Leah Askarinam, Author at The Rapid City Post

A woman holds a sign during a rally to protest against redistricting hearings at the Texas Capitol, Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

How redistricting in Texas and other states could change the game for US House elections

July 26, 2025

Redistricting usually happens after the once-a-decade population count by the U.S. Census Bureau or in response to a court ruling. Now, Texas Republicans want to break that tradition. And other states could follow suit. President Trump has asked the Texas Legislature to create districts, in time for next year’s midterm elections, that will send five more Republicans to Washington and make it harder for Democrats to regain the majority and blunt his agenda. There’s no national impediment to a state trying to redraw districts in the middle of a decade and to do it for political reasons, such as increasing representation by the party in power.

Bryan Bedford, President Donald Trump's nominee to run the Federal Aviation Administration, testifies at the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate confirms new FAA administrator at a time of rising concern about air safety

July 9, 2025

The U.S. Senate has confirmed a new leader at the Federal Aviation Administration. Lawmakers on Wednesday confirmed Bryan Bedford as FAA administrator in a 53-43 vote. The vote puts Bedford in charge of the federal agency at a precarious time for the airline industry after recent accidents, including the January collision near Washington, D.C. Republicans and industry leaders lauded President Donald Trump’s choice of Bedford, citing his experience as an airline CEO. But Democrats and flight safety advocates opposed his nomination, citing Bedford’s lack of commitment to the 1,500-hour training requirement for pilots that was put in place after a 2009 plane crash near Buffalo.

FILE - Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., speaks during a confirmation hearing at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)

The GOP’s big bill would bring changes to Medicaid for millions

June 15, 2025

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley has been clear about his red line as the Senate takes up the One Big Beautiful Bill Act: no Medicaid cuts. But what, exactly, would be a cut? Republicans acknowledge that the main cost-saving provision in the bill would cause millions of people to lose their coverage. But they insist they are not cutting the vital safety net program but simply rooting out what they call waste fraud and abuse. Whether that argument lands with voters could go a long way toward determining whether Trump’s bill ultimately ends up boosting or dragging down Republicans as they campaign for reelection.

Leah Askarinam.

How redistricting in Texas and other states could change the game for US House elections

Senate confirms new FAA administrator at a time of rising concern about air safety

The GOP’s big bill would bring changes to Medicaid for millions

Finance.