The collapse of democracy is a strange, almost surreal thing. It can be abstract and hard to recognize in the moment. At first, it just feels like politics.It's messy. It's noisy. It's frustrating and sometimes a bit removed from one's day-to-day life.But then the guard rails that we've taken for granted begin to topple one after another. A National Guard unit deployed to a city that never asked for it. Key parts of the nation's electoral process attacked as illegitimate.Rulings of federal judges shrugged o ...

Kilmargo Garcia, an undocumented man who has lived in the United States for 14 years, could be deported to Uganda in a matter of days. Garcia has never set foot in Uganda. He has no family there. He has no friends there.His wife and his three children live in Maryland. On Friday, after 5 months apart, he was reunited with them. Now, that time apart, you will recall because we covered it a great deal, included a wrongful deportation to a notorious maximum security prison in El Salvador, followed by weeks in ...

This week, a Connecticut lawmaker found himself in the middle of an online firestorm for trying to protect his constituents. Authorities are investigating a flood of death threats and harassing messages aimed at state representatives representative Corey Paris after a post he made on social media advising the local community to stay vigilant during during uh ice raids in the area. The post was amplified by the popular online account Libs of Tik Tok, which called on the Justice Department to charge him crimi ...

Democracy Index Performance - India's electoral process has historically outperformed regional peers in a democracy index [1] - India's democracy index score has been declining over the past decade [1]

Redistricting and Political Power - Texas Republicans aim to gain five additional seats in the 2026 midterm elections through redrawing congressional districts [2] - The Texas legislature's new congressional map includes fewer minority opportunity districts than the current map, which is already under legal challenge [5] - California is moving to redraw its congressional districts to counter Trump's power play in Texas [5] - Republicans are eyeing states like Indiana and Missouri for redistricting to pick up more congressional seats [5] - The national fight to redraw congressional maps is a method to dilute minority representation on Capitol Hill [5] Voting Rights and Minority Representation - Civil rights groups and Democratic nonprofits have filed lawsuits over the Trump Texas maps [4] - The Texas Tribune reports that Trump's Republican map in Texas could disproportionately impact communities of color by breaking up districts that primarily represented cities and suburbs [5][6] - Congresswoman Gwen Moore calls for the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore key provisions of the Voting Rights Act [7] - Redistricting plans in states like Ohio, Missouri, and Indiana could negatively impact African-American representation in Congress [9] - The Supreme Court's stance on partisan gerrymandering makes it difficult to challenge redistricting efforts based on racial discrimination [10] Economic and Social Impact - A Congressional Budget Office report indicates that the bottom 10% of the poorest Americans would lose approximately $1,200 annually, while the top 10% would add about $13,000 annually to their income [13] - Medicaid cuts in President Trump's tax and spending law will disproportionately harm black women and children, worsening health outcomes among black Americans [14] - Americans are paying more for tariff-sensitive staples like coffee, sugar, and bananas [14] Trump's Actions and Authoritarianism - Donald Trump is deploying National Guard troops to Washington DC, which is seen as an effort to seize authority and paint urban cities as chaotic [19] - The State Department is reviewing over 55 million people with valid US visas for violations that could lead to deportation [20] - Trump is conducting a review of the Smithsonian museums with the goal of making them "less woke" [22] - Trump's actions, such as embracing dictators and attempting to rewrite history, are seen as anti-democratic and authoritarian [25][26]

Political Landscape - A bill will be signed that allows voters to determine their own maps, a first in US history [1] - The state aims to stand up against the "rule of dawn" [1] Geographic Focus - The discussion involves Texas [2]

Thank you, Mr. . Prom. Thank you, Mr.. Speaker. To all of the leaders that are assembled here today, thank you uh for an outstanding job. Thank you for your faith and devotion to this larger cause uh democracy that I think should unite all of us regardless of our political party and political stripes.Let me just uh briefly reinforce because I'm eager to sign u a bill that no other governor in uh US history has ever signed. A bill uh that will put the maps in front of the voters. We'll be the first state in ...

We want to get right to the Democratic Assemblyman of California, Mark Burman, before he heads out onto the floor. It's good to have you here, Assemblyman. You are in a race against time trying to get this passed by tomorrow.So, I wonder what conversations you've been having as you head into the debate and whether you see any obstacles that might stop this from happening. >> Yeah. Well, thanks for having me, Chris, and and thanks for the questions.And look, this is a fight that we didn't choose, and and fra ...

Redistricting and Political Maneuvering - The report highlights the Republican Party's efforts to redraw district maps in Texas to gain more seats in Congress, a move described as partisan gerrymandering [1][17] - Texas Democrats' actions, such as leaving the state to prevent a quorum, are portrayed as a fight to save democracy and raise national awareness [2][4][24] - California Democrats are responding to the Texas redistricting plan with their own redistricting plan, putting it on the ballot for voters [11] Threats to Democracy and Electoral Integrity - The report suggests that threats to democracy are real and happening across the country, with pro-democracy forces resisting [10] - Concerns are raised about potential actions by Donald Trump to influence future elections, including redistricting, limiting mail-in voting, or militarizing blue states [24][25] - The report emphasizes the asymmetry in political warfare, with Republicans changing the rules while Democrats largely adhere to norms [19] Legal and Ethical Concerns - A state representative in Texas was allegedly told she was committing a felony for being on a call with Democratic leaders [6][7] - The report references a Supreme Court ruling from 2019 that allows for partisan gerrymandering [16] - The report suggests that the balance of power between states and the federal government is being corrupted [22][23]

Ryan, tell me you're there, what you're seeing, what it feels like as this fight reaches its climax. >> Well, Chris, I'm not inside the capital yet. Thank you for bearing with me on on what's been a a hectic week.Um, uh, for all week it has felt very tense here. Um, in fact, just yesterday, we saw an evacuation at the Texas capital after a threat uh to to law enforcement and lawmakers lives. Uh the Department of Public Safety says that a a social media threat told people to go to the Capitol and shoot anybo ...