JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — In a significant move, Missouri’s chief election authority has dismissed a petition initiated by citizens aiming for a statewide vote on the new congressional districts that have garnered President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

Proponents of the initiative had rallied substantial support, offering hundreds of thousands of signatures to instigate a November election following the adoption of a new U.S. House map by the GOP-dominated state legislature. Nevertheless, Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins on Tuesday declared the petition null, stating that Missouri law exempts congressional redistricting schemes from subjecting to voter referendums.

Hoskins maintained that the quantity of signatures amassed is irrelevant, emphasizing that “challenging a congressional map is unconstitutional under Missouri law.”

A coalition advocating for the referendum intends to challenge Hoskins’ ruling through legal channels.

“Secretary of State Hoskins is making a last desperate attempt to silence the people’s voice in Missouri,” Richard von Glahn, the executive director of People Not Politicians Missouri, remarked in a statement, asserting that the referendum has easily gathered sufficient signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Missouri was the second Republican-led state, after Texas, to respond to Trump’s call last year to redraw congressional districts to the GOP’s advantage in hopes of holding on to the party’s slim House majority in the midterm elections.

The new map, which is being used in Tuesday’s primaries, dramatically reshapes the Kansas City-based 5th Congressional District, held by longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, by stretching it into rural central Missouri to give it a Republican tilt. Republicans already hold six of Missouri’s eight congressional seats and hope to gain another under the new map.

Hoskins shoots down amendment on citizen initiatives

Hoskins also rejected a potential November ballot measure seeking to fortify the initiative process.

The proposed amendment would bar the Legislature from making it harder to qualify citizen initiatives for the ballot or approve them at an election. It also would make it harder for the Legislature to reverse or amend voter-approved initiatives by requiring an 80% vote in both the House and Senate, instead of the current simple majority.

Although supporters had submitted thousands of signatures, Hoskins asserted that the petition violated a constitutional prohibition against rolling multiple subjects and sections of the constitution into a single amendment.

The Respect Missouri Voters coalition said it will take legal action to try to get its amendment on the ballot.

“This brazen disregard for the will of the people is exactly why the people of Missouri came together to gather signatures … because we are sick of these games in Jefferson City,” said Bob Johnson, a coalition member and former Republican state senator.

For both the redistricting referendum and the citizen initiative measure, Hoskins released opinions from Republican Attorney General Catherine Hanaway laying out the rational for his decisions.

Missouri’s redistricting plan has faced lots of litigation

People Not Politicians, the group sponsoring the referendum drive, submitted more than 300,000 signatures to the secretary of state’s office in December. Local election officials reviewed the signatures’ validity over the ensuing months and approved well more than the roughly 111,000 needed to qualify for the ballot.

But Hoskins waited until the last day allowed under state law to announce his decision about the referendum — a move that let the new districts be used in the meantime.

Hoskins had long signaled that he was likely to reject the referendum. He asked a federal court last fall to block the referendum petition from being submitted, arguing that congressional redistricting is not subject to a referendum under the U.S. and Missouri constitutions. A judge dismissed the lawsuit as premature, noting in a December ruling that Hoskins had the authority to reject the petition himself if he thought it was unconstitutional.

If Hoskins is wrong, and a court orders him to place the redistricting referendum on the ballot, it’s unclear what that means for the 2026 elections. Would candidates who win Tuesday’s primaries be allowed to continue running under the new districts in November while voters simultaneously decide whether those districts can be used in future elections? Would candidates run in different districts for the general election than were used in the primaries? Or would courts order a do-over for the congressional primaries using the state’s prior congressional districts?

Missouri’s mid-decade redistricting effort already has been among the most litigated nationally, triggering about a dozen lawsuits over the past year.

Republicans are ahead in the national redistricting fight

Legislative voting districts typically are redrawn at the start of each decade, immediately after a census. But Trump’s call for Republicans to redraw districts to their advantage led to an unusual outbreak of mid-decade mapmaking. The redistricting effort gained additional steam when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana in late April, prompting Republicans in several Southern states to also redraw districts that had large minority populations.

All told, Republicans think they could win as many as 16 additional seats from new House maps enacted in eight states — Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana and Alabama. Democrats, whose counterattack faced several setbacks, think they could win up to six additional seats from new districts in California and Utah.

Voters ultimately will determine whether the new districts perform as intended. Even with redistricting, Republicans are facing headwinds. The president’s party historically has lost congressional seats in the midterms, and Trump’s poor approval ratings could provide an extra hurdle for Republican candidates.

Nearly 145 million people — about two of every five U.S. residents — live in states with new congressional districts for this election. Additional states are considering redistricting before the 2028 elections. Maryland lawmakers voted Tuesday to place an amendment on November’s ballot that could pave the way for mid-decade redistricting.

In a tragic case that has rocked the Florida community, a 17-year-old has been identified as a suspect in the shocking double homicide of a Citadel cadet and his childhood friend.

The DeLand Police Department revealed an arrest warrant has been issued for the teenager, who faces two counts of second-degree murder.

Victims Dustin Rose, 19, and Samson Campbell, 18, were last captured on surveillance footage strolling down a sidewalk at approximately 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28.

The following day, the young men’s bodies were discovered in a vacant lot in downtown DeLand, according to authorities.

Rose, who attended The Citadel Military College of South Carolina, was home on break while pursuing his childhood dream of serving in the military. Rose recently became a member of the South Carolina Army National Guard.

Police say the suspect is considered “armed and dangerous” and urged the public not to approach him, but instead call 911.

According to Florida state law, it’s possible for the teen to be charged as an adult once he is arrested. A prosecutor can decide whether a minor will be tried as an adult, depending on the offense.

It was not immediately clear if the teen would be charged as an adult in this case.

News Media has reached out to the Volusia County State Attorney’s Office.

On August 4, the Big Apple was abuzz with excitement as the stars of “Ted Lasso” gathered for the premiere of the show’s fourth season. The event was a spectacular display of style and charisma, featuring the likes of Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, and Juno Temple among other celebrities. Dive into our gallery below to catch a glimpse of the evening’s dazzling red carpet moments.

In a recent revelation, Whoopi Goldberg flaunted her substantial earnings from her role on The View, despite previously claiming she couldn’t afford to retire.

The beloved host, who has anchored the daytime discussion since 2007, stepped into the spotlight after Rosie O’Donnell’s abrupt departure following her heated exchange with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

Reports from 2016, highlighted by Ramin Sotoodeh’s bestseller Ladies Who Punch, indicated that Goldberg’s paycheck ranged between $5 million and $6 million, according to Variety.

Last month, a source alleged that Goldberg was the highest-paid host of the ABC series with a salary estimated to be in the seven figures, according to Page Six.

Yet, shortly after the 2024 election, Goldberg expressed on air that she was like any “working person” and would gladly retire if her finances allowed, lamenting: ‘If I had all the money in the world, I would not be here, okay?’

Despite her prior comments, she recently boasted on the podcast Baby, This Is Keke Palmer that viewers would be astonished at her earnings.

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Goldberg and ABC for comment. 

‘Listen, you would be shocked,’ Goldberg told Palmer, adding that ‘as soon as they showed you that check, you’d be like: “What the f***?”‘

The Oscar-winning actress refrained from providing any specific numbers but said slyly: ‘It is what it is,’ as Palmer whooped: ‘Praise God!’

Goldberg, who holds an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony), also airily divulged that she would be willing to leave The View for another project.

The Sister Act star let slip that ‘I constantly say to people: “Yes, I’m still open for this.” And especially now, ’cause people say: “Well, you’re on The View, you can’t do anything.” You know, if I need to go, I go. If I need to go.’ 

When Palmer asked whether The View was ‘the best paying job you’ve had over the course of all the things you’ve done,’ Goldberg said without hesitation: ‘No.’

Goldberg now comperes The View alongside Joy Behar – the show’s longest-lasting star – Sunny Hostin, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines and Ana Navarro.

Shortly after the 2024 election, Goldberg was participating in a roundtable discussion on the show about working class Americans who had voted for Donald Trump when she claimed that she herself could not afford to retire.

‘If I had all the money in the world, I would not be here, okay? So, I’m a working person,’ she said on the episode, a day before her 69th birthday.

‘I appreciate that people are having a hard time. Me too. I work for a living,’ the Ghost actress insisted. ‘My kid has to feed her family. My great-granddaughter has to be fed by her family. I know it’s hard out there.’

However last month, it was reported that although multiple hosts on The View had seen their salaries slashed, Goldberg was still making seven figures, via Page Six.

Meanwhile Alyssa Farah Griffin’s request for a substantial increase to her purported mid-six-figure salary was alleged to have been refused.

An insider also claimed that the anchors had reacted with exasperation to news that the show’s wardrobe budget had suffered cuts.

‘They’re all mad because they were all wearing really expensive designer clothes, and now it’s the same budget of a Wendy Williams-type show versus a marquee daytime show,’ said the source. ‘They keep downsizing and downsizing and downsizing.’

A heart-wrenching tragedy has struck a family in Florida as they mourn the loss of their 3-year-old daughter, who perished in a tragic accident involving a toy kitchen at her babysitter’s residence.

The young girl, affectionately known as Briella by her family and friends, sadly passed away on July 27. Four days prior, Boynton Beach police responded to a distressing call, finding her unresponsive with her head lodged in the play set.

The emergency unfolded at the Meadows of Boynton Beach community just after 11 a.m. on July 23, when officers were alerted to a child in need of immediate medical attention, struggling to breathe.

Upon arrival, police initiated critical life-saving procedures, which were continued as Boynton Beach Fire Rescue swiftly transported the toddler to a nearby hospital. Briella remained in critical care, fighting for her life until she tragically succumbed to her injuries.

Investigators said the 3-year-old and her sibling were at a babysitter’s home when the incident happened.

According to Boynton Beach police, the babysitter had left the residence and placed the children in the care of the babysitter’s spouse.

While the children played downstairs, the spouse remained upstairs, periodically checking on them and bringing them snacks, police said.

During one of those checks, the spouse found the toddler with her head stuck inside the toy kitchen, police said.

The spouse freed the child and immediately began performing life-saving measures until first responders arrived.

Police said the child’s sibling told investigators that some of the children’s toys had fallen inside the play kitchen. The toddler apparently became trapped while trying to retrieve them.

Authorities have not announced any criminal charges, and the investigation remains ongoing.

In a GoFundMe created following Briella’s death, loved ones remembered the little girl as “a bright light in the lives of so many.”

“She had a kind heart, a beautiful spirit, and a smile that could light up any room,” the fundraiser said. “She touched countless lives with her love, laughter, and compassion, and the impact she made will never be forgotten.”

The fundraiser said donations will help the family cover funeral and memorial expenses as they navigate the devastating loss.

“She will forever be loved, forever missed, and forever in our hearts,” the fundraiser said.

News Media reached out to the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office for the toddler’s cause and manner of death but did not immediately receive a response.