July 18, 2025

There is a national scandal brewing that could threaten the foundation of democracy — and no surprise here — Donald Trump stands in the middle of it. This week, it broke out into the open. Republicans know that they are in danger of losing control of Congress in 2026 and now, they are panicking about how to stop it.

Their latest solution is to re-gerrymander states that they have already gerrymandered to their advantage. We must not fall into the legacy media trap of simply calling this “mid-cycle redistricting.” That’s giving them far too much grace. Republicans are gerrymandering on top of existing gerrymandered maps. It’s an unprecedented escalation in the GOP’s war on democracy and free and fair elections.

Having capitulated to Trump’s every legislative whim, the House and Senate GOP are devoid of any dignity or backbone and saddled with deeply unpopular votes on legislation aimed at giving more money to the wealthy. Unable to stop themselves from betraying their constituents and linked to an increasingly unstable and disliked president, Republicans are searching for new ways to skew election results in their favor.

They have already started rolling out their usual basket of state voter suppression laws. In my job as a lawyer, my team is challenging several dozen of these laws in court. The GOP’s election subversion programs are quickly underway — spreading false claims of fraud and election denialism to lay the groundwork to challenge voters and contest election results.

You’re reading The Week, a premium newsletter from Marc, our founder and top voting rights attorney. Every Friday he gives us an insider's look at the most important stories shaping our democracy.

But House Republicans, under the feckless leadership of election denier Rep. Mike Johnson, know that their majority will quickly evaporate in November 2026 without further, more drastic, action. That is why Trump and his allies are insisting that Republican-controlled states conduct an unprecedented redistricting effort to further gerrymander gerrymandered maps.

The outrageous desperation of this plan is on full display in Texas — the first state on their target list. After the 2020 census, Texas Republicans drew a new congressional map that violated the rights of minority voters and violated the Constitution. It was also a blatant partisan gerrymander.

How am I so certain? Because that is what Texas calls it. They recently told a federal court that “the congressional maps in 2021 were drawn on a partisan basis.” The numbers prove the point. In a state where Republicans routinely win 55% of the vote, they control 70% of the seats. It is no wonder the Princeton Gerrymandering Project gives it an F for partisan fairness.

Notwithstanding that advantage, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has called a special session to further gerrymander the map to increase the number of Republican seats by as many as 5. If successful, Democrats would have a chance to win only 7 of the 38 seats.

There are big risks for the GOP in this plan. First, they could very well spread their voters too thin and suffer large losses in a Democratic wave. Second, they may potentially kick off a wave of gerrymandering on both sides — where Democrats are forced to up the stakes and the ante significantly.

What happens in Texas and the other GOP-controlled states may not be front page political news yet, but it sure will be as we head towards 2026.

The Weekly Top Line

Trump is spiraling out of control over the Epstein Files. Late last night, he promised to sue the Wall Street Journal and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, for publishing a new blockbuster story about Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Beyond the usual issues of Trump’s penchant for filing frivolous lawsuits and the legacy media’s willingness to settle them, this poses a tricky dilemma for another one of Murdoch’s media properties: Fox News.

Until now, Fox News could be relied on to amplify Trump’s attacks against his enemies and to discredit unfavorable stories. But it seems highly unlikely Murdoch will greenlight any of his other news companies — including Fox and the New York Post — taking Trump’s side on this.

The question is whether the likes of Sean Hannity stay silent or defend the Wall Street Journal’s reporting. That decision may tell us a lot about how badly this lands for Trump. If the most influential pro-Trump media outlet lines up against him, his problems grow exponentially.

Fools and Cowards of the Week

In case you thought Paramount CBS was done beclowning itself, you were wrong. Yesterday, the same executives who settled the bogus lawsuit with Donald Trump for $16 million canceled Stephen Colbert’s late-night talk show. Colbert, who was a regular critic of Trump, made the mistake of telling the truth about CBS’ capitulation.

For thinking that they can make peace with Trump without alienating their audience, the top brass at CBS are fools. For even trying, they are cowards.

The Week’s Siren 🚨

There are 143 voting and election cases currently pending in 42 states. The Republican Party has filed 40 of them and is active in a total of 74. Backed by the RNC, the Republicans have a voter suppression war machine that includes deep pockets to fund endless litigation.

For now, the good guys are keeping up. But this is a siren that should be going off among everyone who cares about voting rights and free and fair elections.

Overlooked This Week 👀

Almost lost in this week's news? The firing of the federal prosecutor who prosecuted Epstein. In her resignation letter, Maurene Comey wrote: “Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought. Instead of fear, let this moment fuel the fire that already burns at the heart of this place. A fire of righteous indignation at abuses of power.” 

Good for her.

Watching Next Week

Speaking of the Voting Rights Act, it has been several weeks since the Supreme Court ordered reargument in a critical redistricting case from Louisiana and we still do not have any further details about what issues the court wants the arguments to focus on. Perhaps next week will be the time we all find out.

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