Barack Obama has praised Virginia voters for backing the redrawn congressional maps that could give Democrats a significant boost in the midterm elections.

“Congratulations, Virginia! Republicans are trying to tilt the midterm elections in their favor, but they haven’t done it yet. Thanks for showing us what it looks like to stand up for our democracy and fight back,” the former president wrote in a post on X.com.

Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, said House Democrats have “crushed Donald Trump’s national gerrymandering scheme”, noting a string of state victories across the country.

A celebratory post from the office of Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, said California and Virginia were “protecting democracy”.

And Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, praised Virginians for refusing to “let Trump play games with Americans’ right to fair representation”, saying, “Republicans can’t cheat their way out of accountability in 2026.”

The redistricting battle began last year after Texas’s Republican-controlled legislature redrew that state’s congressional maps in a bid to oust as many as five Democratic House lawmakers from their seats. Missouri and North Carolina also approved new district boundaries that could cost Democrats one seat in each state, as my colleagues summarized. California voters retaliated by passing new maps that could flip five Republican-held seats, and the Virginia election is now the second time a Democratic gerrymander was approved by voters.

Virginia voters have approved a measure to adopt new congressional maps, according to the Associated Press, a major victory for Democrats that could help the party win control of the House of Representatives.

The redrawn maps could allow Democrats to win as many as four additional House seats in the midterm elections, though the referendum is expected to face legal challenges.

A federal appeals court dealt a victory on Tuesday to conservative Christians with a ruling that allows Texas public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments.

Last year, Texas governor Greg Abbott signed a bill mandating that public elementary and secondary schools put up the commandments. Critics argued that the piece of legislation violated a First Amendment clause regarding the “free exercise” of religion. The bill went into effect in September, but was blocked from being enforced in several districts, including Houston and Fort Worth.

“Students are neither catechized on the Commandments nor taught to adopt them. Nor are teachers commanded to proselytize students who ask about the displays or contradict students who disagree with them,” wrote the conservative-leaning 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in its ruling.

Nationwide, Republican-led states have sought to insert religion, particularly Christian doctrine, into public schooling. A similar measure in Louisiana was deemed unconstitutional, before being cleared by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Texas attorney general Ken Paxton hailed the decision in a statement. “The Ten Commandments have had a profound impact on our nation, and it’s important that students learn from them every single day,” he said.

A multi-faith group of families, who had filed suit against the bill, issued a statement through the American Civil Liberties Union expressing their disappointment.

• The Southern Poverty Law Center, a prominent civil rights organization, has been indicted on federal fraud charges.

• Polls have closed in Virginia, which is deciding whether to adopt new congressional maps that could help Democrats win control of the House of Representatives.

• Trump unilaterally announced an extension of the two-week ceasefire with Iran amid frantic efforts to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table.

• Trump’s nominee for US Federal Reserve chair, Kevin Warsh, faced a tumultuous hearing in Washington, fielding scrutiny over his wealth and his ability to operate independently of the president who appointed him.

• Democratic US representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick said she is resigning effective immediately, after a House committee found she violated ethics rules.

• The FBI director, Kash Patel, had a testy exchange with reporters when asked about the recent Atlantic article outlining claims that he excessively drinks and at times has been unreachable.

• Donald Trump’s approval rating on the economy has decreased from March to April as prices climb due to the Iran war.

Polls closed moments ago in Virginia, where voters were asked whether they wanted to amend the constitution to temporarily adopt new congressional districts that would help Democrats in this year’s midterm elections.

Recent surveys show the redistricting referendum carrying a narrow lead in the state that just elected a new Democratic governor.

The special election is the latest front in a tit-for-tat redistricting war set in motion by Donald Trump, who requested Texas redraw its congressional maps in Republicans’ favor. California retaliated and since then a host of other states have changed their boundaries or weighed changes.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a prominent civil rights organization, has been indicted on federal fraud charges related to past payments it made to confidential informants to infiltrate extremist groups including the Ku Klux Klan, the justice department announced on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters in Washington, Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, said an Alabama grand jury returned an 11-count indictment against the civil rights group in the case brought by the justice department in Alabama, where the organization is based. The charges include wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

In his remarks, Blanche alleged that the group was “doing the exact opposite of what it’s told its donors it was doing – not dismantling extremism, but funding it”.

The indictment was announced shortly after the SPLC’s CEO, Bryan Fair, revealed that the justice department had launched a criminal inquiry into the organization. Fair said the group used to use paid informants to infiltrate extremist groups and monitor them, but no longer does.

“This use of informants was necessary because we are no stranger to threats of violence. In 1983, our offices were firebombed, and in the years since, there have been countless credible threats against our staff,” he said. “For decades, we engaged in unprecedented litigation to dismantle the Klan and other hate groups. In light of that work, we sought to protect the safety of our staff and the public.”

The FBI director, Kash Patel, had a testy exchange with reporters when asked about the recent Atlantic article outlining claims that he excessively drinks and at times has been unreachable.

At a Department of Justice press conference, a reporter asked Patel to “respond directly” to the claims that his '“unexplained absences created a national security risk” and if he could “definitively” say he has not been intoxicated or absent during his tenure.

Patel responded, “I can say unequivocally that I never listen to the fake news mafia and … when they get louder, it just means I’m doing my job.” He then said he has worked “twice as many days as every director before me”, saying that meant he has “taken a third less vacation than those before me”. After rattling off statistics about the FBI’s achievements during his tenure, he said: “I’m like an everyday American who loves his country, loves his sport of hockey and champions my friends when they raise a gold medal and invite me in to celebrate. I’ve never been intoxicated on the job, and that is why we filed a … defamation lawsuit.”

Patel was referencing the $250m defamation suit he filed against the magazine on Monday, along with the scrutiny he has faced for traveling to Italy on an FBI jet for the US men’s hockey team’s final and then chugging beer in the locker room.

A reporter then asked Patel about a claim in the Atlantic that when he recently struggled to log on to an internal computer system, he “became convinced that he had been locked out” and was fired. The director and the reporter talked over each other, with Patel saying, “The problem with you and your baseless reporting is that is an absolute lie. It was never said, it never happened.” The reporter asked him to clarify the acknowledgement in Patel’s lawsuit that he had, in fact, had a “routine technical problem logging into a government system”, but Patel didn’t directly address the question.

Donald Trump’s approval rating on the economy has decreased from March to April as prices climb due to the Iran war, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released today.

Only 30 percent of respondents approve of his handling of the economy, down from 38 percent in March, the AP reported. Only 32% approve of his leadership on Iran, which has remained at the same levels since last month. And only 33 percent of US adults approve of his overall job performance, a dip from 38 percent in March.

The poll was conducted 16 April to 20 April, a period in which the strait of Hormuz reopened and closed, the AP noted.

Trump, who has repeatedly boasted about lowering prices, had particularly low ratings on the cost of living, with only about 25% approval.

A separate Reuters/Ipsos poll from today also found the president’s approval rating at the lowest of his term, with many questioning his handling of the Iran war and his feud with Pope Leo. That six-day poll concluded only 36 percent of Americans approve of his job performance.

Donald Trump said on social media that he would “extend the ceasefire” in Iran, hours after he said in an interview he did not want to do that.

The president’s post on his Truth Social website said Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and the prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif requested a continued ceasefire: “We have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal.” He said the request was due to Iran’s government being “seriously fractured”.

Trump wrote:

I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other.

The Senate budget committee released the text for the budget reconciliation bill that Republicans hope to pass in order to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and border patrol for the remainder of Donald Trump’s second term in office.

A staffer for Senate majority leader John Thune, said that total spending for the funding request “will be closer to $70bn”, which would “replace the base funding that Dems have been blocking through the appropriations process”.

A reminder that GOP leadership has been considering a reconciliation bill, which only needs a simple majority to pass, since negotiations to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) collapsed. The record-breaking partial shutdown is now in its 10th week.

“Republicans are doing something that must be done quickly, and that our Democrat colleagues are trying to prevent us from doing. That something is simple: fully fund Border Patrol and ICE at a time of great threat to the United States,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, chair of the budget committee. “With this budget resolution, we are moving forward – not backward – on rational immigration policies that secure our border.”

The president has pushed top Republicans to have the legislation on his desk by 1 June.

Democratic Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick said she is resigning from Congress effective immediately, after a House committee found she violated ethics rules. The panel was set to issue its recommended punishment for the Florida congresswoman on Tuesday.

Cherfilus-McCormick was also indicted by a federal grand jury in November for allegedly funneling more than $5m worth of federal disaster funds from her company into her 2021 congressional campaign.

“The Ethics Committee refused my new attorney’s reasonable request for time to prepare my defense,” Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement. “By going forward with this process while a criminal indictment is pending, the Committee prevented me from defending myself.” She also said the process has been a “witch-hunt”, and instead of playing “political games” she is stepping down to devote time to “fighting for my neighbors in Florida’s 20th district”.

In another back-and-forth with Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren, Warsh refused to say that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.

“I’m just asking a factual question. I need to know. I need to measure your independence and your courage,” Warren said.

“Senator, I believe that this body certified that election many years ago,” Warsh replied, earlier noting that the Federal Reserve tries to “keep out of politics”.

During his opening statement today, Kevin Warsh told lawmakers on the banking committee that the independence of the Federal Reserve is paramount. Senator Elizabeth Warren has said that she is concerned Warsh would simply be a “sock puppet” for Donald Trump. Today, Warsh said that he does not believe that “independence of monetary policy is threatened when elected officials speak their views on rates fed. Independence is up to the Fed”.

Elizabeth Warren, the ranking member of the Senate banking committee, said that “we should not be having this hearing today” while addressing Kevin Warsh and her colleagues on the panel.

Warren said that Donald Trump’s “chaotic tariffs”, the One Big, Beautiful Bill and his war with Iran are all “driving up the cost of nearly everything here at home”.

The Democratic senator also noted that Trump has “repeatedly and illegally attempted to take over the Fed”, with his “bogus attacks” on Governor Lisa cook and chair Jerome Powell.

Warren said these attempts were designed to "threaten all the members of the Fed to do the president’s “bidding “and open more spots for “Trump flunkies”.

In a video posted to social media, Pete Hegseth signed an new policy ending the flu vaccine requirement for US service members.

The defense secretary said he was using this opportunity to “discard any overreaching mandates that only weaken our war-fighting capability”.

Medical experts note that the flu vaccine protects against three or four virus strains that cause influenza each year, and most severe cases of the virus are in unvaccinated individuals.

“The notion that a flu vaccine must be mandatory for every service member, everywhere, in every circumstance at all times, is just overly broad and not rational,” Hegseth said in the video posted to X today.

“If you, an American warrior, entrusted to defend this nation, believe that the flu vaccine is in your best interest, then you are free to take it,” he added. “But we will not force you, because your body, your faith and your convictions are not negotiable.”

Also in his interview with CNBC, Donald Trump said that he “would be” disappointed if Kevin Warsh, his nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, did not cut interest rates as soon as he took office after being confirmed by the Senate.

A reminder that Warsh is facing lawmakers today in a hearing, where he’ll face questions about his loyalty to the president and whether this would impact the central bank’s independence. Warsh is also facing pushback from one of the critical Republican votes on the Senate banking committee – Thom Tillis – who has refused to confirm any of Trump pick to lead the Fed as long as the criminal probe into Jerome Powell continues.

The president has remained resolute that “we have to find out” about the renovations of the new Federal Reserve building, which he has accused Powell of mismanaging, leading the justice department to investigate.

Donald Trump said that he does not want to extend the two-week ceasefire with Iran, in an interview with CNBC. “I dont’ want to do that. We don’t have that much time,” the president said. The pause is set to expire tomorrow, and vice-president JD Vance will lead last-ditch talks in Islamabad today, in the hopes of striking a deal with Tehran.

However, speaking to Joe Kernen, Trump said that he plans to resume strikes if negotiations collapse. “I expect to be bombing because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with,” the president added. “But we’re ready to go. I mean, the military is raring to go.”

Trump, regardless, remained convinced that “we’re going to end up with a great deal”.

The president is awake and has used his first social media post of the day to heap praise on Apple’s outgoing CEO Tim Cook.

Donald Trump said he has “always been a fan” of Cook, adding that if Steve Jobs had not died aged 56, he would not have run the company anywhere “near as well as [well]” as under Cook.

He wrote:

For me it began with a phone call from Tim at the beginning of my First Term. He had a fairly large problem that only I, as President, could fix. Most people would have paid millions of dollars to a consultant, who I probably would not have known, but who would say that he knew me well. The fees would be paid but the job would not have gotten done. When I got the call I said, wow, it’s Tim Apple (Cook!) calling, how big is that? I was very impressed with myself to have the head of Apple calling to “kiss my ass.”

Anyway, he explained his problem, a tough one it was, I felt he was right and got it taken care of, quickly and effectively. That was the beginning of a long and very nice relationship. During my five years as President, Tim would call me, but never too much, and I would help him where I could. Years latter, after 3 or 4 BIG HELPS, I started to say to people, anyone who would listen, that this guy is an amazing manager and leader.

Trump added:

Anyway, Tim Cook had an AMAZING career, almost incomparable, and will go on and continue to do great work for Apple, and whatever else he chooses to work on. Quite simply, Tim Cook is an incredible guy!!!

Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.

President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Federal Reserve will commit to protecting central bank independence on interest rates at a crucial confirmation hearing later today.

“I am committed to ensuring that the conduct of monetary policy remains strictly independent,” Kevin Warsh is to say in an opening statement to the Senate Banking Committee. He is also expected to express commitment to fighting inflation, according to remarks seen by the AFP news agency.

The hearing, scheduled for 10am ET, will be closely watched as it marks a key hurdle Warsh must overcome in order to succeed Fed chair Jerome Powell when his term ends on 15 May.

But the session will be tense, with all 11 Democrats on the Banking Committee last week urging for a delay in the nomination’s proceedings until separate investigations into Powell and Fed governor Lisa Cook are closed.

Republican senator Thom Tillis, who sits on the panel led by his party, has also vowed to block all Fed nominees – including Warsh – until the Justice Department probe involving Powell is resolved. With 13 Republican members on the committee, Tillis’ vote against Warsh’s confirmation could be enough to set up an impasse.

Warsh is due to face questioning from lawmakers on issues ranging from his wealth to past connections with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, alongside his views on economic issues.

In other developments:

• Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Donald Trump’s labor secretary, resigned from her role with the administration. She said it was “an honor and a privilege to serve” to serve and that she would take on a job in the private sector. The departure came after she became entangled in a string of political and personal controversies. Democrats celebrated, writing “this administration is imploding”.

• Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, called for Kash Patel’s immediate resignation following a report from the Atlantic detailing the FBI director’s alleged excessive drinking and absences. Patel has sued the magazine for defamation with his attorneys calling the article a “sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece”.

• Donald Trump signed memorandums related to coal supply chains, natural gas and grid infrastructure on Monday. The president invoked the Defense Production Act in the energy-related memos, writing that increasing energy production is “essential to United States national defense”.

• The crowded field of Democratic candidates in the California’s governor’s race appears to be narrowing as Betty Yee — a former state controller— announced Monday she planned to end her campaign. Meanwhile, the California Democratic party chair Rusty Hicks continued to urge candidates trailing in the polls to exit the race.