Trump cultists

The Washington Post reports: Texas GOP leaders hailed the FBI’s apparent willingness to help them track down the more than 50 Democratic lawmakers who have left the state amid a messy redistricting fight, calling it a necessary step to end a standoff that has ground state politics to a halt. But a day after Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said that …

ABC News reports: As Texas Republicans try to muscle a rare mid-decade redistricting bill through the Legislature to help Republicans gain seats in Congress — at President Donald Trump’s request — residents in Austin, the state capital, could find themselves sharing a district with rural Texans more than 300 miles away. The proposed map chops up Central Texas’ 37th Congressional …

The Daily Beast reports: The co-owner of a Donald Trump-themed burger chain in Texas was arrested and is facing deportation after allegedly overstaying his visa and orchestrating a “sham” marriage. Roland Beainy, 28, is one of the masterminds behind Trump Burger, a viral MAGA eatery whose locations feature American flags, buns stamped “TRUMP,” and even an impersonator of the president—who …

The Texas Tribune reports: Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke cannot financially support Texas Democrats who left the state to delay passage of a new congressional map, a Tarrant County judge ruled Friday evening. O’Rourke and his political group, Powered by People, were sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Friday afternoon. Paxton argued that the group was deceptively fundraising for …

Crooks & Liars reports: It’s no deep dark secret that Rep. Drunken Van Orden doesn’t have very good people skills. He’s sexually harassed two women while he was in the Navy, he screamed at a teen library aide, he screamed at teen Senate pages, and he physically assaulted a young woman with CODEPINK. But DVO has a special hatred for …

The Washington Post reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) asked the state’s high court Friday to remove 13 Democrats from office for leaving the state this week to prevent the GOP from giving themselves five more safe congressional districts. The Republican attorney general’s office said in a news release that he was focused on 13 of the more than …

Politico reports: The Texas House gaveled in and out without a quorum again on Friday, as Republicans grew annoyed with Democratic lawmakers who left the state to prevent a vote on a redistricting bill that President Donald Trump urged them to pass. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced at Friday’s session that Democrats would be required to collect their monthly …

The Dallas Morning News reports: Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows tried to gather a quorum when he convened the House at 1 p.m. Friday – but with more than 50 Democrats nowhere near the Capitol, it didn’t happen. That marks Day 5 of dead air in the chamber, which lacks enough members on the House floor to hold a vote …

The Hill reports: Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) is eyeing a bid for Texas attorney general, two sources familiar with the matter told The Hill, as the GOP lawmaker considers jumping from Washington back to the Lone Star State. Reached for comment, Roy told The Hill: “I’m always considering where I can best serve the people I represent to ensure we …

NOTUS reports: First-term Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, a multimillionaire who recently sold control of his family’s electrical contracting company and now represents one of Pennsylvania’s poorest congressional districts, appears to have taken steps to hide one whirling aspect of his wealth: his new personal helicopter. The helicopter — a 2024 Robinson R66 that retails between $1 million and $1.5 million …

Florida Politics reports: Republican U.S. Rep. Cory Mills is blaming a prior political opponent for turning his personal relationship problems into a political scandal. A Judge declined to place a restraining order on Mills requested by Columbia County Republican Committeewoman Lindsey Langston. That came a day after news broke that Langston had called police and accused Mills of threatening to …

Houston’s ABC affiliate reports: Roland Mehrez Beainy, owner of the recently opened Trump Burger restaurant in Houston, is currently facing deportation after failing to leave the U.S. on time and being arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE confirmed that Beainy, 28, originally from Lebanon, entered the United States in 2019 on a non-immigrant visitor visa but failed to …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dustin Burrows are asking an Illinois court to enforce arrest warrants against Democratic lawmakers who have left the state to delay passage of a GOP-backed congressional map. Burrows issued civil arrest warrants on Monday, ordering the sergeant-at-arms and state troopers to track down and arrest the dozens of …

NBC News reports: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vowed to call “special session after special session after special session” in response to Democratic lawmakers who have fled the state to block redistricting legislation, saying they’ll have to stay out of Texas for years to prevent it becoming law. “We are in the process as we speak right now of searching for, …

The Hill reports: The Lone Star Liberty PAC, a group supporting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s (R) Senate run, rolled out an ad touting Paxton’s role in the state’s redistricting battle on Friday. The digital spot, titled “Ken Paxton puts Democrats on notice in Texas redistricting fight,” is a compilation of mainstream media coverage of the state’s redistricting saga and …

NBC News reports: Florida judge ruled to temporarily halt operations at “Alligator Alcatraz,” the controversial migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades, over a lawsuit alleging the site’s construction skirted environmental laws. U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams made the decision on Thursday after two days of testimony in Miami federal court. Any new construction must be halted for the …

The Associated Press reports: Florida, the third most U.S. populous state, is preparing to join a widening fight among states grappling for political advantage ahead of the 2026 elections, after Florida’s Republican House Speaker Daniel Perez announced Thursday that his chamber will take up congressional redistricting this fall. “As many of you are aware, there are national conversations ongoing in …

The Daily Mail reports: Steve Bannon is in the early stages of planning an audacious run for president in 2028, well-placed sources have told the Daily Mail. The campaign would divide the Make America Great Again movement Bannon helped build by setting up a herculean battle with Vice President JD Vance, who is all but certain to launch his own …

Politico reports: Republican Gov. Mike Braun remained noncommittal about a mid-decade redistricting push following his meeting with Vice President JD Vance in Indiana on Thursday. “We covered a wide array of topics. We listened,” Braun told reporters in response to a question about whether an agreement was reached. The meeting — which took place amid sustained booing by protesters gathered …

The Hill reports: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said on Thursday that the FBI is “tracking down” Democratic state lawmakers who fled the Lone Star State as the GOP looks to return them to the state Capitol. “Texas DPS and the FBI are tracking down the derelict Democrats. They will be taken directly to the Texas Capitol,” Abbott wrote on …