#texas-politics

#texas-politics

A federal court struck down Texas' new gerrymander on Tuesday, in an extraordinary rebuke to Republicans who sought to hand the GOP five additional seats in the House of Representatives. The 160-page ruling -authored by Judge Jeffrey V. Brown, a conservative Donald Trump nominee-scorched the scheme as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, declaring that the Legislature "intentionally drew district lines" to discriminate against Black and Hispanic Texans.

Members of the congregation have painted the church's front steps in rainbow colors in what its pastor, the Rev. Rachel Griffin-Allison, calls an act of "sacred resistance." Church leaders and congregants wanted "to make sure that our neighborhood had a visible, bold statement to say that they are not being erased," she says. Oak Lawn is a heavily LGBTQ+ enclave, and Griffin-Allison sees her church as a sanctuary for the community in Dallas and all of Texas.

A rainbow crosswalk and a street mural declaring "Black Artists Matter" in Austin, Texas, are in danger of being removed after the state's governor Greg Abbott ordered the Texan transportation department to enforce a directive from President Donald Trump to remove political and artistic road murals. Critics say the governor and the president are using roadway safety regulations to target art expressing support for LGBTQ+ and anti-racism causes as the Trump administration continues its suppression of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Allred's proposal to "clean up Washington" is a 12-point anti-corruption plan that includes other populist priorities like ending gerrymandering, barring corporate PACs and a lifetime lobbying ban for lawmakers. The former congressman has personally pledged to refrain from trading individual stocks, to refuse corporate PAC money and to adhere to a lifetime lobbying ban. "Texans are paying more every day because politicians in Washington are looking out for themselves instead of us," Allred said in a statement to Axios.

Collier stated, 'I will not agree to be in DPS custody. I am not a criminal. I am exercising my right to resist and oppose the decisions of our government.'

Rene Porras, a Vietnam combat veteran and small business owner in Denver Harbor, expressed concerns about the impact of immigration enforcement, stating, "I have a little local taqueria, Mexican bakery, and business is down for the last three or four weeks. I mean, really down." His observations indicate a direct correlation between fears of immigration raids and declining local business activity.

"They are going to be vicious," one senior House Democrat told Axios, speaking on the condition of anonymity to offer candid thoughts on a sensitive internal battle. The lawmaker predicted it will be Democrats' most brutal member vs. member primary since California Reps. Brad Sherman and Howard Berman faced off in 2012, or when Michigan Reps. John Dingell and Lynn Rivers fought over a seat in 2002.