Texas governor promises to keep redistricting fight going for years
Texas Democrats are preventing the Texas House from achieving the quorum necessary to move ahead with legislative business in the state legislature. They are trying to run out the clock on Republicans' special legislative session and draw attention to their cause, even as they are unlikely to stop the redraw — because Abbott can keep calling more special sessions.
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CBS News
9 minutes ago
- CBS News
Nursing mother in ICE custody in Minnesota to be released from detention, judge rules
A nursing mother who has spent more than three weeks in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody will soon be reunited with her children following a federal judge's ruling on Tuesday. Antonia Aguilar Maldonado, 26, was arrested by federal agents on July 17. She came to the United States from El Salvador as a teenager and has no criminal history. She is now seeking asylum and lives in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. Her attorneys filed a writ of habeas corpus challenging her detention because an immigration judge authorized her release on bond on July 31. Soon after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security then filed an automatic stay to keep her in custody at the Kandiyohi County Jail despite that order. They sought injunctive relief to block that from taking effect and require her release while her case moves forward. Hannah Brown, one of her attorneys, told the court Tuesday that her client is experiencing emotional and mental distress while separated from her two U.S. citizen children, including her youngest whom she is breastfeeding. She also said she faces physical harm because she cannot pump on a set schedule or in sanitary conditions. U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson delivered a ruling from the bench in St. Paul after each side made their arguments, ultimately granting the request for a temporary restraining order which will force her release. She rejected the government's argument that Aguilar Maldonado's detention was allowable by law and said ICE violated its own policies for pregnant and nursing mothers. Nelson said ICE contends that a January executive order from President Donald Trump revoked that rule, but "nowhere in that policy is there a mention of nursing mothers." "In the court's view, the irreparable harm to separating a nursing mother and her child is self-evident," she said. She added that her case is a civil matter yet Aguilar Maldonado is being held in conditions "indiscriminable" to criminal detention and that agents made a "mistake" when they arrested her. A written ruling will follow later this week. Aguilar Maldonado's attorneys said she will be released as soon as she posts bond, likely early Wednesday morning. The court room was packed with friends, congregants at Aguilar Maldonado's local church and other community members who observed the hearing. They erupted into applause once it was over, celebrating her release. Her church helped raise money to pay her bond. "A lot of people can relate to Ms. Aguilar Maldonado's situation and to her story. And there are folks here who know her and folks here who don't know her," Brown said. "And I think it was really beautiful to see so many people, so many Minnesotans, showing their support for a young mother who does not need to be detained." Aguilar Maldonado came to the U.S. in 2017 as a minor, granting her special protections, and had a removal order in 2019 for failing to attend a hearing. But an immigration judge reopened her case last year after finding she wasn't given notice of that court appearance, Gloria Contreras Edin, another one of her attorneys told WCCO in an interview. Since then, she has been doing "everything right," she added, and filed for asylum and obtained work authorization. Her arrest on July 17 came as a surprise. When asked about Aguilar Maldonado's case, a spokesperson for ICE provided the following statement to WCCO: "By statute, we have no information on this person." "[Her son] is allergic to other forms of milk, and so unfortunately, this baby has been without his mother's milk now for 26 days, and she wants to get to him right away and start nursing," Contreras Edin told reporters Tuesday. Contreras Edin and Brown said she will remain free as her writ of habeas corpus petition proceeds. The government is also appealing the immigration judge's earlier ruling late last month. The judge said she does not have a removal order at this time. Telma Vides, a friend of Aguilar Maldonado, spoke with her friend soon after the hearing and said she was excited and crying nonstop when she learned that should be released. "It's just amazing what God can do to get her out," Vides said. "It just kept going up and down and up—it's been a roller coaster all these three weeks."
Axios
10 minutes ago
- Axios
Scoop ... Inside Jeffries' donor retreat
Many Democrats left House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' annual California fundraising event last week convinced Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is running for president, according to four attendees. 🍷 Jeffries' event at the luxury Lodge at Torrey Pines is the successor to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi's wine-soaked summer donor party in Napa, California. Why it matters: Democrats lapped up the message from the two-term governor, who told big dollar donors and vulnerable House Dems that the key to winning over Trump voters is staying true to your values. Beshear's biggest applause line came when he explained why he vetoed a bill in 2023, when he was up for reelection, that restricted some medical care and bathroom use for transgender people. Beshear called it"the nastiest anti-trans bills in the nation — and I vetoed it," according to attendees. "There are some things worth losing over," Beshear, who went on to win by five percentage points, said. Zoom out: Democrats are eager to find candidates — and messages — that they think will appeal to voters in red and blue states. Both Beshear and Jeffries spoke of the importance of authenticity and using words that voters actually use. Don't be afraid to say "addiction," Beshear said, when discussing the opioid crisis. Zoom in: In both public and private conversations, the looming mid-cycle redistricting battle was frequently discussed. Democrats promised their donors that they would respond to GOP gerrymander efforts. "We are working on an aggressive plan to make sure we fight fire with fire on redistricting," according to a member of Congress in attendance. In addition to Jeffries, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar attended, along with roughly a dozen "Frontline" lawmakers and some California members as well. After Beshear's Friday night fireside chat with Jeffries, donors got a political update from DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene and Mike Smith, the president of the House Majority PAC, which can accept unlimited donations. Jared Bernstein, Biden's former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers and Wally Adeyemo, Biden's deputy treasury secretary, provided an economic overview. Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security adviser, and Susan Rice, one of his domestic policy advisers, discussed foreign affairs and immigration.
Axios
10 minutes ago
- Axios
Spicy Senate fight
President Trump has added an unsolicited, high-profile confirmation fight to the Senate's plate when they're back from August recess. Why it matters: With a 140+ person backlog on civilian confirmations, Senate Republicans left Washington vowing to fast-track the rules. Senate GOP leaders told senators to be ready to move as soon as they return to D.C. in September, sources familiar tell us. Senators have suggested everything from shorter debate time to allowing more nominees to be voted on en bloc. 🌶 But the newest nominee's a doozy: Trump said yesterday he'll nominate Heritage Foundation economist E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics after he fired Erika McEntarfer. Zoom in: Antoni's confirmation process will first have to go through the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee which is chaired by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) Cassidy called McEntarfer's removal"understandable," and he had previously demanded answers as to why BLS's jobs reports were inaccurate. He's also up for re-election next year. But HELP includes frequent Trump critics: Sens. Susan Collins (R-Me.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). "BLS's years-long failure to produce reliable data — especially when that data has broad market-moving implications — is unacceptable," a Cassidy spokesperson told Axios. "Cassidy looks forward to meeting with Dr. Antoni to discuss how he will accomplish this."
