Texas Democrats Weigh Their End Game And Trump Makes His Mark On D.c: From The Politics Desk

Welcome to nan online type of From nan Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you nan NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and study from nan White House, Capitol Hill and nan run trail.

In today’s edition, Ben Kamisar and Natasha Korecki study connected really Democratic lawmakers who fled Texas amid nan redistricting conflict are opening to see their extremity game. Plus, Andrea Mitchell explores really President Donald Trump is leaving his people connected institutions crossed nan nation’s capital.

Sign up to person this newsletter successful your inbox each weekday here.

— Adam Wollner

Texas Democrats crippled their exit strategy

By Ben Kamisar and Natasha Korecki

With Texas expected to extremity its first typical legislative convention Friday and instantly statesman a caller one, nan dozens of Democratic legislators who fled nan authorities to artifact Republicans’ redistricting connection are hammering retired a scheme for their return home.

Texas Democrats met precocious into nan nighttime Tuesday past again Wednesday, including breaking into smaller groups, to talk their adjacent steps and what their eventual exit strategy looked for illustration aft spending nan past 10 days retired of nan state, according to 4 sources adjacent to nan talks.

But those sources said nan lawmakers do not yet person afloat statement connected an exit plan. “It’s difficult to get folks connected nan aforesaid page,” said 1 of nan sources, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly astir soul statement strategy.

Still, location does look to beryllium statement connected 1 point: The Democrats won’t travel backmost to Austin until Republicans officially bring nan first typical convention to a close. They’re opening to picture their expertise to artifact Republicans from passing their caller representation that could nett nan statement arsenic galore arsenic 5 seats successful nan U.S. House during nan first typical convention arsenic impervious of victory.

“Our committedness was only to termination this corrupt typical session. What we will do, what we’re going to do successful nan future, we’re successful discussions correct now,” Texas Democratic Caucus Chairman Gene Wu said Wednesday connected “Meet nan Press NOW.”

Wu said they would not finalize their adjacent steps until location was “consensus among our membership.” But he noted Democrats person different avenues to push backmost against nan GOP’s redistricting effort successful nan courts, done nan legislative process and pinch different states, for illustration California, countering pinch caller legislature maps.

“We tin conflict this conflict for arsenic agelong arsenic we tin do it. But we person different strategies, different methods of fighting it,” Wu said. “It does not person to beryllium conscionable a quorum break, it does not person to beryllium conscionable 1 point aliases nan other. We tin propulsion everything astatine this.”

Republican leaders successful Texas person promised to telephone “special convention aft typical session,” and they request conscionable a fistful of Democrats to relent successful bid to execute a quorum successful nan authorities House truthful they tin move guardant pinch their redistricting plan.

So while it appears apt that Democrats will win successful delaying nan process capable to unit a 2nd typical session, location is an acknowledgement among nan caucus that their protestation will request to travel to an extremity immoderate constituent soon.

“From nan get-go, they knew they were ne'er going to enactment retired of Texas forever. People didn’t expect them to. The extremity that nan smartest among them group was: We request to bring nationalist attraction to this rumor truthful different states are fresh to antagonistic if Republicans really do this,” 1 adjutant to a Texas House Democrat breaking quorum told NBC News.

Read much from Ben and Natasha →

Related: How redistricting became nan burning basking halfway of Democratic politics

How Trump is reshaping D.C.

Analysis by Andrea Mitchell

President Donald Trump astatine nan Kennedy Center successful Washington, D.C., connected Wednesday.Alex Brandon / AP

President Donald Trump is not conscionable taking complete nan constabulary successful nan nation’s capital, pinch FBI and DEA agents connected nighttime patrols successful Georgetown and armored vehicles lined up successful beforehand of nan Washington Monument.

Today, nan precocious self-appointed chair of nan Kennedy Center announced he will beryllium nan first American president to host nan yearly Kennedy Center Honors ceremony successful December. The arena was primitively emceed by Walter Cronkite and past Caroline Kennedy, but much precocious by entertainers for illustration Gloria Estefan and Queen Latifah.

Trump also told reporters he was “98%” progressive successful choosing this year’s honorees for 1 of nan nation’s highest life accomplishment awards: Sylvester Stallone, Michael Crawford, George Strait, Gloria Gaynor and Kiss. Unlike his predecessors, Trump ne'er hosted nan awardees astatine nan White House nor attended nan gala performance successful his first term, citing disapproval from immoderate of nan Hollywood stars being celebrated.

Elsewhere successful Washington, nan management now plans to put its stamp connected 8 of nan Smithsonian Institution’s museums, including American history, African American history, aerial and space, and nan National Museum of nan American Indian. They each run without complaint and are among nan city’s astir celebrated tourer destinations. The White House says it wants to guarantee that nan museums are celebrating “American exceptionalism” earlier adjacent year’s ceremony of nan nation’s 250th anniversary.

The disapproval by many, if not most, historians is that this risks distorting nan reality of America’s founding, which includes nan reality that nan brilliant of nan Founding Fathers’ creation was scarred by nan reality that they were each white, antheral and mostly spot owners — including galore enslaved owners. It spawned a reckoning that yet led to nan brutality of nan Civil War, followed by a period of legalized segregation, and continuing generational poorness and second-class citizenship for millions of Americans.

The management has already had an effect connected nan Smithsonian, whose committee is led by nan main justness of nan Supreme Court and by statute besides includes nan vice president. The wide acclaimed head of nan National Portrait Gallery, criticized by nan White House, resigned. The American history and African American history museums person some been nether fire. According to nan 6,000-member Organization of American Historians, nan nation’s museums and historical parks are “under assault” by Trump’s March 27 executive order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” A White House spokesperson calls it communal sense.

Critics opportunity this civilization conflict is an outgrowth of a warfare connected facts, pinch much superior implications erstwhile it comes to nan caller cancellation of long-proved technological conclusions astir ambiance alteration and nan efficacy of vaccines. In a building coined by nan precocious Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, “You’re entitled to your opinion, but not your facts.”

That’s each From nan Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner.

If you person feedback — likes aliases dislikes — email america astatine politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com

And if you’re a fan, please stock pinch everyone and anyone. They tin motion up here.