Good morning, it’s Tuesday, August 5, 2025. In today’s edition, Texas Republicans seek to arrest absent Dems; redistricting wars go national; U.S. Sen. Murkowski open to Alaska governor bid:
Top Stories
REDISTRICTING: House Democrats who absconded to Illinois and New York are delaying Republican plans to redraw U.S. House district maps. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has threatened to remove quorum-busting Democrats from office unless they returned to Austin by Monday. Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) would have to file a lawsuit accusing legislators of “abandoning” their seats, setting off a lengthy and uncertain legal process. (Pluribus News)
The harsh reality: Even if Abbott succeeds in booting Democrats, the state’s House district map is drawn in such a way that there are few truly competitive districts. Any vacant districts would almost certainly elect new Democratic candidates.
MORE: The Texas House voted to issue arrest warrants for House Democrats who fled the state. Speaker Dustin Burrows (R) said he would immediately sign the civil arrest warrants, which do not apply outside of state lines. (Texas Tribune)
EVEN MORE: Vice President J.D. Vance is headed to Indiana to discuss potential mid-decade redistricting with Gov. Mike Braun (R). Republicans believe they could target Rep. Frank Mrvan (D), who holds a seat in northwest Indiana. California Democrats have privately agreed to a map that would target five Republican-held seats. (Punchbowl News, State Affairs) Maryland Democrats are discussing potential new map lines that would target Rep. Andy Harris (R), who holds a district on the Eastern Shore. (Baltimore Sun)
MEDICAID: Cuts and cost-shifts under the new reconciliation law President Trump signed last month mean states will likely need to cut spending or use savings to pay for Medicaid services, lawmakers said at NCSL’s annual Legislative Summit. Lawmakers are working to understand how the federal law will impact Medicaid programs, one of the largest line items in state budgets. (Pluribus News)
GIG ECONOMY: California Sen. Aisha Wahab (D) has introduced legislation to bar retailers from using artificial intelligence to raise prices based on consumer information including a phone’s battery life. The measure is meant to block ride hailing companies like Lyft and Uber from charging more if a customer’s phone is about to die. (CalMatters)
PUBLIC HEALTH: Colorado has received a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to bar SNAP recipients from using benefits to purchase soda and sugary beverages. USDA approved similar waivers for West Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas on Monday. (Denver Post)
IMMIGRATION: New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) has signed legislation banning state schools, colleges and universities from being used to shelter migrants. The bill makes exceptions for short-term shelters during natural disasters. (New Hampshire Bulletin)
WILDFIRES: California is on pace to have the worst fire season in recent memory. More than 220,000 acres have burned already, almost 100,000 acres more than average during the last five years. Even without the devastating Los Angeles fires, this year’s fire season would be worse than average. (Los Angeles Times)
In Politics & Business
ALASKA: U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) won’t rule out a run for governor in 2026. Asked if she was considering a bid, Murkowski said: “Sure.” Seven Republicans are already in the race to replace term-limited Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R). (Anchorage Daily News)
WISCONSIN: U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R) worked booths hosted by conservative groups at the Wisconsin State Fair ahead of a potential gubernatorial run on Monday. Tiffany said he’s unlikely to make a formal decision before Labor Day. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
CALIFORNIA: Businessman Stephen Cloobeck (D) is buying $1.4 million in television ads for his gubernatorial campaign. The first-time candidate also bought time in New York City, Washington, D.C., and West Palm Beach for a spot linking President Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. (Los Angeles Times)
IOWA: State House Republicans have elected Rep. Bobby Kaufmann (R) as their new majority leader. Kaufmann replaces Rep. Matt Windschitl (R), who is running for Congress. (Des Moines Register)
By The Numbers
$5 million: The amount California has spent suing the Trump administration, according to Attorney General Rob Bonta (D). Bonta said those legal fights have saved the state nearly $170 billion — a return on investment of $33,600 per dollar spent. (Los Angeles Times)
$67 million: The amount in unused vacation hours California Highway Patrol employees collected when they left their jobs in 2024. The average payout to the 1,299 employees was about $52,000. One CHP captain in Mendocino County pocketed just shy of $400,000 in unused time. (Sacramento Bee)
7,599: The number of tickets issued by new work zone speed cameras in Washington State, in just the first four months of operation. First-time violators won’t pay fines, so only 262 speeders have been fined, the State Patrol said. (Washington State Standard)
Off The Wall
Korson’s Tree Farms in Montcalm County, Mich., will supply this year’s White House Christmas tree, an 18-foot blue spruce. The same farm gifted an 11-foot Fraser fir to then-Vice President Joe Biden in 2011. “This is our Super Bowl,” owner Rex Korson said. (Bridge MI)
Bonita Gibson, of Canton, Ohio, celebrated her 114th birthday alongside a 28-foot-long Big Idaho Potato Truck. The truck’s operators got in touch with Gibson’s family after seeing news that she led the Plymouth Fourth of July Parade. (Detroit Free Press)
Headline of the day: “One of the KC area’s two Mike Thompsons is leaving the Kansas legislature.” That’s Rep. Mike Thompson (R), not Sen. Mike Thompson (R). (Kansas City Star)
Quote of the Day
“In Utah, we don’t like the federal government. They tell us how we can use our land and how many people we can marry.”
— Utah legislative analyst Jonathan Ball, during a Medicaid budget panel at the National Conference of State Legislature’s annual Legislative Summit.