By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MICHAEL R. BLOOD, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Justice Department on Thursday sued to block new congressional district boundaries approved by California voters last week, joining a court battle that could help determine which party wins control of the U.S. House in 2026.

Related Articles

What’s next in Congress on the push to release the Epstein files

The unprecedented government shutdown will weigh on a US economy already under stress

States scramble to send full SNAP food benefits to millions of people after government shutdown ends

50-year mortgages? NFL kickoff rules? Here’s where some of Trump’s latest jaw-dropping musings stand

Judge denies New Jersey Rep. McIver’s request to dismiss Trump administration charges

The complaint filed in California federal court targets the new congressional map pushed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in response to a similar Republican-led effort in Texas backed by President Donald Trump. It sets the stage for a high-stakes legal and political fight between the Republican administration and the Democratic governor, who’s seen as a likely 2028 presidential contender.

“California’s redistricting scheme is a brazen power grab that tramples on civil rights and mocks the democratic process,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an emailed statement. “Governor Newsom’s attempt to entrench one-party rule and silence millions of Californians will not stand.”

California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, a constitutional amendment changing the congressional boundaries to give Democrats a shot at winning five seats now held by Republicans in next year’s midterm elections.

The Justice Department is joining a case challenging the new map that was brought by the California Republican Party last week. The Trump administration accuses California of racial gerrymandering in violation of the Constitution by using race as a factor to favor Hispanic voters with the new map. It asks a judge to prohibit California from using the new map in any future elections.

“Race cannot be used as a proxy to advance political interests, but that is precisely what the California General Assembly did with Proposition 50 — the recent ballot initiative that junked California’s pre-existing electoral map in favor of a rush-job rejiggering of California’s congressional district lines,” the lawsuit says.

Prop 50 was Newsom’s response to Trump’s maneuvers in Texas, where Republicans rejiggered districts in hopes of picking up five seats of their own ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, when House control will be on the line.

Democrats need to gain just a handful of seats next year to take control of the chamber, which would imperil Trump’s agenda for the remainder of his term and open the way for congressional investigations into his administration. Republicans hold 219 seats, to Democrats’ 214.

The showdown between the nation’s two most populous states has spread nationally, with Missouri, Ohio and a spray of other states either adopting new district lines to gain partisan advantage or considering to do so.

The national implications of California’s ballot measure were clear in both the money it attracted and the high-profile figures who became involved. Tens of millions of dollars flowed into the race, including a $5 million donation to opponents from the Congressional Leadership Fund, the super political action committee tied to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

Former action movie star and Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger opposed it, while former President Barack Obama, a Democrat, appeared in ads supporting it, calling it a “smart” approach to counter Republican moves aimed at safeguarding House control.

The contest provided Newsom with a national platform when he has confirmed he will consider a White House run in 2028.

Richer reported from Chicago.

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Business Writer

Doritos and Cheetos are getting a makeover.

Related Articles

AT&T reached a $177M data breach settlement. What consumers should know about claiming their money

Airlines are optimistic about a quick recovery ahead of Thanksgiving once FAA ends flight cuts

The unprecedented government shutdown will weigh on a US economy already under stress

Average US long-term mortgage rate rises again, inching up to 6.24%

What are prop bets, and why can’t sports leagues escape them?

PepsiCo said Thursday it’s launching toned-down versions of its bright orange snacks that won’t have any artificial colors or flavors. Doritos and Cheetos Simply NKD will hit store shelves on Dec. 1.

It’s part of a broader shift underway at PepsiCo, which announced in April that it would accelerate a planned transition to using natural colors in its foods and beverages. Around 40% of its U.S. products now contain synthetic dyes, according to the company.

Dye-free doesn’t mean Doritos and Cheetos Simply NKD will be colorless. Instead, they’re just a lighter color, like a tortilla chip.

Many other big food companies, including Kraft Heinz and General Mills, have made similar pledges. They’re feeling pressure from federal regulators and U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who are urging companies to eliminate synthetic food dyes by next year.

States have also been taking action. Texas recently passed a law requiring warning labels for foods that contain artificial ingredients. Other states are moving to ban or restrict synthetic dyes.

PepsiCo has sold Simply brand Doritos and Cheetos without artificial dyes since 2002. But those products aren’t designed to taste like the original chips.

The Simply NKD versions are supposed to taste like the originals. But unlike the originals, they don’t contain petroleum-based dyes. They also have shorter ingredient lists.

For example, Simply NKD Doritos and Simply NKD Cheetos don’t contain the flavor-enhancing additives disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, which are found in the original versions.

“We’re turning expectations upside down — removing artificial colors, not the flavor — and proving that unforgettable taste can be colorless,” said Rachel Ferdinando, the CEO of PepsiCo Foods U.S., in a statement.

PepsiCo said the Simply NKD line will include flavors like Cool Ranch Doritos and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. The chips will cost the same as original varieties.

The company said original Doritos and Cheetos will also remain on the market.

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Luigi Mangione is still waiting to log in.

Months after a judge said he could have a laptop in jail to review evidence, lawyers for the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson say the device has yet to be delivered.

The delay, Mangione’s lawyers said in a court filing made public Thursday, is putting the 27-year-old suspect in a time crunch with little more than two weeks before an important hearing in his state murder case.

Mangione, also facing a federal death penalty case, has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal jail in Brooklyn, since his December 2024 arrest. He has pleaded not guilty.

A judge approved the defense’s request for a laptop in August, but getting it in his hands has been slow because of modifications required to prevent misuse and the volume of evidence being saved to it.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which is prosecuting the state case, didn’t want him to have a laptop. Federal prosecutors didn’t take a position, and their spokesperson declined to comment Thursday.

“Although the federal court has previously issued a laptop order, there is a lengthy and laborious process that must be completed before Mr. Mangione receives the laptop,” defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo wrote.

To comply with jail regulations, she said, the laptop had to be sent to an outside technology vendor to disable its connections to the internet, printers and wireless networks — a process that took “many weeks to complete.”

FILE – Luigi Mangione, accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, appears in Manhattan state court in New York, Sept. 16, 2025. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP, file)

The changes mean the tech-savvy Mangione, a former software engineer, won’t be able to use the laptop to view websites, send messages or post on social media.

Now, the device is with federal prosecutors, who are loading the computer with some of the more than seven terabytes of evidence that has been collected in the case, Friedman Agnifilo said. The rest will be saved to an external hard drive that also will be provided to Mangione.

Such evidence sharing, known as discovery, is routine in criminal cases and is intended to help ensure a fair trial. Defendants often assist their lawyers in reviewing evidence and shaping their defense.

“Once Mr. Mangione receives the laptop and hard drive, he will need time to meaningfully review” the material before a Dec. 1 hearing on evidence and other issues in the state case, Friedman Agnifilo said.

Mangione’s lawyers are seeking to have prosecutors barred from using certain evidence collected during his arrest, including a 9 mm handgun, a notebook in which authorities say he described his intent to “wack” an insurance executive, and statements he made to police.

Cases at critical points

Thompson, 50, was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, as he arrived at a Manhattan hotel for his company’s annual investor conference.

Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him behind. Police say “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.

Mangione, the Ivy League-educated scion of a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later while eating breakfast at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles west of Manhattan.

As the anniversary of the killing nears, Mangione’s cases are at critical points.

In September, Judge Gregory Carro threw out Mangione’s state terrorism charges but kept the rest of the case — including an intentional murder charge — in place. A trial date could be set at next month’s hearing.

In the federal case, Mangione’s lawyers want prosecutors barred from seeking the death penalty and want at least some charges dismissed, arguing that authorities prejudiced him by turning his arrest into a spectacle and by publicly declaring their desire to see him executed. A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 9.

Wait for laptop continues

As for the laptop, Mangione’s lawyers have been trying to get him one since March.

They told Carro that the amount of evidence being turned over by prosecutors — including video files, documents and other items — was so voluminous, Mangione couldn’t reasonably view it on the jail’s shared computers for inmates. Nor would they be able to go over it all during jail visits, they said.

Related Articles

Airlines are optimistic about a quick recovery ahead of Thanksgiving once FAA ends flight cuts

Chicago civil rights leader Jesse Jackson hospitalized for rare neurological disorder

What’s next in Congress on the push to release the Epstein files

Why some HBCUs and female athletes fear being left behind in new era of college sports

States scramble to send full SNAP food benefits to millions of people after government shutdown ends

The district attorney’s office disagreed, arguing that instead of giving Mangione a laptop, his lawyers could simply show him key case material instead.

Carro concluded that he had “no objection” as long as jail officials were on board.

On Aug. 4, the judge in Mangione’s federal case signed an order approving Mangione for a modified, evidence-only laptop and requiring that the jail give him access to it each day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

More than 100 days later, still no laptop.