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Trump pushes Texas Republicans to redraw congressional maps to help defend GOP's House majority

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Trump pushes Texas Republicans to redraw congressional maps to help defend GOP's House majority

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In the 2026 midterm elections battle for control of the House, when Republicans will be defending their razor-thin majority, it seems nothing’s out of bounds.

The GOP-controlled state legislature in Texas meets in special session next week, as top Republicans in the red state push to redraw the current congressional maps to reduce the number of districts controlled by already marginalized Democrats.

It’s part of a broader effort by the GOP across the country to keep control of the chamber, and cushion losses elsewhere in the country, as the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.

And President Donald Trump is aiming to prevent what happened during his first term, when Democrats stormed back to grab the House majority in the 2018 midterms.

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President Donald Trump, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaks to the media as he leaves the White House, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

“Texas will be the biggest one,” the president told reporters earlier this week, as he predicted the number of GOP-friendly seats that could be added through redistricting in the Lone Star State. “Just a simple redrawing, we pick up five seats.”

Hours earlier, Trump held a call with Texas’ Republican congressional delegation and sources confirmed to Fox News that the president told the lawmakers that he was aiming to redraw the maps to create five new winnable seats.

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Democrats control just 12 of the state’s 38 congressional districts, with a blue-leaning seat vacant after the death in March of Rep. Sylvester Turner.

The idea is to relocate Democratic voters from competitive seats into nearby GOP-leaning districts, and move Republican voters into neighboring districts the Democrats currently control.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas called for a special session of his state’s GOP-dominated legislature to draw new congressional maps. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, both conservative Republicans and Trump allies, said they needed to redistrict because of constitutional concerns raised by the Justice Department over a handful of minority-dominated districts. 

But the move is potentially risky.

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“There is some risk of making safe Republican seats more competitive, and I think that the incumbents are certainly worried about that,” veteran Texas-based Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser told Fox News. “If you talk to Republican members of Congress, they’re going to be worried about their own seats. They don’t want to be in a seat that’s more competitive.”

Steinhauser noted “that’s the tradeoff for Republicans, if you want to grow the majority.”

But he added that “the people drawing the maps… they don’t want to make any seat too competitive because that will defeat the purpose.”

Redistricting typically takes place at the start of each decade, based on the latest U.S. Census data. Mid-decade redistricting is uncommon – but not without precedent.

Democrats are slamming Trump and Texas Republicans for what they describe as a power grab, and vowing to take legal action to prevent any shift in the current congressional maps.

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The Texas state Capitol in Austin, Texas. The GOP-controlled state legislature meets in special session next week, as top Republicans push to redraw the congressional maps. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

“Democrats are going to push back aggressively because it’s the right thing to do,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters this week.

Democrats in blue-dominated states are now considering similar tactics.

“Two can play this game,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on social media this week.

COURT SIDETRACKS REDISTRICTING FIGHT IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATE

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The next day, after a meeting, Democrats in California’s congressional delegation said they were on board with an ambitious plan to try and gain at least five seats through redistricting. Democrats currently control 43 of the Golden State’s 52 congressional districts.

But it won’t be easy to enact the change, because in California, congressional maps are drawn by an independent commission that is not supposed to let partisanship influence their work.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California is floating a move to redraw the congressional maps in his blue state, to blunt a push by President Donald Trump and Texas Republicans to redistrict up to five House Democrats out of power in Texas. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Newsom this week suggested that the state’s Democratic-controlled legislature move forward with a mid-decade redrawing of the maps, arguing that it might not be forbidden by the 17-year-old ballot initiative that created the independent commission.

The governor also proposed quickly holding a special election to repeal the commission ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

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Both plans are considered long shots, as they would face plenty of legislative, legal and financial hurdles.

Democrats are also hoping to alter congressional maps in battleground Wisconsin, but the new liberal majority on the state Supreme Court recently declined to hear the case. Democrats and their allies are now in the midst of a second legal push for redistricting in Wisconsin.

Democrats have also filed redistricting litigation in Utah and Florida, which are both red states.

Meanwhile, Ohio is required by law to redistrict this year, and a redrawing of the maps in the red-leaning state could provide the GOP with up to three more congressional seats.

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San Francisco, CA

No tolerance for hate or crime at SF Pride this weekend, officials say

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No tolerance for hate or crime at SF Pride this weekend, officials say


San Francisco city and police officials said Wednesday that they want people to enjoy Pride festivities this weekend — including the popular parade on Sunday — and that they will be on the lookout for criminal activity.

“All of the leaders up here know how important this weekend is, and we are ready,” Mayor Daniel Lurie said while flanked by a host of officials at a news conference at San Francisco police headquarters.

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Lurie said his message is simple: “Look out for one another. Report anything concerning and know that every first responder, city worker and volunteer has one goal: to help everyone celebrate safely.”

Hundreds of thousands expected at SF Pride Parade

What we know:

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The annual Pride festivities and parade on Sunday are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people from around the world to San Francisco. Police say they’re working with state and federal partners to monitor any potential threats while making sure people enjoy themselves.

“You’ll see many of our officers – including me – wearing Pride patches,” said Police Chief Derrick Lew, gesturing to a multicolored patch on his shoulder. “As always, we’re excited to showcase San Francisco, and our longstanding status as a safe haven for members of the LGBTQ+ community.”

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No tolerance for hate, DA says

What they’re saying:

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins says she and other city leaders will have no tolerance for hate. 

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Just last week, she charged a man with a hate crime for allegedly spray-painting a homophobic message outside a Castro District flower shop and punching a witness.

“There will be accountability if anything like that happens here, and so as much as we want to be joyous, we also have to take this occasion very seriously,” Jenkins said.

Suzanne Ford, executive director of SF Pride agreed, saying, “I think we all have the responsibility of demonstrating that we can work together to make sure that the LGBTQ community is centered for this weekend.” 

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Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said those who don’t behave will go straight to jail. 

“The one mode of transportation we want to make sure all of you avoid this weekend is the party buses that the sheriff’s department will have out there,” Miyamoto said.

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City officials are urging everyone to celebrate responsibly, don’t drink and drive or accept drinks from strangers and to report any suspicious activity. 

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on X @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan

The Source: KTVU reporting, San Francisco police and sheriff, district attorney’s office

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Denver, CO

Denver Nuggets draft Trevon Brazile in the second round of the NBA Draft – Denver Stiffs

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Denver Nuggets draft Trevon Brazile in the second round of the NBA Draft – Denver Stiffs


After making fans wait all through the first round only to trade back, the Denver Nuggets finally get their man as they select with the 35th pick in the draft: Trevon Brazile, the 6’9 combo forward from Arkansas.

So who is Brazile?

Trevon is a freak athlete at 6’9.5 barefoot with a wingspan of almost 7’4 and a 41″ vertical jump. He can fly, with transition dunks that amaze and helpside blocks that astound. He can also hit from behind the arc if you leave him open, and he has soft hands around the rims for lobs and finishes. He can also be a good perimeter defender using that wingspan and his quick feet to get in position and make life tough. As I said about him before the draft: “When he is playing hard and engaged, he looks like a first round talent who can spot up for 3 or kill you at the rim while hounding ball-handlers on the perimeter.”

He is 23 years old already, however, and he still hasn’t found the necessary motor to bring that explosion and game-changing play for the whole time he’s on the court. He only shoots 66% from the charity stripe and doesn’t have much of an in-between game, so if he’s not driving the hoop or taking open threes his creation bag is a little thin. He spent his freshman year at Missouri, the alma mater of both Michael Porter Jr. and Josh Kroenke, so Josh would obviously have some insight into him from early in his college career.

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But Denver has been in dire need of some size and athleticism and they just got both in the same package. Brazile at his best absolutely looks the part of an NBA player who can make an impact at both ends of the floor. Whether he can grow his game in shorter bench stints early in his career is certainly going to be intriguing to watch – and the Nuggets finally have a drafted player to pour some interest and effort into themselves.

Welcome to the Nuggets, Trevon Brazile!



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Seattle, WA

Council eyes street barricades in fight against violence, sex trafficking in north Seattle

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Council eyes street barricades in fight against violence, sex trafficking in north Seattle


The Seattle City Council is expected to vote next week on a plan that would give the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) the authority to close off street access for public safety reasons.

The proposal comes after months of outcry from residents in north Seattle who say sex traffickers and sex buyers are looping through the streets surrounding Aurora Avenue North.

The street-closure proposal passed the council’s Public Safety Committee on Tuesday and is expected to be voted on by the full council next week.

“I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say the crime has gotten much worse, much more violent, and much more predator,” said District 5 councilmember Debora Juarez. “I think that we do have the authority to shut down a street for bullets flying and endangering the lives of those who live there.”

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Frustrated neighbors have installed their own homemade barricades after a spate of gun violence between sex traffickers in May.

RELATED | SDOT removes street barricades near Aurora Ave; neighbors doubtful of temporary measures

Councilmember Bob Kettle says street closures will help tamp down sex buying in certain areas, but he emphasizes it must be accompanied by an increase in outreach and enforcement.

“We have to have a sustained effort,” Kettle told KOMO News. “My concern is for every action, there’s a reaction. We need to take this flex and then really attack it … because if we do just a bit and our attention wanders, we could have this conversation three months from now and we’re talking about the same thing.”

A 15-year-old boy was shot near 95th Street and Aurora Avenue North around 10:45 p.m. last night. The teen initially claimed he had been shot while walking down the street, but investigators now say he was shot by a passenger in his car.

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RELATED | Seattle police say ‘drive-by’ on Aurora Ave. was actually passenger shooting teen driver

Kettle credited the city’s Real Time Crime Center cameras with helping investigators quickly piece together the events of the shooting.

“Just as important to finding out what happened, the cameras help police determine what did not happen,” Kettle said.

According to Seattle police data, reports of shootings and shots fired in the north precinct area are at their lowest levels since 2021.

Through the end of May, there were 48 total reports of shootings or shots fired, with one fatal shooting and seven nonfatal injury shootings.

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That’s down from 63 total reports of shootings and shots fired – one fatal and seven injuries – in 2025; and 64 shootings or shots fired reports – one fatal and 17 injuries – in 2024.

At Tuesday’s committee meeting, councilmembers pointed out residents are calling for a new police precinct to be built on Aurora Avenue.

Ten years ago, a new North Precinct building was slated to be built at 130th Avenue and Aurora Avenue North to replace the existing precinct building, which was decades old and did not have enough space for the department’s needs.

Led by former councilmember Kshama Sawant, the “Block the Bunker” movement successfully got the North Precinct replacement project killed in city council.

Kettle said the city’s current financial issues make it essentially impossible to bring back a project similar to the one the previous council defeated.

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“We have to connect the dots back,” Kettle said. “If we want to know why we are where we are today, we have to look at decisions made over the last two councils.”



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