The Republican-controlled Texas Legislature is poised to vote soon on a redistricting plan that resulted from prodding by President Donald Trump, eager to stave off a midterm defeat that would deprive his party of control of the House of Representatives.
Texas Democratic lawmakers delayed the vote for 15 days by leaving the state in protest, depriving the House of enough members to do business. House approval of the map Wednesday would send it to the Senate for a vote as early as Thursday.
The new map is expected to set off a national redistricting battle, with California’s Legislature poised to approve new maps adding more Democratic-friendly seats later this week.
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Prosecutors have a new policy on gun charges in DC, source says
Federal prosecutors in the nation’s capital have stopped seeking criminal charges for people possessing rifles or shotguns in Washington, D.C., according to a person familiar with the new policy.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro informed her office of the policy change in a memo sent within the past month, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an internal matter.
Pirro said in a statement that the change is based on guidance from the Justice Department and the Office of Solicitor General and conforms with two landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions on gun rights.
The new policy also coves large-capacity magazines, but it doesn’t apply to handguns. Pirro’s office will continue to pursue felony charges for cases in which somebody is accused of using a shotgun or rifle in a crime of violence or has a criminal record that makes it illegal to have a firearm.
Local authorities in Washington can prosecute people for illegally possessing unregistered rifles and shotguns.
— By Michael Kunzelman
Barack Obama says it’s OK for California to hit back on redistricting
Obama made his comment at a fundraiser Tuesday night for the main Democratic redistricting group.
The former president said that he has long backed a nonpartisan approach to redistricting. But he agrees with California Gov. Gavin Newsom that Democrats there should try to replace their nonpartisan-drawn map with one drawn to maximize Democratic seats in response to the GOP’s Texas move. Voters would need to approve the new California map.
“I think that approach is a smart, measured approach,” Obama said.
Far more Democratic-controlled states’ maps are drawn by independent commissions than Republican ones, putting the party at a disadvantage in the new redistricting fight.
Data shows rise in arrests during DC police surge
The average number of people arrested each day in Washington during the first 10 days of Trump’s federal takeover increased by about 20% as hundreds of federal officers joined police on the streets of the nation’s capital.
Law enforcement data shows the average number of daily jail bookings increased from 64 to 78 during the 10-day period since the president moved to exert control over the police department and call out the National Guard, as compared with the previous 10 days.
Those totals include arrests by both local police and federal officers, but not immigration arrests, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss data that has not been publicly released.
Law enforcement have made more than 550 arrests since the beginning of the surge, officials have said. About 40% of those have been immigration arrests, according to data sent to law enforcement that was viewed by The Associated Press.
— By Lindsay Whitehurst
US Rep. Greg Casar is also at the Texas Capitol rally
Casar may challenge Doggett in a new Austin district. Like Green, he is calling the new maps a violation of the Voting Rights Act.
Casar was leading chants of “We’re not going back.”
Metropolitan Police Chief Pam Smith urges calm, measured collaboration with federal law enforcement
Smith said D.C. police had not yet received any subpoenas as part of the Justice Department’s inquiry into the accuracy of the District of Columbia’s crime statistics.
The broader operation was garnering mixed opinions from local police and residents.
Smith said that she’s spoken with the Trump administration about community relations following protests and residents in multiple neighborhoods heckling federal agents who were conducting raids and other law enforcement activities. She added that the MPD had “come a long way in establishing positive relationships with our community” and wanted to maintain that dynamic amid the surge in federal agents.
“We do a lot of community engagement with our federal partners. This isn’t new, so we want to try to see how we can enhance that and build upon that. What we don’t want is for community members to interfere and get involved in things that is a police related manner,” said Smith.
US Reps. Al Green of Houston and Lloyd Doggett of Austin join Texas Capitol protest
Green said the new map is “something that Jim Crow would love.”
Doggett said even if Democrats lose the vote today, they will fight to win the new districts.
“We need a check in this president,” Doggett said. “We are going to keep fighting Trump in these five districts. We’re together in this.”
Vance, other Trump administration officials, have lunch with National Guard troops at Shake Shack
Asked at Union Station whether the White House would extend the federalization of Washington’s police force after 30 days, Vance replied, “If the president of the United States thinks that he has to extend this order to ensure that people have access to public safety, that’s exactly what he’ll do.”
Amid questions about whether the Trump’s actions have really made Washington safer, Vance suggested that crime statistics “all over the country” have been “massively underreported.”
After speaking to reporters, the vice president, as well as Hegseth and Miller, remained at the station’s Shake Shack for lunch with National Guard members.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser strikes a measured tone and firm opposition to Trump’s federal crackdown
“My plan is to represent the district and navigate us out of this emergency, the president’s emergency,” Bowser said when asked by The Associated Press if she planned to change her approach to engaging with Trump after his increasingly apocalyptic rhetoric about D.C.
Bowser also said that she firmly opposed federal agents masking their faces during arrests, raids and immigration enforcement activities in the city.
“I think this is a good question for the Congress, to prohibit law enforcement agencies that are going to be working in an urban environment from wearing masks,” said Bowser at a press conference meant to highlight the district’s back-to-school plans.
She declined to describe a meeting Tuesday between the mayor and police chief and Trump administration officials, including Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
“I don’t think the National Guard should be used for law enforcement,“ Bowser said at the end of the event. She decried “calling men and women from their homes and their jobs and their families” for the president’s operation. “I don’t think you should have an armed militia in the nation’s capital.”
Judge denies Justice Department request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts
The ruling Wednesday by federal Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan came after the judge presiding over the case against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell also turned down the government’s request.
Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her conviction on sex trafficking charges for helping the late financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse girls and young women.
Epstein died in jail awaiting trial. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.
Most DC residents are opposed to President Trump’s federal intervention in the District
According to a new poll from The Washington Post-Schar School, about two-thirds also believe that Trump ordering the National Guard and FBI to patrol D.C. will not make the city safer.
The poll shows many D.C. residents don’t agree with Trump’s assessment of the District as a crime-ridden area. Fewer describe crime as a highly serious problem than did a few months ago.
Most residents report noticing more federal law enforcement officers in D.C. over the prior week. Among those who noticed more law enforcement, about 6 in 10 said it made them feel less safe
Heated exchange over map’s impact on Black voters
Debate had been relatively calm and technical until Democratic State Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, who is Black, confronted bill author and Republican State Rep. Todd Hunter over the provision’s elimination of two House seats held by Black Democrats.
“We weren’t asked any questions or engaged,” Gervin-Hawkins said, referring to the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and accusing Hunter of ignoring minority interests.
“For 17 to 18 days you left,” Hunter shot back. “And now you’re coming on the microphone and asking why I didn’t come find you?”
ICC denounces US sanctions
The International Criminal Court has denounced the imposition of new U.S. sanctions against four of its judges and prosecutors. In a statement, The Hague-based ICC called the sanctions “a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution” and “an affront against the Court’s states parties, the rules-based international order and, above all, millions of innocent victims across the world.”
The sanctions freeze any assets held by the two ICC judges and two ICC prosecutors in U.S. jurisdictions.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he imposed the sanctions because the tribunal’s investigations into alleged war crimes by U.S. and Israeli soldiers and officials. Neither Israel nor the U.S. is a member of the ICC, which is charged prosecuting international war crimes.
Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the U.N. secretary general, said the U.S. should withdraw the sanctions.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the step.
Protesters are staying loud
Opponents of the redistricting bill are staging protests inside the Capitol rotunda every two hours during the floor debate.
About 200 have gathered again to chant and cheer while lawmakers debate one floor above. Many protesters are holding signs that read “Put Texans Here” and “Fight the Trump Takeover.”
Debate centers around race
Much of the floor debate over the new Texas map revolves around whether it increases or decreases the number of majority-minority districts in the state.
That’s because the Voting Rights Act requires that maps give minority groups enough districts where they have an opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. That would be the only grounds under which a court could block the map. Democrats and their allies have already filed court papers urging the presumed map be rejected for that reason.
Republicans are arguing that the map actually increases the number of majority-minority House seats in Texas. Democrats are countering that the map does so only by playing numbers games and overall hurts minority representation.
Republicans in little mood for talking
Democrats can’t stop the vote on the redistricting bill but are doing what they can to slow things down. Republicans are in no mood.
Democrats are trying to prolong the debate by filing amendments and asking a lot of questions.
Republicans have twice used the majority to enforce time limits and keep the bill moving toward a vote.
Texas Democrats say it’s about democracy
Texas Democrats objecting to the new maps say the idea of lawmakers redrawing districts to help their party win elections flies in the face of the nation’s values.
“In a democracy, people choose their representatives,” said state Rep. Chris Turner. “This bill flips that on its head and lets politicians in Washington, D.C., choose their voters.”
What about that aid for flood victims?
Texas Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows has brushed off the protests by Democratic lawmakers, saying ahead of Wednesday’s session that he’s focused on important issues including responding to last month’s deadly floods.
Republicans had accused Democrats of delaying aid to flood victims by leaving the state. But redistricting is the only item scheduled for Wednesday’s session.
Trump is making more decorating changes at the White House
It looks like Trump is adding portraits along the West Wing colonnade, or the walkway that borders one side of the Rose Garden.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who is also one of Trump’s close personal friends, shared photos of herself with the president on the colonnade.
In one photo, separate sheets of brown paper are taped to the wall. In the second, Trump and Pirro stand back and watch as military aides hold up framed portraits.
A White House spokesman says Trump is playing with different ideas and designs.
Trump’s sanctions have halted ICC’s war crimes work
The Trump administration already managed to halt the International Criminal Court ’s work by sanctioning its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan. He lost access to his email and bank accounts, and the court’s American staffers were told they risk arrest if they return home. Those are just some of hurdles court staff face under pressure from Trump, according to interviews with current and former ICC officials, international lawyers and human rights advocates.
Trump sanctioned the court after a panel of ICC judges in November issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, finding reason to believe the pair may have committed war crimes by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeting civilians in Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza — charges Israeli officials deny.
▶ Read more about the Trump administration’s pressure on the war crimes court
Texas Republicans have their quorum as protesters shout outside
About 200 are gathered in the rotunda for a rally supporting Democrats as Republicans prepare to approve new congressional maps on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025.
About 200 people have gathered in the Texas Capitol’s rotunda for a rally supporting Democrats as Republicans prepare to approve new maps answering Trump’s call to giving GOP candidates for Congress a bigger advantage in the next elections.
They’re holding signs saying “End Gerrymandering — Save Democracy,” “Defend the Constitution” and “Fascism is here.”
Meanwhile, enough lawmakers have arrived inside the chamber to give Republicans the quorum they need to proceed.
Democrats applauded as they head into House chamber
As the Texas House floor session was about to begin, about two dozen demonstrators supporting Democrats sang “Fighting for Democracy, we shall not be moved” outside the chamber.
A few held signs saying “Let Her Out.” Rep. Nicole Collier’s staff later removed the pillows, blanket and a bag of personal effects she used during her sleepover in the chamber.
As lawmakers trickled in to the chamber, several Democrats stopped to give Collier a hug and say “Thank you” and take photos with her. Meanwhile a handful of supporters clapped and cheered the arriving Democrats.
GOP House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced that the public gallery will be cleared if there are disruptions. The public gallery was mostly empty as the session was gaveled in.
Resistance widens to Trump’s troop deployments in US cities
A bill introduced by Democratic Rep. Sam Liccardo of California would require a report outlining the cost of any National Guard deployment unrelated to a natural disaster, as well as its legal basis. It would also require reporting on any Guard interactions with civilians and other aspects of the operation.
Forty four Democrats have signed on, including Washington’s non-voting delegate, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. While the measure stands little chance of passing while Republicans control the chamber, it’s shows a widening Democratic response to Trump’s unprecedented moves.
“Are L.A. and D.C. a test run for a broader authoritarian takeover of local communities?” Liccardo asked. He added that the country’s founders were suspicious of “executive control of standing armies.”
Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said “Democrats continue to side with criminals over law abiding Americans.”
▶ Read more about Trump’s military deployments to U.S. cities
US sanctions more ICC officials for probing allegations of American and Israeli war crimes
The Trump administration is ramping up pressure on the International Criminal Court. The sanctions announced by the State Department on Wednesday target two judges and two prosecutors who it said had been instrumental in efforts to prosecute Americans and Israelis at the The Hague-based international war crimes tribunal.
They are judges Kimberly Proust of Canada and Nicolas Guillou of France, and prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration will “take whatever actions we deem necessary to protect our troops, our sovereignty, and our allies from the ICC’s illegitimate and baseless actions.”
A Texas Democrat gets an encouraging phone call
The Texas Democratic state legislator leading a protest in the Texas House chamber has received encouragement from 2024 presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
“We are all in that room with you,” the former vice president said.
State Rep. Nicole Collier posted video on social media of her listening to the call from Harris, who told her she should not feel alone as Democrats work to thwart GOP plans to redraw congressional districts to favor Republicans.
Collier said the call from Harris showed “we are making a difference” and that “people are watching and they are ready to hold this government accountable.”
Texas Legislature set to pass new congressional map in redistricting battle
Seven Democrats slept in the Texas House chamber House overnight to protest both a Republican plan for redrawing congressional districts that was set for a vote Wednesday and the GOP’s requirement for Democrats leaving the Capitol to be shadowed by police officers. Fort Worth Rep. Nicole Collier led the protest.
State law officers shadowed Democrats outside the Capitol, tailing them as they drove and shopped and watching their homes and apartments to ensure they’d show up Wednesday to give Republicans the quorum they need to approve the maps without any Democratic votes.
Democrats returned after their two-week walkout raised national attention to the GOP’s plan to fulfill Trump’s wish for Republicans to pick up five seats in the 2026 elections.
▶ Read more on redistricting developments at the Texas Capitol
Trump is leveraging presidential power for Republican control
Some of his steps to intervene in elections — like pushing Republican legislators to redraw maps for GOP advantage — are typical but controversial political maneuvers, taken to his trademark extremes. Other uses of his presidential power have no modern precedent, such as ordering his Department of Justice to investigate the main liberal fundraising entity, ActBlue, and demanding detailed voter files from each state.
Then came Trump’s falsehood-filled rant on social media pledging to lead a “movement” to outlaw voting machines and mail balloting.
“Those are actions that you don’t see in healthy democracies,” said Ian Bassin, executive director of Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan organization that has sued the Trump administration. “Those are actions you see in authoritarian states.”
▶ Read more about Trump’s attempts to predetermine the results of U.S. elections
