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New redistricting committee all but gives up map effort

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s new bipartisan redistricting committee has all but given up its effort to draw new congressional maps after committee members couldn’t find consensus on what constitutes political fairness.

The redistricting committee had already failed to come up with new maps for the General Assembly.

At a meeting Wednesday, it sought common ground on a  map for the state’s 11 congressional districts. But the commission of eight Democrats and eight Republicans split down the line on whether Republicans deserved four or five safe seats.

The commission canceled future meetings, but left open the possibility of meeting again if perhaps commissioners on their own can develop a compromise map. The state Supreme Court will draw the maps if the commission cannot.

Trump announces a $22.5B makeover of Dulles airport that will eliminate the ‘people movers’

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a $22.5 billion renovation of Washington Dulles International Airport that will end the use of the widely disliked “people movers,” the mobile lounges that have been used for decades to shuttle travelers to and from the main terminal. In place of the people movers, the airport will add a new U-shaped passenger train, a central walking tunnel, more moving walkways and new concourses. An above-ground parking garage closer to the main terminal with space for 32,000 vehicles is also in the offing, according to Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The airport makeover would add to a long list of renovation projects the Republican president is pursuing to leave a lasting mark on the Washington region after his term ends in January 2029. Among other undertakings, he is building a new White House ballroom and wants to build a towering triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial. But of all the construction projects Trump is pursuing, the renovations at Dulles could prove to be his most popular and benefit the greatest number of people. The airport, the area’s primary international airport, served roughly 29 million passengers over the past year, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
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