We're an open forum now, and we're going to be taking your calls shortly.
But a few things for your schedule later today.
Right after this program, right about 10 a.m. Eastern, we're going to have former U.S. defense officials discussing the future of drone warfare, focusing on the Replicator initiative, which was launched in 2023.
It aims to produce large quantities of unmanned drone systems in a short timeframe.
That's live from the Brookings Institution right after this program here on C-SPAN.
And later this evening, we'll have a discussion about the future of U.S. foreign policy in Eastern Europe in light of the Russia-Ukraine war.
It's a conversation with retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, who served on the National Security Council during the first Trump administration.
That event is from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and that will be live at 6:30 p.m. Eastern here on C-SPAN.
Both of those programs are on our app, C-SPANNow and online at c-span.org.
I have a question about, I haven't heard this on the regular media too much, that the United States government is paying the health insurance for people in the Israeli Army.
Look, I've been really buoyed by the conversations I've had with Democratic governors throughout this country and all of our Democratic elected officials.
unidentified
Sorry, I have to leave.
They said it's a felony for me to do this.
Apparently, I can't be on the floor or in the bathroom.
Well, you told me I was only allowed to be here in the bathroom.
What we just witnessed, them trying to shut her down and say it's illegal for her to be in the bathroom and on this call.
This is the lengths that they're going to in Texas to try to bring about a system so unjust and so unjustifiable that they are going to try to silence those leaders from being heard and speaking out.
Can you just start with explaining that situation we just saw with Ms. Collier?
unidentified
Well, you have Texas on the edge.
They were voting yesterday to pass these maps after being held up for more than two weeks.
The Republicans were frustrated.
They really wanted these maps, the legislation for these maps to go through.
I was surprised that they went to such lengths because there were enough Democrats on the floor to get the bill passed, whether she was in the bathroom or not.
But they were frustrated.
They wanted to get it over with.
They were pushing the Democrats to follow all the rules, adhere to being in custody with which Governor Abbott ordered.
They did not want to be forced out in or out with law enforcement.
That's what Republicans ordered law enforcement to escort them everywhere.
And they did not want to have to be, you know, bound to that.
So a few of them stayed on the floor on their own accord, including Gene Wu, who's the minority leader, along with Collier and I think one or two others.
And they were trying to make a point.
Look, you know, we come here on our own volition.
We are going to do this on our own terms as a way to protest what Republicans were doing to force them to, you know, stay in line.
It goes to what's been happening for more than two weeks where law enforcement was, they were hanging out in front of their homes, the Democrats' homes in Texas while the Democrats were in Illinois.
They were calling their homes.
Democrats felt that it was a form of harassment to some extent.
So it's just a continuation that's been going on for more than two weeks.
And Sochia, where do things stand right now with the redistricting and what's the timeline?
unidentified
Well, now Republicans have approved this bill in Texas.
And immediately we've got to look now at what's happening in California because today the California Assembly is going to vote on three measures that will also look at redistricting, giving Democrats potentially five Democratic seats to counter, as you've been discussing, the five seats that Republicans want in Texas.
And that's going to be a whole other drama because Republicans in California are opposing it similarly to how Democrats are opposing it in Texas, calling it a power grab.
And when are we expecting a vote in California on that?
unidentified
California's vote could actually come today.
I don't know if it might be extended because I'm not sure how long debate goes.
I'm not in California right now.
But they are expecting that legislation to pass.
It's three bills.
And then the timeline needs to move really fast because if you want to change the boundaries of your congressional district, you have to do it before March when petitions go out for candidates to file for these positions.
And so that's in March.
The lines have to be drawn by the end of December so candidates know what they're running for.
You have to send out these, there has to be a vote from voters to decide whether they want to do this.
So that has to happen before the maps are drawn.
And you have to send the ballots out to people 30 days before that happens.
And then if you're a military person overseas, those ballots need to be sent out 45 days ahead.
So we're looking at September is when these ballots need to go out.
And here we are, August.
So it's a very accelerated schedule to move everything along really quickly.
Politico has done polling that shows Californians are overwhelmingly supportive of redrawing these maps.
Of course, because it's a Democratic state and they are opposed to Donald Trump, who initiated this whole, you know, this whole battle by urging Texas Democrats in a Zoom call, I believe, to vote to change the districts in their state.
Okay, so we talked about Texas, we talked about California.
What's happening in Illinois?
unidentified
Illinois is, they are starting their own redistricting commission, which is a little bit different because they are only focusing on state legislative maps.
And the logic is, and this commission is run by familiar names, Rayla Hood, Bill Daly.
Rayla Hood is a Republican, Bill Daly is a Democrat.
They both happen to work in the Obama administration, and they want to redraw more fairly how state legislative maps are drawn.
And then in turn, the logic is that state legislators would more fairly draw congressional maps when the next time comes around to draw those maps in 2030.
There's already some opposition to it.
It's going to be a lot of public hearings and a lot of talk, but that's how it's happening in Illinois.
And if I can say, speaking of Obama, he is now getting involved in all of this too.
A few weeks ago, he had a meeting with the Texas Democrats, encouraging them, praising them.
They were down.
They knew that it was futile, that the Republicans in Texas would have control of this whole process.
Obama said, Look, you had the baton for the first lap, and now we're passing it to Gavin Newsom.
And now Gavin Newsom and the Democrats are going to pass their own maps, ideally for Democrats, that would add the five seats that Republicans in Texas are to counter the Republicans in Texas, adding five seats.
All right.
And just to make it a little bit more complicated, the California legislation does have a trigger that says if Texas does not pass these five seats, then we won't do it either.
Is there a possibility Abbott might not sign this legislation?
Maybe.
It might be that it would take Donald Trump to say, look, Texas, let's back off, and then California will back off.
If you're interested in this topic, the Texas Senate Redistricting Committee will be meeting today to debate those newly redrawn congressional maps.
That's happening at 10 a.m.
This morning, you can watch that on C-SPAN 2.
That's live from Austin.
And then later this evening, the Texas Senate may vote on congressional redistricting in the state.
You can watch that Texas Senate session live at 8 p.m. also on C-SPAN 2.
Then there's two events happening at noon on the West Coast.
The California State Assembly meets in a special session to consider a redistricting plan that would redraw five of California's nine Republican districts to be more favorable for Democrats in future elections.
And at the same time, the California Senate will have a special session that will be live on C-SPAN 2.
So you can watch all of that when you're interested.
And this is now Roderick calling us from Canada on the Independent line.
Good morning, Roderick.
unidentified
Thank you for having me.
I'm calling about the Russia-Ukraine conflict and to make some suggestions for potential coverage on your guys's end.
Main concern I have is that there's far too little focus on NATO's role following 1997, extensively working inside Ukraine,
attempting to drag that country into NATO, despite there never being a formal referendum or plebiscite conducted within Ukraine asking citizens if they would like their country to join NATO or not.
One of the pivotal events that occurred was in August of 2008, NATO's annual conference with Bucharest, Romania that year.
And at the end of the conference, as they always do, they issued a communique.
And when I say they mean the leaders of every member country of NATO signed on to this Commune that announced that NATO will become a member, pardon me, that Ukraine will become a member of NATO.
And it's important to restate that this was all of the member countries' leaders, all of NATO's member countries' leaders, announcing arbitrarily that NATO will become a member.
Am I rephrasing that right?
That Ukraine will become a member of NATO.
And this is at a time that NATO had been active within Ukraine following 1987 when the NATO-Ukraine Council was formed.
Every single year, 1997 to 2008, NATO conducted its own internal polls asking a small sampling, a relatively small sampling of voters across Ukraine if they were in favor of their country joining NATO opposed.
My view is that there should be no attempt by NATO's member countries to accept Ukraine today, and there should be an announcement by NATO's member country leaders that they were wrong to have arbitrarily announced that Ukraine will join NATO in 2008, which eventually led to the conflict that's currently raging.
And I suggest, I urge diplomatically to you guys near quality coverage, please try to interview a professor such as Dr. Jeffrey Sachs at Columbia or Dr. John Mersheimer at the University of Chicago.
They're both very well versed in economics and foreign policy.
They have views, much as I do, that we, the West, should not have been attempting to drag Ukraine into NATO.
And some news for you, some political news for you.
This is from the Texas Tribune.
U.S. Representative Chip Roy and Paxton aide turned foe to run for Texas Attorney General.
It'll be the first test of whether Roy's, at times, frosty relationship with President Trump and his turn against Paxton can withstand scrutiny in a statewide primary.
And he did post just now on X.
He says this, Texas has a long and proud tradition of rising to defend our homes, our freedom, and our communities.
I'm running for Attorney General to carry on that legacy, unafraid to fight, unafraid to win, and unafraid to defend Texas at every turn.
That's Chip Roy running for, announcing his run for Attorney General of Texas.
About the D.C., the military in D.C. and in California.
Yep.
We are in an insurrection in those two states.
Just because Trump has not called for insurrection does not mean that we are not in an insurrection state.
If you look at the qualifications of the law concerning insurrection, it is an insurrection.
He hasn't just called for insurrection.
Number two, it's voting as far as the Texas issue with the voting and the redistricting.
That shows a lot on the people of Texas.
Of course, Texas had the long history of slavery and Juneteenth and not telling people.
And I'm starting to look at not so more as the representative, but as the people who vote the representative in the power of the lacking of morality, values, and traditions that affects the whole entire country.
Plus, right now, it looks like we are a racist, discriminatory country going back to the 1930s instead of 1960.
All right, Teresa, I got to cut you off right there.
unidentified
Today, a discussion about the future of U.S. foreign policy in Eastern Europe in light of the Russia-Ukraine war with retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vinman, who served on the National Security Council during the first Trump administration.
This follows President Trump's separate meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate a possible end to the war.
Hosted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, watch live at 6.30 p.m. Eastern on C-SPAN.
C-SPAN now, our free mobile video app, or online at c-span.org.