Former President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he supported a proposal by California Democrats to redraw congressional lines in response to a Republican-led push in Texas to gain additional US House seats but expressed unease with the broader effects of political gerrymandering.

Obama's comments came as efforts in Texas, encouraged by President Trump, aim to strengthen GOP control ahead of next year's elections.

(Reuters) -Republican lawmakers in California have filed suit seeking to block action on Governor Gavin Newsom's , which aims to create five new Democratic U.S. congressional seats in his state to counter a similar move in Texas favoring Republicans.

Hurricane Erin may not be forecast to make landfall, but the sprawling Category 2 storm is still going to impact much of the East Coast as it tracks north this week. On Tuesday, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency to prepare for the life-threatening rip currents and storm surge expected to affect the coastal region.

California Democrats' ability to do so may hinge on the outcome of a ballot measure Newsom announced last week that would allow a new map drafted by legislators to temporarily replace the boundaries drawn up by the state's independent redistricting committee following the 2020 census.

Multiple members of California Common Cause’s advisory board have resigned as the nonpartisan group, historically critical of partisan gerrymandering, tackles its conflicting response to the national redistricting battle.

The redistricting fight returned to the Texas House. Lawmakers wasted no time pressing each other on the details.

About 200 are gathered in the rotunda for a rally supporting Democrats as Republicans prepare to approve new congressional maps on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025.