The Texas Senate voted to send President Donald Trump’s requested mid-decade redistricting map to the governor’s desk shortly after midnight last night after Republicans crushed Democratic state Sen. Carol Alvarado’s bid to filibuster the bill.
The Senate adopted the new lines on a party-line vote, 18 to 11, just after 12:30 a.m. Saturday following more than eight hours of at times tense debate.
Following a long day on the Senate floor, it seemed that Senator Alvarado was set to begin her speech around 8:30 p.m. to launch her filibuster. Yet, after members concluded their remarks, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, called for an unusual three-hour dinner break.
During the break, Alvarado told a news outlet she was “more determined” than ever to delay the bill and planned to speak for 16 hours. To get ready, the 57-year-old attorney had received an IV infusion and a catheter, eased up on her usual rigorous workout routine, and organized binders filled with notes from her constituents about the maps.
A rare procedural motion by Senate Republicans just after midnight ended the debate and killed the filibuster, moving the chamber straight on to the final vote. Some observers in the gallery were removed for shouting “shame,” and “fascist,” shortly after the vote.
State Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, accused Alvarado of using the filibuster to raise campaign funds. He told his colleagues that Alvarado sent out an email at 3 p.m. that day “to promote her filibuster as a campaign fundraising event.”
The maps are designed to give Republicans up to five additional U.S. House seats by redrawing districts around major Texas cities including Austin, Dallas, and Houston. Republican lawmakers are pursuing the unusual mid-decade redistricting plan amid pressure from President Donald Trump to protect the GOP’s slim majority in the U.S. House.
In an earlier Senate vote on the same redistricting plan, the vote was 19-2, with nine Democrats absent after exiting the Senate floor moments after the maps were taken up, a show of protest against what they framed as a “corrupt process”.
The maps now await Governor Abbott’s signature to become law, completing what has been described as an unprecedented mid-decade redistricting effort driven by partisan political considerations.
Texas lawmakers defended their perspectives on approval of the redistricting plan:
A new letter from the chairman of the House Administration Committee states that the House Democrats who broke quorum for two weeks to block GOP redistricting efforts have been fined over $9,000 each. These fines total more than $476,000. The letter does not specify when the fines are due.
Congressman Lloyd Doggett, who has served in Congress for 30 years, announced he is prepared to retire rather than campaign against fellow Democrat Greg Casar if the newly-drawn redistricting map is upheld in court.
The Leander school district has released video footage and the name of the driver involved in a rollover crash on Aug. 13 with 46 elementary and middle school students on board.
Bus driver Tim Gall has been placed on paid administrative leave while the Department of Public Safety conducts its investigation into the wreck, according to the district.
The Austin school board has approved a new policy requiring a separate permission form for any field trip that includes a water activity. This decision was made after an eighth-grade student from Covington Middle School died during a school celebration in May. (Austin American-Statesman)
Meanwhile, some Austin ISD parents are expressing worry about the new school cellphone ban following a safety scare at Northeast Early College High School this week.
Court documents reveal latest into Ethan Nieneker’s charges, the man accused of shooting and killing three people in the Target parking lot on Research Blvd last week.
Mount Bonnell, Zilker Park, and the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail are becoming hotspots for car break-ins. According to Austin police, many suspects arrested for these crimes are repeat offenders, often returning to the streets with little or no punishment.
This week’s Crime Watch from FOX 7 Austin:
The city of Austin has unveiled several new, all-electric vehicles. (KXAN-TV)
Travis County ESD also has some new equipment:
The Texas Department of Transportation broke ground Friday on a $139 million project to add frontage roads along US 183 in Cedar Park.
Williamson County officials cut the ribbon Friday on a $5.9 million improvement project at Berry Springs Park & Preserve.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) announced that Delta Air Lines is preparing to offer nonstop flights to Denver; Kansas City, Missouri; and Columbus, Ohio, in the coming months. (Delta)
The Pride Parade begins at 8 p.m. at the Texas Capitol building on 11th Street and Congress Avenue, proceeds south down Congress Avenue, and ends at the Ann Richards bridge at Cesar Chavez Street.
WEATHER
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
The milder weather pattern reflects a neutral phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, which occurs in the equatorial waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean. This means that neither La Niña (the cooling phase) nor El Niño (the warming phase) was present and did not steer our summer weather pattern to the extremes with drought or heat. — Austin American-Statesman
Activists for LGBTQ rights protested at the Texas Capitol on Friday after a House hearing on a bill that would prevent transgender people from using government restrooms that align with their gender identities. (Texas Tribune)
Tensions flared during the hearing:
A Texas House committee is considering a bill that opponents fear would place even more restrictions on Texans’ access to abortion medications that could be life-saving. House Bill 7 would allow private citizens to sue anyone who manufactures, distributes, mails or provides abortion medication to or from Texas. (Texas Tribune)
Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a request on Friday—alongside America First Legal—to join the Trump administration in a lawsuit to stop California from pushing its vehicle emissions standards onto Texas car owners. (Texas Scorecard)
Texas Democratic Representative Nicole Collier of Fort Worth refused received national attention after sleeping in the chamber for two nights after refusing to sign a permission slip that would place them under the custody of the Texas Department of Public Safety. In an interview after the vote, Collier spoke with CBS News Texas about her protest, why her fight on this isn’t over, and about the new maps. “They have racist implications yes. It’s racially gerrymandered…You need to be able to trust the voters to elect the candidate they want and keep them together in their same communities. That didn’t happen today. Today, they just split that up. So, it’s very disappointing to see this is the trajectory they’re going.”
A federal judge has granted a temporary halt to a new Texas law that requires the posting of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. He found that it was a violation of the freedom of religion—but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is promising to appeal. We hear from Rabbi Mara Nathan about why she joined the suit and how she feels about the future of religious freedom in Texas.
(Episode from August 22, 2025)
A semi-truck was stopped on railroad tracks in Forney yesterday, and a Union Pacific train slammed into it. Fortunately, no one was injured.
Bexar County authorities arrested a man involved in a machete attack.
Officials in Hays County are investigating the theft of farm equipment.
Nearly one in 12 Americans with an auto loan (8.6%) are making monthly car payments of at least $1,000. Texas leads the pack with 12.8% of auto borrowers making $1,000+ payments. (My San Antonio)
Residents in a rural area of Hood County, about 50 miles southwest of Fort Worth, are pushing to incorporate their community into a town. They say a nearby Bitcoin mine is disrupting their quiet way of life with noise from its computer servers and cooling fans and they want to put limits on the disruption. (Texas Standard)
Preparations are underway for the State Fair of Texas, which opens September 26. Crews are busy pouring concrete, upgrading lighting, and repainting buildings across Fair Park. The Cotton Bowl is getting a major facelift ahead of multiple football games and a new soccer match, the State Fair Clásico.
SPORTS
MLS: Austin FC head north of the border to take on CF Montréal at Stade Saputo tonight. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT. (Austin FC)
NFL: Joe Milton ran for a touchdown and threw for a score to help the Dallas Cowboys beat the Atlanta Falcons 31-13 in the preseason finale for both teams Friday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
ON THE SCHEDULE
MLB: Wins for both the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers last night.
Jeremy Peña and Christian Walker each hit a three-run homer, and the Houston Astros outslugged the Baltimore Orioles 10-7 on Friday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
ASTROS NEWS: Houston’s pitching staff added Craig Kimbrel, a veteran reliever who pitched in 57 games with the Orioles last year. (CBS Sports)
In Arlington last night, Joc Pederson hit a walk-off RBI double to give the Texas Rangers a 4-3 comeback win over the Cleveland Guardians. (Yahoo! Sports)
RANGERS NEWS: Marcus Semien did not play in Friday’s game with the Cleveland Guardians after he suffered an injury on Thursday in the finale of a four-game series in Kansas City. Semien was in the clubhouse, but his foot was in a walking boot, and he got around with a noticeable limp. (Sports Illustrated)
ON THE SCHEDULE
AL WEST STANDINGS
Embark on an unforgettable adventure with National Geographic photographer Tara Kerzhner to the Texas Gulf, where she discovers Corpus Christi’s natural beauty, coastal charm, and vibrant food scene.
