Texas GOP lawmakers lead summer sprint to redraw US House maps and address deadly floods

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Democrats showed up Monday for a special session but left open the possibility of walking out as a means to derail an unusual summer redrawing of U.S. House maps that would help protect Republicans’ slim majority in the 2026 elections.

President Donald Trump wants Republicans in the coming weeks to engineer as many as five more winnable congressional districts in Texas — a high-risk, high-reward redraw that would put them on better footing before the midterm elections, when the party of the incumbent president often loses House seats.

At the Texas Capitol, Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows gaveled in a 30-day session and appointed a committee to oversee what is already escalating into a contentious battle over the state’s voting maps. Democrats promised to fight the redraw but they are heavily outnumbered in the Texas Legislature, leaving them with few paths of resistance.

“Democrats are going to keep all options open and will do whatever is necessary to protect our communities,” said Democratic state Rep. Gene Wu of Houston, the House Democratic leader.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott added redistricting to a lengthy agenda he gave to lawmakers in ordering them back to the Texas Capitol. That list includes addressing Texas' catastrophic floods that killed at least 135 people and has put Kerr County officials under scrutiny over why residents were not given more warning.

Abbott, a three-term governor, cited “constitutional concerns" brought by the Justice Department for redrawing the maps, which is typically done once every 10 years. The letter claims four districts in the Houston and Dallas metro areas, key Democratic strongholds, were racially gerrymandered the last time the maps were drawn in 2021.

During a debate to begin the redistricting process, Republican Sen. Phil King, who is chair of the committee, fielded queries from Democrats who questioned the purpose of creating new maps.

“The intent that we are here about today is to respond to the governor’s call that we take up congressional redistricting in this special session," he said. “I have the highest level of confidence that we’re not going to pass a bill out of the committee or off this floor that violates the Voting Rights Act."

Democratic party leaders on Monday identified filibusters or walking out — which would deny Republicans enough members for a quorum — as some of their limited options to block redistricting efforts, which they said will disenfranchise Democratic voters.

Texas Democrats in 2021 gridlocked the state Capitol for 38 days by refusing to come to work in protest of proposed voting restrictions. When they returned, the measure passed.

Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton has threatened to arrest those who attempt to walk out on top of the $500 a day fines lawmakers face for breaking a quorum.

Andrew Mahaleris, an Abbott spokesperson, did not comment on redistricting in a statement Monday.

“While partisan activists focus solely on political issues, Governor Abbott is dedicated to delivering results on issues important to Texans, such as flood relief, property tax cuts, and the elimination of the STAAR test,” he said, referring to a standardized exam for Texas students.

There are some concerns that rigging the map too much, known as gerrymandering, could backfire on Republicans. If too many Democratic voters are sifted into Republican districts, it could make them more competitive than they otherwise would be.

The state is also tangled in litigation with civil rights groups who allege the maps were racially gerrymandered in 2021.

Texas currently holds 38 seats in the House, of which 25 are held by Republicans and 12 by Democrats, while one seat remains vacant from the late Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner and will be filled in a special election later this year.

Ohio Republicans are also considering redrawing their House maps and California Gov. Gavin Newsom floated the idea of his state doing the same, although that authority rests with an independent commission, rather than the legislature, in the Democratic-controlled state.

Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Texas State Rep. Cecil Bell, Jr., R-Magnolia, center and other house member stand for the pledge as the House calls a Special Session, Monday, July 21, 2025, in Austin. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

A state trooper keeps watch over the Rotunda at the Texas Capitol as the House calls a Special Session, Monday, July 21, 2025, in Austin. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Demonstrators gather outside the Texas Capitol as the House calls a Special Session, Monday, July 21, 2025, in Austin. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows strikes the gavel as the House calls a Special Session, Monday, July 21, 2025, in Austin. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will debut a new sport next month: Ski mountaineering, which combines uphill sprinting (on boots and on skis) and downhill skiing. Although the sport on the global stage is relatively new, it does have roots dating to the late 19th century. Backcountry winter sports have grown in popularity and there is anecdotal evidence that they saw a surge in participation during the pandemic.

Something to know about skimo: It's fast, with sprint races lasting about 3 minutes.

Ski mountaineering will have men's and women's sprint events along with a mixed relay.

The race works like this: The racers sprint uphill with skins on the bottom of their skis. A skin is a strip of material that allows for traction going uphill. They then run a section in boots before putting their skis back on to traverse another uphill section. Once at the top, they take the skins off and race downhill. In the men's and women's sprint-event format, there will be a qualifying round where 18 racers qualify over three heats. The top three athletes in each heat advance to the semifinals along with three others based on time. In the semifinal rounds, two advance along with two more “lucky losers," which sets up the race for medals. The mixed relay consists of one female and one male racer from each country. Each will complete two ascents and descents. The female athlete begins, then tags her male teammate for the switch. The team that completes all four laps first wins gold.

The current ski mountaineering sprint champions are Swiss racer Marianne Fatton and Spain's Oriol Cardona Coll. Another favorite is France's Emily Harrop, who won the test event at the venue last winter ahead of Fatton. Coll won the men's event ahead of Swiss racers Jon Kistler and Arno Lietha. In the mixed relay event, Coll partnered with Ana Alonso Rodriguez for the win. Harrop and Thibault Anselmet were second. Rodriguez said in October she was hit by a car while cycling, tearing knee ligaments, hoping to heal in time. The U.S. earned an Olympic spot in the mixed relay thanks to a World Cup victory from Anna Gibson and Cam Smith.

The races will be staged in Bormio at the Stelvio Ski Center, with the men's and women's sprint events taking place on Feb. 19. The mixed relay competition takes place two days later.

The medal winners will be the first in their sport at the Olympics.

There are penalties in the race for things such as disrespectful behavior, unsportsmanlike conduct, technical errors and equipment that’s missing. The penalties range from a disqualification to adding time. The first ski mountaineering world championships were held in France in 2002. The sport is presided over by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF), representing roughly 55 national federations across five continents. Ski mountaineering was part of the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne. The sport is proposed for the 2030 Winter Games in the French Alps.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

FILE - An athlete competes during the women's sprint race at the Ski Mountaineering World Cup event in Bormio, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)