Today in one sentence: The Justice Department sued to block California’s new voter-approved congressional map, which created five Democratic-leaning districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections; Trump signed the House-passed funding bill last night to end the longest government shutdown in American history; a federal judge said he would release at least 313 low-risk detainees from Trump’s recent immigration crackdown in the Chicago area after finding that many arrests likely violated a 2022 consent decree limiting warrantless arrests; Speaker Mike Johnson said he would hold a vote next week on releasing the Justice Department files on Jeffrey Epstein after Rep. Adelita Grijalva became the 218th signer on a discharge petition; 24% of US households currently spend over 95% of their income on basic needs; Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte referred Rep. Eric Swalwell to the Justice Department for a potential criminal investigation over alleged mortgage, tax, and insurance fraud tied to his Washington home; a federal judge questioned whether Lindsey Halligan was lawfully appointed as interim U.S. attorney, putting the indictments of James Comey and Letitia James at risk; Trump’s former nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, who sent text messages saying the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell” and admitted he had “a Nazi streak,” moved to the General Services Administration as deputy general counsel; and 40% of U.S. women aged 15 to 44 say they want to leave the country permanently.

1/ The Justice Department sued to block California’s new voter-approved congressional map, which created five Democratic-leaning districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The department said the plan “manipulates district lines in the name of bolstering the voting power of Hispanic Californians because of their race” and called it a racial gerrymander that violates the Constitution. The Justice Department, however, hasn’t brought comparable lawsuits against the new Republican-drawn maps in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina, even though civil rights advocates say those plans also disadvantage minority voters. Nevertheless, Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed California’s redistricting scheme was a “brazen power grab that tramples on civil rights,” while Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office responded: “These losers lost at the ballot box and soon they will also lose in court.” The lawsuit asks a federal judge to block the state from using the map in the 2026 elections. (Associated Press / Sacramento Bee / Politico / Washington Post / Axios / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / NBC News / The Guardian / CNN)

2/ Trump signed the House-passed funding bill last night to end the longest government shutdown in American history. The law funds most agencies through Jan. 30, restores back pay, reverses layoffs, and secures full SNAP funding into next year. “This is no way to run a country. I hope we all can agree that the government should never be shut down again,” Trump said, while blaming Democrats for “extortion” even as the bill excluded their demand to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies. Speaker Mike Johnson called the shutdown “utterly pointless and foolish.” The bill advanced after eight Senate Democrats broke with their party and moved it forward without the subsidy extension. (NBC News / Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / CNBC / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / Politico / NPR)

3/ A federal judge said he would release at least 313 low-risk detainees from Trump’s recent immigration crackdown in the Chicago area after finding that many arrests likely violated a 2022 consent decree limiting warrantless arrests. Judge Jeffrey Cummings ordered the immediate release of 13 people the government acknowledged were arrested unlawfully and paused deportation proceedings for others under review. He directed the government to identify which of the broader group of 615 detainees pose public safety risks and said eligible people would be released on a $1,500 bond and electronic monitoring. Cummings noted many arrests occurred at workplaces, homes, or public places and said it was “highly unlikely” those detained were the “worst of the worst,” while DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed an “ACTIVIST JUDGE is putting the lives of Americans directly at risk.” (CNN / New York Times / Chicago Tribune / Chicago Sun-Times / Block Club Chicago / Axios / The Hill / NBC News)

4/ Speaker Mike Johnson said he would hold a vote next week on releasing the Justice Department files on Jeffrey Epstein after Rep. Adelita Grijalva became the 218th signer on a discharge petition. Grijalva signed immediately after being sworn in, ending a seven-week delay in Johnson her seating and triggering a process he had tried to avoid. Trump, meanwhile, warned Republicans not to support the effort, saying “Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap.” He also urged Rep. Lauren Boebert and Rep. Nancy Mace to withdraw their signatures, but both kept their names on the petition, ensuring the vote will move forward. Johnson called the bill “moot” but said the petition’s success required him to schedule floor action. (Politico / The Hill / CBS News / CNN / The Guardian / Axios / New York Times / USA Today / Politico / Colorado Public Radio)

5/ 24% of US households currently spend over 95% of their income on basic needs, while foreclosure filings rose 19% from a year earlier and subprime auto loan delinquencies climbed to a record 6.65%. Wage growth for lower-income workers increased just 1% over the past year, falling behind inflation. One millennial said “things are pretty crappy right now,” while a 65-year-old Iowan with heavy medical debt said politicians denying an affordability crisis “need to walk in our shoes.” (CNBC / CNN / Bloomberg / Associated Press)

6/ Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte referred Rep. Eric Swalwell to the Justice Department for a potential criminal investigation over alleged mortgage, tax, and insurance fraud tied to his Washington home. The referral, sent to Attorney General Pam Bondi, alleged that Swalwell made “false or misleading” statements in loan documents and cited several million dollars in loans and refinancing. Swalwell said he wasn’t surprised, calling himself Trump’s “most vocal critic” and saying, “the only thing I am surprised about is that it took him this long to come after me.” Pulte made similar referrals against other Democratic officials, including Letitia James, Adam Schiff, and Lisa Cook, all who have denied wrongdoing. (NBC News / CNN / Axios)

7/ A federal judge questioned whether Lindsey Halligan was lawfully appointed as interim U.S. attorney, putting the indictments of James Comey and Letitia James at risk. Judge Cameron Currie said Attorney General Pam Bondi “couldn’t have” reviewed all grand jury material as claimed, citing a missing portion of the Comey transcript and noting that Halligan “acted alone” in presenting both cases to grand juries. Lawyers for Comey and James argued that Halligan’s appointment violated the 120-day limit on interim U.S. attorneys and warned that the government “would never need to go through Senate confirmation again” for U.S. attorneys if upheld. Lawyers for Comey and James argued that Halligan’s appointment violated the 120-day limit and and warned that the government “would never need to go through Senate confirmation again” for U.S. attorneys if upheld. They argued the cases showed the Trump’s effort to install “personal allies” to pursue his political rivals. (ABC News / Politico / Associated Press / New York Times / NBC News / Wall Street Journal)

8/ Trump’s former nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, who sent text messages saying the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell” and admitted he had “a Nazi streak,” moved to the General Services Administration as deputy general counsel. Paul Ingrassia withdrew his nomination last month after it became clear he lacked the votes for confirmation due to his past messages, which included calling for the elimination of Black holidays and saying “we need competent white men in positions of leadership.” (Politico)

poll/ 40% of U.S. women aged 15 to 44 say they want to leave the country permanently – four times higher than in 2014 and 21 points higher than men the same age. Nearly 60% of the women identify as or lean Democratic, and said they “increasingly lack faith in national institutions and picture their futures beyond America’s borders.” (Gallup)

⏭️ Notably Next: The 2026 midterms are in 355 days.

Last year today: Day 1394: "Drastic change."
Two years ago today: Day 1028: "Dire and perilous."
Five years ago today: Day 1394: "Trying to survive."
Six years ago today: Day 1028: "The investigations."
Seven years ago today: Day 663: Grandstanding.
Eight years ago today: Day 298: Step aside.