The Democratic Governors Countering Texas Redistricting And Federal Cuts To Vaccine Research: Morning Rundown

Democratic governors successful California and New York hatch plans to antagonistic GOP redistricting efforts successful Texas. Former Bureau of Prisons staffers are outraged astir Ghislaine Maxwell’s move to a minimum information prison. And RFK Jr. announces $500 cardinal successful cuts to promising vaccine research.

Here’s what to cognize today.

Democrats tie up plans to retaliate if Republicans gerrymander Texas

California Gov. Gavin Newsom during a news convention pinch Texas lawmakers connected July 25, 2025.Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Two tin play astatine nan redistricting game: Democrats successful America’s biggest bluish states are hatching plans to antagonistic a move by Texas Republicans to tie a caller House representation successful their ain favor.

Retaliation threats person travel from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who person some vowed to destruct GOP-held seats successful their states. But nan changes are easier said than done.

This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to commencement your day. Sign up here to get it successful your inbox.

Democrats person ineligible hurdles to jump done successful California and New York, which person restrictions connected partisan gerrymandering — thing wide advocates pushed for successful erstwhile years successful nan sanction of bully government. Texas has nary specified limits, truthful GOP Gov. Greg Abbott has called a typical convention to tie a caller map.

Newsom hopes to get astir his state’s independent redistricting committee by moving pinch nan Democratic-dominated Legislature to group up a typical predetermination for a statewide ballot measurement connected Nov. 4. The measurement would see a trigger that says a pre-drawn caller House representation expected to boost Democrats would return effect if Texas implemented a caller map, a root adjacent to nan politician told NBC News.

“We’re not going to rotation over. And we’re going to conflict occurrence pinch fire,” Newsom said. “Whatever they are doing will beryllium neutered present successful nan authorities of California.”

Hochul besides seeks a tit-for-tat consequence to Texas and has to usage a law amendment process to flooded New York’s independent commission. Her new proposal would transportation nan commission’s powerfulness of redrawing legislature districts to nan Legislature, but only if different authorities engaged successful mid-decade redistricting first. But nan alteration still has to walk aggregate rounds of approval, and immoderate caller maps perchance created wouldn’t beryllium successful effect until astatine slightest nan 2028 elections.

Read nan afloat communicative here.

More connected nan redistricting showdown:

• Gov. Greg Abbott asked nan Texas Supreme Court to region nan House Democratic Caucus chair from agency successful an escalation of nan redistricting fight.

• NBC News’ Steve Kornacki breaks down what Texas’ projected representation intends for nan 2026 title for nan House majority.

• Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin urged chap Democrats to “go nuclear” successful their conflict to antagonistic nan Texas GOP’s efforts.

Ghislaine Maxwell transportation roils erstwhile Bureau of Prisons staffers

After Ghislaine Maxwell was moved to 1 of nan cushiest national detention facilities in nan country, a backstage Facebook group of existent and erstwhile national situation staffers erupted successful daze and outrage.

“As a retired BOP employee, this makes maine sick,” wrote 1 personification connected nan “Bureau of Prisons unit and retirees” Facebook page.

The national situation campy successful Texas is 1 of 7 minimum security, dormitory-style, national information accommodation that do not typically clasp inmates for illustration Maxwell, who are convicted of activity crimes and serving lengthy sentences.

Robert Hood, a erstwhile Bureau of Prisons main of soul affairs, said successful an email that nan transportation of Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirator and confidant, is simply a “travesty of justice.”

“To relocate a activity offender serving 20 years to a state nine mounting is violative to victims and others serving akin crimes,” he wrote.

Inmates held astatine Maxwell’s caller installation person much programs disposable to them and nan state to roam its grounds, which are surrounded by a mini obstruction alternatively of walls aliases razor wire. Vito Maraviglia, a retired national situation typical investigative agent, said that placing Maxwell successful specified a situation campy would make it easier for her to flight aliases for personification connected nan extracurricular to target her.

Read what others had to say.

Related news:

• The Trump management is considering releasing nan transcripts of nan Justice Department's question and reply pinch Maxwell, a root acquainted pinch nan matter told NBC News.

• The House committee investigating nan Epstein lawsuit issued subpoenas to Bill and Hillary Clinton and respective apical erstwhile Justice Department officials for their testimony.

RFK Jr. cuts $500 cardinal successful mRNA vaccine contracts

The Trump management is terminating 22 contracts focused connected processing mRNA vaccines and winding down further national investments successful mRNA technology, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced.

The cuts woody a awesome rustle to a promising area of investigation and adds to grounds that Kennedy is pursuing an fierce anti-vaccine agenda.

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies during nan House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee connected Health hearing.Tom Williams / Getty Images file

The projects being axed were funded by nan Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a Department of Health and Human Services programme that useful pinch nan pharmaceutical manufacture to create vaccines and different countermeasures for nationalist wellness emergencies. The investigation was utilized to quickly create COVID vaccines during nan pandemic.

“This isn’t conscionable astir vaccines,” Rick Bright, who directed BARDA from 2016 to 2020, said successful a matter message. “It’s astir whether we’ll beryllium fresh erstwhile nan adjacent situation hits. Cutting mRNA improvement now puts each American astatine greater risk.”

Kennedy said that nan terminated contracts were worthy astir $500 million. Among them is an grant that goes toward processing an mRNA-based vaccine for H5N1, nan strain of vertebrate flu that has infected dozens of group successful nan United States.

Read nan afloat communicative here.

Read All About It

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to push to “occupy each of nan Gaza Strip.”

• Sean “Diddy” Combs has asked President Donald Trump for a pardon, a root adjacent to his defense squad confirms.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is informing of a mosquito-borne chikungunya outbreak successful southeast China. Most group infected pinch nan microorganism create fever, associated pain, headache and more.

• The implosion of nan Titan submersible that killed 5 successful 2023 was “preventable,” according to a caller Coast Guard report.

• Airports everyplace are undergoing makeovers, amplifying VIP-style services and different amenities that connection travelers expanded options.

• Violent crime decreased by 4.5% successful nan U.S. past year, according to caller FBI statistics.

• Trump is creating a task force for nan 2028 Olympic Games successful Los Angeles.

Staff Pick: 80 years aft Hiroshima bombing, a work to remember

Eighty years agone today, nan United States dropped nan world’s first atomic explosive connected nan Japanese metropolis of Hiroshima, instantly sidesplitting 70,000 people. Three days later, it dropped a 2nd explosive connected nan metropolis of Nagasaki, sidesplitting 40,000 much arsenic it sought to extremity World War II.

The lives of countless others changed forever. Survivors of nan bombings, known arsenic hibakusha, person spent decades battling radiation-related illness, slump and discrimination, their experiences sometimes hardly discussed among their ain families. Many person spoken retired nonetheless, moreover earning nan Nobel Peace Prize for their activity campaigning against atomic weapons.

But nan number of hibakusha is dwindling, their mean property now supra 86, making it each nan much important to perceive their stories arsenic world conflicts raise fears that nan world could again spot nan usage of atomic weapons, which are now galore times much destructive than nan atomic bombs utilized successful Japan.

“I request world leaders to extremity and travel to nan speech table,” Hiroshima subsister Setsuko Thurlow, 93, told NBC News. “It’s not atomic weapons, but diplomacy, speech of words and ideas.”

— Jennifer Jett, Asia integer editor

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

If you’re not judge whether weighted vests really work? The NBC Select squad said to fittingness trainers, who committedness by them and shared immoderate adjuvant tips. Plus, Outdoor Voices is officially back, and these are immoderate of nan champion finds from nan latest collection.

     Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on merchandise reviews, master shopping tips and a look astatine nan champion deals and income each week.

Thanks for reference today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Kayla Hayempour. If you’re a fan, please nonstop a nexus to your family and friends. They tin motion up here.