Redistricting pushes incumbents toward the exits: From the Politics Desk

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In today’s edition, we dive into the still-growing number of lawmaker retirements this election cycle. Plus, we share an exclusive new report on a Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidate’s old social media account. And Andrea Mitchell examines the newly signed nuclear agreement between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

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Redistricting pushes incumbents toward the exits

By Alexandra Marquez and Bridget Bowman

Members of the House are heading for the exits at the fastest rate in decades , including several who decided to retire after their districts became more competitive following redistricting efforts across the country.

Rep. Cleo Fields , D-La., became the latest example yesterday, when he announced he wouldn’t seek re-election. Louisiana Republicans carved up his majority-Black district in a new congressional map that passed in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s major ruling on the Voting Rights Act.

He joins Reps. Frederica Wilson , D-Fla.; Steve Cohen , D-Tenn.; Darrell Issa , R-Calif.; Burgess Owens , R-Utah; Lloyd Doggett , R-Texas; and Marc Veasey , D-Texas.

In some places, Democrats whose districts became more competitive opted to seek re-election, including Reps. Emanuel Cleaver in Missouri and Kathy Casto r and Darren Soto in Florida. So did Republican-turned-independent Rep. Kevin Kiley in California.

That means the number of incumbents leaving the House because of redistricting could rise sharply once more in November, depending on the outcomes of those races.

Exclusive: Wisconsin Democratic candidate David Crowley disavows his old crude and caustic ‘Dirt McGirk’ Twitter account

By Natasha Korecki, Ben Goggin and Adam Edelman

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley relaunched his Democratic primary campaign for governor last week, just days after he suspended it, with a coveted endorsement from outgoing Gov. Tony Evers .

Crowley had been trailing in the polls, but with a democratic socialist candidate gaining momentum in the race, some party strategists said there was a rush to present a viable alternative.

However, a deeper look at Crowley’s past social media use reveals a connection to incendiary posts about women and race, as well as derogatory LGBTQ references.

Trump’s next big nuclear bet in the Middle East

Analysis by Andrea Mitchell

After going to war with Iran with the goal of eliminating any threat it could ever build bombs out of its nuclear energy program, the Trump administration is helping Saudi Arabia get nuclear energy — at a price.

The deal that was officially signed today would require the Saudis to use American-made reactors — to the tune of tens of billions of dollars. Buying “Made in America” is a major concession to help maintain safeguards against proliferation, protecting U.S. nuclear technology and enriched uranium from getting in the hands of foreign adversaries.

Having a nuclear program is a long-held dream of the Saudis, a dream made only more urgent by the Iran war’s fallout: Tehran’s retaliatory strikes against oil infrastructure throughout the Arab world and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had come close to a nuclear deal with the Biden administration in September 2023, promising in exchange to recognize Israel and establish diplomatic relations with it. That would have been the capstone of the Abraham Accords, a proposal launched during President Donald Trump ’s first term. The Saudis had demanded that Israel, in turn, take its first steps toward helping the Palestinians achieve an independent state.

All that was upended on Oct. 7 that year when Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel. Israel’s military response made it politically impossible for the Saudis to consider establishing relations with Israel. The nuclear deal was shelved.

The new agreement grants the Saudis a provision not given to its nearby rival, the United Arab Emirates — the right to eventually enrich uranium on its own soil. The UAE had accepted a separate protocol, often referred to as the “gold standard” under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, promising not to enrich or reprocess nuclear fuel and granting access to United Nations nuclear inspectors. The Saudis refused to sign that promise, but U.S. officials say the agreement includes a two-year study before any uranium could be enriched in Saudi Arabia. After that, if the U.S. approves, uranium would be enriched under American supervision for the next 10 years.

Critics are still concerned about introducing nuclear reactors, even for civilian use, into the volatile Middle East. Israel has never publicly acknowledged its nuclear weapons program, but it is not a secret in military circles. Egypt is constructing its first nuclear reactor for peaceful purposes. Pakistan and India, fierce rivals, both have nuclear weapons programs. The nonpartisan Nuclear Threat Initiative says the Trump administration is considering 19 other countries that want permission to buy reactors for peaceful purposes.

At today’s signing ceremony with his Saudi counterpart in Washington, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said, “Rest assured, these agreements uphold the highest standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation while relying on the world’s best nuclear technology and scientists, designed right here in the United States.”

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That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Annelise Hanson.

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