The Associated Press

NextEra, Dominion Energy seek merger as AI drives energy demand in the U.S.

Published May 18, 2026 at 10:00AM

A Dominion Energy lineman lifts himself up to work on a power line in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in North Augusta, S.C. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr., File)

NextEra Energy is seeking to acquire Dominion Energy in an all-stock deal valued at about $67 billion, creating a massive power company as the energy needs of artificial intelligence drive demand higher in the U.S.

It is one of the biggest proposed mergers so far this year and would create the world’s biggest regulated electric utility business by market capitalization, the companies said on Monday.

News

Democrats ask the Supreme Court to halt a Va. ruling blocking new congressional districts

By The Associated Press

Published May 11, 2026 at 5:05PM

Charles Houston Recreation Center on Election Day, April 21, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Democrats on Monday filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to halt a Virginia ruling invalidating a ballot measure that would have given their party an additional four winnable U.S. House seats.

The move came after the Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a constitutional amendment that voters narrowly passed just last month. The 4-3 state court decision found that the Democratic-controlled legislature improperly began the process of placing the amendment on the ballot after early voting had begun in the Virginia’s general election last fall.

News

Alexandria NAACP, elected officials slam Virginia Supreme Court’s redistricting ruling

By Emily Leayman and The Associated Press

Published May 11, 2026 at 1:45PM

Signs supporting and opposing redistricting on April 6, 2026 in Old Town Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

Elected officials representing Alexandria have joined the Alexandria NAACP in condemning the Virginia Supreme Court’s overturning of the redistricting referendum.

Voters had narrowly approved the referendum to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts — with 51.69% in favor — on April 21. The Virginia Supreme Court struck down the voter-approved constitutional amendment in a 4-3 ruling Friday (May 8), with the majority citing procedural violations in how the amendment was placed on the ballot.

News

UPDATED: Virginia Supreme Court strikes down Democrats’ redrawn US House maps

By The Associated Press

Published May 8, 2026 at 11:00AM | Updated May 8, 2026 at 3:16PM

Voters at Mount Vernon Recreation Center in Del Ray on Election Day, Nov. 4, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a voter-approved Democratic congressional redistricting plan, delivering another major setback to the party in a nationwide battle against Republicans for an edge in this year’s midterm elections.

The court ruled 4-3 that the state’s Democratic-led legislature violated procedural requirements when it placed the constitutional amendment on the ballot to authorize mid-decade redistricting. Voters narrowly approved the amendment on April 21, but the court’s ruling renders the vote’s result meaningless.

News

Virginia Supreme Court hears challenge to voter-approved redistricting amendment

By Emily Leayman and The Associated Press

Published April 27, 2026 at 11:45AM

Signs at Mount Vernon Recreation Center in Del Ray on Election Day, April 21, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Virginia Supreme Court judges on Monday questioned whether the state’s Democratic-led legislature complied with constitutional requirements when it sent a congressional redistricting plan to voters, in a case that carries high stakes for the balance of power in the U.S. House.

A Republican challenge to the redistricting plan, which could net Democrats four additional seats and won narrow voter approval last week, contends that the General Assembly violated procedural rules by placing the constitutional amendment before voters to authorize mid-decade redistricting. If the court agrees that lawmakers broke the rules, it could invalidate the amendment and render last week’s statewide vote meaningless.

News

Virginia redistricting amendment passes narrowly, but legal challenges remain

By Emily Leayman and The Associated Press

Published April 22, 2026 at 11:45AM

Signs supporting and opposing redistricting on April 6, 2026 in Old Town Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

The redistricting amendment passed in Virginia Tuesday will allow Democrats to pursue redrawn congressional district maps for the 2026 midterm elections.

The Associated Press called the race in favor of the redistricting amendment’s passage at 8:49 p.m. Tuesday. According to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections, more than 1.5 million votes (51.45%) supported the amendment and more than 1.4 million (48.6%) opposed.

News

Virginia redistricting election will go forward while court considers appeal

By The Associated Press

Published February 13, 2026 at 3:30PM

Virginia State Capitol in Richmond (staff photo)

Virginia voters will get to cast ballots on a congressional redistricting plan benefiting Democrats while a court battle plays out over the legality of the effort.

The Virginia Supreme Court said Friday that a statewide referendum can be held April 21 on whether to authorize mid-decade redistricting, and the court will decide sometime later whether the plan is legal.

News

Buddhist monks on 2,300-mile ‘Walk for Peace’ will pass through Old Town on Monday

By Katie Taranto and The Associated Press

Published February 7, 2026 at 8:30AM | Updated February 8, 2026 at 7:10PM

Buddhist monks who are participating in the, "Walk For Peace," are seen with their dog, Aloka, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Saluda, S.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)

Alexandria will recognize a group of Buddhist monks on a 2,300-mile journey to D.C. on Monday as they near the end of their months-long “Walk for Peace.”

The group of monks, who began their pilgrimage on Oct. 26, 2025, at a Vietnamese Buddhist temple in Texas, are expected to pass through Old Town on Monday and interact with passersby at Christ Church (118 N. Washington Street) around noon.

News

Washington Post says one-third of its staff across all departments is being laid off

By The Associated Press and ALXnow.com

Published February 4, 2026 at 10:20AM

A sign for the Washington Post is seen at the company's offices, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

The Washington Post says one-third of its staff across all departments, not just the newsroom, is being laid off.

The troubled Post began implementing large-scale cutbacks on Wednesday, including eliminating its sports department and shrinking the number of journalists it stations overseas. The changes were announced by executive editor Matt Murray in a Zoom meeting with staff.

News

Trump signs bill to end partial shutdown as Democrats continue push for ICE reform

By The Associated Press

Published February 3, 2026 at 5:05PM

The Capitol is seen under gray skies on the thirteenth day of the government shutdown, in Washington, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

President Donald Trump signed a roughly $1.2 trillion government funding bill Tuesday that ends the partial federal shutdown that began over the weekend and sets the stage for an intense debate in Congress over Homeland Security funding.

The president moved quickly to sign the bill after the House approved it with a 217-214 vote.

News

Virginia Democrats plan appeal after judge rules redistricting resolution illegal

By The Associated Press

Published January 28, 2026 at 8:00AM

FILE - The state and U.S. flags fly over the Virginia State Capitol as the 2024 session of the Virginia General Assembly gets underway, Jan. 10, 2024, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia judge ruled Tuesday that a proposed constitutional amendment letting Democrats redraw the state’s Congressional maps was illegal, setting back the party’s efforts to pick up seats in the U.S. House in November. In Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore testified for a new map that could enable Democrats to defeat the state’s only House Republican.

The latest developments are part of a national battle over unusual mid-decade redistricting attempts, launched last summer by President Donald Trump who urged Republican officials in Texas to redraw maps to help the GOP win more seats. He did so in hopes of holding on to a narrow House majority in the face of political headwinds that typically favor the party out of power in midterms.