The House Oversight Committee is subpoenaing the estate of the late Jeffrey Epstein.

Democrats said the walkout inspired a national protest against GOP redistricting. But it also greased the path for other bills they oppose and unified Texas Republicans.

The governor announced he was expanding his special session agenda shortly after the Texas House passed a congressional map that Democrats had delayed by leaving the state.

The order bars Paxton from prosecuting O’Rourke’s nonprofit or otherwise bringing legal action aimed at revoking Powered by People’s charter.

Texas’ Democrats have returned to the state, ending their two-week-long boycott of Governor Greg Abbott’s special legislative session.

The gang looks at what’s next in the extra-special session, as Republicans prepare to finally pass a new congressional map.

After a two-week walkout, enough Texas House Democrats have returned to the Capitol to restore a quorum, allowing the second special session to begin. The return follows intense protest over Republicans’ mid-decade congressional redistricting effort.

Texas lawmakers redrew congressional districts in a partisan bid to give Republicans five additional U.S. House seats. The move set off a bipartisan war across the U.S.

After two weeks out of state, Democratic lawmakers returned to Austin, paving the way for Republicans to pass their proposed congressional map.

A second special session that has made approving the map a priority started Friday, shortly after the first one ended.

Texas House Democrats are expected to return to the state capitol on Monday after weeks of breaking quorum.

The federal budget deficits caused by President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law could trigger automatic cuts to Medicare if Congress does not act, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for another Texas Legislature’s special session after the first session was adjourned Friday morning after failing to make a quorum.

The second session is set to consider the same agenda that stalled in the first, with redistricting and disaster response at the top of the governor’s priorities.

In a statement, the House Democratic Caucus said its lawyers had advised returning “to build a strong public legislative record for the upcoming legal battle” against the GOP’s map.

With Democrats’ walkout over redistricting bringing the House to a standstill, both parties are accusing each other of abandoning Central Texas flood victims.

Democrats' absence has halted work in the Texas House, which must also approve the new boundaries, for more than a week.

In a dramatic turn of events, Texas Senate Democrats staged a walkout on Tuesday, challenging Governor Greg Abbott’s decision to prioritize redistricting over urgent flood relief for the state’s devastated communities.

The leaders of both chambers said they would adjourn for the session Friday if Democrats do not return, while the governor said he might add more items to his agenda.

Paxton sued O’Rourke and his political group, Powered by People, last week, arguing that the group was deceptively fundraising for and illegally supporting Texas Democrats’ walkout.

The governor and attorney general have asked the court to find that Democratic lawmakers abandoned their seats when they left Texas to delay a new congressional map.

Since Democratic lawmakers left Texas to delay Republicans’ new map, state leaders have challenged the limits of traditional democratic norms to break the impasse.

With no sign of Texas Democrats returning soon, Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening to call a series of special legislative sessions. He says he is authorized to call these sessions every 30 days.

With only a week left in the Texas special legislative session, key bills addressing crucial issues like flood relief and redistricting hang in the balance.

Texas Republicans have escalated the penalties against Democrats as they enter a second week camped out in states across the country to block new U.S. House maps pushed for by President Donald Trump to win more seats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

The order came at the request of Attorney General Ken Paxton, who O’Rourke accused in a separate lawsuit of going on a “fishing expedition, constitutional rights be damned.”

Gov. Greg Abbott previously asked the court to expel Rep. Gene Wu, the House Democratic leader. Paxton disputed the governor’s authority to make the request.

At the core of the fight in Texas over redrawing the state’s congressional districts is a debate over a time-honored right spelled out in the Constitution: Every two years, “the People” get to pick someone to represent their interests in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Democrats concede there’s only so much they can do to keep Texas from redrawing its maps. But they want to encourage blue states to retaliate.

The attorney general is calling on the “full faith and credit” clause of the U.S. Constitution, which says states should typically honor each other’s judicial proceedings.

In response to Texas Democrats blocking the quorum needed for redistricting, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, House Speaker Dustin Burrows, and Attorney General Ken Paxton are turning up the heat—threatening legal action and seeking federal help to bring the lawmakers back.

"We cannot allow these rogue legislators to avoid their constitutional responsibilities," U.S. Senator John Cornyn said in a statement.

The Texas Supreme Court said in 2021 the Constitution allows members to thwart legislation by leaving the state. Abbott wants them to reconsider.

Texas Democratic lawmakers who left the state to block a Republican plan for congressional redistricting are pleading for donations to help cover their costs.

“Is Gene Wu back in China?” state Sen. Mayes Middleton, a Galveston Republican, posted on X on Monday — the first day the House did not reach a quorum due to the absent Democrats.

While the Democrats could technically derail the GOP’s redistricting map, such efforts have been largely symbolic and had limited success blocking past legislation, experts say.

While the Democrats could technically derail the GOP’s redistricting map, such efforts have been largely symbolic and had limited success blocking past legislation, experts say.

Chair Rep. Gene Wu and his colleagues reassure their supporters: "We are safe, we are secure, and we are undeterred."

In this week’s episode, Matthew and Eleanor speak with state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, about her and her colleagues’ decision to flee the state, the potential financial and criminal penalties and her opposition to the state’s proposed new congressional map.

As a political chess match wages on against Texas lawmakers and an attempt to block a vote on a “rigged” congressional redistricting map, officials with the Democratic National Convention are joining the effort in Illinois.

Texas and California are at the center of a national political power struggle that could reshape Trump's second presidency.

Texas Republicans are trying to redraw congressional districts to pick up five additional U.S. House seats. Democrats face financial and political risk in their bid to block the GOP plan.

Democrats fled the state to stop Republicans’ attempt to redraw congressional districts, but bills aimed at everything from a THC product ban to bolstering flood response are now in doubt.

Dozens of Democratic state lawmakers in Texas have scattered across the country in a last-ditch effort to prevent Republicans from adopting U.S. House maps that President Donald Trump wants in place before the 2026 midterm elections.

Sunday night, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a heated statement warning of legal consequences for Democratic members of the Texas House who chose to leave the state to break quorum and block Republican-backed legislation earlier in the day.

As Texas House Democrats once again deny quorum over Republican-led redistricting efforts, marking the first Democratic walkout in more than four years.

In a dramatic escalation of opposition to redistricting efforts led by Republicans in Texas, the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus have expressed strong support for their House counterparts, who have denied quorum in protest of a proposed congressional map they call “rigged” and disenfranchising.

Texas Democrats have fled the state in an effort to keep Republicans from approving a new U.S. House map that could boost their slim congressional majority next year.

The lawmakers’ absence means the lower chamber won’t have enough members present to function, stalling passage of a draft map Democrats have condemned as a political power grab.

A stalemate over the pace of confirmations has delayed the Senate’s yearly August recess for now as President Donald Trump declares that his nominees “should NOT BE FORCED TO WAIT.”.

Democrats are launching a nationwide summer blitz designed to force vulnerable Republicans to defend President Donald Trump’s big tax and spending bill, especially Medicaid cuts.

The Senate has confirmed Joe Kent, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the National Counterterrorism Center.

Senate Republicans are considering changing Senate rules to speed up confirmation of President Donald Trump’s executive branch nominees, forcing a possible clash with Democrats as Trump pressures them to fill dozens of administration posts before they leave town for the monthlong August recess.

Democrats are again trying to revive the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965.

A judge has ordered that eight university board members tapped by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin should be removed from their posts.

A new poll shows support for Israel’s military action in Gaza has dropped among U.S. adults, with only about one-third approving.

Senate Democrats are imploring President Donald Trump's administration to step up its role in addressing suffering and starvation in Gaza.

Hundreds of Texas residents gathered at the University of Houston today to speak directly to lawmakers about a controversial redistricting proposal that could reshape the state’s political map.

A key House committee is looking into the investigation of the late Jeffrey Epstein for sex trafficking crimes.

A new poll shows Americans’ views of the Supreme Court have moderated somewhat since the court’s standing dropped sharply after its ruling overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Texas Democrats on Thursday slammed the GOP's unusual push to redraw the state's House maps to win more seats ahead of the 2026 elections.

President Donald Trump has signed a bill to cancel about $9 billion that had been approved for public broadcasting and foreign aid.

Michael Whatley, chairman of the national Republican Party, plans to run for an open Senate seat in North Carolina in 2026, with the blessing of President Donald Trump, after Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara, passed on the seat.

Under intense pressure from President Donald Trump’s own supporters, his administration now is asking a federal court to unseal secret documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s case.

Former Missouri congressman Billy Long was ceremonially sworn in as IRS commissioner on Friday.

House Republicans on Tuesday grilled the leaders of Georgetown University, the City University of New York and the University of California, Berkeley, in the latest hearing on antisemitism in higher education, accusing the schools of failing to respond adequately to allegations of bias or discrimination.

Senate Republicans are putting the popularity of Department of Government Efficiency spending cuts to the test this week.

Democratic President Joe Biden handed out subsidies to chipmakers and electric vehicle manufacturers.

Donald Trump has made tax cuts a central part of his political legacy.

The sprawling Republican budget bill approved by the Senate Tuesday removes a proposed tax on solar and wind energy projects but quickly phases out tax credits for wind, solar and other renewable energy.

A poll shows only 36% of Democrats say they’re “extremely” or “very” proud to be American, reflecting a dramatic decline in national pride that's also clear among young people.

The Senate parliamentarian has advised that a Medicaid provider tax overhaul central to President Donald Trump's tax cut and spending bill doesn't adhere to procedural rules.

Ten years after the Supreme Court ruled there's a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, the split between Republicans and Democrats on the issue is wider than it’s been in decades.

Casar, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, thinks economic populism and “authentic candidates” can win back recently converted GOP voters.

Republican senators are looking into former President Joe Biden's ability to serve in office.

The U.S. State Department says it is restarting the process for foreigners to apply for student visas but says all applicants must have their social media accounts set to ‘public’ to allow review by officials.

Here’s a look at senators, ranked from most conservative to most liberal, based on votes cast during the 2025 regular session.

Here’s a look at House members, ranked from most conservative to most liberal, based on votes cast during the 2025 regular session.

Senate Democrats were shaken to the core after seeing videos of officers aggressively pushing California Sen. Alex Padilla out of a news conference with the Homeland Security secretary and eventually restraining him on the floor outside the room.

House Democrats are searching for a new leader on the powerful House Oversight Committee after the untimely passing of their previous ranking member.

David Hogg says he will not fight to hold onto his leadership role in the Democratic National Committee.

President Donald Trump is looking to cancel $9.4 billion in spending already approved by Congress.

A new survey by the Pew Research Center finds little agreement between Republicans and Democrats in the media sources they trust.

Jones, a Democrat elected to the Texas House in 2022 and previously served on the Houston City Council, joins a slate of candidates running to fill the solidly blue seat.

Texas is poised to lead the country in an initiative to inform denizens of what’s in their food. Food industry experts say it’s going too far.

Senate Bill 12’s supporters say DEI programs use class time and public funds to promote political agendas.

The Senate has voted to block California’s first-in-the nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035.

House Republicans stayed up all night to pass their multitrillion-dollar tax breaks package.

As the field takes shape for the 2026 campaign, the Republican incumbent, Dan Patrick, starts with a large financial advantage.

Beginning next school year, the curriculum standards for Oklahoma high school students will including conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election.

Tax breaks tallying more than $5 trillion.

Amending the Texas Constitution to crack down on the state’s bail practices has been an elusive priority of Gov. Greg Abbott’s for three consecutive sessions.

The bill would bar those under 18 from checking out books with sexually explicit material without parental permission.

Concerns about measures to enforce a ban against a lawmaker’s access to voter files led the party to drop the vote, a party leader said.

Supporters of a measure to create a commission to study potential reparations for slavery in Maryland have rallied next to the Capitol and the governor’s residence to urge Gov. Wes Moore to sign the legislation.

Senate Democrats have blocked legislation to regulate a form of cryptocurrency after arguing that the bill needed stronger protections.

The Republican-led House has passed a bill that would rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and direct federal agencies to update their documents and maps to incorporate the new name.

House Republicans appear to be backing off some, but not all, of the steep reductions to the Medicaid program as part of their big tax breaks bill.

While Gov. Greg Abbott steps up his push for stricter bail rules, critics seek a balance between the rights of the accused and the goal of keeping dangerous defendants behind bars.

The bill would allow a vaccine exemption form to be downloadable. Currently, a form must be requested from the state and mailed to the recipient.