February 5, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Supreme Court lets California use new Democrat-friendly congressional map

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed California to use a new congressional map that will undermine President Donald Trump’s effort to keep control of the House of Representatives, marking a defeat for Republicans who claimed one of the new districts was redesigned based on race rather than politics. There were no noted dissents, and the court did not explain its reasoning. The emergency appeal from state Republicans was the latest to reach the high court tied to an ongoing arms-race-style mid-decade redistricting that Trump initiated to keep the House after the midterm elections.

click here for more

California redrew its map, which puts five GOP-held seats in play, as a response to a partisan redistricting in Texas that benefited Republicans. Federal courts, including the Supreme Court, don’t get involved in cases dealing with partisan gerrymanders. But state Republicans had argued that racial considerations motivated the redrawing of one district that covers portions of the Central Valley between San Francisco and Fresno. Those allegations were based largely on comments by a mapmaking consultant, Paul Mitchell, who said publicly that he intended to “ensure that Latino districts” were “bolstered” in the 13th Congressional District. The state’s “professed purpose was to pick up five seats in Congress for the Democratic Party to offset the five seats the Republican Party gained in Texas,” California Republicans told the Supreme Court in their emergency appeal. “But those officials harbored another purpose as well: maximizing Latino voting strength to shore up Latino support for the Democratic Party.” The map was ultimately approved by state residents in a referendum in which 64% of voters backed the plan.

Cornyn campaign targets Paxton’s divorce in heated exchange

The spat, like so many these days, began on X. A bruising Republican primary race between U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton erupted Wednesday with the men trading personal insults. Paxton took aim at Cornyn’s relevance. Cornyn’s campaign responded with a taunt over Paxton’s divorce and cheating scandal. In an already bitter race to get the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate, the exchange stood out. The fight unfolded when Paxton posted a story from The New York Times about the extraordinary amount of money pouring into the March 3 race in an effort to save Cornyn, who is seeking his fifth term. Cornyn is by far the best-funded contender in the tight race between Paxton and U.S. Rep, Wesley Hunt, but the race is widely expected to head to a runoff in May.

click here for more

In a tweet, Paxton shared a snippet from The Times story: “Some establishment Republicans worry that no matter his financial advantage, he will be a serious underdog against Mr. Paxton in the runoff — and that donors’ money would be better spent helping Republicans like Senator Susan Collins of Maine in the fall.” Paxton chimed in with his own thoughts: “Cornyn’s career is done and everyone knows it. He’s stolen $50+ million from races in NC, ME, MI, and GA and what does he have to show for it?” More than an hour later, Cornyn’s campaign fired back: “Ken, when this over, you will have nothing. Which turns out to be the same thing you offered to give Angela in divorce proceedings. This after you cheated on her multiple times.” Angela Paxton, a Republican state senator from McKinney, filed for divorce last year after nearly four decades of marriage, citing her husband’s alleged infidelity among the reasons. Unsealed divorce records revealed that Paxton asked his estranged wife in a response to “take nothing.” Paxton has blamed the divorce on political attacks and public scrutiny. Paxton did not respond to an email for comment from The Dallas Morning News. In an email to The News, Matt Mackowiak, senior campaign adviser for Cornyn, said, “Sen. Cornyn believes character matters. In this primary, character is on the ballot.” This is not the first time Cornyn has poked fun at Paxton’s romantic history. Last year, he posted news that Coldplay would introduce camera-free sections for concertgoers after a CEO was caught on a “kiss cam” with a woman who was not his wife. “Good news for @kenpaxtontx,” he wrote. A month later, responding to Paxton’s instructions to Texas public schools to display the Ten Commandments, Cornyn took another swipe: “Might want to brush up on the Ten Commandments, Ken.”

State Stories

Jon Hagler: Regents have failed to protect TAMU’s independence

(Jon Hagler, a 1958 graduate, received an honorary doctorate from Texas A&M in 2015. He was the lead donor for the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study, which annually brings renowned scholars to Texas A&M for a year to collaborate with faculty and students.) A time comes when silence starts to feel like betrayal. That time for me is now, as I watch the board of regents of the Texas A&M University System bow to political pressure and shirk its obligations to preserve academic freedom and institutional independence. Independence is a cornerstone of institutional excellence. I think this is especially true for educational institutions. That is why a mandate for independence is embedded into existing Texas law and into current Texas A&M System policy. But a Dec. 10, 2025 investigative news article in the Texas Tribune exposed how Texas A&M System regents have allowed undue political influence to affect our university in significant ways. More recent reports chronicle how political influence has reached directly into classrooms. Late last year, regents imposed restrictions on how faculty can talk to students about race or gender. Texas A&M then killed an entire set of programs — women and gender studies in the College of Arts and Sciences — and canceled six classes, including a graduate course on ethics, of all things. In an untold number of other classes, faculty and administrators are censoring curricula. One example involves limiting the philosophies of Plato.

click here for more

I watch these alarming matters closely because I am a proud former student, Aggie class of 1958, who has actively supported decades of efforts — beginning with those of former Texas A&M President Earl Rudder — to transform my beloved alma mater from the small, all-male military college I attended to one of America’s genuinely great public universities. Regents are flouting two provisions of Texas statute. Sec. 51.352 of the Education Code says it is the responsibility of each governing board to “preserve institutional independence and to defend its right to manage its own affairs through its chosen administrators and employees.” Texas A&M System Policy (02.01.2(a)) mirrors that provision. The state’s Education Code goes on to say that each university must “protect intellectual exploration and academic freedom” and “strive for intellectual excellence.” To me, it appears that our regents are failing in their sworn duty to uphold state law. In the Tribune article, Board Chairman Robert Albritton acknowledged that regents have made key decisions in compliance with the wishes of Gov. Greg Abbott or to alleviate other political pressure coming from Austin.

Wildlife refuge, historical sites vulnerable to border wall construction

Long-time environmentalist Jim Chapman points out his favorite trees as he walks among the brush and crunches on the trails of Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Chapman is a board member of the Friends of the Wildlife Corridor, a nonprofit that helps to safeguard thousands of acres of these wildlife tracts along on the U.S.-Mexico border of South Texas. On Tuesday, he greeted other park visitors, examined the vegetation, and even stopped to decipher the species of an animal based on its droppings.

click here for more

A retired physician’s assistant, the 78-year-old says he loves it here, and he spends plenty of time on the trails and talking with fellow enthusiasts. But he’s worried should a new border wall dissect this national park. “It would keep wildlife that’s in the refuge from getting out and when this becomes absolutely dire is when the river goes into flood,” Chapman told Border Report during a stroll through the 2,000-acre park. “Then everything that can’t fly or swim drowns,” he said. He remembers the 2015 flood when waves of wildlife and trees died from standing water. And if there’s a 30-foot-tall steel border wall built and 15-foot-long buoys put in the river, he says the animals will have no where to escape. His biggest concern is that Congress did not put language into the last summer’s Big Beautiful Bill providing for Santa Ana’s exemption from border wall construction, as it has for annual appropriations bills for the past few years. Other exemptions included La Lomita Chapel; the National Butterfly Center; Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park; the Eli Jackson Cemetery; and other historical cemeteries in the Rio Grande Valley.

Todd Little: Data centers are powering Texas’ next era of growth

(Todd Little is executive director of the North Central Texas Council of Governments and a former Ellis County Judge.) Texas is entering one of the most consequential periods of growth in its history, and recent extreme weather underscores why infrastructure investment matters. As freezing temperatures moved across the state in recent weeks, Texas avoided the kind of widespread power outages seen in past storms. Governor Greg Abbott pointed to years of grid upgrades and private sector investment as key to that reliability. Those improvements were supported in part by long-term commitments from large power users, including modern data centers, which give utilities the certainty needed to strengthen generation, transmission, and overall grid reliability. Our state is on track to add and attract several million new residents in the decades ahead. Meeting that growth will require a strategy that strengthens infrastructure, supports long-term economic development, and positions Texas to lead in the industries shaping the future.

click here for more

A surprising force is helping to meet that challenge: modern data centers. These facilities have become the backbone of the digital economy, but in fast-growing regions across North Texas like Ellis County and Red Oak, they also play a much more immediate role. Local leaders across the region increasingly recognize data centers as critical partners for preparing communities to absorb growth responsibly, not just through technology, but through infrastructure investment. They are emerging as one of the most effective levers for upgrading long-overdue infrastructure and preparing communities for the next chapter of Texas’ development and prosperity. Much of our state’s critical infrastructure was built 50 to 60 years ago. Electric substations, water systems and transmission corridors were never designed for the population and economic footprint that exists today. What our grid needs most is capital investment. Data centers can provide a dependable revenue base that helps unlock those investments. Large facilities provide utilities with financial certainty to build new generation, reinforce transmission, and upgrade the grid in ways that benefit all customers. An analysis by the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and The Brattle Group found that states with growing large-load demand have often seen more stable electricity prices, in large part because major users like data center operators help spread the fixed costs of maintaining an aging grid. Already, this model is taking shape in our state. When major operators commit to building in Texas, their long-term, around-the-clock demand allows utilities and local governments to accelerate upgrades that have been postponed for years. Increasingly, operators are turning to a bring-your-own-power approach, pairing new facilities with dedicated generation or battery storage that comes online alongside them.

Hutchins city leaders meet to discuss ICE detention center as residents continue opposition

Hutchins city leaders met briefly Wednesday to discuss a proposed immigration facility as residents and local lawmakers gathered to oppose it. The federal government plans to convert a 1 million-square-foot warehouse into a detention center that would house up to 9,500 migrants, as first reported by the Washington Post. Mayor Pro Tem Steve Nichols reiterated the council has not received confirmation or information about the facility. The council took no action Wednesday. “To date, no one from the city has been contacted by the federal officials to discuss any such plans or local impact,” he read from a statement during the special called meeting. “We are not even aware of the need of transfer having been reported to the county for the properties in question."

click here for more

Nichols told the public they would keep the community informed and “act to protect community interest to the best of our abilities.” The facility would be one of five sites in Texas, according to documents reviewed by the Post. It would be located in an industrial area off of I-45. City leaders and community members have spoken out in opposition to the proposed warehouse since it was first reported. “If you think anybody up here is on board with it, you're in the wrong building,” Mayor Mario Vasquez said during a council meeting earlier this week. Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, lawmakers and activists with the League of United Latin American Citizens held a news conference outside Hutchins City Hall to express their opposition to the detention center. “We should never accept the idea that a small working class city should be forced to host the largest detention center in the nation against its will,” said state Rep. Linda Garcia. “Hutchins has said we did not choose this. We do not want this, and we deserve to be heard.”

Project Safe Neighborhoods expanding in North Texas to fight violent crime, feds say

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas on Tuesday announced the expansion of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program into Northwest Dallas to combat violent crimes. The program aims to reduce violent crime by utilizing data, intelligence and community engagement, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould said during a press conference. The key partners in this project include the FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; IRS and local police agencies, Raybould said. “We work very closely with the (Dallas police) chief here to pinpoint areas with significant violent crime rates. It combines and leverages federal, state and local law enforcement officials, prosecutors and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in our community,” Raybould said.

click here for more

Northwest Dallas has become a “corridor for organized criminal” activity, Raybould said. Law enforcement agencies said they have seen networks that exploit people, traffic narcotics and illegally move firearms. “Often times, these crimes like drug trafficking and sex trafficking do not occur in isolation,” Raybould said. Traffickers rely on guns for intimidation, control and protection of their criminal proceeds along with drugs to entrap and manipulate victims, launder money and commit various tax crimes, Raybould said. The program also provides support and resources to the victims through specialists who help them through the criminal process by accompanying them to court and notifying them of upcoming events along with mental health and counseling services, Raybould said. He said the goal for Northwest Dallas is to reduce violent crime linked to drugs, guns and human trafficking and increase early victim identification. “Our goal is ultimately, we want people to have a safe and better life,” Raybould said.

A look at the top fundraisers in San Antonio's congressional races

Out of more than 40 candidates competing to represent Bexar County in Congress, former Major League Baseball player Mark Teixeira, a political newcomer vying to replace U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Dripping Springs), is raising money in a league of his own. Campaign finance reports covering money raised and spent up to Dec. 31 were due Saturday for federal candidates. Teixeira’s indicated that the 45-year-old Bee Cave resident had raised more than $3 million — $545,000 from donors and a staggering $2.5 million personal loan — since launching a congressional bid in August. He’s one of a dozen candidates running for the GOP nomination in the deep-red 21st Congressional District, which drew several other Republicans with connections to state and national donors, including former FEC Chair Trey Trainor, and former Small Business Administration adviser Michael Wheeler.

click here for more

But the next-highest fundraisers in that race reported having about a tenth as much money to spend on their campaigns as Teixeira, who played 14 seasons of professional baseball and signed a $180 million contract with the New York Yankees in 2008. Self-funding dominated the crowded field of Republicans running to succeed Roy. After Teixeria, the next-highest fundraiser was Wheeler, a financial analyst who has worked at some of the nation’s largest banks. He reported a total of $325,000 raised as of Dec. 31, including a $250,000 personal loan. Similarly, Jason Cahill, who owns his own oil and gas company in Boerne, raised $284,000, including a $250,000 personal loan. After narrowly surviving his 2024 primary runoff, Gonzales appears to be spending big for this year’s four-way race. He’s raised big money from PACs that typically give to incumbents, reported $2.5 million in the bank at the end of 2025 and has been on TV with ads for much of January touting his endorsement from Trump.

National Stories

'This job sucks,' overwhelmed DHS lawyer says in court hearing over ICE's response to judicial orders

An exasperated and frustrated Department of Homeland Security attorney declared in a stunning moment in court that her job "sucks," the existing legal process "sucks," and that she sometimes wishes that the judge would hold her in contempt so she "can have a full 24 hours of sleep." Julie Le, who according to public records is a Department of Homeland Security attorney that had been detailed to the U.S. Attorney's office, was called to testify Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minn., about why the government has been nonresponsive to judicial orders regarding people in ICE detention. "What do you want me to do? The system sucks," Le told Judge Jerry Blackwell, according to a court transcript obtained by ABC News. "This job sucks. And I am trying [with] every breath that I have so that I can get you what you need."

click here for more

A review of federal court records shows that Le had been assigned to 91 immigration cases over the past month -- 88 in Minnesota and three in Texas. Most of the cases are habeas petitions filed by immigrants detained by enforcement officials. Blackwell said the administration has routinely not been following court mandates, ignoring multiple orders for detainees to be released that has resulted in their continued detainment for days or even weeks. "The overwhelming majority of the hundreds [of individuals] seen by this court have been found to be lawfully present as of now in the country," said Blackwell. "In some instances, it is the continued detention of a person the Constitution does not permit the government to hold and who should have been left alone, that is, not arrested in the first place," according to the transcript. Operation Metro Surge has "generated a volume of arrests and detentions that has taxed existing systems, staffing, and coordination between DOJ and the DHS," Blackwell acknowledged, but said that was no excuse for the government's lack of response to court orders.

Republicans’ political crunch over affordability

Vulnerable Republicans have a big political problem on their hands. The bipartisan Senate negotiations torevive enhanced Obamacare subsidies are all but dead, leaving health care costs skyrocketing for millions of Americans. At-risk GOP lawmakers must now wage a new fight, figuring out if — and how — they can force their party to take up legislation to help Americans dealing with rising costs before the midterm elections. “It’s necessary to do everything on affordability across the board,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) told us. “Health care is the most significant piece of it. There’s also housing, there’s food, there’s fuel, there’s childcare, there’s elder care, there’s transportation. It’s all unaffordable right now.” Yet Republicans face numerous hurdles in doing this.Speaker Mike Johnson has a razor-thin margin and faces near-constant revolts from his right flank.

click here for more

The speaker wanted to spend the early part of 2026 on health care, but intervening events have diverted his focus. The Senate is now consumed with a funding standoff over ICE, and there are a host of other issues that Senate Majority Leader John Thune wants to take up — housing, a farm bill, a highway bill, crypto and more. There’s deep skepticism among Republicans about getting another reconciliation bill done this year, which makes it much harder to see any health care bills passing. Bipartisan efforts on housing and permitting bills — both top priorities for vulnerable House Republicans — are facing problems. The appetite for bipartisan dealmaking will shrink even more as the midterms grow closer. Yet as President Donald Trump’s poll numbers tank and the economy wobbles, at-risk Republicans have no choice but to try whatever they can to push legislative fixes.

Copyright February 05, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved