Latest news with #GregAbbott
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Redistricting or gerrymandering? What to know about the fight between the California and Texas governors
California Governor Gavin Newsom threatened retaliatory redistricting in response to Texas Governor Greg Abbott adding a redistricting effort as an agenda item to a July 21 special session. In an interview with The Tennessee Holler, Newsom addressed what he thought of as a "power grab" by the Texas governor to add redistricting to his state's special session. "They're playing by a totally different set of rules," Newsom said of the Texas legislature. He threatened that California could retaliate in kind if the Southern state went through with redistricting. "In a state that I assure you, with two-thirds majority in the legislature, could gerrymander like no other state, and we've been playing fair, but I saw what he just did (today), it made me question that entire program," the governor added. While redistricting is a normal process, it usually happens after a census— every 10 years — which makes the Texas governor's plans to draw new congressional maps under a time of emergency seem like gerrymandering to his critics, which includes Gov. Newsom. Gerrymandering, as described by the Encyclopedia Britannica, is the U.S political process of drawing electoral district boundaries in a way to give an advantage to one political party. The practice of redrawing districts and boundaries in a partisan manner got its name from an 1812 political cartoon by the Boston Gazette that depicted a map drawn by then Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry as a mythical beast dubbed, "The Gerry-mander". In November of 2008, Proposition 11, also known as the Voters First Act, passed the ballot, creating a nonpartisan commission that would decide how maps would be redrawn after a census. The Citizens Redistricting Commission is a 14-member commission comprising five Republicans, five Democrats, and four not affiliated with either party, tasked with drawing nonpartisan district lines. Gerrymandering in California is made more difficult because of the commission's existence, and the governor would have to find a way to skirt around the commission to make his threat to Abbott a promise. Newsom has also vetoed many bills that are in favor of creating independent redistricting commissions at the local level, according to CalMatters. Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@ This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Newsom threatens a redistricting fight in response to Texas threats
Politico
44 minutes ago
- Politics
- Politico
Trump wants five-seat pickup from redraw of Texas congressional map
'There could be some other states we're going to get another three, or four or five in addition. Texas would be the biggest one.' he said Tuesday. Texas Governor Greg Abbott gives remarks with Former President Donald Trump at the South Texas International airport on Nov. 19, 2023, in Edinburg, Texas. |By Nicole Markus 07/15/2025 02:51 PM EDT President Donald Trump wants lawmakers in Texas to redraw the state's congressional district map to give Republicans five more House seats, he told reporters Tuesday. 'There could be some other states we're going to get another three, or four or five in addition. Texas would be the biggest one.' he said. 'Just a simple redrawing we pick up five seats.' The White House and Department of Justice pushed for the redistricting, POLITICO reported Friday, and Gov. Greg Abbott asked state leaders to do it during a summer special session. The move is seen as an opportunity for Republicans to prevent Democrats from flipping the house back in 2026, but some see it as a dangerous risk.
NBC News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Transgender bathroom bill added to Texas flood-relief special session
Texas lawmakers will convene next week for a special session to consider legislation addressing the deadly floods that devastated parts of the state earlier this month — and a bill regarding which restrooms transgender Texans can use. When Gov. Greg Abbott initially called for a special session in June, it was to tackle six bills he had vetoed during the regular session, among them a contentious measure that would have banned hemp products containing THC. But after flash floods overwhelmed parts of central Texas on July 4 — resulting in at least 120 deaths with many more still missing — the intended focus shifted to flood relief. However, when the governor's 18-point agenda was released last week, it included far more than flood-related measures. In addition to considering bills that would restrict hemp products, Abbott has also asked lawmakers to consider legislation 'further protecting unborn children and their mothers from the harm of abortion' and legislation 'protecting women's privacy in sex-segregated spaces.' On Monday, the first day lawmakers were able to file bills for the special session, none of the 82 measures filed mentioned the deadly July 4 floods, according to KXAN-TV, NBC's Austin affiliate. Republican state Rep. Valoree Swanson introduced the so-called bathroom bill, which would require transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond to their birth sex in public schools, government buildings and correctional facilities. If House Bill 32, known as the Texas Women's Privacy Act, becomes law, public entities that violate the measure could face financial penalties and be subject to civil lawsuits. Currently, 19 states across the country restrict which bathrooms and other sex-segregated facilities transgender people can use, according to Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ think tank.
The Independent
4 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Texas Governor refuses to release ‘intimate' emails between him and Musk
Texas Governor Greg Abbott is refusing to release emails exchanged with billionaire Elon Musk, citing their "intimate and embarrassing" nature and lack of public interest. The Texas Newsroom, in collaboration with ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, requested the emails to investigate Musk's influence in the state. Abbott's office initially charged a fee for collating the emails but later declared them confidential after the payment was processed. Elon Musk's lawyer, representing SpaceX, also argued against their release, claiming they contain commercially sensitive information that could harm the company. The decision on whether to release the emails now rests with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has yet to issue a ruling.
The Independent
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Texas Governor Greg Abbott will not release ‘intimate' Elon Musk emails
Texas Governor Greg Abbott will not hand over a string of 'intimate' emails between him and billionaire Elon Musk, fearing they are too private and not in the public interest. The Texas Newsroom, as part of a joint initiative with ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, requested to see emails between the governor and Musk to monitor the level of influence Musk had in the state. The Tesla owner has been active in Texas for years, relocating in 2020 and receiving approval for his new city, 'Starbase,' this year. Musk has also said his foundation would launch a school near his SpaceX headquarters in Austin. Abbott, who has held correspondence with Musk, defended the decision, writing that the pair's emails included 'information that is intimate and embarrassing and not of legitimate concern to the public.' In April, the Texas Newsroom attempted to gain access to emails between the duo and others who had dealings with Musk's companies around the time of the November 2024 election. At the time, the governor's office stated that it would take at least 13 hours to collate the information, at a down payment price of $244.64, ahead of completion. The Texas Newsroom reports that as soon as the check they wrote for the documents was cashed, Abbott's office sent an email declaring the emails were 'confidential' and asked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to keep them under lock and key. One of Musk's lawyers, Kevin Bagnall, who represents SpaceX, also wrote to Paxton's office arguing the emails should be kept a secret, according to the Texas Newsroom. The main reason, he argues, is that they include 'commercial information whose disclosure would cause SpaceX substantial competitive harm.' Paxton is yet to decide on an outcome. Texas-based attorney Bill Aleshire told the Texas Newsroom he was shocked by the governor's claims that dealings with the world's richest man are completely private. 'Right now, it appears they've charged you $244 for records they have no intention of giving you,' he said, adding, 'That is shocking.' In a letter from Abbott's public information coordinator, Mathew Taylor – dated June 3 – it is stated that parts of the requested material 'consist[s] of factual information that is inextricably intertwined with the material involving advice, opinion, and recommendations as to make separation of the data impractical.' At the very start, it states that 'release of the responsive information may also implicate the interests of a third party,' who was notified of the disclosure request. But most damningly, it stated that releasing the information 'would have a chilling effect on the frank and open discussion necessary for the decision-making process.' Taylor noted common law privacy, which 'protects information that is both highly intimate or embarrassing, the publication of which would be highly objectionable to a reasonable person and not of legitimate concern to the public. In a statement to HuffPost, Abbott's press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, said The Texas Newsroom's focus on the 'intimate and embarrassing' language in the refusal letter is 'purposefully misleading.' According to the Texas Public Information Handbook, certain pieces of data remain exempt from public disclosure, including medical records, reports of child abuse, and mental health records.
