CBS News
N.Y. Court of Appeals sides with Democrats, orders redrawing of congressional maps
NEW YORK — The state Court of Appeals has ordered an independent redistricting commission to redraw New York’s congressional districts.
It’s a move that has national implications and could affect which party controls the House of Representatives.
The decision, which came down Tuesday afternoon, throws a monkey wrench into the 2024 congressional races in New York, where the six freshman Republicans who won last time could have to run in new district lines that are less favorable, and it could give Democrats a leg up in taking back control of the House, where only a handful of votes separate the two parties.
The New York Congressional Delegation currently has 15 Democrats and 11 Republicans. If all six freshmen lose and everything else stays the same next November, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries could become speaker.
Depending on how the independent redistricting commission redraws the maps, the most vulnerable New York congressmen could be Mike Lawler of Rockland County, Anthony D’Esposito of Long Island, and Marc Molinaro of Dutchess County.
Former congressman Tom Suozzi, a Democrat running to replace the expelled George Santos, could also see his district redrawn to add more likely Democrat voters.
Needless to say, the Republicans are furious and the Democrats are thrilled.
“I think it’s corruption at its finest. We had a ruling last year that overturned the Democrats’ attempts to gerrymander New York’s maps and violate the Constitution. And because they didn’t like the outcome, they decided that they would do it once more,” Lawler said.
“This is what the court should have said last year. If they thought the process was incomplete, they should have just ordered the commission to finish the job, not take it completely away and draw the lines themselves through a special master from another state. That was just an absurd outcome to begin with. I’m glad now that things are being made right,” said state Sen. Michael Gianaris, a Democrat representing Queens.
New York GOP Chair Ed Cox and House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik from upstate New York have hinted at more court action, saying they “will not give up the fight against gerrymandering.”
The commission has until Feb. 28 to finish its work.
Please stay with CBS2, CBS News New York, and CBSNewYork.com for more on this developing story.
A Frontier flight appeared to catch fire as the plane was landing Saturday at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cell phone video showed flames and billows of smoke on the plane’s undercarriage as it touched down on the runway. Fire trucks and other emergency service vehicles rushed onto the runway, as smoke continued to surround the plane.
“Frontier flight 1326 experienced a hard landing,” a spokesperson for the airport confirmed to CBS News. “The Clark County Fire Department responded immediately and all passengers and crew have been safely transported to the gated area. No injuries were reported.”
Frontier flight 1326 from KSAN-KLAS just caught fire on landing at KLAS.
I caught it on video as it landed pic.twitter.com/KGt1Asx3rv
— Tyler (@TylerHerrick) October 5, 2024
Frontier Flight 1326 left San Diego at 1:51 p.m. Pacific Time and landed at Las Vegas at 3:37 p.m., according to Flight Aware.
“The pilots detected smoke and declared an emergency,” a spokesperson for Frontier Airlines confirmed to CBS News. “The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew were evacuated via airstairs. No injuries were reported, and passengers have been bussed to the terminal. The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.”
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CBS News
$100 million in federal funds released for North Carolina to rebuild roads, bridges damaged by Helene
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation released $100 million in emergency funds on Saturday for North Carolina to rebuild its roads and bridges damaged by Helene.
“We are providing this initial round of funding so there’s no delay getting roads repaired and reopened, and re-establishing critical routes,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement. “The Biden-Harris administration will be with North Carolina every step of the way, and today’s emergency funding to help get transportation networks back up and running safely will be followed by additional federal resources.”
The storm caused rampant flooding that has devastated several towns and killed more than 225 people – with CBS News confirming at least 114 people killed in North Carolina. There was more than 8 inches of rain across the western North Carolina mountains, with some areas seeing more than a foot.
Hundreds of roads across Western North Carolina remain closed, leading to an increase in air traffic as teams scour the region for survivors by air. Air traffic over Western North Carolina has increased by 300% due to relief efforts since the storm cleared, the Federal Aviation Administration and the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Mudslides blocked Interstate 40 and other highways in North Carolina and about 400 roads were closed due to damage from Helene. Interstate 40 was damaged at several locations, the Department of Transportation said.
President Biden visited the Carolinas on Wednesday, surveying the flood damage by air from Greenville, South Carolina, to Asheville, North Carolina. Mr. Biden announced the federal government would cover “100%” of all debris removal and emergency protective measure costs in North Carolina for six months.
The Department of Transportation said these relief funds will allow the North Carolina Department of Transportation to act more quickly to fund eligible repairs to their damaged facilities.
Li Cohen and
contributed to this report.
