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‘All-out war’: Fleeing Texas Dems side with Newsom as redistricting standoff continues: ‘fire with fire’

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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.
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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
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Trump fires labor official over weak jobs number, orders criminal probes of past opponents

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Donald Trump didn’t like the slight gain in jobs that the government reported for July. So he fired the commissioner for labor statistics, who nobody had heard of until 10 minutes ago.
Problem solved?
Well, not exactly.
Erika McEntarfer, the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, didn’t unilaterally make the decision that the economy added just 73,000 jobs in July. That figure was produced by hundreds of Labor Department analysts, following established rules, before it reached her level.
TRUMP ECONOMIC ADVISER FIRES BACK AT NBC HOST OVER ‘SHOOTING THE MESSENGER’ CLAIM ABOUT BLS FIRING
For the president to claim, without proof, that this was «rigged»—to make him, and Republicans look bad–doesn’t change the underlying reality. The number was disappointing. That hasn’t changed.
The same goes for the downward revision of 258,000 jobs in the previous two months.
That is incredibly common. It happened during the Biden administration, in one case a downward revision of an earlier jobs estimate. It’s a standard adjustment made once more information has become available.
But the economy is what it is. Dumping the Biden appointee doesn’t change that.
President Donald Trump boards Air Force One on August 1, 2025 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Maybe there’s a problem with the constant revisions, but that’s been going on for years. McEntarfer should have put out a more detailed statement.
There has been an avalanche of media criticism for the president undermining confidence in the reliability of the numbers we all depend on.
Kevin O’Leary, the «Shark Tank» investor, told CNN: «I did not agree on whacking the commissioner. I don’t like that. Whacking statisticians makes no sense whatsoever. You don’t shoot the messenger.»
Trump’s BLS chief in the first term, Bill Beach, said «the commissioner doesn’t do anything to collect the numbers. The commissioner doesn’t see the numbers until Wednesday before they’re published. By the time the commissioner sees the numbers, they’re all prepared…
«When I was commissioner, we had a 500,000 job revision during President Trump’s first term,» he told CNN. «And why do we do that? Because firms are created or firms go out of business, and we don’t really know that during the course of the year, until we reconcile against a real full count of all the businesses.»
TRUMP VOWS TO REPLACE LABOR STATISTICS CHIEF WITH SOMEONE ‘COMPETENT AND QUALIFIED’
Democrats, of course, are going haywire. Janet Yellen, Biden’s Treasury secretary and Fed chief, said it reeked of a «banana republic.»
So once the president names his own person, will the markets and the public have confidence that future jobs numbers are real? Or will that appointee cook the books in his favor?
Trump’s case: «Last weeks [sic] Job’s Report was RIGGED, just like the numbers prior to the Presidential Election were Rigged. That’s why, in both cases, there was massive, record setting revisions, in favor of the Radical Left Democrats. Those big adjustments were made to cover up, and level out, the FAKE political numbers that were CONCOCTED in order to make a great Republican Success look less stellar!!! I will pick an exceptional replacement.»

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen talks to reporters during a news conference at the Treasury Department on Oct. 22, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Millions of business decisions are made based on the jobs number being a fair and reasonable estimate, based on Labor’s survey of participating companies.
But let’s pull back and look at some other recent Trump actions.
The Office of Special Counsel is now investigating Jack Smith, who brought two criminal cases against Trump, for violating the Hatch Act. That’s the law that bars government officials from making blatantly partisan comments. But it’s usually ignored: When Kellyanne Conway was accused of violating the act and recommended for dismissal, Trump just blew it off.
Ex-CIA director John Brennan and fired FBI chief James Comey are under criminal investigation for allegedly politicizing intelligence in 2016.
DOJ CRIMINALLY INVESTIGATING FORMER OBAMA OFFICIALS FOR HANDLING OF RUSSIA PROBE
Trump has also ordered a criminal probe of Barack Obama for his actions in 2016 and declared him guilty of «treason.»
I’d just offer a reminder that Trump’s special counsel in the first term, John Durham, investigated all this and brought no charges against these men.
I know that his files have recently been declassified, but Durham wrote:
«The office’s best assessment is that the July 25 and July 27 emails that purport to be from Benardo,» a man funded by George Soros, «were ultimately a composite of several emails that were obtained through Russian intelligence hacking of the U.S.-based thinktanks.» Durham indicted only three minor officials.

Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to members of the media at the US Department of Justice building in Washington, DC, on August 1, 2023. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump is extremely aggressive, of course, whether it’s suing the media (winning $16-million settlements from ABC and CBS); targeting Ivy League universities (Columbia agreeing to pay a $200-million penalty); ordering an investigation of first-term cybersecurity official Miles Taylor (better known as Anonymous); ordering federal agencies to cut ties with WilmerHale (and saying it was because Robert Mueller worked there), along with defunding NPR and PBS.
Oh, and did I mention that the current president has also ordered an investigation of pardons and other actions by Joe Biden, aimed at showing he was too mentally impaired to do the job? The former president, who is being treated for prostate cancer, dismissed the idea as «ridiculous.»
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All this projects an image of strength, enabling Trump to drive the news agenda. But it also reveals a president preoccupied by past grievances and determined to settle scores with opponents he believes unfairly targeted him.
And that’s why Erika McEntarfer is suddenly out of a job.
fox news media,politics,donald trump,jobs,economy,us
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Taiwán mantendrá su gasto militar en torno al 3 % del PIB en 2026 para reforzar su defensa ante las amenazas de China

El presidente de Taiwán, William Lai, anunció este martes que el presupuesto de Defensa del país se mantendrá en torno al 3 % del Producto Interno Bruto (PIB) en 2026, un nivel similar al de este año. La decisión fue confirmada durante la apertura del Foro Ketagalan en Taipei, un evento centrado en seguridad regional que contó con la participación del ex primer ministro británico Boris Johnson y otras figuras internacionales.
“En el presupuesto de Defensa del año que viene, alcanzaremos nuestro objetivo de casi el 3 % del PIB para mejorar las capacidades defensivas de Taiwán”, declaró Lai, al tiempo que reafirmó que su Gobierno continuará comprometido con el mantenimiento del statu quo en el Estrecho.
El anuncio llega en un contexto de tensión con el régimen de China, que considera a Taiwán una “parte inalienable” de su territorio y no ha descartado el uso de la fuerza para lograr su reunificación. Desde la llegada al poder de Xi Jinping en 2012, Beijing ha intensificado sus ejercicios militares en las cercanías de la isla y ha incrementado la presión diplomática para aislarla internacionalmente.
En su discurso, pronunciado en inglés, Lai calificó las maniobras chinas en el Estrecho de Taiwán y en los mares Meridional y Oriental como un “desafío sin precedentes al orden internacional basado en normas”. Afirmó que la expansión del autoritarismo requiere una respuesta conjunta de las democracias del mundo y pidió mayor unidad frente a lo que describió como una amenaza a la estabilidad global.
“Taiwán permanecerá junto a las democracias del mundo para hacer frente a los desafíos, apoyar el orden internacional basado en reglas, defender la paz a través de la fuerza y proteger el modo de vida libre y democrático que tanto nos ha costado conseguir”, afirmó el mandatario.
Lai subrayó la importancia estratégica de Taiwán en la región del Indo-Pacífico, al estar ubicada en la llamada “primera cadena de islas”, una línea de defensa geopolítica que va desde Japón hasta Filipinas y que ha sido identificada por analistas como clave en la contención del poder naval chino.

“Estamos en una posición clave en la primera cadena de islas. Esto convierte a Taiwán en un pilar fundamental para la paz y la estabilidad en el Indo-Pacífico”, aseguró el presidente. Añadió que su administración trabajará para profundizar las alianzas con otras democracias con el objetivo de “promover la prosperidad y el desarrollo globales”.
El mandatario isleño también reiteró que su Gobierno mantiene el compromiso de no alterar unilateralmente el statu quo en el Estrecho, una postura que ha sido respaldada por Estados Unidos y varios socios regionales, pero que contrasta con la creciente agresividad del discurso y las acciones de Beijing.
En los últimos años, China ha incrementado la frecuencia de sus ejercicios militares alrededor de la isla, incluyendo el uso de aviones de combate que cruzan la línea media del Estrecho —una frontera no oficial que había sido respetada durante décadas— y maniobras navales en aguas cercanas. Además, ha impulsado una ofensiva diplomática para reducir el número de países que reconocen a Taipéi como gobierno legítimo.
El Partido Democrático Progresista (PDP), en el poder desde 2016 y liderado por Lai desde 2024, sostiene que Taiwán ya es un país soberano bajo el nombre de República de China, con su propio sistema político, Ejército y Constitución. El Gobierno taiwanés defiende que su futuro solo puede ser decidido por sus 23 millones de habitantes.
Mientras tanto, la presión militar de China continúa en aumento. Según el Ministerio de Defensa taiwanés, solo en 2023 se registraron más de 1.700 incursiones aéreas por parte de aviones militares chinos en su zona de identificación de defensa aérea (ADIZ), una cifra que duplica los niveles de años anteriores.
En este contexto, el mantenimiento del gasto militar cercano al 3 % del PIB refleja la estrategia del Gobierno de fortalecer la capacidad de disuasión sin provocar una escalada directa. Para Taipei, la defensa de su sistema democrático y su soberanía se ha convertido en una prioridad frente a una amenaza regional que, en palabras de William Lai, “no es solo un asunto de Taiwán, sino una responsabilidad compartida para la seguridad en todo el mundo”.
(Con información de EFE)
Politics,Asia
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House Dem declares she is a ‘proud Guatemalan’ before American at Progressive International conference

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Several House Democrats, including members of the «Squad,» criticized the United States over the weekend at a conference in Mexico City that questioned U.S. influence and policies, with one lawmaker saying she was prouder to be Guatemalan than American.
The second annual Panamerican Congress brought leftist officials from all over North and South America. Those in attendance included Democratic lawmakers: Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ayanna Presley of Massachusetts, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania and Jesús Gilberto García and Delia Ramirez of Illinois.
All are members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
ESTABLISHMENT-BACKED DEMOCRAT WINS HIGH-PROFILE CONGRESSIONAL PRIMARY IN ARIZONA
Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., speaks during a news conference with immigration experts, DACA recipients, and Dreamers. Over the weekend, she attended a conference in Mexico City where she said she was a proud Guatemalan before an American. (Getty Images)
During her remarks at the opening of the event, Ramirez spoke about the Trump administration’s illegal immigration crackdown and her own ancestry.
«I’m a proud Guatemalan before I’m an American,» she declared in Spanish. The congresswoman also accused the U.S. of prioritizing «imperialism, militarization, conquest, control, competition in its attempt at domination.»
On her website, Ramirez, the child of immigrant parents, said her husband is in the country illegally and that she is the only congressional lawmaker «in a mixed-status marriage, and fights for the rights of DREAMers like her husband, Boris, and for comprehensive immigration reform.»
The White House condemned the remarks made by Ramirez, as well as her fellow Democrats.
«These Democrats’ comments are despicable and underscore their commitment to putting Americans last,» White House spokesperson Liz Huston told Fox News Digital. «In stark contrast, President Trump is working tirelessly to secure peace deals, deport illegal alien criminals, and advance America’s interests at home and abroad.»
‘WAR CRIMINAL NETANYAHU’: ‘SQUAD’ MEMBERS ERUPT OVER ISRAEL’S ‘RECKLESS’ STRIKE ON IRAN

Members of the far-left «squad» including Tlaib hold a press conference. (Getty Images)
Fox News Digital has reached out to Ramirez’s office, as well as several lawmakers who attended the summit.
In addition to immigration, speakers also voiced their views on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir, Colombia’s deputy minister of multilateral affairs, praised Tlaib during his speech, calling her a «symbol of resistance,» which prompted a standing ovation once he finished speaking.
The summit was organized by the leader of Progressive International, a radical left-wing group that describes capitalism as a «virus» that must be «eradicated» — in partnership with Morena, Mexico’s ruling left-wing party, the Daily Caller News Foundation reported.
WATCH: AOC OPENS UP ABOUT MEETING ZOHRAN MAMDANI, ICE ACTIVITY IN NYC
Gerardo Fernández Noroña, president of the Mexican Senate and member of Morena, called out the «persecution» of migrants in the U.S. under the Trump administration.
He called it «unjust, infamous, incorrect persecution where just for being a migrant and just for your skin color or your nationality, you are persecuted.»
«They are not only imprisoned, but sent to a prison that has been banned since World War II, such as Alligator Alcatraz,» he said. «The United States government is grieving over drug use, but I haven’t seen a single raid like the one they carry out against migrants against people who sell drugs in the United States.»
In a TV interview before the event, David Adler, the general coordinator for Progressive International and one of the summit’s main coordinators, said the intention of the summit was to confront authoritarian and fascist threats and shift authority from Washington, D.C. to developing countries, the DCNF reported, in the Global South, a term used to describe a loose division of nations across different continents that are generally poorer, have high levels of inequity and harsher living conditions.

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at AmericaFest, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Phoenix. The EPA said the letter was not representative of the Trump administration’s objectives. (Rick Scuteri)
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On its website, Progressive Internation described the U.S. as the «lynchpin of that imperial violence — a position it has carefully built over two centuries.»
The group cited U.S. military installations overseas and the massive Pentagon budget.
«US militarism sustains profound political tensions around the world. Its interventions have destroyed nation after nation, leaving a trail of violence and sorrow in their wake,» the website states. «Ending US militarism means saving lives.»
democratic party,location mexico,us,latin america
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