logo
FBI agrees to help locate Texas Democrats who fled state to sabotage GOP redistricting plan, Cornyn says

FBI agrees to help locate Texas Democrats who fled state to sabotage GOP redistricting plan, Cornyn says

Fox News4 days ago
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, announced Thursday that the FBI has granted his request for federal agents to help locate Texas Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to stall a GOP redistricting vote. Cornyn said the FBI agreed to assist Texas law enforcement in locating members of the Texas House of Representatives "who have fled the state in a shameful attempt to thwart the legislative process." "I am proud to announce that Director Kash Patel has approved my request for the FBI to assist state and local law enforcement in locating runaway Texas House Democrats," Cornyn said in a statement. "I thank President Trump and Director Patel for supporting and swiftly acting on my call for the federal government to hold these supposed lawmakers accountable for fleeing Texas. We cannot allow these rogue legislators to avoid their constitutional responsibilities."DEM GOVERNOR DEFIES FBI: 'UNWELCOME' TO PURSUE TEXAS DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERSThe FBI declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital.In Texas, more than 50 Democratic lawmakers fled the state earlier this month to prevent a necessary quorum in the Texas House, which requires at least 100 members of the 150-member body to be present. Democratic Govs. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Gavin Newsom of California and Kathy Hochul of New York have offered sanctuary to those Texas Democrats, championing the gridlock they've caused as a fight to save democracy. Cornyn sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday asking the bureau to help locate or arrest "potential lawbreakers" who fled in a maneuver to avoid legislative responsibilities "in violation of their oath of office." COLBERT CONFRONTS JB PRITZKER WITH MAP SHOWING ILLINOIS GERRYMANDERING"Out-of-state actors have made public comments about protecting the Texas legislators who are currently hiding out of state from any accountability for their actions," Cornyn wrote. "I request the FBI's assistance, as federal resources are necessary to locate the out-of-state Texas legislators who are potentially acting in violation of the law. The FBI has tools to aid state law enforcement when parties cross state lines, including to avoid testifying or fleeing a scene of a crime." The letter cited concerns that legislators "who solicited or accepted funds to aid in their efforts to avoid their legislative duties may be guilty of bribery or other public corruption offenses.""Governor Abbott and Texas state law enforcement officers are doing what they can within the confines of the law, but federal help may be necessary," Cornyn wrote. "These legislators have committed potential criminal acts in their rush to avoid their constitutional responsibilities and must be fully investigated and held accountable. I urge you to work with Texas public officials to provide them the support they need." Texas Gov. Greg Abbott convened a special session to try to advance a congressional redistricting plan which could add five new Republican-leaning House seats before next year's midterm elections.Abbott on Tuesday also filed an emergency petition with the state Supreme Court asking to remove State Rep. Gene Wu from office, categorizing him as the "ringleader of the derelict Democrats who fled the state to break quorum." President Donald Trump is pushing Republican states to open the process for redistricting mid-cycle to give the GOP a better chance of maintaining control of the House.Meanwhile, Texas state Republicans voted to issue civil arrest warrants and $500 daily fines for Democratic colleagues who abandoned their duties.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump reportedly signs order granting another 90-day extension on harshest China tariffs
Trump reportedly signs order granting another 90-day extension on harshest China tariffs

Yahoo

time22 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Trump reportedly signs order granting another 90-day extension on harshest China tariffs

President Trump on Monday signed an executive order implementing another 90-day pause on additional tariffs on China that were set to take effect on Tuesday, reports said. The move again pushes off a deadline for imposing the harshest taxes on Chinese imports as the two sides continue negotiations on a deal. Reports from CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post all said the president had signed the order, which will push the deadline for these tariffs back to Nov. 9. The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The extension appears to mean that headline rates agreed to in May of 30% on Chinese imports and 10% on American goods will continue for the immediate future and avoid a snap-back to previous triple-digit levels. Sector-specific tariffs on goods like steel and some medical supplies will keep the effective tariff rate between the two countries higher. The reported tariff agreement also comes amid an increased focus from Trump in recent days on Russia and the war in Ukraine, with Trump putting an additional 25% tariff on imports from India over that nation's consumption of Russian oil. The new pause could also increase the odds for a meeting later this year between Presidents Trump and Xi. The two men's teams have both floated the concept of a face-to-face meeting, perhaps as soon as the coming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea at the end of October. Monday's announcement also came after three meetings of the two trade teams in recent months — gatherings that took place in Geneva in May, London in June, and Stockholm in July — resulted in signs of progress though tensions remain between the two sides. He Lifeng, China's vice premier for economic policy, has represented his country at all three meetings. A representative for He — Chinese trade negotiator Li Chenggang — said after the most recent round in Sweden that the two sides had 'candid exchanges over their economic concerns,' according to a translation. Certain issues like semiconductors, including a plan to allow the resumption of Nvidia's (NVDA) AI chip exports to China, as well as Chinese exports of rare earth minerals have been most in focus of the talks so far with a long list of issues between the two nations still to discuss. Over the weekend, the Trump administration struck a deal with Nvidia and AMD to allow those chipmakers to sell some chips into the Chinese market in exchange for a 15% cut of the sales.

Yahoo polls: How are Canadians responding to the latest U.S. Trump tariffs on the country?
Yahoo polls: How are Canadians responding to the latest U.S. Trump tariffs on the country?

Yahoo

time22 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Yahoo polls: How are Canadians responding to the latest U.S. Trump tariffs on the country?

Have your say: In this Yahoo News Canada poll, we ask Canadians to share how the Trump tariffs are shaping their travel and shopping choices This summer, Canadians find themselves grappling with a bit more than just the end-of-season and back-to-school rush. As trade discord with the U.S. continues to dominate headlines, changes in household habits abound. Escalating tensions over Trump tariffs have resulted in a surge of cultural and economic responses including impacts on travel, shopping and Labour Day long weekend plans. Yahoo News Canada wants to hear from you! How is the moment weighing on your pride and prudence? Are you boycotting U.S. products in favour of local businesses? We want you to have your say. Are you planning any U.S. travel this month? Canadian travel to the U.S. has seen a decline owing to the political tensions between the two nations, with trips plummeting dramatically and flight bookings cut significantly. Instead of flying down south, Canadians are picking Europe, Latin America or even opting for Canadian locales for their getaways. Flight bookings to Europe recently witnessed a surge while travel the U.S. continued to lag. Are you opting for products made in Canada over imported goods? Surveys from the last few months reveal Canadian attitudes toward the U.S. have only soured over time as Trump intensified his tariff attacks on Canada. By February 2025, approximately two-thirds of Canadians had reduced their purchases of American products, both in stores and online, according to a Leger poll. More than halfway through the year, that trend has only grown among Canadians, according to a July Ipsos poll. However, affordability continues to matter to Canadian shoppers looking to buy local goods. A recent report from PwC Canada found that while Canadian consumers are willing to pay a premium for locally produced food, a majority would ultimately choose a lower-priced imported product over a more expensive domestic equivalent. Canada and U.S. trade tariff jabs U.S. President Donald Trump's recent round of tariff increase saw Canada's share escalate to 35 per cent on various goods from Aug. 1. This came after Trump sharply raised tariffs on Canadian exports in the spring of 2025 — imposing 25 per cent duties on steel, aluminium and auto parts before slapping another increase in summer. Canada continues to have its retaliatory tariffs on $30 billion worth of U.S. goods in place to defend its industries. Regardless of the ongoing friction, the USMCA continues to shield most of the Canadian exports from tariffs, Prime Minister Mark Carney's says. Damage from the trade standoff was strongly felt across Canada's manufacturing sector with the jobs market shedding 41,000 positions in July and analysts calling for an additional 10,000 jobs last month. Are you travelling this Labour Day weekend?

Maine can't enforce foreign election interference law that appeals court calls unconstitutional
Maine can't enforce foreign election interference law that appeals court calls unconstitutional

Yahoo

time22 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Maine can't enforce foreign election interference law that appeals court calls unconstitutional

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine can't enforce a voter-approved foreign election interference law that a federal appeals court said likely violates the Constitution by limiting political donations. Voters overwhelmingly approved a ban on foreign governments and companies with 5% or more foreign government ownership from donating to state referendum races. The law is one of a handful around the country that attempt to limit foreign influence on U.S. elections. The law has been on hold pending federal lawsuits from utilities companies and media organizations that raise constitutional challenges about it. The U.S. District Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston said in court papers in July that it affirmed a lower-court ruling that the law likely violates the First Amendment. 'The prohibition is overly broad, silencing U.S. corporations based on the mere possibility that foreign shareholders might try to influence its decisions on political speech, even where those foreign shareholders may be passive owners that exercise no influence or control over the corporation's political spending," wrote Judge Lara Montecalvo. The matter was sent back to the lower court, where it will proceed, and there has been no substantive movement on it in recent weeks, said Danna Hayes, a spokesperson for the Maine attorney general's office, on Monday. The law is on the state's books, but the state cannot enforce it while legal challenges are still pending, Hayes said. Voters approved the law in 2023 by a margin of 86% to 14%. It followed a multimillion-dollar effort by a Canadian-owned utility to influence a project in Maine in which it's a partner. The law reflects the will of Maine residents to ensure clean elections, said Rick Bennett, chair of Protect Maine Elections, the committee formed to support the 2023 ballot initiative. He said the fight to save the law was still ongoing. 'Mainers spoke with one voice: our elections should belong to us, not to corporations owned or influenced by foreign governments whose interests may not align with our own,' Bennett said in a statement. Solve the daily Crossword

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store