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 ...

In California, Governor Gavin Newsome's redistricting fight is gaining steam as Democrats there respond to what they're calling a power grab from President Trump in Texas. Here's the congressional map in California as it stands right now. And here's the new proposed map, which would net Democrats an additional five congressional seats.Here's what California Congresswoman Zoe Lofrren said about it earlier this afternoon. We decided as a delegation that we could not just stand there and allow Trump to distort ...

With this bus back at the Texas capital, the standoff between Democrats and Republicans over this redistricting bill is now over. Dozens of Democrats returned from Chicago after a two-week quorum break that they staged in order to delay a Republican redistricting bill. Governor Abbott is asking lawmakers to draw in five more Republican districts into the congressional map here in Texas to give them an edge uh for next year's midterms.The Democrats fled town, stopping business here at the capital for more th ...

COUNTERFEIT MONEY TO BURN. >> WELL, WE'RE FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIRE. DONALD TRUMP IS NOT SCREWING AROUND.HE'S TRYING TO RIG THE NEXT ELECTION IN THE MIDTERMS. THERE'S A REASON MEMBERS OF THE TRUMP TEAM SENT ME A TRUMP 2028 HAT WITH A NOTE IS THEY'RE NOT SCREWING AROUND AND WE CAN NO LONGER SCREW AROUND EITHER. >> THAT WAS CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM TELLING DEMOCRATS THEY NEED TO FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE IN COMBATING TRUMP.IN THE GOP'S REDISTRICTING EFFORTS, NEWSOM HAS BEEN ON THE OFFENSIVE THIS WEEK AGAINST ...

The Texas House failed to reach a quorum yet again this morning as Democrats remain out of the state. In fact, several of them are participating in fight the Trump takeover protests throughout the country happening today. Now, Texas Dems could head back home as soon as this Monday.This as California formally introduced their new redistricting map in the fight. Meanwhile, Republicans are still moving full steam ahead with the mid decade congressional map, all at Trump's orders. Already, Governor Abbott calle ...

Political Landscape & Power Dynamics - Republican governors from West Virginia, Ohio, and South Carolina are deploying National Guard troops to Washington DC, with defense officials reversing their stance to arm many of these troops [1] - Across the country, Americans are protesting against what they perceive as a power grab by Texas Republicans, specifically a gerrymandering plan aimed at securing Republican control of the House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections [2] - The Democratic National Committee organized "Fight the Trump Takeover" protests in 43 states, with significant demonstrations in Texas, Chicago, and Austin [3] - The administration is perceived to want US troops to be responsible for law enforcement in Washington DC, potentially circumventing home rule and local police force control [8][9][10] Potential Expansion of Federal Power - There is concern that the arming of National Guard troops signals an intention to replace local police forces with federal troops [11][13] - The president might invoke other emergency powers to expand the federal presence in cities [12] - The president wants to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would allow the use of the US military for civilian law enforcement on US soil [27][28] Political Motivations & Approval Ratings - The deployment of troops is viewed by some as an "authoritarian spectacle" to deflect from the president's mounting scandals and weakening political position [20][21] - The president's approval rating is at 37%, close to his post-January 6 low of 34% [20] - The president's high approval ratings among Republicans, particularly MAGA Republicans (high 80s, low 90s), are a key factor in his decision-making [23][25] States' Rights & Political Hypocrisy - Critics point out the apparent inconsistency of Republicans advocating for states' rights while simultaneously supporting federal intervention in Democrat-led cities [17][18] - 13 of the 20 US cities with the highest homicide rates are in Republican states, yet the focus is on Democrat-run cities [19]

Political Landscape & Power Dynamics - The discussion revolves around the perceived overreach and intimidation tactics of the Trump administration, particularly concerning federal law enforcement presence and redistricting efforts [2][3][5] - California's response is framed as a necessary pushback against perceived authoritarian tendencies and attempts to rig the system, emphasizing accountability and balancing the scales [6] - The debate highlights the contrasting approaches to redistricting between Texas, where the Republican legislature is accused of partisan gerrymandering, and California, which claims to take its proposal to the voters [11] Redistricting & Voter Impact - The core issue is the redistricting fight, with concerns that both Republicans and Democrats engaging in such practices could negatively impact voters, especially moderate voters [8] - The action of redistricting mid-cycle is considered unprecedented and driven by the unpopularity of certain policies, suggesting an attempt to secure electoral advantage [8] - The potential impact of redistricting on specific districts is acknowledged, with a commitment to balancing Trump's actions around the country [9][10] Democratic Response & Strategy - The Democratic response involves a shift towards a more assertive stance, meeting "fire with fire" and refusing to back down from perceived intimidation [4][3] - The strategy includes using available power to push back against perceived abuses of power and hold those in power accountable [6] - The importance of standing up for democracy and the American public is emphasized as the driving force behind California's actions [3][9][11]

We have got to recognize the cards that have been dealt and we have got to meet fire with fire. That was of course Governor Gavin Newsome who today called for a special election in California this November to fight back against Trump's plan to gerrymander congressional districts in red states so that Republicans can't lose in 2026. It's not complicated.We're doing this in reaction to a president of the United States that called a sitting governor of the state of Texas and said, "Find me five seats." We can' ...

Woo. I'm sorry, y'all. I just had to pull over because I just got done listening to the California Democrats press conference about how they plan to counter the redistricting that is currently attempting to happen in Texas, or as Michael Mark Elias likes to say, three gerrymander to the already Jerry murderer map. And I was really struck by the press conference. Two things stood out to me, and I think it's going to bode well for their efforts. First, everyone from the organizational leaders that spoke in th ...

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) announced that the state will move forward with a plan to redraw congressional maps, as Democrats fight against Donald Trump and the GOP's gerrymandering push. Newsom called for a special election on November 4th to introduce new U.S. House maps. Our next MSNBC Live event is on October 11th in New York City! Buy Tickets Now: msnbc.com/live25 For more context and news coverage of the most important stories of our day click here: https://www.msnbc.com/ » Subscribe to MSNBC ...