Daily Dispatch 10/13/25: Dems Demand Abbott Bring Guard Troops Home, and More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Ten Democratic U.S House members have demanded that Governor Greg Abbott withdraw Texas National Guard troops that he has sent to Illinois and Oregon on the orders of Donald Trump: https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/09/texas-lawmakers-oppose-guard-use-in-out-of-state-policing/86572196007/

...Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker notes that Republican Governors Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma and Phil Scott of Vermont have both also expressed opposition to the Texas deployment to other states: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5551994-pritzker-gop-troop-deployment/

...A federal appeals court has halted the deployment of Texas National Guard troops into Chicago, but has stopped short of ordering them back to Texas: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/appeals-court-rejects-trump-request-deploy-national-guard-chicago-area-2025-10-11/

The hearing over the map resulting from the Trump-ordered redistricting of Texas in El Paso ended on Friday and is now under consideration by a panel of three judges: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2025/10/10/political-or-racial-three-takeaways-from-federal-hearing-on-new-tx-congressional-map/

...The judges may be annoyed as their review of the case begins with the evasiveness of several defense witnesses: https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/new-details-emerge-in-federal-court-about-texas-secretive-redistricting-map/

A 30-year veteran professor at UT Austin writes that with conservative attacks on academic freedom lately, she barely recognizes the place: https://www.statesman.com/opinion/columns/your-voice/article/opinion-35-years-ut-austin-hardly-recognize-21089836.php

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