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World

NASA, SpaceX Crew-10 Returns Home After Months in Space

by USNN World NewsAugust 9, 2025August 9, 2025

Sports

Celtics Re-Sign Coach Joe Mazzulla to Contract Extension Amid Historic Start to Career

by USNN World NewsAugust 9, 2025August 9, 2025

Economy

Mounting Debt Taking a Toll on Health, Nearly Half of Americans Say

by USNN World NewsAugust 9, 2025August 9, 2025

National News

Commerce Department Threatens to Take Ownership of Harvard Patents

by USNN World NewsAugust 9, 2025August 9, 2025

World

Zelenskyy Rules Out Ceding Land to Russia Ahead of Trump-Putin Meeting

by USNN World NewsAugust 9, 2025August 9, 2025

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit with the state Supreme Court on Aug. 8, asking the court to declare the House seats of 13 Texas Democrats vacant due to “unlawful absences.” Paxton filed the lawsuit shortly after Democrats broke a deadline set by Texas Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows to return to the Capitol on Friday. “I have asked the Texas Supreme Court to declare what has been clear from the beginning: that the runaway members have officially vacated their offices in the Texas House,” Paxton said in a press release. Story continues below advertisement The lawsuit is aimed at 13 Democratic members who stated publicly they refused to return, “confirming in their own words the very grounds for this legal action,” according to the press release. Those named include the following Texas Democratic representatives: Ron Reynolds, Vikki Goodwin, Gina Hinojosa, James Talarico, Lulu Flores, Mihaela Plesa, Suleman Lalani, Chris Turner, Ana-Maria Ramos, Jessica Gonzalez, John Bucy III, Christina Morales, and Gene Wu, the Texas House Democratic Caucus chairman. Paxton said Texas law gives him the authority to represent the state in “quo warranto actions” and to appear before the Texas Supreme Court in matters of direct state interest. Related Stories Texas Governor Aims to Remove Absent Democrats With Emergency Petition to State High Court The Epoch Times Texas Holds Legislative Session After Democrat Lawmakers Depart The Epoch Times More than 50 state Democrats fled the state to derail Republican plans to redraw the state’s Congressional map before the midterm elections. “When members of the legislature disregard arrest warrants, refuse to perform their duties, and announce that they intend to prevent the legislature from exercising its constitutional responsibilities, they have, through words and conduct, demonstrated an intent to relinquish and abandon their offices,” the lawsuit states. Such legal action is rarely used. Warranto petitions are typically used to challenge a person’s right to hold a public or corporate office or to revoke a corporation’s charter. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also filed a warranto petition on Aug. 5 with the state’s high court, naming Wu as a respondent. The governor’s lawsuit alleged that House Democrats abdicated their official duties by refusing to show up for work. Story continues below advertisement The state justices gave Wu until Friday to respond. Paxton and Burrows took steps to enforce arrest warrants in other states, while the attorney general also began investigations into Powered by People and Texas Majority PAC for allegedly “operating an illegal financial influence scheme to bribe Democrats into breaking quorum.” Also, the fleeing Democrats potentially face felony charges and fines of $500 per day that must be paid from their own funds. The fight between Democrats and Republicans started when the Department of Justice (DOJ) sent Abbott a letter on July 7 raising concerns that four congressional districts in the Houston and Dallas areas were unconstitutional because of “racial gerrymandering.” Current boundaries run afoul of the Voting Rights Act by relying on racial demographics to group minority voters into “coalition districts,” where no single racial group forms a majority, according to the DOJ. Abbott added redrawing the congressional map onto the special session agenda, prompting the Democrats to purposefully break quorum and grind the legislature to a halt.

National News

Texas AG Files Suit With State Supreme Court to Declare Seats of 13 Absent Democrats Vacant

by USNN World NewsAugust 8, 2025August 8, 2025

Sports

Hard to Believe? For the Miami Marlins, the Wild Card Is Within Reach

by USNN World NewsAugust 8, 2025August 8, 2025

National News

Suspect Dead, Officer Killed in Shooting Reported at Emory University

by USNN World NewsAugust 8, 2025August 8, 2025

World

Trump to Meet Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15

by USNN World NewsAugust 8, 2025August 8, 2025

Economy

Trump Gained ‘10 Times More Income’ for Average Families Than Biden, Says Economist

by USNN World NewsAugust 8, 2025August 8, 2025

Business

FAA Plans to Hire Nearly 9,000 Air Traffic Controllers by 2028 Amid Nationwide Shortage

by USNN World NewsAugust 8, 2025August 8, 2025

NATIONAL NEWS

Breaking Down the Budget Plan’s Spending on the Environment

By Nathan Worcester In the early hours of Aug. 11, Senate Democrats took another step toward approving a $3.5 trillion budget plan through reconciliation, with the aim ...

Watchdog to Probe NSA After Tucker Carlson Allegedly Targeted

By Zachary Stieber A federal watchdog is probing allegations that a top spy agency improperly surveilled Fox News host Tucker Carlson. The National Security Agency (NSA) Office ...

Texas Supreme Court Allows for Arrest of Democrats Who Don’t Show Up at Capitol

By Jack Phillips The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday voided a lower court’s order that restricted Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan’s authorization to arrest and detain state ...

Local Officials Ignoring Abbott’s Executive Order; AG Paxton Issues Warning

By The Center Square, Bethany Blankley Some local officials in Texas are ignoring Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order prohibiting governments from imposing mask mandates. The Williamson County ...

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Announces Resignation Over Harassment Allegations

By Jack Phillips New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, announced Tuesday he will resign effective in 14 days after allegations of sexual harassment that were ...

McConnell Warns: GOP Won’t Raise Debt Ceiling Over $3.5 Trillion Spending Package

By Jack Phillips Senate Democrats on Monday outlined a plan to bypass the Republican filibuster to pass legislation to expand Medicare and give more drug price ...

Fund to Pay Epstein Victims Sends $125 Million to 150 People

By Zachary Stieber A fund set up to pay people who said they were victimized by convicted sex offender and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein paid out ...

Minnesota Supreme Court Upholds State’s Gun-Carrying Law

By Matthew Vadum The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that a state law requiring individuals to possess a permit to carry a handgun in public is ...

Top Cuomo Aide Melissa DeRosa Steps Down as Governor Resists Resignation Calls

By Zachary Stieber A top aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned late Sunday. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve the people of New York for ...

Albany County Sheriff Announces Criminal Investigation Into Governor Cuomo

By Nick Koutsobinas The Albany County Sheriff’s office announced during a Saturday press conference they had opened a criminal investigation into New York Gov. Andrew ...

Warden at Jail Holding Epstein Associate Ghislaine Maxwell Charged With Murder

By Zachary Stieber A warden at a federal prison holding Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell was charged with murder this week. Antonia Ashford, 44, of Jackson, New Jersey, was charged ...

New Identity Authentication Requirement for Unemployment Spreads Across the Country

By Beth Brelje Pennsylvania now requires individuals filing for unemployment compensation to prove their identity before receiving payments. In an effort to prevent fraudulent claims which ...