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The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump's quest for Republican majority runs through Texas
"Just a very simple redrawing, we pick up five seats," Trump told reporters on July 15. Some Republicans worry it's not so simple. Red districts, red lines Gov. Greg Abbott has requested, at the White House's urging, that the legislature consider redrawing lines for a handful of Texas' 38 congressional districts, giving Republicans the chance to flip seats red in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. The prospect is raising Democratic hackles inside and out of the Lone Star State. In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom is threatening to fight fire with fire. Former congressman and serial Texas candidate Beto O'Rourke has advised Democrats to do just that. Republicans are treading carefully, amid warnings that the controversial move - lumping reliably red voters into Democratic districts in order to shift election outcomes - could come with the unintended consequence of endangering incumbents in formerly safe districts. Here's what to know about the potential redistricting effort as the Texas legislature's summer session gets underway. Trump team urges redraw The New York Times reported in June that Trump's political team was nudging state leaders to shift district boundaries to favor Republicans in contests up to five House seats. A district redraw in the middle of the decade is rare - typically states make those changes at the beginning of each decade, when new Census data becomes available. But Republicans are staring down the barrel of historical precedent, in which the party that does not hold the White House often has the advantage in midterm congressional elections. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, already has the tricky task of navigating a narrow eight-seat majority, three of which are expected to be filled by Democrats in special elections later this year. Chance of a backfire Republicans currently control 25 of the state's 38 congressional districts. Democrats have long salivated at the prospect of turning Texas blue. And now, they argue, any aggressive gerrymandering that squeezes Republican voters into neighboring districts could backfire and put the red districts they left at risk of a Democratic pick up. "Texas Republicans are likely going to continue to act like political punks and bend the knee to Donald Trump's extreme agenda," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, said at a news conference July 15. "In doing so, they will jeopardize their own electoral careers." Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said in June that the House Texas delegation was working to "be on the same page" about potential drawbacks of a 2026 redraw. "We assured each other, you need to bone up. We need to have a conversation," Sessions told reporters. "We need to think about what those impacts would be on the entire delegation." Blue states weigh in Democrats have started drawing up a potential response, if Texas Republicans go through with their redistricting, the Texas Tribune reported. Newsom suggested in a July 16 press conference that his state could play hardball and change its electoral map to favor Democrats. "We can act holier than thou," Newsom said. "We can sit on the sidelines, talk about the way the world should be. Or we can recognize the existential nature that is this moment." Figures from other Democratic stronghold states have weighed in with similar tit-for-tat proposals in recent days. "Let me just simply say the maps in New York are not as fair as they could be," Jeffries told CNN. Texas Democrats could protest Texas Democrats have limited tools to block Republicans from plowing through with Trump's plan. Democrats could choose to leave the state during the special session, breaking the necessary quorum and bringing legislative operations to a standstill. Texas Democrats employed this approach in 2021, to protest new voting restrictions. After 38 days, enough representatives had trickled back into the state to restore quorum, and Republicans were able to see their measure through. Contributing: Corpus Christi Caller-Times
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Greg Abbott accused of trying to ‘fix' midterms for Republicans by redrawing congressional maps
Greg Abbott, the Texas governor, has been accused by political opponents of trying to 'fix' next year's midterms in favor of Republicans after he announced a plan that would see a wide-scale redrawing of the state's congressional districts. The move was contained in Abbott's list of priorities for the upcoming legislative session published on Wednesday. It features several items related to the deadly Hill Country flooding that killed at least 120 people and left dozens more missing, including instructions for lawmakers to look at early warning systems and improving disaster preparation. But Abbott's directive to redraw congressional maps, which the Texas Tribune reported on Wednesday, was in response from a Trump administration demand for more Republican seats to preserve or expand the party's narrow House majority, and has angered Democrats. In a statement, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee called the move 'an attack on democracy'. Related: Redrawing Texas: the Republican plan to stack the decks for the midterms John Bisognano, the group's president, said: 'Despite the fact that Texas is in a state of emergency, instead of focusing on the wellbeing of his constituents, Governor Abbott's focus is how Republicans can enact a mid-decade gerrymander to secure unearned power ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. 'Texas's congressional map already silences the voices of thousands of Texans. That's why Texas voters have spent the last three years in court challenging it for violating the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 'Now, Texas Republicans want to enact an even more egregious gerrymander, because they are afraid of voters who are furious with their unpopular Maga [make America great again] agenda and horrific budget bill.' The Texas legislative session is scheduled to begin on 21 July, and Republicans hold a sizable majority in both houses that will probably allow Abbott's conservative agenda, which also includes an anti-trans bathroom bill and a clampdown on abortion pills, to progress smoothly. Texas has 38 seats in the House of Representatives, the second largest of all states behind California, which has 52. Currently 25 are held by Republicans, 12 by Democrats, with one vacancy, the 18th district that was represented by the Democrat Sylvester Turner until his death in March. Abbott drew criticism in April when he set a special election in the safe Democratic seat for 4 November, the latest possible date, helping to preserve the House Republican majority and leaving district voters unrepresented for seven months. Republicans passed Donald Trump's sweeping tax-and-spending bill in the House this month by a 218-214 vote, with three safe Democratic seats, in Texas, Arizona and Virginia, unoccupied after the deaths of the incumbents. Democratic leaders expect Texas lawmakers will attempt to repeat tactics used by Republicans in other states to create new Republican districts by moving blocks of their voters into Democratic areas. Redistricting moves in North Carolina ahead of the 2024 election changed a split 7-7 delegation into a 10-4 Republican advantage, helping secure a loyal majority for Trump. A six-day trial over the legality of the redistricting wrapped up in Winston-Salem this week with a verdict expected in August. Abbott has said there is a need to redraw his state's maps citing a letter from the justice department, authored by Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general in its civil rights division, and a former Trump campaign lawyer, arguing that four Texas districts had previously been 'racially gerrymandered' to benefit Democrats. Related: Republicans toe Trump line even in aftermath of deadly Texas floods Gina Hinojosa, a Democratic state representative, told the New York Times that Abbott's move was a 'blatant partisan power grab' while search and recovery operations were continuing following the weekend floods. 'I've been disappointed in this governor before but I've never been so thoroughly disgusted,' she said. 'The governor is so heartless as to do this right now?' Hakeem Jeffries, the New York congressman and Democratic House leader, echoed her views, and those of Bisognano, in a post to X. 'While Texans battle tragic and deadly flooding, Governor Abbott and House Republicans are plotting a mid-decade gerrymander. They should be modernizing emergency response — not rigging maps,' he wrote.
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Associated Press
Appeals court orders release of Uvalde school shooting records
A Texas state appeals court judge on Wednesday ordered Uvalde County and its school district to release records and documents related to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting, affirming a previous trial court order. A coalition of 18 news organizations, including The Texas Tribune, sued the City of Uvalde, Uvalde County and the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District in 2022 for access to body camera footage, 911 call records and communications made during the school shooting. Law enforcements' response to Texas' deadliest school shooting, in which 19 students and two teachers were killed, has been scrutinized extensively for failures in communication that delayed response time while the shooter was still in two classrooms with children. Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell had opposed providing the records, pointing to criminal proceedings against former Uvalde school district Police Chief Pete Arredondo that she said could be hampered by the documents' release. But Judge Velia Meza with Texas' Fourth Court of Appeals wrote in the opinion for the case that the criminal proceedings and a separate lawsuit were not enough reasons to withhold the records. 'In response, these entities offered only minimal justification — citing a grand jury investigation and a civil lawsuit — without providing legal or evidentiary support for withholding the information,' Meza wrote. Arredondo is facing several felony charges of child endangerment, with a trial date set for October. In a statement, Laura Prather, a media law attorney with Haynes Boone representing the news organizations, said the ruling sends a clear message to government officials that 'vague legal claims' cannot be used to withhold records. 'The public has waited more than three years for answers about what went wrong that day,' Prather said. 'This decision brings us one step closer to those answers and preventing future tragedies.' A spokesperson for the Uvalde school district said its school board and superintendent have scheduled a discussion about the requested records during their public meeting on July 21. The Uvalde County Sheriff's Office did not respond to a request for comment. The order from Meza did not specify when the records would need to be released. ___ This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Int'l Business Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Flooded Texas County Turned Down Funds for Warning System From Biden Admin in 2021: 'We Don't Want to Be Bought'
A Texas county devastated by deadly flooding earlier this month rejected federal funds in 2021 that could have helped install a flood warning system, with local officials and residents arguing they didn't want to be "bought" by the Biden administration. As far back as 2016, officials considered a $1 million siren and gauge system to warn both locals and the flood-prone region's many visitors, the Texas Tribune reported. But despite multiple meetings and FEMA grant applications, funding efforts repeatedly stalled, first due to missing mitigation plans, then due to shifting priorities after Hurricane Harvey. In 2021, the Biden administration awarded Kerr County $10.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which could have been used for flood prevention infrastructure. But commissioners, facing political pressure from conservative residents, opted not to pursue a warning system. At an April 2022 meeting, one citizen called the White House a "criminal treasonous communist government," urging the county to reject the money altogether. Others echoed that sentiment, saying they didn't want the federal government's help. "We don't want to be bought by the federal government, thank you very much," a resident said. "We'd like the federal government to stay out of Kerr County and their money." While the county ultimately kept the funds, they allocated the majority, about $8 million, to sheriff's department upgrades and public employee stipends. Just $600,000 went to staffing and community amenities. No money was set aside for a flood alert system. On July 4, 2025, the region was hit by flash flooding that raised the Guadalupe River by over 32 feet, killing more than 100 people. Now, survivors and local leaders are demanding accountability. Ingram City Council member Raymond Howard, who spent the night of the flood knocking on neighbors' doors, has pledged to install a local siren himself. "It's the thing I could do even if it's the last thing I do," said Howard, who is battling stage four cancer. Originally published on Latin Times
Forbes
11-07-2025
- Climate
- Forbes
Here's Why Texas Lacked A Flood Warning System When Everyone Knew It Needed
One week after deadly flash floods killed at least 120 people in central Texas, a raft of new reporting increasingly aims the blame at state and local officials for failing to build a suggested warning system—and taxpayers for refusing to pay for one. A Texas state flag flies in a yard filled with debris on July 6, 2025 in Hunt, Texas. Getty Images Kerr County officials knew for a decade that a better flood warning system would serve the local community well, meeting minutes obtained by the Texas Tribune show, but one was not in place when last week's floods hit the state for several reasons. One reason: Texas state officials repeatedly rejected requests from Kerry County to pay for such a warning system, estimated to cost about $1 million, and turned away the county's applications at least three times between 2017 and 2024 for various reasons, the New York Times reported. Another: Local officials also failed to act when they were given $10 million under the pandemic-era American Rescue Plan Act money in 2021 and, instead of using it on storm-related infrastructure as the grant encouraged, allocated it to other public safety projects, county employee raises and a new walking path, according to the Texas Tribune. Kerr County's own voters are getting blamed, as well, by local officials who say there was little public support for a system: 'Generally everybody's for doing something until it gets down to the details of paying for it," Harvey Hilderbran, the former state representative from Kerr County, told the Tribune. Trump's FEMA also blamed: Sources inside FEMA told CNN and the New York Times that new policies put in place by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem delayed the deployment of search and rescue crews by 72 hours, delayed a request from the state for aerial imagery and have led to longer wait times at a federally staffed disaster call center. Texas officials initially tried to put fault on the National Weather Service early on in the flood recovery efforts, claiming the agency did not properly convey the storm's threat, but experts have since said the warnings issued were as timely and accurate as could have been expected. However: Some former NWS officials told the Times that while the warnings may have been up to par, cuts to the NWS and early retirement incentives doled out under President Donald Trump led to staffing shortages in the central Texas office that may have impacted the NWS' ability to communicate with local authorities in the hours after the warnings were issued. Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here : "Who's to blame? Know this, that's the word choice of losers," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday responded to a reporter's question about who is at fault for the tragedy. "The way winners talk is not to point fingers. They talk about solutions. What Texas is all about is solutions." Abbott has called for a special legislative session to start later this month to look at how to strengthen the state's future response to flooding including items on flood warning systems and communications, natural disaster preparedness and relief funding. Taking the American Rescue Plan Act money granted to Kerr County back in 2021 at all was a controversial move in the conservative area, which voted for Donald Trump in all three of the last elections. A survey sent to residents about the money showed that 42% of the 180 respondents wanted to reject the $10 million grant altogether, according to the Tribune. Local taxpayers didn't want to be beholden to the Biden administration, with one resident telling Kerr County commissioners, "We don't want to be bought by the federal government, thank you very much. We'd like the federal government to stay out of Kerr County and their money,' the Tribune reported. Another resident asked the commissioners to send all of the money "back to the Biden administration, which I consider to be the most criminal treasonous communist government ever to hold the White House." Key Background Rapid rainfall hit central Texas on July 4, pushing Guadalupe River levels more than 32 feet and devastating nearby communities. The rising waters made for the deadliest inland flooding event in Texas in almost 50 years, and the death toll as of Friday accounted for at least 120 people with another 160 still missing. Among the victims are at least 35 children. At least 27 people, including children and counselors, died at a generations-old, all-girls Christian summer camp called Camp Mystic, where former First Lady Barbara Bush was once a counselor. It's unclear how many people could have been saved if Kerr County had a flood warning system, but Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said there 'should have been sirens here.' Officials in Kerr County have said they are "committed to a transparent and full review of past actions." What To Watch For Changes to the NWS. Noem said that Trump wants to improve the agency's warning system and 'renew this ancient system that has been left in place with the federal government for many, many years.' Further Reading Forbes Was Texas Warned Of Flooding Properly? Here's What We Know By Zachary Folk Forbes Texas Officials Deflect Questions On Flood Response Efforts As Death Toll Rises By Ty Roush Forbes Why Kristi Noem Is Under Fire For Delayed FEMA Response To Texas Floods By Mary Whitfill Roeloffs Forbes Marjorie Taylor Greene Fuels Government Weather Conspiracy After Deadly Texas Flood By Sara Dorn
