A day after Texas Democrat lawmakers fled the state in an effort to halt Republican efforts to redraw their congressional map, Donald Trump said that his party was entitled to the five more seats they could pick up if the updated maps pass through the state’s congress.
“We have an opportunity in Texas to pick up five seats,” Trump said. “We have a really good governor, and we have good people in Texas. And I won Texas. I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are entitled to five more seats.”
Democrats in other states have said they will retaliate, setting the stage for a nasty and prolonged redistricting tit-for-tat that could last for years.
Here are the key US politics stories of the day:
Texas senator asks FBI to help locate and arrest Democrats for leaving state
The US senator John Cornyn of Texas has asked the FBI to aid Texas law enforcement in locating and arresting Democrats who left the state to forestall a plan sought by Donald Trump to aggressively redraw the state’s congressional map in a way that could help Republicans keep their House majority after the 2026 midterm elections.
Ken Paxton, the state’s Republican attorney general, announced what experts say is likely a longshot bid to convince a court to declare the seats of “any rogue lawmakers” vacant if they do not return to work at the statehouse by Friday.
Epstein scandal broadens as new trove of letters published
The long-running scandal surrounding the disgraced late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein broadened on Tuesday after the New York Times published a trove of previously unseen letters to Epstein from numerous powerful figures as well as unseen photographs from inside his Manhattan mansion.
House panel subpoenas Clintons for Epstein testimony
The Republican-led House oversight committee on Tuesday issued subpoenas to Bill and Hillary Clinton as well as several former attorneys general and directors of the FBI, demanding “testimony related to horrific crimes perpetrated by Jeffrey Epstein”.
Rwanda agrees to take up to 250 migrants from the US
The Rwandan government has said it would accept up to 250 migrants from the US under a deal agreed with Washington but gave no details on who could be included. The Trump administration’s deportation drive has included negotiating arrangements to send people to third countries, among them South Sudan and Eswatini.
Pam Bondi seeks grand jury review of origins of Trump-Russia investigation
The US attorney general, Pam Bondi, is said to be ordering prosecutors to present evidence to a grand jury investigating the origins of the FBI’s Trump-Russia inquiry, according to the Associated Press.
The criminal probe follows referrals from Trump administration intelligence officials and targets the investigation that established Moscow interfered in the 2016 election on Donald Trump’s behalf, a source who spoke on condition of anonymity told AP.
What else happened today:
News Corp has warned Donald Trump that AI is cannibalizing the content of his books, including The Art of the Deal.
Donald Trump said he would soon announce his pick for an open seat on the Federal Reserve board and possibly his choice for Fed chair, but ruled out treasury secretary Scott Bessent.
Catching up? Here’s what happened on 4 August 2025.
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