Abbott has tasked lawmakers with redrawing congressional districts mid-decade. The move follows a U.S. Department of Justice letter to state leaders that said three Houston districts and a Fort Worth area district are “unconstitutional ‘coalition districts’” because they’re racially drawn.

The state Legislature will look at proposals for emergency preparedness in a special session that was already planned over hemp laws. A bill to help build emergency systems failed in the spring.

The Texas GOP knows the risk. In the 2010s, the Republican-controlled Legislature drew political lines that helped pad the GOP’s House majority. That lasted until 2018, when a backlash against Trump in his first term led Democrats to flip two seats in Texas that Republicans had thought safe.

Texas lawmakers in 2023 passed House Bill 2127, dubbed the “Death Star” bill by opponents, which aims to overturn cities’ progressive policies and prevent them from enacting future ordinances that aren’t aligned with broad swaths of state law.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said search and rescue efforts continue after the deadly floods in Central Texas as crews work to remove debris from roads and bridges. The governor said search parties still include many out-of-state volunteers and dog teams.