Judge dismisses racketeering indictment against New Jersey Democratic power broker, co-defendants
Superior Court Judge Peter Warshaw granted Norcross' and other defendants' motion to dismiss a state grand jury's indictment on racketeering charges brough by Attorney General Matt Platkin.
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Newsweek
10 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Greg Abbott Threatens to Expel Texas Democrats as They Thwart Redistricting
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has threatened to remove "derelict Democrats" from the state's House of Representatives if they fail to return by Monday afternoon. The threat came after numerous Texas Democrats left their home state and traveled to Illinois in an effort to prevent the state legislature from holding a vote that would approve Republican-backed redistricting maps. In a letter to the Democrats, Abbott wrote: "Real Texans do not run from a fight. But that's exactly what most of the Texas House Democrats just did... rather than doing their job and voting on urgent legislation affecting the lives of all Texans, they have fled Texas to deprive the House of the quorum necessary to meet and conduct business." Why It Matters Abbott's threat intensifies the face-off over Republican efforts to redraw the districting map in Texas to bolster the party's chances of retaining the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterm elections. Republicans in other states facing significant battleground contests have looked to follow a similar path. Republicans have slim majorities in both the U.S. House and Senate, giving Democrats hopes of retaking at least one of the Houses of Congress in next year's elections. Governor Greg Abbott speaking in Kerrville, Texas, in July. Governor Greg Abbott speaking in Kerrville, Texas, in July. Jacquelyn Martin/AP What To Know Abbott said in his statement that the Texas Democrats' absences were "premeditated for an illegitimate purpose... the specific purpose of abdicating the duties of their office and thwarting the chamber's business." He said their action amounted to "an abandonment or forfeiture of an elected state office." He added: "This truancy ends now. The derelict Democrat House members must return to Texas and be in attendance when the House reconvenes at 3.00 p.m. on Monday. "For any member who fails to do so, I will invoke Texas Attorney General Opinion No. KP-0382 to remove the missing Democrats from membership in the Texas House." More than 51 Democratic members of the Texas House left the state on Sunday, aiming to deny the chamber a quorum and prevent passage of the proposed Republican map before a scheduled floor vote. The Texas House requires the presence of at least 100 of its 150 members to conduct business. With only 62 Democratic members in the chamber, their collective absence can halt legislative proceedings. Abbott had called a special session to address the flooding that killed 135 people last month in Texas Hill Country and the redistricting plan. Texas House Democrats join Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in Carol Stream on Sunday. Texas House Democrats join Illinois Governor JB Pritzker in Carol Stream on Sunday. Mark Black/AP Democrats have argued that if Republicans succeed in redrawing the Texas districts, Trump will push other states to do the same. Speaking in Chicago on Sunday, Texas House Democratic Caucus chair Gene Wu said: "We're not here to play political games. We're here to demand an end to this corrupt process. Today is the day this corruption ends. "If Donald Trump is allowed to do this, once again cheat and get away with it, there's no stopping this, it will spread across the country... and rip it apart." Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, said that the Texas Democrats had no choice but to leave their state to block the vote "and protect their constituents." "Let's be clear, this is not just rigging the system in Texas. It's rigging the system against the rights of all Americans for years to come," he said. What People Are Saying Abbott said in his statement: "In addition to abandoning their offices, these legislators may also have committed felonies. Many absentee Democrats are soliciting funds to evade the fines they will incur under House rules. Any Democrat who "'solicits, accepts, or agrees to accept' such funds to assist in the violation of legislative duties or for purposes of skipping a vote may have violated bribery laws. See TEX. PENAL CODE § 36.02. "The same could be true for any other person who 'offers, confers, or agrees to confer' such funds to fleeing Democrat House members. I will use my full extradition authority to demand the return to Texas of any potential out-of-state felons." Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote on X: "Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately. We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law." The Texas House Democratic Caucus said in response to Abbott's threat: "Come and take it." Colin Allred, a former Democratic Senate candidate for Texas, said in a statement:"Texas House Democrats just did what this moment demands — they broke quorum to stop a blatant power grab. This wouldn't have happened without the thousands of Texans who showed up, testified, and refused to be ignored. You gave them the strength to act. "This fight isn't just about maps — it's about power. When Republicans silence Black and Latino voters, they're not just rigging elections. They're rigging who gets health care, clean water, and a fair shot. "Let's be clear: they don't just want to rig the vote. They want to use that power to rig the economy — to keep helping the wealthy and well-connected while working families get left behind." What Happens Next Texas Republicans are attempting to find legal means of passing the proposed redistricting maps, though that may lead to a drawn-out legal battle. The U.S. Supreme Court is already reviewing a dispute over redistricting in Louisiana, and earlier this year overturned a lower court's decision that ruled South Carolina's congressional map as unconstitutional.
Boston Globe
39 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Gavin Newsom is going low. Is this the future of Democratic campaigns?
Shallow, juvenile quips are not atypical for a platform that has devolved into a safe space for bullies and their simpering followers. But the account that produced them is not that of your usual troll. @GavinNewsom is the personal, and very active, X account of the governor of California, a presumptive Democratic presidential candidate in 2028. And it has become quite spicy of late. Advertisement For most of his six and a half years in office, Newsom's social media persona was what you might expect from any governor — serious, informative, self-promotional. But his public persona began to evolve earlier this year, in what many observers saw as an attempt to broaden his appeal nationally beyond the Democratic base. For example, in February he launched a podcast in which he held rap sessions with MAGA influencers — such as conservative activist But the common-ground approach took a back seat in June after President Trump federalized the National Guard and sent US Marines into Los Angeles to 'protect' immigration agents as they conducted aggressive immigration raids. The governor was understandably angered by the assault on his state and its people, and he was no longer willing to hide it. The gloves came off, replaced by a set of virtual brass knuckles. Among many other recent posts, Newsom has taunted Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as Advertisement Newsom has apparently decided that the way to beat the White House trolls is to out-troll them. 'I think it's smart,' said Mike Madrid, a California-based Republican political strategist and a cofounder of the Lincoln Project, a political action committee formed by moderate conservatives dedicated to opposing Trump (though he's not involved with it now). He noted that the gutter is the current arena of American politics, and if you want to be a player, you have to get a little dirty, like it or not. Besides, Democrats have been dying for a leader who will fight back effectively against the president's increasingly ugly rhetoric. So far, Newsom's snarkiness appears to be paying off. A Have other Democrats adopted the Newsom approach? 'Not yet,' Madrid said, 'but they will.' Oof. If this is the future of presidential campaigns, it's going to be a muddy few years. Advertisement Steve Maviglio, a Democratic political consultant in Sacramento, says he's not a fan of Newsom's strategy. 'To me, it's the little dog barking at the big dog trying to get his attention,' Maviglio told me. But what troubles both Maviglio and Madrid (and me) is that Newsom is considering going beyond warring with words and is flirting with the same sneaky tactics as his political opponents by subverting the mission of the state's independent redistricting process. In response to the Intentionally rigging districts, whether or not you convince voters to play along, is pretty stinky. Not only does this follow the same playbook Trump and his GOP allies have employed, but it could But who knows? Maybe the only way to win the White House in the near future is to be as tricksy as the other guy. So far, no Democrat has figured out another method to effectively compete with MAGA. Advertisement They go low, we go high? That's old school. They go low, we go lower? Perhaps. Heaven help us.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Texas governor threatens to remove Democrats who left state over Trump-backed redistricting
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he will begin trying to remove Democratic lawmakers from office Monday if they don't return after dozens of them left the state in a last-resort attempt to block redrawn U.S. House maps that President Donald Trump wants before the 2026 midterm elections. The revolt by the state House Democrats, many of whom went to Illinois or New York on Sunday, and Abbott giving them less than 24 hours to come home ratcheted up a widening fight over congressional maps that began in Texas but has drawn in Democratic governors who have floated the possibility of rushing to redraw their own state's maps in retaliation. Their options, however, are limited. At the center of the escalating impasse is Trump's pursuit of adding five more GOP-leaning congressional seats in Texas before next year that would bolster his party's chances of preserving its slim U.S. House majority. The new congressional maps drawn by Texas Republicans would create five new Republican-leaning seats. Republicans currently hold 25 of the state's 38 seats. A vote on the proposed maps had been set for Monday in the Texas House of Representatives, but it cannot proceed if the majority of Democratic members deny a quorum by not showing up. After one group of Democrats landed in Chicago on Sunday, they were welcomed by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, but declined to say how long they were prepared to stay out of Texas. 'We will do whatever it takes. What that looks like, we don't know,' said state Rep. Gene Wu, the Texas House Democratic Caucus leader. But legislative walkouts often only delay passage of a bill, including in 2021 when many of the same Texas House Democrats left the state for 38 days in protest of new voting restrictions. Once they returned, Republicans still wound up passing that measure. Four years later, Abbott is taking a far more aggressive stance and swiftly warning Democrats that he will seek to remove them from office if they are not back when the House reconvenes Monday afternoon. He cited a non-binding 2021 legal opinion issued by Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, which suggested a court could determine that a legislator had forfeited their office. He also suggested the lawmakers may have committed felonies by raising money to help pay for fines they'd face. 'This truancy ends now,' Abbott said. In response, House Democrats issued a four-word statement: 'Come and take it.' The state of the vote Lawmakers can't pass bills in the 150-member Texas House without at least two-thirds of them present. Democrats hold 62 of the seats in the majority-Republican chamber and at least 51 left the state, said Josh Rush Nisenson, spokesperson for the House Democratic Caucus. Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows said the chamber would still meet as planned on Monday afternoon. 'If a quorum is not present then, to borrow the recent talking points from some of my Democrat colleagues, all options will be on the table. . .,' he posted on X. Paxton, who is running for U.S. Senate, said on X that Democrats who 'try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately.' Fines for not showing up A refusal by Texas lawmakers to show up is a civil violation of legislative rules. The Texas Supreme Court held in 2021 that House leaders had the authority to 'physically compel the attendance' of missing members, but no Democrats were forcibly brought back to the state after warrants were served that year. Two years later, Republicans pushed through new rules that allow daily fines of $500 for lawmakers who don't show up for work as punishment. The quorum break will also delay votes on flood relief and new warning systems in the wake of last month's catastrophic floods in Texas that killed at least 136 people. Democrats had called for votes on the flooding response before taking up redistricting and have criticized Republicans for not doing so. Illinois hosts Texas lawmakers Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender who has been one of Trump's most outspoken critics during his second term, had been in quiet talks with Texas Democrats for weeks about offering support if they chose to leave the state to break quorum. Last week, the governor hosted several Texas Democrats in Illinois to publicly oppose the redistricting effort, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom held a similar event in his own state. Pritzker also met privately with Texas Democratic Chair Kendall Scudder in June to begin planning for the possibility that lawmakers would depart for Illinois if they did decide to break quorum to block the map, according to a source with direct knowledge who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations. 'This is not just rigging the system in Texas, it's about rigging the system against the rights of all Americans for years to come,' Pritzker said Sunday night. Trump is looking to avoid a repeat of his first term, when Democrats flipped the House just two years into his presidency, and hopes the new Texas map will aid that effort. Trump officials have also looked at redrawing lines in other states. ___ Associated Press writer Nadia Lathan in Austin contributed to this report. Solve the daily Crossword
