida y de los océanos.
Plataforma de hielo,Antártida,capa de hielo,aumento nivel del mar,cambio climático,océano Austral,hielo,polos,calentamiento global,ecosistema
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