Texas Democrats have left the state, fleeing to Illinois to block a controversial redistricting vote. Gov. Greg Abbott has now ordered their civil arrest, claiming they’ve abandoned “the job they were elected to do.”
Plus, did former President Barack Obama’s intelligence team stage the Russia collusion story? That’s the claim now fueling a push for a grand jury investigation. But Democrats say it’s pure political theater.
And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it’s time to finish the job and has asked his war cabinet to approve a full-scale “conquest” of Gaza.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025.
Texas governor issues civil arrest warrants for Democrats who fled state
Texas Democrats are standing firm Tuesday, Aug. 5, in Chicago, as the showdown over a proposed redistricting map heats up. Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered law enforcement to locate and arrest the Democrats who fled the state.
“Our sleeves are rolled up, and we are ready to take this fight wherever it’s going to take us. Because our communities, our state and our nation are definitely worth fighting for,” Texas state Rep. Jessica González said.
More than 50 Democrats left Texas in protest ahead of Monday’s special session vote on the new map, denying Republicans the quorum they needed to advance the legislation.
Shortly after the Democrats missed the 3 p.m. deadline for their return, Texas Republicans voted 85 to 6 to authorize the House sergeant-at-arms and related officers to track down and civilly arrest them. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows signed it.
“To be absolutely clear, leaving the state does not stop this house from doing its work; it only delays it. And every day this chamber is unable to act, the cost grows,” Burrows said.
Democrats said they will return to the state for the special session if Republicans drop their redistricting efforts.
“Let’s be clear, this special session was supposed to be about saving lives after a tragedy. A cabin full of eight-year-old girls was washed away in the middle of the night. Families called 911, only to hear that help wasn’t coming. At the end of the day, 137 Texans lost their lives. That’s an emergency. That demands our action,” said Texas state Rep. John Busey. “But instead of holding hearings on flood prevention, Greg Abbott and Donald Trump held eight hearings on redistricting. Not for fairness, not for representation, but to manufacture five more Republican seats in Congress to enable Trump to cling on to power. That isn’t governing. That’s a heist. And we are here to stop it.”
Abbott argued the Democrats are the ones stopping Texans in need from getting help after last month’s devastating flooding.
“Texans are being let down and not getting the flood relief they need because these democrats have absconded from the responsibility,” Abbott said. “I believe they have forfeited their seats in the state legislature because they’re not doing the job they were elected to do.”
Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has looked to join the fight. He said that if Texas Republicans are successful in their attempts to redraw the state’s congressional map, giving them five more seats in Congress, he’ll push for California to redraw its own map, adding five Democratic seats to balance it out.
“It’s cause and effect. It’s triggered on the basis of what occurs or doesn’t occur in Texas,” Newsom said. “I hope they do the right thing, and if they do the right thing, then there’ll be no cause for us to have to move forward. But again, we’re working with the legislature on a trigger that, if they do move forward, California will not sit by idly and watch this democracy waste away. We’ll fight fire with fire, we’ll assert ourselves, and we’ll punch above our weight, and it will have profound impacts on the national outcome.”
Newsom has called for new maps to go into effect for the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections.
After that, redistricting power would revert to California’s nonpartisan citizen redistricting commission.
DOJ weighs grand jury probe into 2016 Russia intel claims
Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered a grand jury investigation into whether Obama-era officials broke the law in their handling of intelligence on Russia’s attempts to influence the 2016 election.
The move follows a criminal referral from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who publicly accused top Democrats, including former President Barack Obama, of what she called a “treasonous conspiracy” to damage President Donald Trump by setting him up.
Bondi has since established a “Strike Force” to examine the evidence.
A senior administration official said a grand jury will now be asked to consider potential indictments, though no targets or charges have been named.
Critics labeled it a political stunt, citing multiple investigations, including a bipartisan Senate report and the Durham report. Those reports found no criminal conspiracy by Obama officials and confirmed that Russia did interfere in the election.
The Justice Department has declined to comment.
Netanyahu to convene war cabinet to approve full ‘conquest’ of Gaza
As negotiations over a hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza seem to have stalled, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with his security cabinet on Tuesday, Aug. 4. He will request their support for the “full conquest of the strip,” according to Israeli media reports.
Multiple outlets reported that Netanyahu wants the Israeli military to expand its operations throughout the entire enclave, including areas where Hamas is holding hostages.
The news comes after months of mediated ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas collapsed this week, despite assurances by U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who was in Israel this past weekend, that he’s working on a plan to end the war in Gaza.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the reported plans and called on the international community to “intervene urgently to prevent their implementation, whether they are a form of pressure, trial balloons to gauge international reactions, or genuinely serious.”
Russia urges calm as Trump deploys nuclear submarines
The Kremlin is calling for calm, even as pressure mounts from within.
In a rare statement Monday, Aug. 4, Moscow warned against “nuclear rhetoric” after President Donald Trump moved two U.S. submarines into the region, responding to a threat from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
Medvedev — now a hardliner on Russian social media — made a subtle reference to Russia’s “Dead Hand” system: a last-resort nuclear strike on the U.S., even if Russia’s leaders are eliminated.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tried to downplay the tension, distancing President Vladimir Putin from Medvedev’s language, saying that Russia is “very cautious about nuclear nonproliferation matters, and we believe everyone should be very careful about nuclear rhetoric.”
But the call for de-escalation comes as life in Russia-controlled Ukraine becomes more desperate. In the Donetsk region, children in Russian-occupied villages are now pleading with Putin for drinking water.
Those scenes sharply contrast with the state-approved images of kids playing in Mariupol fountains, while many neighborhoods still go days without running water.
Moscow-backed officials blame Ukraine, but Ukraine maintains it is Russia that has destroyed all the infrastructure.
State Department to require visa bonds from high-risk countries
The State Department intends for some foreign visitors to post bonds to enter the U.S. It announced the launch of a 12-month pilot program that could require tourists and business travelers from certain countries to put up a bond of $5,000 to $15,000 when applying for a visa.
The requirement targets countries with high overstay rates and weak screening systems.
Consular officers will decide the bond amount — usually $10,000 per adult and $5,000 per child — but they could adjust it based on circumstances.
Also, as the Trump administration keeps tightening immigration rules, some visa renewals might now need an in-person interview in the U.S. The affected countries haven’t been announced yet, but officials said the list will be released soon and could change at any time.
The final rule is expected to be published Tuesday, Aug. 5, and take effect by Wednesday, Aug. 20.
NASA to build nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030: Politico
Under its new interim boss and former Fox News host Sean Duffy, NASA aims to build a nuclear reactor on the moon and will announce plans this week, according to a report by Politico.
A NASA official told Politico that it’s about outpacing China and Russia in the next major space race.
Critics have called it ambitious, especially with NASA’s budget getting slashed.
The goal is to install a 100-kilowatt reactor there by 2030, which could power future moon bases and missions to Mars.
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Author: Craig Nigrelli
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