The National Park Service is in disarray
O N A HOT DAY in July, several visitors to Yosemite National Park, along the mountainous spine of California, go on a bear walk. No bears are spotted, but the group learns about what they eat (wild raspberries), where they frolic (lush meadows) and what to do if you encounter one on the trail (don't run!). In the busiest part of the park, tourists trek to waterfalls and queue for snacks and T-shirts at the visitor centre. The bathrooms are dirty, but no worse than when your correspondent visited last summer. All seems well, yet there is trouble lurking.
But the Democrats' response is self-defeating
Could factory-made units ease America's housing shortage, too?
Under pressure, America's oldest university may make a deal
Beyond the WWE, liberals grapple with a MAGA bastion
Some brawl in public while others pursue cross-party deals
The administration hopes to undo perverse incentives
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The Guardian
35 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Texas Democrats flee state to prevent vote on redrawing congressional map
Texas Democrats are fleeing the state to prevent a vote on Monday that could see five new Republican-leaning seats created in the House of Representatives. About 30 Democrats said they planned to flee to Illinois, where they plan to stay for a week, to thwart Republican efforts by denying them a quorum, or the minimum number of members to validate the vote's proceedings. In a statement, Texas Democrats accused their counterparts, the Texas Republicans, of a 'cowardly' surrender to Donald Trump's call for a redrawing of the congressional map to 'continue pushing his disastrous policies'. 'Texas Democratic lawmakers are halting Trump's plan by denying his bootlickers a quorum,' the statement read. The scheme to flee the state is reported to have been put together by the Illinois governor, JB Pritzker, who met with the Texas Democratic caucus late last month and has directed staff to provide logistical support for their stay. The Texas group has accused Texas governor Greg Abbott of withholding aid to victims of Guadalupe River flooding last month in a bid to force the redistricting vote through. 'We're leaving Texas to fight for Texans,' Gene Wu, the Texas House Democratic caucus chair, said in a statement. 'We will not allow disaster relief to be held hostage to a Trump gerrymander.' 'We're not walking out on our responsibilities; we're walking out on a rigged system that refuses to listen to the people we represent,' Wu added. 'As of today, this corrupt special session is over.' Last week, Texas Republicans released a proposed new congressional map that would give the GOP a path to pick up five seats in next year's midterm elections, typically when the governing party loses representation in congress. The areas affected by the redistricting plane would target Democratic members of Congress in and around Austin, Dallas and Houston, and two districts in south Texas that are Republican but nudging closer toward Democrat control. The plan to flee the state is not without potential consequences. Members of the Texas Democrats face a $500-a-day fine and possible arrest, a measure that was introduced in 2023, two years after Democrats left the state for three weeks to block election legislation that included several restrictions on voting access. Ultimately, that bill passed but not before Democrats were able to claim something of a moral victory after stripping the measure of some of its provisions. The latest plan to leave the leave the state came after a House committee approved new congressional maps on Saturday. 'This map was politically based, and that's totally legal, totally allowed and totally fair,' Cody Vasut, a Republican state representative and committee member, told NBC News. Vasut pointed to disparities in other states, including California, New York and Illinois, where the weighting of seats to votes is strongly in Democrats favor. 'Texas is underperforming in that. And so it's totally prudent, totally right, for Texas to be able to respond and improve the political performance of its map,' he said. The political backdrop to the Texas redistricting fight colors Pritzker into the picture of a national fight. Pritzker, a billionaire member of the family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain, is seen as looking toward a bid for the 2028 Democrat presidential nomination. In June, he addressed Democrats in Oklahoma where he met privately in a 'robust' meeting to discuss about Texas redistricting, according to NBC News. He later met with Texas Democrats, where offered assurances he would find them hotels, meeting spaces and other logistical assistance. The absence of the Democrats on Monday threatens to derail other issues Abbott is tabling, including disaster relief after to the deadly central Texas floods last month. 'Democrats in the Texas House who try and run away like cowards should be found, arrested, and brought back to the Capitol immediately,' Texas's attorney general, Ken Paxton, said in a post on X. 'We should use every tool at our disposal to hunt down those who think they are above the law.' Texas house speaker Dustin Burrows said that if, at 3pm on Monday, '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'.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Democrats flee Texas to block Republican redistricting map backed by Trump
Democratic state lawmakers have fled Texas in an attempt to stop a vote on a new congressional map that would heavily favour map, unveiled by Texas Republicans earlier in the week and backed by President Donald Trump, contains redrawn districts that would help preserve the party's slim majority in the US House of Representatives of the 150-member Texas House must be present in order to hold a vote. Fifty-one Democratic lawmakers have fled to Chicago, denying Republicans the required said they plan to stay away for two weeks until the end of a special legislative session convened by Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott to hold the vote. Each of the 51 lawmakers could face a $500 (£380) fine for each day they are away, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, had previously threatened to arrest legislators who break quorum. In a statement to media, Texas Democrats defended the move."We're not walking out on our responsibilities," said Texas state legislator and chairman of the Democratic caucus Gene Wu. "We're walking out on a rigged system that refuses to listen to the people we represent."The redrawn map could win Republicans five more congressional seats in areas where Trump had made gains during the 2024 presidential includes a redistricting of the Rio Grande Valley, as well as combining two Austin districts currently held by Democrats. In northern Texas, the new map would expand a district currently held by Democratic House representative Julie Johnson to include rural Republican strongholds. It would also redraw four Houston-area seats, including one held by Democratic congressman Al Green.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Donald Trump-supporting soccer fan kicked out of MLS stadium for wearing a MAGA cap
Shocking footage has emerged showing a soccer fan getting kicked out of a St. Louis City game for wearing a 'Make America Great Again' cap in the stands. The clip, first shared by reporter Greg Keller on X, shows a man named Michael Weitzel filming himself as police escort him out of the team's stadium because of his clothing. 'I am being evicted from the premises because of Donald Trump - because we can't wear Donald Trump hats in public,' Weizel says. 'Now I am being evicted from the premises. Trump is not welcome at St. Louis City SC club. Trump is not welcome here. 'I'm being asked to leave by the police. I am being threatened with arrest. They are asking me to leave.' A police officer escorting Weitzel out of the stadium can be heard explaining that he is a Trump supporter too but has to carry out the club's rules banning political statements at the stadium. Booing and jeering can also be heard in the background. 'He gets it, he's just following the rules,' Weitzel says of the officer dealing with him. 'It's not his fault. This is the stadium's rules here.' It is unclear precisely when the incident happened. Keller posted the video on August 2, saying that it occurred 'last night' but the most recent St. Louis City game was held on July 30 - a friendly game against Premier League team Aston Villa. Major League Soccer fan code of conduct rules state on their website that supporters are not allowed to make political gestures through their clothing at games. Listed in the prohibited section of the MLS website, the rule says: 'Displaying signs, symbols or images for commercial purposes or for electioneering, campaigning or advocating for or against any candidate, political party, legislative issue, or government action.' St. Louis City SC, when contacted for comment, directed Daily Mail to those guidelines and offered no further statement. The fan appears to be told by security that his ban only covers the game in question and that he would be allowed back in the future. Keller, meanwhile, later said that the the video is being reviewed by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, who Daily Mail has contacted for comment. MLS has also been offered the chance to speak about the video. The same issue has arisen in other sports across the United States. Last October, San Francisco 49ers fans said they were stopped from bringing Trump merchandise into Levi's Stadium before an NFL game. The fans in question shared video to TikTok showing stadium security telling them to throw their hat away or to leave the stadium. It was the same game where Nick Bosa gatecrashed an interview with a 'MAGA' cap The woman who uploaded the footage said it caused a 45-minute dispute before security eventually relented and let the family in - although they missed the beginning of the game. Ironically, after the 49ers beat the Dallas Cowboys on October 27, San Francisco guard Nick Bosa gatecrashed a post-game interview wearing a white MAGA cap. He was fined $11,255 by the NFL. According to league rules, players are prohibited from displaying a personal message or non-sponsored branding 'at any point throughout a game day when visible at the stadium and TV audience, including postgame interviews in the locker room or on the field.' Bosa was unapologetic, telling reporters: 'I haven't got one (a fine) yet, but if it comes, it comes. It was well worth it.' After Trump won last November's election, Bosa largely stayed silent aside from saying: 'Clearly, the nation spoke. And we got what we got what we want.'
