1/ The Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act, striking down Louisiana’s second majority-Black congressional district and limiting the law’s main tool against racial vote dilution. Louisiana created the district after Black voters sued over a post-2020 map that gave them one of the state’s six House seats, despite Black residents making up about one-third of the population. While the ruling doesn’t erase Section 2, it narrows the provision Congress updated in 1982 to stop maps that diluted minority voting power. Justice Samuel Alito wrote that Louisiana’s map was an “unconstitutional gerrymander,” while Justice Elena Kagan said the court had rendered Section 2 “all but a dead letter” and left states free to “systematically dilute minority citizens’ voting power.” Republicans, meanwhile, in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Louisiana immediately called for special sessions to draw new maps, saying “There is no time to waste” and “LET’S GO!” (Associated Press / Politico / Reuters / New York Times / Axios / Washington Post / NPR / CBS News / NBC News / CNN / Wall Street Journal / Politico / ABC News)

2/ Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature approved Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new congressional map, which could give Republicans up to four more House seats in November’s midterm elections. The map targets Democratic seats around Tampa, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale, giving Republicans a strong chance to win in 24 of 28 districts. Democrats said the map is “designed and intended to rig outcomes.” Voting rights groups are expected to sue, citing Florida’s Fair Districts Amendments, which bars maps drawn to favor a party or incumbent. (Politico / New York Times / Bloomberg / CBS News / Washington Post / ABC News)

3/ The Supreme Court ruled that a Christian faith-based anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy center” can challenge a New Jersey subpoena tied to a state investigation into whether they misled donors and clients about abortion services. In 2023, when New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin issued a subpoena as part of an investigation into whether First Choice Women’s Resource Centers was misleading patients and donors by implying it offered abortions and referrals while obscuring its antiabortion mission. The unanimous ruling revives First Choice’s First Amendment lawsuit, but doesn’t stop New Jersey’s investigation. (Reuters / Associated Press / Politico / CNN / Washington Post)

4/ Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will remain a Fed governor when his term as chairman ends May 15, preventing Trump the opportunity to fill a vacancy on the central bank’s board. Powell said “legal attacks on the Fed” had left him “no choice” but to stay until the investigation into the Fed’s renovations is “well and truly over with transparency and finality.” Powell called the Trump administration’s legal actions “unprecedented,” saying they “threaten our ability to conduct monetary policy without considering political factors.” While the Justice Department said it would close its criminal probe, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said her office could reopen the investigation if “the facts warrant doing so.” The Fed also held rates steady at 3.5% to 3.75%. The four dissents were the most since 1992. (Bloomberg / NBC News / CNBC / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / Axios / Washington Post / New York Times)

5/ Trump rejected Iran’s offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying the U.S. naval blockade will continue until Tehran accepts a nuclear deal. He called the blockade “somewhat more effective than the bombing,” and that Iran is “choking” and must “cry uncle.” Iran’s state media warned the blockade could bring “practical and unprecedented action.” The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and its strike group, however, are expected to leave the Middle East in the coming days. The war has cost about $25 billion so far. (NPR / NBC News / CBS News / Axios / CNN / Bloomberg / Politico / Washington Post / New York Times / ABC News)

The 2026 midterms are in 188 days; the 2028 presidential election is in 923 days.