By Edward-Isaac Dovere, CNN

(CNN) — Wes Moore struggles to describe how he’d feel if he falls short in his push to gerrymander another Democratic seat in his state and the US House of Representatives ends up staying Republican.

The easy smile and motivational speaker energy evaporate. The prepared lines disappear. His eyes close.

“So angry,” he says, after a beat.

The Maryland governor is so popular in his solidly blue state that former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who’d been eager to take another run at his old job, preemptively pulled the plug on a comeback campaign. Moore is a Rhodes Scholar and bestselling author. Oprah Winfrey spoke at Moore’s 2022 inauguration, candidates around the country are already putting in requests for him to join them, and George Clooney keeps saying he wants Moore to run for president, even hosting the governor on his yacht off the coast of Italy last Labor Day.

But neither Moore nor national Democrats have swayed Bill Ferguson, the Baltimore-based president of the Maryland Senate. Ferguson is blocking Moore’s push to redraw the state’s US House maps and try to eliminate the only Republican-held seat out of eight, rejecting even holding a vote on a proposal that moved easily through the state House of Delegates.

Ferguson warns that going for an 8-0 map could backfire in court, potentially letting judges draw a map that costs Democrats a seat. He cautions against bowing to anger at President Donald Trump and his launching of the national battle to redraw maps ahead of the midterms.

Moore knows that if redistricting doesn’t happen in Maryland, national Democrats who want a no-holds-barred approach to Trump won’t blame state legislators whose names they don’t even know.

For all that he can tout about bringing crime down and economic development up, the redistricting fight will be one measure of what Moore can deliver as a governor with full party control of his state heading into a potential 2028 White House run.

“If we end up with a Republican House and part of the reason is because Maryland did not move, none of that — forget politically, right?” Moore told CNN in an interview giving his most extensive comments about his own role in the redistricting battle. “For my soul, none of that will matter, because it just means that we kowtowed as a state.”

In part, what’s happening in Maryland is a well-worn tale of state legislators rebuffing a governor from their own party whom they brush off as not knowing history or the way things really work around the capital. There are parallels to the Republican state senators in Indiana who rejected Trump’s pushing them on redistricting last year.

But Moore also allowed Ferguson to get out in front of him to oppose Maryland redistricting, letting momentum and time dissipate. He waited to formally launch his redrawing effort until the morning after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s big gerrymandering win in November’s California ballot proposition.

Moore argues his delays were only about getting the process right.

“When I hear people say, ‘Don’t worry about it, because we’re going to win overwhelmingly anyway,’ my answer always back is, ‘Says who?’” Moore said. “I would never forgive myself, nor anyone else, if we come up short and the reason that we have to keep on dealing with this is because we didn’t do our job. That would be unforgivable.”

The potential value of one seat

A single seat in Maryland takes on heightened importance for Democrats, who are three seats behind Republicans in the redistricting battles, according to

By Harmeet Kaur, CNN

(CNN) — For decades, the stereotype of the American gun owner has been an older, conservative, white man, and the leading gun organizations have identified more and more closely with the Republican Party. While many gun owners still fit that description, more women, gay people and people of color have taken up arms in recent years, particularly after 2020.

Now, after the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents, and with President Donald Trump sending a surge of armed federal agents into communities around the country, even more once gun-shy liberals and leftists are considering getting armed.

Several niche, left-leaning gun advocacy groups said that since Pretti was killed, they can hardly keep up with the surging demand for firearms training. Pretti’s killing has scrambled the world of gun politics.

Weekend classes at L.A. Progressive Shooters are sold out through March. Registrations for permit-to-carry courses at Pink Pistols Twin Cities, which serves LGBTQ people in Minneapolis and St. Paul, are up from an average of five people per class to 25 — the group recently added seven more courses to accommodate increased interest, and those are filling up, too. To paraphrase a recent meme: The right is arguing for gun control, and the left is buying guns.

“In the past couple of days, there has been a shift,” Lara Smith, national spokesperson for the Liberal Gun Club, says. “This changed views on the left.”

Alex Pretti, a beloved ICU nurse who cared for ailing veterans and an outdoorsman who was concerned about the environment, was also, like one-third of Americans, a gun owner. He was carrying his lawfully owned weapon in a holster before federal agents disarmed him and then fatally shot him.

Trump and members of his administration have tried to use the fact that Pretti had a firearm on his person, though not in his hands, to justify his killing. The National Rifle Association, which is typically a fierce defender of people’s right to carry weapons, has been muted in response. The day Pretti was killed, the organization appeared to blame his death on progressive politicians, accusing them of inciting violence against immigration agents. A few days later, the NRA issued a more forceful statement affirming the right of “law-abiding citizens” to bear arms, but stopped short of mentioning Pretti by name. CNN has reached out to the NRA for comment.

Jordan Levine, founder of the inclusive gun community A Better Way 2A, says his organization has seen an influx of gun groups and instructors asking to join its resource page in the last few weeks — Ready Rainbow in Chicago, Grassroots Defense in Iowa and Solidarity Defense in Sacramento are a few recent additions. “People are scared and angry and want to equalize the power imbalance that we’re seeing on the news, where you’ve got ICE steamrolling people with no recourse,” he adds.

Philip Smith, founder and president of the National African American Gun Association, says membership in his organization has grown since Trump’s second term began and since Pretti was killed. “People join when they’re scared,” Smith says. “People join when certain people get in office, because it scares them. People join when they see these shootings across

Por Djenane Villanueva, CNN en Español

Como sucedió en otros países de la región el año pasado, Costa Rica acudirá este domingo a las urnas para definir la presidencia de la república, dos vicepresidencias y las 57 curules de la Asamblea Legislativa con una preocupación creciente por la seguridad, que, según los sondeos, es la prioridad de los votantes a la hora de definir por qué candidato se decantarán.

Otras inquietudes novedosas movilizarán también a los costarricenses: el deterioro de la educación pública y la ausencia de un diálogo social que permita trazar un rumbo claro para el país.

El proceso electoral cuenta con 20 candidatos, pero los expertos coinciden en que la fragmentación política no fue acompañada de una discusión nacional profunda sobre los principales desafíos. Seguridad ciudadana, deterioro de la educación y de la atención sanitaria, y la necesidad de un modelo de desarrollo que responda a esos retos son temas centrales, pero sin consensos ni acuerdos de largo plazo. Todo lo contrario, la polarización marcó la campaña para suceder a Rodrigo Chaves.

La oficialista Laura Fernández, exministra de Planificación Nacional, de 39 años, encabeza la intención de voto con un 43,8 %, de acuerdo con la encuesta más reciente del Centro de Investigación y Estudios Políticos de la Universidad de Costa Rica (CIEP-UCR). Con estos resultados, Fernández se mantiene cerca de asegurar la presidencia en primera ronda, mientras que el segundo puesto lo ocupan los indecisos, un 25,9 % del electorado.

En Costa Rica, una candidatura debe obtener al menos el 40 % de los votos válidos para ganar la presidencia en primera ronda. Si ninguna alcanza ese umbral, las dos personas con mayor cantidad de votos deben disputar una segunda ronda electoral, según establece el Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE).

Según el informe del Estado de la Nación 2025 (PEN), una iniciativa que analiza el desempeño del país desde hace más de 30 años, Costa Rica experimentó un repunte económico 2024 y la primera mitad de 2025, y se posicionó como el país con el mejor comportamiento económico dentro de la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE).

Si bien esta bonanza permitió una mayor estabilidad de precios y una reducción en algunos indicadores, como la pobreza, el estudio advierte que el éxito es desigual: el dinamismo sigue concentrado en las zonas francas, mientras que la economía tradicional y la generación de empleo formal crecen a un ritmo mucho más lento, lo que profundiza la brecha social.

Según la Encuesta Nacional de Hogares (Enaho) 2025, la pobreza en Costa Rica bajó al 15,2 %, una reducción significativa de 2,8 puntos porcentuales respecto al 18 % registrado en 2024.

La ley de régimen de zonas francas acoge industrias en un área delimitada y con un conjunto de incentivos que el Estado otorga a las empresas que realicen inversiones nuevas en el país, como los dispositivos médicos que lideran las exportaciones a Estados Unido

By Manu Raju, Alison Main, CNN

Portland, Maine (CNN) — Gov. Janet Mills was laying out her case against Sen. Susan Collins to several dozen supporters recently when one attendee raised a question on the minds of many voters in Maine.

“How are you and your campaign going to push back against the argument that you are too old?” the voter asked.

“Damn!” Mills remarked with a chuckle before later saying: “The times are too urgent, too dangerous not to send the best person we have, the most tested candidate.”

Democratic leaders in Washington were thrilled when Mills, 78, entered the Senate race last fall, seeing the two-term governor as the type of battle-tested candidate who could finally unseat Collins and give their party a shot at the majority.

But Mills is confronting a persistent problem: Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and political newcomer just over half her age, is appealing to the hunger of many progressive voters eager for a new generation of insurgent Democrats particularly in the aftermath of Joe Biden’s presidency.

Mills takes questions about her age head-on and reiterates that she would serve just one term if elected, given she’d be the oldest Senate freshman ever sworn into office if she wins in November.

“Good Lord. I’m not Joe Biden for God’s sake,” she told CNN in a recent interview.

“I’m healthy, I’m me, I get stuff done. People see me at work every day, and they know what I can do. They know that I can deliver, and I have delivered,” she said after wrapping up a roundtable meeting with a handful of local health care professionals and business owners at a coffee shop in Portland.

No other Senate Democratic primary encapsulates the ideological, tactical and generational divides still gripping the Democratic Party than here in Maine, which is a must-win for the party as it tries to win a net of four seats to take back the Senate. Whoever wins the Democratic primary will face a tough battle in November: The GOP-aligned Senate Leadership Fund already plans to spend at least $42 million to bolster Collins in the campaign’s final stretch.

Polling in the race so far has been scarce ahead of the June 9 primary. Platner, who is backed by independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, has held 34 town halls across the state, according to his campaign. Mills has opted for smaller roundtables that her campaign dubs “candid conversations” with voters.

Asked about Platner’s large crowds, Mills said, “He has energy, but you also have to have positions that are backed up by knowledge and experience and what you’re going to do and how you’re gonna do it. … It’s easy to talk the talk. It’s a lot harder to walk the walk, and I’ve walked the walk.”

In his own interview with CNN, Platner, 41, called Mills’ comment “ironic,” citing policies he’s rolled out and his push to use “political power that I think is necessary to bring about that kind of policy change. I do not hear that from the governor.”

‘Have you ever gotten into an argument on the internet?’

There are sharp differences between the two. On several hot-button issues, Platner went further to the left, even saying that President Donald Trump should “absolutely” be impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate if Democrats take Congress in the fall.

Platner says Chuck Schumer should be out as Democratic leader, while Mills says she’s undecided on that question. As Platner says tax hikes for the wealthy should pay for universal health care, Mills says such an idea is “too simplistic,” though she backs a similar health care system.

Platner said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement should “abso

By Issy Ronald, CNN

(CNN) — Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest man ever to complete a career grand slam on Sunday, adding the Australian Open title to his trophy cabinet after defeating Novak Djokovic in an enthralling men’s final.

Despite losing the first set to a rampant Djokovic, laser-focused on sealing a record-breaking 25th grand slam title, Alcaraz rallied to win 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 and confirm his status as the world No.1.

It was always going to be a monumental task for Djokovic to defeat his younger opponent, especially after he dug so deep to defeat world No. 2 Jannik Sinner in a five-set semifinal on Friday.

But at 38 years old, and against the continuing dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz, there are fewer and fewer opportunities left for the Serb to win that elusive 25th title, which would take him clear of Margaret Court and make him the most decorated tennis player in history.

And, in Alcaraz, he was facing an opponent capable of returning almost every shot, whose athleticism allows him to extend rallies beyond what seems humanly possible, and whose creativity can catch even someone as experienced as Djokovic by surprise.

At just 22 years old, Alcaraz now joins an exclusive club comprising of just five other men who have won all four of tennis’ grand slams – the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open – in the Open Era.

He has reached that achievement at a far younger age than any of the “Big Three” – Rafael Nadal was 24, Roger Federer was 27 and Djokovic, the last man to complete the set before Alcaraz, was 29.

The Spaniard also become the youngest man in the Open Era to seal seven grand slam titles, surpassing the record previously held by Bjorn Borg.

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