The Daily Brief - May 8, 2026
Voting maps, student data stolen, tariffs ruled illegal, and more
These are today’s top stories, delivered straight to your inbox. Catch up here on all the news.
Virginia Supreme Court Strikes Down Voter-Approved Map
Virginia’s Supreme Court narrowly struck down a Democratic-leaning new congressional map that the state’s voters approved in a referendum last month. Virginia’s current congressional delegation includes six Democrats and five Republicans. Had the new map remained in place, it would have leaned 10-1 in Democrats’ favor.
The state’s top court ruled this morning that lawmakers skipped a step required by the state constitution when they put the map on the ballot, voiding the new map.
Under Virginia law, two consecutive legislatures, with a state election in between, must approve a constitutional amendment before voters see it. The state’s legislature passed the amendment in October 2025, days before the November state election. The legislature then approved it again in January. Republicans sued, arguing that because early voting for the November election had already started when the first vote happened, there was no real intervening election. The court agreed with that argument.
The 4-3 decision keeps Virginia's existing congressional map in place for the 2026 midterms.
Tennessee Enacts New Congressional Map
Tennessee Republicans passed a new congressional map yesterday that eliminates the state’s only majority-Black House district by splitting Memphis into three different districts. Under the new map, all nine of the state’s congressional seats would lean Republican in a state where roughly 40% of voters back Democrats.
The vote was met with protests, and security removed demonstrators from the galleries of the state house. Protesters and Democratic lawmakers objected to the elimination of the state’s only majority-Black congressional district. Democratic state Sen. Charlane Oliver held a banner on the Senate floor calling the redistricting a “Jim Crow” effort.
Tennessee is the first state to enact a new map since the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which weakened protections against racial gerrymandering. Several other Southern states are at various stages of redrawing their maps.
Federal Court Rules Trump’s Latest Tariffs Illegal
A federal trade court has struck down the 10% global tariffs President Trump imposed in February, ruling yesterday that he exceeded his authority.
The Court of International Trade ruled 2-1 that the tariffs are “invalid” and unauthorized by law.
Trump invoked the Trade Act of 1974 for the February tariffs. He turned to that law after the Supreme Court struck down his broader tariffs — which had been based on a different statute.
The lawsuit was filed by the state of Washington, spice company Burlap & Barrel, and toy company Basic Fun!, all of whom sued after the February tariffs took effect.
Newsbreak
In Master Slave Husband Wife, author Ilyon Woo tells the story of how a young, enslaved couple — Ellen and William Craft — achieved one of the boldest feats of self-emancipation in American history. Posing as master and slave, while sustained by their love as husband and wife, they made their escape together in 1848, traveling across more than 1,000 miles, riding out in the open on steamboats, carriages, and trains that took them from bondage in Georgia to the free states of the North. Along the way, they dodged slave traders, military officers, and even friends of their enslavers, who might have revealed their true identities. Documenting their monumental bid for freedom, Master Slave Husband Wife is an American love story that challenges the nation’s core precepts of life, liberty, and justice for all.
US and Iran Exchange Fire
The US and Iran exchanged fire again today, the second straight day of clashes that have put the month-old cease-fire under strain. Trump said the truce still holds despite the clashes, but Iran called the US strikes a violation of the ceasefire.
US forces fired on two Iranian tankers attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz earlier today in defiance of the American naval blockade of Iran’s ports, which remains in effect. Iran fired at three US Navy ships yesterday. US Central Command said it then struck Iranian command centers and surveillance sites in Iran in response.
The US is waiting for Iran’s reply to a peace proposal whose full terms have not been released. According to leaked details, it is a three-stage temporary deal: halt the strikes, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and open a 30-day window to negotiate larger differences, including over Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.
Canvas Hack
Hackers stole data on millions of students, teachers, and staff in a cyberattack on Canvas, the online learning platform used by thousands of schools and universities worldwide, and are demanding a ransom to keep it from being leaked.
The platform was offline for hours yesterday and this morning, hitting students at Columbia, Princeton, Harvard, Georgetown, Rutgers and other universities in the middle of final exam season. Canvas is mostly back online today.
The hacking group ShinyHunters claimed responsibility and said they stole 275 million records tied to students, teachers, and staff. The group threatened to leak the data unless schools pay a ransom by May 12, according to a cybersecurity analyst tracking the breach.
ShinyHunters has a track record of ransom-driven attacks. The group breached Ticketmaster in 2024.
Judge: DOGE Grant Cancellations Unconstitutional
A federal judge ruled yesterday that the Trump administration’s cancellation of more than $100 million in humanities grants was unconstitutional. US District Judge Colleen McMahon also permanently barred the government from terminating them.
The grants were issued by the National Endowment for the Humanities and supported scholars, writers, museums, libraries, and research organizations. They funded projects ranging from historical research to literary anthologies and cultural programming. More than 1,400 grants were canceled in April 2025, most of which were awarded under the Biden administration.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, cut the grants in 2025 as part of an effort to carry out Trump’s directives to eliminate DEI-related grants and reduce discretionary spending. Court records showed that two staffers ran grant descriptions through ChatGPT with prompts asking whether each project related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Grants were flagged and canceled if the AI said yes, with no further review. Among those flagged was an anthology titled “In the Shadow of the Holocaust: Short Fiction by Jewish Writers from the Soviet Union.”
Judge McMahon sided with the Authors Guild and other plaintiffs whose grants were cut. She found that DOGE had no authority to end the funding, and criticized the agency’s use of artificial intelligence to decide which of the more than 1,400 affected grants to cancel.
The White House and Justice Department have not said whether they will appeal, according to the AP.
April Jobs Report
The US economy added 115,000 jobs in April, more than double the 55,000 economists had expected, the Labor Department reported this morning. But the job gains are down from last month’s addition of 178,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate held at 4.3%.
CDC to Bring Americans on Cruise Ship Home, Quarantine
The CDC is sending medical staff to assist the 17 Americans aboard the hantavirus-hit cruise ship and fly them home on a chartered flight. The ship is expected to dock in the Canary Islands on Sunday. Three people who were on the ship have died in the outbreak.
The Americans will be quarantined in Nebraska, home to the federally funded National Quarantine Unit and the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit.
Health officials in Texas, Georgia, Arizona, California, and Virginia are monitoring passengers who returned home before the outbreak became public. None has shown symptoms. New Jersey is also monitoring two residents who were not on the ship but may have been exposed to an infected passenger during a flight. Neither individual has reported symptoms.
The WHO confirmed the outbreak involves the Andes strain, a rare hantavirus variant that can spread through close human contact. Most hantaviruses spread when humans come in contact with infected rodent droppings, urine, or saliva.
Can we trust the job numbers and any report on the economy?