INTERNACIONAL
‘All-out war’: Fleeing Texas Dems side with Newsom as redistricting standoff continues: ‘fire with fire’
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he is ready to fight «fire with fire» as state Republican lawmakers try to enact redistricting in Texas, opposing the move though promising to pursue similar measures if needed.
At a press conference on Monday, Newsom said he supports independent redistricting, as well as a national framework, and a proposal being advanced in the legislature reinforces what he supports.
«The proposal that we’re advancing with the legislature has a trigger only if they move forward, to dismantling the protocols that are well-established,» the governor said. «Would the state of California move forward in kind? Fighting? Yes, fire with fire.»
When asked about a meeting between California Democrats on Sunday night, during which time they drafted or were almost done with the draft of redistricting maps, and whether he had seen those maps, Newsom said he had not.
AWOL TEXAS DEMS THREATENED WITH EXPULSION, FELONY CHARGES FOR ABSENCE AMID REDISTRICTING BATTLE
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he was ready to fight fire with fire if Texas lawmakers approve a measure to enact redistricting in the state. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
But he said there has been an ongoing series of conversations into the evening last night, which continued on Monday morning and will continue until Democrats land on a process.
«That process has to have the concurrence, the support of two-thirds of the legislature,» he said. «The maps, we believe, should be transparent. They should be provided in a transparent way to the public, and as a consequence, those maps are being processed and will be brought to light.»
At the end of the day, though, Newsom said the people of California will have the ultimate say.
«We will offer them the opportunity to make judgments for themselves, again, only if Texas moves forward,» Newsom said. «I’ll reinforce that we believe it should be a national model, independent national redistricting, and it would revert back to its original form, but it’s done in response to the existential realities that we’re now facing. Things have changed, facts have changed, so we must change.»
HOCHUL VOWS TO ‘FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE’ ON REDISTRICTING WHILE HOSTING TEXAS DEMOCRATS WHO FLED STATE
Newsom and Trump face off (Pool)
«They’ve triggered this response and we’re not going to roll over and we’re going to fight fire with fire, but we’re going to do so not just punching with the weight of the fourth largest economy, the most populous state in our union, the size of 21 state populations combined,» he continued. «We also will punch above our weight in terms of the impact of what we’re doing, and I think that should be absorbed by those in the Texas delegation. Whatever they are doing will be neutered here in the state of California, and they will pay that price.»
California GOP Chairwoman Corrin Rankin told Fox News Digital that Newsom’s actions could threaten the constitutional rights of Californians while also setting a dangerous precedent.
«While Governor Newsom frames this redistricting as a defensive move, it undermines California’s nationally respected, voter-approved Citizens Redistricting Commission, and if successful, sets a dangerous precedent that voters’ choices can be overruled whenever politicians find it politically convenient,» Rankin said. «Our primary concern is safeguarding Californians’ constitutional rights against partisan manipulation disguised as defending democracy; true democracy means empowering voters, not politicians, to decide representation.»
Dozens of Texas Democrats fled their state and went to Chicago and New York on Sunday night in an effort to block a redistricting vote on Monday.
TRUMP, REPUBLICANS RACE TO REDRAW TEXAS CONGRESSIONAL MAP AS DEMOCRATS THREATEN LEGAL WAR
Texas Democrats stood next to Illinois lawmakers on Aug. 4, 2025, to oppose redistricting measures proposed by Texas Republicans. (Fox News)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has since threatened to arrest and expel the lawmakers if they do not return by Monday afternoon.
Shortly after Abbott released his statement, the Texas House Democratic Caucus issued a simple response, writing: «Come and take it.»
The statement also described Republicans’ proposed districts, which would potentially secure five new GOP U.S. House seats in next year’s midterm elections, as a «racist mid-decade redistricting scheme.»
Abbott criticized the Democrats’ dramatic departure, saying that «real Texans don’t run from a fight.»
On Monday evening, Illinois lawmakers hosted Texas Democrats for a press conference, during which time none of the lawmakers took a single question from the press.
BETO O’ROURKE DROPS F-BOMB AS HE URGES DEMS TO ‘MEET FIRE WITH FIRE’ AGAINST GOP REDISTRICTING PLANS IN TEXAS
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott looks on during a news conference on March 15, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Still, Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., welcomed her colleagues and said they could stay as long as they wanted because they believed in what they were doing.
«What you’re doing and what…they’re trying to do in Texas affects you guys, but it affects the whole country,» she said. «When you want to remove five Democrats…that hurts us in the House.»
She explained that when there are not enough Democrats, things like the Big Beautiful Bill, or as she referred to it as «the Big Ugly Bill,» and other Republican initiatives get through.
«They are trying to destroy our democracy, destroy fairness in our country,» Kelly said. «And unfortunately, they’re starting with Texas. But we want you to know, we stand by your side.»
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., accused Abbott of not stepping up for the people affected by devastating floods in the Hill Country region of Texas.
BETO O’ROURKE CALLS FOR DEMOCRATS TO BE ‘RUTHLESS’ IN PURSUIT OF POWER, BACKS NEWSOM’S GERRYMANDERING PROPOSAL
U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) answers questions during a news conference about the recent Congressional delegation trip to the Indo-Pacific region, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. August 10, 2022. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo)
Specifically, he accused Abbott of not having a special session to help families rebuild, but instead of doing «the bidding» of President Donald Trump to «banish Democrats» from the federal delegation.
Krishnamoorthi then directed his comments to Abbott, saying, «don’t mess with Texas,» because the people standing with him represent Texas.
«You can silence them. You can smear them. You can saddle them with debts and fins. But you cannot intimidate them,» Krishnamoorthi said. «You can gerrymander the hell out of that map. Guess what? Two can play that game. That’s right. Other states will do exactly the same thing and neutralize what you’re trying to do in Texas.»
Other lawmakers standing side-by-side in Illinois chose to accuse Trump’s policies of being race-driven.
Texas State Rep. Ana-Maria Rodriguez Ramos said Trump’s policies hurt working families.
«That is nothing short of racism,» she said. «He is coming after all of us who don’t look like him and his Republican colleagues in the Texas House.»
Trump gives his joint address to Congress and is interrupted by Rep Al Green protesting his cuts to multiple government programs. March 4th (AP)
Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, followed Rodriguez Ramos with more accusations of racism, saying Republicans are doing what Trump has insisted be done.
«I want you to know that we didn’t introduce the race card when this message was sent by and through the Justice Department to the State of Texas, to our attorney general,» he said. «They mentioned the race card because they talked about racial gerrymandering. They brought it up, and when they brought it up, they did it, knowing that this was a buzz word. It was a trigger.»
«They know that that’s a buzz word that people would respond to in Texas, but we are going to respond to that buzz word by telling them that your racism is not going to change democracy in the state of Texas,» Green continued. «In the United States of America, racism is going to be met with our taking a stand for democracy. You take a stand for racism, we will stand for democracy, and we will win.»
Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, said she was pleased that states like California and New York were standing up for Texas Democrats because, once it happens in Texas, it will spread to other states.
She called the issue a «national war,» and «an all-out war» in which everything is on the table.
«We come from a state of great pride, and I never thought as a Texan, as an elected member of the Texas House of Representatives and now as an elected member from Texas to the United States House of Representatives, that I would see the governor of the proud state of Texas bend a knee to a felon from New York,» Johnson added. «I never thought I’d see the day, but here we are.»
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, was also standing with fellow Democrats in Illinois and accused Abbott of talking «a lot of noise.» She also accused Republicans of being «weak.»
«The difference is they expect Democrats to kind of be the nice guys that we are,» Crockett said. «They expect us to take the punch and say thank you. Well, I am here to tell you not only are we going to punch back, but we about to beat you down.»
Still, Abbott told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday that Texas is doing what it is allowed to do by law.
He also accused state Democrats of doing something «un-Texas» by turning their back on Texans and not dealing with the flooding issues still echoing across the state.
Abbott said four of the five seats that could change because of redistricting will be primarily Hispanic.
«These are seats where Democrats are having to come to grips with reality,» he said, explaining that Democrats are losing votes to Hispanics and Black voters in Texas.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He also said Democrats are «freaking out» because they are realizing Texas has the authority to redistrict.
«Texas will continue to fight for what is right,» Abbott said.
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.
texas,california,gavin newsom,greg abbott,democrats,republicans
INTERNACIONAL
DNC chair demands Dems stop ‘bringing a pencil to a knife fight’ at fiery summer meeting
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – As Democrats hunger for more forceful pushback against sweeping and controversial moves by President Donald Trump and Republicans, the party’s national chair stressed that it’s time to «stand up and fight.»
And in a fiery speech Monday, Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Ken Martin argued that the president is acting as «a dictator-in-chief» and that Trump’s second administration is «facism dressed in a red tie.»
«We are the only thing standing in his way,» Martin emphasized as he addressed the more than 400 elected party officials from all 50 states and seven territories, as the summer meeting kicked off at a downtown hotel in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
«Are you ready to take back our country from the wannabe-king in the White House,» he asked the audience, to loud cheers.
AMID PLUNGING POLLS, ANEMIC FUNDRAISING, DEMOCRATS LOOK TO REBOUND AT PARTY’S SUMMER MEETING
Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin addresses party members at the DNC’s summer meeting, on Aug. 25, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News )
Martin, pointing to the forceful response by Democrats to moves this summer by Trump and Republicans to create more right-leaning U.S. House seats in states across the country through rare mid-decade congressional redistricting ahead of next year’s midterm elections, said that he’s «sick and tired of this Democratic Party bringing a pencil to a knife fight.»
«We cannot be the only party that plays by the rules anymore,» he urged.
Democratic Party leaders and officials face a multitude of problems as they try to escape the political wilderness.
The party is trying to escape the political wilderness after last year’s elections, when Democrats lost control of the White House and the Senate and fell short in their bid to win back the House majority. And Republicans made gains with voters who make up key parts of the Democratic Party’s base.
DNC CHAIR TELLS FOX NEWS PARTY HAS HIT ‘ROCK BOTTOM’
But the situation has only worsened for the Democrats in the 10 months since last year’s election setbacks.
The Democrats’ brand is deeply unpopular, especially with younger voters, as the party’s poll numbers continue to drop to all-time lows in national surveys.
The DNC faces a massive fundraising deficit at the hands of the rival Republican National Committee (RNC), fueled in part by major party donors cutting back their contributions as they express their frustrations with the national party committee.
New voter data first reported last week by the New York Times showed Democratic Party registration plunging while GOP sign-ups were on the rise in the 30 states that register voters by party.
«There’s no doubt that … we have work to do,» Martin acknowledged in a sit-down interview this summer with Fox News Digital.
But seeing a silver lining, he added that «when you hit rock bottom, there’s only one direction to go, and that’s up, and that’s what we’re doing.»
On Monday, amid talk that Democrats remain divided over a slew of policy and political issues, Martin highlighted that «in this big tent party of ours, we are unified towards one single goal, to stop Donald Trump and put this country back on track.»
LONGTIME TRUMP ALLY TAKES OVER CHAIRING REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota took aim at talk of the party’s divisions.
Klobuchar rejected the «we suck club» label and said «we’re not getting into it when they try to divide us on every single issue online. Complaining about each other to each other – it isn’t how we win again.»
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz took aim at media reports of the party’s divisions, saying «it boggles my damn mind that in the midst of a military takeover of our cities and the attempt to go into others, the flaunting of the rule of law, the coolness and the unconstitutional nature of the way they’re attacking our neighbors, that the press finds the need to talk about, ‘oh, there’s a division in the Democratic Party.’»
«There’s a division in my damn house, and we’re still married, and things are good,» Walz said. «That’s life. That’s life. We are strong. We are strong because we challenge each other.»
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz took aim at media reports of the party’s divisions at the annual DNC summer meeting, saying, «There’s a division in my damn house, and we’re still married, and things are good,» saying (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News)
Walz, who served as then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate on the Democrats national ticket last summer and autumn, slammed Trump as «petty as hell.»
And he said Americans wake each morning to «a man child crying about whatever’s wrong with him.»
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison told the audience that he and fellow Democratic state attorneys general who’ve fought the Trump administration in court have «sued this dude 44 times and we’ll sue him 44 more and 44 more after that.»
«We have sued Trump for gender-affirming care. We are not going to scapegoat the transgender community.» Ellison highlighted.
While the 2024 election has faded in the rearview mirror, Republicans have been relentless in characterizing Democrats as extreme leftists.
Former RNC chair Michael Whatley, who formally stepped down last week as he runs for the Senate, argued in a Fox News Digital interview last week that the Democrats «are moving further and further and farther to the left. They are walking away from Main Street right now. They are beholden to left-wing radical woke policies.»
«They haven’t learned a single thing from their election losses in 2024,» Whatley claimed.
RNC communications director Zach Parkinson, responding to Monday’s DNC session, told Fox News that «under Ken Martin’s leadership, Democrats have sunk to their lowest approval rating in 35 years, the DNC is still paying off millions in debt from Kamala Harris’ failed campaign, and Martin himself is actively supporting a communist for mayor of New York City. As Republicans, we think he is doing a fantastic job, and we fully endorse him to stay on as DNC Chair.»
The «communist» reference points to Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, the Democrats’ nominee in this year’s New York City mayoral election.
But despite all the problems and setbacks facing the Democrats, they have enjoyed some victories of late.
Democrats have scored a slew of off-year and special election wins, ahead of next year’s midterm elections, when the GOP will be defending its majorities in the House and Senate as the party in power will likely face historical political headwinds.
Democrats have also landed some top recruits – former Gov. Roy Cooper in North Carolina and former Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio, in two of the most crucial 2026 Senate races.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
And while the Democratic Party’s poll numbers are in the gutter, the approval and favorable ratings for Trump and the GOP are nothing to brag about. Plus, polls indicate that the so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ which is the Trump-inspired massive Republican domestic policy, tax cuts and spending law, remains unpopular with Americans.
«We’ve already won, this year, 38 special elections…..We’re winning all across this country, including in many places that haven’t gone blue in generations,» Martin touted.
And he said that «not all of these elections make national news, but I know that every race matters. Every inch of ground that we gain matters. Every single inch.»
democratic party,republicans elections,democrats elections,midterm elections,donald trump,tim walz,politics
INTERNACIONAL
Australia boots Iranian diplomats after alleging Islamic Republic behind recent antisemitic attacks
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Australian government says it is expelling two Iranian diplomats after alleging that the Islamic Republic was behind at least two antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne.
Speaking to reporters, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the country’s main domestic spy agency, ASIO, had «gathered enough credible intelligence to reach a deeply disturbing conclusion.»
«The Iranian government directed at least two of these attacks,» Albanese said, referring to recent attacks on a Sydney restaurant and a Melbourne synagogue. «Iran has sought to disguise its involvement but ASIO assesses it was behind the attacks.»
The Australian government informed Iran’s ambassador to Australia shortly before Albanese’s announcement that they would be expelled. It also withdrew Australian diplomats posted in Iran to a third country.
ANTISEMITIC ATTACKERS VIOLENTLY TARGET SYNAGOGUE, ISRAELI RESTAURANT IN AUSTRALIA
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announces that Australia will recognize a Palestinian state at a press conference in Canberra, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)
Antisemitic incidents in both Melbourne and Sydney rose steeply following the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre in Israel that triggered Israel’s ongoing offensive on Gaza.
The prime minister also said Australia plans to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.
A member of the Jewish community recovers a Torah scroll from the Adass Israel Synagogue on December 06, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)
The move comes after Australia announced earlier this month that it plans to recognize Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
A general view of the Iranian Embassy in Canberra, Australia, Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. (Lukas Coch/AAP Image via AP)
The announcement triggered a scathing response from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who accused Australia of betraying Israel.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
«History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews,» Netanyahu said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
israel,iran,australia,middle east
INTERNACIONAL
Australia expulsó al embajador de Irán y suspendió su misión diplomática tras vincular a Teherán con ataques antisemitas
El gobierno de Australia ordenó la expulsión del embajador de Irán y la suspensión de sus actividades diplomáticas en Teherán, tras acusar al régimen persa de estar detrás de ataques antisemitas contra objetivos judíos en Melbourne y Sídney.
Según informó el primer ministro australiano, Anthony Albanese, se trata de la primera vez desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial que Canberra adopta una medida de este tipo contra un representante diplomático extranjero.
Durante una comparecencia pública, Anthony Albanese afirmó que “los servicios de inteligencia llegaron a la conclusión profundamente inquietante de que Teherán dirigió al menos dos ataques antisemitas en territorio australiano”.
El jefe de gobierno detalló que los incidentes investigados incluyen un ataque incendiario dirigido en octubre de 2024 contra el Lewis Continental Cafe, una cafetería kosher ubicada en el suburbio de Bondi, en Sídney, y otro incendio intencional perpetrado en diciembre del mismo año contra la sinagoga Adass Israel, en Melbourne. “Se trata de actos de agresión extraordinarios y peligrosos orquestados por una nación extranjera en suelo australiano”, declaró Albanese ante los medios.
El mandatario subrayó que Irán buscó “socavar la cohesión social y sembrar la discordia en nuestra comunidad”, señalando que “es totalmente inaceptable” que un Estado extranjero impulse actos de odio en Australia.
Albanese advirtió que las autoridades de inteligencia consideran “probable” que Teherán haya coordinado además otros ataques antisemitas registrados en el país.
A raíz del informe de los servicios de seguridad, el embajador iraní en Canberra, Ahmad Sadeghi, fue declarado persona non grata, junto con otros tres funcionarios de la representación diplomática iraní. Todos ellos deberán abandonar el territorio australiano en un plazo máximo de siete días. El Ejecutivo también resolvió retirar a su embajador en Teherán y suspender todas las actividades de su misión diplomática en la capital iraní. Los diplomáticos australianos han sido ubicados “a salvo en un tercer país”, según confirmó el primer ministro.
En paralelo, el gobierno recomendó a todos los ciudadanos australianos que no viajen a Irán y pidió a quienes permanezcan allí que abandonen ese país en cuanto sea posible y seguro. Las autoridades consideraron que la situación actual representa un riesgo inaceptable para la integridad de sus ciudadanos y su personal consular.
La ministra australiana de Asuntos Exteriores, Penny Wong, calificó la decisión como histórica. “Es la primera vez en la posguerra que Australia expulsa a un embajador”, remarcó. Wong también precisó que, pese a la gravedad de los hechos, Canberra mantendrá relaciones diplomáticas limitadas con Irán para proteger intereses consulares y de ciudadanos en el extranjero.
“Irán ha intentado socavar la cohesión de nuestra sociedad, ha tratado de dividir a la comunidad australiana y lo ha hecho con actos de agresión que no solo buscaban aterrorizar, sino que además pusieron en riesgo vidas australianas”, sostuvo Wong.
La ministra enfatizó que el Ejecutivo prioriza la protección de los habitantes del país ante amenazas extranjeras. “Estos actos extraordinarios y peligrosos de agresión, orquestados por una nación extranjera en suelo australiano, han cruzado una línea”, añadió.
El gobierno australiano detalló que el Cuerpo de la Guardia Revolucionaria Islámica de Irán (CGRI), institución encargada de la seguridad del régimen iraní y de operaciones en el exterior, será incluido en la lista oficial de organizaciones terroristas.
El ministro del Interior, Tony Burke, expuso el impacto que los episodios generaron en la sociedad australiana. “Hay antisemitismo en Australia. Es real, es debilitante, pero los ataques fueron impulsados por el antisemitismo originado en Irán. Dicho esto, nada cambia el hecho de que fue un ataque antisemita y nada cambia el hecho de que el impacto es idéntico”, señaló el ministro.
La investigación determinó que los responsables de los ataques ejecutaron instrucciones directas de Teherán, con el objetivo de sembrar temor y tensión en la comunidad judía australiana. Según el informe, ambos atentados buscaban “alterar la cohesión social, dividir a la sociedad y amenazar a ciudadanos australianos de fe judía”. Las autoridades australianas reiteraron su rechazo al antisemitismo y anunciaron medidas adicionales de seguridad y monitoreo en espacios sensibles de Sídney, Melbourne y otras ciudades.
(Con información de EFE y AFP)
Asia / Pacific,Government / Politics,CANBERRA
DNC chair demands Dems stop ‘bringing a pencil to a knife fight’ at fiery summer meeting
Se cae el caso del Fútbol para Todos: el fiscal pidió absolver a Mariotto y penas leves para Aníbal Fernández y Capitanich
Australia boots Iranian diplomats after alleging Islamic Republic behind recent antisemitic attacks
Horóscopo de hoy: estos son los signos que tendrán que estar alerta el día de hoy, por estas razones
Qué es la teoría del fruto del árbol envenenado que algunos funcionarios sostienen en la causa por los audios deSpagnuolo
Javier Milei y una crisis sin fusibles
Horror en México: una joven salió de su casa para ir a una fiesta y la encontraron muerta cinco días después
Chile organizó una colecta para que la familia del hincha que fue operado por fractura de cráneo pueda viajar a la Argentina
Confirmado: Susana Giménez vuelve con un programa de los más esperados
El fútbol chileno se solidarizó con la U tras los graves incidentes que se registraron ante Independiente
DEPORTE3 días agoChile organizó una colecta para que la familia del hincha que fue operado por fractura de cráneo pueda viajar a la Argentina
- DEPORTE3 días ago
El fútbol chileno se solidarizó con la U tras los graves incidentes que se registraron ante Independiente
- DEPORTE2 días ago
¿Cómo va el historial entre Rosario Central y Newell´s Old Boys y quién ganó más?
