Newsom Pushes California Mid-Decade Redistricting Plan
By Natasha Korecki and Ben Kamisar Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday called on California lawmakers to approve a November ballot measure that would allow them to redraw the state’s congressional map to fight back against Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting plans in Texas and elsewhere. Newsom’s proposal, called the “Election Rigging Response Act,” would pave the way for California Democrats to circumvent the independent commission that controls the map-drawing process in the state and pass new congressional lines that would be more favorable to their party. Republicans in Texas, with President Donald Trump’s backing, are pursuing a new congressional map that would allow them to
Trump’s DC Homeless Sweep Sparks Controversy and Outcry
By Jacquelyn Martin Ms. Jay didn’t wait for the authorities to come before packing her tent and carrying what belongings she could across Pennsylvania Avenue on her way to whatever comes next. She’d been living her “Girl Scout life,” she said, saving money and looking for work while homeless. When she got word that the law was on its way, she found herself living the scouting motto: Be prepared. “Last night was so scary,” she said, recalling when federal law officers, in concert with local police, began fanning out across Washington to uproot homeless encampments. “I don’t want to be the
Texas Democrats Debate Return Amid Redistricting Quorum Fight
By Ben Kamisar and Natasha Korecki With Texas expected to end its first special legislative session Friday and immediately begin a new one, the dozens of Democratic legislators who fled the state to block Republicans’ redistricting proposal are hammering out a plan for their return home. Texas Democrats met late into the night Tuesday then again Wednesday, including breaking into smaller groups, to discuss their next steps and what their ultimate exit strategy looked like after spending the last 10 days out of the state, according to four sources close to the talks. But those sources said the lawmakers do not yet have
Civil Rights Leaders Slam Trump’s DC National Guard Move
By Curtis Bunn Black civil rights leaders and the mayors of several cities on Tuesday denounced the deployment of the National Guard to the nation’s capital to combat crime, calling it “fundamentally grandstanding” and “a federal coup.” And by suggesting that other cities, also run by Black mayors, may be next, President Donald Trump was “playing the worst game of racially divisive politics,” one rights leader said. Trump announced Monday that he would deploy 800 guard members to Washington, D.C., suggesting that the same could happen in New York City, Baltimore, Chicago and Oakland, California. “When you walk down the street, you’re going
Liberal Groups Rally Nationwide Against Texas Redistricting
By Megan Lebowitz Dozens of liberal groups unveiled plans Tuesday to hold around 50 events across 20 states to protest Republican redistricting efforts in Texas backed by President Donald Trump. The demonstrations scheduled for Saturday — branded as “Fight the Trump Takeover” — are being organized by more than three dozen groups, including the Democratic National Committee, according to plans shared first with NBC News. “Trump knows the only way he can hold the majority after his budget betrayal is by changing the rules in the middle of the game to avoid accountability for ripping health care and food away from millions of
Pritzker Calls Trump a Cheater, Abbott a Joke on Redistricting
By Alexandra Marquez Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker slammed President Donald Trump as a “cheater” and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as a “joke” days after welcoming Texas Democrats who fled their state in protest of GOP-led redistricting efforts. “Governor Abbott is the joke,” Pritzker, a Democrat, told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” in an interview that aired Sunday in response to Abbott calling Illinois’ congressional map a “joke.” “He’s the one who is attempting mid-decade here — at a time when, frankly, all of us are concerned about the future of democracy. He’s literally helping whittle it away and licking the boots of his
DOJ Adviser Seen Urging Violence in Jan. 6 Capitol Video
Written By Lexx Thornton Video footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol shows a man who now works as an adviser at the Justice Department shouting at rioters to “kill” law enforcement officers responding to the attack and calling them “the Gestapo.” The footage, from a body camera worn by a Metropolitan Police Department officer, was first published Thursday by NPR. The network joined CBS News and other news organizations in suing to obtain thousands of hours of surveillance footage and court exhibits from the more than 1,000 criminal cases brought by the Justice Department against
Trump Allies Press GOP Clerks for Election Machine Access
A few weeks ago, Republican election officials in Colorado began receiving unsolicited calls and texts from a GOP consultant who said he was working with the Trump administration on “election integrity.” In a text to one of the officials, the consultant, Jeff Small, indicated he was acting on a request from Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff. In a phone call with another clerk, Small said he was coordinating with the White House and the Justice Department to “implement” an elections executive order signed by President Donald Trump, recalled Justin Grantham, the top election official in Fremont
Texas Democrats Face Fines, Funding Battle Over Quorum Break
By Ben Kamisar, Natasha Korecki and Adam Edelman As dozens of Texas state House Democrats near the one-week mark of their quorum break, fleeing the state indefinitely to prevent state GOP leaders from redrawing congressional lines, it’s not just politics that loom over the strategy. It’s money, too. The Democrats face a $500 fine for each day they’re “absent without leave,” a rule put into place after Democratic legislators mounted a similar effort to deny the Legislature a quorum in 2021, plus a “pro rata share” of what the state House Sergeant at Arms spends in their efforts to compel them to return to
Texas Gerrymander Push Sparks National Redistricting Fight
By Lawrence Hurley In June 2019, the Supreme Court swept aside the idea that federal courts could rein in state lawmakers’ power to draw legislative maps designed primarily to entrench their own party’s power. The ruling, a 5-4 split along ideological lines with conservative justices in the majority, made it clear that partisan gerrymandering was here to stay, absent states taking matters into their own hands or the unlikely scenario of Congress’ stepping in to impose some sort of national ban. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said simply that federal courts had no authority to intervene on the
