Hello readers, Kathryn Palmer here. Welcome back to another day of On Politics. Here's what to know this Tuesday.
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Virginia special election is another test in redistricting war
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Virginia voters are casting ballots today on a referendum to change the boundaries of the state's congressional districts in the short term. It's just the latest state to enter the nationwide redistricting battle President Donald Trump launched last year to alter the congressional maps before the 2026 midterm elections.
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If it's approved by voters and clears legal and administrative hurdles, the measure would eliminate all but one Republican-leaning district in the Old Dominion State. The result? The likely makeup of Virginia's delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives would change, from a six-to-five with a majority of Democrats, to having as many as 10 Democrats in Congress.
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The partisan redistricting battle has put Democratic moderates, such as Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, in a difficult position, as she preferred to keep the focus on affordability and other kitchen table issues ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Jay Paul, REUTERS
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Pentagon revokes mandatory flu vaccine policy, calling it 'absurd'
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Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announced the military is doing away with a longstanding vaccination policy that required service members to receive the flu shot.
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In a video posted to social media today, Hegseth calls the new policy a move to "restore freedom and strength" to U.S. forces. He goes on to criticize the previous mandate as "overly broad and not rational," comparing it to the COVID-19 requirements and grouping it with Biden-era health policies he cast as a denial of "medical autonomy."
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Health experts, including official guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have long advocated for people to receive the vaccination to reduce rates of flu-related hospitalizations, complications and death. The move is just the latest from the Trump administration, altering vaccine policies, often against the advice of health policy experts.
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Trump says US is 'ready to go militarily' if Iran talks fail
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Trump today said he does not want to extend the United States-Iran ceasefire as the clock winds down on the temporary truce, as efforts for a second round of peace talks in Pakistan remain uncertain.
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“I don't want to do that. We don't have that much time,” Trump told CNBC in an interview on "Squawk Box," adding that he believes the United States is in a strong negotiating position and could end up with a “great deal.” If negotiations fail, the president said, "We're ready to go militarily."
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Authorities in northern Mexico said the Americans were not involved in the raid. In an earlier statement, authorities suggested they were part of the raid.
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The Onion is awaiting a Texas judge's decision on if it can take over Alex Jones' far-right media company Infowars. Here's what to know.
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Labor Department secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is leaving the Trump administration. She's the third Cabinet secretary to depart in recent months.
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Joe Rogan joined the president in the Oval Office on April 18 in a show of support amid recent criticism from the podcaster toward Trump.
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The Virginia senator said that his 36-year-old daughter's death came after a battle with juvenile diabetes.
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