August 21, 2025: Trump presidency news and redistricting efforts in Texas and California

Our live coverage of the Trump administration, along with the redistricting efforts in California and Texas, has ended for the day. Follow the latest updates or read through the posts below.

The Capitol building is in Austin, Texas, on August 6.

The Texas Senate will reconvene at 10 a.m. CT tomorrow, after adjourning tonight without voting on the Republican redistricting bill.

The Senate vote is the final legislative hurdle for the GOP’s plan to redraw the state’s congressional maps to give Republicans five more favorable House districts ahead of next year’s midterm elections. The House approved the plan yesterday, and Gov. Greg Abbott has said he would sign it quickly.

Senators tonight passed a bill that establishes new standards aimed at preventing future flooding disasters at campgrounds and then adjourned.

The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia filed a lawsuit on today to stop the state from deploying its National Guard to Washington, DC, just days after GOP Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced that hundreds of guard members would join the Trump administration’s law enforcement crackdown in the nation’s capital.

The lawsuit, filed in state circuit court on behalf of a group of community organizers, alleges that the governor’s decision to deploy the members violated his constitutional and statutory authority. It argued that Morrisey “cannot transform our citizen-soldiers into a roving police force available at the whim of federal officials who bypass proper legal channels.”

Morrisey announced the deployment of 300 to 400 West Virginia National Guard members last weekend.

In response to a request for comment on the lawsuit, Drew Galang, deputy press secretary for Morrisey, said “West Virginia is proud to support our neighbors and the Commander-in-Chief when called upon.”

West Virginia National Guard troops have begun to arrive in Washington, DC, to assist with President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown in the nation’s capital, a defense official told CNN on Tuesday.

Other Republican governors from South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee have also announced they will send guard members to Washington, DC.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signs bills related to redrawing the state’s congressional maps in Sacramento today.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a redistricting plan today that will ask voters to replace the state’s current congressional maps with new ones aimed at netting Democrats five US House seats.

Ahead of signing the legislation, he said that it will “put the maps in front of the voters,” adding that California is “the first state in US history to — in the most Democratic way — submit to the people of our state the ability to determine their own maps.”

Newsom went on to say he felt it necessary to sign the legislation due to President Donald Trump’s actions while in office, including those in Texas — where another redistricting effort is underway to create five more GOP-leaning House districts.

The Texas House of Representatives yesterday passed a redistricting bill and it now heads to the state Senate before landing on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk for signature. While the Texas maps will take effect once they’re signed into law, the proposed California maps could still be rejected by voters.

CNN’s Tori B. Powell, Ethan Cohen, Arlette Saenz, Eric Bradner and Arit John contributed reporting.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as he announces the redrawing of California's congressional maps on August 14.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom raised $6.2 million in seven days in an early sign of the Democratic enthusiasm for his redistricting fight.

The contributions came from more than 200,000 donors, a spokesperson for the governor’s political team told CNN.

The money will help support Newsom’s campaign in favor of a ballot measure asking California voters to override the state constitution and implement new congressional maps intended to help Democrats gain five additional US House seats in next year’s midterm elections.

The fundraising haul was first reported by The New York Times.

California Democrats just passed their trio of redistricting bills, a day after Republicans in the Texas House passed new maps of their own.

Taken together, the bills backed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will ask voters to replace the state’s current congressional maps with new ones aimed at netting Democrats five US House seats.

How the bills will work: The legislative package approved by California lawmakers calls for a November 4 special election. Voters will be asked to consider a proposed constitutional amendment to override the lines drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission.

California voters took the power to draw congressional maps away from lawmakers in 2010, making the statewide referendum necessary.

The opposition: California Republicans have long acknowledged that their best chance of blocking the redistricting effort is by defeating it at the ballot box. A coalition of gerrymandering opponents and Republican leaders has already started to form to defeat the initiative, known as Proposition 50, in November.

State and national Democrats are also preparing to defend the initiative.

Big picture: California lawmakers framed their redistricting push as a response to Texas, where Republicans lawmakers are advancing new congressional maps at the behest of President Donald Trump. The Texas Senate could pass their new district lines, which will likely give Republicans an additional five US House seats, as soon as this evening.

While the Texas maps will take effect once they’re signed into law, the proposed California maps could still be rejected by voters.

An aye button is illuminated after a California assembly member voted during a meeting of the California State Assembly on Thursday.

The California Senate has, so far, passed two out of three redistricting bills that were also passed by the California Assembly, sending them to the governor’s desk for signature.

The trio of bills ask voters to set aside the state’s current congressional maps for new ones.

It’s an effort aimed at netting Democrats an additional five seats in the US House, matching those created for Republicans by new maps that are working their way through legislative approval in Texas.

Here’s a reminder of what the bills do:

Both the Assembly and the Senate have passed the bills describing the new congressional maps and proposing an amendment.

The final bill still needs to pass the Senate.

This post has been updated with new information from Senate votes.

Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett said he will not seek re-election in his Texas district if the courts uphold a new Republican-drawn congressional map.

The announcement could stave off a brutal Democratic primary as Doggett, who currently represents the 37th District in the Austin area, and Democratic Rep. Greg Casar, who currently represents the 35th District, were barreling towards a primary collision ahead of next year’s election.

Casar’s current district, which spans from Austin to San Antonio, is essentially wiped out to form a new GOP-favored 35th District in Texas under the new GOP maps. Casar has indicated he would want to run in the new 37th District if the maps pass. The Texas state House approved the new maps yesterday and the state Senate is expected to approve them as soon as tonight.

With Democrats preparing to file lawsuits challenging the maps, Doggett says he would forego a re-election bid if the court says the GOP-backed maps can stand, “even though it contains over 2/3rd of my current constituents,“

Doggett, 78, had previously encouraged Casar, 36, to seek to run in the newly-drawn 35th District.

President Donald Trump speaks with members of law enforcement and National Guard soldiers in Washington, DC, on Thursday.

President Donald Trump visited the US Park Police Anacostia Operations Facility in Southeast Washington, DC, tonight, delivering off-the-cuff remarks to law enforcement across several agencies.

Trump reiterated that his efforts to crack down on crime may expand beyond DC, but said the priority is on the capital right now.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers from DC Metropolitan Police, the National Guard, Homeland Security, Drug Enforcement Administration, US Marshals and FBI were spotted outside for Trump’s remarks. Officers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were also in attendance.

“Everybody’s safe now. Everybody feels safe,” Trump said.

Some key context: Roughly eight in 10 DC residents oppose Trump’s federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department, according to a new Washington Post-Schar School poll. You can read our fact check of his claims on DC crime here.

More on the visit: Trump was accompanied by several members of his Cabinet, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. Emil Bove, a controversial former Justice Department official who was recently confirmed as a federal appeals court judge, also attended.

Trump brought hamburgers from the White House and pizza from the local chain Wise Guys.

“We’re going to have a little fun, we’re going to celebrate, but then we’re going to get back to work and we’re going to take care of these criminals, we’re going to put them where they have to be,” Trump said.

This post has been updated with additional information and context from Trump’s visit.

Texas is on the cusp of passing a new GOP-drawn congressional map.

As we await a full vote in the Texas Senate later this evening, here’s a look at how the new districts would have changed results if they’d been in place for the 2024 election:

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, in March.

While we wait for more news on the Trump administration’s law enforcement outing this evening and state redistricting efforts, here are some other key news lines to know:

Smithsonian: The White House has pointed to examples to demonstrate why President Donald Trump escalated his attacks against the Smithsonian Institution. These include a past infographic describing “aspects & assumptions of whiteness” in American culture, which the National Museum of African American History and Culture removed five years ago after outrage from conservatives; an oil painting of refugees crossing the border wall; and programming at the National Museum of the American Latino that highlighted “Latinas and Latinos with Disabilities.” CNN has reached out to the Smithsonian Institute.

State Department vetting: There are more than 55 million foreigners who have valid US visas and all of them are being continuously vetted, a State Department official said on today.

Executive action: Trump signed an executive order today launching an “America by Design” initiative and “National Design Studio” that aims to make federal services more user-friendly. Two White House officials say Joe Gebbia, co-founder of AirBnb, is expected to take on the role of chief design officer. One official described his role as helping redesign government websites, similar to what he did with retirement services. Initial results are expected by July 4, 2026, which includes updating websites and physical sites.

Katie Porter, a Democrat and candidate for California governor, made a distinction between her state’s mid-decade redistricting attempt and what state lawmakers are doing in Texas.

“The real voices here that are going to count are the voices of the people of California,” she told CNN today.

That’s because the Democratic proposal in California is a three-bill package — one that describes the new map, one that proposes a constitutional amendment and one that calls for and funds a November 4 special election for Californians to vote on the amendment.

State lawmakers are voting right now on these bills, but if they pass, Porter said people in the state will have several months to weigh in.

State residents will have the opportunity to “study these maps, to have a debate, to ask questions” and ask their local legislatures questions, Porter said.

This is different from the process in Texas, whose new map has passed the state Senate committee and is headed for a final vote in the upper chamber tonight, before the governor will sign it into law.

California’s congressional maps are typically created by an independent commission, that’s why a constitutional amendment is needed to temporarily redraw district lines.

California state lawmakers just passed another bill as part of Democrats’ three-part legislative package aimed at redrawing the state’s congressional maps.

The state Assembly has now passed a second bill — this one calling for and funding a November 4 special election on Proposition 50, the proposed constitutional amendment that would allow Democrats to override the maps drawn by the independent redistricting commission during the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections.

The goal is to net the party another five seats — matching those created for Republicans by new maps that are working their way through legislative approval in Texas.

Where things stand: There are three more votes to watch. The state Senate needs to pass both bills passed by the state Assembly, while the Assembly needs to pass the bill that was approved by the Senate earlier.

Essentially, lawmakers are passing the legislation back and forth between the chambers until all three parts of the legislative package have received a two-thirds majority in both the Assembly and Senate.

We’ll keep you posted.

Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas, left, takes a photo with Democratic Assembly member Ash Kalra during a meeting of the California State Assembly on Thursday.

The California Assembly and Senate have each separately passed their first of three redistricting bills that will ask voters to swap the state’s current congressional maps for new ones aimed at netting Democrats an additional five seats in the US House.

The California Assembly has voted 57-20 to approve a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the redrawing.

Separately, the California Senate has passed a bill on a 30-9 party-line vote describing the new congressional maps Democrats hope voters will approve in a November 4 special election.

What’s next: It’s a swap. The Senate bill must pass in the Assembly, and the Assembly bill must pass in the Senate.

And the Democratic proposal is a three-bill package, so another piece of legislation — one calling for and funding the November 4 special election — must also pass through the legislature. All three bills need a two-thirds majority in both chambers to pass.

If the proposed constitutional amendment, Proposition 50, is approved by voters, the new maps would be in place in California during the 2026, 2028 and 2030 elections.

Why this matters: Democrats have framed their redistricting push as a countermeasure to moves by GOP-led states like Texas, which is in the process of passing new maps that could net Republicans up to five additional seats.

The plan from Democrats initially included a trigger to only take effect if another state engaged in mid-decade redistricting. That provision was removed today, one day after the Texas state House passed GOP-drawn new congressional maps, with a spokesperson for the speaker of the state Assembly saying the Texas vote had rendered the trigger language unnecessary.

This post has been updated with information about the state Senate vote.

A Ukrainian service member fires a self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops near a front line in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump appeared to offer a rationale for Ukraine to go on offense against Russia today — notable rhetoric as the momentum around peace talks has stalled.

He criticized the Biden administration, which had a long-standing policy that Ukraine could not launch long-range American-made missiles into Russia. That changed in November 2024, following pressure from US allies.

Efforts for peace talks: Trump’s comments come as the Kremlin has openly contradicted the White House on plans for a bilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, suggesting that leader-level talks are far from imminent and that Putin has yet to agree to such a meeting.

What Zelensky is saying: Zelensky said Russia’s massive overnight attacks on Ukraine demonstrate Moscow is “trying to wriggle out of the need to hold a meeting.” In his nightly video address today, the Ukrainian president said the Russians “do not want to end this war. They are continuing their massive attacks against Ukraine and very fierce assaults on the front lines.”

Other diplomacy: Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney talked today about “how to build on the president’s leadership to support long-term peace and security for Ukraine and Europe,” according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.

Vice President JD Vance declined to say where law enforcement officials are sending homeless people in Washington, DC, after their encampments are cleared.

Pressed on the matter during a visit to Georgia, Vance said “The question betrays a certain misunderstanding of what we’re trying to do and what is the nature of real compassion.”

He then recounted a story about his family being yelled during a trip to DC years ago, arguing that the administration is focused on keeping those with mental health issues off the streets.

He later alluded to ensuring people have access to mental treatment, but did not offer any details.

Vance, who was in Georgia to tout Republicans’ domestic policy law, also demurred when asked if the White House plans to deploy troops to other cities, but did not rule it out.

“We have focused on Washington, DC, because it’s a federal city under our jurisdiction but we certainly hope that, whether it’s Atlanta or anywhere else, people are going to look around and say, ‘We don’t have to live like this,’” he said. “We hope that people see what we’re doing in Washington, DC, and follow our example all across the country.”

Remember: President Donald Trump federalized the city’s police force and deployed the National Guard in the nation’s capital earlier this month, citing a public safety emergency.

The president has repeatedly complained about rising crime in DC, but overall crime numbers are lower this year than in 2024. Here’s our fact check.

Texas state Rep. Gene Wu sits through debate over a redrawn US congressional map in Texas during a special session, on Wednesday.

Democrats and Republicans are engaged in a battles over redistricting in California and Texas as they seek to influence the upcoming midterm elections. which will determine the balance of power in the House of Representatives.

Before we get into those details, the news in Washington, DC, is that President Donald Trump said in an interview that he plans to join law enforcement on the streets of the capital tonight. A senior White House official said the details are still being worked out, but this comes after Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth staged a lunch to thank the National Guard members deployed to DC at the Shake Shack inside Union Station.

OK, now for the details on redistricting:

Texas: A state Senate committee has advanced the GOP-drawn congressional map passed by the state House. Now it’s ready for a vote in the full Texas Senate. The upper chamber will reconvene at 7 p.m. local time (8 p.m. ET), but it’s unclear how quickly they will take up the bill, as other items are also on the calendar. State Democrats plan to challenge the GOP-drawn House map, Texas State Rep. Gina Hinojosa told CNN.

California: Democrats are taking up their proposed constitutional amendment to temporarily redraw their congressional maps. State Republicans filed a lawsuit to stop the Democratic redistricting effort, but California’s Supreme Court yesterday rejected the challenge. The GOP lawmakers had attempted to stop the proposed amendment from making it onto the ballot on the grounds that the legislature didn’t give voters enough notice.

With reporting contributions from Maureen Chowdhury, Kristen Holmes, Samantha Waldenberg, Anna Chernova,Shania Shelton, Lauren Kent, Clare Sebastian, Victoria Butenko, Svitlana Vlasova and Mitchell McCluskey.

Texas Republicans are poised to pass a new congressional map backed by President Donald Trump that will create five more GOP-leaning House districts in time for next year’s midterm elections.

Watch CNN’s Arlette Saenz reports on how the Democratic governor of California plans to fight back.

You also can watch this report here on YouTube

Former GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he will be raising funds to defeat California Democrats’ redistricting proposal introduced in response to the GOP effort in Texas to redraw congressional lines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Saying there’s a “unique group” forming to oppose California redistricting, McCarthy touted the efforts of Charles Munger, son of a late billionaire financier, and former GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who have mobilized for the fight. And he said he would be involved with his own committee.

McCarthy was repeatedly pressed on the push by Texas Republicans to redraw congressional lines, potentially netting Republicans five US House seats in the state next year’s 2026 midterms, and he defended the push — though he expressed unease with the potential of cascading retaliation.

The former GOP House speaker and onetime California Assembly member also referenced his own support for a citizens redistricting commission in the state legislature. And he cautioned Republicans against drawing too many conclusions from the results of previous elections.

Members of the National Guard patrol the Washington Monument on August 16.

President Donald Trump said in an interview that he plans to join law enforcement on the streets of Washington, DC, this evening.

A senior White House official said the details of the evening are still being worked out.

Trump’s plan comes a day after Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth staged a lunch to thank the National Guard members deployed to DC at the Shake Shack inside Union Station.

Many of the National Guard members at the lunch said they had come from South Carolina — one of six red states that have announced they have or will send guard members to DC. Others include West Virginia, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee.

Remember: Trump federalized the city’s police force and deployed the National Guard in the nation’s capital earlier this month, citing a public safety emergency.

The president has repeatedly complained about rising crime in DC, but overall crime numbers are lower this year than in 2024. Here’s our fact check.

This post has been updated with additional information on Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and federalization of DC police.

CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo contributed to this post.