(Reuters) -Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Friday signed into law a bill to redraw the state&#8217;s congressional maps at the behest of President Donald Trump in an effort to flip five U.S. House seats held by Democrats to Republicans.
The ratification came after the state&#8217;s legislature passed the measure last week amid a nationwide redistricting battle.
&#8220;Texas is now more red in the United States Congress,&#8221; Abbott said in a video post on social media, after signing the bill with a marker.
Republicans have acknowledged they believe winning more congressional seats in Texas will help the party maintain its slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in next year&#8217;s midterm elections. More states controlled by Republicans are considering similar action.
California and other states where Democrats hold power vow to counter such moves. The California legislature approved a redistricting plan last week aimed at giving Democrats five more congressional seats.
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The California plan must be approved by voters in November. The Texas plan does not need voter approval, but it has been challenged in court.
The Texas bill was delayed for two weeks after more than 50 Democratic state House members staged a walkout that denied Republicans the legislative quorum needed.
Democrats argued that the new Texas map violates federal law by diluting Hispanic and Black voting power and discriminating on the basis of race.
Texas Republicans who sponsored the bill said they redrew maps based on voting history, not race.
Most Americans believe redrawing congressional lines for the sake of maximizing political gain, known as gerrymandering, is bad for democracy, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found this week.
(Reporting By Andrew Hay; editing by Diane Craft)

U.S. HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. holds a press conference with Texas Governor Abbott, in Austin

Texas Governor Greg Abbott Signs Law To Secure New Congressional Maps

Elections

Greg Abbott

Politics

Redistricting

Texas

Former three-time All-Star first-baseman Mark Teixeira, one of the most powerful switch-hitters in MLB history who played 14 years in Major League Baseball with the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels, and the New York Yankees while amassing a whopping 409 home runs, announced he would run for the GOP seat vacated in Texas’ 21st Congressional District by Rep. Chip Roy.
Roy announced on August 21 he would run for attorney general of Texas.
“Big news: I’m ready to go!” Teixeira wrote on X. “As a lifelong conservative who loves this country, I’m running for Congress to fight for the principles that make Texas and America great. It takes teamwork to win – I’m ready to help defend President Trump’s America First agenda, Texas families, and individual liberty.”
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Big news: I’m ready to go! 
As a lifelong conservative who loves this country, I’m running for Congress to fight for the principles that make Texas and America great. 
It takes teamwork to win – I’m ready to help defend President Trump’s America First agenda, Texas families,… <a href="https://t.co/bVb6j9qP6i">pic.twitter.com/bVb6j9qP6i</a>
&mdash; Mark Teixeira (@teixeiramark25) <a href="https://twitter.com/teixeiramark25/status/1961080787584897174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Teixeira was twice a finalist for the Roberto Clemente Award, presented annually by Major League Baseball to a player who best embodies the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, and philanthropy on and off the field. He has served on the board of directors of DREAM, which uses sports and academic programs to help inner-city youth recognize their potential.
Teixeira has worked with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative-leaning think tank that has pushed for school vouchers, property tax caps, restrictions on state contracts with ESG-compliant businesses, and prison reforms. The organization has been <a href="https://www.expressnews.com/politics/article/texas-public-policy-foundation-20054168.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com">described</a> as the “most influential conservative think tank in the state.”
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“I am a Christian conservative, God-loving man who understood where the Northeast was going and didn’t want to raise teenagers there,” Teixeira, who moved from Grenich, Connecticut, back to Texas, said in an interview. “I loved our community in Grenich, Connecticut, great place for young kids; I wouldn’t want my kids to be teenagers, to be in high school and be in college in that area. The values that we teach at home were not being taught there, so coming back here, and having the no state income tax as a bonus. But it really was more about raising my family in a place where you can go to church and be proud of it. You can vote Republican and be proud of it. You can have conservative values and be proud of hanging a flag in your front yard or supporting police officers, supporting the military.”
“And that’s what we’ve got here, and it’s great to be back in Texas,” he concluded.
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Texas Rangers v New York Yankees

Former Yankee And 3-Time MLB All-Star Running For Chip Roy’s Texas Seat

Chip Roy

New York Yankees

Texas Rangers

Joe Biden didn’t just create a border crisis — he deliberately rigged the system in which millions of illegal aliens are now being counted among American citizens in the U.S. Census. 
America faces a constitutional crisis unlike any in modern times.
To understand the magnitude of the situation we are in, consider the enormity of what’s at stake. For over two centuries, America’s decennial census has served as the constitutional foundation for fair representation in Congress, the accurate distribution of federal resources, and the determination of our President through the Electoral College. The 2020 census shattered that tradition with brazen manipulation, inaccurate data, and a refusal to ensure illegal immigrants aren’t counted when determining each state’s number of Congressional seats. Meaning states that harbored illegal immigrants and ignored federal law shortchanged law-abiding states.
That’s why I am introducing the <a href="https://mcusercontent.com/d4254037a343b683d142111e0/files/aae8dae1-a65f-58d1-a37e-2293fd46880f/PFLUGE_104_xml.pdf">COUNT Act</a> to codify <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-201900466/pdf/DCPD-201900466.pdf">Executive Order 13880</a> into law, which ensures the U.S. Census Bureau conducts accurate census counts based on citizenship and prohibits the bureau from manipulating data. The need for this legislation has never been greater.
When Biden took office, he immediately moved to ensure that future censuses would perpetuate these problems, dismantling Trump’s efforts to collect citizenship data. This was a blatant attempt to orchestrate the most sophisticated attack on future census integrity since Reconstruction. The same regime that demolished border security and flooded America with millions of illegal immigrants then systematically destroyed the tools needed to exclude them from congressional representation. They killed the citizenship data collection project and deployed “differential privacy,” a euphemism for data manipulation, to scramble future census numbers. 
This was a calculated preparation for electoral manipulation disguised as statistical innovation.
The Democrats figured out the perfect con: transform illegal immigration into political power while American citizens pay the price. Every illegal immigrant counted toward congressional representation dilutes the voice of our own American citizens. States that enforce immigration law lose representation to sanctuary states that harbor criminals. The message couldn’t be clearer: break America’s laws, gain political power; follow America’s laws, lose your voice.
Consider this: a district in California packed with illegal immigrants wields the same congressional power as a district of law-abiding citizens in Kansas. The result is that American citizens’ votes carry different weights depending on how many lawbreakers their state harbors.
This is taxation without representation in reverse — representation without citizenship.
The political ramifications are staggering and immediate. In 2022, the Census Bureau was finally forced to acknowledge the extent of this scandal: Republican states lost at least three congressional seats while Democratic strongholds gained seats they didn’t deserve. Florida should have gained two additional seats. Texas was shortchanged by at least one seat. Meanwhile, states like New York and California — which openly defy federal immigration laws — were rewarded with extra representation. This isn’t just about numbers; it’s about raw political power redistributed through census inaccuracies.
The Electoral College implications alone should terrify every American who believes in a legitimate election process. States that gained unearned congressional seats also gained unearned electoral votes, potentially swinging presidential elections for decades. The 2020 census problems didn’t just distort one count — they skewed the next decade of American politics. Every close congressional race, every tight Electoral College count, every razor-thin Senate battle now carries the taint of inaccurate representation built into the system.
Federal funding follows the same corrupted formula, meaning billions in taxpayer dollars flow to sanctuary states and cities based on their inflated illegal populations. Law-abiding states subsidize the very lawlessness that steals their political representation. It’s the perfect Democrat scheme: reward illegal immigration with congressional seats, electoral votes, and federal cash, while punishing states that enforce American law.
The <a href="https://mcusercontent.com/d4254037a343b683d142111e0/files/aae8dae1-a65f-58d1-a37e-2293fd46880f/PFLUGE_104_xml.pdf">COUNT Act</a> (Citizen Only Updated National Tally Act) will create a block-level citizenship database, implementing a mandate that will require the Census Bureau to collect legitimate, verifiable citizenship data. This ensures, for the first time, that the bureau has the necessary information to ensure that only American citizens are counted in future censuses for the purpose of determining access to federal grant money and congressional apportionment. And while President Trump’s executive order in his first term was a critical step to ensure an accurate and legitimate decennial census, codification through my legislation is essential to prevent the census from being weaponized against Republicans in the future.
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The stakes extend far beyond statistics — this is about American citizens, and only American citizens, having the ability to decide who represents them in Washington. Federal funding formulas distribute hundreds of billions of dollars annually based on census data, creating a Democrat money-laundering operation that transforms illegal immigration into political slush funds. When sanctuary states inflate their counts through illegal residents, they don’t just steal congressional seats — they steal federal education dollars, healthcare funding, and infrastructure investments that should flow to states with actual American citizens.
The Republican Party faces an existential crisis: how do you win elections when Democrats can manufacture congressional districts through illegal immigration? Every new illegal immigrant isn’t just a border security problem — they’re a potential representation diluter, reducing Republican influence even when they can’t legally vote. Democrats have discovered the ultimate redistricting scheme: import your population, count them in the census, and let illegal immigration redraw congressional maps in your favor.
My bill eliminates this loophole once and for all.
We will not allow another census to be corrupted by political agendas and flawed processes. The Democrats turned our own census into a weapon against us. It’s time to disarm them permanently.
* * *
August Pfluger represents Texas’s 11th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. He is the Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative caucus on Capitol Hill, and sits on the House Committee on Energy &amp; Commerce.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Border Crossings

Heads We Lose, Tails They Win: America’s Rigged Census

Heads We Lose, Tails They Win: America's Rigged Census

Border Crisis

Census Bureau

Congress

Illegal Immigration

Opinion

U.S. House of Representatives

CNN anchor Dana Bash brought in House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for a Sunday morning interview on &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; and he spent most of his time declaring President Donald Trump&#8217;s recent actions and policy positions to be racially motivated.
Jeffries was particularly concerned with Trump&#8217;s efforts to reframe a number of exhibits that are part of the Smithsonian Museums in the nation&#8217;s capital — exhibits that Trump said work overtime to paint the United States in a less than flattering light.
Jeffries claimed that Trump was &#8220;behaving like a racial arsonist&#8221; and attempting to whitewash America&#8217;s history with regard to slavery.
&#8220;It&#8217;s extraordinary that he would make such a historically ignorant statement,&#8221; Jeffries complained, adding, &#8220;The Smithsonian should continue to hold the line and make sure that this very painful part of American history is not erased.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
House Democratic Leader <a href="https://twitter.com/hakeemjeffries?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hakeemjeffries</a> reacts to Trump&#8217;s review of the Smithsonian museums: Donald Trump is &#8220;behaving like a racial arsonist. &#8221; <a href="https://t.co/vJcH32CSFQ">pic.twitter.com/vJcH32CSFQ</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1959617204892144005?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
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From The White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/08/president-trump-is-right-about-the-smithsonian/">website</a>:
<blockquote>The exhibits marked by the Trump administration as part of the problem were not the ones that directly addressed slavery — but rather those that attacked &#8220;white culture &#8220;The National Museum of African American History and Culture debuted a series to educate people on “a society that privileges white people and whiteness” — defining so-called “white dominant culture“ as “ways white people and their traditions, attitudes, and ways of life have been normalized over time” and portraying “the nuclear family,” “work ethic,” and “intellect” as white qualities rooted in racism.</blockquote>
Jeffries also pivoted to race when the discussion turned to the recent redistricting fight in Texas, blaming Trump — who supported the new map — and claiming that the Republican-driven map was also rooted in racism.
&#8220;This is a racial, partisan gerrymander ordered by Donald Trump as part of an effort to rig the midterm elections,&#8221; he claimed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/hakeemjeffries?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HakeemJeffries</a> on what&#8217;s happening on Texas redistricting: &#8220;this is a racial, partisan gerrymander ordered by Donald Trump as part of an effort to rig the midterm elections.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/jG30xxrDKK">pic.twitter.com/jG30xxrDKK</a>
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNSOTU/status/1959632824543449179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) Holds News Conference

Hakeem Jeffries: Everything Trump Is Doing Is Racist

Donald Trump

Hakeem Jeffries

Media

Racism

The state of Texas is suing California over its plan to enforce new “green energy” car emission standards as the two states are locked in a battle over Congressional redistricting, The Daily Wire can first report.
The suit, which was filed in conjunction with America First Legal, argues that California’s attempt to set its own vehicle emission standards separately from federal law would result in material damage to other states like Texas and would effectively impose restrictions on the rest of the country.
President Donald Trump cancelled a waiver that California received, allowing it to create its own standards, but the state filed an appeal.
The lawsuit comes as Texas is locked in a fight with California over Congressional redistricting. The blue state has moved forward with a plan to hold a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/thats-out-the-window-california-already-moving-to-retaliate-over-new-texas-congressional-map">ballot measure</a> allowing it to engage in its own Congressional redistricting in retaliation against Texas’ redistricting plan.
“I am standing with President Trump in his effort to stop Gavin Newsom and California from shoving its insane so-called ‘green energy’ vehicle standards down the Nation’s throat,” Attorney General Paxton charged. “Texas will not look the other way while the failed state of California undermines our sovereignty, attacks America’s energy independence, and intentionally adopts destructive policies that would harm the other States.”
“California’s crusade is not about innovation—it is about abusing the legal system to flout federal law and impose its radical agenda on all Americans,&#8221; Daniel Epstein, the Vice President of America First Legal, asserted. &#8220;America First Legal stands proudly with the State of Texas to defend competition, consumer choice, and the rule of law. We will not let Gavin Newsom remake America in California’s image.”
Texas contends that California’s policy would not only “undermine the sovereignty of Texas,” but would also “inflict substantial economic harm” on the state’s residents and industries.
“Texas’s interests in this matter are significant and protectable under law. If reinstated, the waivers at the center of this suit would effectively allow California to dictate national vehicle emission standards, undermining the sovereignty of Texas and other States,” the state of Texas argues in its lawsuit, viewed first by The Daily Wire.
“This would not only impair Texas’s authority to regulate within its own borders but would also inflict substantial economic harm by threatening vital revenue streams from oil and gas production, increasing costs for Texas’s vehicle fleet, and diminishing the economic well-being of its citizens,” the suit goes on to say.

AG Paxton

BREAKING: Texas Shoots Back At California With Lawsuit Amid Redistricting Fight

California

A New York appeals court throws out the nearly half-billion-dollar penalty against Donald Trump in his civil fraud case, calling the fine &#8220;excessive&#8221; and unconstitutional. Texas leads a new push by red states to crack down on mail-order abortion pills, as Costco announces it will no longer stock mifepristone. The pace of deportations under President Trump surges to nearly 1,500 a day as the administration ramps up interior enforcement.
It’s Friday, August 22, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Trump Scores Legal Win &amp; Texas Abortion Pill Pushback" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6TSamAZR3dU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2>Trump’s Excessive Civil Fraud Fine Overturned</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-963949" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH1.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: A New York appeals court on Thursday handed Donald Trump a stunning legal victory, tossing out the nearly half-billion-dollar penalty in the civil fraud case brought against him by New York Attorney General Letitia James. 
In a major reversal, the court ruled that the disgorgement order, which directed Trump to pay nearly $465 million, was an &#8220;excessive fine that violates the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution.” While the court did not overturn the underlying ruling that found Trump liable for fraud, it stated that the &#8220;cataclysmic harm that can justify a nearly half billion-dollar award to the state&#8221; did not occur.
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President Trump celebrated the decision on Truth Social, calling it a “TOTAL VICTORY in the FAKE New York State Attorney General Letitia James Case!” One of the judges, David Friedman, appeared to agree with that assessment, writing that James’ “ultimate goal was not ‘market hygiene’ … but political hygiene, ending with the derailment of President Trump’s political career and the destruction of his real estate business.” 
The ruling allows Trump’s legal team to appeal the fraud finding to New York’s highest court. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice is conducting a separate investigation into whether James violated Trump’s civil rights and whether she committed mortgage fraud.
&nbsp;
<h2>Red States Escalate Fight Against Abortion Pills</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-963947" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH2-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH2.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: Republican-led states are escalating their efforts to restrict access to mail-order abortion pills, which now account for nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. 
Texas is leading the charge on two fronts. Attorney General Ken Paxton has issued cease-and-desist letters demanding that national organizations stop illegally shipping abortion pills into the state. The Texas legislature is also considering a bill that would allow private citizens to sue out-of-state manufacturers and distributors of abortion pills for wrongful death or harm. In Tennessee, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R) is calling on the DOJ to investigate whether abortion pill manufacturers misrepresented the drugs’ safety risks to the FDA. 
The battle is also playing out in corporate America. Last week, Costco announced it will no longer stock mifepristone at its U.S. pharmacies, citing low member demand. Lila Rose of the pro-life group Live Action celebrated the decision as a &#8220;major victory,&#8221; saying, &#8220;Costco is where you go to buy in bulk, not to buy pills or death in a bottle.&#8221; Pro-life activists are now pressuring other major retailers like Walgreens and CVS to follow suit.
<h2>Trump Ramps Up Deportations, Nears ‘Deporter-in-Chief’ Pace</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-963951" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH3-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH3-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH3-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH3-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH3-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MRN-8.22.25-Fri-SH3.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: The pace of deportations under President Trump has surged to nearly 1,500 per day, a level rivaling the Obama administration, as the White House continues to ramp up interior immigration enforcement. 
According to The New York Times, daily deportations have hit nearly 1,500 a day. Unlike under the Obama administration, when most deportations were of aliens arrested at the border, these numbers reflect people arrested in the interior of the country, as the border has been effectively closed for months. The number of aliens held in detention has now reached nearly 60,000, and new detention centers are being brought online with the help of GOP governors. 
Immigration enforcement in federally controlled Washington, D.C., has been particularly effective. The Wall Street Journal reported that nearly half of the 465 arrests made since the federal takeover have been of illegal aliens. 
The crackdown has been met with defiance in sanctuary cities. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu recently held a press conference vowing not to cooperate with federal demands for &#8220;mass deportations.&#8221; An acting ICE field office director in Boston responded on Fox News, saying of Wu’s leadership, &#8220;I know what a safe Boston looks like and this isn’t it.&#8221;

MRN 8.22.25 Thumbnail V1

Morning Brief: Trump’s $500 Million Fine Tossed & President On Track To Be Deporter-In-Chief

Abortion

Deportations

Letitia James

New York

ICE arrested a Mexican man who killed his nephew while driving drunk in Texas, the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire on Thursday.
The department arrested 39-year-old Mexican national Jose Luis Gonzalez-Montiel alongside four other “worst of the worst” criminal aliens during enforcement operations on Wednesday. The arrests come as the Trump administration seeks to carry out the president’s mass deportation plans.
Gonzalez-Montiel was convicted of intoxicated manslaughter in Bexar County, Texas, after he drove off the road near San Antonio in his Ford SUV with his nephew in the vehicle back in 2017. Both Gonzalez-Montiel and his nephew were ejected from the vehicle.
Gonzalez-Montiel was arrested on vehicular manslaughter charges after his nephew died from his injuries 13 days after the crash. He <a href="https://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/accused-drunk-driver-apologizes-for-deadly-crash-at-victims-memorial-service-say-police">reportedly</a> told police that he drank up to eight beers before driving.
“Every single day, our brave ICE law enforcement risk their lives to arrest the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens,” a senior official with the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire. “From pedophiles to drunk drivers killing innocent people, President Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow criminal illegal aliens to terrorize American citizens. Our message to criminal illegals is clear: LEAVE NOW. If you don’t, we will find you and we will deport you.”
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The department also picked up multiple other criminal illegal aliens on Wednesday, convicted of heinous crimes from the East to the West coast.
ICE arrested 58-year-old Viroth Phannavong, an illegal alien from Laos, convicted of first-degree child molestation in Providence, Rhode Island. His crime <a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/rhode-island/supreme-court/2011/10-256.html">involved</a> molesting the daughter of his former girlfriend.
The agency also arrested 40-year-old Meljim Ramirez-Perez, an illegal alien from Guatemala convicted of continuous sex abuse of a child in Los Angeles; 35-year-old Andre Etienne, a criminal illegal alien from Jamaica convicted of child molestation in Conyers, Georgia; and 45-year-old Zhiping Liu, an illegal alien from China convicted of theft by extortion in Brookville, Pennsylvania, Homeland Security told The Daily Wire.
Under Trump, ICE arrests have surged as the agency targets illegal aliens convicted of violent crimes.

image0-1

EXCLUSIVE: ICE Nabs Mexican National Who Killed Nephew In Drunken Crash

Crime

Department of Homeland Security

Illegal Immigation

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Trump Administration

U.S.

As of Thursday morning — less than 24 hours after Texas Republicans passed a new congressional map that could net them five additional seats — California legislators had already begun their retaliation.
The state&#8217;s new redistricting ballot measure legislation, updated Thursday morning, would allow any new map passed by California&#8217;s legislature to stand regardless of new maps passed by other states, according to a report from California Capitol Correspondent Ashley Zavala of KCRA News.
&#8220;California Democrats in Assembly this AM changed the state’s Redistricting ballot measure legislation, which basically now allows new Congressional maps to go into effect NO MATTER what other states do. Even if Texas backtracks or courts strike it down, CA would have new maps,&#8221; Zavala posted along with screenshots of the legislation in question.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: California Democrats in Assembly this AM changed the state’s Redistricting ballot measure legislation, which basically now allows new Congressional maps to go into effect NO MATTER what other states do.
Even if Texas backtracks or courts strike it down, CA would have new… <a href="https://t.co/eVJ5imy6S3">pic.twitter.com/eVJ5imy6S3</a>
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZavalaA/status/1958586712864825636?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Zavala also noted that Governor Gavin Newsom had said only a month earlier that California would have &#8220;no need&#8221; to move ahead with a retaliatory map if Texas did not pass the new one as planned — but the new plan appeared to be to forge ahead even if the courts put an end to the Texas map.
&#8220;Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom told me if Texas didn’t move forward, California would have &#8216;no need&#8217; to change Congressional maps. Apparently, that’s out the window,&#8221; she posted, sharing video of Newsom&#8217;s previous statement.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom told me if Texas didn’t move forward, California would have “no need” to change Congressional maps.
Apparently, that’s out the window. <a href="https://t.co/K5yGXjlxH7">https://t.co/K5yGXjlxH7</a> <a href="https://t.co/uRy2AWFCsT">pic.twitter.com/uRy2AWFCsT</a>
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZavalaA/status/1958590948881178800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The Gavin Newsom Press Office account, which appears to exist primarily to troll President Donald Trump, followed with a declaration: &#8220;TODAY WE WILL MAKE THE MAPS GREAT AGAIN!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
TODAY WE WILL MAKE THE MAPS GREAT AGAIN!
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovPressOffice/status/1958546900585722362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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If California follows through with threats to redraw congressional districts favoring Democrats even more than they already do, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/08/20/congressional-redistricting-states-midterms/">several other states</a> may also jump into the fray. Among them are: Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, and Florida. Even Illinois — a state that already redistricted Rep. Adam Kinzinger&#8217;s (R-IL) House seat out of existence — might also get involved.

California Governor Newsom Announces Lawsuit Challenging Trump Tariff Authority

‘That’s Out The Window’: California Already Moving To Retaliate Over New Texas Congressional Map

'That's Out The Window': California Already Moving To Retaliate Over New Texas Congressional Map

Gavin Newsom

A U.S. district judge appointed by former President Bill Clinton temporarily blocked a new Texas law for some school districts on Wednesday, preventing them from being required to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
Texas Senate Bill 10 (S.B. 10) was signed into law by Republican Governor Greg Abbott in June. It <a href="https://legiscan.com/TX/text/SB10/2025">stated</a>, “a public elementary or secondary school shall display in a conspicuous place in each classroom of the school a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments.”
The bill <a href="https://legiscan.com/TX/text/SB10/2025">stated</a> the Commandments would be listed thus:
<blockquote>
I AM the LORD thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.    
Thou shalt not  make to thyself any graven images.   
Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.   
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.   
Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.   
Thou shalt not kill. 
Thou shalt not commit adultery. 
Thou shalt not steal. 
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 
Thou shalt not covet they neighbor’s house. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.   
</blockquote>
Texas would be the largest state to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools. Louisiana was the first to pass a law last year, but a federal appeals court blocked it.
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But U.S. District Judge Fred Biery issued an injunction on Wednesday that barred 11 school districts named as defendants in a lawsuit from displaying the Ten Commandments. Other public school districts in the state are still bound by the law, which takes effect September 1.
“Even though the Ten Commandments would not be affirmatively taught, the captive audience of students likely would have questions, which teachers would feel compelled to answer,” Biery wrote. “There is also insufficient evidence of a broader tradition of using the Ten Commandments in public education, and there is no tradition of permanently displaying the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms. &#8230; There are ways in which students could be taught any relevant history of the Ten Commandments without the state selecting an official version of scripture, approving it in state law, and then displaying it in every classroom on a permanent basis.”
In 1980, in the case Stone v. Graham, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that posting the Ten Commandments in Kentucky public schools violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment in the U.S. Constitution. Justice William Rehnquist issued a blistering dissent in which he noted:
<blockquote>
The Court rejects the secular purpose articulated by the State because the Decalogue is &#8220;undeniably a sacred text.”  It is equally undeniable, however, as the elected representatives of Kentucky determined, that the Ten Commandments have had a significant impact on the development of secular legal codes of the Western World.
The Establishment Clause does not require that the public sector be insulated from all things which may have a religious significance or origin. This Court has recognized that &#8220;religion has been closely identified with our history and government,&#8221; Abington School District, and that &#8220;[t]he history of man is inseparable from the history of religion,&#8221; Engel v. Vital. Kentucky has decided to make students aware of this fact by demonstrating the secular impact of the Ten Commandments.
</blockquote>
He quoted Justice Robert Jackson, concurring in the 1948 case McCollum v. Board of Education, who wrote:
<blockquote>
I think it remains to be demonstrated whether it is possible, even if desirable, to comply with such demands as plaintiff&#8217;s completely to isolate and cast out of secular education all that some people may reasonably regard as religious instruction. Perhaps subjects such as mathematics, physics or chemistry are, or can be, completely secularized. But it would not seem practical to teach either practice or appreciation of the arts if we are to forbid exposure of youth to any religious influences. Music without sacred music, architecture minus the cathedral, or painting without the scriptural themes would be eccentric and incomplete, even from a secular point of view. &#8230;
 I should suppose it is a proper, if not an indispensable, part of preparation for a worldly life to know the roles that religion and religions have played in the tragic story of mankind. The fact is that, for good or for ill, nearly everything in our culture worth transmitting, everything which gives meaning to life, is saturated with religious influences, derived from paganism, Judaism, Christianity&#8211;both Catholic and Protestant&#8211;and other faiths accepted by a large part of the world&#8217;s peoples. One can hardly respect the system of education that would leave the student wholly ignorant of the currents of religious thought that move the world society for a part in which he is being prepared.
</blockquote>

Ten_Commandments_Monument

Clinton-Appointed Judge Blocks Texas Law Requiring Schools Display The Ten Commandments

Public Schools

Ten Commandments

The Texas House approved a new congressional map on Wednesday that is expected to net Republicans five additional seats in the House of Representatives after the upcoming midterm elections.
The map, which passed with all 88 Republican House members voting in favor, caps a weeks-long saga in which dozens of Democratic lawmakers fled the state to prevent the state legislature from conducting business. The new map will head to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk for a final signature.
Rogue Democrats returned to Texas earlier this week, ending their protest after collectively racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for purposely breaking quorum and leaving the state legislature unable to conduct business.
During their boycott of the legislature, the Democratic lawmakers rallied support for their cause from Democrats in other states. Several Democratic governors have voiced support for gerrymandering their state maps in retribution.
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On Monday, Texas Republicans mandated that Democrats who fled must receive passes to leave the House chamber. Each lawmaker would also be assigned an officer from the Texas Department of Public Safety to ensure that they returned to the chamber on time for each session.
A handful of Democratic lawmakers stayed overnight in the House chamber in protest of the new rules. State Rep. Nicole Collier received a call and encouragement from former Vice President Kamala Harris for spending the night on the chamber floor. Texas Democrats later posted a <a href="https://x.com/TexasHDC/status/1957949548845756809" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> of the call online.
“You really are inspiring so many people, and I just want you to know that you are among those who history will reveal to have been heroes of this moment,” Harris said. “So, you just stay strong and do what you are doing.”
Republican Rep. Brian Harrison criticized Democratic theatrics around the passage of the new map on Wednesday morning.
“These crocodile tears and bad, bad kabuki theater coming from the Democrats right now is just pathetic,” said Harrison in an <a href="https://x.com/FaulknerFocus/status/1958197591956500949" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> on Fox News. “Quite frankly, my fourth grader&#8217;s production of ‘Shrek’ last year had better acting.”
“These Democrats are pretending they don&#8217;t like redrawing maps for partisan political purposes, but the reality is Democrat state after Democrat state has been doing this for decades,&#8221; he added. &#8220;The dirty little secret is they&#8217;re only objecting now because it&#8217;s Republican states that are finally doing it.&#8221;

Texas Capitol

All That For Nothing: Rogue Texas Dems Brought To Heel As New Congressional Map Passes

Texas Passes New Congressional Map To Give GOP An Edge In Midterms

Law enforcement evacuated parts of the Texas Capitol late Tuesday after a social media threat. The evacuation, which began around 6:30 p.m., came as demonstrators protested a Republican move requiring Democratic lawmakers to remain in the building unless they accepted a police escort to their homes.
The threat, posted by an unidentified individual, urged people to &#8220;take action by shooting and killing those who will not allow lawmakers to leave,&#8221; <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/08/20/texas-capitol-evacuated-shooter-threat-nicole-collier/">according</a> to the Department of Public Safety. The scare stalled the legislative session as Republicans sought to advance proposals on flood victim aid and new congressional maps. 
Texas DPS issued a statement indicating that &#8220;personnel are working to identify the individual responsible for posting the message.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a>: The grounds are now being closed due to the threat. <a href="https://twitter.com/cbsaustin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cbsaustin</a> <a href="https://t.co/yGOdFhM63K">pic.twitter.com/yGOdFhM63K</a>
— Andrew Freeman (@AFreemanNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/AFreemanNews/status/1957957158752112969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Outside, protest organizer Melody Tremallo told <a href="https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/parts-of-texas-capitol-evacuated-amid-active-shooter-threat-protests-moved-outside">CBS Austin</a> that police warned her that the Capitol might be cleared &#8220;due to an imminent shooter threat.&#8221;
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While some areas of the grounds remained open, law enforcement guarded lawmakers who remained in the House chambers. 
Several Democrats, refusing the mandated police escorts to ensure that they did not attempt to flee the state again, had remained at the Capitol complex for more than 20 hours. State Rep. Nicole Collier even slept in the building, later <a href="https://x.com/TexasHDC/status/1957949548845756809">receiving</a> a call from former Vice President Kamala Harris in support of her protest.
Democrats returned to Texas earlier this week after staying out of the state for about two weeks. They fled the state earlier this month in protest of Republicans redrawing the state’s congressional map, which is expected to net the GOP five more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives during the midterm elections.
Their stunt has triggered steep fines. A 2021 Texas law imposes a $500-per-day penalty on lawmakers who deliberately break quorum, leaving Democrats facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in financial penalties.

Texas State Capitol

Texas Capitol Evacuated Amid Active Shooter Threat As Leftist Protests Erupt Over GOP Redistricting

Death Threats

President Trump hosts Ukrainian President Zelensky and European leaders at the White House to push for a peace deal that would require Ukraine to cede territory. An illegal immigrant with a California-issued commercial driver&#8217;s license kills three in a Florida crash, reigniting the battle over sanctuary state policies. Texas Democrats end their standoff and return to the state, paving the way for a new GOP-drawn congressional map as California plans its own gerrymandering in response.
It’s Tuesday, August 19, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
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If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2>Trump Pushes for Peace Deal at White House Summit</h2>
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Topline: President Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a delegation of European leaders at the White House on Monday to discuss a framework for ending the war with Russia, emphasizing a peace deal over a ceasefire.
Following his meeting with Vladimir Putin last week, President Trump is now pushing for Ukraine to accept a peace deal that would end the war, but result in significant territorial concessions. The diplomatic balancing act puts Zelensky in a difficult position. If he agrees to the deal, he ends the war and secures a U.S.-backed security guarantee, but he breaks his promise to the Ukrainian people that he would never cede land to Putin. If he refuses, he risks alienating his most important ally.
Trump reiterated on Monday that he wants to move quickly toward a final peace deal, rather than a ceasefire, which he argued could create a &#8220;strategic disadvantage for one side or the other.” While no deal was reached, the meeting was a sign of improving relations between Trump and European leaders, many of whom praised the president for the progress made in recent weeks.
The diplomatic push comes as Ukrainian public opinion has dramatically shifted. A recent <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/693203/ukrainian-support-war-effort-collapses.aspx">Gallup</a> poll shows that 69% of Ukrainians now support an immediate peace, a complete reversal from 2022 when 73% wanted to fight until victory.
<h2>Illegal Immigrant With CA License Kills Three in Florida Crash</h2>
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Topline: An illegal immigrant who obtained a commercial driver&#8217;s license in the sanctuary state of California has been charged with killing three people in a vehicular homicide in Florida, sparking new outrage over sanctuary policies.
Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old illegal immigrant from India, was driving a semi-truck on the <a href="https://www.flhsmv.gov/2025/08/16/illegal-u-turn-truck-driver-arrested-for-vehicular-homicide/">Florida</a> turnpike last week when he allegedly attempted an illegal U-turn, causing a collision that killed all three occupants of a minivan. Singh entered the U.S. illegally in California in 2018 and was able to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) in the state.
The incident has reignited the national debate over sanctuary policies. A DHS spokesperson <a href="https://x.com/DHSgov/status/1957433429689020919">said</a> in a statement, &#8220;Three innocent people were killed in Florida because Gavin Newsom’s California DMV issued an illegal alien a Commercial Driver’s License—this state of governance is asinine.” Governor Newsom&#8217;s office has attempted to shift blame, claiming the Trump administration issued Singh a work permit, but DHS says the permit was rejected under Trump and later approved under the Biden administration.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R), who signed a ban on sanctuary city policies in his state, expressed shock that a man who he said doesn&#8217;t even speak English was issued a CDL in California. DHS issued a statement asking, &#8220;How many more innocent people have to die before Gavin Newsom stops playing games with the safety of the American public?”
<h2>Texas Redistricting Resumes as CA Plans Retaliation</h2>
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Topline: The Texas Democrats who fled the state to block a Republican-led redistricting effort have returned, paving the way for the GOP to pass a new map that could net them five House seats.
After fleeing the state for weeks to deny Republicans a quorum, the protesting Democrats have returned to the state capital. Their effort failed to stop the new congressional map, which is now on the agenda for a new special session called by Governor Greg Abbott (R). The returning lawmakers now face hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, at a rate of $500 per day for their absence. Governor Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) are also seeking to have 13 of the lawmakers removed from office.
In response to the Texas GOP&#8217;s move, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) is asking voters in his state to approve a measure in a special election to temporarily suspend California&#8217;s independent redistricting commission. This would allow the state&#8217;s Democrat-supermajority legislature to gerrymander its own map to gain five House seats and &#8220;neuter&#8221; the Republican gains in Texas. Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), who led the effort to create the independent commission, is leading the opposition to Newsom’s plan.

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Morning Brief: Trump Hosts European Leaders For Peace Talks, Sanctuary Outrage, Texas Redistricting

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