It is day 197 of the second Trump administration. And tonight, Texas Republicans and Democrats are in a showdown that could decide the fate of next year's midterms and American elections going forward. This weekend, Democrats down in Texas in the state legislature fled the state.The goal was to prevent Republicans from passing their new congressional map redrawn to benefit the GOP in future elections. President Trump has pushed for this new map, which is very rare in the middle of a decade. Between censuses ...

Voting Rights Act & Redistricting - The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is facing challenges, potentially weakening its protections against discrimination [1][16][17] - Texas Republicans are attempting to gerrymander districts to gain five additional seats in the 2026 election, a move seen as a national issue [3][4][5][6] - Democratic governors are considering redistricting plans to counter actions in Texas [7] - The National Democratic Redistricting Committee aims to combat gerrymandering, reducing the Democratic overperformance needed to reach 50% representation from 20-22% to approximately 1-2% [8] - Responsible and temporary measures may be necessary to combat gerrymandering and protect democracy [9][10] Justice Department & Epstein Case - Concerns are raised about the objectivity of the Justice Department, particularly regarding the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case [25][26] - The transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell to a lower-security facility and the Deputy Attorney General's involvement are considered unusual and potentially unprecedented [23][24][27][30] - Allegations of attempts to deflect attention from the Epstein files by reviving the Russia gate conspiracy and targeting political opponents are made [32][33] Civil Rights Division - The Civil Rights Division is facing significant challenges, with 70% of its lawyers leaving and a shift in focus towards rooting out "anti-white and anti-Christian bias" [35][36] - Concerns are expressed about the fate of the Civil Rights Division and the enforcement of civil rights statutes under current leadership [37]

Each party generally hopes to delineate, or “gerrymander”, districts favourable to itself. Yet there is widespread public disgust with the practice. Democrats would be better off working out how to actually appeal to voters https://t.co/sM1tSCEDck ...

Political Strategy & Motivation - Texas House Democrats left the state to block a Republican-designed congressional map aimed at gaining more House seats in the midterms [1] - Democrats claim this is their last resort after failed attempts to negotiate and seek fairness in the redistricting process [2][3] - Democrats aim to delay and ultimately stop what they consider a corrupt redistricting process by raising public awareness [5][6] Gerrymandering & Racial Impact - Democrats allege the redistricting plan "cracks and fracks" communities, diluting the power of minority voters [9] - The plan allegedly combines districts with Black elected officials, reducing the number of Black representatives [10] - Governor Abbott claims the plan will solidify the Barbara Jordan African-American district and add four new Hispanic districts [8] Legislative Priorities & Accusations - Democrats accuse Republicans of prioritizing political games over addressing urgent issues like disaster recovery in communities like Kurville [12][13] - Democrats claim Republicans haven't filed bills or held hearings on disaster relief, despite claiming Democrats are blocking progress [13][14] - Democrats are committed to ending the current special session due to its perceived corruption and political manipulation [15] Potential Legal & Political Repercussions - Governor Abbott accuses Democrats of committing felonies by soliciting funds to pay fines for missing work, calling it bribery [11] - Democrats are prepared for potential arrest or removal from office in response to their actions [11]

Joining us now, NBC Shaquille Brewster in Chicago, NBC Sahil Kapoor is on Capitol Hill. Former Republican Congressman of Florida, Carlos Carbelloo is an MSNBC political analyst. And Basil Smeichel, former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party and MSNBC political analyst, joins me here in studio.So, Shaq, wow, another show down in Texas. It's escalating as we get closer to Governor Abbott's 400 p. m.Eastern deadline. So, tell us what's happening. Both sides digging in.>> That's exactly ri ...

Could Democrats Turn To Gerrymandering After Texas Redistricting Fight? Here’s What To Know https://t.co/DoR7UYHYIK https://t.co/DoR7UYHYIK ...

We did not make the decision to come here today. We did not make that decision lightly. But we come here today with absolute moral clarity that this is the absolutely the right thing to do to protect the people of the state of Texas.Governor Abbott has used this tragedy, taken these families who are grieving, taken these communities who are struggling to recover and use them as hostages in a political game. Their attempts to disenfranchise Texans is being you the tool they're using is a racist gerrymandered ...

Could Democrats Turn To Gerrymandering After Texas Redistricting Fight? Here’s What To Knowhttps://t.co/OWT5DYwo6E https://t.co/ltqk7Vmhjo ...

President Trump did the same exact thing. He went out there, he said it himself. I won this election because of one word, groceries.Cuz people are out here hurting. People are out here starving. Affordability is actually the right term.When you're speaking to people's pockets, people will always hear you. Cuz that is something I don't care if you're black, white, gay, straight, regardless of what your party is, your religion is, if you are a person who is we want two things in America. We want more money in ...

This is not normal. This is not democracy. >> This map was politically based and that's totally legal, totally allowed, and totally fair.>> State Republicans answering President Trump's call for rare mid decade redistricting, redrawing the map to make congressional districts more red. This gerrymandered map is designed to create five more Republican seats in the House, which could expand the GOP's thin control of Congress. >> You've got these Texas Republicans that are just rolling over and giving Trump wha ...