Why a West Coast storm may be the start of something much bigger

Key Points:

• Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is reallocating $750,000 in reelection ads in the D.C. media market to promote a redistricting amendment aimed at loosening rules for drawing congressional boundaries, despite current polling showing low support for the measure.
• The amendment would empower state lawmakers, primarily Democrats, to redraw districts in 2028, potentially unseating Maryland’s only Republican congressman, Andy Harris.
• A severe weather system is expected to impact California and the Intermountain West with flood watches, severe thunderstorms, and a rare tornado threat, especially in Arizona and Southern California, driven by a record El Niño and a strong subtropical jet stream.
• Elon Musk has become the largest individual political donor in modern U.S. history, contributing hundreds of millions to Republican-aligned super PACs, significantly funding campaigns and ads in key Senate and House races.
• Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) has received endorsements from prominent right-wing Latin American leaders, sparking criticism from Democrats who view the support as foreign interference in U.S. elections; Salazar defends the endorsements as opposition to a "radical socialist agenda."