Thursday, August 21, 2025

👋 Hi John! Happy Thursday. We made it to the end of the week!

We are happy to bring you The People’s Bi-Weekly Watchdog Newsletter, delivered to your inbox every other Thursday. We bring you the news you need to know to hold power accountable from the nonpartisan source you can trust.

This week’s Common Cause newsletter is just a 3.5 minute read at 580 words.

🦅 The Results Are In: California Passes, Texas Fails

In case you missed it, we released six fairness criteria in response to Texas’ partisan attempts to redistricting mid-decade at the behest of Donald Trump. Our criteria protects fair representation for the voters regardless of which political party is drawing up new maps. To read our criteria, click here.

This week, Texas Republicans followed Trump’s directive and passed an incredibly gerrymandered, partisan map in an attempt to gain more seats ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. California announced it would fight back, introducing their own mid-decade maps to counterbalance Texas’ efforts.

After thoroughly evaluating each state’s plan against our criteria, we found California meets our fairness criteria, while Texas fails to meet each of the six fairness standards.

As President Trump attempts to rig our redistricting systems to make himself king, states will continue to fight back. Common Cause is ensuring that no matter what happens, the people have a nonpartisan way to evaluate any mid-decade redistricting effort that happens in their state. Voters deserve to stay informed on how their vote could be impacted, and we’re providing the tools to help navigate uncharted waters.

To learn more, click here.

🏛️ Trump’s Reign of Terror in D.C.

Last week, President Trump ordered the National Guard to seize control of the city’s local police department. Countless federal law enforcement officials have taken to the streets, some without identification, wearing face masks, and employing dangerous tactics designed to stoke fear and create chaos.

Crime is at record lows in D.C. It's obvious this is another blatant attempt at a power grab to make D.C. residents feel like they aren't safe in their own homes, suppress dissent, and take attention away from how Trump’s policies are leaving people worse off. This is why D.C statehood is so important — because no one should have to live in fear from unchecked power. And that’s why we’re taking action.

Lawmakers have introduced resolutions in the House and Senate to put an end to Trump’s hostile takeover and return power back to D.C. officials. We’re demanding our members of Congress act immediately and pass it. Join us in making your voice heard here.

📱 Our Favorite Post

👀 ICYMI

We're working so hard to protect our democracy, we could write you a novel instead of a newsletter. Instead, here are the top headlines you don't want to miss:

• 🔔Pennsylvania: Vague lobbying and transparency laws leave the public in the dark about how their taxpayer dollars are spent. In Pennsylvania, we’re pushing for more sunshine on how the money is being spent because the people have a right to know. Read more here.
  
  

• Indiana 🏀: As more states are getting pressured to be pulled into Trump’s mid-decade redistricting scheme from out-of-state actors, we’re pushing back and acting as a firewall. Read more about our work in Indiana to protect fair maps, here.
  
  

• Texas 🤠: As Texans continue to fight for the right priorities – flood protection and relief, not gerrymandered maps, we joined allies last weekend to demand the legislature put people first. Learn more.
  

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