Redistricting and Political Strategy - The Texas State House is expected to reconvene soon, but Democrat lawmakers have relocated to Illinois and intend to remain there until August 19th, the end of the special session, to obstruct the redistricting process [2][3] - Texas Republicans risk diluting their own votes by creating five additional Republican seats through redistricting, a tactic they have employed before [7][8] - Escalation is a risk, as states like New York, California, and Illinois might engage in mid-decade redistricting, potentially causing Republican members to lose seats [9] - The redistricting process is highly political, with state legislators often drawing districts to benefit themselves, contributing to hyper-polarization and partisanship [18][19][20] Democratic Response and Concerns - Democrats view the Republican redistricting plan as unjust and inconsistent with census data and traditional redistricting practices, harming voters and undermining democracy [16][17] - Some argue that Democrats must "fight fire with fire" and take aggressive action, including changing state constitutions, to counter Republican efforts [11][13][14][15][25] - The increasing gerrymandering on both sides has led to fewer moderates in Congress, as politicians prioritize winning primaries over general elections, harming moderate voters [22][23][24] Impact on Texas and Voters - The special session was initially called to address the flooding response, and there is potential anger that the redistricting fight has taken precedence [26][27][28] - The redistricting efforts could lead to blowback for both Republicans and Democrats in Texas [26] - The absence of independent commissions dealing with redistricting is likely a reality, making the process even more political [18]

A Republican congressman in California announced today he will introduce new legislation to try to pro prohibit mid decade redistricting like this all across the country. NBC Sahil Kapoor is following that for us. Tell us more about this new bill and the chances of it moving forward.>> So, first off, Chris, there's no bill just yet. This is an announcement by secondterm Republican Kevin Kylie, who represents a competitive district near Sacramento, about a bill he says he will introduce tomorrow. Second, it' ...

Mhm. >> We turn now to the situation in Texas where that state's governor, Greg Abbott, is threatening to remove from office Democratic lawmakers who have fled the state to block redistricting efforts. More than 50 Democrats left the state yesterday afternoon, a move that will prevent the Texas House from having enough members needed to consider and pass legislation.They say they plan to stay out of Texas until August 19th when the special session called by the governor comes to an end. Abbott added redistr ...

Over 50 Democratic lawmakers from Texas left the state on Sunday to ensure that the state legislature doesn’t have a quorum to pass a redistricting vote being pushed by the GOP. https://t.co/7Z1JkUqHug https://t.co/7Z1JkUqHug ...

Voting Rights and Legislation - The discussion revolves around voting rights legislation and the fight against voter suppression, particularly in Texas [3][4][5] - The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act were key legislative efforts [4] - Despite previous efforts that didn't lead to national change, the conversation about voting rights remains crucial [3] - Texas's voter suppression bill, while still problematic, was slightly improved due to the attention brought to it [5] - The fight extends beyond Texas, representing a broader power grab and potential national implications [6] Political Landscape and Polarization - Concerns exist that repeated walkouts by Democrats could be perceived as obstructionist [7] - The Republican party faces internal divisions, with a distinction between traditional Republicans and MAGA supporters [14] - The redistricting fight raises concerns about the country's direction, especially with cultural and political polarization [17][18] - Democracy is portrayed as fragile, with potential negative impacts on international relations [19][20] Key Figures and Events - Jasmine Crockett, a Democratic Congresswoman from Texas, is a prominent voice against GOP redistricting efforts and a veteran of voting rights protests [2][3] - The Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton, faces legal troubles, including felony indictments and impeachment [15][16] - The discussion references a situation where lawmakers are being threatened for advocating for fair representation in majority-minority districts [17]

Voting Rights and Redistricting - Texas Democratic representatives are protesting against President Trump's assault on democracy and to protect voting rights [2][3] - The redistricting map in Texas is seen as an attack on democracy, diluting the voices of minority voters [7][8][9] - The current map minimizes and dilutes the voices of minority voters, impacting 13 districts [8] - The proposed redistricting attempts to eliminate five seats where minority voters can elect their candidate of choice, violating the Voting Rights Act [8][9] - More than 60% of Texas voters are minorities, yet Anglo voters control 65% of congressional district elections [23] Political and Financial Risks - Lawmakers face a $500 per day fine for breaking quorum [5] - The Attorney General threatened Democrats with arrest for breaking quorum [5][6] Special Session and Priorities - The special session was initially intended to address flooding issues in Texas [12][13] - Republicans have not introduced any solutions for flood relief during the session, focusing instead on redistricting [16] - Governor Abbott is accused of using flood relief as a cover for redistricting efforts [15][17] National Implications - The redistricting issue is not limited to Texas and is expected to spread to other states [11] - There is a need for a national standard to address redistricting and ensure fairness [25]

Welcome back. Joining me now is Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California. Senator Padilla, welcome back to Meet the Press. Thanks for having me back. Thank you so much for being here in person. Let's start with the economy. President Trump, as I was just discussing with Kevin Hasset, his decision to fire the head of the BLS. Of course, it has prompted some backlash. You just heard Kevin Hasset defend the move. Now that the president is appointing a replacement to head the BLS, my question for you, will ...

Joining us now, semaphore politics reporter Dave Wigle, Punch Bowl News co-founder and MSNBC political contributor Jake Sherman, staff writer for The Atlantic and MSNBC contributor Mark Lieovich, and former North Dakota senator and MSNBC contributor Heidi Hydeamp. Thank you all for being with us. Jake, starting with you, this new Texas map targets Democratic US House members in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and in South Texas as well.Is this a done deal. Um will the how will the current representatives how are t ...

Redistricting and Political Strategy - Texas Republicans are aiming to gain five seats in the next midterm elections through a new congressional map, initiated by Governor Greg Abbott at the urging of President Trump [1] - The proposed maps would have favored President Trump in 30 out of 38 seats, each by more than 10 percentage points [2] - California Governor Gavin Newsom is considering redrawing congressional lines to favor Democrats if Texas Republicans proceed with their map [3] - Republicans are openly aiming to give Trump more seats, rather than focusing on fairness or constituent representation [5][6] Gerrymandering and its Consequences - The practice of gerrymandering, intensified by computer-based redistricting since the 1990s, leads to extreme partisanship and less need for representatives to appeal to a broad range of constituents [8][9][10][11] - Gerrymandering results in uncompetitive districts (e g, 90/10 or 80/20 party affiliation), where primary wins are more crucial than general elections, pushing House members to extremes [9][10] - In Wisconsin, gerrymandering after the 2010 election led to Republicans controlling 60-65% of the state legislature despite a roughly 50/50 split in the popular vote [24][25] Legal and Voter Perspectives - Democrats may challenge the Texas maps in court, arguing that they eliminate majority-minority districts, violating the Voting Rights Act, but face challenges in Texas courts [13][14] - Some Democrats suggest abandoning the concept of majority-minority districts to maximize the number of seats they can win [15] - Voters generally oppose politicians drawing districts to prevent themselves from losing, but the presentation of ballot initiatives can influence their perception [20][21] Potential National Implications - The redistricting efforts in Texas could trigger an "arms race," with some Democrats suggesting similar tactics in blue states like New York and California [17] - There is growing pressure on Democratic leaders to adopt more aggressive redistricting strategies, mirroring Republican tactics, to maintain political power [27] - Some fear that the current trend is leading to an increasingly polarized and "ugly" political landscape, where both parties prioritize partisan advantage over fairness [28][29]

And Senator Padilla joins us now. He's a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. >> Senator, thanks for joining us.We know the Office of Special Counsel this White House submitted a new name to lead up that office, a Trump loyalist, some may say stick. Do you really believe that the office of special counsel under this administration would do an investigation into this. Look, I know there's questions and whether they may or may not actually do the job of investigating, which by the way, they have confirme ...