Welcome to Meet the Press Now. I'm Kristen Welker. We begin with breaking news, a major development in the nationwide redistricting arms race and the fight for control of Congress, with the midterms

less than six months away. Today, Republicans getting a big boost in their effort to keep the

majority, even as the party is facing significant political headwinds from the economy,

the war with Iran, and a deeply unpopular president. The Virginia Supreme Court today siding with Republicans

striking down the Democratic-drawn congressional map which voters narrowly approved last month.

The court ruled that the ballot measure about the new map, which would have given Democrats

up to four more House seats, violated the state's constitution. It's a blow for Democrats

across the country who've struggled to counter the redistricting blitz from Republicans. Right now,

Republicans are on track to gain as many as 14-6 seats just from redistricting in the 2026 midterms

compared to just six for Democrats. The partisan battle lines

on full display today with Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries saying his party is

exploring all options to overturn this shocking decision and Republican Speaker of the House

Mike Johnson celebrating, saying the court's ruling was a victory for democracy.

It comes after yesterday, Tennessee Republicans approved a new congressional map,

eliminating that state's single Democratic congressional district,

slicing up the only majority black district in the state.

Protests erupted inside and outside the state capitol, with State House

Democrats walking out of the chamber, and some joining protesters and shaming lawmakers as they left.

Take a listen. Now, Tennessee is the first state to redraw its map following last week's landmark Supreme Court ruling, which effectively eliminated the racial gerrymandering protections from the Voting Rights Act. Two lawsuits have been filed challenging the map,

including by the NAACP, which called the Tennessee vote, quote, a direct attack on our democracy

and our constitution to dismantle majority black districts. That sentiment was echoed by Tennessee

Democratic state lawmakers.

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