News Wrap: DeSantis calling special session to redraw Florida's congressional maps

Amna Nawaz:

We start the day's other headlines with the growing political tensions over fraud schemes in the state of Minnesota.

Rep. James Comer (R-KY):

No, you all have failed.

Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA):

We have done nothing. You have had the gavel, Mr. Comer, who barely do hearings on anything that actually...

(Crosstalk)

Amna Nawaz:

At a sometimes contentious hearing on Capitol Hill today, the House Oversight Committee heard from Republican state lawmakers who claimed that state officials resisted efforts to address systemic financial wrongdoing.

Committee Chairman Republican James Comer said the fraud was rampant.

Rep. James Comer:

Minnesota social services, which are funded by you, the American taxpayer, are being ripped off. The breadth and depth of this fraud is breathtaking. And I fear that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Amna Nawaz:

The issue has become a lightning rod for President Trump and many top Republicans, who point to the involvement of members of Minnesota's Somali community in carrying out pandemic era fraud schemes.

Today, Democratic Representative Summer Lee pushed back.

Rep. Summer Lee:

Republicans have cherry-picked a blue state and an immigrant population, vulnerable to demonize. To be clear, Minnesota is not the only state with a fraud problem. To truly tackle waste, fraud and abuse, we need to approach the issue with a scalpel, not a mallet.

Amna Nawaz:

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called today's proceedings a show hearing. Chairman Comer has threatened to subpoena Walz, as well as Attorney General Keith Ellison, to force them to testify about the ongoing probe in their state. A GOP spokesperson said today that neither Democrat has confirmed that they will attend a hearing scheduled for February, though they still have several weeks to do so.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is calling for a special session of the state's legislature in April to redraw its congressional maps. At a news conference today, DeSantis said the session is aimed at getting out ahead of a Supreme Court ruling that bars discrimination in voting systems. The governor says at least one or two districts in Florida could be affected.

The state joins a nationwide redistricting effort ahead of this year's midterm elections. Republicans currently hold 20 of Florida's 28 congressional seats.

Nick Reiner's arraignment hearing and the killing of his parents was delayed today after his high-profile attorney was replaced by a public defender. Alan Jackson did not say why he asked the court to leave the case. His departure comes as Reiner faces two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths last month of actor-director Rob Reiner and his photographer wife, Michele Singer Reiner.

Nick Reiner has not entered a plea and is being held without bail. A new arraignment hearing is scheduled for February.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is shutting down with its final edition due in may. The family-owned company that runs the paper, Block Communications, pointed to mounting losses, saying it's lost $350 million over the past 20 years. It also cited a recent court ruling that would have required the paper to operate under what it called an outdated labor contract.

In a statement, the company said it's proud of its service to the city, adding -- quote -- "We deeply regret the impact this decision will have on Pittsburgh and the surrounding region."

Overseas, Iran's military chief is warning of preemptive military action against what he called rhetoric against the Islamic Republic. His comments come as economic protests intensify across the country, including this demonstration in the Southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.

In recent days, President Trump has said the U.S. is -- quote -- "locked and loaded" if Iran kills protesters. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also praised those demonstrating.

Today, Army Commander Amir Hatami warned the two leaders against intervening in Iranian affairs.

Amir Hatami, Iranian Army Commander in Chief (through interpreter): Today, there are no doubts about the hostility of the U.S. president and the criminal prime minister of Israel toward the Iranian nation. They allow themselves to meddle in this internal affair of ours. They tweet. They talk. They have been enemies throughout history.

Amna Nawaz:

Separately today, Iran's government began paying its citizens around seven U.S. dollars a month to help offset the rising costs of everyday essentials. But the nation's shopkeepers warn that prices are continuing to rise.

Back in this country, Warner Bros. Discovery is rejecting the latest takeover bid from Paramount. Instead, the company is telling shareholders to stick with the plan to sell its streaming and studio businesses to rival Netflix for about $72 billion.

The announcement is the latest roadblock for Paramount boss David Ellison and his billionaire father, Larry Ellison, who'd offered to provide around $40 billion in financing for the deal. Warner Bros. shares ended slightly higher after the news.

Elsewhere on Wall Street, stocks ended mixed. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 466 points. The Nasdaq managed a slight gain of nearly 40 points. The S&P 500 ended lower for the first time in four sessions.