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Republicans Expected to Gain a Congressional Seat as Governor Signs New Map Into Law

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6 months ago

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Missouri’s Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a new congressional map into law Sunday that could ultimately expand the GOP’s House majority, yet several legal challenges still loom.

The new map is expected to result in Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver losing his seat next November, according to The Beacon, a local news outlet.

“I was proud to officially sign the Missouri First Map into law today ahead of the 2026 midterm election,” Kehoe said in a news release.

“We believe this map best represents Missourians, and I appreciate the support and efforts of state legislators, our congressional delegation, and President Trump in getting this map to my desk,” he added.

Kehoe called for the General Assembly to hold a special session back in August. This was not long after President Donald Trump had launched a national discussion about red states redrawing their congressional districts to favor the GOP.

The Department of Justice even sent a letter to Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in late July, stating that, “It is the position of this Department that several Texas Congressional Districts constitute unconstitutional racial gerrymanders.”

Lawmakers went on to redraw the state’s districts early, as most congressional maps are left untouched until the 2030 census.

Texas’ new map could potentially net Republicans five additional seats in the upcoming midterms.

This opened the floodgates for Republican-led states like Missouri, Florida, Indiana, and others to examine similar plans that could help boost the GOP’s slim majority.

The NAACP, however, is challenging Missouri’s map by claiming Kehoe didn’t have the authority to call an “extraordinary session” on redistricting.

Two other lawsuits were filed — one by a private firm on behalf of state residents and another by the Missouri ACLU — citing how the map was passed halfway through the census cycle, The Beacon reported.

The ACLU also raised an issue about a precinct in Kansas City being included in two districts at once. Kehoe chalked this up to a Census Bureau issue when speaking to the Missouri Independent, stating that this doesn’t mean the same voters have been placed in multiple districts.

As for the other issues and general legality of the maps, Kehoe said, “We’ll let the courts decide on that.”

Different states have different rules for redistricting. Most states — like Texas and Missouri — empower the legislature and governor to legally pass new maps. Others have non-partisan election commissions or rely on a hybrid system.

Missouri’s framework empowers the legislature to redraw congressional lines and gives the governor the authority to approve or veto it. The mid-decade timing and accusations of racial bias, however, have triggered left-wing legal challenges.

The issue could end up going all the way to the Supreme Court, depending on how lower courts rule.

Additionally, The Beacon reported that a group called People NOT Politicians is trying to collect 110,000 signatures by year’s end to force a ballot initiative on the matter.

If the organization is successful, Missouri’s new map would only go into effect if it is approved by a majority of voters statewide.

“We wouldn’t have went into this without feeling like we had good advice on that,” Kehoe said. “I’m comfortable with the folks that we’ve been working with. I really believe they’re very good on these issues, and we think we’ll withstand all those challenges.”

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

The post Republicans Expected to Gain a Congressional Seat as Governor Signs New Map Into Law appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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WATCH: Dramatic Video Shows Suspect Setting Multiple Fires Inside Ontario Mills Mall in California Before Cops Take Him Down Inside True Religion Store

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28 minutes ago

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April 12, 2026

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Image showing a True Religion store, a mugshot of a man, and a scene with police responding to an incident in a shopping area.

Image showing a True Religion store, a mugshot of a man, and a scene with police responding to an incident in a shopping area.

A 28-year-old man from Rancho Cucamonga was arrested Friday morning after he allegedly set multiple intentional fires inside the busy Ontario Mills Mall in Ontario, California, forcing a full evacuation and temporary closure of the shopping center.

The crazy scene was captured on video by witnesses.

Ontario Police officers responded around 10:30 a.m. on Friday to reports of a suspicious male carrying a lighter and a backpack who was intentionally igniting fires inside the mall.

Callers described the suspect actively setting blazes in several stores, including the True Religion outlet and Nordstrom Rack.

Officers quickly located the suspect, identified as Luis Javier Gallegos Jr., inside the True Religion store.

Footage shared on social media shows flames burning in the store as police confront and take Gallegos into custody after he failed to comply with commands.

WATCH:

According to a press release from the Ontario Police Department, “One officer received non-life-threatening injuries during the incident and was later treated and released from a local medical center. ”

Gallegos was also injured and was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment.

After medical clearance, Gallegos was booked into the West Valley Detention Center on an arson-related felony charge.

Explosive detection K-9 teams swept the mall as a precaution, but no additional threats were found.

Fire crews extinguished the fires with no reported injuries to shoppers or mall employees.

The mall remained closed for the rest of the day.

No motive has been released by authorities, and the investigation remains ongoing.

This incident comes days after a separate large warehouse fire in Ontario that led to arson charges against another suspect, though police have not linked the two cases.

The post WATCH: Dramatic Video Shows Suspect Setting Multiple Fires Inside Ontario Mills Mall in California Before Cops Take Him Down Inside True Religion Store appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Iran’s New Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei Reportedly Left Crippled and Disfigured by Airstrike That Killed His Father

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28 minutes ago

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April 12, 2026

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Portrait of a man with glasses and a beard, set against a fiery background, conveying intensity and seriousness.Portrait of a man with glasses and a beard, set against a fiery background, conveying intensity and seriousness.Mojtaba is reportedly recovering from terrible wounds – Wiki Commons

The prolonged absence of Mojtaba leaves room for different rumors.

Ever since the start of the military confrontation between the US and Israel against Iran, a mystery surrounds the situation regarding the new Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

In his absence, a flurry of rumors and reports is going around saying that he is dead, or else very gravely wounded; he is also said to be gay and disowned by his late father.

Today, a new report arises that Mojtaba is ‘recovering from severe facial and leg injuries’ that he suffered in the airstrike that killed his father, sources in his inner circle told Reuters.

Reuters reported:

“Khamenei’s face was disfigured in the attack on the supreme leader’s compound in central Tehran and he suffered a significant injury to one or both legs, all three sources said.

The 56-year-old is nonetheless recovering from his wounds and remains mentally sharp, according to the people, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. He is taking part in meetings with senior officials via audio conferencing and is engaged in decision-making on major issues including the war and negotiations with Washington, two of them said.”

The New York Post reported:

“The question of whether Khamenei’s health allows him to run state affairs comes during Iran’s moment of gravest peril for decades, with high-stakes peace talks with the United States opening in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Saturday.

[…] Khamenei’s whereabouts, condition and ability to rule still largely remain a mystery to the public, with no photo, video or audio recording of him published since the air attack and his subsequent appointment as his ​father’s replacement on March 8.

[…] Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife, brother-in-law ⁠and sister-in-law were among other members of his family killed in the strike.”

Read more: MOJTABA KHAMENEI MYSTERY: Iran’s New Supreme Leader, Rumored Dead or Wounded in Airstrike, Now Reportedly Taken to Moscow for Surgery

The post Iran’s New Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei Reportedly Left Crippled and Disfigured by Airstrike That Killed His Father appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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WATCH: 62-Year-Old Michelle Obama Says America is in a ‘Janky’ Era Under Trump, While Wearing Her Hair in Pigtails

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28 minutes ago

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April 12, 2026

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Michelle Obama speaking passionately during a podcast interview, gesturing with her hand while discussing important topics, with a microphone in front of her.

Michelle Obama speaking passionately during a podcast interview, gesturing with her hand while discussing important topics, with a microphone in front of her.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama, 62, took to her podcast this week to trash-talk America under President Donald Trump, calling the country “janky,” while weirdly sporting a pair of childish pigtails.

In the latest episode of her “IMO” podcast, co-hosted with her brother Craig Robinson, Obama sat down with comedian Hasan Minhaj and declared that the United States is currently living through a “janky” 2.0 version of itself under Trump.

“That’s the 2.0 of life, and when we talk about how do you feel about the country? You know, there are versions of the country that happen, right? And the new version doesn’t make the old one bad. It’s necessary for growth. And I think we’re in just a janky version,” Obama declared.

“Sh-t is jank right now. It’s super jank,” Minhaj replied.

WATCH:

Obama tried to spin the “janky” current state as some sort of necessary growing pain, praising what she called “powerful” community resistance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota, which included riots and two agitators being shot while trying to impede agents.

The former first lady seemed to suggest that these clashes were a healthy sign of the country’s “growth.”

“Right now, I’m kind of digging the way folks are beginning to respond, right? I mean, Minnesota, powerful stuff. I mean it was a powerful reminder of what a community of people can do and are willing to do to protect one another,” Obama said.

Americans were “taking things for granted,” Obama claimed.

“When you’re not so janky, you don’t have to prove that, right? And so we haven’t been this janky for a while,” Obama said. “And I think our muscle of understanding our truth just got a little lax. We started taking things for granted, right.”

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE:

While the former first family lectures and complains about ICE from her luxury bubble, everyday Americans are happy to see record-low illegal border crossings.

The post WATCH: 62-Year-Old Michelle Obama Says America is in a ‘Janky’ Era Under Trump, While Wearing Her Hair in Pigtails appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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