The Knock-Down, Drag-’Em-Out Texas Redistricting Showdown Heats Up

Now, the FBI might get involved.

Governor Greg Abbott throws up a Texas longhorn finger gesture during a collegiate football game.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is getting really mad.Todd Kirkland/Getty

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An old-fashioned Western showdown is happening in Texas right now. 

On one side you have Texas House Democrats who fled the state over the weekend to stop Texas Republicans from carrying out Trump’s orders to redraw the state’s maps. And Texas governor Greg Abbott who is very, very upset about it all. As of this writing, the move seems to have worked: the Texas House has failed to reach a quorum for two consecutive days. Now, Texas Senator John Cornyn wants the FBI to hunt down the Democrats and arrest them.

In this video I explain the standoff, the stakes and how both Republicans and Democrats are using the tool at their disposal to advance—or impede—competing visions for America.

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We were built for times like these

Russian bots are impersonating us. Trump and his allies want to silence us. AI wants to (and does!) steal our content. The list goes on. But with 50 years of experience, we know we were built for this moment: We’re ready to keep diving deep and uncovering the truth, then getting that to you right here, completely accessible and never behind a paywall.

While our work is free to read, watch, and listen to online, it’s incredibly costly to make. Court documents, travel, research: It all adds up. Because we’re a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on reader support to fund our investigations. Will you stand with us in these extraordinary times, as headlines clamour for our attention and disinformation is rampant? We can’t get the truth out without you.

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