Friday, July 25, 2025

Texas does 180 on 'racial gerrymanders'

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This is America

Stories of justice and action across America

Fri Jul 25 2025

The Texas legislature got back to work this week. On their agenda is a congressional map redraw that has Republicans wary and Democrats balking. Yee haw.

Hey there, This Is America readers. Savannah Kuchar here, along with Phillip M. Bailey.

For years, Texas Republicans have argued the state's congressional maps are "race blind" − despite a 2021 redraw that diminished the electoral power of voters of color.

Fast forward to this July: The Department of Justice sent Gov. Greg Abbott a letter raising concerns about "unconstitutional racial gerrymanders" in Texas. In an eyebrow-raising 180, Abbott then appeared to cite that letter in his decision to put redistricting on the special session agenda.

Urged on by President Trump, the result could be a rare mid-decade gerrymander that Republicans hope could flip as many as five congressional seats come next year's midterms.

In state, Democrats are threatening to walk out and stall procedures. Outside, leaders from key blue states are promising a tit-for-tat response.

The State Capitol is seen on July 21, 2025 in Austin, Texas.

Brandon Bell, Getty Images

For more on what's happening deep in the heart of Texas, check out the USA TODAY Network's coverage:

•	Expanding agenda: Gov. Greg Abbott adds abortion pill ban, flood bills to session agenda
•	Top-line items: Texas congressional redistrict, THC ban are the priority bills for state Senate
•	'Whether we win or lose': Texas Democrats vow to delay GOP redistricting effort
•	Our On Politics newsletter delivers the biggest stories from DC to Dallas: Sign up here

Dr. King's daughter claps back at Trump records release

This week, the Trump administration unloaded roughly 240,000 pages of records surrounding Dr. Martin Luther King's 1968 assassination over the objections of the iconic civil rights leader's family.

For decades, there has been interest from historians − not to mention conspiracy theorists − in the documents in the hopes it would reveal more. Thus far, the release has been a letdown and historians have found little in terms of new revelations about King's death in the documents, which do not include FBI wiretap recordings or other materials that will be kept under seal until 2027.

"The idea that there's some sort of secret document showing that (former FBI Director) J. Edgar Hoover did it is not how any of this works. Part of the challenge is getting the American public to understand it's nowhere near as exciting," Michael Cohen, a University of California, Berkeley professor and author of a book on conspiracies in American politics, told USA TODAY.

Bernice King looks on as the Equal Justice Initiative unveils a new statue of her father, Martin Luther King Jr., in Montgomery, Ala., on June 14, 2024.

Mickey Welsh / Advertiser, Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Enter King's youngest daughter, Bernice, who along with her brother Martin Luther King III have objected to the records being released without having a look at them first. The family believes dumping the documents on the country's lap is an attempt to injure King's legacy and "spread falsehoods."

"Now, do the Epstein files," Bernice King said in a July 21 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Trump has been under intense pressure by Make America Great Again activists to release more information related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who was a former friend of the president.

Thanks for reading with us! We'll be back next week with more stories of belonging and diversity from across the country. In the meantime, find us on social @ savannahkuchar and @phillipmbailey.