'The Mandalorian and Grogu' is a prime example that Disney's Star Wars is on life support

Ever since Disney took over Star Wars, one of America’s most well-known and cherished franchises, it has been eroding.

Is it dead? Not quite, but I’d say it’s on life support. To be charitable, I could say that it’s a shell of its former self.

It used to have one of the most, if not the most dedicated fanbases in all of film and television, but then, Disney took over. The new trilogy bastardized the established canon and disrespected the original characters. Former President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy decided to go the woke route by staking the claim that "The Force is Female," putting an emphasis on female empowerment over proper storytelling and character development.

Disney also unjustifiably fired Gina Carano from The Mandalorian after season 2, Solo bombed, The Acolyte was an abomination that got cancelled after only one season, and the list goes on.

Sure, there have been some bright spots such as "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," "Andor," though it's been a costly show financially that is not watched nearly as much as it should because of Disney's failure to keep fans interested, and "The Mandalorian" season 1 and parts of season 2.

There’s no better indication that Star Wars is cooked more than what is happening in the box office right now, though.

After a seven-year absence from the box office, where fans were booing in the theater as Rey was revealed to be a Skywalker in Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars made its return on Memorial Day weekend with "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu." The title within itself should tell you how far Disney’s Star Wars has fallen into creative bankruptcy. It’s a bloated title with the names of the main characters. Imagine Star Wars Episode VI being called "Luke Skywalker and His Father" instead of "Return of the Jedi". It’s that bad.

Anyway, the film ended the holiday weekend at the top of the box office, but it performed worse than the massive Disney Star Wars flop, Solo, when you adjust for inflation. Solo actually defeated "The Mandalorian and Grogu" in both nominal dollars and inflation-adjusted dollars. Solo's $84.4 million three-day opening in 2018 is equivalent to roughly $109–110 million today, about 33% higher than "The Mandalorian and Grogu's" $82 million opening weekend.

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If you compare the four-day holiday openings (both were Memorial Day releases), the gap is even larger. "The Mandalorian and Grogu" earned about $102 million over the four-day holiday weekend, while inflation-adjusted estimates put Solo's 2018 Memorial Day debut at roughly $136.6 million in 2026 dollars. 

And even worse, an independent horror, "Obsession" just surpassed "The Mandalorian and Grogu" for the top spot at the box office on Wednesday. A film that had a budget reportedly around $750,000, directed by a YouTuber and TikToker, just took out a Star Wars film, which reportedly had a production and marketing budget of more than $300 million. If that’s not a clear indication that Star Wars is on life support, I don’t know what is. Word of mouth just trounced a cultural juggernaut brand.

EARLY REVIEWS FOR NEW 'STAR WARS' MOVIE ARE GENERALLY HORRIFIC, BUT DOES ANYONE EVEN CARE AT THIS POINT?

Where "Mandalorian and Grogu," and much of Star Wars has gone wrong, is best described in some of the responses to the movie from the media. The BBC said, "It’s felt like homework" to see Star Wars and try to somehow some way connect to stories and characters that aren’t worth loving or caring for at any significant level. Inverse said, "The Mandalorian and Grogu is Barely A Movie," which is spot on because the movie feels more like a few episodes of a weak Disney+ show that has to be stretched into a movie like butter scraped over too much bread.

Star Wars can no longer print money, simply because of name recognition. The constant reliance on cheap callbacks and recycling characters through cheap imitations is leaving audiences feeling cheated and empty. For example, in this movie, Grogu is a baby version of Yoda, the Hutts are back, the Mandalorian plays a Luke Skywalker figure who falls in a pit to fight a giant monster while visiting the Hutts, there’s a battle on a snow planet calling back to "Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back," and so on. Baby Yoda was fine for a season or two of the show, but now it just feels as if Disney cannot make compelling original characters, or find a way to properly care for the ones that established this franchise in the first place. Disney can’t even compel audiences to care enough to keep a Star Wars movie at the top of the box office for a whole week. It’s damning.

This is what modern-day Hollywood has done to beloved intellectual properties, though. It has desecrated them with woke nonsense, weak storytelling, uncompelling characters, and a belief that sticking to the source material and respecting established lore is old-fashioned. "Star Trek," "Doctor Who," "Marvel: Phase Five" (properly known as the M-She-U), "Lord of the Rings" (Rings of Power), you name it. Hollywood has again and again lit the fire and burned many franchises to the ground to the point they are unrecognizable.

The question is now, "What does Disney do next with Star Wars?" My guess is it tries a reboot of the original trilogy, and the fact that I’m even writing this makes me want to throw up. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see where else Disney goes, especially after the Starfighter movie featuring Ryan Gosling that'll attract audiences because of the actor, not because they care about the Star Wars brand or story being told. Star Wars is a franchise that should have had a century’s-long staying power, yet its grave is already being dug, with the studio scrambling to find a way to salvage the spare parts like Jawas.

source https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-analysis/mandalorian-grogu-prime-example-disneys-star-wars-life-support

Dakich: sports media has created an ‘industry’ out of complaining about white athletes like Caitlin Clark

Dan Dakich thinks the latest Caitlin Clark complaint is part of a much bigger media problem.

Former ESPN host Cari Champion recently criticized Clark, accusing the Indiana Fever star of receiving favorable treatment from the WNBA and taking issue with the way Clark and her fans carry themselves.

Dakich did not see it that way.

The OutKick host used Champion’s latest Clark criticism to unload on what he sees as a sports media industry built around race-based complaints whenever prominent White athletes or media figures are involved.

"Sports media waits on every single move that a white person makes," Dakich said on Thursday's Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich. "The latest is ‘blatant favoritism.’ Well, it can’t be any farther from the truth when talking about Caitlin Clark and the Fever."

Then Dakich took it a step further.

"But an African-American and failed SportsCenter anchor, Cari Champion, is once again whining about Caitlin Clark," Dakich continued. "I’m telling you, man, there’s an industry for African-Americans to whine about every move — whether it’s Jaxson Dart, whether it’s Caitlin Clark, whether it’s me — of every white person. Y’all are doing pretty good with it."

That was the real point.

Dakich was not just defending Clark from one media personality. He was arguing that Clark has become the latest White athlete to be picked apart through a racial lens by people who realize that attacking white athletes makes them popular among a certain segment of the population.

We also need to acknowledge the obvious: Caitlin Clark is popular because people care about Caitlin Clark.

She sells tickets. She drives television ratings. She brings attention to the WNBA in a way no player ever has. Her games matter in the national sports conversation, and every hard foul, technical, facial expression and postgame comment becomes a debate.

CAITLIN CLARK IS THE 'MOST POPULAR ATHLETE IN AMERICA,' WNBA COMMISSIONER DECLARES

It's certainly not because the WNBA is protecting her. In most cases, the opposite is generally true.

It's because she is the biggest star the league has ever had. And even that isn't because she's white. It's because she plays basketball in a way that no woman ever really has. Steph Curry isn't popular because he's Black. He's popular because he hits threes unlike anyone in history. Clark brought that to the women's game.

Dakich also ripped Champion directly for her criticism of Clark.

"Cari Champion, who legitimately, if people are being honest — which they can’t — was the worst employee ever at ESPN," Dakich said.

Champion has publicly framed her ESPN exit as a case of being unappreciated (she also blamed racism because, of course).

She announced in 2020 that it was time to leave ESPN, then later claimed the network made her feel like she "didn’t matter."

That is Champion’s version of the story. But people who worked inside ESPN at the time may remember the situation very differently. I worked there, and Champion’s reputation inside the building was not a secret. I was once assigned to produce an ESPN Radio special involving Champion and my supervisor warned me that she was difficult to work with. In my experience, difficult proved to be a massive understatement.

Dakich described the exit in harsher terms.

"Now think about this: a beautiful African-American woman gets fired at ESPN. Have you turned ESPN on? That tells you how horrible Cari Champion is. But good for her, we’re talking about her," the OutKick host said.

Champion is free to dislike Clark. Nobody has to root for the Fever star. Nobody has to pretend every reaction from Clark is perfect.

JEMELE HILL QUIETLY DELETES CAITLIN CLARK POST FOLLOWING STALKER ARREST

But the idea that Clark has received some kind of easy ride from the WNBA is laughable.

Clark has been shoved, grabbed, mocked, criticized and blamed for the alleged behavior of "her" fans. She has also been expected to carry the weight of an entire league’s newfound popularity while veteran players, media members and commentators continue to preach that she doesn't deserve that attention.

That is the part Dakich clearly finds ridiculous.

"She’s claiming the Fever star gets favorable treatment from the league, along with proclaiming that she, Cari Champion — who is the worst of the worst — doesn’t like how she acts or how her fans act," Dakich said. "See, this is an age-old thing. Weren’t we talking about this three years ago? Of course we were."

The names change, but the playbook does not. Dakich brought up Jaxson Dart for a reason.

Dart recently introduced President Donald Trump at a rally in New York, and the reaction from many corners of sports media was as predictable as it was exhausting. The conversation quickly became another referendum on politics, race, and locker-room dynamics.

That is the pattern Dakich was pointing to.

With Dart, it was a White quarterback standing next to Trump. With Clark, it's a White basketball star bringing unprecedented attention to the WNBA. With Dakich, in his view, it's a White media personality saying things the sports media class does not like.

Find the white person. Frame the controversy through race. Pat yourself on the back for being a hero. Devour the praise from like-minded race-hustlers in sports media.

Rinse. Repeat.

Dakich is right that there's an industry built on this pattern, but the more important point he made was this:

"Y’all are doing pretty good with it."

That's exactly why this isn't going to change anytime soon.

source https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/dakich-sports-media-created-industry-complaining-white-athletes-like-caitlin-clark

Christian farming communities under siege as US report names Fulani militants Nigeria's deadliest threat

JOHANNESBURG — An estimated 30,000 mostly Muslim Fulani militants are operating in Nigeria, causing "worsening insecurity and religious freedom violations," according to an influential new report.

The report, by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), states "violence by Fulani militants caused the highest number of deaths among all religious communities in Nigeria over the last year, as compared to attacks by organized insurgent groups and criminal gangs."

The Fulanis, so-called herders of livestock, have, according to the USCIRF report, "targeted Christian (farming) communities in the Middle Belt and, increasingly, the South, burning homes and churches as well as kidnapping, raping, and murdering."

CHRISTIANS TARGETED IN SYSTEMATIC KIDNAPPING CAMPAIGN IN NIGERIA BY JIHADI HERDSMEN, EXPERTS SAY

But a former counterterrorism expert at the State Department told Fox News Digital that the kind of strikes the U.S., working with Nigerian government forces, have recently carried out in Nigeria’s North against Islamist terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram and Islamic State, wouldn’t work against the Fulanis in the predominantly Christian central areas of the country.

Sterling Tilley, former acting director within the Bureau of Counterterrorism, who has worked in Nigeria for the State Department, said that the U.S. "militarily dealing with the farmer-herder conflict is not advisable because it is likely to bring more instability in the country." Tilley, now director of the Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship at Howard University, added, "There are some steps that can be taken to quell the violence, but there must be Nigerian political will to do so."

This week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth commented on the recent strikes ordered by President Donald Trump on Nigeria, saying, "Maybe a year ago, [the president] heard the call of Nigerian Christians who were being targeted and killed by ISIS. And he said, 'Pete, I want the War Department to focus on ensuring that we do everything we can to protect those Christians.'"

NIGERIA NAMED EPICENTER OF GLOBAL KILLINGS OF CHRISTIANS OVER FAITH IN 2025, REPORT SAYS

Christians make up approximately 48% of Nigeria’s population. Fulani militants, the USCIRF report stated, "have often carried out operations during Christian holidays such as Christmas or Easter to further maximize the psychological impact, terrifying those communities from gathering to celebrate or worship. During attacks, assailants sometimes utter slogans with religious connotations, such as "Allahu Akbar" (Arabic for "God is great"). 

But, according to the report, Muslims are being attacked too. "Fulani assailants have not spared Muslims, raiding herders’ cattle and violently attacking non-Fulani Muslim communities," the report added.

"Violence at the hands of militants from the Fulani tribe far outnumbers violence from all other militant groups such as Boko Haram or ISWAP (Islamic State West African Province)," Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors UK & Ireland, an organization that highlights the persecution of Christians, told Fox News Digital.  

While her organization was not part of the report, she said, "My heart has been broken as I have heard stories from women and men who have seen their beloved family members butchered in front of them or carried off into a life of slavery." 

AFRICAN UNION CHIEF DENIES GENOCIDE CLAIMS AGAINST CHRISTIANS AS CRUZ WARNS NIGERIAN OFFICIALS

Blyth added: "The situation is complicated, and as the report concludes, it is too simplistic to say all perpetrators are religiously motivated. What is undisputable is that Christians are highly vulnerable and often the victims, paying the price in blood. They desperately need protection and, for hundreds of thousands driven from their homes, the chance to heal and rebuild their lives."

The USCIRF report also stated, "Criticism of responses to Fulani militant violence from federal and state authorities has often described their responses as unsatisfactory at best and complicit at worst."

Tilley told Fox News Digital that elections are to be held in Nigeria next year, and "the Fulani do have considerable political influence as a voting bloc. Thus, the Nigerian government seems reluctant to take actions necessary to quell the violence for fear that they could lose their base of support in the North and Middle Belt."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Nigerian government for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

source https://www.foxnews.com/world/christian-farming-communities-under-siege-us-report-names-fulani-militants-nigerias-deadliest-threat

WNBA betting preview: Why the Sparks-Mystics total is the play with Kelsey Plum sidelined tonight

Lost in the shuffle of the NHL and NBA Playoffs, and MLB labor talks is the fact that the WNBA has started its season and games are in full swing. We still don't have most teams done with a quarter of their season, so it is still early, but we are starting to see some of the teams take shape. I love the league and basketball, so betting on the WNBA is one of my favorite things. Tonight, we do it as the Sparks play the Mystics.

The Los Angeles Sparks are a team that has a lot of potential, but haven't looked great through six games this season. The team, led by Kelsey Plum, is looking to capitalize on its scoring superstar. In basketball, it is very common to succeed if you have one really good player and surround him or her with decent talent. The problem is that Plum will be out due to an ankle injury. That means if they only have decent talent around her, someone needs to step up.

The candidates for improved performance over the next few games are Dearica Hamby and Nneka Ogwumike. Both are already averaging 15 or more points this season. I also should mention that both are probably better than "decent" players. They are strong contributors who make a difference on every team. Someone like Cameron Brink or maybe Ariel Atkins will get more opportunities without Plum on the floor.

Caitlin Clark breaks WNBA assists record to a chorus of boos as Valkyries spoil the milestone

The Washington Mystics are still trying to figure it out. They have some good pieces, but they don't really have everything they need to be true competitors. I'd actually be fairly surprised if they make the postseason. As of right now, they are 3-3 with some inconsistent games. It is still early, so I don't want to put too much judgment on this team or what they could be. But, I'd classify the Mystics as rebuilding or at least building, compared to the Sparks, who are more championship hopefuls.

The main building block of this team is Sonia Citron. She was the third overall pick last year and had a great rookie campaign. She is building off of that this year with 17.2 points per game, 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. If they can keep her, she will be the face of the franchise for multiple years. She has had a couple of tough games this season, but the team split those two games. So they are capable of winning despite her struggles, which is a good sign for their future.

In tonight's game, the Sparks probably have the better overall roster. However, without Plum, I think there are reasons to question how efficient they will be. Plum is a dominant ball-handler who is probably classified as a shoot-first point guard. They should still have the talent to score, but it could have some challenges.

The total dropped quite a bit from the opener after Plum was announced out. However, this Sparks team is playing very little defense this season. The Mystics aren't that much better. Combined, they are averaging 182.3 points per game allowed. I expect Citron to bounce back after a bad game, and I think the Sparks will be fine getting to 75+ points without Plum. Give me the over 165.5.

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source https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/wnba-betting-preview-sparks-mystics-total-play-kelsey-plum-sidelined-tonight

Logan Paul shows off gruesome aftermath of tricep surgery, says he was 'wide awake' during operation

Logan Paul wrote on social media on Wednesday that he was awake when he underwent surgery to repair his torn triceps, which he tore during WWE's Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Paul also showed the scar on his left arm.

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"Tore my tricep, got surgery while wide awake, told doc I wanna feel it all," he wrote in a post on X. "Still the Tag Team champ just FYI. They’re telling me 6 month recovery but I don’t believe them, I’ll be back in a couple weeks with some PRIME shake (32g protein)."

Paul was one-half of the tag team champions with Austin Theory. Paul Heyman said on "Monday Night Raw" that Theory wouldn’t have to relinquish the title and that it was The Vision who are tag team champions, so anyone could step in. Bron Breakker would be the one to step in for Paul, while he was on the mend.

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Paul was on the receiving end of a front flip attack from Angelo Dawkins of the Street Profits during their match for the World Tag Team Championship. It appeared Paul was grabbing his left arm immediately after Dawkins landed on him.

Still, Theory was able to pin Montez Ford and retain the tag titles for The Vision. But Paul was hurt in the ordeal.

Theory was on a tear after he learned he could still remain a champion. He vowed to take out "every single person that was involved in hurting" Paul. Theory was unleashed and attacked Dawkins and Joe Hendry during the night.

It’s unclear whether The Vision will have another person to take Paul’s spot. Theory already named one person he could see as a potential prospect in an interview last week with Fox News Digital.

source https://www.foxnews.com/sports/logan-paul-shows-gruesome-aftermath-tricep-surgery-says-wide-awake-operation

WATCH: Police absent from Delaney Hall chaos as agitators block ICE vehicles and agents use pepper spray

Mayor Ras Baraka’s police department was nowhere to be found as tensions rose late Wednesday outside the Delaney Hall illegal immigrant detention center. Protesters took over roles typically reserved for police, while ICE agents deployed pepper spray after a federal vehicle entered the premises and sparked chaos among the crowd.

Baraka, who lost the 2025 Democratic gubernatorial primary to Gov. Mikie Sherrill, had previously been arrested outside Delaney Hall during similar mayhem last year and has been defiant in demanding state and federal officials take action to close the facility.

As Fox News Digital returned to the scene late Wednesday, hundreds had already gathered outside the vehicle entrance to Delaney Hall’s sally port, while the other entrance — where Manhattan Democratic Reps. Jerrold Nadler, Daniel Goldman and Adriano Espaillat had legally gained entry — was lined with a protester medical tent and apparent commissary.

Doremus Avenue, a trash-strewn industrial boulevard, was reduced to one lane — though not by Newark Police or the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, but by protesters dressed as fire police.

BLUE STATE ICE FACILITY RAMPS UP SECURITY WITH NEW BARRICADES AMID CLASHES WITH PROTESTERS

By 9PM ET, Doremus Avenue’s southbound lane had been completely blocked by protesters, as reflective-vest-wearing "protester police" directed two-way traffic that often included large vehicles such as big rigs and goosenecks.

A single Essex County Sheriff’s deputy drove by the area rather quickly at one point, announcing that protesters should move to the sidewalk, but he was gone in a matter of seconds.

Some protesters appeared to break off from the group and quietly collect trash along the east side of the avenue, where a line of freight tracks ran.

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As unmarked Delaney Hall transport vehicles approached from the south with flashing blue lights signaling they intended to enter the facility, protesters surged toward the entrance while others emerged from the direction of the freight tracks carrying several large items.

Some protesters called out to offer "goggles and tape; goggles and tape," portending what came next.

Two mattresses, a shredded orange highway bollard, tree branches and a sandbag were pushed toward the entrance and tossed into the middle of Doremus Avenue as ICE agents could be heard demanding the crowd move back to no avail.

As an Irvington-bound New Jersey Transit bus approached, it was briefly stuck in the suddenly unmanaged traffic lane while agents released pepper spray, dividing the scene around the trapped bus.

Once the bus was able to pass, a tear gas or pepper spray canister could be heard "popping" as another wave of irritant filled the air.

All the while, not a single Newark Police Department vehicle appeared on scene to help quell the mayhem.

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Shortly thereafter, as Fox News Digital returned downtown, Newark Police cruisers and officers on foot lined streets near the Prudential Center as concertgoers exited the venue — far from the escalating confrontation outside Delaney Hall.

Baraka consolidated Newark’s police and emergency management apparatus under mayoral authority in 2015, forming an "Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security" that remains under his direct control, according to a source familiar with the department’s hierarchy.

"[This] merger enhances public safety by making the operations of these essential services more efficient and effective," Baraka claimed in a statement on the city’s website.

Baraka did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the absence of Newark Police officers outside Delaney Hall.

In March, Baraka declared "sanctuary cities" like Newark to be the "new Thin Blue Line in America."

Baraka’s comments at the time in a New Jersey Globe column appeared to foreshadow why his officers remained hands-off during the chaos at Delaney Hall.

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He said cities like Newark are "fighting to stop ICE to agents from violating the Constitution of our residents and ignoring local ordinances and law enforcement policies."

Instead of offering his city’s assistance to help ICE quell such anarchy, he boasted of an executive order requiring all city employees to instead report ICE activity that "seems abusive, unconstitutional" or that appears to be outside Newark law enforcement policies.

"It also prohibits our police and other law enforcement personnel from cooperating in immigration enforcement activities without a warrant or judicial order."

Fox News Digital also reached out to the police department and Essex County Sheriff Amir Jones’ office for comment on the balance of enforcement responsibilities between the two agencies.

While he did not respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry about the absence of his police force at the scene, Baraka released a lengthy statement criticizing the federal contractor operating Delaney Hall and calling on New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport to take legal action.

"For the past year, the City has been engaged in litigation with the GEO Group due to its failure to comply with municipal ordinances when it began operating Delaney Hall. Our concerns remain unresolved, as critical city agencies, including the Health Department, Fire Division, and Code Enforcement, have repeatedly been denied access to inspect the facility," Baraka said.

Baraka said detainees "smuggled out" letters that speak of inferior conditions and lack of medical treatment.

Nadler and Goldman said in a separate news conference outside Delaney Hall that inmates told them they were only offered Tylenol (acetaminophen) for any ailments.

Baraka said Davenport and Sherrill must "immediately investigate Delaney Hall."

Sherrill appeared at the center on Tuesday – voicing similar objections.

"It is imperative that we take all necessary steps to uphold the rule of law, ensure accountability, and protect the dignity and rights of some of the most vulnerable individuals in our care," Baraka said in his statement.

Fox News Digital's Hannah Brennan and Kiera McDonald contributed to this report.

source https://www.foxnews.com/politics/watch-police-absent-delaney-hall-chaos-agitators-block-ice-vehicles-agents-use-pepper-spray

Redistricting war intensifies as GOP suffers setbacks in two states

House Republicans were hit with a minor setback this week in the redistricting war when two states set to redraw maps changed course. 

Alabama and South Carolina were primed for new maps, but a court order and move to buck the process by state lawmakers in the Palmetto State have, for now, nixed the act. It comes as both sides of the aisle are in an arms race to redraw their maps to gain an advantage in the upcoming midterm elections. 

While the South Carolina legislature opted against redistricting, Republican leaders in Alabama have asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on their new map after a lower court halted the process. 

At stake in both states are two new seats in the House that could benefit Republicans as they vie to keep and grow their razor-thin majority.

BLOCKBUSTER SUPREME COURT VOTING RIGHTS RULING IGNITES REDISTRICTING WAR ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES

But compared to the gains the GOP has made across the country in redistricting, particularly after the Supreme Court's Voting Rights Act decision in April, Republicans aren’t sweating the setback. 

"House Republicans are competing from a position of strength, remain on offense in key battleground districts, and continue to benefit from a battleground that is far more favorable than Democrats want to admit," Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, told Fox News Digital. 

On the broader scoresheet in a battle triggered by President Donald Trump and met in kind by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Republicans have the advantage.

REDISTRICTING BATTLES BREWING ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS PARTIES COMPETE FOR POWER AHEAD OF 2026 MIDTERMS

After the Supreme Court’s decision that effectively tossed out the new map in Virginia that Democrats spent millions to enact, Republicans are now looking at a possible gain of 16 seats compared to Democrats’ six. 

That comes from successes in Texas and North Carolina, and new maps in Florida, Ohio, Missouri, Tennessee, Louisiana and Alabama — should the Supreme Court side with Republicans in Alabama. 

Democrats, though hit with a major setback in Virginia, gained five favorable seats in California and are eyeing a battle in Utah to gain at least one more.

BATTLEGROUND GOP LAWMAKER MOVES TO BLOCK WHAT HE CALLS DEMOCRATIC REDISTRICTING 'POWER GRAB'

Still, Democrats are confident they can gain ground in the fall. 

Viet Shelton, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told Fox News Digital in a statement that voters "are ready to reject Trump and Republicans for their broken promises on the economy, and they know it."

"It’s why they’ve given up on trying to win over voters fair and square, so they’re resorting to rigging the midterms through illegal gerrymanders and voter suppression," Shelton said. "The American people won’t stand for it, and Democrats are poised to take back the majority in November."

Meanwhile, in the House, the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus launched a gerrymandering working group, co-chaired by Reps. Jeff Hurd, R-Colo., and Ed Case, D-Hawaii, to tackle the issue that has "led to extreme partisan gerrymandering across the country."

Hurd said in a statement that redistricting should be approached with "transparency, consistency and respect for the rule of law." 

"Congressional representation should reflect the people and communities being served, not the political interests of whoever happens to be in power," Hurd said. 

source https://www.foxnews.com/politics/redistricting-war-intensifies-gop-suffers-setbacks-two-states