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Dems suggest GOP redistricting has forced them to play partisan politics, Republicans argue nothing’s changed

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Amid the fight in Texas over Republicans’ efforts to redraw the state’s congressional maps, leaders of the Democratic Party have expressed the need to meet what they have described as partisan tactics, with more partisan tactics.
But GOP elections experts argue Democrats have always been partisan in their congressional map drawing, despite an effort to frame the newly aggressive tactics as a reversal.
One example is former Obama wingman and U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, who did an interview with the New York Times about how he has «reversed course on gerrymandering.»
In 2017, Holder founded the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), to lead the Democratic Party’s «comprehensive redistricting strategy» focused on drawing congressional maps «in a fair manner.» This week, Axios reported Holder would be meeting with House Democrats to discuss their redistricting battle going forward, which comes after Holder told the Times that GOP efforts in Texas must be «met in the moment.»
DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST SAYS PARTY LACKS ‘MORAL AUTHORITY’ ON TEXAS REDISTRICTING FIGHT
«Everything should be on the table. We’ve got to put pressure on Republicans and make sure they understand that there’s a price that they might have to pay in 2026,» Holder told the Times earlier this month. «Whatever it is that might forestall this truly anti-democracy, authoritarian move that they’re trying to pull in Texas has to be brought.»
Fprmer U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder (L) takes questions as Acting Associate Attorney General Stuart Delery (R) looks on during a news conference to make a major financial fraud announcement February 3, 2015 at the Justice Department in Washington, DC. In 2017, alongside other officials fro the Obama administration, Holder debuted the National Democratic Redistricting Committtee to help lead the party’s redistricting efforts across the country. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
«Nothing has changed except the donors funding his losing redistricting efforts now want Democrats to ignore their state constitutions, violate state and federal law, and gerrymander harder,» said Adam Kincaid, the founder of the competing GOP group set up in 2017 to challenge the NDRC.
The Republican redistricting efforts in Texas have resulted in Democrats fleeing the state – in many cases to Democrat-led havens that critics argue are highly gerrymandered themselves – to halt the GOP effort from going forward. These state-level challenges subsequently spurred nationwide resistance, including from Democratic Party governors around the country who have announced plans to retaliate by redrawing maps of their own, citing Trump and Republicans as their motivation.
«If Republicans are willing to rewrite these rules to give themselves an advantage, then they’re leaving us no choice,» said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has announced plans to try and redraw New York’s congressional maps in response to Trump and Republicans. Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the redistricting push by Trump and Republicans has inevitably «forced» him to consider leading an effort to redraw California’s congressional maps «to offset the rigging of maps in red states.»
NETWORKS POUNCE ON REPUBLICAN REDISTRICTING. THEY DIDN’T CARE WHEN DEMOCRATS DID IT

Democrats have signaled retaliation in response to Republican redistricting efforts across the country, particularly in Texas. (Getty Images)
Kincaid’s group, the National Republican Redistricting Trust (NRRT), pointed Fox News Digital to an early 2018 NDRC’s tax form, indicating the Democratic Party redistricting group’s «organizational mission» and «most significant activities» are to «favorably position Democrats for the redistricting process.»
«Democrats like Eric Holder, Gavin Newsom, and Kathy Hochul have never cared about ‘fairness’ when it comes to redistricting; they have shown that they are willing to abandon their principles as long as it means more seats in Congress for Democrats,» said Mason Di Palma, Communications Director at the Republican State Leadership Committee. «The American people can see right through their hypocritical power grab and will not let them off the hook.»
Meanwhile, conservative election law expert Hans von Spakovsky, said the idea that Holder has been against political gerrymandering as the head of the NDRC is «laughable.»
«They keep telling Trump that he needs to stop what’s going on in Texas … Texas has to fix those districts, because the Fifth Circuit said,» Spakovsky said in response to questions about partisanship in the ongoing redistricting fight.
He argued that Trump can’t just «ignore the law.»
OBAMA LABELS TEXAS REDISTRICTING PUSH ‘A POWER GRAB THAT UNDERMINES OUR DEMOCRACY’
Meanwhile, Spakovsky pointed out that Newsom’s suggestion to lead an effort to redraw the state’s congressional maps would mean getting rid of legislation aimed at making congressional map drawing less partisan, through independent redistricting committees.

Democrats have signaled retaliation in response to Republican redistricting efforts across the country, particularly in Texas. (Getty Images)
In Newsom’s letter to Trump announcing his proposed retaliation, the governor concedes that he believes congressional maps should be drawn by «independent, citizen-led efforts,» but insists that if the president does not «stand-down» he will have to go to lead his own effort.
«We tried to play by a higher set of standards and rules with our independent redistricting, and we believe in that. And we are not talking about eliminating that commission,» Newsom said during a press conference discussing his potential retaliatory efforts. «We are talking about emergency measures to respond to what’s happening in Texas, and we will nullify what happens in Texas.»
However, even with California’s independent redistricting commission, Spakovsky says the California redistricting process has still been laden with partisanship, pointing to how after the 2024 election, Republicans statewide in California got about 40% of the vote, but they only have 17% of the congressional seats, or 9 out of 52 seats.
«California’s gerrymandered,» Trump said last week during an interview on CNBC. «We should have many more seats in Congress in California.» The week prior, Vice President J.D. Vance called gerrymandering in California «outrageous.»
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Many of the Democrats who fled Texas have been criticized for fleeing to states that critics say have their own highly partisan congressional maps favoring Democrats, such as Illinois.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has been at the forefront of efforts to force Democrats to return to their state, slammed Democrats involved in this redistricting fight from these Democrat-gerrymandered states as «completely out of control.»
«They’ve been engaged in gerrymandering for decades in California, Illinois, New York, and elsewhere, and what they have lost touch with is the people,» Abbott said.
Newsom’s office challenged the assertions that California, and the governor, have a track record of engaging in partisan redistricting, insisting that Newsom actually «has a long history of supporting independent redistricting, both at the state and national level, a principle many Republicans have voiced opposition to over the years.»
Neither Holder, Hochul, nor representatives for the pair returned Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
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Donald Trump, tras la captura de Nicolás Maduro: «Vamos a dirigir Venezuela hasta que podamos lograr una transición segura»

Luego de la operación militar en Venezuela donde fue capturado Nicolás Maduro, el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, habló en conferencia de prensa y aseguró que sus tropas están “preparadas para un segundo ataque” en suelo venezolano. Además, confirmó que gobernará el país sudamericano hasta que haya “una transición ordenada”.
“Vamos a dirigirlo adecuadamente, vamos a asegurarnos que el pueblo de Venezuela esté cuidado”, manifestó el jefe de Estado estadounidense, y señaló que habrá miembros del ejército de EE.UU. en el territorio. “Estamos listos para volver, si es necesario”, afirmó.
Leé también: Con su ataque a Venezuela, Trump renueva la “doctrina Monroe” y reflota el fantasma de un acuerdo con Rusia
“No podemos permitir que se salgan con la suya”, aseguró Trump. Y afirmó que se está armando el esquema para gobernar la nación caribeña “en este momento”. “Venezuela tiene muchas personas malas, que no deben estar liderando”, subrayó. Trump difundió la primera foto de Maduro tras su captura, a bordo del buque militar USS Iwo Jima. (Foto: Truth Social/@realdonaldtrump).
Respecto del tiempo que estará gobernando Venezuela, Trump explicó: “Ojalá sea rápido, pero será muy complejo. Hay que reconstruir toda la infraestructura”. “Queremos una región más segura, sin enemigos. Tenemos que tener países estables”, agregó.
Leé también: La primera foto de Nicolás Maduro tras la captura: ojos tapados y manos atadas
En cuanto al ataque en la madrugada de este sábado, el presidente de Estados Unidos indicó: “Se utilizaron las fuerzas aéreas y terrestres. Un ataque que nunca se había visto desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial”. Y señaló: “Fue una gran fuerza contra una fortaleza en el corazón de Caracas para poder presentar ante la Justicia al dictador Maduro. Fue una muestra increíble de la fuerza de Estados Unidos”.
“Maduro estaba tratando de llegar a un lugar seguro, pero nosotros actuamos muy rápido. Igual hubiésemos llegado, no tenía lugar donde esconderse”, graficó Trump. “Tenemos un historial perfecto contra los dictadores. Nosotros ganamos”, añadió. En la imagen, humo en el aeropuerto de La Carlota tras varias explosiones y aviones volando a baja altura en Caracas, Venezuela, el 3 de enero de 2026. (Foto: AP/Matías Delacroix)
En la misma línea, Trump indicó: “Todas las bases del ejército de Venezuela quedaron sin poder gracias a la actuación exitosa del Ejército de Estados Unidos que capturaron a Maduro a la noche”. Y ratificó: “Hemos capturado a Maduro junto con su esposa Cilia Flores, ambos tendrán que enfrentarse a la Justicia. Los dos fueron imputados en el distrito sur de Nueva York”.
“Quiero agradecer a los hombres y mujeres que han logrado un éxito destacable con precisión. Hemos visto redadas en este país que no salieron bien, han habido situaciones que nos han dado vergüenza, como Afganistán. Era otra época, estamos operando en colaboración con las fuerzas del orden de Estados Unidos. Teníamos muchos buques alistados en el mar. Ellos sabían que estábamos yendo. Los hemos superado increíblemente. Derrotamos sus capacidades. Si lo vieron, estarán impresionados. Fue increíble de ver. No hubo un solo personal del Ejército de Estados Unidos fallecido, ningún miembro perdió la vida”, manifestó Trump.
“Somos el ejército más fuerte del mundo, con capacidades que no se pueden ni imaginar, tenemos el mejor equipamiento militar del mundo. Si analizamos los buques, 97% de las drogas que ingresan por mar, las detenemos”, dijo.
En otro tramo de su discurso, advirtió al presidente de Colombia, Gustavo Petro: “Ellos tienen fábricas donde hacen cocaína y la mandan para acá. Así que tiene que cuidarse”.
También se refirió a Cuba: “Creo que es un caso muy similar. Nosotros queremos ayudar al pueblo cubano”. Y envió un mensaje al presidente de Rusia, Vladimir Putin, sobre la guerra en Ucrania: “No estoy encantado con él, está matando a muchas personas. Es una guerra que nunca debió haber sucedido. Es una guerra que yo heredé. Yo quiero detener eso”.
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Maduro-backed TdA gang’s expansion into US cities emerges as key focus of sweeping DOJ indictment

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The U.S. military carried out a «large-scale strike» on Venezuela Saturday morning, capturing the nation’s dictatorial leader, Nicolás Maduro, who will face sweeping criminal charges on U.S. soil, according to an unsealed indictment released by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Maduro, who was elected in 2013 and served as Hugo Chavez’s vice president, is facing charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the U.S.
«It’s just it was an amazing thing, the amazing job that these people did. There’s nobody else could have done anything like it,» Trump said of the operation.
REPUBLICANS LINE UP BEHIND TRUMP AFTER US STRIKES VENEZUELA, MADURO ARRESTED: ‘CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY’
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro addresses supporters during a rally marking the anniversary of the 19th-century Battle of Santa Ines in Caracas, Venezuela, on Dec. 10, 2025. (Pedro Rances Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images))
The unsealed indictment focuses on how Maduro allegedly enriched himself and «political elites» by reportedly partnering with vicious gangs and drug cartels that have established syndicates across the Western Hemisphere, including in the U.S., such as New York. The indictment lists six individuals as defendants, including Maduro, his wife, his son and Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the leader of a vicious Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua.
The indictment alleges that Maduro «sits atop a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking.»
President Donald Trump has railed against drug cartels for spreading deadly narcotics such as fentanyl in U.S. communities, leading to hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths since 2000. Trump has directed his ire at gangs such as Tren de Aragua, which Trump designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization last year.
The indictment accuses Maduro and his co-conspirators — including Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and former Interior Minister Ramón Rodríguez Chacín — of partnering with narco-terrorists, including the Tren de Aragua gang and its leader, to distribute cocaine since at least 1999.
FROM BUS DRIVER TO DICTATOR: NICOLÁS MADURO’S RISE AND FALL IN VENEZUELA
«In sum, MADURO MOROS and his co-conspirators have, for decades, partnered with some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world, and relied on corrupt officials throughout the region, to distribute tons of cocaine to the United States,» the indictment states.

In this handout photo provided by the Salvadoran government, guards escort inmates allegedly linked to criminal organizations at CECOT prison on March 16, 2025 in Tecoluca, El Salvador. The Trump administration deported 238 alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal organizations ‘Tren De Aragua’ and MS-13. (Salvadoran Government via Getty Images)
The indictment alleges that Maduro «participates in, perpetuates, and protects a culture of corruption in which powerful Venezuelan elites enrich themselves through drug trafficking and the protection of their partner drug traffickers.» The indictment describes that defendants worked in coordination with cartels and gangs such as Mexico’s the Zetas, Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, Colombian group ELN, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People’s Army, and Tren de Aragua.
«TdA has expanded its criminal network throughout the Western Hemisphere and established a presence in the United States, including New York,» the indictment said. «TdA’s criminal activities include human smuggling and other illicit acts. TdA has developed additional revenue sources through a range of other criminal activities, including drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, commercial sex trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, theft, fraud, and extortion. TdA members also commit murder, assault, and other acts of violence to enforce and further the organization’s criminal activities.»
MADURO SAYS VENEZUELA IS ‘READY’ TO MAKE DEAL WITH US ON DRUGS AND OIL AFTER MILITARY STRIKES
Trump has repeatedly accused Maduro of working with cartels, while underscoring how the foreign gangs have infiltrated the U.S. and spread violence and addiction.

President Donald Trump speaks to a gathering of top U.S. military commanders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Quantico, Va. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)
«TdA operates in conjunction with Cártel de los Soles, the Nicolás Maduro regime-sponsored, narco-terrorism enterprise based in Venezuela, and commits brutal crimes, including murders, kidnappings, extortions, and human, drug, and weapons trafficking,» Trump wrote in a March 2025 presidential proclamation.
He doubled down in his press conference on Saturday, warning that «all political and military figures in Venezuela should understand what happened to Maduro can happen to them.»
Venezuela has argued that Tren de Aragua is no longer an active cartel and was effectively wiped out in 2023, Reuters previously reported.
Maduro and 14 other current and former Venezuelan officials were previously charged by U.S. federal prosecutors in 2020 on narco-terrorism, corruption and drug trafficking allegations. The January 2025 indictment expands on the 2020 document, including adding Maduro’s son and wife as defendants.
The Venezuelan government said in a statement following the Saturday strike that «the civilian and military localities of the city of Caracas, capital of the Republic, and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira» were impacted by the attack.
The nation accused the U.S. of committing a «very serious military aggression» against Venezuela and carrying out «imperialist aggression.»
«The objective of this attack is none other than to seize Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly its oil and minerals, attempting to break the Nation’s political independence by force,» the Government of Venezuela said in a statement. «They will not succeed. After more than two hundred years of independence, the people and their legitimate Government remain steadfast in defense of sovereignty and the inalienable right to decide their own destiny.»

Pictured are allegedly 17 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador. (El Salvador Press Presidency Office/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Trump said on Fox News that Maduro and his wife were flown by helicopter to a U.S. military ship. The couple will be transported to New York City, where the dictator is expected to stand trial.
«Yes, the Iwo Jima,» Trump said on Saturday morning on Fox News. «They’ll be heading into New York. The helicopters took them out, and they went by helicopter on a nice flight. I’m sure they loved it, but they’ve killed a lot of people.»
The president said he watched the operation from Mar-a-Lago, where he spent the Christmas holiday, and praised the military for its efforts.
Democrats have taken issue with a lack of notice to Congress over the strike, while MAGA Republicans have rallied around Trump’s decision.
Trump held a press conference from Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, where he said the U.S. will «run» Venezuela until there is a safe transition of power.
«We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. So we don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in. And we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years. So we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. And it has to be judicious because that’s what we’re all about. We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela,» he said.
HERE’S WHERE TRUMP LAUNCHED AIRSTRIKES AROUND THE WORLD IN 2025: ‘PROTECT THE HOMELAND’
The capture and strike follows the U.S. military carrying out dozens of strikes on suspected narco-boats since September. Trump campaigned in-part on ending the flow of deadly narcotics such as fentanyl from other nations – which has lead to surges in overdose deaths across the last two decades – including leveling tariffs on China to curb the flow of such drugs and strengthening the U.S. borders.

Democrat lawmakers are increasingly turning up the heat on the Trump administration over its series of military strikes on suspected foreign drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)
Democrats have slammed the Trump administration over its strikes on the suspected narco-boats, with Trump defending that the U.S. is engaged in an «armed conflict» with drug cartels after the groups evolved into transnational terror organizations. Officials previously argued the strikes were necessary to curb the flow of opioid deaths in the U.S., while experts said the pressure campaign on Venezuela is likely aimed to also oust Maduro as leader of the oil-rich nation.
«We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by sea … each boat kills 25, on average, 25,000 people. We knocked out 97%. And those drugs mostly come from a place called Venezuela,» Trump said on Saturday of the boat strikes.
US MILITARY DESTROYS NARCO-TERROR CONVOY OF THREE VESSELS AT SEA IN KINETIC STRIKES

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro. (Maxim Shemetov/AFP/Getty Images))
Foreign adversaries condemned the U.S. over the strike, including the Chinese Foreign Ministry, which reported Saturday that the country is «deeply shocked and strongly condemns the use of force by the U.S. against a sovereign country and the use of force against the president of a country.»
Russia, which is a crucial ally to Venezuela, also condemned the strike and capture in public statements.
«This morning, the United States committed an act of armed aggression against Venezuela. This is deeply concerning and condemnable,» the Russia Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. «The pretexts used to justify such actions are unfounded. Ideological animosity has prevailed over business pragmatism and the willingness to build relationships based on trust and predictability.»
Bondi warned on X that Maduro and his wife «will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.»
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«On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers,» Bondi wrote.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.
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Maduro’s presumed successor, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, is possibly in Russia: report

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The presumed successor to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is currently in Russia, a report said Saturday.
Four sources familiar with the movements of Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez confirmed her location to Reuters, although the news agency cited Russia’s foreign ministry as claiming the report was «fake.»
Earlier in the day, Rodriguez demanded in audio played on Venezuelan state TV that the U.S. provide «proof of life» for Maduro and his wife after President Donald Trump said the pair were captured in a U.S. military operation.
«We demand that President Donald Trump’s government provide immediate proof of life for President Maduro and the First Lady,» Rodriguez said, according to Reuters.
LIVE UPDATES: VENEZUELA’S MADURO IS CAPTURED BY THE US
Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro is seen flanked by his wife Cilia Flores, right, and Delcy Rodriguez, left, in Caracas, Venezuela May 24, 2018. (Marco Bello/Reuters)
Trump later shared to Truth Social a photo of Maduro seen detained, blindfolded and clutching a water bottle while wearing gray sweatpants and a sweatshirt aboard the U.S.S. Iwo Jima. Trump said he would later be brought to New York.
Maduro previously served as Venezuela’s vice president before he took power in 2013 following the death of then-leader Hugo Chávez.
Jorge Rodriguez, who is Delcy’s brother and is the head of Venezuela’s national assembly, remains in Caracas, three sources told Reuters.
When asked about what the future of Venezuela holds with Maduro no longer in the country, Trump said in an interview on «Fox & Friends Weekend» that, «we’re making that decision now.»
REPUBLICANS LINE UP BEHIND TRUMP AFTER US STRIKES VENEZUELA, MADURO ARRESTED: ‘CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY’

President Donald Trump shared a photo of captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima after strikes on Venezuela, on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Truth Social/ @realDonaldTrump)
«We can’t take a chance of letting somebody else run and just take over where he left off. So we’re making that decision now,» Trump told Fox News. «We’ll be involved in it very much, and we want to do liberty for the people. We want to, you know, have a great relationship. I think the people of Venezuela are very, very happy because they love the United States. You know, they were run by essentially a dictatorship or worse.»
Trump later confirmed at a press conference in Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., that the U.S. would run Venezuela on a temporary basis.
The successors to Maduro are likely to be the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González, an expert said Saturday.

Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez addresses the media in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 10, 2025. (Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters)
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Jorge Jraissati, a Venezuelan who is the president of the Economic Inclusion Group, told Fox News Digital that «Machado and Gonzalez would assume a transitional government in Venezuela.
Fox News’ Rachel Wolf, Benjamin Weinthal and Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.
venezuelan political crisis,russia,military,donald trump,foreign policy,world
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