California passes Proposition 50, Trump threatens to sue

Voters of California passed Proposition 50 on Tuesdayclearing the way for the state to redraw its congressional districts in a way that could allow Democrats to take back the U.S. House of Representatives in next year’s midterm elections.

Although the US Department of Justice sent election observers to five California counties – prompting condition and some local leaders to deploy their own election observers – voting across the state went smoothly for the most part. Because of the atypical ones high electoral interest in this year’s special election, some voting centers and college campuses reports long queues. Until Election Day, over 7.2 million votes were already sent.

The manipulation measure it was a high-stakes gamble for Gov. Gavin Newsom, who originally floated the idea over the summer as a counter to Texas Republicans’ own mid-cycle redistricting efforts. Supporters of Prop. 50 poured more than $120 million into Newsom’s committee supporting the measure, while opponents raised $44 million. Groups not affiliated with any campaign from Prop. 50 spent at least another $26 million to influence voters.

• Newsomat a press event Tuesday night: “We organized in an unprecedented way, in a 90-day sprint. … We stood firm in response to the recklessness of (President) Donald Trump. And tonight, after we stabbed the bear, that bear roared with unprecedented turnout, in a special election with an extraordinary result.”

In his victory speechNewsom also urged Democratic leaders in other states to “embrace this moment” and accelerate redistricting efforts, including Virginia and Maryland.

With the passage of Prop. 50, five Republican members of Congress they now face strong chances of re-electionwrite Jeanne Kuang and Maya C. Miller of CalMatters. U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley’s third district, for example, currently covers the Sacramento suburbs, but will change to attract Democratic voters from the city. The Rocklin Republican opposed Prop. 50 and promised to run for re-election in the redrawn district.

Meanwhile, Trump has described Proposition 50 as unconstitutional and a “gigantic fraud.” Despite unproven allegations of widespread voter fraud, the president remains vocal critic of postal votingand promised to give California’s mail-in voting results “very serious legal and criminal review.” The Justice Department plans to monitor California’s election process until Thursday.

Read more about what you might have missed in winning Prop. 50and see the election results by Mohamed Al Elyu and Jeremiah Kimmelman of CalMatters.

A new California law that helps protect user data online may paved the way for nationwide protectionCalMatters’ Colin Letcher reports.

Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 566 into a law in October that requires companies that make web browsers — such as Google’s Chrome or Microsoft’s Edge — to offer users by 2027 an opt-out “signal” that automatically tells websites not to share or sell their personal information while they surf the web.

The state’s consumer privacy watchdog, the California Privacy Protection Agency, sponsored the nation’s first law, which was pushed back by Google — even though the tech giant never publicly opposed the legislation.

Because it is likely easier for companies to provide the service to all consumers in the country, rather than just those in California, experts say the legislation has the potential to have more far-reaching effects.

• Emory Roanassociate director of policy at the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: “It’s really not that difficult technically. … We expect it to have a national impact.”

Read more here.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney died at the age of 84 Monday, due to complications from pneumonia and cardiovascular disease, according to his family. After serving as a member of Congress from Wyoming and US Secretary of Defense, he served as Vice President under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009.

California Assembly Republicans paid tribute to Cheney, saying his career in public service “reflects a deep commitment to his country.” Condolences were also expressed by representatives of the Democratic Party, incl Newsom and California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, who in a statement said that “Cheney’s final years were an example that we must all speak out against threats to our democracy and our communities.”

Cheney was a controversial figure who was widely seen as the architect behind the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The two conflicts and the wider “war on terror” in the country are believed to have killed at least 4.5 million people.

After his tenure as vice president, Cheney became an outspoken critic of President Trump. During the 2024 presidential election, Cheney endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris, claiming at the time that Trump could “never trust you with authority again.” Trump did not make a public statement regarding Cheney’s death Tuesday night, although the White House ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in his honor.

After months of speculation, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla confirmed Tuesday that he will not run for governor of California next year. The state’s senior senator gained national attention the following June FBI agents handcuffed him for disrupting a press conference organized by the US Secretary of Homeland Security. Read more from Maya.