Legal fight escalates over Georgia voting records

ATLANTA (AP) — Officials in Georgia’s Fulton County have asked a federal court to order the FBI to return ballots and other documents from the 2020 election that it seized last week, The move escalates a voting battle as President Donald Trump says he wants to “take over” elections from Democratic-run areas with the November midterms on the horizon. The search took place on Jan. 28 at Fulton County’s main election facility. Fulton County votes overwhelmingly Democratic. It’s been a target of Donald Trump and his allies since the Republican narrowly lost the state to Joe Biden in 2020. The Fulton County chairman says the case is “about elections across Georgia and across the nation.”

Washington Post cuts a third of its staff in a blow to a legendary news brand

(AP) — The Washington Post has laid off one-third of its staff, eliminating its sports section, several foreign bureaus and its books coverage. The widespread purge announced Wednesday is a brutal blow to journalism and one of its most legendary brands. The Post’s executive editor, Matt Murray, called the move painful but necessary to put the outlet on stronger footing and weather changes in technology and user habits. He outlined the changes in a companywide online meeting. Staff members then began getting emails with one of two subject lines — telling them their role was or was not eliminated. Rumors of layoffs had circulated for weeks.

Judge appears skeptical of Trump’s latest bid to nix his hush money conviction

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge appeared poised to again reject President Donald Trump’s bid to erase his hush money conviction, slamming his lawyers Wednesday for legal maneuvers he said amounted to taking “two bites at the apple.” Directed by an appeals court to take a fresh look at the matter, Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein was at turns inquisitive and incredulous during nearly three hours of arguments as Trump seeks to move his case from the state court where it was tried to federal court, where he can ask to have it thrown out on presidential immunity grounds. Hellerstein sparred with Trump lawyer Jeffrey Wall throughout the proceeding in Manhattan federal court and suggested the whole exercise was moot because the president’s legal team had waited too long after the historic May 2024 verdict to seek federal court relief.

Supreme Court allows new California congressional districts that favor Democrats

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has allowed California to use a new voter-approved congressional map that is favorable to Democrats in this year’s elections, rejecting a plea from state Republicans and the Trump administration. No justices dissented from the brief order. The justices had previously allowed Texas’ Republican-friendly map to be used in 2026, despite a lower-court ruling that it likely discriminates on the basis of race. The justices’ unsigned order Wednesday keeps in place districts that are designed to flip up to five seats now held by Republicans, part of a tit-for-tat nationwide redistricting battle spurred by President Donald Trump.