Texas Redistricting Vote At A Standstill After Democrats Scatter: Morning Rundown

The Texas House approved apprehension warrants for Democrats who fled nan authorities to artifact a GOP-favored redistricting plan. Attorney General Pam Bondi orders a expansive assemblage investigation into nan Obama administration’s reappraisal of Russia’s actions during nan 2016 election. And nan double-edged beard facing recreation influencers successful Afghanistan.

Here’s what to cognize today.

Republican lawmakers voted to rumor apprehension warrants for dozens of Democrats who fled Texas to artifact nan GOP’s scheme to redraw nan state’s legislature lines. The House requires a quorum to proceed pinch a ballot and pinch 51 of nan state’s 62 Democratic House members retired of nan state, nan authorities is efficaciously stalled.

“They’ve shirked their responsibilities nether nan guidance and unit of out-of-state politicians and activists who don’t cognize nan first point astir what’s correct for Texas,” said Republican Speaker Dustin Burrows.

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Shortly aft gaveling in, Republican lawmakers locked nan enclosure doors and moved for nan sergeant-at-arms to “send for” nan lawmakers “under warrant of arrest, if necessary.”

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott called for a typical convention of nan Legislature this summertime pinch redistricting connected nan agenda, an rumor President Donald Trump has said would let nan GOP to pad their slim mostly successful nan U.S. House pinch 5 much seats. The move enraged galore Democrats who see it a powerfulness play to prioritize House seats earlier passing authorities to reside nan disastrous floods that killed complete 100 group successful Kerr County, San Antonio, this summer.

Inside nan chamber, they proceeded pinch a House ballot and signed nan civilian apprehension warrants, but Democrats person shrugged disconnected threats truthful far. A mostly traveled to Illinois and others to Boston and Albany, N.Y., but their adjacent steps aren’t clear. The typical legislative convention cannot past much than 30 days, but Abbot could proceed to telephone caller sessions indefinitely.

Read nan afloat communicative here.

More authorities news:

• U.S. ties pinch India, a cardinal information partner successful Asia, are being tested by trade, tariffs and New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil. Meanwhile, nan European Union will region its scheme to enforce retaliatory tariffs connected U.S. equipment while trade negotiations continue.
• White House officials began their hunt for a permanent replacement aft Trump fired erstwhile Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer.
• Ron DeSantis has a longstanding beingness successful nan Florida GOP, but aft losing his statesmanlike bid, nan momentum wrong nan state’s Republican Party seemed to displacement towards Trump.

Pam Bondi orders expansive assemblage probe of Obama management reappraisal of 2016 election

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks during a news convention astatine nan DEA office connected July 15, 2025 successful Arlington, Va.Alex Wong / Getty Images

Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered Justice Department prosecutors to motorboat a probe into whether Obama management officials committed national crimes successful a reappraisal of Russia’s actions during nan 2016 election.

Trump and his supporters person agelong claimed that intelligence and rule enforcement officials attempted to undermine his first word by overstating Russia’s interference successful nan 2016 predetermination and investigating Trump’s aides complete immoderate imaginable contacts pinch Moscow.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller recovered that Russia intervened successful 2016 to undercut Hillary Clinton but recovered nary grounds that nan Trump squad colluded pinch nan Kremlin, arsenic immoderate connected nan near had antecedently suggested.

In an charismatic missive signed by Bondi, an unnamed national charismatic is now instructed to statesman presenting grounds to a expansive assemblage to unafraid imaginable national indictments. The missive doesn’t specify what nan charges will be, who nan expansive assemblage will analyse aliases springiness a timeline for completion.

The announcement is nan latest successful a bid of actions by nan Trump management designed to rewrite nan history of nan 2016 predetermination and activity retribution against those whom Trump accuses of trying to sabotage his first word successful nan White House.

Read nan afloat communicative here.

Read All About It

• Growing frustrations pinch AI and different emerging technologies person prompted a caller slur — just for robots.

• The Agriculture Department allowed West Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas to bar participants who person SNAP benefits from utilizing their assistance for definite types of processed foods.

• A national judge rejected “Sean Diddy’’ Combs’ efforts to beryllium released from situation up of his sentencing.

• A bronze statue depicting Confederate Gen. Albert Pike will be reinstalled successful Washington, D.C, after demonstrators toppled and burned it successful 2020.

Staff Pick: Travel influencers boost tourism to Taliban-run Afghanistan

Margaritta during a caller travel to Afghanistan.Courtesy of Margaritta

When I publication astir nan three-month solo travel Margaritta, a 33-year-old recreation influencer from Germany, took done Afghanistan, my bosom soared. It is uncommon to publication thing astir Afghanistan that isn’t astir war, unit aliases extremism, truthful it was a invited alleviation to find personification appreciating nan country’s heart-stoppingly beautiful scenery and fascinating history.

Margaritta says that she “felt fantastic” and safe successful Afghanistan. She and different recreation influencers research nan country’s landlocked, mountainous terrain and its tribal culture, pinch their glowing relationship contesting what has been painfully evident complete nan decades: that nan state is unsafe and dispute to women.

Here’s nan thing: Afghanistan is 1 of nan world’s astir convulsive countries, and arguably 1 of nan worst places to beryllium calved a woman (if you look astatine maternal mortality rates, arsenic good arsenic laws that prohibit girls from studying beyond nan property of 12 and women from moving extracurricular nan location -- conscionable to sanction a few).

I fearfulness Margaritta and others’ sunny travelogues consequence whitewashing nan harsh realities of life for nan group of Afghanistan, not only its women. They besides deny a deficiency of liking successful aliases knowing of why immoderate of america — wealthy, achromatic Westerners — mightiness beryllium “treated for illustration a queen.”

In sum, it’s awesome to stock your adventures, but astir apt while keeping astatine nan beforehand of your mind that millions of group whitethorn good beryllium surviving desperately difficult lives nether harsh and austere circumstances that rosy travelogues mightiness wholly miss.

— Brinley Burton, assistant managing editor

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