NATIONAL

Texas Democrats Leave State to Prevent Mid-decade Gerrymandering: More than 50 Texas House Democrats have fled the state to try to stop Republican state lawmakers from redrawing congressional district maps that could help the GOP flip five Democratic seats during the 2026 midterm elections. A majority of the remaining members of the Republican-controlled Texas House have voted to track down and arrest their absent colleagues through civil warrants signed by House Speaker Dustin Burrows – a largely symbolic move since the warrants can only apply in Texas. TEXAS TRIBUNE

Democrats Draw up Plans to Retaliate if Republicans Gerrymander Texas — But They Face Legal Hurdles: Democrats in America's two biggest blue states are hatching plans to respond in kind to a mid-decade move by Texas to draw a friendlier House map for Republicans. Retaliation threats have come from California Gov. Gavin Newsom and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who lead states where Democrats control large legislative majorities. Two can play at this game, they say, vowing to eliminate GOP-held seats in their states similarly. But that's easier said than done. Democrats face legal hurdles in California and New York, states that have restricted partisan gerrymandering, a measure liberal advocates have pushed in previous years as a means to promote good government. Texas has no such limits, so GOP Gov. Greg Abbott has called a special session to draw a new map. NBC

Cars, Coffee, and Clothing to Get Pricier with New Tariffs: Americans are paying more for coffee, appliances, home furnishings, toys, and shoes than they were a few months ago, and they could soon face higher prices on more goods as the Trump administration’s latest round of sharper tariffs kicks in. WASHINGTON POST (Paywall)

Travel experts Sound the Alarm about a Significant Drop in US Tourism: The World Travel and Tourism Council says America is on track to lose $12.5 billion in international visitor spending this year. Oxford Economics projects the U.S. will be the only country to see that type of decline. Experts say the decrease is due to the costly and lengthy process to get a visa, and the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration, which is leaving travelers on edge. ABC 7 NY

US Air Force Denies Early Retirement for Group of Transgender Service Members: The U.S. Air Force is denying early retirement to all transgender service members with between 15 and 18 years of military service, opting instead to force them out with no retirement benefits, according to a memo seen by Reuters.

DESI NEWS

Physician-Scientist Neeta Thakur Is Taking on Trump on Behalf of Disadvantaged Communities: Thakur, 45, a pulmonologist, is the lead plaintiff among six UC researchers who in June won a class-action preliminary injunction against the efforts of several federal agencies to carry out Trump’s executive orders seeking to eliminate research grants deemed to focus on areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The administration has filed a notice of appeal. INDIA CURRENTS

Tariffs on Indian Products Go to 50%: The new tariffs on some Indian goods would be among the steepest faced by any U.S. trading partner. Indian goods exported to the U.S. totaled $87 billion in 2024, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, with pharmaceuticals and jewelry among its top product types, followed by petrochemicals and textiles. USA TODAY

Indian-origin FDA Chief Returns to Agency After Ouster: Dr. Vinay Prasad, who was ousted from the FDA following pressure from right-wing activists over his statements about Trump, has been reinstated by RFK Jr. Dr. Prasad is not without controversy. During COVID, he was an outspoken critic of the vaccine and mask mandate. During his brief stint at the FDA, he limited the use of COVID vaccines and spread the word about a rare side effect. TOI

IMMIGRATION & CITIZENSHIP

Police Investigate a Kansas City Council Member’s Citizenship: It started with someone complaining to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) about testimony Arroyo submitted in February to a state Senate committee in opposition to a bill that would eliminate in-state tuition for immigrants. The individual — whom the KBI declined to identify — questioned whether Arroyo was a U.S. citizen and eligible to hold public office. The KBI referred the complaint to Lenexa police, who questioned Arroyo. KANSAS REFLECTOR

ICE Uses Starkly Different Tactics to Arrest Immigrants in Red and Blue States: In Republican-leaning states, 59% of ICE arrests occur in prisons and jails. Conversely, in Democratic-leaning states, ICE is more likely to arrest immigrants from the community, with 70% of arrests taking place at worksites, streets, and during mass roundups. ABC 6 NEWS

CORRUPTION ALERT

How Trump Twisted the DOJ to Deliver the Retribution He Craves: Seven months after returning to office, insisting the justice system had been weaponized against him, President Trump has reshaped it to suit his agenda in a way that is unprecedented in American history. This week, that agenda took another vengeful turn, when Attorney General Pam Bondi opened a criminal investigation against one of Trump’s biggest adversaries—New York Attorney General Letitia James. DAILY BEAST

SCIENCE, HEALTH & SAFETY

A NASA Satellite that Scientists and Farmers Rely on May be Destroyed on Purpose: The Trump administration has asked NASA employees to draw up plans to end at least two major satellite missions. They are the only two federal satellite missions that were designed and built specifically to monitor planet-warming greenhouse gases.  If the plans are carried out, one of the missions would be permanently terminated, because the satellite would burn up in the atmosphere. The data the two missions collect is widely used, including by scientists, oil and gas companies and farmers who need detailed information about carbon dioxide and crop health. NPR

Administrative Bottlenecks Delay Aid to Texan Flood Victims: In the week after floods tore through Texas Hill Country, most survivors were unable to get through to a federal aid hotline because the Department of Homeland Security let funding lapse. The call center staffing meltdown appears to have happened because of an administrative bottleneck created by the Trump administration. NPR

RFK Jr. Pulls $500 Million in Funding for Vaccine Development: The Department of Health and Human Services will cancel contracts and pull funding for some vaccines that are being developed to fight respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and the flu. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that 22 projects, totaling $500 million, to develop vaccines using mRNA technology will be halted. AP

TAKE ACTION

Local and state elections are a great way to combat the forces of fascism and authoritarianism at the federal level. This November, TSB is working on elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. These state offices protect the American people from the worst impacts of federal policy that is geared towards the wealthy. Join us as we make an all out push to get Democrats out to vote. See how you can help at https://www.theyseeblue.org/victory-in-2025