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Inside the GOP's new Texas congressional map proposal: From the Politics Desk
Inside the GOP's new Texas congressional map proposal: From the Politics Desk

NBC News

time30-07-2025

  • Politics
  • NBC News

Inside the GOP's new Texas congressional map proposal: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. Happy Wednesday! Today's edition digs into Republicans' new proposed congressional map in Texas, which would give the party the chance to pick up five additional seats in the midterms. Plus, Andrea Mitchell looks at the Environmental Protection Agency's deregulation moves under the Trump administration. — Scott Bland Texas Republicans unveil congressional map giving them a chance to pick up 5 seats By Adam Edelman and Ben Kamisar Texas Republicans on Wednesday released a proposed new congressional map that would give the GOP a path to pick up five seats in next year's midterm elections. The proposal, which follows President Donald Trump's public pressing for a new map in the state, would shift district lines in ways that target current Democratic members of Congress in districts in and around Austin, Dallas and Houston, as well as two already endangered Democrats representing South Texas districts that Trump carried last year. If it were enacted, the proposal could have a major effect on the battle for control of the House in 2026. Republicans hold a slim, three-seat advantage right now, but this map could add extra padding as they seek to keep the House for the final two years of Trump's presidency. They already control 25 of the 38 congressional districts in Texas. In a sign of how carefully the new lines are drawn to maximize the GOP's standing, Trump would have carried 30 out of 38 seats on this new map last year, none by single-digit margins. Democratic voters are packed into eight districts that former Vice President Kamala Harris would have won by at least 15 percentage points each last year, according to analysis from the nonpartisan Texas Legislative Council. See how the current map compares to the new proposal) The proposal may still change before state lawmakers consider it further, and members of the special redistricting committee may still refer new proposals for consideration throughout the special session. Amid a scorching summer, a rollback on carbon regulations Analysis by Andrea Mitchell With more than 100 million people melting in a heat wave that's notable even for July, is this the time for the Trump administration to propose rolling back long-accepted regulations on fossil fuels, including long-accepted limits on power plants and vehicle emissions? Apparently, it is, as Environmental Protect Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin is following through on his pledge to eliminate what he called 'the holy grail of the climate change religion.' Zeldin said this week that by regulating fossil fuels in 2009, during the Obama administration, the EPA ignored the 'benefits' of carbon dioxide and refused to consider the economic costs of regulation. Last year was the hottest year on record, with wildfires, dangerous flooding and hotter ocean temperatures that meteorologists say made Hurricane Helene stronger, causing greater inland damage. The Obama administration's so-called endangerment finding made a widely accepted scientific case that human emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases endanger human health. Scientists warn the United States is about to cross a dangerous threshold: making it impossible to avoid surpassing 1.5 degrees Celsius in global warming since the preindustrial era, the accepted international goal to prevent disastrous impacts from climate change. Environmental author Michael Mann, a professor of climate science at the University of Pennsylvania, told me on NBC News' new podcast, 'Here's the Scoop,' that protecting the environment has been a bipartisan goal dating to President Richard Nixon's creation of the EPA. Ronald Reagan signed the protocols banning the chemicals that were destroying the ozone layer. George H.W. Bush led passage of regulations to deal with acid rain emissions from factories. Pollution is also expensive: The world's largest reinsurer, Munich Re, reports that climate-influenced natural disasters have cost us $93 billion so far this year, with the United States accounting for more than 70% of weather-related damage. With President Donald Trump having dropped out of the Paris Climate Accords in his first term and now appointing Cabinet members who reject established elements of climate science, China and the European Union are now driving global moves to limit climate change. That has placed China, the world's other large emitter alongside the United States, as a new leader for what Mann calls 'the adult in the room. It's their gain and our loss,' as China now leads the world in producing solar panels and other green technologies, he said. At the same time, the State Department has fired its climate experts even as veteran diplomats and intelligence agencies say the overheated climate is a national security issue — fueling migration, famine and civil wars.

How Trump is shaping the midterm map: From the Politics Desk
How Trump is shaping the midterm map: From the Politics Desk

Yahoo

time24-07-2025

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

How Trump is shaping the midterm map: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. In today's edition, we take a look at how President Donald Trump is steering GOP lawmakers away from statewide bids with an eye on protecting the House majority. Plus, Andrea Mitchell breaks down the latest chapter in the Trump administration's attempts to shift attention away from the Epstein files. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. — Adam Wollner How Trump is shaping the midterm map A trio of Republican members of Congress have in recent days declined to seek a higher office, developments that could not only help their party avoid messy statewide primaries, but shore up battleground districts as they aim to protect their fragile House majority in 2026. And in all three cases, President Donald Trump played a key role. New York: After toying with a gubernatorial bid for months, GOP Rep. Mike Lawler announced today he would not challenge New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and instead run for re-election. The decision comes as a relief to Republicans, who feared Lawler's Hudson Valley district — one of three they represent that Kamala Harris won in the 2024 election — would be even more at risk without an incumbent on the ballot. Trump and GOP leaders had been trying to steer Lawler away from the governor's race, with the president even endorsing him for re-election in May before he made up his mind. Lawler said on 'Meet the Press NOW' that he met with Trump, who 'offered his perspective that he believes the right thing to do is to run for re-election.' 'But ultimately it was my decision,' Lawler added. Lawler's move could also clear the way for Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Trump ally who has been weighing a gubernatorial run after her nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was pulled earlier this year. Stefanik said today she'd announce her plans after this fall's elections. Michigan: Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga also announced today he would not run for the Senate, averting a primary clash with former Rep. Mike Rogers in the swing state. Huizenga said he made the decision 'in consultation with President Trump.' But notably, he did not say whether he'd run for another term in his southwest Michigan district, which the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter rates as 'likely Republican.' Still, the announcement is welcome news for Rogers and the Senate GOP leaders who are supporting him as he seeks the seat Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is vacating. Trump has not yet endorsed a candidate in the race, although he is expected to back Rogers soon, two Republican sources told NBC News. Iowa: Earlier this month, GOP Rep. Zach Nunn passed on a bid for Iowa governor after speaking with Trump. Nunn, whom Trump praised as a 'team player,' is instead running again in his southwest Iowa district, which he won by 4 points last year and is expected to be among Democrats' top targets next year. Gov. Kim Reynolds' decision to not seek re-election could lead to a crowded Republican field. One of Nunn's colleagues, Rep. Randy Feenstra, who represents a safer district, is exploring a bid. Looking ahead: Plenty of challenges still await Republican leaders and Trump, who has been steadily rolling out endorsements throughout the year, as the midterm map takes shape. Heading into the summer congressional recess, they will work to ensure that incumbents in key states and districts run for re-election. And they are still searching for candidates in critical Senate races in Georgia and North Carolina. North Carolina: Speaking of the Tar Heel State, Democrats are poised to score a prized recruit for the seat held by retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis. Former Gov. Roy Cooper is set to enter the race, according to two sources familiar with his plans. The latest chapter in Trump's distraction strategy President Donald Trump and his Cabinet have been busy this week declassifying reports and levying a flurry of controversial accusations. The timing has aroused suspicions of a larger strategy. Case in point: Today's appearance by the head of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, in the White House briefing room to amplify Trump's unfounded accusation that former President Obama committed 'treason' to rig the elections in 2016 and 2020. Treason is defined as attempting to overthrow the government by waging war against the state, or materially aiding its enemies. Trump is basing his charge on a widely discredited 2020 Republican House intelligence report that excluded Democratic committee members, differing from an earlier, bipartisan and unanimous Senate report led by then-Intelligence Committee Chairman Marco Rubio — now, of course, Trump's secretary of state and national security adviser. Still, Gabbard has referred Obama for possible criminal prosecution, creating headlines despite no indication of an error in the intelligence assessments or wrongdoing. Even if there were, Obama would likely have immunity based on last year's Supreme Court's decision that presidents cannot be prosecuted for offenses while in office. Plus, Trump's own special prosecutor found no reason to file charges after a three-year investigation. Also striking was the sudden release of secret files on Martin Luther King Jr. The files had been under a court-ordered seal since 1977, but Trump signed an order in January to take steps to make them public. On Monday, thousands of pages were released with no advance notice — while King's family was still reading them, hoping to redact unsubstantiated claims about MLK's personal life. Critics said the White House was resurrecting old conspiracy theories to distract from the furor over Trump's failure to release the Epstein files. Adding to the cacophony was the president's social media exhumation of a settled dispute over the name of Washington's NFL team. Known for almost a century as the 'Redskins,' in 2022 the team was renamed the 'Commanders' to satisfy many Native American tribes. But now Trump is threatening to block the team's return to Washington from the suburbs if it doesn't reclaim its old name. That would be a nonstarter with local officials who have to approve the team's move — and hardly a distraction to diehard D.C. football fans. 🗞️ Today's other top stories ⚖️ Epstein fallout, part 1: A federal judge in Florida ruled that the court's 'hands are tied' in releasing federal grand jury transcripts from 2005 and 2007 in connection with an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Read more → 📃 Epstein fallout, part 2: The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Ghislaine Maxwell for a deposition to occur from prison in Tallahassee on Aug. 11. Read more → ☑️ Epstein fallout, part 3: A House Oversight subcommittee voted to subpoena the Justice Department for its complete Epstein files, with the names of victims redacted. Read more → ⚖️ SCOTUS watch: The Supreme Court allowed Trump to fire members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a federal agency set up by Congress to be independent of political pressures. Read more → 🇯🇵 We have a deal: Trump said that his administration reached a deal with Japan, one of the largest U.S. trading partners, to lower its tariff rate to 15% as part of a sweeping trade agreement. Read more → 🔎 New probe: The State Department said it launched an investigation into Harvard University's compliance with the government-run visa program for international students. It's the latest effort by the Trump administration to prevent the university from enrolling international students. Read more → 🗽 New frontiers: The calls from some Republicans to strip Zohran Mamdani's citizenship are sparking alarm about Trump weaponizing denaturalization. Read more → 🗳️ 2025 watch: This year's gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey will provide an initial test of how Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' plays on the campaign trail. Read more → 🇺🇦 Protests in Ukraine: Ukrainians took to the streets over a law signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that curbs the country's top two anti-corruption agencies. Read more → 👁️ Big Brother is watching: Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, is introducing a bill to prohibit the use of surveillance-based price setting, which some companies do to set different price points for different people. Read more → Follow live politics coverage → That's all From the Politics Desk for now. Today's newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Dylan Ebs. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@ And if you're a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here. This article was originally published on

Trump can't get his base to move on from Epstein: From the Politics Desk
Trump can't get his base to move on from Epstein: From the Politics Desk

Yahoo

time16-07-2025

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

Trump can't get his base to move on from Epstein: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. In today's edition, President Donald Trump struggles to turn the page on the Jeffrey Epstein saga while a politically vulnerable senator in Texas appeals to him for an endorsement. Plus, Andrea Mitchell files a dispatch from the Aspen Security Forum. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. — Adam Wollner Trump struggles to convince MAGA world to move on from the Epstein files By Matt Dixon and Henry J. Gomez President Donald Trump can't get his MAGA supporters to end their obsession with the Jeffrey Epstein files. And now he's taking out his frustration on them. In a blistering post on Truth Social, Trump continued to push his backers to stop talking about an issue that has driven what appears to be one of the most significant rifts between him and the political movement he built. '[M]y PAST supporters have bought into this 'bulls---' hook, line, and sinker,' he said in the post, adding, 'Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!' Trump's message Wednesday was a significant escalation, reflecting that his supporters aren't all following his lead and adopting his messaging as they usually do. It's also left MAGA-aligned media at a loss for what to do, torn between much of the base that continues to call for more documents related to Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender, and Trump, who insists they should drop the issue. 'This is a major problem and could hurt turnout in the midterms,' a Republican strategist familiar with Trump's political operation said. 'It signals betrayal to those who believed the president would expose the deep state. His team made promises, then doubled down.' On Capitol Hill: A growing number of Republicans are calling for the release of the Epstein files. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he found it 'a little difficult to believe, the idea that the DOJ and the FBI who prosecuted cases relating to this don't have any idea who Epstein's clients were.' 'My view is make public, everything you can make public,' he told NBC News. Democrats are continuing to attempt to drive a wedge between Republicans on the issue. As Julie Tsirkin reports, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., is trying to force a vote on a resolution calling on the Justice Department to release its files related to the Epstein probe. Read more on the Trump-MAGA rift → Related: Ghislaine Maxwell's family appeals to Trump amid battle over Epstein files, by Matt Lavietes Sen. John Cornyn appeals to Trump as he faces primary headwinds in Texas By Bridget Bowman, Ben Kamisar, Olympia Sonnier, Melanie Zanona and Julie Tsirkin Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is making his case for the White House to get involved as he tries to fend off a primary challenge from state Attorney General Ken Paxton. But, so far, President Donald Trump is staying on the sidelines. 'I've talked to him about it a number of times. He is not ready to make that endorsement,' Cornyn told NBC News. 'I think as we start advertising and closing the gap in the polls, hopefully he'll see fit to make that endorsement, but we can't wait.' 'I pointed out to him, and he knows this, that if he endorsed me, the race would be over,' Cornyn later added. Some Republicans are concerned that Paxton — a conservative firebrand with no shortage of personal controversies, including some that led to an impeachment push by a number of fellow Republicans in 2023 — could be a problematic general election candidate who would force national Republicans to spend millions to defend the longtime red seat. Behind the scenes: The race came up at a White House meeting last week between Trump; Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.; staffers with the super PAC Senate Leadership Fund; and other former Trump campaign staffers. A source with knowledge of the meeting said the group agreed that Cornyn and allies need to focus over the summer on improving the incumbent's poll numbers. Paxton's team has also been in touch with the White House political team and sharing polling data, according to a source close to his campaign. The polls: In public surveys, the University of Texas at Tyler found Paxton leading Cornyn by 10 percentage points, 44%-34%, while Texas Southern University found Paxton leading by 9, 43%-34%. Both polls found about a quarter of voters undecided. The money: New campaign finance reports show that Paxton raised $2.9 million from April through June and had $2.5 million in the bank. Meanwhile, Cornyn's campaign raised $804,000 and ended the quarter with $5.9 million on hand, while his joint fundraising committee raised $3.1 million and had $2.7 million on hand. The Cornyn campaign's haul marked its second-worst quarter over the senator's past two election cycles on the ballot (2020 and 2014). Bottom line: This is far from the first time Cornyn has faced issues on his right flank. His most recent challenge came in 2014, when he won 59% of the GOP primary vote. But it may be the most dangerous moment of his Senate career. Read more on the Texas Senate race → Related: 5 takeaways from the latest campaign fundraising reports, by Ben Kamisar, Bridget Bowman and Joe Murphy The impacts of Trump's retreat from the global stage Analysis by Andrea Mitchell At the annual Aspen Security Forum today — listening and learning from U.S. and foreign experts on the Middle East, space defense, energy policy and international trade and aid, among other topics — there is an unprecedented absence of current administration officials. They were invited and only Pentagon officials accepted before canceling at the last minute. Former U.S. Ambassador to China and NATO Nicholas Burns, currently co-chair of the Aspen Strategy Group, lamented the decision. Burns, who began his career as a National Security Council officer under President George H.W. Bush, pointed out that the conference has always been a nonpartisan gathering for the exchange of ideas, and he hopes they will return next year. The national political divide is being felt profoundly by deep cuts at the State Department and other government agencies, some of which Congress is formalizing with a rescissions package lawmakers are advancing. At Foggy Bottom, there were plenty of tears as veteran diplomats' and civil servants' badges were revoked and they turned in their laptops and phones. The climate office to negotiate current and future global agreements was eliminated. The State Department said it was being streamlined to make it more efficient and relevant. Among those also cut: senior intelligence analysts on Russia and Ukraine, hardly irrelevant. The relatively small State Department intelligence bureau — numbering a few hundred — was one of the only agencies dissenting against the false conclusion that Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction before the U.S. launched the war in Iraq. And those fired included the East Asia analysts who had just prepared briefing papers on the global competition against China's aggression in the South China Sea for Secretary of State Marco Rubio's trip to the ASEAN summit last week, a top policy priority for the White House. Occasionally, President Donald Trump may discover having experts around can save him from embarrassing moments. One example is last week's luncheon with visiting African leaders, when he praised Liberia's president for his command of the English language and asked, 'Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Were you educated? Where?' Briefers would have told him Liberia was settled by Americans in 1847 and is an English-speaking country. But the NSC — which had an admittedly bloated 300 staffers — now has approximately 50 staffers. 🗞️ Today's other top stories 🤔 Will he or won't he?: Trump said it was 'highly unlikely' he would fire Jerome Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve, less than 24 hours after telling Republican lawmakers that he was considering doing so. Read more → ☑️ Concerned, but voting aye: The Senate is set to approve a rescissions package that would claw back $9 billion in funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting, despite reservations from GOP lawmakers. Read more → 🔊Sales pitch: Vice President JD Vance urged a Pennsylvania audience to 'talk to your friends' about the megabill Trump recently signed into law. Read more → ✈️ Mass deportation agenda: The Department of Homeland Security resumed third-country deportation flights by sending five immigrant detainees, all from different countries, to the small nation of Eswatini in southern Africa. Read more → ⚫ Middle East latest: U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee demanded that Israel 'aggressively investigate the murder' of an American who was beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Read more → 🗳️ About last night: Arizona Democrats have nominated Adelita Grijalva, daughter of the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva, to fill his former seat in a September special election. Read more → 🎙️ Into the podverse: Former Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison launched a new podcast — and one of his first guests will be Hunter Biden. Read more → 👀 Speculation quashed: Barack and Michelle Obama laughed off divorce rumors during a new episode of the former first lady's podcast. Read more → Follow live politics updates → That's all From the Politics Desk for now. Today's newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Dylan Ebs. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@ And if you're a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here. This article was originally published on

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