Virginia: GOP lawmakers postpone redistricting; block governor’s court appointment. Instead of using a special legislative session to redraw congressional district lines around the 3rd District, as ordered by a federal court, lawmakers used the session to elevate a different judge to the state Supreme Court than Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s (D) choice of Judge Jane Roush. This unprecedented action was, writes state Sen. Creigh Deeds in a release, because the governor failed to consult legislative leaders (R) before announcing the Roush appointment. Lawmakers will have to fix the district lines by August 31 ……. Arkansas: Hutchinson backs Medicaid use. Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) says the state should continue to use Medicaid funds to purchase health insurance coverage for low-income residents and to subsidize employer-sponsored coverage for low-income workers, reports Arkansas Online. He offer this as an alternative to building a state exchange ……. North Carolina: Trump leads. According to a Public Policy Polling (D) survey reported in Raleigh’s News & Observer, Donald Trump is the first choice of Tar Heel Republicans, with 24% to 14% for Ben Carson, 13% for Jeb Bush, 10% for Ted Cruz, and 9% for Marco Rubio …….
