The first domino in a growing national redistricting battle is likely to fall Wednesday as the Republican-controlled Texas legislature is expected to pass a new congressional map creating five new winnable seats for the GOP. The vote follows prodding by President Donald Trump to stave off a midterm defeat that would deprive his party of control of the House of Representatives.
Democrats who refused round-the-clock police escorts to ensure they'd provide a quorum were confined to the House floor, where they protested on a livestream. They've vowed a blue-states payback for the Texas map, with California’s legislature poised to approve a retaliatory gerrymandering for the state's voters to consider in November.
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Evacuating for a hurricane could expose immigrants to deportation
Natural disasters have long posed singular risks for people without permanent legal status. But with the arrival of peak Atlantic hurricane season, immigrants and their advocates say Trump’s militaristic immigration enforcement agenda has increased the danger.
Places considered neutral spaces by immigrants such as schools, hospitals and emergency management agencies are now suspect, and many local first responders now collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. For people without legal documents, this can mean having to choose between physical safety and avoiding detention. The fear can extend into disaster recovery as agencies share information with deportation agents.
In past disasters, the Department of Homeland Security said it would suspend immigration enforcement, but that’s now unclear. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said CBP hasn’t issued guidance “because there have been no natural disasters affecting border enforcement.”
▶ Read more about the dilemmas immigrants now face in natural disasters
Hundreds of federal health employees sign a letter protesting Kennedy’s actions
The employees at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal agencies have signed a letter charging that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has endangered their lives and the rest of the public.
The two-page letter sent to Kennedy and members of Congress cites his anti-science rhetoric, denigration of federal workers, layoffs affecting public health programs and Kennedy’s decision to replace members of a vaccine advisory panel with a handpicked group that includes some anti-vaccine advocates.
It faults Kennedy’s delayed response to an Aug. 8 shooting at the CDC’s main campus in Atlanta. And it asks Kennedy to stop spreading false health information, affirm the CDC’s scientific integrity, and guarantee the safety of the HHS workforce.
About 400 current employees signed their names, most of them from the CDC but some from the National Institutes of Health and other health agencies. Also signing the document are some noted former CDC leaders, including former acting director Dr. Anne Schuchat.
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