Florida GOP's Power Grab: New Map Threatens Democrats

0:00It's April 30th. This is Global News Today, powered by AI, Your World, in real time. I'm Cory with the story. Florida's legislature, just Greenlit, a new congressional map, pushed by Governor Ron DeSantis, aiming to lock in a massive edge for Republicans. This redraw could flip the state's house seats from 20 Republicans to 8 Democrats, all the way to 24 to 4. It dropped right after DeSantis dropped his plan, and the same day the Supreme Court gutted a key voting rights act rule. That court move makes it tougher for Democrats to fight back against maps that squeeze out non-wide voters clout. DeSantis says the changes match population booms and suburbs, and keep things race neutral, hitting Democratic strongholds around Orlando, Tampa, and South Florida hard. It might wipe out seats held by reps like Jared Moskowitz and Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Since an activist lit up the Capitol, slamming it as a Trump-fueled power grab to crush most voters who aren't Republican. Reps like Michelle Rainer called out the national meddling, but the House passed it 83-28

1:05and the Senate-21-2. Seventeen. Folks showed up protesting, but got just 30 seconds each to speak. Lawmakers rushed it through in days, with barely any real hearings. DeSantis pitched it first on Fox News, and his team bets it'll survive core fights thanks to past Florida rulings and the new Supreme Court vibe. Lawsuits are locked and loaded from Democrats, but if it sticks, Republicans could dominate Florida's delegation big time, though thin margins might. To flip, it voters pushed back against the whole scene.