TEXAS HOLD ‘EM: Texas Republicans voted to issue civil arrest warrants for dozens of Democratic lawmakers who left the state to deny the legislature a quorum for voting on congressional redistricting map that would create five new Republican districts.

  It’s not clear how the Republicans could vote on arrest warrants when they don’t have enough members present to conduct any other business.

  The Democrats fled to Chicago, New York, and Boston where authorities are not likely to allow their extradition. Just two weeks are left in the Texas legislature’s special session.

  “Democrats hatched a deliberate plan not to show up for work, for the specific purpose of abdicating the duties of their office and thwarting the chamber’s business,” Republican Gov. Greg Abbott wrote in a letter to Democrats in a firm grasp of the obvious. That’s exactly what they’re doing to block having Democrats legislated out of power in Washington.

  Abbott has threatened to remove the missing legislators from office — not impossible, but that is likely to require court approval.

SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES: Canada is getting its revenge for US tariffs by covering the Midwest and New England in untaxed wildfire smoke. The pall of smoke stretches like a light fog all the way through Michigan and Illinois, across northern Pennsylvania and covering pretty much all of New England.

  Air quality warnings have been issued for 160 million Americans. Here in upstate New York both the sun and moon are orange through the haze of smoke and the mountains are merely an outline on the horizon. The smoke is expected to linger for several more days.

REGIME NEWS:

— President Trump said he’s planning to appoint someone to replace the commissioner of labor statistics he fired last week following a dismal jobs report. 

  He posted on his Truth Social;  “Last weeks Job’s Report was RIGGED, just like the numbers prior to the Presidential Election were Rigged. That’s why, in both cases, there was massive, record setting revisions, in favor of the Radical Left Democrats. Those big adjustments were made to cover up, and level out, the FAKE political numbers that were CONCOCTED in order to make a great Republican Success look less stellar!!!” 

  He has provided no evidence for his claim of rigging.

— Trump threatened on his Truth Social feed yesterday that he would “substantially” increase his 25-percent tariffs on imports from India if that country continues to buy oil from Russia. Trump accused India of profiteering by reselling low-cost Russian oil on the open market.

  He said, “They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine.”

— In a brazenly political move by the Federal Emergency Disaster Agency, FEMA announced that it will deny emergency funds to states and cities that boycott business with Israel and its businesses. It is an escalation of Trump administration policy linking approval of federal funding to political loyalty to Trump policy.

— Attorney General Pam Bondi directed federal prosecutors to open a grand jury investigation into allegations that members of the Obama administration invented intelligence about Russia’s 2016 election interference, CNN reports.

  Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently declassified documents she claims undermine the Obama administration’s conclusion that Russia tried to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton.   The government reached a bipartisan finding in  2017 that Russia launched an influence and hacking campaign intended to help Trump beat Hillary Clinton.

— In answer to what it calls “a clear national security threat,” the State Department says it will require foreign visitors from some countries with high rates of overstaying their visa to post a $15,000 bond to help ensure that they leave. 

THE WAR ROOM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning  to order a full military occupation of the Gaza Strip to force Hamas to free the hostages, according to the Jerusalem Post. The military already controls about 75 percent of Gaza.

  Netanyahu’s decision was reportedly made without the consultation of the Israeli military’s chief of staff Eyal Zamir, with Netanyahu instructing him to fall in line or resign, according to the internal memo reported by the Post.

THE SPIN RACK:  South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, a Trump critic turned loyalist, announced she is running for governor. “President Trump needs MAGA governors who implement his agenda at the state level on down and the 2026 midterms is where we can do it,” Mace told The Washington Post. — A federal judge has blocked a new Arkansas law that would require a copy of the Ten Commandments to be hung in all public schools and buildings. US District Judge Timothy Brooks said the law is likely to be  struck down  as unconstitutional. —  As many as 140 African migrants are believed to be dead after their heavily loaded boat capsized off the coast of Yemen. Most of the migrants were Ethiopian, believed to have been headed for Gulf states. 

BELOW THE FOLD:  Doritos tortilla chips has added a new flavor to its junk food lineup, “Golden Sriracha,” which they hope will be as successful as their 1986 addition of “Cool Ranch.”

  Where is Bobby Kennedy and his health movement when you need him? 

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