Trump Faces Defeat on Redistricting and Immigration

Indiana Republicans defied President Donald Trump's demands and rejected a voting map that would have favored their party in the upcoming midterm elections. The map, which passed the House last week, was torpedoed by a vote of 31-19 in the Senate, with 21 Republicans joining all 10 Democrats. The new map would have potentially led to the ouster of Indiana's lone black House representative, André Carson. Trump's call for Republican state leaders to redraw maps has triggered gerrymandering battles nationwide. The defeat is seen as another setback for Trump following a string of recent Democratic wins in off-year elections.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national married to a US citizen, was released from immigration detention after a US court ruled that the Trump administration had detained him 'without lawful authority'. Abrego Garcia had been living in Maryland for years before being mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March and subsequently brought back to the US to face criminal charges. The court's decision allows him to temporarily return to his family, but the justice department is expected to appeal. The case highlights the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration and raises questions about the use of immigration detention as punishment.

Indiana lawmakers rejected President Trump's push to redraw the state's congressional map, defying his efforts to help Republicans maintain their majority in the U.S. House. The vote was seen as a sign of growing Republican resistance to Trump's influence and a potential speed bump in his midterm strategy. The decision has implications for the 2026 midterm elections and highlights the complexities of gerrymandering and the varying visions within the Republican Party.