Trump says he’ll deploy troops to Memphis next (but there are 8 wins in here, too!)

 

Friday, September 12

Missouri sends GOP gerrymander to governor as Dems continue fight

• The Missouri Senate gave final approval Friday to a gerrymander designed to rig the 2026 election by creating an additional Republican seat in Congress.
  
  
• The state Senate also gave final approval Friday to a bill that aims to restrict direct democracy by making it harder for Missourians to use the ballot initiative process. Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) is expected to sign both measures into law.

Trump says he’ll deploy troops to Memphis next

• President Donald Trump said today he plans to send federal agents and deploy the National Guard to Memphis, Tenn. A top local official called the idea “anti-democratic and anti-American.”

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Trump’s downplaying of right-wing violence continues long pattern With the country reeling from yet another act of political violence, Trump excused far-right extremism. “I’ll tell you something that’s going to get me in trouble, but I couldn’t care less,” he said. “The radicals on the right oftentimes are radical because they don’t want to see crime." Coming up Monday A district court will hold a hearing as the NAACP seeks to void Missouri’s special session and any legislation arising in response.  AND NOW FOR THIS WEEK’S GOOD NEWS Justice for North Carolina voters with felony convictions The 4th Circuit struck down a North Carolina law imposing criminal penalties on residents with felony convictions who vote before their rights are restored — even if they mistakenly believe or were told they are eligible — ruling that it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Virginia Democrat wins special election, narrows GOP majority in Congress James Walkinshaw (D) won decisively in Virginia’s 11th District special election, retaking the seat of the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D) for Democrats. The landslide victory shrinks the GOP’s slim House majority and shows momentum for pro-democracy candidates ahead of the 2026 elections. Federal judge halts Trump’s attempt to fire Fed Gov. Lisa Cook  A federal judge issued an injunction stopping Trump’s bid to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. The judge ruled that the move violated federal law and Cook’s constitutional rights. While Trump has already appealed the ruling, this is a setback in his attempt to assert direct control over the central bank, which was designed by Congress to be insulated from partisan politics. Appeals court stops Trump from shuttering key federal agencies A federal appeals court left in place an injunction preventing Trump’s dismantling of three federal agencies that support museums, libraries, minority-owned businesses, and labor mediation. The ruling blocks Trump’s executive order to slash the agencies “to the minimum presence and function required by law,” preserving critical funding for community institutions and protecting congressional authority over federal programs. Federal court rules against Trump’s attempt to strip immigrant protections A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration illegally tried to cancel Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 1 million residents from Venezuela and Haiti, calling the move unreasoned and racially motivated. The decision keeps TPS — which shields migrants from deportation and allows them to work legally — in place while the case continues, protecting thousands from Trump’s mass deportation agenda. District court protects journalists from DHS and LAPD assaults at protests A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction barring the Department of Homeland Security and Los Angeles Police Department from using tear gas, rubber bullets and other weapons on journalists and protesters who pose no threat to public safety. District Judge Hernán D. Vera found over 50 credible reports of federal agents targeting the press covering immigration raids, and ruled that law enforcement must provide two audible warnings before using force, reaffirming First Amendment rights and press freedom. Trump’s D.C. emergency power expires as Congress fails to extend it   Trump’s unprecedented declaration of a “crime emergency” in Washington, D.C. — which put local police under federal control and sent in the National Guard — officially expired this week after Congress refused to extend it. This restores, at least in part, local control over policing and law enforcement decisions in the city, and reaffirms limits on Trump’s executive power. Court affirms defamation verdict against Trump A federal appeals court upheld the $83.3 million jury verdict against Trump for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll by dismissing her rape allegation in 2019. The ruling rejected Trump’s claim of presidential immunity and declared the damages “fair and reasonable” given the severity and persistence of his attacks.

Trump, allies vow to go after political opponents in wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing

Thursday, September 11

Trump, allies vow to go after political opponents in wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing

• In a taped address Wednesday night, Trump blamed “the radical left” for Charlie Kirk’s murder, and hinted at a coming crackdown on progressive political activity.

Missouri Senate moves forward with GOP gerrymander

• A Missouri Senate committee today voted to advance a GOP-backed, gerrymandered congressional map, part of a rushed mid-decade redistricting process designed to rig the 2026 election. Missourians have made their opposition to the gerrymander clear.

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Trump administration sharing voter data across agencies, DHS confirms The Trump administration today confirmed to Democracy Docket that voter registration data being collected by the Department of Justice is being shared with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as part of a broad push to remove noncitizens from the rolls.  A DHS spokesperson told us the collaboration will help “prevent illegal aliens from corrupting our republic’s democratic process and further ensure the integrity of our elections nationwide.”  Ohio GOP launches redistricting committee as Democrats unveil fair map Ohio Republicans have launched a redistricting committee to redraw Ohio’s congressional map, which is required by law, but will nonetheless give them a chance to grab yet more congressional seats for the GOP. Meanwhile, Democrats have unveiled their own fair map that reflects how Ohio actually votes. Democracy will collapse…unless we push back Brian Tyler Cohen joined Marc to reveal why the right-wing media machine is so effective, what Democrats still don’t understand about influencers, and how social media will decide the 2028 elections. Coming up tomorrow A federal court in California will hear arguments in a lawsuit seeking to block mass layoffs in the federal government. You can stream it here.

 

Friday, September 5

THIS WEEK Missouri GOPers join the attack on fair maps North Carolina and DOJ team up to disenfranchise voters  Court blocks DOJ request in South Carolina Supreme Court asked to decide if citizens can still enforce Section 2 of the VRA

MISSOURI     Missouri GOPers join the attack on fair maps

The Missouri legislature convened this week to redraw the state’s congressional map to benefit the GOP, at President Donald Trump’s prodding. Texas lawmakers last month passed a congressional map designed to add five GOP seats. California was the first state to fight back, greenlighting a map that could counter Texas with five new Democratic seats if approved by voters in November.    Now, Missouri has entered the fray. Its eight seats in Congress are currently held by six Republicans and two Democrats. Under the new map unveiled by Gov. Mike Kehoe (R), the GOP could pick up one additional seat, at the expense of Black voters in Kansas City. For good measure, Kehoe also wants lawmakers to pass a separate measure attacking direct democracy — it would make it more difficult for Missourians to pass laws through the state’s ballot measure process.   Missouri’s legislature only needs a majority of members to be present to do business, so Democrats can’t hold up the gerrymander by leaving, as their allies in Texas did.  But opponents of the gerrymander still have some tools to work with. The NAACP filed a lawsuit Wednesday arguing that Kehoe lacks the authority to call a special session just to help Trump rig the 2026 election and to make it harder to use the ballot measure process. Read more about the Missouri lawsuit here.

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NORTH CAROLINA   North Carolina's GOP-controlled elections board works with DOJ to disenfranchise voters

North Carolina’s election board, now in GOP hands, has teamed up with Trump’s DOJ on a proposed settlement to a lawsuit challenging the state’s voter registration practices. If approved by a judge, the deal would put around 98,000 registered voters at risk of disenfranchisement in state and local elections unless they provide more identification. Read more about the North Carolina plan here.

SOUTH CAROLINA South Carolina blocked from giving voter data to DOJ

A South Carolina judge this week temporarily blocked the state from giving the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) its entire voter database, after a lawsuit filed by a voter 

 

The South Carolina lawsuit came after the DOJ demanded the state turn over its entire statewide voter registration list, including every voter’s full name, date of birth, residential address, driver’s license number and Social Security number. A judge issued a temporary restraining order that stopped the South Carolina Election Commission from releasing the voter data until at least a Sept. 10 hearing. 

 

DOJ’s demand to South Carolina is part of a broader effort to gather voter data from states across the country, in order to pressure states to more aggressively purge the rolls.

NORTH DAKOTA  U.S. Supreme Court asked to decide if citizens can still enforce Section 2 of the VRA

It’s a massively consequential question that’s been rising to the surface in the voting world: Can private citizens and organizations still sue to enforce Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), or does only the government have the right to bring those cases? 

 

The answer will have serious implications for the fate of the most successful civil rights law in history.  

 

Native American voters and tribes filed a petition Tuesday asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is enforceable by private plaintiffs. They’re urging the court to overturn a series of Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals rulings that determined citizens no longer have the right to bring lawsuits against racially discriminatory voting laws.

 

To understand why this matters so much, consider the dramatic transformation at DOJ under Trump, in which the department has flipped its positions in voting lawsuits and switched its objective from protecting voters to searching for voter fraud. If we were forced to rely on today’s DOJ to bring racial discrimination voting cases, then that path to preserving their rights would be all but dead. 

If the Supreme Court upholds the Eighth Circuit’s ruling nationwide, it would mark the most significant rollback of voting rights since Shelby County v. Holder in 2013. Read more about the petition here.

OPINION

Election officials must guard their systems – including from federal overreach

As we’re seeing in South Carolina, the courts have a role in protecting election systems from federal overreach. 

 

As the 2026 midterm election gets closer, election officials will have to stand their ground to prevent unauthorized access to databases, equipment and other systems. That’s true even if the request is coming from the White House, writes Pamela Smith, president and CEO of Verified Voting, a nonpartisan organization that aims to promote the responsible use of technology in elections.

“Our democracy is only as strong as the people willing to defend it. State and local officials are on the frontlines of this work, and they must stay firm in the tough battles ahead — for the systems they manage and the voters they serve,” Smith says. Read more here.

NEW EPISODE  Nicolle Wallace calls Trump a "weak" man

The Republican Party has been co-opted by the far-right to enact their radical agenda. Nicolle Wallace joins Marc to discuss the devolution of the GOP, Trump’s weaknesses, and the media‘s role in preventing a fascist takeover. Watch it on YouTube here.

What We’re Doing

Unlike in Texas – where state lawmakers can push GOP redistricting into law – it will be up to California voters to decide whether the state uses a new congressional map to counter the Texas gerrymander. With five congressional seats possibly at stake, the California special election in November is going to get heated – and probably expensive. That’s why Marc signed up to speak at a YES on Prop 50 fundraiser Sept. 10, to support the effort to counter the GOP gerrymander. We hope you’ll join him.